Mona Question

Does Helen care that Mona makes up stereotypes about her ethnicity to make herself sound more interesting at school? If so why?

Mona Open Ended Question

In what ways does Mona feel more American than Chinese?

Mona question

Why doesn't Mona's family want a christmas tree?

Mona Question

Why did Monas family not want to get a christmas tree for the house?

open-ended question

Why Mona doesn't want to be a Chinese; instead, she wants to become jewish.

Mona Question

 Why does Mona's mom become so upset over Mona's conversion? Why is she so opposed to it?

Chapter 3 Question :)

Is Mona's mother dealing with Mona's conversion to Judaism the way Mona expected her to?

Mona Question

How is this chapter ironic to finding out who your really are? (Mona first says she's Chinese, now Jewish)

Mona Question

What affect does Naomi have on Callie and how does that affect Mona and her family?

Mona

How does peer pressure and social strained effect Mona's view how see fits into society, an her role in society?

Mona in the Promised Land Question

How does Helen's view of being an american (including the freedom, technology, ideas etc.) change and eventually contradict itself?

Question

Does the thought of Callie going to Harvard affect Mona in any way? If so, how?

cool video

Here is a cool video of St Lucy's home for girls raised by wolves.



St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves from house of dÜrt on Vimeo.

Question

How do the werewolves reflect on today’s society?

Are the Kids real wolves or just metaphorical wolves showing that the people are just living in an uncivilized society

Did the girls adapt quickly and easily throughout their transition from moving to their new home (St Lucy's)?

Question

What does this story tell us about the human race itself?

Michael

My question is -  Is their lots of symbolism represented or is it just as the story is told.

Question

Do you think this story is supposed to represent what actually goes on in society?



Also 100th post yay

St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves open ended Q's

What does each stage represent? What did Claudette mean at the end of the story when she said she told her first human lie? What was the purpose of the wolves learning human qualities?

Girls Raised by Wolves Question(s)

When did this school open and why? Are werewolves common in this story? Is this the only school like this in the world?

Open Ended Question: Raised by Wolves

How did Claudette's view/opinion of Mirabella change throughout the story? What provoked or triggered these changes?

St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves Question

Are werewolves a common occurrence in this society and is it normal for the children of werewolves to assimilate into the "human" world?

Open-ended question 2

Why the last line says that "I' m home" is the first human lie of the protagonist?

Open ended question

Did she blame the incident on Maribella knowing she would get expelled?

How come Connies mom dislikes her daughter admiring herself.

How did Arnold know what and where Connie's family members were and what they were doing?

Michael

When was this story written and how would time period effect how the story was told and how references were used.

"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Bob Dylan)

You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last

But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun
Crying like a fire in the sun
Look out the saints are comin’ through
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue

The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense
Take what you have gathered from coincidence
The empty-handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue

All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
All your reindeer armies, are all going home
The lover who just walked out your door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue

Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start anew
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue

Open Ended Question

Open Ended Question


Why do you think Connie ended up leaving the house and going with Arnold? Was is supernatural or not?

Open Ended Question

Why did the author write the story in third person? Does it make the telling different or change the mood of the story.

Open Ended Question

What purpose did Ellie serve being in the car with Arnold?

Open Ended Question

What was the significance of having Arnold Friend repeatedly  quote the lyrics of songs?

Open ended question

What do the three numbers "Code" have to do with the story, do they have a meaning?

Open Ended Question

What does the name of the story have to do with the themes and plot of the book?

Open-ended question

Why Coonie felt that in her life that it was nothing that was hers, that belonged to her, but just a pounding, living thing insider this body that wasn't really hers either?

Open Ended Question

What significance does Arnold Friend asking about the old woman with the chickens have to the story?

Short-story open ended question

Why does Connie's mother treat her as if she does not matter to the world?

Apartheid in South Africa

Athena Book 23

After reworking my story and reading it five times out loud, some changes I made was taking out some sentences I realized were not supportive and replacing them with more detailed supportive sentences. Some content I changed was Athena's point of view of when Penelope and Odysseus reunited after twenty years. Some changes I made in my delivery was the speed and tone of it.

Hurley Telemachus Revision (22)

After receiving helpful advice from Courtney, I got a good just as to what I needed to revise. The largest part I needed to work on was definitely my epic simile. After thinking about what could fit for my simile I added to my story and read it over to make sure it fit well in the sentence. I also added more details to my sentence relating to who, how, feeling etc... Reading out loud allowed me to noticed there were many more little mistakes I needed to fix that I did not pick up from just looking over my story.

Eurycleia edits

During the revisions, I added a some details and made my writing clearer to read and understand, like using different words and fixing grammar mistakes. My epic simile was expansive enough since the beginning, and I think I may have even made it too expansive, and may shorten it later. While I was reading my monologue aloud, I tried to make the speech more interactive or entertaining. It also helped my talking to add or delete commas or periods to help it come out smoother.

-Courtney :)

Penelope Revision [Book 23]

During the revisions, I added a few more details and cleaned up some of the rough edges in my writing, such as catching any verb-tense mistakes. I made a few grammatical changes as well. I feel like my epic simile is prominent enough already, however I am considering possible changes to make it more precise. When I was reading my monologue aloud, I tried to add emphasis to certain words to
make the performance more interesting/captivating. It also helped me add or delete commas and words to help it flow better as a speech.

- Tally

Odysseus 22 Revision

After reading aloud I changed a lot about my word choice in my monologue to help to make it seem more like something that Odysseus might actually say. After reading my monologue for the third time I started to develop an idea of how I would say my words in an expressive voice to get convey the point I am trying to get across. My partner also provided me with some great ideas on how to improve my essay which really helped guide me in my editing process.

Penelope Book 21

    I changed a lot of aspects of my monologue during the process of revision. My partner made helpful suggestions regarding verb tenses and adding more detail. Other changes I made in the content of my paper included making Penelope's point of view clearer during important events. While practicing my speech, I changed my tone and delivery after each time so that I was pausing and putting emphasis on important words or phrases. I also added words between sentences or events that would make the transitions smoother. I tried to focus on telling the story in a manner that represented Penelope's character traits.

Telemachus Book 21 Revision

I had made numerous edits and additions since my partner gave me good recommendations. For example, I needed to elaborate more on a lot of things and add more epithets and a epic simile. Also I went into more detail from what my character had saw/thought throughout the storytelling.

Book 16-Telemacus

Steve Howard

English 3B

10/15/15

After receiving feedback from David on my rough draft, I began to change the course of my words

 and how they fitted together. I put more emotion and detail into describing some of my characters 

feelings when certain situations accrued. I also worked on my epic simile and added more too it. I 

added an epithet in the beginning.

Odysseus revisions

My revising partner provided a lot of good insight on how to improve the quality of my paper. During the revision process I added an epic simile as well as an epithet. I also made sure to elaborate which added length to the paper as well. While reading I made the flow of the paper better adding grammatical changes.

From my first draft, I ended up changing the flow of my sentences, my wording and description of how Odysseus feels and how I depicted other characters. I delivered my story differently as I chose to use notes instead of memorizing my piece. I added both an epic simile and an epithet after getting feedback from Steve.

Revision

    In the revision, I added epic smilies and epithet. In addition, I made my description more vivid to convey the message and portrait the characteristics of different characters. In the old version, some words and phrases is pretty confusing to readers, so in the revision, I deleted those sentences, and used direct and clear words and phrases.

Michael Aronson Odsseus

After my feedback in class and my self feedback I did lots of revisions.  Most were under the same category.  MOst of my revisions were on eleabortaion.  My partner made very helpful comments that selected areas that needed it and where important events were.  When I was reading it out loud I made lots of comma additions to increase my fluency.

After we left the land of the dead my remaining men and I were left stranded in the sea. For there was no wind, no sight of land, there was nothing. We sailed for many days until finally we made it to an island but still there was nothing but some cattle. I  made them promise to protect the cattle and they did this. While watching the cattle I fell asleep, but when I awoke i was presented with an enormous storm. I realized there was no escape now. We stayed there for several days and nights running out food, water, and our sanity. I prayed to the gods asking for forgiveness and was blessed with a deep slumber.

Shipwrecked-One Odysseus's men

As we escaped the dragon and our ship began to tear pieces. In front of us we saw a beautiful island with plenty of healthy cattle and fresh water. We asked Odysseus if we could board the island but he refused. He looked flabbergasted and stared at the island with disbelief. The rest of the men and I begged him to proceed to the island but he continued to say no. Did he not care for us enough to just let us go to safety? All the men were confused. Odysseus then told us that if we proceed to the island we must not harm any of the cattle at all. None. We all gave him our word that we would do what he asked. He still looked unsure and we kept promising him. Finally we boarded the beautiful island. That night a terrible storm came and all the men were thankful that we did not stay in the sea with a broken ship. Sadly the storm lasted for a month. Odysseus claimed that it was a punishment from the Gods. Soon after Odysseus fell into a deep sleep and did not wake for a great deal of time. While he was asleep the rest of the men and I killed the best cattle on the island and gave it as offerings to the Gods. As soon as we did so the storm stopped and Odysseus woke. When we told him what we had done with the cattle he was furious and alarmed. He told us the meat was cursed and many of us died.

Song of the spheres as told by a siren.

Song of the spheres as told by a siren.




Me and my sisters sat on our desolate island. I absentmindedly chewed on a bone as I stared out into the vast ocean before me. I was hungry. Starving in fact. I hadn't eaten for months, years maybe. The last boat to pass by was full of fools; surely they knew they would encounter us after finding Scylla and Charybdis. Yet not one of them blocked their ears, and all leapt out of the boat attracted to us by our lulling tune. I suddenly hear one of my sisters screech, and I hurriedly head towards her. Sure enough, a boat is passing by. We immediately begin to sing our tune. Our tune shows you your deepest desires, your greatest needs. It tells you what you want to hear. Us, we wanted nothing for dead people to eat, so I'm sure you can guess what it sounds like to us.The boat passed by quickly, not changing course. But as is drew nearer, I saw a man tied to the mast of the ship, struggling, shouting unintelligible words. That's odd.
The boat sped past the island. Unfortunately, not one man jumped off for us to eat. We would starve for many more years to come.

Shipwrecked- Calypso

A man washed up on the beach of my island. He seemed lifeless, beaten and weak. I approached, prepared to push him back into the sea and cast him off to his watery grave. He moved and groaned, pain visibly rippling throughout his body. What had this man done to anger the Gods so? I carried him to my home, my cave. I cared for him as he rested and recovered. I brought him delicious food and slowly restored his strength. During this time, I began to view the man differently. As the days and months passed, he told me the stories of his amazing adventures, his cunning, his bravery. He was no longer a weak vulnerable man, but a strong warrior built for surviving. I offered him immortality, I offered him the possibility of spending eternity together. He declined, so I kept him. I kept him captive on my island, in my cave, for seven years, trying to persuade him to change his mind. He never did. I had no plans to release Odysseus, not until Athena came with force. She ordered that I let him go, and help him on his next journey, and I obeyed. I gave him the supplies he needed to build a raft. He was a quick builder, and I soon found myself waving farewell as I bid my Odysseus goodbye.

Shipwrecked-Scylla's Point of View

    I am an invincible and immortal creature who can never be beaten in battle. In my hidden cave I wait for those who wish to pass through the strait and attempt to fight me off. Foolish mortals fail to realize that I was created to scourge mankind and attacking me will only lead to more destruction. Yet there was one clever man who passed through my cave. He and his crew traveled through on their ship filled with food and supplies, however they appeared to be lost and wandering at sea. The leader's name was Odysseus I believe because this was one of the common last words his crew members shrieked as I flung them into the air. Odysseus sped through my cave, desperately trying not acknowledge my presence or put up a fight. I was impressed by his wisdom as I bit each of the six crew member's heads. However he couldn't ignore my existence forever; the screeches of help from his men that I smacked against the cave walls and chewed limb by limb were unavoidable. I was satisfied by the horror that decorated their white faces, and even more by the fact that Odysseus realized there was nothing he could do to save his six men I had killed.

Shipwrecked-Athena

Odysseus has offered me plenty, and I shall help him. Upon seeing him struggle in the water, I gave him the strength to fight against the sea. For 7 years, Calypso has tried to get Odysseus to stay with her as she nursed him. Poseidon is relentless and has destroyed his ship, however I have given the tools to the nymph. Despite his hardships, Odysseus still gives offerings, therefore I will oversee him until he returns to Ithaca. I pray that he may return home to his wife once he completes his raft.

"Song of the Sirens" Odysseus

While on the voyage back home I encountered Circe and luckily I did because she told me several trials I had to go through while on my journey back to Ithaca. My trials will include my ship having to voyage dangerous straits, which will be frightening. I also have to enter through a cave filled with six headed dragons. I am nervous as Circe is telling me how the six headed dragons will eat multiple men of my crew if we do not stick to the plan she is telling us to follow. I don't even want to think about losing my shipmates because I have gone through such tremendous experiences with them for at least half my life. After I left Circe we confronted the Sirens and I could not imagine not hearing the beautiful sounds of the Sirens so I came up with a plan that I instructed my men to follow. The plan included them to ignore any instructions I made as I yelled and cursed at my shipmates while under the spell. My men must have been terrified, but I did not care because all that mattered was being able to hear the beautiful sounds of the Sirens.

Song of the Sirens- Odysseus

I pondered the information Circe had given me about the journey home and for once in my life I could not think of a cunning plan to outsmart the beasts that we would face. As the wind that she had given us finally began to fail I knew that we were nearing the island of the sirens. Once we left the island of Circe I had explained to my faithful crew exactly what they would do to me so that I may listen to the beautiful song of the sirens without causing us to take the same fate as many other ships before us. I ordered my men to tie me to the mast and block my ears with wax. They were to ignore my instructions while I was under the sirens spell. The song of the siren was so beautiful that I felt as if my life was complete.

Shipwreck - Evan Moore

It was about the time when we came to the island, that Tiresias had previously warned me about, that my crew seemed desperate. They were desperate to mourn the deaths of their fellow crew mates and friends whose lives were taken from the dragon. I urged them the strength to keep going but as I suggested it one of my crew, Eurylochus, turned and spat at me, for he was tired and and wanted to mourn the deaths of his friends. Reluctantly I agreed to the crews demands as we docked our ship on the sun god's island. I did however, make them promise not to harm any of the cattle as Tiresias had warned me before. When we finally fell asleep in a cave we awoke to the sound of a raging storm. Eurylochus pointed out that if we had listened to me that would have been us in the middle of the storm. A month had passed and the storm did not show any signs of coming to a stop and our food supplies started diminishing, making the cattle much more difficult not to eat. I knew however if we were to eat the cattle our fates would be sealed to certain death. I decided to walk around the island to the one dry spot and made a fire. I sacrificed what little remained to the gods in hope to make the storm subside. I suddenly fell into a deep sleep. When I awoke the storm had passed and I was surprised to find my crew sitting around the fire, eating meat. It was then I noticed the two cow carcasses and knew they had sealed their fates. As we began our voyage it was long until Zeus struck down the ship and we were trapped in the whirlpool Cryptos. As we struggled I grabbed ahold of a fig tree branch to stay above the surface as I watched my men drown. I managed to escape and float on a piece of my ship for several days. It was then I reached the island of the nymph Calypso.  For 7 years Calypso tried to convince me to stay with her. She suggested that if I were to stay she would grant me immortality, though I refused. Reluctantly she gave me the tools necessary to build a raft and I was on my way home.

Land of the Dead: Tiresias

It was just another day of wandering in the land of the dead until a rare occasion of a living mortals sacrifice by their blood getting poured in a hole summoned me and numerous other spirits. The man who made the sacrifice must have held of all the other spirits to not drink the blood and guided me to the pit by using his voice. I was able to tell who made the sacrifice, it was Odysseus. He came to me in search for a way back to rocky Ithaca. I had explained to him what he needs to do or avoid on his travels back to his home if he wanted to make it back alive. I kept on telling him more information about his travels until he had rudely ran away frightened while I was in mid sentence. I turned to see what he was frightened from and I saw a depressed woman standing alone. He must have known her, possible a relative. When I looked back in the direction he ran off in there was nothing but fog in that direction.

Odysseys land of the dead

All I can remembers it my Friends, loved ones, my dog, my wife who is without her husband, and a kingdom without a king.  Thanks to Circe we had prevision so that we could walk.. The weather became cold an we could see our breath.  The cold was not the worst. For three day we sailed through a dense fog lacking the sense of direction.  Finally the boat hit the sand bar.  To of my men and I jumped of with two sheep.  All my thoughts became jumbled and confused.  It felt like we were swimming against the tide.  Finally we reached the river of forgetfulness.  We dug two hols and slit the throats of the sheep.  The dark blood pooled in the hole.  Shapes began to form to drink the blood of the sheep.  They made my soldiers shake.  I needed to wait for the blind prophet.  My men were son something like a trance, but without then I could see who I though was the prophet.  He drank and he saw that I was Odysseus.  He said I will have a hard journey and that there is only one way to go home which is to learn humanity.  during the voyage I will see cattle gazing.  Don't stop there the sun gods.  If I over come this island I must leave behind my men and carry an oar inland.  A man will ask me what a oar is.  I will truly nobody here.  I must plant the oar in the ground and then sacrifice  a ram, bull, and breading boar. This will give peace for me.  Al of a sudden I saw something.  I broke out into a run.  What I saw was my mother.  It could not be possible if I ever got home see wont be there, she had died.  

Land of the dead (Odyssey mother)

The mother of Odyssey, who was an amiable old lady, longing for her son. During odyssey's journey, she missed her son in day and night. In the evening, she sat on a big rock by the ocean, watching the orange sun gradually sink down to the sea, and thought about where her son is and what he is doing now. She was so eager to see her son again, even just one time. However, her fate was tragic, she did not see her son in the last of her life. After twenty years, when Odyssey finally back to his lovely homeland, he can only kneel in front of the tomb of his mother, sobbing.                                                                                                                                                                      

We have been sailing for what it seems to be forever ever since we escaped the dragon and whirlpool, with no wind to help us sail. In the distance I could see land, and cattle grazing with no sign of human life. Odysseus told us to continue sailing, I was furious and thought he was a god in disguise because he had no pity. I desired to land on shore, although for some reason Odysseus told us not to touch the cattle. That night, I suddenly I woke up to a terrible storm for what seemed to be the sea and the sky at war with one another, so I frantically woke up Odysseus. I told him I was right for landing on shore because we would have died while being stuck in the storm. We went weeks without food so we came up with a plan to offer the gods the best cuts of the meats from the cattle. It worked, all the gods wanted was the respect they deserved. We loaded the meat aboard the ship and a strange looking cloud appeared, and out of no where a thunder bolt struck us and demolished the boat to pieces. I was frantically trying to escape the world pool of caryptus, but there was no chance, not even Zeus could help us.

Circe Wordle by Hunter Mathis

Evan Moore - Circe

Circi word cloud By Ellis

Sack of Winds Wordle

The Sack of Winds

Circe

Michael Aronson

Cyclops

Circe

Cyclopse

Listening and Reflecting

What did I enjoy about listening to this story?

I enjoyed listening to the reader's tone of voice and how he seemed to bring the story to a different level. It felt as though I was listening to a play, rather than an audiobook, and the man's voice had such strong emotion throughout the story, such as his "singing/storytelling" during The Stranger.

What frustrates you about listening to the book rather than reading it.

I have always preferred reading a book over listening to it, even when I was really young and teacher would read stories aloud to the class. I like seeing the words in front of me, having something substantial in my hands as I watch the story come to life in my head. The act of reading a book  is much different from listening to it. If I get distracted, stop paying attention to the story, the one sentence continue to play through my head until I start to focus again. However, by listening to the audiobook, there are so many possible distractions that would keep me from understanding the novel, and understanding it in a deeper way.

Listening to the Odyssey

What did you enjoy about listening to the story?

While I was listening to the story I enjoyed the expression that the reader used In his voice because it helped to paint a picture in my mind about what was happening in the book at that moment. I also enjoyed listening to the different voices the reader uses when introducing new characters.

What frustrates you about listening to a story rather than reading it?

While I was listening to the story I disliked the inability to reread a passage if I felt as if I had missed something. Instead I have to go to the webpage and approximate the spot in the passage to where I need to rewind and I was often wrong. I also found that it was harder to focus on what the reader was saying than it is for me to read from the pages of a book.

Listening Vs Reading

1. What did you enjoy about listening to this story? 

It was more immersive that just reading, the persons voice was very interesting. It got me more involved in the story. It also is easier on the eyes, i get headaches after reading for too long. 
2. What frustrates you about listening to a story rather than reading it?

It's harder to go back and look at something, say, you missed what he said a moment ago, it's harder to pinpoint the spot he was talking at. It's also harder to keep focused, i feel like if I'm not physically doing something (holding book, flipping pages, etc.) I'll just wander off and zone out.

Listening

What did I enjoy about listening to this story? What I thought I enjoyed most about listening to the story was probably being able to listen to how the story teller reads the story and his accent. I also like the fact that I never really get to listen to a book since I always read it, so I thought it was good to try something new. What I found challenging was that it is easier for me to comprehend a book when I am looking at the words while i'm reading it instead of just listening to the book.

Listening process

Some things that I enjoyed about listening to the story were that I could picture things better in my head without having to focus on reading the actual book.

Some things that I didn't like about listening to the story rather than reading it was that the narrator read much slower than what I was used to. There were points where I was wanting to look up what happened just because he was so slow. I also felt that at some points, I couldn't get focused on the story.

Listening Process

What did you enjoy about listening to the story?
The reader's tone and voice allowed me to have a greater imagination and visualize the characters as being ancient and greek.  The added sound affects in the beginning and his accent gave the impression that I was listening to a performance or a play rather than just text on a page, which was a unique experience and way of viewing the story.

What frustrates you about listening to a story rather than reading it?
If I missed a part or wanted to reread something, I couldn't just look back at the page, which I found frustrating. In addition to this, I like to highlight and write notes in books to help me study and understand the story, however I wasn't able to do this listening to The Odyssey. It was also easier to become distracted.

What did you enjoy about listening to this story?
I enjoyed learning about the background behind the war and what happened with the three goddesses and the theory of how the war started.

What frustrates you about listening to a story rather than reading it?
What was frustrating about the reading was not having any visuals to guide you through the story because you can get lost for certain parts. 

1. What did you enjoy about listening to this story? I liked how its easier to understand the vocabulary in the book when someones saying it out loud rather than figuring it out in your head when you are reading.
2. What frustrates you about listening to a story rather than reading it? I was frustrated how It is so easy to loose when you track of where you are in the book while your listening.

Reflecting on my listening process

What did you enjoy about listening to this story? What I enjoyed about listening to this story was the enthusiasm and tone the reader gives while telling it, it really helps to picture what is happening.

What frustrates you about listening to a story rather than reading it? Something that frustrates me is not being able to see the text of the book because then I feel like I can't follow along as well and I could get distracted easily.

1. What did you enjoy about listening to this story? 

About the content: Although I heard part of the story before, I enjoy listening to the record, and I have new point of view about the story. Before, I just knew that Odysseus was a intelligent and brilliant hero, who helped Greek win the triumph. However , after listening to the story, I learnt that instead of a hero, Odysseus was a miserable husband and father. He was compelled to leave his lovely wife and son, who was so young. He have suffered from countless mental painful during his glorious journey. Simply put, after listening to the record, I know a realer and more emotive Odysseus.

About the speaker: I think the speaker is pretty good. He has very emotive tone, which made me resonate when he was telling the miserable life of Odysseus. In addition, I love his speaking pace, which was slow and smooth and made me really comfortable.
2. What frustrates you about listening to a story rather than reading it?

One thing that annoyed me is the speed of the speaker, which also make me enjoy it. Comparing to read the book, the slow speed kind of make me boring. Another frustrating thing is that though the speaker have really emotive tone, the tone also restricted my imagination. When I am reading a book, I will envision the features and the tone of characters. However, when I was listening to the record, the speaker voice stifled my imagination.

Steve Howard

English 3 B

9/18/15

1. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook because it made the story easier to understand and helps me stay on track while reading.
2. The only thing that frustrates me about audiobooks is that you can have technical difficulties and they do not work all the time.

The Glass Castle, A story of Jeanette Walls

The memoir The Glass Castle is an incredible memoir. I believe this because of how she didn't hide anything, even though it may have been personal. She also told her life story more like a fiction book than an autobiography, throwing in humor, and constructed her story well.
I liked how in The Glass Castle, Jeanette didn't hide anything from her childhood. An example of this was the story of how she was basically raped by a boy in her town. Many women are extremely uncomfortable sharing their stories similar to what Jeanette went through, however when she put it in her story, it only helped you understand how different her life was than most.
Another reason The Glass castle is a good memoir is because of how the author made her story funny, interesting, or even suspenseful at parts. Much of the time, when reading an autobiography, elements like suspense or action aren't usually expected, however when I came across a moment where the author included some humor, it only added to the story.
Lastly, the author structured her story really well. The way that she told her story from a first person perspective and included stories about not only her but her parents and sisters. When she talked about moving around she would include stories about how the people around her acted and how they influenced her throughout her life.
The memoir The Glass Castle is great because of how Jeanette Walls didn't hide anything from her life, how she made her story sound almost like fiction, and how she constructed her story. 

CoW

Ellis Winfree

        Imagine finding out you were not the same as the people around you. Would you care, when everyone that looks normal turns around and stares with those eyes, eyes that pierce soul, would you hesitate. We all react different in certain situations or challenges but we always find a way to overcome that intervention. And sometimes that may include escaping the situation. The point of reaction to situation, and its intriguing desire to pull in the reader so that we can almost experience the situations that are displayed to us are the reasons why i loved the book.

         Now I love parts on books when the character gets into a certain situation and has to find a way to overcome the problem. What this allows me to do is replay the situation in my head and play out how I might go about it. I feel this helps us as a reader because it gives a deeper understanding of the characters decision. After comprehending the decision we may decide whether their decisions were reasonable or if what they did will screw them over. This is one thing that CoW did well it gave us problems and solutions to think about.

         In terms of pulling the reader the author told the rabbi's story so well and used it to get the reader to to understand his situation and struggles.  I feel it a more creative way to show of personal experience through another story. It just doesn't tell another person's story but it also reminds us that other people have similar problems and experiences to. It helps us be more surrounding of the activity and actions of people all around us and that is what i feel really had this story going.

         Lastly i would like to touch on the way the construction of the book. From the visual settings and the dialog the story kept its readers intrigued. These factors made it a great read. It just wasn't some story when a girl runs away but a gateway telling a strong story as a tribute.

         In my opinion CoW was a great read. It had me intrigued all the way through, and it alway kept thinking an on my toes. This is why I felt it was a strong read. There is was always a lot to take in but once you fully understand what you read you can comprehend all its little details.

     Steve Howard

           English 3 B                                                                                                                             

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a great memoir. In some people's eyes the author might be blaming other people or trying to be a victim, but instead he is telling an amazing story about his past and the bone crushing reality that is his people. Sherman Alexie finds a way to not only talk about his sorrows but how they shaped him and led him to new places. Alexie wants his readers to be able to take away that no matter what situation you're in you can always find a way out and find a way to a better future. In Alexie's memoir he finds a way to create a well constructed story out of a unconstructed life. He uses both art and craft to tie his interesting life together in a way where the readers can feel pain but still learn lessons and morals. In the end, Sherman Alexie wrote a fantastic memoir that gave readers a real and absolutely true look inside his life and what kind of reality he faced as a kid. Even though some parts showed themselves as tragic and sad, each event or moment shaped Alexie into the person he is today.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir

The Glass Castle, written by Jeanette Walls, was a great memoir because it was well constructed, honest, and it allowed the reader to gain a sense of the experiences she went through during her life, and how her life was shaped because of them.

The Glass Castle was very well constructed throughout the book. The events in the book were put into a chronological order, starting from when she was was very young to her adulthood. However, throughout the book Jeanette was able to weave brief, interesting memories or events, either past or future, into her story, enhancing the plot line and engaging the reader more. The first page of her story is an event that happened a couple of decades before the description of her earliest memory, and her whole childhood. This story, on page 3, is well placed, triggering the reader’s interest as she describes her shame about her parents, and gives the reader the sense of what the problem was during her childhood, such as her parents. It makes the reader want to continue, and read through her childhood to learn what her specific situation was.

Jeanette wrote The Glass Castle very honestly. She did not write it for the purpose of complaining about how difficult her childhood was. She did not exaggerate her situation to make it seem worse, nor did she whine and blame all of her situations on her parents. In fact, throughout the story, she wrote of how she cared for her mother, and her deep admiration for her father. She did not make her entire life seem desolate and hopeless as one might expect. Instead, along with the difficulties, she described the positive aspects of her experiences. She described many experiences that seemed fun, at the time, such as exploring the desert and the “adventures” she would take with her family as they hopped from town to town. She wrote the story to convey to the reader that, even if she was in an extremely bad situation, it can get better if she tried hard enough and is determined.

Jeanette describes how the experiences she went through, both good and bad, shaped her. Throughout the story, from being a child to growing into adulthood, Jeanette’s perspective grows and changes. Her experiences and the hardships that she went through shaped her and encouraged her to work hard and lead a successful life. A prime example is how she didn’t let herself fall into the same hardships her parents did, such as poverty, crime, alcoholism, and more. Instead, she took the her knowledge of how bad those situations could become, and worked hard to not encounter them in adulthood.

All-in-all, The Glass Castle, written by Jeanette Walls, was a very well written memoir. It was well constructed, in both thought and writing, along with its being honest and demonstrating her growth throughout the book and how her experiences shaped her.

- Talitha Holcombe

The Color Of Water

The Color of Water is a good memoir because the author, James McBride, describes his life in vivid detail about the unique situation he grew up in. As an African American child growing up in the 1960’s he was exposed to various levels of racism, prejudice, and judgement. Though this book does consist of topics of hate such as racism, you never get the sense that McBride has any feelings of reprisal or wants the reader to feel contrite because of what he has experienced. His mother also contributes to the novel sharing many of her darker stories which I consider being borderline bad memoir topics but explains them in a way that you get the sense she is not looking for people to feel sorry for her. Throughout the novel McBride and his mother shared the lessons they learned, questions he has asked, and experiences they have gone through to help piece together his story and thus, making it a good memoir.

The protagonist and author of The Color of Water clearly had an uncommon upbringing which consisted of his two fathers (after one died and his mother remarried), eleven African American siblings, and a white mother. He spent a lot of time throughout the book contemplating whether he was part of the white or black community. He had a different view of each race as he shares his description of his father “Whatever he believed, he believed. It didn’t matter to him whether it was really true or not. He just changed the truth till it fit him. He was a real white man.” He described his story throughout the book not as a depressed child lost and not knowing where to turn but rather as a curious boy trying to experience as much as he could to help him figure out who he is. His mother also had trouble figuring out who she was at his age. She resented her father for treating her mother so poorly and looked for someone that would respect her views. With her search she found the open minded African American community throughout her life. “...in fact that’s what I liked about black folks all my life: They never judged me. My black friends never asked me how much money I made, or what school my children went to, or anything like that. They just said, “Come as you are.” Blacks have always been peaceful and trusting.” Like his mother,  McBride wanted that sense of belonging. To try to find answers he would ask questions to mainly his mother and siblings all of which who would give him a vague answer. “I asked her if I was black or white. She replied ‘You are a human being. Educate yourself or you'll be a nobody!’” Though he was confused, he never stopped asking those questions and searching for answers in a way that kept the reader from getting the sense he felt sorry for himself, but rather that he was open to new ideas and concepts.

McBride, as well as his mother, also shared many of the mistakes and lessons they both have experienced personally and witnessed from others. He explains this in a way that neither exploits nor shows any sign of retribution towards another person except for one instance on the mother's behalf. This instance consisted when the mother was a young child and the father acted on her in an inappropriate manner. This shows what a repulsive human being this man was and in my opinion McBride’s mother Ruth has every right to resent him for being such a sick person. Besides this rare event the rest of the book shows both mother and son taking full responsibility for their actions and trying to learn from them which is another sign of a good memoir. For example, when Ruth was pregnant with her African American boyfriend, Peter’s child she never tried to place the blame on anyone else. “What a fool I was to believe we could get away with it!... ‘We are lucky no white folks knew about us’ I was sure no one knew.’”  This shows how she never tried to pin the blame on Peter or anyone else and took responsibility for her own actions. This is a major part of a good memoir.

Throughout the book both Ruth and James share many of their experiences good and bad with the reader. Most of the time the anecdotes shared involve an experience consisting of a time where the objective that was thought to be the right thing to do at the time turns out to be completely the opposite. Take, for instance, when young James McBride became disarranged and he began flunking most of his classes. “...while I had been a good student in ninth grade, the following year I more or less dropped out. I failed everything. I left home in the mornings and simply didn’t go to school.” Later he admits that the choices he thought were the best decisions then were the wrong ones looking back. Though he does acknowledge and regret his decisions  he does not dwell on them which always is a big component of a good memoir.

The memoir The Color of Water is a good memoir because it contains the proper elements such as honesty, integrity, humility, and modesty. These traits of James McBride’s book show that it is in fact a well written memoir. As I read this book I rarely, except for a few times, felt any feelings of hostility towards any of the characters in the novel. If anything this shows that his mother and McBride have both learned from their past and have a better sense of who they are today.

The Color of Water

The Color of Water is good memoir because of its careful construction, blatant honesty, and the author's journey of understanding who he truly is.

    "It took me 14 years to unearth her remarkable story"(pg. xix). James McBride, the author, claims this fact before the novel begins, showing how much craftsmanship went into his work. He spent years talking to his mother in intervals, entering her childhood and memories. Traveling back to Virginia, tracking down necessary people, and investigating records were all part of the process that allowed this book to become a well-constructed memoir. All of this research let The Color of Water be a full, complete memoir. There were no details left out or holes in the story. In addition to all of his research, James McBride created a powerful work of carpentry because he used two viewpoints. Amidst his mother's tale, we find James's own childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. This lets us hear, word for word, what Ruth's upbringing was like, allowing us to make connections and have background on her while reading James's story. This unique way of organizing is beneficial to the reader as there are two perspectives.

    There is no beating around the bush when James and Ruth describe their life. They tell everything exactly how it happened, what they felt, and why, even though it may cause a reader to look upon them with shame. For example, both are truthful when revealing that they were ashamed of their mothers at times. Individually, James describes his struggle with drugs, shoplifting, and dropping out of high school as they happened. Similarly, Ruth honestly describes how she was treated in her childhood by her parents, specifically her father. She tells us how she was abused by him, without going into exaggerated details. Ruth describes this not to make us feel pity for her, rather to tell James her past and move on. She is also equally honest saying that it wasn't all traumatizing memories, there were happy ones as well, such as Passover. James and Ruth are honest so that they can explain their story, forgive, and move on, instead of making the reader view them as victims. This sincerity allows us to fully grasp the story and appreciate the character's grapple even more.

    James comes to the conclusion of who he is and the secrets his heritage holds by the end of the novel, satisfying not only him but us readers as well. We have traveled through his and Ruth's life,experiencing their pain and joy, and are content that James has arrived at the truth of his identity. He has learned of his mother's jewish past, and how that has shaped him into the man he is today. His mother instilled jewish values, importance of education and religion, into her children's lives, and this prompted them to be triumphant. All of Ruth's kids graduated from college and most went on to graduate school. James has learned that despite the fact that him and his mother do not look alike, the most important thing is the love they have for each other, a pleasing resolution for us readers.

    The diligent structure, clear candidness, and arrival of James' unique background creates a successful memoir, The Color of Water.

    

    

The Glass Castle

Although the many of the hardships her parents have put her through are unimaginable, Jeannette Walls was able to always speak about them with compassion. In The Glass Castle the author tells a story of the highs and lows of her life and the love that she has for her family. This makes The Glass Castle an excellent memoir. I believe The Glass Castle is an excellent book because it is well constructed, gives an honest sense of the many characters she encountered during her life, and takes the reader on a journey through her her life and describes it in a way that seems optimistic throughout the book.

Jeannette Walls opens her book with herself as a younger child describing an instance when she had caught herself on fire due to the carelessness of her parents as she remarks,“I was on fire. It’s my earliest memory… I felt a blaze of heat on my right side. I turned in fear to see where it was coming from and realize that my dress was on fire.”(pg 9). Although this problem could have easily been prevented if her parents had been more careful, Walls speaks about this instance as though it was just another normal day. This is one of the elements that makes a good memoir and was used well in this book.

Another thing that made The Glass Castle an excellent book is the construction in which the author has put the story together. She begins the book talking about her younger life and giving every important detail necessary before moving on without making the book feel slow.

Wall’s mother was an artist who seemingly was more obsessed with painting than her kids in many parts of the story. Although this obsession lead her to be rude to her children the author talked of it as if it was a strength and it shows her compassion and love for the natural world for people. This shows the author's ability to make light of even the darkest situations and also shows that she is not out to get revenge by exposing her family but instead is simply relaying her experience to the reader. Although the authors experiences throughout the book have been graphic, she was honest instead of seeking for attention which makes for an excellent memoir.  

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle was a great memoir because of how it was constructed, its honesty, and the integrity of intention.

One way that this memoir was helpful is how it is constructed by the organization of events. I think that this was extremely effective when reading because it helped understand Jeanette's life story. It also helped visualize her life as if you were by her side every step of the way. In addition, the memoir was constructed in a way that Jeannette was able to tell her whole life story in just three hundred pages. She included the major details and parts of her life that helped lead on to the next event. If it wasn’t for the organization in this memoir, reading it would have been confusing.

Another part of this memoir I liked was its honesty. Usually when people experience things like Jeannette did, such as growing up with no money, constantly being on the move - having no permanent place to live, and a drunk as your father, you usually do not share it. However, Jeannette was courageous enough to have a book written about her whole life from when she was three years old to her present, which I have to say takes a lot of bravery. Jeannette would have to possibly deal with judgement, hate and criticism but I don't necessarily think that was what she cared or worried about. Jeannette wanted to be honest with her readers and tell a story that could make people appreciate what they have and know that there is always someone else out there in the world that has it tougher than you.

The final part of this memoir that made it great was the integrity of intention. The way Jeannette was brought up definitely could have made her pick a poor path to take when she grew older. She did not have the basic necessities to living such as moving from house to house in awful conditions where she had no heat, no running water, and a scarce amount of food. Jeannette could have easily followed in her parents footsteps but smartly chose to live like “normal” people with all the necessities she needs in order to survive. However, without her childhood Jeannette would not have become the strong independent woman she is today.

Finally, I think that The Glass Castle is a great memoir because it made me realize how much I have are nothing compared to what she handled.

The glass castle: a great memoir

THE GLASS CASTLE

The glass castle, written by Jeannette Walls, is a great memoir and book. Along with being made wonderfully and truly honest, it does not blame people; it shows the good and bad in everyone.

Jeannette Walls grew up in a poor, harsh environment: her father was an alcoholic, her mother irresponsible, and many of the people she encountered were unfriendly in many ways. They almost always didn’t have enough money for food or water, it would all be spent on alcohol and cigarettes for the father, and paint supplies and candy for the mother. Despite the obvious failings of her parents, she still continued to find the good in them, loving her fathers intelligence, spirit, and humor, and admiring her mothers art skill and knowledge. She never outrightly blames her parents for their poverty, almost always purposely turning the blind eye every time they had a failing.

Although she avoids personally blaming anyone, she does not lie to cover up their failings. the book is truthful about her experiences, not covering for her parents of siblings, and most importantly, not covering up her own failings. She does not avoid writing about the times she made a bad choice or hurt someone, opting to tell the truth even when it is inconvenient for her. She also tells the truth even when it was a particularly unpleasant experience for her, one she most like would not want to remember. However, she does not go into such graphic details as to make it unenjoyable for the reader.

This book is also wonderfully made, both being in chronological order as well as having fluid, smooth transitions from one event to the next. It is not cluttered with unnecessary stories, but has enough events as so that you can accurately imagine what her life was like. It tells enough about each character that you can get a sense of their personalities, but not too much so that you get bored of them. The writing is both elegant and easy to understand, and the dialogue is well written.

James Amenta

The Glass Castle is a good memoir because the author (Jeannette Walls) grew up thinking her life was normal when it really wasn’t, she had many near death experiences, and left her crazy parents after high school for a new life in New York. All these reason show how interesting and abnormal the author's life was growing up.

One example for when the author was growing up an abnormal life was when she was always moving place to place with her family to get away from the law and other people chasing her father. They called this the skedaddle when they always moved from place to place. In the book it says, “We were always doing the skedaddle, usually in the middle of the night. I sometimes heard Mom and Dad discussing the people who were after us. Dad called them henchmen, bloodsuckers, and the gestapo.” Later that page it said “FBI agents who were after Dad for some dark episode that he never told us about because he didn’t want to put us in danger, too.” Usually most families don’t move from place to place to avoid the law.

Another example would be how she had some near death experiences. For example in the beginning of the book when Jeannette was three years old she was cooking hot dogs by herself without her parents helping her, which ended badly. On page 9, it says, “I was standing on a chair in front of the stove, wearing a pink dress my grandmother had bought for me.” Later on that page, “I felt a blaze on my right side. I turned to see where it was coming from and realized my dress was on fire. Frozen with fear, I watched the yellow-white flames make a ragged brown line up the pink fabric of my skirt and climb my stomach.” This makes the book interesting since not many kids make hot dogs alone that small which is why she wasn’t cautious and almost died.

One more example would be how she had moved to New York after high school and got a job, apartment, and more. After living most of her life with her horrible family in poverty she decided to move to New York in search for a better life. When she is there she goes to live with her sister who previously moved there and she finds a job at a burger joint. After living there she decided to go to college and study as a writer. She gets a writing job for a newspaper. This shows how the book is also inspirational because she went from nothing and got a decent job in New York city.

These three reason provide information on why The Glass Castle is such a good memoir from all the interesting event that took place in the book.