Service Learning 5/28

On Wednesday May 28th 2008 in my service-learning group, we discussed what we were planning to do with seniors. Jada and I made several phone calls to the nursing home concerning what we wanted to do there. The first phone call she made, confirmed that we were still planning to come over, what day we will be there, how many of us will attend, what we have planned, and also that there are two speaker of fluent Chinese in our group, as well as Spanish. The next phone call that I made was about what we have planned. I asked Agnes if they have the game Bingo, and she said they did and they could also set it up for us, when we're coming, which are excellent. During the last hours of our meeting, Jada and myself emailed them and asked what foods or snacks should we are allowed to bring. To name a few we, us students had pie, cakes, brownies, fruit, and other things in mind but weren't sure, so we're still waiting for a reply and the list of what we can and cannot bring in.
The whole 90 minutes was basically spent on what should we bring in for the seniors. During our trip over there, one of the ladies said to us those flowers was so nice, and she would love if we brought them in again. However, we went through ideas of how we can raise funds to buy the flowers and nothing seemed to work. We had ideas of selling water ice, cotton candy, and even smoothies, but nothing seemed to be going our way. We finally came to the conclusion that the whole flowers deal isn’t promised so maybe they’d just be happy with our presence. When we told Agnes the news, she said it was ok, and she was happy that we’d be coming. Even though we aren’t sure about the whole flower deal, we aren’t giving up just yet. The treat deal however is still planned though. We hope to bring over some treats that’ll say thank you for having us, and we really want to be here. Well I’m excited for the turnout and to see how everything goes!

Service Learning 5/15

On Thursday's service learning meeting, the elderly care group actually went out and did something for a change, and boy was I glad. It was about six of us, because two students go to the library to help out with the ESL classes. For the rest of us, we wanted to make things happen, so we were off. First we went to the park, where Mr. Todd showed us a newspaper, and told us that the month of May was seniors month. He then told us to examine the paper, and see if we find anything interesting that we could possibly do. I found something interesting which was a seniors arts and crafts class, happening right then and there so it was too late, but I never knew there were so many activites for seniors to do. Then we left the park, and heading to the nursing home where Jada and I went last year in the garden group; Saint George. Jada, Ashley, and myself went in to talk to the lady Agnes who we spoke to on the phone. She was really busy with a long distance phone call, and school was about to be over for us, so we just left an email, and telephone number and took her business card. She said our idea sounds like a good one, and thinks something shall happen. Also, while there, lots of seniors talked to us, and were quite interested in what we were doing. One guy even called us cute young lady's, while another lady asked us to bring flowers again. I do look forward to going to the nursey home again, because you always get something positive out of it.

A. I got frustrated a couple times who we were never doing anything just always planning.
It was like everytime we had aservice learning meeting the flew by, and nothing got done, just always talking about what we needed to do.
However last Thursday, we finally made progress by going there and talking to the people about our mission and what we wanted to do.
Also, a time when I became doubtful is thinking that we're not going to get anything done but I was proved wrong. Mr. Todd told us that right now, we're just getting our feet wet, and what we want to do will probably happen more in the fall of nex year, and that does sound reasonable.

B. Through service learning I've learned the art of patience. You can't always get what you want, and you just have to wait sometimes and see how things come through, even if it isn't how you want them. In the end if we work hard enough, we'll probably get done with what needs to be done.

C. Through this experience, I've learned that seniors aren't boring, they always have wonderful things to share and tell about their life experience day by day. I've also learned that they have a seniors month, and that they have tons of activities they do to keep theirselves entertained.

D.Through service learning, I've learned about myself, that I really like to get things done. If I have a goal, I want to achieve it and settle for nothing else. I guess that explains why I got so annoyed with the whole patience thing, but in the end I learned things take time, and you just have to wait to see how they turn out.

Of Mice and Men Motifs

"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. . . . With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack jus' because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us." One huge motif in Of Mice and Men is definately lonliness and companionship among the main characters.

To start off, Lennie and George are an awesome example of two people who have an special companionship with eachother. Mentioned time after time, they are so close they even look after eachother in the worst and best times. For example, Lennie was looking out for George when Crooks told him, what if something was to happen to George. Lennie thought that was unacceptable, and told Crooks, no, nothing is going to happen to George.

Then, there's Crook, the only negro on the ranch. Because he is black, Crooks is not allowed to bunk with the white workers, and has his own little place. He is the definition of lonely. Readers can see this, when Lennie comes in and visits him. He yells at Lennie and tells him since he isn't allowed in their bunk, he isn't allowed in his. Lennie's illness puzzles him, and Crooks takes advantage of him, by telling him George isn't always going to be around. Why does he do this? Well that saying must be true, misery does love company!

Curly's wife is another victim of the lonely disease. She herself said, all she wants is a friend and someone to talk to. Being the boss' son wife, all the men on the ranch stay away from her to stay out of trouble. To them she even comes off as promiscuous, but in reality she just needs a friend. She even talks to Lennie, who is just about the only one who doesn't mind talking to her. When they talk, she even pours out her deepest secrets that she never told anyone but Lennie. If that isn't a sign of true loneliness, I don't know what is.

Last but not least there's old Candy. Candy is extremely old, at the ranch they make him sweep and look after the chickens, while the younger and healthier guys do the "real work." Candy is even missing an arm, and completely useless but George develops a relationship with him. Lennie and George even abduct him into their plan of getting their own place, with the money they put together.

In conclusion, Of Mice and Men is a novel filled of tons of things, and motifs being one of them. Unlike most books, there's more than one theme, symbol and even motifs. A lot of the time you see and feel the emotions of loneliness and companionship amongst the characters. Must read this book, if you want to impress you friends, parents and even teachers. In all honesty it's a fantastic book, and in reading it, you'd have something intellectual as a topic of discussion amongst people!

Of Mice and Men Symbols

"Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones." (Chapter 1.)
Of Mice and Men is a film that is drowned in symbols to show what Steinbeck wants reader to see. He does a fantastic job of using animals and how they relate to the characters.

First, Candy's dog for example is extremely old, and useless. Just like the dog, Candy is old, broken down and really no use around the ranch. They boss even gave him the job of sweeping up, and keeping up with the chickens, because of his one arm. When reading about the dog, readers think of sickness and how he symbolizes that. Carlson even tells Candy him as "Got no teeth, he's all stiff with rheumatism. He ain't no good to you, Candy." They then tell somehow persue Candy to let them shoot him, because he's sick and if he really loves him, he wouldn't want him to suffer.

Although Candy's dog is alive, he pretty much represents death. Old, miserable, and really is no point for the dog to be alive. Candy's dog and himself are both old and on the verge of death it's kind of pointless for them to be around. However, they are around because they have some life in them. It would be just cruel to kill them but they are suffereing. Bit of a dilemma, wouldn't you say?

Candy and his dog represent, death, sickness and even the ending of dreams. Although they are old and uesless doesn't mean they can't be cured from sickness and off life support, and it surely doesn't mean they can't have dreams. However, Candy for example is a perfect example. He makes plans with George and Lennie, but his dreams cease when Lennie kills Curly's wife and everything is forced down hill. I guess things don't work out in your favor, when you over think things.

In conclusion, Of Mice and Men is a mega awesome novel filled with symbols that represent or reflect a character. This book is a must read because it's filled with loads of english class appliances that any teacher would want their student to read. Trust me, you don't want to upset them, you know english teachers and their lessons on symbols...

Of Mice and Men Themes [Grade This!]

Of Mice and Men; The American Dream

“Fame, fortune, platinum records. It’s every boy’s dream!” (Viva La White Girl by GCH) When reading John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men I noticed the theme of having the ideal American Dream comes up more than once. A lot of the characters often wonder what life would be like if they had a family, fortune, and even fame.

First, there’s the idea of having a family. George, and Lennie are often seen as brothers, or even cousins as George once said, but they would seem more like a family if they had a permanent home. It’s George’s dream to buy his own little farm, for himself and Lennie. When reading this book, they even invited Candy to join them because of his old age. Lennie is obsessed with tending with the rabbits, and possibly getting his own dog. George on the other hand will have a garden and basically run things. With their money all put together they desire a better life for themselves.

Alongside the ideal of family, fortune is also a theme of this great novel. The boss, for example still makes money regardless of being in a depression. When readers first meet him, he comes off as “bossy” (well duh!) because George and Lennie are a day late, and he needed work to be done. George explains that the bus driver was too lazy to drive them all the way, but is interrupted when the boss tells him he doesn’t give a damn. The only thing the boss is good for, is giving food, shelter and pay (which isn’t all that good to be honest). His main priority is do the work, so you can make me money, no matter what it takes.

Fame, ahh yes, at times we all want it, believe it or not! A character in the book that probably wanted it more than anyone was in fact Curly’s wife. Being the only women on a ranch must get lonely at times, and all she wanted was someone to talk to. The guys see her as promiscuous, but in all honestly she just wanted a friend. She got a chance to have a friend when she talked to Lennie about her dreams. Lennie being the first person she ever told, she explained how she wanted to become a movie star, and a guy she met was going to make that happen. Being so naïve she believed him and it never happened. Because her dream of being a famous movie star never happened she’s stuck at a ranch being married to Curly, the jerk. Maybe if her dream could’ve come true, she may actually have an identity!

To wrap this all up, Of Mice and Men is a novel about the American Dream. If you like myself, hate being unable to pursue your goals and dreams in life I wouldn’t recommend this book to you. However, if you ever want to expand your horizons and read something very intelligent, read this book!

Of Mice and Men Quiz

1.  Do you know of a situation, when you had a friend like Lennie, who wasn't able to take up for themself and you had to be George?

-I know of many situations when people have friends like Lennie and they have to be the George of the friendship. One major example is when bullies are involved. They tend to pick on the more vulnerable people than the ones who are more outspoken. George would come into play, by taking up for his friend and telling the bully to back off. Many of these events occur more than once in the novel Of Mice in Men with these two main characters George and Lennie. George being the protective shield to Lennie, the prey.

2. How was the event of Lennie killing Curly's wife, similar to Bigger killing Mary Dalton ?

-I believe the killing of Curly's wife was similar to killing of Mary Dalton because both Bigger and Lennie we're alike in those murders. Believe it or not both Lennie and Bigger became nervous and scared, and that was what caused the two deaths of the women. Lennie became afraid that someone would hear Curly's wife and then get in trouble by George. Bigger was afraid Mrs. Dalton would find him in Mary's room, and he would get fired. As you have it, both women's death in Of Mice and Men and Native Son are very similar thanks to the characters that killed them.

3. What do you think was going through Lennie's head when he came to the conclusion that Curly's wife was dead?

-Because Lennie is mentally ill, I'm guessing when he found out that Curly's wife was dead he must have felt confusion more than anything. He felt as though George would be mad at him, for again getting in trouble at a new place, and because of that he wouldn't be able to tend the rabbits. You can tell he was feeling scared and nervous at the same time because he went right to the secret hiding place George showed him if something was to happen. I can imagine that's how Lennie must've felt.

4. Have you ever been in a sitauation when you were told not to get in trouble but you did anyway? (Lennie for example)

-I've been in plenty situations when I was told not to do something but did it anyway. I can't remember exactly what they were but I know one great example. that is when a parent tells a child not to touch the hot stove and they do it anyway. The outcome of that is the child get's burnt for not listening to their parents. Although George isn't Lennie's parent, he looks out for him because he knows what's best and what and what not Lennie can do. Whenever Lennie disobeys George, the outcome is usually bad. Just like a child disobeying their parent.

5. Have you ever found yourself being a human predator to someone in a worst state than you like Curly, Carlson, and even Crooks?

-I think it's in human nature to attack someone when they are feeling or doing worst than you. I personally can recall a situation when I've done that but it wasn't on a serious level. My time came when I was failing math class, in junior high. I found a couple of other kids who were failing too, and we all compared grades. Out of all of them my failing grade was the highest, and I kind of took that opportunity to rub it in their faces even though that was stupid because in the end we were all failing higher grade or not. From then, I learned making someone feel bad doesn't make you a good person, unless they deserve it, and in most cases they don't.

6. How do you think George felt when after murdering Lennie for what he did.

-Overall, I think George had many emotions he was feeling but I think he was feeling sad. He knew whatever Lennie had done it wasn't on purpose but on accident because of his disability. I also know he more than likely was angry with himself right after it happened because again of Lennie's disability. I think in the back of George's mind he wasn't intending to kill Lennie but maybe escape with him again, just like in Weed.

7. Can you infer, what happened after George shot Lennie. What do you think George's life is like. Choose his ending.

-I believe after killing Lennie George did return to the ranch and continue with his life. Although he is clearly not over the death of Lennie he has to go on with life. I think his plan with Candy is dropped because Lennie isn't around and things just aren't the same. For George life is hard, and he does think if Lennie often, but there's nothing he can do but continue with life on the ranch until something better comes along.

8. How do you think Curly felt when he first found out that his wife was dead?

-I think Curly was mad more than anything that his wife was dead. Not because she was dead, but because she was killed by a man that he hated; Lennie. Slim even told him to stay with his wife, but no instead he wanted to go after Lennie and kill him himself. When the news came to him that George had killed Lennie he was probably more angry then before. for the simple fact he wanted to kill Lennie himself. Curly seems that selfish, it wasn't about his wife, it never was it was just being bossy and taking things into his own hands.

9. How do you think Candy felt when Lennie died? (Think of his plans with Lennie and George)

- I think Candy felt a sense of defeat when Curly's wife and even Lennie died because the plans just don't matter anymore. They could still matter to George and himself but I don't really think so. From the point on when Curly's wife was killed it was all over for the threesome. I think Candy is just gonna be in the same position until he dies, if that isn't too harsh to say. In all truth you never know if him and George did continue their plans.

10. Compare yourself with one of the characters. who are you most like and why?

- if I had to compare myself with someone it definately would be Curly's wife. I'm definately not married to a loser, and not planning on being murdered by a mentally ill person, nor promiscuous but at times I feel lonely. Each day I am surrounded by tons of people I love, but I still feel alone, because I just don't feel understood. I feel as though people don't get me, because of my personality and I do tend to isolate myself from people because of how human nature is. In the end like Curly's wife I have a dream of becoming a movie star too, and I don't want anything to hold me back or have any regrets and end up dead, lonely and miserable like Curley's wife.

5/1 Service Learning

In the elderly care service group yesterday, Mr. Todd's group discussed once again our schedule.
Jada and I were assigned to contact the Nursing Home that we visited last year. Since there was no email address, we called and spoke to a lady named Agnes, who told us that what we wanted to do sounded like a splendid idea. She also said asked if we could fax our email her what we wanted to do and what days we were coming so they could expect us. I told Mr. Todd what Agnes said and we plan to contact her again so we could get an actual date. So far our schedule seems to be library one week and nursing home the other. The group also out voted me when it came to seeing how long we stayed. I wanted 45 minutes so no one gets bored but they all went for 90 minutes. I'm ok with it now but we just have to wait and see what happens.

Empire of The Sun

Empire of The Sun is a a fantastic movie about a young British boy, James "Jamie" Graham living in Shanghai, China with his wealthy parents in the 1940s. Throughout this movie Jamie struggles to find his patriotism when Japan invades the country and World War II begins.

James' strife starts when we first meet his character singing in a church choir. Being an English child living in a Chinese world, he seems to be fascinated with Japanese aviation and takes on patriotism in that country. Another example of Jamie's patriotism with Japan is when they invade the country, he tells the troops that he surrenders.

His next form of patriotism comes in when Jamie meets Basie, an American who befriends him.
The two characters develop a relationship and Basie becomes almost like a "father figure" to young James. Their relationship grows even stronger when they are forced to live in a concentration camp, and Basie and the rest of the Americans adopt Jamie into their bunk. From there on he almost adopts the American way, of stealing things for Basie.

Finally, toward the end of the film, when the Americans come over and drop the atomic bomb on the country James starts to find himself. He turns down Basie and the Americans and wanders on his own. The dropping of the atomic bomb is like a wakeup call for James and he realizes how much he misses his parents. Luckily, they come to him in a children's holding place. From the ending, you can tell, his family is all he ever wanted. He finds himself as a British child living in China during the 1940s back where he started.

In conclusion Empire Of The Sun, is an awesome movie that deals with a young British child trying to find his patriotism in China. In the movie, viewers witness the different obstacles Jamie faces to get where he needs to be.

Reflection On Service Learning

Last week for Service learning The Elderly Care group talked about our schedule. Meaning what days we'll visit the library, and what days we'll visit the eldery. During the discussion there was a lot of confusion and frustration of how this was going to work. Even up to now we're aren't exactly sure how things are going to go but we have an idea. Mr. Todd, even told us we aren't going to do exactly what we need to in this time so we are just getting our feet wet with what we need to do in the Fall. These days we're all about meeting the people we're going to be working with and hopefully training if teaching for teaching them English.

Schoolwide Service

On Thursday, in Mr. Todd's class the group I'm in discussed what exactly we were going to do with the elderly. We came to conclusion that we were definately be teaching them better English, and two of my peers will be teaching some people Chinese.
To go further with our idea, we went down to the library next door, because they have ESL classes on Thursday and some other days around our time. We talked with a women who worked there and she told us it seemed like a good idea but she wasn't sure if she could get into contact with the guy who works in the department. Mr. Todd found a way, and the man agreed it was a wonderful idea as well.
Now, for the students in his group our job is to write letters to some important people who would come in handy. In the letter we try to get some hook ups they might have and any source of useable information. In doing that, we're still looking around the community to find places we can go and where we may be needed. I look forward to Friday's meeting to see just where we stand and how far we accomplished!

Service Learning; Primary Elections

Yesterday, I did 10 of my independent service learning hours by working with the Commitee of Seventy. Jada, Morgan and myself were the only kids there, but I can say we handled it pretty well. When Morgan and I first arrived, we were put in a room with the phones and lap top computers placed right in front of us. Without a second to waste, the phones began to ring off the hook. I was a bit nervous to answer because it was my first time, and I didn't know how to react toward a situation. Throughout the day, the phone calls came and came, and the questions weren't particulary easy to answer by myself so I recieved help from the older and much more experienced people in the room. About halfway through the day, Morgan, Jada and I were moved to another station because more volunteers came in and everyone deserved an equal chance. We were put on another computer to correct some of the mistakes made on the incident forms. From this whole experience I had only TWO rude people, and the rest were pretty fair. I shared a laugh with a couple of people, and I liked at the end of the call I was able to help answer someone's questions. From this experience I was able to meet a ton of new people and experience the work and patience it takes to sit and listen to ones questions. The most memorable thing I will remember from this is the guy who filed a complaint because someone left blood all around the bathroom at the voting poll! Yesterday I said I probably wouldn't do it again, but in fact I would. I'm looking forward to doing it again in November.

Resume'

CHARIFA DAVID


Career Objective: To travel the world

Education:
Constitution High School, Philadelphia, Pa
• Class of 2010
• GPA 3.6
• Major Area Of Study: AP Biology, American History

Honors and Awards:
• Honor Roll in 9th grade, and first two semester of 10th.
• Citizenship Award for last five academic years
• Violin Awards for the last six years

School Activities:
• Students Run Philly Style– 2008
• Drama Club/Photography Club -2006-2007
• National History Day Competition-2006-2008
• City Science Fair- 2007

Community Activities:
• Gardening Project with the Jewish Museum
• Sending Flower Pots to a Nursing Home
• Tutored Kindergartners in 3rd grade

How To Make a White Man Mad

There are several way to upset a white man in the 1930s, just read the book Native Son and you'll see. However, if you haven't had a chance to read the amazing novel, just read my guidelines, an you'll be on your way to upsetting a white man!

1. First you kill a millionare's daughter, by cutting off her head by smothering her, cutting off her head and then sticking her body in the furnace to burn her bodies.

2. After you commit the perfect murder, you then come up with an allibi, and blame the deceased boyfriend; Jan, and innocent Communist who had nothing to do with the murder.

3. You then lie to a bunch of racist men and tell them you don't know anything about her kidnapping, but you think Jan had something to do with it.

4. Then, when a group of investigators come to the house, find the bones in the furnace you then creep away escaping any punishment and curiosity that you've done the killing.

5. To make them hate you, you then make them chase you and don't give up until you are cornered in the wall or in your case roof until there's nothing more but you to surrender.

6. One more thing you can do to make a white man hate you more than anything, if get a lawyer, a WHITE lawyer at that to tell the public, "he's not guilty, he has reasons for committing the murder and you racist are the one to blame." Oh yeah that should make them want to kill you themselves!

Communist 101

So Wrong, It’s Right!

Communist Party tries to bring justice to an unequal nation.

Charifa David
March 4, 1940

Being called “Reds,” the Communist party tries to secure their reputation as more than just a trouble making party, but a help to America by ensuring equality.
In a recent interview with Boris A. Max, a Jewish lawyer who works for the Labor Defenders, an organization affiliated with the Communist Party, he speaks on his recent case involving a black male murderer of a young white female. Max argues, “Based on a sociological analysis of American society, that institutionalized racism and prejudice-not inherent ethnic qualities-create conditions for violence in urban ghettos.
Max also gets several insults because of him helping out a Negro. Even then he doesn’t give up in Bigger and he’s still working with the Negro to help get to the bottom of what caused him to kill Ms. Dalton.
(Just another Communist member trying to do what’s right while being criticized.)

The story is, Bigger Thomas, a young black male from the “Black Belt” of Chicago commits the murder of Dalton family daughter Mary.
He puts her body in the furnace then later pays the blame to Mr. Jan Erlone, at the time Mary’s boyfriend, and Communist Party member. The response Jan had toward the situation seemed puzzling and all but angry. He was confused about why Bigger, a man he treated, as an equal would do such a thing. In response to being blamed for the murder he later visited Bigger in jail and told him he wasn’t angry, and could understand where he was coming from.

In conclusion, The Bigger Thomas case has not yet been settled in court and is scheduled to take place sometime this week. All is welcome to come and observe but space is limited. Witness Max in action and see how he handles this conflicting situation. After all, Jews own EVERYTHING!

Service Learning '08

This year for service learning, for the individual service, I'm thinking about doing something that deals with animals or nature. For school wide I'm not yet sure but the recycling service seems pretty interesting since I like help protecting the environment. Also, the tutoring service also, since everyone seemed to like it a lot last year, I may give it a shot. I have a couple ideas for independent service and they are again as said above, helping out the envrionment with something that pertains to nature, and doing something benefiting animals.

Although, I have several ideas for my service learning project, Morgan just came to my attention that I can do what she did last year with the Committee of Seventy organization. I've already signed up at their website and I'm waiting for an email back to get training and see where that takes me. It all seems interesting and I'm excited to do it!

Bloom's Taxonomy Anyone ?

Knowledge:
Why were Bigger and Gus arguing in the pool room?
-Bigger and Gus were arguing in the pool room because Bigger knew Gus was afraid to rob Mr. Blum because he was a white man. Gus also knew that Bigger was afraid and was picking on him to cover up his cowardliness.

Comprehension:
What do you think would have happened if Bigger and his friends would have gone through with the robbery of Blum?
-I believe if Bigger and his gang were went through with the robbery, they would have got caught and the book would be swaying in a whole direction or them in jail or something similar.

Application:
If you have the chance, what question would you ask Mary about Bigger?
-If I had the chance, I'd ask Mary what she thought about Bigger. Also, I'd ask her why were her and her family different from most white people who reacted in a negative manner toward black people.

Analysis:
What do you think would have happened if Bigger did not kill Mary?
-If Bigger did not kill Mary, things would be a lot better for him. The book would probably become a bit boring, but with the way Bigger acted, something else could have led to him getting in trouble.

Synthesis:
Design a time machine to take you back to Mary's death. If you were him what would you have done if you were in his shoes in that situation?
If I was to travel back in time and stand in Bigger's shoes as him at the time he kills Mary I would do everything differently.
Because I knew Mary was drunk I would not take advantage of her like Bigger does. I'd act professional and reluctant to pick her up myself and carry her up stairs, but I do it overall. Also, while I gently put Mary in her bed and Mrs. Dalton was to walk in, I'd tell her the honest truth, that Mary was so drunken that she could not walk and I had to carry her upstairs and I was just doing my job, while trying not to get in trouble.
In conclusion, if I was in Bigger's when he killed Mary I'd do things differently. AS said above, I'd bring her upstairs and if caught, I'd tell the honest truth that I was just doing my job and I was trying to prevent any trouble.

Evaluation:
What do you think about Thomas family? Do you think they live and act like most black people in Chicago in the 1930s?
I think that Bigger's family acts and lives like most black people during that time period.
I believe this because in the book it's stated that the black belt is where all the black people because white people won't rent to the black people. Therefore, they are forced to live in the small, rat infested, homes. I also believe because they are looked upon as an inferior race, they are forced not to say anything bout it and just accept the situation. For this reason, I believe Bigger Thomas reacts scared and shyly when meeting the Dalton's for the first time.
In conclusion, I do believe the Thomas family acts like most black people in Chicago at that time because of how the white man sees them. They are just forced to accept the situation because of how society looks upon them.

NDH Reflection

For NHD this year I wrote a Historical Paper on Woodstock '69. This was my second year doing a paper, so I knew exactly what was expected and how to handle myself while conducting my research and writing my paper. However, I honestly believe that last year, my paper on Hall & Oates was way better.
The overall turnout of my paper was just okay. For me the length could have been longer, and I could have used more of my opinions toward the festival than facts for just about everything (even though that did make my primary source list long).
I believe the hardest part of writing any paper, is taking all the information and research you have and organizing it into a paper. During workshops, I became frustrated sometimes because I was still in the process of orgainizing what I had instead of actually typing my paper.
When I finally finished my paper, I had a total of 2,479 words, almost meeting the maximum and about 11 pages including the interview.
For me, this year the best part of my NHD experience in writing a paper was the interview I conducted with Terry, the owner/creator of the amazing site www.woodstock69.com
She helped me out a lot and my interest for the event grew as you told me of her experience and what the youth in her time stood for.
Throughout this whole experience I learned so much I would never have thought that would have happened at a concert. Now I realize how legendary and successful the event is and why up to this day is still talked about and completely legendary.
I would never forget this project because it was interesting and a project I recommend to anyone whose interesting in learning about Woodstock and the 70's era in general.
After all, Woodstock lives on!

Char Notes:

Chapter 4 (24-28) "I Aint Neva Scared!"
Summary
This chapter is about Bigger and Gus arguing with going through the robbery at Blum's. They argue for a while showing that they aren't afraid of one another but definitely afraid of robbing a white man. Bigger picks on Gus because he reveals his fears by admitting it, but Bigger hides his by the toughness of the streets.
Analysis
I believe Richard Wright wrote this part to show how young black males act when "the streets" are apart of their upbringing. He portrays this in Bigger, by showing that black males were supposed to act tough even if they were scared of a situation.

Chapter 9 (66-70) "After All, I'm On Your Side."
Summary
This chapter is about Bigger's encounter with Mary during his first day of driving her. He is told that she has to be driven to the University and picked up there. However, in the midst of driving her, she tells him to loosen up with her and turn the car around. From there, she goes to pick up her friend Jan, an invites him in the car with them. They both become friendly with Bigger and shows him not every white person is cruel and out to get black people. Jan then begins to drive while he questions Bigger, and they later go get a bite to eat.
Analysis
I think Richard Wright wrote this part to show, as I said before not all white people are cruel and they do think of black folks as equals, however some colored people take it the wrong way and are a bit scared to become comfortable with them.

Chapter 11 (82-85) "Accidental Death?"
Summary
This chapter is about Bigger accidentally killing Mary in order to keep her out of trouble and keep his job. He brings her upstairs, because she is unable to walk on her own, then violates her by feeling her up until Mrs. Dalton (who is blind) enters the room. When she call for Mary, Bigger puts the pillow in her mouth so she can't make any noise. Mary fights back until she can't breathe anymore, because she was over powered by Bigger's strength.
Analysis
Richard Wright, does this to give the book some intensity. He shows how some people would react in the heat of the moment, and how far some people would go to protect themselves. Also, he puts this part in the book to show how possibly some black men felt toward white women in that era, also how people are taken advantage of when drunk!

"Reluctantly"

Reluctantly; describes disinclination toward something.

Synonyms; unwilling, disinclined.

Antonyms; willing

Ex. The child was reluctant to take a bath.

Teenage Fears

Topic Essay; Woodstock

"The largest rock concert ever conceived was coming to town... Three days, not hours, of Music... Camping out under the stars... This was going to be a "serious" party!! Upstate New York was ready. The city, county, and state officials knew what to expect and felt confident in their abilities to handle traffic, crowd control, sanitation, medical emergencies, and any unexpected problems. They were prepared."

August 15-18th would definitely make history and days to remember. Woodstock was a music and arts festival held at a diary farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York.

To many, the festival portrayed the culture of the 1960's and the "hippie ear." Thirty-two of the best-known musicians of the day, performing at the show. Although attempts have been made over the years to recreate the festival, the original event has proven to be quite unique and legendary. It was regarded as one of the greatest moments in music history and was listed as Rolling Stone's 50 Moments That Changed History of Rock and Roll.

This day brought together people of all different races, religions, cultures and even different ideas and opinions on life. The guest list went from Anti-War Protest-Vietnam Veterans. Black Militants-Rednecks. Anti-Gays-Gays/Lesbians. Legalize Drugs Advocates-Ban Drugs Advocates. Anti-Government Advocates-Pro-Government Advocates. As you can see people came together for one purpose; to enjoy the music that makes them happy and unite with one another.

Because of this unity and the unity being music I picked this topic. Expanding from my project of Hall & Oates last year, I felt I love music so much, why not doing another NHD project on it? I picked something close to my heart, and nothing I'd never get bored with. Mr. Brasof, just brought this topic to my attention and it was a must for me. A rock concert... so huge, that made history is pretty amazing to me and had to be some concert. I know there'd never be another and I wish I lived during that time to see exactly how it was. The stories, photos and everything amaze me. It's like so many people gathered together of all different backgrounds for one thing, MUSIC!

The NHD theme conflict and compromise comes in the topic of Woodstock in one huge way. All the dramatics and issues going on in the world at that time was just off everyone's mind for those days. "3 days of Peace & Music" says it all. The concert shut the world up for a few moments of peace and happiness. Woodstock showed everyone that it's more to life than all the chaos that’s shown upfront. Sometimes you need to have a little fun and what better way to do that then listen to music and artist everyone enjoys. The compromise is for sure how this event made history but changed the way people saw each other. It brought everyone together for that moment, and that time no matter what was happening in the world around them and that's what I find quite fascinating.

In conclusion, the topic of Woodstock is going to be a memorable project for me. It's definitely something I am interested in and will keep my attention. According to a police report there were two deaths but there were also two births. From something so terrible comes something amazing. I honestly can’t express how I feel to write a paper on this without repeating myself. Hopefully everyone will come to realize something that happened not too long ago did involved music and most certainly changed a genre a lot of people listen to today. Woodstock '69 made history and it continues to live on!

Links:
http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/woodstockmain.htm
http://home.columbus.rr.com/woodstock1969/
http://www.woodstock69.com/
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_n7_v24/ai_16097900
http://www.solarnavigator.net/music/music_images/Woodstock_music_festival_poster.jpg

Reflection on Leonardo Da Vinci =]

The mathematician I researched for Mr. Carpenters class was Leonardo Da Vinci. Many people only thought he was a painter and sculptor, however he had so many talents that followed behind him like being a scientist , musician and even botanist.
From doing this project I learned loads about him. For example, I found out that he was a homosexual and in those days it was common. Hence the fact that he didn't have too many female friends. I've also studied that his work in geometry include squaring a circle and some other interesting things that I wasn't too familiar with. One other thing that caught my attention was that Leonardo and I shared the same birthday. (April 15th)
I've also came to the conclusion that today, many people still travel the world to see his most famous works like Mona Lisa, and even the Last Supper. Even though he is gone his legacy and genius that was instilled in him still lives on!

Annotated Bibliography For Woodstock '69

• Young, Jean, and Lang, Michael. Woodstock Festival Revisited. Barnes Ltd. 1996. This source helps me understand a part of Woodstock, because it shows a whole list of people who were attending the music event that seem to have totally different opinions when it comes to the world. I will use this source somewhere in the beginning to show the diversity and culture that was popular in that time ear. This source is by far a secondary source, because it just gives me a list of people who were attending.

• Young, Jean and Lang, Michael. Woodstock ’69. Barnes Ltd. 1996 This source shows me that these days would definitely make history, whether is negative or positive history. I would use this source to say the good things as well as the bad things of Woodstock. This source is a secondary source.

• Marcus, Greil, So what was it about Woodstock '69 that made it historic? - 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. 1994. This source helps me understand how some people show respect for the U.S. in the midst of their fun or if something terrible is happening. I would use this source to show how people remained loyal in the midst of their fun. This source is a primary source, because it is an interview and uses quotes and so forth.

• Landy, Elliot, The Music Festical Homepage. 1988 ed. New York: 1996. This helps me because it shows exactly how everyone could relate through music in that generation. I would use this source to tell what that time period was like and how everyone got their excitement. This source is a secondary source.

• Warner, Simon. "Reporting Woodstock". Elecktrick Publications, 1999. This poster shows me what Woodstock stood for and what it symbolizes. I would use this in my paper for everyone to see how it looked and what it was about. This source is a primary source.

• Weiser, Glenn, Woodstock 1969 Remembered. 1979 This lets me know what the time period was like; terminology in words and what was actually going on in the “hippie ear.” I would use this source in describing the time period and things that were common. This source is a primary source.

• Weiser, Glenn, Leaders of the 1960's Counterculture I've Seen or Met. These photos let me know who were the people that everyone looked up to and who were big in that era. I would use this source again when describing the culture of the ’60-‘70s. This source is a primary source.

• Times, Herald. How Woodstock Happened.... 1994. This helps me understand the purpose of the event and how it affected people. I would use this in my paper to see why it happened. This is a secondary source.