Manda's Blog

Choose 3 quotes from the first section of the book that you believe are essential to your understanding. Tell me why.
The book isn’t really different from other books that I read before. It shows where the family comes from, the heritage, ethnicity, etc. This book has a lot to do with race because Barack Obama is multiracial, or coming from more then one race/background. So because he has more then one and different races, its kind of hard to fit in somewhere beings though one side of his family is one race and another side is another race. I chose these quotes because I think they have a lot to do with the book and the way it was written. Also, I can relate to some of the quotes i’ve chosen.

Quote 1: “I originally intended a very different book.” I think this quote is essential because it is saying that Barack Obama was looking for a different way of how the book would be before he wrote or completed it. Most writers often do that. I like to write also and when I write, I intend for the things I wrote to be a certain way and what I had in mind until the book is completed; but sometimes things don’t go as planned.
Quote 2: “We call my grandmother Tutu; Toot for short, it means grandparent in Hawaiian..” I think this quote is essential because it shows some background from Obama. It shows his heritage and where he’s coming from with his culture and ethnicity.
Quote 3: “Miscegenation.” I think this quote is essential because it tells a lot within the book. Obama also includes his opinion about the word and/or what would be intended for the word if it were to ever come across anyone. (meaning, what people’s first thought of the word might be)

Title: Someone Like You

Author: Sarah Dessen

Q: What do you think the author’s purpose was for writing this book?

A: I think the author’s purpose for writing this book was to show how certain things that you get involved in may dramatically change you in some way. Also i think she wrote this book to show how you shouldn’t let things that you do get in the way of relationships you have with other people.

Q: Who do you think the intended audience is for this book?

A: The intended audience for this book are teenagers.

Rating: 9

Q: If this book had gone one more chapter, what would have happened? Explain.

A: If this book would have gone one more chapter, i think Halley would have talked to Macon again about what happened and why he got so mad that she didn’t have sexual intercourse with him. I also think that Cameron would have taken good care of Scarlett and her baby as if he were the father. I think Halley would of had a better relationship with her mother and talked out what had happened between them from the start. And i also think that Halley would either talk to Noah about why he got drunk on prom night, or not speak to him at all.

Title: Freedom Writers Diary

Author: The Freedom Writers & Erin Gruwell

Q: What do you think was the author’s purpose in writing this book?

A: Well this book is more of a diary and i think their purpose of writing it was to show how life was for them, and how they changed it; each of them. It also made a major difference in all of them a they got older.

Q: Who do you think is the intended audience for this book?

A: The intended audience for this book would be teenagers.

Rating: 10

Q: Describe the character/person who changed the most from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. Explain the change and what it caused.

A: The person that i think changed the most in the book was Eva. In the beginning of the book, she was stubborn. She was in gangs and the type of girl that was a ride or die girl. She always helped her boyfriend, Paco, get out so he and his friends could gang up on other people. Well he accidentaly shot another boy from a different race and they had to go to court. Eva was the only person who saw it, so she had to go to court and tell the people what she saw. She always spoke up for her people and denied anything that they did, but this was different. When the trial came, she told them that Paco shot the guy. I would say that that is a tremendous change because she is not the type of girl that would tell what happened. She would lie, but she didn’t.

Match Definition’s

1: Extemporized – (B) perform something w|o preparation

2: Unabashed – (C) not embarrassed or ashamed

3: Genuflected – (E) to lower one’s body by bending their leg

4: Gelid – (F) extremely cold

5: Inviolable – (D) not capable of being violated or infringed

6: Surfeit – (H) eating until excessively full

7: Epiphany – (G) a divine manifestation

8: Macabre – (A) shockingly repellent

Question’s

1: Morrison personifies winter and uses metaphors comparing Mr. Macteer to winter by showing how he lived his life and that everything he did was in contribute to his family.

2: Pecola was harassed by the group of boys b|c they made fun of her by calling her names and making fun of her family, especially her dad. It effects her b|c those are her personal matter’s and it is just like common bullying b|c in common bullying, people find the most embarrassing thing on someone and talk about it and that’s exactly what they boys did.

3: Maureen Peal is a very attractive girl but her attitude isn’t. She uses her looks to get people to like her. Maureen was judged b|c she treated Pecola nicely but soon later she started treating her wrong by bullying her and that shows that she has sneaky ways of getting what she wants. It shows that she isn’t real and she has 2 sides to her.

4: Claudia and Frieda compare themselves with Maureen by saying that she is popular and cute, whereas they are ugly and no matter what, people will always talk about them.

5: When the Macteer sisters’ saw Mr. Henry bring the prostitutes’ into his home, they knew exactly what he was doing, although they were still a bit curious as to why he would bring them in his home. When they talk to him, though they act as if nothing happened and they didn’t know.

6: Geraldine is the mother of Jr. She has a cat that she loves even more then her own son. Her significance to the story is that she is another person that treated Pecola wrong.

7: Geraldine treats Jr. in a way as if she doesn’t love him, but since he is her son, she gets him whatever he want. She listens to what Pecola has to say and that might effect Pecola towards the end of the story.

8: Jr. treats Pecola nice at first, but then takes her as his hostage. He lies to Geraldine (Jr.’s mother) about Pecola killing the cat. Geraldine treats Pecola by cursing at her and telling her to get out of her house although Pecola did nothing wrong.

Answers:

1: He would hold the letters she wrote to him and pretend as if they were love letters although they weren’t. He wished she loved him the way he loved her, but in her letters she was mostly chatty; wouldn’t really say she loved him.

2: He would think about her mostly when he would did his foxhole, wash his hands, and unwrap the previously written letters to him by her. He was thinking about Martha because he kept to himself, therefore, were in his own thoughts.

3: Because all he kept thinking about was Martha and not what they were suppost to do.

4:

5:

6:Because they had to carry alot of things that add weight to them and make it harder for them. To me, it seems like the men have their own thing in what they want to carry and besides that, i feel a bit of overwheling towards them.

7: I found the condoms to be most surprising because who would of thought that men fighting every day would have the strength, let alone the time to even have sex? The pictures of loved ones stay with me and the most wierd things some of them carried. (Ex: condoms)

8: Jimmy sacrified the person he loves most; Martha, to fight in the war.

9:

10: Yes, i think it will affect him differently if he stopa thinking about Martha because he will be able to concentrate more.

11:

12:

Title: Just Listen

Author: Sarah Dessen

Q: What do you think was the author’s purpose for writing this book?

A: I think the author’s purpose for writing this book was to tell how someone’s life was and how it was effected by the people around them. I kind of relate to the main character of the book in some situations that she went through.

Q: Who do you think is the intended audience for this book?

A: Teenage readers around my age.

Rating: 9

Statement: Descrice a minor character in the book that has a major importance.

Answer: A minor, but yet major character in the book is named Owen. He is obsessed about music, honest, and has anger managment. He has a major role in the book because he stays near Annabel Greene, even when things get tough. He also falls in love with her after a while of becoming her friend.

Answers:

1: People tent to ask if something is true, and really, its up to them whether they want to believe it or not.

2: Because her brother just died and she should have some simphathy for him and the fact that she didn’t even write back tells him that she probably didn’t believe him.

3: Those were multiple ways they named how Curt Lemon died and either way, I felt a bit sad because either way he died, its sad just to find someone in the military that fought for their life and died the way that they did.

4: Because most people probably wouldn’t of believed it to be true; to have to lay still and camiflaged for 7 days straight and listen to music and other sounds you supposely wouldn’t even dream of hearing and not say a word to anyone except whispering to someone every now and then.

5: I didn’t like how they were killing the water buffaloo very slowly, although they were trying to teach a lesson. They achieved this effect by expresing each detail in how they hurt the water buffalo slowly and very detailed

6: Because if you are in some type of danger or are closer to death, you never really feel more alive or really realize life until then.

7: I think the author is trying to add a little bit of reverse cycology into what a true war story is. (Ex: when someone were to define the meaning of “a true war story” and say an obvious answer as to what it might be, but really, it isn’t what it’s suppost to be.)

8: To get a clear statement as to what you think happened and/or to tell different sides of what happened, then tell what a real war story is.

9: I think O’Brien’s use of profanity is essential becuase nobody will not go through the most dangerous things and not have any reaction towards it whether most people use profanity or not.

Link 1:

http://storycorps.org/listen/stories/kendall-bailey-and-his-friend-don-davis/

• What makes this story an effective one?

What makes this story effective is because the guy wanted to pursuit his dreams so badly, but because of his sexuality, he couldn’t. It would be like saying only white men could be in the marines. I’m just saying.

• What stands out to you?

What stands out to me in this story is how the sergeant had the guy discharged from the Marines because he was gay.

• What is your reaction to it?

It was kind of sad to see the guys dreams just go to waste because he was gay. Its hard to put so much into it over the years, but then it just goes to waste and you can’t ever pursuit your dream again.

• Why did you choose it?

I chose this story because its really sad to see someones dreams go to maste that easily. It really made me a bit emotional.