A Seperate Piece by John Knowles is about boys living in New Hampshire that go to a private all boys school during World War 2. Phineas is a very athletic person that is very competitive. Gene is more of a conserved person that is more about school than sports. Although they are opposites, they just so happen to be bestfriends. Phineas is the one that makes all of the rules and Gene is willing to do anything that Phineas tells him to. One day they come up with the idea to jump out of a tree and into a river. While up in the branches, Phineas falls and breaks his leg. Since there is a war going on and everyone is getting closer to getting drafted they decide to enlist. Gene was going to enlist until the morning that Phineas came back. The story is about Gene and Phineas and the War that was going on at the time and they way that everyone deals with it.
I thought that this was a good book. It really showed the way that some people were feeling durning the war and the way that it affected the teenagers. I liked it because it was about the different ways that different people dealt with the problems that were handed to them.
I would recomend this book to general tenth grade classes. It had a good amount of large words in it and I think that they could benefit from reading a challenging book. It was a book that was written with a lot of different emotions and you could tell what he wanted you to feel.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Blog Response #6: Find A Poet
The poet that appealed to me the most was Jack Richards. His poems were very descriptive and made it easy for me to get a picture in my head of what he was describing. The way that he was writing made it seem as if he was watching someone. It also seemed as if he and that person were one, as if he could feel as they were feeling. I also liked this poet because he writes with a lot of emotion. Throughout the poem it had some rhyming but when it was used it didn’t seem forced. This poem also appealed to me because in the poem it wasn’t imaginary some of the things that he wrote were very true in the life of a dancer.
I can relate the poem Lonely Dancer to my life because I also take dance classes and he captured the way that some dancers feel when they are dancing for an audience, or even just practicing. When you are out in front of an audience all of your fears go away and you just dance with your heart.
My personal definition of poetry is a poem that captures a feeling and you are able to picture or feel what they are writing about. I think that the best types of poems are when you can feel the emotions that they are try to portray and you can imagine what they are talking or writing about. I think that a good poem must flow well and not just be a bunch of random words put together on a piece of paper.
I can relate the poem Lonely Dancer to my life because I also take dance classes and he captured the way that some dancers feel when they are dancing for an audience, or even just practicing. When you are out in front of an audience all of your fears go away and you just dance with your heart.
My personal definition of poetry is a poem that captures a feeling and you are able to picture or feel what they are writing about. I think that the best types of poems are when you can feel the emotions that they are try to portray and you can imagine what they are talking or writing about. I think that a good poem must flow well and not just be a bunch of random words put together on a piece of paper.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Color Of Water
The Color Of Water by James McBride is about an African American child with a White mother and without a father. He also has eleven brothers and sisters that are African American. When he is little he never understood why his mom was not dark like him, when he would ask her about it she would say that she was just light skinned. As he got older he wanted to know about his mothers past and family, but she never answered any of the questions. Throughout the book you learn his mothers story and his as he is growing up.
Although this book had many lessons that you could learn from, it did not particularly appeal to me. It felt as if the book was just a book about their lives and didn't really have a plot.
A general tenth grade class could read this book without any problems. This book may be a little challenging to follow because this book is about two different peoples lives and it goes back and forth between every other chapter. They may like this book if they come from a diverse enviornment because it mostly deals with racial problems and racial interactions.
Although this book had many lessons that you could learn from, it did not particularly appeal to me. It felt as if the book was just a book about their lives and didn't really have a plot.
A general tenth grade class could read this book without any problems. This book may be a little challenging to follow because this book is about two different peoples lives and it goes back and forth between every other chapter. They may like this book if they come from a diverse enviornment because it mostly deals with racial problems and racial interactions.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Blog Posting #5: Friendship
http://www.latestngreatest.net/lyrics/friendship/anytimeYouNeedFriend.htm
This song is about her always being there for her friend. She said that no matter where you are she will always be there to help you and will still be your friend. It says that as long as you have faith then everything will be okay. This song is okay. I think that it has a stong meaning and it shows that she is a good friend.
This song relates to my life because I have friends that live far away and will continue to be bestfriends. Although I don't see them all of the time, if they ever need anything from me or I ever need anything for them, we can call eachother and talk. I believe that a friendship can last as long as you want no matter how far away you are.
This song is about her always being there for her friend. She said that no matter where you are she will always be there to help you and will still be your friend. It says that as long as you have faith then everything will be okay. This song is okay. I think that it has a stong meaning and it shows that she is a good friend.
This song relates to my life because I have friends that live far away and will continue to be bestfriends. Although I don't see them all of the time, if they ever need anything from me or I ever need anything for them, we can call eachother and talk. I believe that a friendship can last as long as you want no matter how far away you are.
Monday, November 26, 2007
A Lesson Before Dying
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
This book is about an African American teacher named Grant and an African American man named Jefferson. Jefferson is in the wrong place at the wrong time. While he is at a liquor store three men are killed. He is taken to court and sentenced to the electric chair. While in court the lawyer said that they might as well be putting a hog into the chair. Jefferson’s Aunt Emma wants him to go to the chair a man, not a hog. She asks Grant to help Jefferson become a man. Not only does Grant not want to, but also isn’t sure how to help him. While Jefferson is in prison, he won’t talk to anyone besides Grant. Although Grant wants to stop seeing him he keeps going. In the end Jefferson dies a man and Grant realizes that he can make a difference.
This book is about an African American teacher named Grant and an African American man named Jefferson. Jefferson is in the wrong place at the wrong time. While he is at a liquor store three men are killed. He is taken to court and sentenced to the electric chair. While in court the lawyer said that they might as well be putting a hog into the chair. Jefferson’s Aunt Emma wants him to go to the chair a man, not a hog. She asks Grant to help Jefferson become a man. Not only does Grant not want to, but also isn’t sure how to help him. While Jefferson is in prison, he won’t talk to anyone besides Grant. Although Grant wants to stop seeing him he keeps going. In the end Jefferson dies a man and Grant realizes that he can make a difference.
A Lesson Before Dying was an okay book. It had a good plot, but moved slowly. It was well written and kept you reading. Although it was slow, I read it very quickly. This book had a deeper meaning than someone that was just reading would understand. In order to understand the meaning of this book you would have to actively read it, not read just the words.
General tenth graders could read this book without a problem, although it has some tough subjects in it. I do recommend the general tenth grade class to read this book. I think that many of the students would read it and like it. I think that this book has the potential to positively affect the readers.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Huck Finn Essay Exam 1 (1-23)
Carlynn Dye
Mr. Hughes
10 English 2nd hour
31 October 2007
Huck Finn Essay Exam 1 (1-23)
There are many moral dilemmas throughout this book. Huck faces many moral dilemmas that have changed his life and are changing him as a person. All of the moral dilemmas that he has faced are all important but a specific one has and is going to affect his life the most.
The moral dilemma that is the most important in helping Huck’s character develop is when he helps Jim escape slavery. It is the most important because he had to make a hard decision and wasn’t sure which one was correct. He thought that helping him be free was wrong and when he was about to turn Jim in he felt guilty for betraying him. He has learned a lot from Jim so turning him in would have taken away more of his chances to learn from him. Huck has been raised thinking that slavery is normal and right so when he had the chance to turn Jim in, he thought that it was wrong but didn’t turn him in because he was lonely and didn’t want to be alone. “They went off, and I got aboard the raft, feeling bad and low, because I knowed very well I had done wrong.” (Chapter 16, Page 69, Paragraph 4) If Huck had turned Jim in then he wouldn’t know some of things that he does now.
Huck made the right decision because he went with the option that he thought was right at the time. If he had turned Jim then he still would have felt guilty, but for a different reason. “Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on, - s’pose you’d a done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than what you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad - I’d feel just the same way I do now.” (Chapter 16, Page 69, Paragraph 4) In the end he made the right decision because if he had turned Jim in then he wouldn’t have had his friend anymore and he wouldn’t have know what a real friend is. Since Huck is still helping Jim, he is becoming a better person and learning to treat people better.
The decision that Huck made was right because it isn’t right for someone to be owned as property. He made a decision that if he still wanted to turn Jim in then he could, but if he had turned Jim in then he wouldn’t have the option to get Jim back. You should always trust yourself to make the right decision. If he hadn’t done what he felt what was right at the time, then he would be traveling alone. Before Huck was talking to the slave hunters he was thinking about what was the right decision to make and realized that he didn’t want to lose him. If it hadn’t been for Jim, Huck probably wouldn’t have made the right decision is helping free a slave. It shows that Jim is teaching Huck many valuable things.
Huck is usually a pretty fast thinker. Although he doesn’t always deal with problems the right way, he tries to do what he thinks is best. In this case, he just so happened to make the right choice and because of the choice that he made he is going to continue to grow into a better person.
Mr. Hughes
10 English 2nd hour
31 October 2007
Huck Finn Essay Exam 1 (1-23)
There are many moral dilemmas throughout this book. Huck faces many moral dilemmas that have changed his life and are changing him as a person. All of the moral dilemmas that he has faced are all important but a specific one has and is going to affect his life the most.
The moral dilemma that is the most important in helping Huck’s character develop is when he helps Jim escape slavery. It is the most important because he had to make a hard decision and wasn’t sure which one was correct. He thought that helping him be free was wrong and when he was about to turn Jim in he felt guilty for betraying him. He has learned a lot from Jim so turning him in would have taken away more of his chances to learn from him. Huck has been raised thinking that slavery is normal and right so when he had the chance to turn Jim in, he thought that it was wrong but didn’t turn him in because he was lonely and didn’t want to be alone. “They went off, and I got aboard the raft, feeling bad and low, because I knowed very well I had done wrong.” (Chapter 16, Page 69, Paragraph 4) If Huck had turned Jim in then he wouldn’t know some of things that he does now.
Huck made the right decision because he went with the option that he thought was right at the time. If he had turned Jim then he still would have felt guilty, but for a different reason. “Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on, - s’pose you’d a done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than what you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad - I’d feel just the same way I do now.” (Chapter 16, Page 69, Paragraph 4) In the end he made the right decision because if he had turned Jim in then he wouldn’t have had his friend anymore and he wouldn’t have know what a real friend is. Since Huck is still helping Jim, he is becoming a better person and learning to treat people better.
The decision that Huck made was right because it isn’t right for someone to be owned as property. He made a decision that if he still wanted to turn Jim in then he could, but if he had turned Jim in then he wouldn’t have the option to get Jim back. You should always trust yourself to make the right decision. If he hadn’t done what he felt what was right at the time, then he would be traveling alone. Before Huck was talking to the slave hunters he was thinking about what was the right decision to make and realized that he didn’t want to lose him. If it hadn’t been for Jim, Huck probably wouldn’t have made the right decision is helping free a slave. It shows that Jim is teaching Huck many valuable things.
Huck is usually a pretty fast thinker. Although he doesn’t always deal with problems the right way, he tries to do what he thinks is best. In this case, he just so happened to make the right choice and because of the choice that he made he is going to continue to grow into a better person.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Reader Response 3: Huck Finn (14 – 18)
Huck is very impressed with the Grangerford’s house. “I hadn’t seen no house out in the country before that was so nice and had so much style.” (Chapter 17, Page 75, Paragraph 5) I think that he is so impressed with the Grangerford’s house because he probably hasn’t ever been in a nice house before. I think that Huck understands that just because you have money and someone doing everything that you ask them to it doesn’t mean that you are happy because in (Chapter 18, Page 80, Paragraph 5) Huck said that his slave had a “monstrous easy time” because he wasn’t used to having anyone do anything for him, but Buck’s was “on the jump most of the time.”
The significance of the books in the room is that Huck was interested in what they were about. I think that it shows that Huck now wants to learn because in the beginning of the book he didn’t want to go to school and now he was interested in what the books were saying. “I read considerable in it now and then.” (Chapter 17, Page 76, Paragraph 2) Also, Huck was describing what each book was about as if he had read them all already. I think that Huck now understands that an education is important to have because when he was arguing with Jim, he seemed to be getting frustrated that Jim didn’t know what he was talking about. “I see it warn’t no use wasting words – you can’t learn a black man to argue. So I quit.” (Chapter 14, Page 60, Paragraph 9) I think that Mark Twain doesn’t like uneducated people and thinks that an education is important because throughout the book he has been making fun of people that don’t know what they are talking about.
The pictures and poems are significant because in all of the pictures they are somehow connected to death or sadness. The girl that drew these pictures and wrote these poems seems to be obsessed with death. One of the things about the picture that is significant is that the woman that is about to jump off of a bridge and she is wearing white and in the other picture the woman is wearing all black. Another significance is that there are three different ways that the girl pictured the woman about to jump off of the bridge. I think that Mark Twain went into such detail because he really wanted us to realize how this girl was feeling but the family was too blind to see the real meaning behind the pictures. I think that Mark Twain thought that what Emmeline was doing was a way to remember people that have past away. Huck is touched by Emmeline’s art and poetry because he tried to write a poem and he wasn’t very good at it. “I tried to sweat out a verse or two myself, but I couldn’t seem to make it go, somehow.” (Chapter 17, Page 78, Paragraph 2)
The significance of the books in the room is that Huck was interested in what they were about. I think that it shows that Huck now wants to learn because in the beginning of the book he didn’t want to go to school and now he was interested in what the books were saying. “I read considerable in it now and then.” (Chapter 17, Page 76, Paragraph 2) Also, Huck was describing what each book was about as if he had read them all already. I think that Huck now understands that an education is important to have because when he was arguing with Jim, he seemed to be getting frustrated that Jim didn’t know what he was talking about. “I see it warn’t no use wasting words – you can’t learn a black man to argue. So I quit.” (Chapter 14, Page 60, Paragraph 9) I think that Mark Twain doesn’t like uneducated people and thinks that an education is important because throughout the book he has been making fun of people that don’t know what they are talking about.
The pictures and poems are significant because in all of the pictures they are somehow connected to death or sadness. The girl that drew these pictures and wrote these poems seems to be obsessed with death. One of the things about the picture that is significant is that the woman that is about to jump off of a bridge and she is wearing white and in the other picture the woman is wearing all black. Another significance is that there are three different ways that the girl pictured the woman about to jump off of the bridge. I think that Mark Twain went into such detail because he really wanted us to realize how this girl was feeling but the family was too blind to see the real meaning behind the pictures. I think that Mark Twain thought that what Emmeline was doing was a way to remember people that have past away. Huck is touched by Emmeline’s art and poetry because he tried to write a poem and he wasn’t very good at it. “I tried to sweat out a verse or two myself, but I couldn’t seem to make it go, somehow.” (Chapter 17, Page 78, Paragraph 2)
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