Advice For Miss Wolff

I would let her know to give the students quizzes on the reading. This way you know if the student actually read the story or not. I would also tell her to try and make the stories interesting by relating it to other things. Getting in groups to discuss the story and present was helpful for me this year, so I would reccomend that as well. Lastly, I would reccomend for her to assign chapters every night for The Great Gatsby, All Quiet on the Western Front, and The Scarlet Letter. This way students can manage their time better.

Mark Twain's Wit

"A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar." Mark Twain

I like this quote because i completely agree with it. Everyone lies, and those who say they don't are lying even more. We are all born sinners, and will all die sinners. One who admits they are a liar is being truthful. One who denies it, is not. Looking at the quotes by Mark Twain, I appreciated his brutal honesty. He isn't afraid to tell it like it is, and I respect him for that. This quote does just that.

Whats good?

The answer is Harry Potter!!! I am in love with the Harry Potter movies. I hate to admit this but I haven't read the books yet. I'm not much of a reader and I can never find the time. I have tried to read the first book five times, but I always find that I can never finish it. I am dedicated to finishing the series over this summer though. If the books are anything as good as the movies I'll probably be even more addicted. I have seen all of the movies in theater, and I've even gone to a few opening night. I also own all the the movies. They never get old, and I know that I will always hold a special place for them in my heart, even as i get older. <3

Stories of the Quest for Civil Rights

One of my favorite stories about the quest for civil rights is The Freedom Writers Diary. There is also a movie about it. The book is about a teacher and 150 teens who used writing to change themselves and the world around them. The students recorder their thoughts and feelings in diaries and called themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.” This all started when their English teacher confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. The class then read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo. After reading the novels they had a different outlook on life. They voiced their opinions so others could have the chance to discover what they did. This reminds me of what Bessie did in Having our Say. She also voiced her opinion. Along with the "Freedom Writers" she made a difference and protested her beliefs.

The Sisters Connection to Harlem

On the website I read an article about the Universal Negro improvement Association. Marcus Garvey was the first African-American leader in history to oragnize masses of people in a political movement.   He decided to launch the Universal Negro Improvement Association with the goal of unifying "all the Negro peoples of the world into one great body and to establish a country and government absolutely on their own". This reminded me of what Bessie tried to do in Having Our Say. Bessie protested her views with no descretion. She was honest and fought for what she believed it. Her and Marcus Garvey had that in common. Even though she didn't have as much of an impact as he did, her voice was still important and made a diference.

 

Having My Say

Something I feel strongly about is drunk driving. I am against it 100%. Thousands of people die a year because of someone else's lack of self control. It's sad to think of all the families that have lost their love ones. People should be responsible. If they are going to drink more than they can handle, they should take a bus home or have a friend drive who is sober. One stupid mistake can lead to a lot of pain for many other people. Not to mention the guilt that the driver will deal with afterwards. No one should let one careless decision change the rest of their lives and many others. All they have to do is not drink and drive.

Expressions in Art

This picture shows how the whites viewed themselves as a greater race than the blacks. They wouldn't even face them when waiting for a bus. In "Having Our Say" the Delany sisters, because of their race, also had to face many prejudices. Bessie was the only African American in her dental school class and got accused of stealing dental instruments. In school the girls work was graded harsher because of their race. A paper that should have gotten and A, received an F. Bessie really strugged with forgiving the whites for what they did to her. They faced many prejudices, but in the end it made them stronger.

Connections From Whitman

There Was a Child Went Forth

His own parents, he that had father'd him and she that had conceiv'd
him in her womb and birth'd him,
They gave this child more of themselves than that,
They gave him afterward every day, they became part of him.

I really connected to this stanza, because I feel like parents have a HUGE impact in the kind of people we are and the kind of people that we become. I don't think parents fully understand how much what they say and do affects us. Children look up to their parents and tend to follow in their footsteps. The saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," I think is really accurate. Kids tend to make the same decisions their parents make later on in life. Parents have a lot of influence on what their kids do and say. It's important for parents to be there for their kids and make good choices, because it affects the kind of person that they will become.

Emily Dickenson's Garden of Poetry

"I hide myself within my flower".
by Emily Dickinson

I hide myself within my flower,
That wearing on your breast,
You, unsuspecting, wear me too --
And angels know the rest.
I hide myself within my flower,
That, fading from your vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me
Almost a loneliness.

I think the message she is trying to convoy is that she is lonely. "I hide myself within my flower", shows that she is hiding herself from society. She spend a lot of time in her garden and disconnects herself from people around her. She then talks about how she isn't alone when she says, "You, unsuspecting, wear me too." She is pointing out that there are other people that are also lonely and hide themselves within their flower. "That, fading from your vase," I think this shows how her flower is on desplay in someone's vase, but is slowly fading. So, she was once noticed by this person, but is now slowly losing contact with them. Then she goes on to say, "You, unsuspecing, feel for me." I think this means that she is surprised that person cares that they are losing contact. And in the end she is left lonely.

Affirmations of Life

Something good that is happening lately is that my mom met a really nice guy named Rich. This may not seem like a big deal, but it's been a while since my mom has been this happy. She just got out of a really bad relationship and is still somewhat recovering from it. She hasn't had the best luck with relationships, and it's nice to see her this happy. She deserves a really nice man to take care of her. She has taken care of my sister and I our whole lives and I am glad to see her finally get the chance to enjoy herself and be taken care of. Rich seems like a really nice guy and I hope things work out between them. He has three kids and he seems like a great dad. I know this sounds bad, but it would be nice to have a positive father figure in my life. Don't get me wrong, my dad is a nice guy, but he really hasn't ever been there for me. I've never been really close to my dad, and it would be nice to have a dad that takes in interest in my life and makes an effort to have a relationship with me.

The Truth About Nature

The time I felt a spiritual connection to nature was when I went to a cabin that one of my distant relatives owns up in minnesota. I went with my mom, my sister, and my mom's friend and his son. It was completely secluded and right along the river. We had to drive for about 5 minutes just to get to the end of the driveway. There was no running water and an outhouse that didn't even have a door on it. It was surronded by trees and at night you could hear all of the animals, including wolves. We would make a fire and just sit around it at night and talk. It was so relaxing and I found myself spiritually connected to nature in a way I never experienced before. I know this sounds cliche, but I felt one with nature. I appreciated God's creation more. I very rarely get to sit and just enjoy nature. It altered my way of thinking in the sense that I never really appreciated nature. It is so beautiful and when you get a chance to just sit and enjoy it, it makes you think about things you usually don't spend time thinking about.

Team Edgar or Team Nathaniel?

I am, by far, team Edgar! I love reading his stories. They are so suspenseful and they are filled with action. My favorite stories that were written by him are The Pit and the Pendulum and The Fall of the House of Usher. The Pit and the Pendulum is packed with suspense and keeps you on your toes. The ending was kind of lame, but other than that, I really enjoyed reading the story.The Fall of the House of Usher was also a great story. It showed more of Edgar's gothic style of writing. His gothic style is one of the main reasons why I prefer Edgar over Nathaniel. Nathaniel writes more about the puritan society and the concept of sin. His stories Young Goodman Brown, The Scarlet Letter, and The Minister's Black Veil are all very depressing and are hard to follow. None of them really caught my attention.