Monday, May 11, 2009

Journal #3: Chapters 8-9 Uncle Jack Perspective

I've been on this train for hours. When are we going to get to Maycomb? Can't wait to see my niece and nephew, hope Atticus is raising them right. “Maycomb City, Alabama next stop,” the man on the speaker announced. Finally, I’ve been isolated for hours on this dang train. When we pulled in to the train station I saw Scout and Jem with Atticus waiting for me. I wave to them and when I jumped off the train I kissed Atticus on the cheek and I shook hands with Jem and swung Scout up high but not to high and then pulled out the packages and Scout said, “What is in those packages?” and I replied, “None of your business?” Jem said, “How’s Rose Aylmer?” I pulled out some pictures off her and they called her fat and I told them that she was eating all the lose fingers and ears. I heard the most fanatical thing that day, did Scout just swear? I think she did oh no she did I’ll just forget she did. We went to the Finch estate we had some supper, when scout swore again and I wasn’t going to forget about it this time. I told her to meet me in the living room after supper. I spoke to her about the swearing and what people would think of her if she kept it up. I also told her to stop so she can be a proper woman she gets older. Then we put up the tree and started to decorate it. We drove to the Landing and we had dinner and I went to talk to some of the relatives and get acquainted with the new relatives.. When we got there everybody was just settling in and everybody was greeting each other. I started to talk to Alexandra she said that she missed me and haven’t seen me I was adjacent to her. We were debating about how Atticus is raising Jem and Scout. Then Scout came up to me and said that Francis called my brother a “Nigger-lover” and I was furious at that boy and I was going to hurt him until Scout told me not and asked me to bandage her hand and I talked to her for a few minutes and then I talked to my brother but I didn’t mention what Francis said.

Monday, March 9, 2009

A Long Way Gone post#6

Quote#1:"The belt buckle had a lion on it it was my favorite." Pg. 215, Ishmael
Significance: I think this is important because this can lead to something that isn't good, like the bus could get attack, and his pants might fall and he could trip and get caught and then get killed or go back in to the army.
Personal Connection: I had my Game boy color taken away from me and I never saw it again, I gave it to this kid because he said he would fix it and he just took it from me. It was like Ishmael when he got his belt taken away.
Question#1: Did you get anything taken away from you and you never saw it again?
Quote#2:" If you shoot me, your mother will die, and if you don't, your father will die."Pg.217 Monkey/Ishmael
Significance: I think that every kid had to chose something that would affect their lives forever. Ishmael had to do chose and he turned out fine.
Personal Connection: I had to pick something that I wish that I could go back and chose the other thing. Ishmael wish he could go back and not have killed all those people.
Question#2: Did you ever have to chose between something that would change your life?

Thursday, March 5, 2009

A Long Way Gone #5

Quote#1:" My conception of New York City came from rap music." Ishmael,pg.193
Significance: I like that Ishmael thought New York City was the way they say it in music, because at first I thought like that too. Then I saw movies that are like the music visions and so I thought it was the same thing.
Personal Connection: I also thought NYC was the same as Ishmael did, because we listen to the same type of music so we have a good connection.
Question#1: Did you think that NYC was the way rappers talked about in their music?
Quote#2:"After that, we all went out to Times Square every evening."
Significance: I would do this also because I haven't been in a place like before so it is just natural for someone who isn't use to things that are in Time Square.
Personal Connection: I'm mostly going to this when I go on the Washington D.C trip in Spring break. We would be like the same our reactions and curiosity.
Question#2: What would you do if you were Ishmael?

Friday, February 27, 2009

A Long Way Gone Post #4

Quote#1:" We were dangerous, and Brainwashed to kill." Pg.134 Ishmael
Significance: This is saying that the boys were changed from the war. When the first started to fight in the war they all changed. All the boys have to learn how to not kill and that will be a journey on itself.
Character Judgment: Ishamel is a good kid he would be able to do the things he did in the war, and if he didn't fight in the war.
Question#1: Do you think that the boys would learn to forgive and stop fighting?
Quote#2:" I talked to her mainly about Bob Marley's lyrics and Run D.M.C's too." Ishmael, pg.163
Significance: When Ishmael does this he is reconnecting with his past before the war. The more he does that the more maybe he might get in touch with the past before the war.
Personal Connecetion: I would to my dad about some of the lyrics of Run D.M.C and others old school Hip-Hop. I can connect with Ishmael because we both like the same Hip-Hop.
Question#2: Do you think that Ishmael will ever remember his past before the war?

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A Long Way Gone Post #3

Quote#1: "He showed me the cover. "Julius Caesar. Have you heard of it?"
" I read Julius Caesar in school," I told him. Ishmael and Lieutenant Jabati pg. 104
Significance: This was good for both guys because they both can relate with each other. Everybody was scared of the Lieutenant, but after this moment the relationship between Ishmael and Lieutenant will change after this. This real change for Ishmael because he has something to relate to from his childhood. This would change for the Lieutenant because he will be able to get close to his soldiers and relate to them more.
Personal Connection: I can connect with this because the teachers at HTM are like this. They are like this because they get to know you better on one to one basis.
Question#1: Do you think that Ishmael and Lieutenant started to talk might change their relationship later in the book?
Quote#2:" I ran toward the fire, but the cassettes had already started to melt."Ishmael, pg.110
Significance: This was one of the only things Ishmael has from his childhood before the war started. Now that the cassettes are gone he has lost some of his childhood that he can't remember.
Personal Connection: I can connect with Ishmael because if they burned my cassettes I would have ran towards the fire too. Since he lost that he can't remember his childhood before the war started, and if he listens to the music maybe he might remember his childhood, maybe it might trigger his memory.
Question#2: What would you have done if you were in this situation?

Thursday, February 19, 2009

A Long Way Gone Post #2

Quote#1:"To this day, I carry the pain that my sisters and parents felt."Saidu, pg.80
Significance: of this quote is that Saidu had to hear his sisters being raped and his parents being beaten. This is the burden that Saidu has to carry around until he dies.
Character Judgement: Saidu is really a shy and quiet kid and I'm like that sometimes when I'm around new people I don't know like at parties or people's house and I'm quiet outside of school when I'm with my family.
Question#1: What do you think would have happen if Ishmael had gone and seen his parents before the attack?
Quote#2:"They have lost everything that makes them human." Lieutenant Jabati,pg.108
Significance: I agree with the Lieutenant because what the Rebels do aren't even cable for the sickest thug in the world. In order for the Rebels to do the things they do you can't be human to do what they do.
Character Judgement: I like Lieutenant because he is like me when he is reading. When I get in the same state as him is when I'm playing a video game that I'm trying to beat or when I'm reading a book and it gets real good in the book then I get in a state which it is hard for you to get me out of.
Question#2: Do you think that Ishmael will see the Lieutenant later in life?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Immigration Museums Reflection.

From Haven to Home:

The purpose of the exhibit was to show what is was like to be Jewish people in early America like how they lived and how they fought their way up the success ladder to be at the top of the success building. The exhibit also shows you how the Jewish people were treated like other races in America especially African-Americans. The Jewish people and African-Americans were like the same in America they were both treated badly and they both rose to get respect and love of many people.
Something I learned at the exhibit is that how hard it was to be a Jewish person in early America and during the World Wars because they were treated worst than they were originally and they were killed because what religion they had and what they look like.
Another thing I learned at the exhibit was what amazing thing Jewish people did to be famous like some played sports for example Harry Greenberg other acted for example: Barabar Streisand, Jerry Seinfield, Barbara Gingold, Harry Truman and some went into politics and other civil rights movements for example Rabbi Abraham Joshua and MLK joined during one march to show that people need to be join and be friends, and others went to open casinos in Las Vegas like the Flamingo.

Children of Immigrants:
The Photo: The picture that struck me was the Miss Philippine Independence Day Queen. I chose this because the Queen seemed sad in the picture and all the people around her sad as well like they are agreeing with the Queen. I chose this picture because it is part of my culture because I’m Filipino and she is Filipino so we connect.
Quote: “If we stayed in Bosnia we would have probably die. Although no one can predict the future just, just imagine a seven year old child wondering if he would be killed the next day or spend the world we call home.” I chose this quote because it reminded me of the book A long way gone in this book it is a memoir of a child solider and I’m pretty sure he was thinking exactly as the person who was said this quote. What spoke to me about this quote was that in other countries it isn’t really safe and people often think that they could die tomorrow or today you know.
Personal Essay: The personal essay that I chose is The Home of the Brave by Mark Sena. I chose this personal essay because the author was from the Philippines and I’m Filipino and this essay showed me more of what you have to go through in the Philippines and why people come form the Philippines to here in America to live. Most of the Filipinos that move, move here because to have a better live for there family, or just to move here to resign here. Mark shows how his family moved from the Philippines to America, and how his life was like after he moved here and what he did to become a successful person in life and in education.