The Book Thief by Markus Zusak had many different symbols. There are symbols such as books and colors and then there are deeper symbols like death and dreams. All of the symbols in this book are important and are all connected in some way. They all impact Liesel and her story greatly.
In the book, there are symbols that seem small but play an important role in Liesel's life. One of these symbols is colors. In the first couple of chapters the narrator often mentioned the colors and their representation. The fact that the snow Liesel's brother was buried in was white was mentioned many times. Also the emphasis of the red fire. When the books were being burned the red flames were synbolic. Finally is black, the color of death. Color is one symbol of The Book Thief . Another smaller symbol in the book are the books themselves. Although the books seem like nothing but a part of the stroy plot, they are very stmbolic. The books symbolize many things such as her new life after leaving her mother, her relationship with papa, hope for the war, her determination and also her ability to be cunning and deceiving. Books are extremely important to Liesel. These are so said smaller symbols in The Book Thief.
As well as small symbols, there are also bigger symbols in The Book Thief. Death is one of these symbols. Death is very important in this book. The narrator first met Liesel during a time of death, when her brother died. The war and concentration camps killed many and it affected many of the people that were close to Liesel. Even the narrator itself is death. Another example of stmbolism are the dreams and nightmares that Liesel has. She often has nightmares about the day her brother died and these nightmares connected her and Papa. If it wasn't for her nightmares Liesel and Max never would have connected the way that they did, Liesel and Papa never would have had such a tight bond and Liesel probably wouldn't have loved books the way she does or even have been able to read them. These are bigger, more obvious symbols that appeared in The Book Thief.
In conclusion, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak has many symbols. Some of these themes seem small and others are more dramatic. All of the symbols play a big role in Liesel's big journey through the war and help her make her way through with family and friends. The Book Thief is a really good book and the symbols that stick with Liesel all the way through make it even better. This is one thing that I gathered after reading this book in book clubs.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Poem make-up
New Year
One year down,
So many more to go.
The fireworks show celebration
Of what I don't quite know.
The end?
The beginning?
The party itself?
It's exciting
One more year of a life ahead
But the pressures on.
Follow your resolutions,
Don't mess up,
Find yourself once again,
Be a new person,
Improve your old self,
Be better than last year,
Don't let it repeat,
Grow up,
Live up to everyone's expectations.
For me,
The New Years a big bundle of confusion
I'm not quite sure how to take it
Or how to make it work.
Non-Fiction Reading Response on "The Natural"
The article "The Natural" in upfront magazine is about a basketball player with only one arm. In the article they show the amazing journey of his career. Zach Hodskins was born with a missing arm and has been told he is not able to do many things. One thing being basketball. He over came this and is now a skilled college basketball player. It's amazing that he's making such big accomplishments, even for a regular player, with just one arm. One example of this is that everyone said it was even more likely for him to become president than a basketball player, yet he over came this, and another example is that he scores an average of a good 11 points per game. These show how amazing his accomplishments are,
When Zach was younger, many people including his family said he had a better chance of becoming president than he did a basketball player. This is a harsh thing to hear from people you are close to. It shows that they doubt you have a chance in something you hope for, yet he overcame that. He kept trying, mastering throwing with only one hand. Eventually he got better, now being able to throw and score from any point in the gym, and now he's made it to professional. It's an unbelievable journey and despite the doubt he overcame all his obstacles. This is one example of his amazing accomplishments.
Another example of Zach having amazing accomplishments is that he scores an average of 11 points per game. This is a lot for an average player and to say he has to do it one handed with the exact right movements it's a really big accomplishment. So many people told him he couldn't make it because you would think 2 hands is an absolute requirement for basketball, but he proved them all wrong. He's on a great college basketball team with good statistics and at the same time he has only one hand. This is another example of Zach's accomplishments.
All in all Zach Hodskins has made some really unbelievable accomplishments in his basketball career. He's good even for the average player yet he does it all with one hand. He proved people wrong who told him it was impossible, and he has a good score average when he plays. Although he was born with only one hand he gets over obstacles and doesn't let them hold him back in basketball. It's amazing that he has made such big accomplishments for an average player with just one arm and so many obstacles in his way.
When Zach was younger, many people including his family said he had a better chance of becoming president than he did a basketball player. This is a harsh thing to hear from people you are close to. It shows that they doubt you have a chance in something you hope for, yet he overcame that. He kept trying, mastering throwing with only one hand. Eventually he got better, now being able to throw and score from any point in the gym, and now he's made it to professional. It's an unbelievable journey and despite the doubt he overcame all his obstacles. This is one example of his amazing accomplishments.
Another example of Zach having amazing accomplishments is that he scores an average of 11 points per game. This is a lot for an average player and to say he has to do it one handed with the exact right movements it's a really big accomplishment. So many people told him he couldn't make it because you would think 2 hands is an absolute requirement for basketball, but he proved them all wrong. He's on a great college basketball team with good statistics and at the same time he has only one hand. This is another example of Zach's accomplishments.
All in all Zach Hodskins has made some really unbelievable accomplishments in his basketball career. He's good even for the average player yet he does it all with one hand. He proved people wrong who told him it was impossible, and he has a good score average when he plays. Although he was born with only one hand he gets over obstacles and doesn't let them hold him back in basketball. It's amazing that he has made such big accomplishments for an average player with just one arm and so many obstacles in his way.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Poem Response Final for America by Claude McKay
"I love this cultured hell that tests my youth", this is a quote from Claude McKay's America. In this poem the speaker shows just how hard it was and still is, to make it in America. In the poem, you see multiple times that the speaker is troubled with their attempt of finding success, but it uses oxymorons to show that they also find the experience a challenge in a good way, and enjoy the ride. Examples of the speaker showing how hard it is to find success in America, is when they say, "Darkly I gaze into the days ahead", another example is when they declare that they "Love this cultured hell that tests my youth", and a final example is when they state that "Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood". These examples show how hard it is to make it in America. And that this poem shows it.
The first example of the speaker showing how hard it is to make in America is when they say "darkly I gaze into the days ahead" (McKay 11). This shows that the journey and the days to success are going to be difficult and grueling. It doesn't show excitement, it shows the determination to find success despite the difficulty and annoyance. It shows the hard work that people had to put in just to get there, let alone what they had to do once they actually got there. McKay shows that people looked with dread into their journey ahead of them once they got to America. This is what this quote from America by Claude McKay showed.
Another example of McKay showing how hard it was to make it in America was when the speaker declared that they, "Love this cultured hell that tests my youth" (McKay 4). This quote came across as very interesting to me. It shows challenges, and that it tests peoples being but it also uses an oxymoron to show that the speaker was enjoying the challenge. This made me wonder if this poem was about immigration. I thought this as people come to America with thoughts of amazement and brilliance, but then the challenge to succeed is and was incredibly difficult. Even though it's difficult, grueling, scary and annoying, people still feel that love for America and the excitement to be a part of it. In that way many people have and do love the journey to making it in America and this oxymoron between loving this hell that tests youth explains it perfectly. This is another example of how Claude McKay's America shows how bard it is to make it in the USA.
The last example of the speaker in America showing how hard it is to make it in the USA, is when they state that "Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood" (McKay 7). In this quote the speaker shows that America, full of its possibilities, can quickly knock you off your feet but catch up with you in the end, whether good or bad. They show this in this quote by using "bigness" to refer to America. This shows the endless possibilities, the size as well as the overwhelming quality of America. Another thing the speaker does in this quote is say that America "sweeps my being like a flood", by using sweep and flood as the word choice it shows that it can knock you down, and catch up with you in a good or bad way. This is how this quote supports Claude McKay's America and that it's hard to make it in America.
After reading this poem I realized how hard it is to build up a life and success in America. In conclusion Claude McKay's America shows how hard it is to make it in America. There are multiple ways the speaker shows this. One is when they say "Darkly I gaze into the days ahead" (McKay 11), another way is when the speaker declares "I love this cultured hell that tests my youth" (McKay 4), and a third and final line where the speaker shows this is when they state "Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood" (McKay 7). This is what I gathered and thought while and after reading the poem America by Claude McKay.
The first example of the speaker showing how hard it is to make in America is when they say "darkly I gaze into the days ahead" (McKay 11). This shows that the journey and the days to success are going to be difficult and grueling. It doesn't show excitement, it shows the determination to find success despite the difficulty and annoyance. It shows the hard work that people had to put in just to get there, let alone what they had to do once they actually got there. McKay shows that people looked with dread into their journey ahead of them once they got to America. This is what this quote from America by Claude McKay showed.
Another example of McKay showing how hard it was to make it in America was when the speaker declared that they, "Love this cultured hell that tests my youth" (McKay 4). This quote came across as very interesting to me. It shows challenges, and that it tests peoples being but it also uses an oxymoron to show that the speaker was enjoying the challenge. This made me wonder if this poem was about immigration. I thought this as people come to America with thoughts of amazement and brilliance, but then the challenge to succeed is and was incredibly difficult. Even though it's difficult, grueling, scary and annoying, people still feel that love for America and the excitement to be a part of it. In that way many people have and do love the journey to making it in America and this oxymoron between loving this hell that tests youth explains it perfectly. This is another example of how Claude McKay's America shows how bard it is to make it in the USA.
The last example of the speaker in America showing how hard it is to make it in the USA, is when they state that "Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood" (McKay 7). In this quote the speaker shows that America, full of its possibilities, can quickly knock you off your feet but catch up with you in the end, whether good or bad. They show this in this quote by using "bigness" to refer to America. This shows the endless possibilities, the size as well as the overwhelming quality of America. Another thing the speaker does in this quote is say that America "sweeps my being like a flood", by using sweep and flood as the word choice it shows that it can knock you down, and catch up with you in a good or bad way. This is how this quote supports Claude McKay's America and that it's hard to make it in America.
After reading this poem I realized how hard it is to build up a life and success in America. In conclusion Claude McKay's America shows how hard it is to make it in America. There are multiple ways the speaker shows this. One is when they say "Darkly I gaze into the days ahead" (McKay 11), another way is when the speaker declares "I love this cultured hell that tests my youth" (McKay 4), and a third and final line where the speaker shows this is when they state "Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood" (McKay 7). This is what I gathered and thought while and after reading the poem America by Claude McKay.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Reading Response on 13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher has many hidden aspects. In the book Hannah Baker, who tragically committed suicide, made tapes with 13 reasons why she killed herself. She filled a box of tapes and sent them to people to pass on, there was an overall of 13 people, these were the people that took a part in her death. During the tapes you really get to know Hannah and who she was as a person. She had her obvious characteristics and characteristics that you have to look around for while reading. I noticed that she takes a huge notice in small details and makes them bigger. There were many parts of the book where I noticed this. Examples of this were when she expanded so greatly on the guy who slapped her butt, and she went so closely into each detail of the Courtney picture. These are examples that show Hannah taking huge notice in the small details.
One example of Hannah taking notice in the smaller derails is when she expands so greatly on the guy in the candy shop slapping her butt. When I was reading this my automatic thought was "That that would be so annoying. Why is he being so immature?" And I imagined he would just be a small part to a bigger thing. But he wasn't. Although the bigger story she was telling was about a list in best and worst butt where she was voted best, he wasn't a small detail. She spent a number of times going back to that moment and even marked the location on her map. It didn't seem all that important but as Hannah, she dug deeper and hooked that, smaller details, as well as big stories together and made them one huge reason for suicide. This is one example of how Hannah pays attention to small details in big ways.
Another example of Hannah paying attention to the smaller details is when she was explaining the picture of her and Courtney. The situation was not the nicest, she was being used for a reputation. But the picture was not actually a big part in context. With the thought she put into it you would think it was huge big event but actually, it was a small detail, the end of a story. She made it seem like the biggest part and expanded so much so that it seemed like a big contribution to her death, but really it was just a small addition to the chain. This is a second example of how Hannah looks closely to details and makes them bigger.
In conclusion Hannah Baker from 13 Reasons Why payed close attention to small details and expanded to make them bigger. There are many parts in the book where you see this. The guy in the candy store slapping her butt and the picture with Courtney were some examples. All in all, Hannah likes to expand on small parts of a big story.
One example of Hannah taking notice in the smaller derails is when she expands so greatly on the guy in the candy shop slapping her butt. When I was reading this my automatic thought was "That that would be so annoying. Why is he being so immature?" And I imagined he would just be a small part to a bigger thing. But he wasn't. Although the bigger story she was telling was about a list in best and worst butt where she was voted best, he wasn't a small detail. She spent a number of times going back to that moment and even marked the location on her map. It didn't seem all that important but as Hannah, she dug deeper and hooked that, smaller details, as well as big stories together and made them one huge reason for suicide. This is one example of how Hannah pays attention to small details in big ways.
Another example of Hannah paying attention to the smaller details is when she was explaining the picture of her and Courtney. The situation was not the nicest, she was being used for a reputation. But the picture was not actually a big part in context. With the thought she put into it you would think it was huge big event but actually, it was a small detail, the end of a story. She made it seem like the biggest part and expanded so much so that it seemed like a big contribution to her death, but really it was just a small addition to the chain. This is a second example of how Hannah looks closely to details and makes them bigger.
In conclusion Hannah Baker from 13 Reasons Why payed close attention to small details and expanded to make them bigger. There are many parts in the book where you see this. The guy in the candy store slapping her butt and the picture with Courtney were some examples. All in all, Hannah likes to expand on small parts of a big story.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Non- Fiction Reading Response "Crossing the Racial Divide"
In Upfront I found an article that made me feel conflicted. This article was about a white South African family (the Hewitt's) who moved into a poor, black based village and tried to see how they lived. I was conflicted to whether or not it made me feel happy or sad. It was so controversial. On one hand it was good that a middle class family cared about the issue of the matter of poverty but on the other hand it was sad and disappointing that there was such a big racial divide in South Africa. This article had many perspectives to which you could look at.
It made me feel good that although there was such a divide between white middle class and poor black South Africans, a white family risked leaving their good happy life to go live in the small poor village. It was so touching that although the divide is so strong a middle class white wanted to sympathize and experience what they had to go through. Ena Hewitt stated "we live in a bubble, we wanted to get outside that bubble". This really stood out to me as it showed that they wanted to see the other half, to experience the grief and everything else they are experiencing.
On the other hand, it was upsetting. When the Hewitts arrived in Memelodi, once the only urban neighborhood blacks were allowed to live in, there was so much shock from everyone. It showed the dramatic racial divide. It was so sad to see that when black and white people mixed it was shocking, strange, and discomforting. This is sad after living in New York. In New York black and white are no different, racial issues exist at times, but it's not strange or shocking or discomforting. And to hear that that kind of divide is going on around the world, it's really upsetting and makes me wonder why nothing is being done. Nelson Mandela made such a big impact on racism in South Africa yet it still happens. Especially in these small villages, there is so much envy or hatred from the past and it still lingers. It's upsetting to see this.
Overall, I'm conflicted with this article. There were times where I felt happy and content with the good deed the Hewitt's were doing but then there were others where the racial divide made me feel so naïve about the world as well as upset over the fact that racism or divide still lingers in parts of the world. In the end we saw that the Hweitt's succeeded to settle in, get out off their bubble and be accepted, but who knows what other villages just like this have the same issue. This article was conflicting but overall I liked it and learned a lot.
It made me feel good that although there was such a divide between white middle class and poor black South Africans, a white family risked leaving their good happy life to go live in the small poor village. It was so touching that although the divide is so strong a middle class white wanted to sympathize and experience what they had to go through. Ena Hewitt stated "we live in a bubble, we wanted to get outside that bubble". This really stood out to me as it showed that they wanted to see the other half, to experience the grief and everything else they are experiencing.
On the other hand, it was upsetting. When the Hewitts arrived in Memelodi, once the only urban neighborhood blacks were allowed to live in, there was so much shock from everyone. It showed the dramatic racial divide. It was so sad to see that when black and white people mixed it was shocking, strange, and discomforting. This is sad after living in New York. In New York black and white are no different, racial issues exist at times, but it's not strange or shocking or discomforting. And to hear that that kind of divide is going on around the world, it's really upsetting and makes me wonder why nothing is being done. Nelson Mandela made such a big impact on racism in South Africa yet it still happens. Especially in these small villages, there is so much envy or hatred from the past and it still lingers. It's upsetting to see this.
Overall, I'm conflicted with this article. There were times where I felt happy and content with the good deed the Hewitt's were doing but then there were others where the racial divide made me feel so naïve about the world as well as upset over the fact that racism or divide still lingers in parts of the world. In the end we saw that the Hweitt's succeeded to settle in, get out off their bubble and be accepted, but who knows what other villages just like this have the same issue. This article was conflicting but overall I liked it and learned a lot.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Critical Thinking Reading Response on What Happened to Goodbye
Critical thinking question: How does this text address the points of view of other groups, especially who usually don't get to tell their sides of the story?
In "What Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen they show a side of a divorce that isn't regularly heard at the time that is being explained. When Mclean's parents divorced 3 years before the time that the story is set it was strange, sudden and extremely tough on the family. Divorce has such a big effect on everyone in a family and all books seem to focus on is the parents but this book focuses on the child (teen) and how it is still affecting her 3 years after. The examples that support this is that Mclean is in complete narrative of her point of view of the divorce and just her, Mclean in this is telling her view of not only how she felt when it happened but how she feels after the divorce. This is why in the book you get a reference of Mclean's point of view and her perspectives of the divorce.
"What Happened to Goodbye" gives a peek into a different perspective because it's in Mclean's point of view and we're getting a look at how it affected her and just her as the kid. Normally you only get to see how it affected a family as a whole but in this book you really get to see how the kid feels afterwards and how her life has changed and is still changing. For example, in the book Mclean states that she is sick of her mom putting herself first and doesn't want anything to change custody wise, this gives people a peek into what kids would say/do if they really had a say in divorce. We really see that even though divorce may bring up sensitive and big issues with the 2 spouses against each other, it brings up issues against the parents from the kid. This is one example of seeing a different point of view in the book.
Another way that the book shows Mclean's perspective is that she's not only telling us about how she felt when it was happening but also afterwards and how it is still affecting her. The book is set 3 years after the divorce and now Mclean has gone from living with her mom and dad in the same place for her whole life to moving around with her dad every year. Within this we see how she has taken to making friends, settling in and even who she decides to be in each different place. When she explains what she's going through, it's all about her life and how she decides to adapt, which is a really rare thing as usually we only really get to see how kids are coping with the divorces as it's happening, and most of their time we don't get any idea of their view on it. This is another way that Mclean shows an unusual perspective of a situation.
In conclusion, Mclean shows a different point of view because we get to see how she adjusts rather than her parents and we also get to see how her life changes after the divorce. This is a perspective we don't usually get to take a look at and a group that doesn't usually have much of a voice. This is how and why "What Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen shows a point of view from a group that don't usually get to tell their side.
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