Final Blog Post

Dear Class 810,


I learned a lot of things in ELA this year. Everything we learned this year was valuable in some way. But I think one of the most valuable lesson was all the lessons dealing with Romeo and Juliet. These lessons will help us in high school and even for the rest of our lives. We learned to really unpack hard texts. This will help us with other hard literature in future ELA classes and also will help us understand other Shakespeare novels

I have also had very good memories throughout this year in ELA. My favorite memory we had this year was the field trip to the Met. I really liked to look at the beautiful art form the Italian Renaissance.
                                                     

 Summer Reading List

1. Will Grayson, Will Grayson  By John Green
2. Under the Dome By Stephen King 
3. To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Poetry Chap Book

                                     Haikus about 9/11

Crying and Heartbreak,

On a warm September day,

The whole city stops.

3,000 bright souls,

Including New York’s finest,

Erased from this world.

Ash drifting throught the air,

A reminder of what happened,

A few hours ago.

I wrote this haikus because I wanted to express my feelings about such a tragic day. I also was really interested about writing haikus.

                                                 Song of Myself

I hear the sound of the front door shutting,

I hear the shower raining down and the bathroom fan,

I hear the birds chirping near my window,

I hear dogs barking,

I hear a car’s horn,

I hear the coffee grinder, making sure I don’t go back to sleep.

I wrote this poem because i wanted to explore the sounds of when I lie in bed in the morning. The literary devices I used was: Free verse, line break, Imagery, Onomatopoeia, and Personification.

MY CITY

Life in New York City - what a pleasure;

When I do look around the Big Apple;

Bright lights beam like some marvelous treasure;

Giant skyscrapers and God’s great chapels;  

Our five boroughs, all of them are unique;

Eight-hundred languages, many races;

A city that never sleeps is not bleak;

Coney Island to the Bronx’s bright faces;

Brooklyn’s brownstones and Manhattan’s taxis;

Tourists are in a New York state of mind;

Times Square on New Year’s Eve filled to maxi;

People say locals are mean but we’re kind;

We are the home of the very greatest;

We have the rich, powerful, and famous.

I chose this topic because I live in New York City and really like it and wanted to write about it. Some literary devices I used were: Simile, Allison, Rhyme, Rhythm, Imagery, Line break, and Tone.

                                                                  Heart Poem

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

Responce

My heart poem is “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” By Robert Frost. I always loved this poem since I first heard this poem in a poetry unit my teacher had in the 5th grade. I really liked the way Robert Frost described his surroundings and his way with words. The way he wrote made me picture it really well in my mind. Then I was reunited with this poem in 6th in Ms.Catapano’s class. We had to recite this poem for a grade in front of the class.

This poem has a pretty simple meaning at the surface but you have to look deeper to find the true meaning. I believe that the meaning to this poem is to enjoy life but also work hard at the same time. One detail that supports my claim is “The woods are lovely dark and deep/But I have promises” (lines 13 & 14) This line shows even though that he really likes watching the snowfall in the woods he still has to buckle down and get back to work

This poem also has a lot of literary devices. Robert Frost uses devices such as, Rhyme, Rhythm, Imagery, Line Break, and Personification. Robert Frost uses theses devices in a really good and unique way.

Reading Response on Critical Thinking Questions

Critical Thinking Question: How does money play a role in your text?

Having to rob a store at gunpoint just for a couple of days worth of food is complete desperation. Sharing a one bedroom apartment with your family of 5 is absolutely dreadful. Well, this is the reality for Luis Rodriguez, A Mexican-American who is the main character in the memoir "Always Running". The book is about Luis's life growing up in the crime riddled streets of East Los Angeles in the mid-sixties to seventies. In the text, poverty plays a huge role in the text.

Luis's family was much poorer than most families in Los Angeles. For example, when Luis was cleaning a house he said "[one house] had a swimming pool and a fire place and things called rugs."(Rodriguez Page 23) This statement shows that Luis was not exposed to any luxury or leisure in his community. Another example is when Luis describes he first house in LA, "[The house was]  a small matchbook of a place.Next to it stood a tiny garage with holes through the walls and an unpainted barn-like quality."(Rodriguez Page 10) This quote shows the meager conditions he lived in. Another example takes place on page 22 when Luis explains what holidays were like in his house. "[Christmas] presents came from a church group which gave presents to the poor. This was our first Christmas."

Luis's family is also looked down on in society because he is poor. Luis was beat up and made fun of several times for being poor and Mexican. One example is from when Luis and his brother went in to a white neighborhood and two boys stopped him, "They punched him in the face, in the stomach, then his face again, cutting his lip, causing him to vomit...[the boys said] go back you poor spics" (Pages 25-26)This quote portrays how so many people in the text have antagonism towards poor people. Another example is from a big fight between the Angelos (whites) and Mexicans "F**k you,poor beaner, he said as he hit me square in the jaw"(Pg 98)

To conclude, Luis Rodriguez did a great job of incorporating these themes in his memoir. The sad thing is that this is a true story and Luis and many others suffered through these conditions. The story makes you feel sympathetic of Luis's struggles through childhood.

Picture Book Story Draft

 My name is Pablo Mendez, My family just moved to Minnesota from Texas. I am 13 years old and I love skateboarding and playing video games. My family is originally from Mexico but, My parents rarely talk about it.
"Honey, do you want me to bring you to the nice skate park we saw on our way in" said my mom "Your father and I still need to unpack somethings"

"Sure" I say with a ear to ear smile

I hop in our families Toyota and my mom drives me to the skate park. As the car pulls up to the skate park I catch my first real glance of the park. It is AMAZING! It is much better than the one I used to skate in Texas.

"I'll pick you up in two hours. Be safe, Have fun, I love you" said my Mom through the car window

"I love you too" I replied.

I ran through the entrance and looked around. I decided to go to the half-pipe first. As I walked up to the ramp I was stopped my a boy around 4 inches taller than me.

"Hey Diego, You said you can skate this park" said the boy.

"I thought it was a public park" I firmly stated.

"It is for Middletown residents only"

"Actually, My family just moved to Middl-"

"I said Middletown residents only, Not no Mexican like yourself, NOW GET OUT OFF THE PARK"

His words stunned me. No one have ever treated me this way. My head fills up with anger.

"No" I said

"Well. Then I'll make you" he said as he took my skateboard and threw into the parking lot.

"Go back to Mexico you loser, and don't come back here unless you bring me a burrito" he said as half the people in the skate park laughed.

I ran out of the skate park trying as my hardest not to cry. I sat on the bench in the parking lot and waited for my mom to pick me up.

Around 2 hours later My mother picks me up. I decide no to tell her about what happened today. she would just freak out like she always does.

"How was it" my mom asks.

"It was boring, No cool ramps or anything"

"It looks pretty cool" My mom responded

"Nah I'll just practice in the garage"

"Whatever you say" my mom says with a smile

2 weeks later, as I am eating cereal I see in the local paper that there is an add for a skate contest at the skate park. A sudden idea pops into my head. Maybe If I win the contest I would be allowed to skate park. After school I run to the community center to sign up for the contest. The contest is in exactly in a week
and I need to brush up on my skills in the meantime. For the next week, I spend hours on end in the garage practicing all the tricks that I know.

Today is finally the day of the contest. So many people are crowed in and around the skate park. I see the judges and get a little nervous. I am put in the 13/14 year old group. I look around to see the competition and I see him. The kid who was making fun of me the first day.

The contest starts. I easily make through the first two rounds and to the final round. The only people who are left are Me, this kid named Derrick and the bully. The last challenge is to pull off the best trick on the half pipe. First Derrick goes, Then the bully, and then me. As Derrick goes to do a trick and falls on his ankle. He is injured and disqualified. Now just me and the bully. He starts off with an amazing spin that makes the crowd go crazy and finishes off with a big heel flip. The judges final score is a 9.5 out of 10. Now it's my turn. There are butterflies in the stomach as I look down from the top of the ramp at the crowd and the judges. I swoop in a do a Ollie and a series of other tricks. But I know they are not good enough to win. As I am about to do my final trick, I decide to do a 900. The 900 is one of the hardest tricks in history,which consists of spinning 2 and a half times in mid air. As get some air and start spinning as fast as I could. Time seems to go in slow motion, As all 4 of my wheels hit the ramp, the crowd goes absolutely insane. And then I realize, I JUST DID A FREAKING 900!!!!!!. The judges hold a sign with the number 10 as the crowd still roars. I never felt so happy in my life.

After the whole skate contest ends I get a huge trophy. After the ceremony the bully brings me to the side to talk.

"That was great skating out there, You have a lot of talent. I'm so sorry I was a jerk to you before, I promise I will let you in the skate park next time" Said the bully.

"Thanks Man. Whats your name by the way" I say

"Troy, What's yours"

"Pablo"

"Well see you at the park sometime,bye"

"Bye"

Author's Note

 Foreword

There is a problem going on in some parts of this country. Latino kids are being bullied across America. Kids telling other kids to "Go home" and called people immigrants. Technically, we are all immigrants but that's not the point. Now with Obama's new laws protected undocumented immigrants the hate gets worse.

For example, In June 2012 a 11 year old boy sand the nation anthem for the NBA finals. People on twitter responded with hate. One person said,  "There's a little Mexican kid singing the national anthem ... What has the world come to?"

It makes me sad that some people are so ignorant in this country. We are all humans and we need to respect on another.

Flight Synthesis Page

Book: Flight 
By Sherman Alexie

Critical Thinking Question:What really hard things are happening in the text? Are these things happening in the world now? Where?

Child Abuse: Child abuse happens around the world everyday.

Text Evidence: "Then my new father took me into another dark room in the basement ,one without any trains, and did evil things to me. Things that hurt. Things that made me bleed"(page 75)
_________________________________________________________________________________

Racism: Racism is also a really big issue that happens around the world

Text Evidence: "But no, he told me to wait a minute while he grabbed some paperwork.Then he went in the back room and came out with a shotgun. He called me a sand ni***r and he was going to blow off my head if I didn't get the f**k out of his place of business"(page 111)
_______________________________________________________________________________
War Violence: War happens everyday across the world. It  kills hundreds of people.

Text Evidence: "No, those Indians down there killed a little girl. shot three arrows into her belly and left her to die. And two feet away from that little girl's lay the naked body of a woman. Three arrows in her belly too. A blond and blue-eyed woman, bloody and violated, her right hand forever reaching out toward the little girl" (page 87)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Alcoholism: Lots of people get addicted to alcohol and in the long run, end up hurting them self or 
others.

"Well, I'm certainly a street drunk, a loser whose belly is torn apart by booze. That's why they call it rotgut"(page 132)

Connections: 
The thing about these topics is that they all really happen in real life. Many families get torn up destroyed because of these things. These are major issues in the world and it would be best for all If they stopped. Alexie did a great job incorporating these hard themes in to his book.

Banned Book argument essay

Do you know that 84% of teens get bullied because of their sexual orientation.  Well, that is the reality for Vincent, the main character in "Am I Blue?". Vincent is a 16 year old boy who gets verbally and physically, By a kid named Butch, because he is gay. Then Vincent meets a man named Melvin who claims to be his fairy god father. After talking with Melvin for a bit, Melvin grants Vincent with gaydar. Gaydar is the ability to turn everybody who is even a little bit homosexual to a certain shade of blue. Vincent gets the chance to see how many people are really gay. It makes him feel more confident and helps him deal with being bullied. All in all, the text “Am I Blue” should not be banned because it can help normalize homosexuality and make young homosexual teens feel better about themself and look at the world in a different lens.

One reason “Am I Blue” should not be banned because it can help normalize homosexuality. Lots of teens who get bullied for being gay feel like they are alone and that is not right to be gay. The text could explain to teens how many gay really are out there. The story states that “About one person in ten solid blue, and one out of every three or four with some degree of shading”  This part can provide the comfort that some teens need. Also this book can shape opinions on homosexuallity. It could make someone who is against homosexualty see how it is really not bad.

Another reason “Am I Blue” should not be banned because of the first amendment . The first amendment states the freedom of speech, and freedom of what people can or can not read. A teen should not be limited access to a piece of literature they want to read. This would be against the nations first amendment  and would be unlawful and unconstitutional to ban this book.

But some people may see the other way. The story contains questionable themes and strong language. In one part of the story Melvin says “My friends call each other “faggot” and “queer” for the same reasons black people call each other “nigger”  Some people may take offence to these words. This book also contains strong themes. You have to be mature to read this book. Some parents may not want their kid to read this book because they don’t think they can handle it.

In conclusion, The text “Am I Blue should not be banned. It is a great story and everyone should be able to read it.

Social Awareness

Interview

with my step mom Jen

1. What do you do for a living?

I’m a social worker at the Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science. It is an all girls school in downtown Brooklyn

2.What kind of training did you receive for your job.

After high school I went to a 4 year college, The University of Massachusetts at Amherst. After I graduated from college I worked at various jobs until I decided that I wanted to become a social worker. In order to be a Licensed Social Worker you need to get a graduate degree in social work and also pass a state licensing test. I decided to get my Masters at Hunter College School of Social Work. I attended the full-time two year program.  A large part of the program also revolved around having various internships, as well as taking academic classes.  After I graduated I took my exam and shortly after that I got a job with the school that still work in.

3.How do students at your school look at you?

I think overall, students at my school respect me and will listen to what I have to say. It’s not always easy and it takes time to develop trust and positive relationships, but with hard work and mutual respect, it’s possible.

4.What was the most serious issue you have ever faced?

I don’t know if I can name just one issue. There have been many situations that have been challenging. Sometimes, unfortunately, I have to deal with issues related to abuse or suicide or the negative impacts of poverty.

5.Do you like your job and why or why not?

I actually love my job. I  really enjoy working with kids. It’s never boring and I like that fact that I get to work with people everyday and build relationships that hopefully make positive changes. I also learn a lot about myself through working with kids - they keep me young and always keep it real!

6.How do you change the world with your work?

I’m not sure If I am changing the world, but I would like to think that I have some small part in helping kids make great strides towards being successful and learning how to follow their dreams.  A lot of the work that I do revolves around helping kids learn how to make positive changes, think for themselves,  develop independence and successful social skills and help them connect all of this to the larger world - college and the workforce. I would like to think that some of my work helps support kids having great futures and hopefully, one day, allowing them to give back to the community.

Original literary piece

Poem about Michael Brown

You didn’t deserve to die,

It made the whole country cry,

slain at only 18,

You had the whole world ahead of you,

But Darren Wilson took it away from you,

Just cause you stole some cigars,

You could have gone so far

8 bullets hit him,

For no good reason,

Not act of treason,

And Wilson was found Innocent

You never got to go to collage,

You never got to have a Wife,

You never got to see your child being born,

It was all stolen away from you,

You never knew that surrendering to a cop would be the last thing you’ll do,

Ferguson has riots,

Just for You

Response to a film

The film I am going to respond on is call “Slumdog Millionaire”. It is a story about a boy named Jamal who grew up in the slums of Dubai, India. He got to be on the show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and he is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. The people who run the show think he is cheating. So, they bring him in for questioning(AKA torturing) and ask how he knows all the the answers. He explains how he knows them in flashbacks of his life. It tells the story how his family grew up in the slums, Until, Both his parents get killed and he is alone besides his mean brother Malik and a little girl named Latika and their journey.

Even though the story is fictional, It still has a lot of social issues in it. For example, Everyone looks down at Jamal because he is from the slums and think he is worthless. Also, the reason why both his parents were killed because he was Muslim and a group of Hindu men set a violent attack on his slum.

Nonfiction Blog Post

Imagine being strapped to a chair, knowing you will die in any second, you will never have a chance to see your family or friends ever again. Your crying and shaking ,yelling "please give me another chance" but no one listens. Suddenly, your body is shocked with around 1,500 volts of electricity burning your body from the inside out. your life flashes before your eyes and comes to a dramatic ending.

That was the reality for 4,439 people who were executed by the electric chair in the U.S,  only a third of the 15,700 people who were executed in the U.S by all methods. A handful of these men/women ending up being innocent after they already paid the ultimate price. There was 1,300 executions since 1976. Still, 34 states still carry out executions. Which in my opinion is 34 too many. New York did a good thing outlawed executions.

In conclusion, this article opened my eyes to the horror of the death penalty,and shaped by opinion on it. In most instances executions are the wrong thing to do, especially if you can't proof that they committed the crime.

Reading Response

This field trip was very interesting, the museum taught me be about activism in NYC. I did not know about most of these events because wasn't born yet or just never learned about them yet. It really opened up my eyes to the struggles and victories of the past in our great city. I also really liked the photos in the beginning were very cool and I would love to own on of them,

The biking activists really surprised me. I never thought that bikers were disrespected in this community and how they had to fight to get bike lanes on city streets. The bikers convinced that bikes were good for the environment and great exercise. The reason these protests were happening were about the rising amount of deaths by cars hitting bikes

All in all, this trip really taught me a lot of amazing things about this city and made me happen to live in it,

The Giver Reading Response

        The Giver by Lois Lowry   Kieran Hogstrom


      The giver is a really great book. But, some people want this book banned and removed from school libraries. The giver is about a society where everybody get roles in the community and you have to follow them strictly. The main character, Jonas, is assigned with the most important job in the community, a receiver of memory. Which means that he needs to live the memory of very strange times

      One reason, teachers/parents want to ban this book is because scenes of graphic violence.For example, when Jonas receives the memory of war he sees a lot of gory ."[my] arm looked like ragged flesh and splintery bone. He also describes seeing a soldier covered in blood and watches him die right in front of his eyes.
 
     There is also a scene of mild . On page 36, Jonas is recalling his dreams and states "I wanted to her to take her clothes off and get into the tub". Some young readers may not understand this part of the book and take it as something else.

   All in all, the giver should be read we caution. I think this book should be read by mature middle schoolers and up.

                                                           Archetypes Synthesis Page
                                                            A Long Way Gone  By Ismael Beah
 
Warrior- Ishmael is a warrior because all the hardship he endured. For example, when the fisherman took away his shoes and he had to walk on the hot sand, he didn't complain he just found a way to get around it.

Wide-Eyed Innocent Hero-Ishmael is a Wide-Eyed Innocent Hero because at the beginning of the book he was a sweet boy who knew nothing about the war or violence. At the end, he had the courage to become a soldier and kill the awful rebels.

Tragic Hero- Musa was a tragic hero because he died, due to being too brave.

A Long Way Gone

         A Long Way Gone                        By Ishmael Beah
       The book "A Long Way Gone" By Ishmael Beah, is really emotional book.  It is a memoir about a child solider in the African country of Sierra Leone.It tells the journey of him and the brutal things he saw on his way. Things such as genocide,rape, and mutation and other gruesome things no child should ever see.The worst thing about this all is that you know it is all true.

 

 The main thesis state is Ishmael is really strong and makes the best of situations. For example, after all of his family were killed he still had fun and played with him and his group of friends. This shows me that he is really strong, mostly optimistic, and really wants to have fun no matter what happened in his past. Another example is when he arrived in a village in a town named Yele he went from depressed to really happy. So to wrap it up, Ishmael is really brave and just wants to put the things that he saw in his past behind him. He also looking forward to the future and hopes for a better life.

 

 All in all, Ismael really just wants to be a kid but the war has stopped him from doing that. I also think I am no where close as being as brave and strong Ismael is.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Kieran Hogstrom 810 Summer Book Response
           

          Book: The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian
                                         By Sherman Alexie

     The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an amazing book. It is about a 14 year old Native American boy named Arnold Spirit, aka Junior. He lives on a poor Indian reservation in Welpinit, Washington. Junior was born with water on his brain and not anything like the other kids on the reservation. Most boys are really big and tough and like to get into fights, but Junior likes to draw, read comic books, and play basketball. Junior's best friends are Rowdy, who is the toughest kid on the reservation, and his dog Oscar. Unfortunately, his parents had to put down Oscar because they couldn't afford to pay for a veterinary care. Junior also has a odd family. Junior's Mom has never left the reservation in her whole life. His dad is an alcoholic and loves basketball. His sister, Mary, ran away with her boyfriend and now lives in a trailer park in Ohio. His Grandmother seems to be the only normal one in the family and gives Junior great advice and is also a great chef

     Junior's story begins at school. As Junior's teacher passes out textbooks he looks to his front cover of the book and realizes that his mother used the same textbook when she was his age. Junior gets very angry at this and throws his book at the wall. But his teacher happened to be standing in front of the wall and the book hits him in the face. He gets expelled for this and then he has stay home all day. While sitting on his front porch, his teacher forgives him. They start to relate to one another, and his Teacher tells Junior that he is too smart for this reservation, has lots of potential, and should go to a better school. He tells his parents this and they enroll him in a school called Reardan, a preppy, rich, white school 22 miles from his house. But everyone in the reservation hates him for doing so because they think he is putting down his people by going to a better school. Even his best friend Rowdy beats him up for abandoning him.

     While at his new school, things are not going any better then they are at the res. He gets bullied alot in the first week or two but then he have had enough. He punched a bully in the face for calling him Tonto. After he does this, everyone gains respect for him and stops messing with him. He even begins to make friends with the popular kids like Roger and Penelope.

            This book is really good but also really sad. I think the main themes/issues are Alcoholism, Poverty and Acceptance