To Kill a Mockingbird Journal #4: Chapters 10-12 (perspective of Reverand Sykes)

There was a nice surprise at my church on Sunday. Calpurnia brought Mr. Finch's kids with her. I know that Mr. Finch was on our brother Tom Robinson's case, so I quickly figured out why his kids were here. As I was walking down a pathway to the sanctuary, I saw them. But it irked me to see that Lula was giving them a hard time. Lula was a type of person that only wanted to be around colored people, and disagreed with anything that had to do with whites. But I can't ask her to leave, she is still a sister under god with us.

At first they were just jawing with each other. I knew that Lula would be upset with Mr. Finch's kids here. But it looked like Cal could handle it. Or at least I hope she could. Talking with Lula in the morning before a sermon wasn't my favorite thing to do, especially before we are about to worship god. Lula stopped in her tracks, then turned around and walked away. Calpurnia's son Zeebo emerged from the crowd gathered around them, and it appeared that he was giving them a proper welcome.

I continued down the path to the sanctuary. Everyone was preoccupied with talking with each other just like any other Sunday. I stood behind the pulpit silently for everyone to quiet down. I was looking around at our limited ecclesiastical items, when I noticed Calpurnia and our two guest in the first pew. Cal was talking with them, and pulled a couple coins out of her purse to hand to the kids. They talked back to her, but I couldn't here it. She quieted them down and pointed up to me. Shortly after, everyone quieted.

I started the sermon with a few community announcements. One of them was about Tom Robinson. I told the congregation that he had been loyal to First Purchase since he was a small boy. Everyone knew Tom Robinson and his current situation. I was saying that our morning collection for the past three weeks were going to his wife Helen, to support her and her kids. I thought I might have seen Mr. Finch's youngest start talking to Cal, but she was immediately quieted. I then opened it up to our opening hymn.

Zeebo walked down the aisles to the front with our only hymn book. It was a large old book, but it still served its purpose. Zeebo started us off with hymn 273. He read a line, and the congregation followed. This was the only way we could sing, for he was one of four people in the church that could read. When we got to the chorus, he closed the book because everyone knew the words. He opened the book and started again, with the congregation in sync behind him.

When the hymn finished, I called upon the holy lord to help the sick and the wounded, and led us in some prayers. I warned the men to watch out for women who might cheat them, and I warned Constance Jackson that she was in peril for arguing with her neighbor.

I finished the prayers, and called for the offering. Individually the congregation came up to the pulpit to drop in their change. It was mainly nickels and dimes, but I knew that we had to support Helen and her kids. Even Mr. Finch's children came up to drop a dime in. When the offering was complete, I counted the change, but it was not enough. I told the usher to shut the doors, and nobody was to leave until we came up with ten dollars. I slowly extracted the money from the congregation. By that time, it was hot, stuffy, and sweaty in the sanctuary. People were waving the makeshift fans to cool themselves off.

The ten dollars came after I pointed out a few members who I had not seen come up here yet. The doors were opened, and the warm air outside came in. Everyone sighed a deep breath that it was now over. I had Zeebo come up and give us a closing hymn. We finished the morning with On Jordan's Stormy Banks.

Mr. Finch's two kids came up to me afterwards. They were full of questions about the Robinsons. Especially the daughter. I tried to give them pensive answers, but they kept asking questions. Calpurnia came to my rescue when she put a hand on each of there shoulders, and they immediately stopped asking questions. They each politely said thank you for letting them come to church, and left.

I cleaned up the papers on the floor, locked up, and left for the Robinsons house to give them the morning offering. I felt happy that I was doing them a favor, and the lord one.

To Kill a Mockingbird Journal #3: Chapters 8-9 (perspective of Jem)

Today was one of the coldest days of my life. I had never experienced snow, but I had seen it before in picture shows. But it was my sister's first time to get acquainted with it. I was getting up in the morning when I heard Scout yelling for Atticus, and that the world was ending. Startled, I looked out my window, and there was snow on the ground, and a falling. I guess for someone who had never seen snow before would've thought the world was coming to an end.

I was feeling bad, because Mr. Avery said that bad weather was a result from kids' misbehavior, not listening to their parents, smoking cigarettes, or fighting each other. But my mood changed when school was canceled due to the now on the ground. Then I thought that maybe it wasn't so bad if we did all those things because we wouldn't have school.

Mrs. Radley died this winter. We were curious as to how she died, so Scout asked Atticus about it after we had debated who should ask. He had been there earlier in the day, and Scout wanted to know if he had seen Boo. He replied that no he did not, and Mrs. Radley had died a natural death, much to our disappointment.

With all the snow on the ground, I decided to make a snow man. I told Scout to stop walking all over it and that she was wasting it. We went over to Ms. Maudie's yard, where she was inspecting her flowers. We asked for all the snow in her yard, and she agreed to it, but moments afterward questioned me what I was going to do with it. I wanted it to be a surprise, so I told her that she would see.

I started by getting all the snow from the backyard to the front yard, along with five basket fulls of dirt. I started building with the dirt, when Scout interrupted that it didn't look like a snowman. I reassured her that my ingenuous plan would work out, and that she would see it in the end. We finished with the part and put the snow on it. I decorated the face with bits of wood, and looking at my art, I realized it looked like Mr. Avery. I was so excited, I called Atticus to tell him that we had a surprise when he got home.

When Atticus got home, he admired our artwork. But he didn't like the fact that it looked like Mr. Avery. Thinking quick, I ran across the street to the house adjacent house from us. I returned with Ms. Maudie's straw hat, and hedge clippers. The hat I placed on the snowman's head, and I arranged the clippers so that they appeared for her to be holding them. Ms. Maudie came out of her house, and yelled at me to give her back her hat and hedge clippers. But Atticus just grinned and walked over to her, and settled things.

Atticus woke in the middle of the night. I'm not sure what time it was, but I think it was around one o' clock. But I did know that it was cold. We walked to Scout's room to get her up. I still didn't know what was going on, but I thought I smelled smoke. It was hard to tell with the smell of snow everywhere. We walked outside to see Ms. Maudie's house ablaze. I was perplexed by the oranges, reds, and yellows coming from the flames. Atticus walked us to the lamp post nest to the Radley house, and told us to stay there. We watched helplessly from the sidewalk at her house going down in flames, and the men pulling out her furniture. The Maycomb county fire engine was coming, but I wondered why it was so slow. I learned in the next minute that men were pushing it down the streets. When they hooked it up to the fire hydrant, the hose exploded, and ice crystals went everywhere. Another fire truck came from Abbotsbville, and Scout dug her head into my clothing for warmth.

The fire started to lick our house, and I was going to run over to get stuff out, when I noticed Atticus was relaxed, and didn't look worried. Scout had the same idea as me, but I reassured her when Atticus wasn't panicking. The fire finally died down, and we went back to our house. Nothing was destroyed, but it smelled of smoke. Atticus offered some hot chocolate to take our mind off of what had happened. As we sat drinking our cocoa, we spotted a blanket lying on the floor. Scout had been wearing it, but it wasn't ours. We decided that Boo Radley must have dropped it on her shoulders while we were watching the flames. That might have frightened Scout, but it helped me think that Boo Radley wasn't after children after all.

To Kill a Mockingbird Journal #2: Chapters 4-7 (perspective of Dill)

I finally got out of school today in late June. This was exciting for me because in the summer I get to spend with my Aunt Rachel, and I don't have to outlast the tormenting of the teachers But these aren't the only reason why I want to go to Maycomb County; my friends Jem and Scout live there. I'm hoping that they will still remember me and play with me, and this summer maybe I will be able to get a closer look at the Radley house. Now that I'm older, I'm not scared of the tyranny that is said to live in the house.

A day after getting out of school, I got on my train to Maycomb County. On the way there, I thought of a couple possible lies to impress Jem and Scout. My first thoughts were of the train. I could say that I helped with the railroad, and even saw my father working on it, with his black pointed beard! I sure hope they buy this.

Somehow they didn't believe me. If someone told this to me, I would believe it. But that's okay because Jem, Scout, and I are still on good terms. We played in an old tire. Jem said we shouldn't because he couldn't get in it, but Scout still raced to the back of their house, and came back with it. I argued that I should go first because I was the guest, but of course Jem sided with his sister, so Scout went first. She also ended up going last because Jem pushed her so hard; they ended up in the Radley's front yard. Jem was trying to gather his sister up, but she was just lying there, not moving. Finally she got up with the help of Jem, retrieved the tire, and bolted back to where I was standing, to continue their shouting match. But we were saved when Jem and Scout's house maid yelled lemonade time. Unanimously, we all walked into the house.

During our lemonade break, we talked about what we were going to play. It was Jem who thought up playing the parts of Radley. He was assigning Scout to play the part of Mrs. Radley, when Scout tried to protest that it was dangerous for us to play this game. I teased her and told her that Jem and I could play and she could just watch. At that, she agreed to play, to prove she wasn't afraid of Boo Radley. Scout was Mrs. Radley who had to sweep the porch, I was old Mr. Radley who walked up and down the sidewalk, and Jem was Boo Radley who hid under the steps and occasionally screamed or howled.

As the summer went on, we played more, and the game got more complex. I was always being complimented for being able to play any role that was assigned to me, which made me feel pretty proud. We finally got to the point where Jem fake stabs scissors into my leg. Scout told me it looked pretty convincing and real, but I knew it wasn't. As I turned around, I noticed that Jem's dad was standing there, slapping a magazine against his knee. He interrogated us about what we were playing, and Jem answered all the questions, trying to keep what we were doing a secret. But I think that their father found out because he noticed the scissors Jem were holding. He took them away and walked inside the house. Scout was wimping out again, so Jem threatened that she could just go and play with other girls like the one she was becoming. But I think there was more that she knew that I didn't.

I spent almost the rest of the summer with Jem. Scout had beat up twice already after I had ignored her, so it was only us two who hung out together. We mainly spent our time up in the tree house, planning a way to contact Boo Radley. It was my idea to drop a note on his window sill with a fishing pole. On the morning we were putting our plan into action, Scout came up to the tree house. Jem sent her away with a malignant attitude, but she fought back by saying the yard was just as much hers than Jem's. I told her if she wanted to be here and in on our plan, then she had to do what we told her to. She finally agreed to it out of curiosity. Jem told her our plan, and her face went pale. I could see on her face that she was scared of this plan of action. She was questioning every part of it such as where we were going to put the note, and what happened if someone sees us. I held up their mother's silver bell, and told her if anyone comes, I'll ring it. We then told her how we had been scouting out the area around to house, and found a loose shutter that we would be able to put the note onto. Jem got the pole and put the note on it. Scout and I walked to our lookout positions on the opposite sidewalks. It seemed like forever for Jem to get that note up there, and I could here him complaining with by back turned that it wouldn't get off the pole. The foreverness that I was imagining ended when I saw their father, Atticus, walking up the sidewalk to us. In a panic, I rang the bell and turned around to face Jem and Scout. I was still ringing it when I turned around face to face with Atticus. He told me to stop ringing the bell, and I did immediately as I came back to my senses. But the following silence, I wished I had kept ringing it. Atticus gave us all a scolding, and told us to stop bothering Boo Radley. But Jem said that we weren't bothering him, we were just trying to communicate with him, but Jem didn't get that far. His father had finally realized what we were doing when were playing, but described it as putting his life's story on display for the neighborhood. Atticus stormed away to the house, and Jem yelled after him, that must of been an inside joke because I didn't understand it.

Tonight was my last night here in Maycomb. I was trying to construct a cigarette when Jem and Scout pop over the fence into my aunt's yard. We were just talking and enjoying our last few minutes with each other, when I suggested we go for a "walk". Jem new what I meant, but his sister caught onto it. She said that nobody in Maycomb just went for a "walk". Jem suggested that she go home if she didn't want to walk with us down to the light pole and back. But she tagged along anyway.

We crawled underneath the fence which Jem had a hard time getting under. I wondered if it would also be a challenge for him to get out too. Our next obstacle was a rusty old fence that squeaked. We each spat on it until there was no saliva left in our mouths, but when we opened it, it was silent. Jem and Scout lifted me up so that I could see into the window. I didn't see anything except a light off in the distance, which I reported back to them. Then it was Jem's turn to check in the back window. The first porch step squeaked, but it held his weight. He was telling us he didn't see anything, when I noticed Scout's head jerk to the right. I glanced to the right to see what she was looking at. At first I didn't see it, but then I noticed a shadow creeping toward us. When it fell over Jem, he looked up, and dashed to us. But the shadow was leaving. He continued running us through the gate. Scout tripped in collards patch, and a boom sounded through the neighborhood. A shotgun boom. Jem and I dived down next to Scout, and then we pulled ourselves back up to get out. Scout and I made it under the fence fine, but turned around when we didn't hear Jem behind us.

We raced back to the fence where Jem was, while trying to evade any other possible attacks. Jem was stuck under the fence, and tore his pants off to get under. We all ran to the school yard, and the long way around. We then realized the entire neighborhood would be at the Radley's house, and it would be suspicious if we weren't there.

As we got around the block, we saw the enormous crowd at the Radley house. We slowed our breathing and walked the rest of the way there. We slipped in, and Jem tried asking Atticus what happened to make it look natural. Atticus told him what we had just endured, while Jem managed a surprised look on his face. Mr. Nathan Radley then threatened to all of us there, that the next person to go onto his property would get shot with his other shotgun.

It was after that, when Atticus realized Jem's pants were missing. I thought up a quick lie, and told him we were playing strip poker, in my aunt's backyard. That's also why we weren't there immediately. I could see the admiration on Scout's face of how I could lie. Atticus let us go, and had Jem get his pants from my aunt's house, but we all knew they weren't there. We went our separate ways back home, and told them to write to me during the school year. Man that was one of the best summers ever!

To Kill a Mockingbird Journal #1: Chapters 1-3 (perspective of Jem)

Today a tiny kid came over to our house. He was the nephew of our neighbor, Miss Stephanie Crawford. He told us that he would be staying here every summer. I asked him his name, and it was extremely long for a person his size. Charles Baker Harris. But he had a nick name of Dill, and I think that fit him better. He was 7 years old going on 8, and was bragging about being able to read. My sister Scout showed him though. She's 6 years old and going into first grade, and she can already read.

Dill played with us for as long as he stayed there. Scout was relieved of the embarrassing roles in their reenactments of Tarzan, The Rover Boys, and Tom Swift. We amazed him with legends of the Radley House, and there was a malevolent phantom inside who never came except at night. We saw his awe in the house when he stood at the closest street light, hanging onto it with all his strength, but gazing at the house. One day, Dill dared me to run up and knock on the door of the Radley and run away. I always keep my honor on dares, but this one scared me. I told Dill that if he wanted me to do that, then Boo Radley would come out of his house and kill the three of us. After a couple of days of my stalling, Dill and I finally compromised that I would only have to touch the Radley house. I ran up to the house, Scout and Dill following me, and put my entire hand on the house. Not waiting for any response from the house, I ran away faster that I had ever done before, Scout and Dill hot on my heels.

I took Scout to her first day of school today. Dill had just left last week, and I was already beginning to miss him. Scout sure did seem happy about going to school. I had never seen her more ecstatic. When we got to school, I had to break some news to her that I was deciding on the way there whether or not tell her. I told her that at recess we couldn't play together, but I didn't tell her because it would have been embarrassing me in front of my friends. She was a little upset upon hearing this, but I reassured here that we still play together at home. So we parted in our different directions toward class.

At morning break, I made my way over to where Scout was playing. When she saw me, her face brightened and a smile came onto her face. But when I asked how things were going, her smile disappeared. This irked me, so asked what was wrong. She told me of her morning, and of her teacher, Miss Caroline, had told her to stop reading and writing at home. I had heard about Miss Caroline, and that she had learned a new way to teach from going to college. She wasn't indigenous to Maycomb, and didn't understand our culture. The bell rang and we went to class.

At lunch, I found Scout rubbing a boy smaller than her into the dirt in the yard. I told her to stop because it wasn't fair that she was bigger. But she replied that he was almost as old as me. The boy was Walter Cunningham. Apparently Scout had gotten in trouble from Miss Caroline when Walter didn't have a lunch, and Scout tried to explain it that he was a Cunningham. The Cunninghams were farmers, and were greatly affected by the Dust Bowl, and the Stock Market Crash. They didn't have any money, and at most times, no food. But still they persevered through the rough times. I remember when Atticus helped out Mr. Cunningham with legal stuff, that he wasn't able to pay us with money, but instead with food and firewood during the winter. My father said that what he gave us was more that enough, but we were grateful because we didn't have much either. When finding out who the boy Scout was beating up, I offered him over to our house for dinner.

Walter and my father got right into talking like business men about farming. Calpurina, our maid, supplied Walter with almost all the food he could eat. When he asked for maple syrup, Cal handed it over, and Walter's food was swimming in syrup. Scout had an outburst about Walter eating all of our food, and Cal dragged her out into the kitchen to scold her. I'm not sure what Cal told her, but the next minute, Scout came back, got her food, and exited toward the kitchen. We finished lunch and went back to school.

The Woman Warrior Review (Extra Credit)

The Woman Warrior
By: Maxine Hong Kingston
Reviewed by Ben H
The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston, is a historical fiction novel about a Chinese’s immigration experience. It is about a Chinese immigrant to America, with a mix of fantasies and ghosts, which makes the book confusing due to some of the story real and some of the story fake. The way Kingston shows her story is that everything to her is clear and understandable in China. But in America, everything is more complex and confusing. When she is in America, everyone that is not in her family is a ghost, which alters the story in a way, and makes you wonder whether you’re reading the truth of the story, or the fantasy part.
Maxine Kingston never lived in America, she was born during WW2, when her mother had already immigrated to America. The Woman Warrior turns into a story about her mother’s life in China, and experiences in America, before it goes back to Kingston’s life. Her life involves the Laundromat where the work as a family, there house where they all live, the school that kids tease and discriminate them due to race, and the relatives in China whom they must send money to, to support them.
I would recommend The Woman Warrior to anybody that is a teenager and older, and can sit and read a book for a very long time. If you are the type of person who can’t sit still for more than thirty minutes, I would not suggest that you read this book. But if you are able to sit still for at least two hours, you would be able to delve into the pages to discover the life of an immigrant, and her fantasies. The Woman Warrior is a slow-paced book with low action, and will take a while to read and comprehend.
My personal opinion of The Woman Warrior is that it is a good book for those who like to read. Reading isn’t my favorite thing to do, and I struggled to keep my eyes open while reading The Woman Warrior. It is also not the type of book that I would prefer to read, although there were some fantasy parts that interested me. But I don’t think I would read this story again, I’ve read it once and I’ve had my share.
As far as historical fiction stories go about an immigrant go, The Woman Warrior is one that will stick out. It has different ingredients of writing style with real life emotions, and fantasy ideas. Some parts will keep you hooked, while others will put you to sleep. Overall, The Woman Warrior, is a fine book.

The Woman Warrior Post #6

Quote #1: "...Fresh-off-the-Boat's, as the Chinese-American kids at school called the young immigrants." Said by the author on page 225, paragraph six.
Significance: This quote is significant because the Chinese-Americans are stereotyping. I think that it is interesting that the kids are being racist to their own ethnicity, and I think that at one time their parents were "FOBs." I also think this is important because kids shouldn't be stereotyping, or anybody for that matter.
Connection: I can connect to this because sometimes some of my friends make racist jokes or comments. Sometimes you can't control it and it just slips, but I think that people should try harder to let things like that be said.
Question #1: Have you ever stereotyped your own race? Why, and what was it?

Quote #2: "I've stopped checking 'bilingual' on job applications." Said by the author on page 239, paragraph one.
Significance: I chose this quote because it shows that she is now pretty much Americanized. She feels as though she doesn't understand or talk Chinese anymore, because she has been a little outlawed in her society. I think that it is important because everybody in the US should remember and practice their original culture.
Connection: I think that I would feel the same way if I wanted to get rid of my culture, and forget it all. I would definitely stop checking a bilingual box even if I knew the language, but didn't feel that I deserved to know it.
Question #2: How would you feel if you decided to get rid of your heritage? Would you look back on it and regret it, or would you continue looking forward?

The Woman Warrior Post #5

Quote #1: "It was when I found out I had to talk that school became a misery, that the silence became a misery." Said by the author on page 193, paragraph two.
Significance: This is significant because it show that the immigrant students didn't like to talk in school. There was another quote earlier that said she did stuff because it made the other students laugh. This is important because it means that she was doing stuff in school, and she didn't know it because she didn't understand.
Connection: I can connect to this because when I was little, I was shy and didn't want to say or talk at all. I wasn't as shy as her because I would say stuff in class when I had to, but I preferred not to talk. I think I didn't talk because I couldn't always understand what the teacher was saying even though we both spoke the same language.
Question #1: Have you ever been in a situation where you are the only person who can't speak a language that everyone else is, and your lost and confused because you didn't know what they were talking about?

Quote #2: "But I knew that they did not understand. They thought that we were beggars without a home in who lived in the back of the laundry. They felt sorry for us." Said by that author on page 199, paragraph one.
Significance: This is significant because the drugstore owner were giving the family because they didn't understand them. The mother wanted the candy so that the bad spirits would go away, and when the drugstore owners gave them the candy, the mother thought that the owners understood why the family needed it. But the author knows that the drugstore owners don't understand the Chinese culture, but gave them the candy anyways because they felt sorry for them.
Character Judgement: I think that this quote shows that the mom is not very understanding in how America works. American people usually don't understand other cultures to well, but the mother thinks that they do, because the store owners gave them the free candy.
Question #2: Have you been in a situation when people gave you stuff because they thought you were poor and couldn't afford stuff?

The Woman Warrior Post #4

Quote #1: "... Brave Orchid took a day off to wait at the San Francisco International Airport for the plant that was bringing her sister to the Untied States. She had not seen Moon Orchid for thirty years." Said by the narrator on page 131, paragraph one.
Significance: This is significant because the mom is finally getting to see her sister again. It shows that when people immigrate, they don't necessarily immigrate all together at once, as a family. One part of the family comes over, and then the next, so there's a gap, and you might be missing a family member for a while.
Connection: I can connect to this, because when my mom immigrated here, her grandfather came over many years earlier, before she came. But her mom and sister and brother all came at the same time. I think they do this so that they are like a test to see if it's okay, and so that by the time the rest of the family comes, they will be successful, and not suffer here.
Question #1: How would you feel if you got to see one of your close family members finally after thirty years? Why?

Quote #2: "Immigration Ghosts were stamping the papers. The travellers crowded along some conveyor belts to have their luggage searched." Said by the narrator on page 133, paragraph six.
Significance: I found this quote interesting, because they are calling everyone except each other ghosts. The Immigration Ghosts, is just an immigration officer, yet they say he is a ghost. This quote is also significant because even when they were getting off the plane, they had to have their bags searched.
Connection: I can connect to this because sometimes it takes forever to get off a plane, especially if they are searching bags. I could imagine that Moon Orchid and Brave Orchid would be exhausted after waiting so long.
Question #2: Why do you think they call the people in America Ghosts?

The Woman Warrior Post #3

Quote #1: "On Ellis Island the official asked her, 'What year did your husband cut off his pigtail?' and it terrified her when she couldn't remember." Said by the author on page 113, the first paragraph.
Significance: This is significant because it show the types of questions that were asked to the immigrants on Ellis Island. Asking when your husband cut off his pigtails is also a slightly racist question because they think that the men wanted to grow out their hair, when they were doing it because of the communists. I also found it interesting that the author's mom went through Ellis Island instead of Angel Island, because I think she came to the US in the thirties.
Connection: I can connect to this because today in class when we did a simulation of coming into class, we were interrogated. I was asked questions that made a little sense, but other people were asked questions that were bizarre such as how many windows there are in the classroom.
Question #1: If you were an immigrant coming to the US, and they ask you a question that you should know the answer to, but don't, how would you feel?

Quote #2: Among the sellers with ropes, cages, and water tanks, were the sellers of little girls. Said by narrator on page 93, paragraph two.
Significance: This is significant because in America, you don't see girls being sold on the streets as slaves. But in China, most girls aren't wanted, and are sold as slaves. It shows the enormous culture difference between the US and other nations.
Connection: I can relate to this because sometimes I have felt unwanted, and that is probably what the girls felt when they were standing on the street. I have never seen anything like that except in movies, but I think that I have felt what they did.
Question #2: How would you feel if you were being sold on the street as a slave because your parents didn't want you?

The Woman Warrior Post #2

Quote #1: "My American life has been such a disappointment." Said by the author, on page 54 on paragraph 4.
Significance: This is significant because it shows that not all immigrants have a better life here. It also shows that many immigrants have really high expectations, and when the author came to America, it was not what she thought it would be. It is a challenge to them because they thought that it would be really good place and wouldn't have to worry about much, but in reality it is much more challenging.
Personal Connection: I can connect to this by coming to High Tech Middle. I didn't start at the beginning of 6th grade, and the school I came from a harder school. I thought that HTM would be easier and more fun, and I was half correct. It was more fun than my old school, and proved to be a greater challenge than I expected.
Question #1: What has ever happened to you where you expected one thing and got another which was harder and worse than what you expected?

Quote #2: "It's not just the stupid racists that I have to do something about, but the tyrants who for whatever reason can deny my family food or work. My job is my only land." Said by the author on page 58, paragraph 6.
Significance: This is significant because many people in America are discriminating against them because they are Chinese. I think that this is still occurring in America today, even though the country has changed. The people who are discriminating don't have a reason, and they're just being racist. This is important for people today to change from being racist.
Personal Connection: I can connect to this because I have seen and heard racist comments before, and some of them are a little disturbing. I think being racist isn't funny, and it's just plain wrong. I can also connect to this quote because people have treated me differently because of being Chinese. It's not always in a bad way though, such as everyone automatically saying I am good at math. It's not a lie, but it feels like people are judging me because I am Asian.
Question #2: Have you ever been treated differently because of your race, religion, or how you looked? What was it, and how did you manage it?

The Woman Warrior Post #1

Quote One: "... Your father and his brothers and your grandfather and his brothers and your aunt's new husband sailed for America, the Golden Mountain." Said by them mom on page three.
Significance: This quote is significant because all the men in the family are leaving for America. They said that America was "the Golden Mountain," which makes me believe that they think anything could happen in America, or it was the best place. It is also significant that the men are leaving because in American and Chinese culture, the men usually establish control and order in the family.
Connection: I can relate to this because before my mom immigrated here to the United States, her came to America to set up her and her family's life here. I think that in a lot of cultures, the men come to America first before the rest of the family, so everyone who had a part of their family immigrate here in the past century, did the same thing.
Question One: What do you think would happen to a family if the father went to America to start a new life, but never came back?.

Quote Two: "I would have to grow up a woman warrior." Said by the author, on page 24.
Significance: This quote shows that the only way a woman could be known in China would be for being a warrior. Most of the people that are well known are men, and woman don't have as much of a chance at being famous and popular. I think this is the reason why she wants to become a woman warrior. She was also inspired by Mu Lan, so I think that she wanted to be like her.
Character Judgment: This quote shows that the author wants to be a well known person for a good thing, and wants to make her way into history. This also shows that she is determined because it is hard to become a warrior.
Question Two: Why do you think it is hard to become famous if you are a woman?

Op#4(Final Post)- Because of Romek

1. The part in the book that I found most horrifying was the part when Romek dies. I didn't read that part, but from David's speech it sounded really bad. It is probably the most inhumane thing I have ever heard, and it is hard to forget. I find it the worst thing in the book because it is a really disturbing thing to think about.
2. The job that David Faber gets in the Krawinkel Camp, was the job when he got to feed the dogs. This job helped him survive, because he was able to eat the dogs' food, and take some biscuits to his friends. At first he was scared of them since he thought that they would bite him. But after a while they became his friends.
3. What happened at Bergen-Belsen, was that almost everyone there was dead, or very near it. The conditions were poor since the only job was carrying the dead to the furnace, and the meals they got in reward was a soup with flesh from the dead bodies. This was also a very horrifying part in the book, but I don't think it was as bad because it wasn't as descriptive. While he was there, the US forces saved him, and took him to a hospital where he recovered.
4. A moment of triumph for David was when his sister's husband came and found him in the hospital. This was a very good moment for him, because he knew would be cared for, and his sister was alive. It was also a good moment for him because he knew that he had made it through, just like how he promised his mother. I think that he made it to that point because he kept his will to live.
Persuasive Paragraph
It think that David Faber's book, Because of Romek, should be required reading in all middle schools, high schools, and universities because all students need to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust. Everybody should know about it because it is an important thing in history, it if people read, they will try to prevent. Also if it happens, then people will know how to handle it if they read the book.

Op#3- Because of Romek

1. I thought that some of David's speech was a little stronger than necessary like the part about Jesus being a Jew. I think that it was really powerful for everybody listening since it was such a strong subject. I also think that maybe everything he said wasn't appropriate for everyone in the audience such as the 6th graders. Overall, I thought his speech was pretty good.
2. What David did with the Partisans was dismantle parts of the rail road track so that the Nazi trains with ammunition and gear would crash and not reach its destination. I think that Romek was proud of David because what David did meant that he had to be really courageous, and maybe Romek felt like he taught him that. Also, it helped people like them from the Germans, so his whole family should be proud of David.
3. Well the Gestapo didn't actually return David to the ghetto, but he did spare his life. I think that the Gestapo let David live because maybe David could find out the information that they wanted to know, and then they would capture him again. Another thing was that maybe they wanted him to be in a work gang, and killing him wouldn't make so that there is one less person to help and work for them.

Op#2- Because of Romek

1. The signifaicance of David's pet pigeon was that since the Faber's helped it, it somewhat helped them in return, by not coming one day. By doing this, the pigeon saved their lives becasued they knew to hide. I think that the pigeon will come back later in the book and save David again, I just don't know when.
2. I think that that is was called a vacation camp until the Nazis came and kicked them out so that they had a base. So at one point it was probably a vacation site. I think that the Nazis would use that place becasue vacation camps should be big, and the Nazis needed a large area.
3. The two questions I would ask David on Friday are:
Do you really know what happened with the guy holding a revolver?
What actully happened with the guy and the revolver?

Op#1- Because of Romek

1. An interesting fact that I learned from reading this book, is how the Jews were treated after they were caught. I didn't know that they did what it said in the book about digging their own grave. I find it interesting because I had no idea what they did with the people the Nazis caught.
2a. David Fabers's family seems like a strong family because they stick together and help each other out. Another think about David's family is that there a lot of girls, so it might make it harder for David to put up with them, especially without Romek. The entire family seems to listen to the father, and I think he is a good guide for them.
2b. I think that David remembers just about everything because it was a hard time for him, and he did many things to help his family. Also, it wouldn't surprise me if he kept a diary of the event, so that he could remember it.
3. I think that David is very brave since he risked his life for his father. I also think that he is strong because he wanted to help his dad no matter the consequences. He is loyal to his family since he does everything his parents ask him to. He must also have a strong mind since he experienced the holocaust and is still able to talk about.

Op#3- Final Post Monster

Title: MONSTER
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Total Pages This Week: 124
Date: week of 4/14/08
Pages 157-281

#1 This book was interesting because of how it was written, and what the story was. In some books if there is a trial for someone committing a crime, then it might take up a chapter. But this whole book is about the trial and a boy's experience in jail. The other part in this book that made it more interesting, is that we are almost at the age of the main character, so we can sometimes relate to how he is feeling.
#2 I would recommend this book to boys and girls because it shows what a true experience in jail is. I would also recommend this book mainly to 8th grade and up, because some parts can be hard to read. And some of the vocabulary could be hard to understand since they are in the court a lot. I might recommend this book to people who like to hear about court trials, becasue they might like to decide who guilty, and act like they are part of the jury.
#3Would you agree with the jury's choices of who's guilty and who's not? Why?

Op#2 MONSTER

Title: MONSTER
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Total Pages This Week: 78
Date: week of 4/7/08
Pages 76-156

#1 If I could give advice to one character in the book, I would give it to Steve Harmon (main character). What I would tell him is to relax, but where he is at, it probably is hard to. He also needs to speak up and tell his side of the story truthfully. That way he can convince others that he is not guilty. He thinks somewhat pessimistic, so I would tell him to think of the good stuff going on.
#2 I wouldn't really want any of the characters in this book to be my friends, because almost all of them are in jail. Since this book/screenplay is about a boys life in jail, he shows how people behave while they are there. Also everybody in jail is in there for a reason which is they probably have committed a crime. Other characters such as the judge and the members of the jury are good people, but I probably couldn't get the hang of hanging out with someone like them.
#3 If you were in the same position as Steve Harmon and you wanted to remember the experience by writing what's going on, would you do it the same way Steve did? Why or why not.

OP#1 MONSTER

Title: MONSTER
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Total Pages This Week: 77
Date: week of 4/2/08
Pages 1-77

#1 This book can sometimes be confusing because you have to remember the characters names, and who's talking to follow along. This book is written like a screen play, so there are no "official" chapters. There are a lot of "Cut to"s because since it is a screen play, the author shows what the camera sees next. There is also three or four different fonts used in this story, so your eyes have to keep adjusting to the letters.
#2 If I could change something in the book, it would be how it's written. I know that how the author writes it makes it unique, but it would be easier to follow if it was just from on persons perspective. It might also be easier to follow if it all the fonts were similar. Sometimes it looks like a ransom note, where somebody cut out the letters from different magazines.
#3 Why do you think that Steve Harmon feel like he has not part of his trial? Why?

Independent Reading Response Extra (Spring Break Week #1)

Title: Life, the Universe and Everything

Author: Douglas Adams

Total Pages This Week: 116

Date: week of 3/17/08

3.5

Pages 315-431

There had been new information about a planet called Krikkit. It is an ancient that hasn't been active for a couple milena. The reason for this is that when the people of Krikkit first saw the universe, they tried to completely destroy it. For the solution the rest of the universe came up was that they put the planet in a time slowing envelope, some the people inside couldn't make many weapons to continue on their rampage. They were trying to blow up the universe by having massive star ship fleets kind of like in StarWars, with weapons that could destroy planets at a time. They also created evil robots to help them, and take out anyone in their path. Which is why the reason to stop them was so urgent. When they locked them in the time envelope, the key was a series of objects, and could only become locked/unlocked from the outside. The key is the three pillars, Wood which represented nature and spirituality, Steel which represented strengths, and Plastic which represented science and reason. What the pillars supported was the Silver Bail of peace, and the Golden bail of prosperity. The key was destroyed to pieces soon after, and spread through out the Galaxies.

The unfortunate thing is when they locked up Krikket, they left a star ship full of the evil white robots outside of the envelope. These robots went on finding all the pillars and the two bails in order to unlock their "masters" from Krikkit. The robots are now doing everything in their power to get the key back together, and free their planet.

New Book I am reading

Big suprise that I am reading another book over spring break. A bigger surprise is that is just happens to be the next book in the "Hitchhikers" Series by Douglas Adams. Title is: Life the Universe, and Everything.