Berlin Memorial Blog

Prompts:

1- What did you learn?
2- Why do you think this monument was built?
3- What did you notice about the number of laws passed in certain years?
4- Which restrictions do you think you would have the most trouble dealing with and why?

          I learned about a lot about laws passsed against the Jews in Germay from 1933 to 1945. Today we were able to look at about seventy of the the laws. I learned that and noticed that there was a lot of laws passed between 1933-38 and they only got more and more strict as the years wet on. For example, in 1942 Jewish children were not allowed to go to school which is crazy. I beleive the city of Berlin built the lamppost memorial to show how Germany respects the Jewish now because Hitler clearly showed how Gemany didn't before. This memorial also shows what the Jewish lost in pictures, so the people can possibly reflect on what/how they would have done/felt.

          There was the most amount of laws passed in 1933, 1938, and 1942. I think there was a lot of laws passed in 1933 because that was the start of Adolf Hitler's rule as chancellor of Germany. There were lots of laws past in 1938 because this was the year of the "Night of Shattered Glass (Kristallnacht) and thousands of Jews were put in concentration camps. There was most likey a lot of laws passed in 1942 because war was ending soon and with these laws he started to take away the Jews' civil rights.

          Most of the unbearable laws/restrictions were passed in 1942. One of the laws passed that I would have not been able to deal with was that Jews were not allowed to have milk. I say ths because milk is an essential part of life you need milk in order to have healthy bones, I also drink milk every morning and for lunch. Another law passed that I would not have been able to deal with is having to turn in electrical appliances, bicycles, typewritters, and records. I would not be able to deal with this law because I enjoy riding my bike during the summer and without records I wouldn't be able to listen to music, this law would basically leave me with nothing to do because it is taking away all of the enternament I would have.

2nd Quarter Reflection Blog

Prompts:

-In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts?

-What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?

-What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

-What have you learned about the world? 

In English Language Arts I felt I made my biggest improvement in TIQA format. I learned that the introduction to your quote should give some background knowledge prefacing the quote. I also learned how your quote should not be longer than your analysis. If your quote is longer than your analysis than your analysis is most likely missing something. My biggest improvement was in TIQA format because I was able to expand on my knowledge about the "T," the "I," the "Q," and the "A."

Something that I have accomplished in the new year is time management. I say this because I used to do my homework when I came back from practice (9pm) but know I am trying to finish it before I go to practice (7pm). This has really helped me perform better in school and get more work done. This also let me do better while doing my homework because it is easier to do homework while your awake and have it fresh in your mind, than when you are tired and sleepy. Overall, this was a big accomplishment for me because I was able to do better academically.

The most challenging part of second quarter had been keeping up with the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. This was really challenging because reading two chapters a night was hard. Soon I started to enjoy the book and I was wanting to read ahead and have the next day be easier than the last. I was able to get through the book with ease after the first part. The main reason I started getting into the book was due to the group discussions we had as a class and with our partner.

During the second quarter I learned about an attack that happened in Paris. On 11/13/15 ISIS attacked Paris, France. It was casual Friday night for the civilians of Paris until ISIS appeared and was killing random civilians. One hundred and thirty-two people were found dead and over three hundred and fifty were injured. Due to this attack the Unites States are being more mindful of the refugees they let into America. Another outcome is that the United States was able to protect other places from these kind of attacks due to a message ISIS gave. 

TKAM Comparative Analysis Blog 1/19/16

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Harper Lee

Pages: 0 - 232 (End)

Prompts:

1.  What do you think is the most important difference between the written and filmed version? Provide evidence with specific details.

2. How would you prove or disprove that one version of To Kill A Mockingbird is more affective in delivering its message than the other? Be sure to provide specific pieces of evidence to support your opinion.

The most important difference between the written and filmed version is Boo Radley plot (Part 1 of the book) is taken out. When Atticus sees a blanket on Scout he said to thank Boo Radley he also says, "You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you." This quote shows how Boo Radley put a blanket on Scout without Scout realizing because he cared about Scout. This example is a major difference between the filmed version and in the book because it shows how Boo Radley isn't exactly how he was poorly described in the beginning, instead we see he is kind. This is different than in the film because when we see Boo Radley in the film we still assume he is a horrible person but with this quote from the book we can clearly see he is not.

The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, was better at delivering its messages than its film. A message the book delivers better than the film is coming of age. Scout says (in Part 2 of the book), "He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody." This quote shows how Jem was changing as he grew older. This message is not shown very well in the movie because we can't see Jem age because the film makers cut out a big part of the Boo Radley Plot and only show what happened in less than a year.

Another message the book delivers better than the film is courage. In the book after Mrs. Dubose dies Atticus explains to Jem and Scout, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew." In this quote Atticus is telling the children what courage really means and that Mrs. Dubose died by age at the end, instead of morphine. This message is not in the film because there is only one interaction with Mrs. Dubose. This message was better delivered in the book because it isn't delivered at all in the film.

TKAM Blog 12/18/15

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Harper Lee

Pages: 0 - 232 (End)

Prompts:

1. Did you like what you’re read? Why or why not?

2. Write about how one character feels. Write about a time you felt that way, too.

3. If you were the author, how would this end?

    I enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird for several reasons. One reason I really enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird is because there was many life lessons and life quotes in the book. For example in the book it says, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." This is one of the bigger life quotes in the book another one is, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." Another reason I really enjoyed the book is because Atticus as an older man is wiser. For example both of those quotes I cited were from Atticus. This shows how since Atticus is older he is more wise and knows how to deal with more things.

    At the end of the book Scout feels like Jem won't talk to her for a long time because she was able to see what "Boo Radley" looked like and Jem didn't. I've felt this way when I was little and my cousin and I were waiting for hours to talk to a famous hockey player and get his signature. Well, my cousin had to go to the bathroom while we were in line and he gave me his things. The only thing is when he came back I had already been done talking and getting the hockey player's signature. He was so upset he did not talk to me until the last day of Spring break.

    If I was Harper Lee, I wouldn't necessarily change the ending but add  bit more. I would add that "Boo Radley" is reported missing and can not be found and Maycomb makes the assumption that he killed Bob Ewell and that is why he escaped. The only people that know for sure are the people that were with him the previous night. Then I feel it should end right there. I would like this ending because it will leave the readers in suspense wanting to read more and us readers can try to infer what going to happen.

TKAM-Character Relationships Blog 12/3/15

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Pages: 0 - 164
Character pair: Miss Maudie and Calpurnia

Format:
a. Similarities to each other
b. Differences from each other
c. Relationship to Scout friend, maid
d. Effect on Scout feminiism

          Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are similar in a couple ways. The first way that I found them similar is that both Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are persevering though life. Miss Maudie had to persevere through the loss of her house and Calpurnia has to persevere through having to speak two "different languages," "negro" and common English. The second way that I found them similar is that they are both kind. Miss Maudie is kind because when Dill and Jem wouldn't pay attention to Scout she was there for Scout to talk to. Calpurnia is kind because when Atticus was gone she took them to her church called, "First Purchase African M.E. Church," which made the children interested in Calpurnia's ways.

          Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are different in a couple ways. The first way that I found them different is that Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are of different races. Calpurnia is African-American and Miss Maudie is white. The second way I found them different is that Calpurnia spends her time indoors, cooking. Miss Maudie spends most of her time outside, as a botanist.

           Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are related to Scout in different ways. Miss Maudie is related to Scout as a friendly neighbor. This makes it easier for Scout to talk to her knowing that she won't be seeing Miss Maudie all the time. Calpurnia is related to Scout by being her house keeper. This is important to the novel because Scout realizes that she does not know Calpurnia very well and decides to spend more time with her since Jem is maturing.

          The effect Miss Maudie and Calpurnia have on Scout is that they are her feminine influence. Scout is learning a lot about being a girl from Miss Maudie and Calpurnia. Even though Scout does not like the gender stereotype of being a girl, she is learning a lot of valuable lessons from these characters. Miss Maudie and Calpurnia are the main women role models, giving them a big part in Scout's life. At the end, Miss Maudie and Calpurnia play a huge part in Scouts life and without them Scout would be different.

Primary Source Analysis-Photograph

James F.

11/30/15

"Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives." School, Shop, Church and Community Building. Gee's Bend, Alabama. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. <http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8c10010/?co=fsa>.

Wolcott, Marion. School, Shop, Church and Community Building. Gee's Bend, Alabama. 1939. Library of Congress, Gee's Bend, Alabama.

          In the photograph, "School, shop, church, and community building."(above)  I saw that picture was very similar to the city, Maycomb, in the novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. I know this because in the book the city was described as small and as well as this city apppears in the picture. I also saw that in this community that there was not a lot of people because it shows about 20 to 30 people outside. Another observation I made was that there is no paved roads just dirt. This commmunity also seems a bit isolated because I do not see any other building around it.

          This photograph and the way Maycomb is described in the book resemble each other. I know this because in the book it says, "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." This shows how Maycomb was isolated and was small. This piece of the text can relate to the picture because in the picture there is not much to see because it is very small and isolated. At the end, I was able to make the realization that this photograph is very similar to the way Maycomb is described in the book.

Theme Blog 11/16/15

Book: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Pages: 0-256

The theme I felt best fit this this book is, "Fighting racism." I say this because constantly through the text, Cassie and family are upset and are fighting against racism. An act Little Man does to show this theme is, "Little Man bit his lower lip, and I knew that he was not going to pick up the book. Rapidly, I turned to the inside cover of my own book and saw immediately what had made Little Man so furious." This quote shows how these two characters felt about getting poor conditioned books from the whites, only because of their race.

Another theme I felt best fit this book is, "Never give up on your opinion." I say this because throughout the text the Logan's are showing their hatred towards the way they are being treated because of their race. This relates to the last theme because the Logan's opinion is to fight racism. A way this theme is used in real life is like in court, because the lawyer is given a opinion and has to fight for that opinion. I also feel this theme is just the common thing to do because you should never give up on your opinion unless your opinion hurts others.

My third and final best fit theme for this book is, "Everyone should be treated equal, no matter what race they are." I say this because I feel the author correlates negativity and racism to show that racism is horrible. One of the best parts of this theme is that this theme is still relevant to today because some people are racist. Which being racist is extremely wrong. People also have this theme in their faith. For example, Christianity say all people shall be treated equally. And even the government expresses this theme!