Visual Literacy Reflection #4

Operation Weight Deck


Camp Half-Blood finally completed

Saturday, May 5, 2012


I know I already put a reflection, but I have to say that we have finally finished the Camp Half-Blood. After at least six hours of grueling work, we have accomplished so much. Katlyn and her father talked about how to make the forest look real to our viewers. Mr. Humrichouse decided to bring actual tree branches and stick them into the batting cage. It looks extremely awesome, and even better when we added some creatures and other mythological beings. Katlyn had plenty of supplies to work on her cabin. She used huge plastic, paper, and spray paint. Today I ran to the library after getting back from a band contest, and made my battle strategy and maps larger. It turned out not even charging me a cent. It is a good thing I work there. I spent most of the day taping battle strategies and maps on the board. I found many battle strategies not put in any chronological order, and surrounded the on the side board as if they were actually put up by the Gods themselves. Sean worked hard on her environmentalism theme looking in various places for tree branches, even bugging Liam to scavenge some, but had trouble. Mollie really worked on her various Gods cabin, by getting down and dirty with painting the sun gold for Apollo and making a moon for Artemis. Then she continued to put items that represented each and every God in a certain way. Dani wasn't here today because of Dance, but I know she will get the attic done by Monday. She has all the supplies, and all she has to do is put everything together.

Visual Literacy Reflection #3

Operation Weight Deck #3

Friday, May 4, 2012

Today I saw that we finally have cabins, and now I realize why Katlyn has been bugging me to make things bigger.My booth is Athena and Ares so the major themes are battle and strategy.  I made a cool backdrop for my cabin that looks like two rolled up maps. I'm working on making a huge map and pinpointing battle grounds. I have discovered that I will need a bigger table, and a bigger strategy board, but I am totally on that. Dani brought all her supplies for the weight room to make the attic, and I can't wait to see it completed. As for Katlyn's booth, it is really cool seeing the three pedestals, and the real skeleton bones. Sean has been doing a great job with her drawings, and her satyr and D-Dog booth, and even stops by my booth to help me tape something or hold something while I do something else. Mollie unfortunately  was not here today, and I'm  worried  that she will have to do a lot of work on Saturday. I believe we have accomplished  a lot today because we have all our supplies, and we are going to work extremely hard Saturday as soon as a few of us get back from Band Contest. We will definitely get this thing done by Monday. 

Reflection of Visual Literacy Project:

When I first heard of this idea to decorate Ms. A's room with the themes of the Percy Jackson series , I was okay with it. As we started reading the books, I enjoyed reading them and comparing them to the one Percy Jackson movie. I knew that this huge project was going to be a little challenging because one person may be more creative than the other, and other classmates might ruin all your hard work, but I didn't really think about that too much. I just worried about reading the books, but soon we were done reading them and had to start on this project two weeks later. The AP class decided we didn't want to decorate the English room, and so we discussed many alternatives for about a week. We discussed doing a project as one big group or two small groups. Finally, it was decided that we have boys against girls. The boys doing a movie and the girls recreating Camp Half -Blood. I will have to say that this has the been the most stressful project this year. It seemed like we had all these problems with the weight deck and how the school was going to put up a net, and how we were going to move it to continue with our project. Finally we clarified that we are doing our project on the weight deck. We have all our supplies and we are going to get this done. Overall it was an okay project, but I had a few problems with my creativity, and the amount of time needed to work on the bringing the supplies and make the posters, and pictures. I still somewhat remained calm throughout these couple of weeks. 

Visual Literacy Project

Operation Weight Deck Reflection#2


Wednesday May 2, 2012


Today we finally got confirmation that we can move the net on the weight deck so we can start our project. because before that we have been working on our props and etc. to put on the weight deck in the classroom. We figured out that we can't use the dividers from the 4-H building so we are using dividers from Katlyn's church. We are going to divide our cabins by two pieces of cloth on each side of the dividers. making everyone bring their own pieces of fabric. Everyone huddled into a little group under the net talking about what our ideas are and what we need.

My idea for the Athena and Ares cabin is that I make the backdrop red and black using construction paper (red for Ares and Black for Athena), and by putting red and black fabric on each side to make the backdrop and sides of the cabin match. I am also planning on bringing one of my stools to school, using it as a table for a battle strategy board, surrounding the weapons and shields around the stool. My new ideas for Ares is to draw a motorcycle and cut it out of cardboard making it either stand up or stick it  to the backdrop.  Clarisse who is Ares' daughter needs to be properly represented also so I thought of bringing in a huge spear, and that will allow the symbol that I made for Ares to  represent his children. For the Athena part of the cabin, I have found an variety of owls including one with a graduation cap as the main symbol of Athena, which is wisdom.  I been thinking that maybe I can put some smaller owls on the fabric if they will stay. I'm still thinking about what I should use to symbolize Athena's daughter Annabeth. Dani gave me the idea of bringing in the invisibility cap, so I can find a random baseball cap.


We all agreed that we will have to work after school on these past couple days, and that we will  have to work on Saturday.  Four out of five of the members in our group asked Mr. Schwartz about getting access to the weight deck on the weekends since it is usually locked. Mr. Schwartz said that he would open up the school when we finally get there.  Katlyn and I have band contest, and won't be back until 11:00 or 12:00. Therefore, we will meet between those times, and spend many hours working on this project.

Visual Literacy Project Reflection

Operation Weight Deck


Thursday, April 26, 2012


On Monday, we split into groups, but were missing a few people. We decided to carry on without them and brainstorm ideas for the weight deck. I agreed to do the Gods Ares and Athena, Sean is doing the artwork, and we need lots of cardboard. On Wednesday we had the entire group of girls together, so we all checked out the weight deck and tried to visualize how we are going to turn this shabby weight deck into a Camp Half-Blood replica of the Percy Jackson series. We first took a good look at the floor and decided to sweep it up a little bit, but it turns out it still needs work.

We continued to brainstorm about many ideas including making a labyrinth out of cardboard, and then a huge labyrinth out of a big piece of fabric. Then we all picked a certain booth or space to work on. Sean has Dionysus and the satyrs, Katlyn has the three major Gods: Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, Dani is in charge of recreating the attic where the prophecies have been heard, and I am in charge of making a booth for Athena and Ares. I have agreed to ask my church if I can borrow fake weapon, knowing that one of the themes in the Percy Jackson series is Battle, and I have also agreed to buying little toy soldiers.

Today I brought the fake weapons and put them into Ms. A's room. Katlyn said that she has sweeped the weight deck and Sean finished her job. We finally mapped out Camp Half-Blood with masking tape figuring out how everything is going to fit. Katlyn is going to talk to someone at the Extension Office to see if we can get big dividers for our cabins. We have talked about a huge cloth for our labyrinth, and maybe having Katlyn as the tour guide while the rest of us play different parts as nymphs, satyrs, or monsters to bring the camp to life. We are still searching for cardboard, paint, and maybe some fake grass. The lunch ladies said they will have huge boxes, which we will use for as our cardboard. We will need lots of paper to make our family tree of the Gods and Goddesses.

Otherwise its going pretty well, and I think if we keeping working and get all of our supplies we will be in good shape.

"Reflection on PostSecret"

"The Truth Shall Set You Free"

I found this story very interesting. When the author was talking about the Catholic religion I could completely relate to this. The sacrament of confession is very important in a Catholic's life as a way of penance before the Lord. According to Catholic tradition, the priest is the only person who can grant you redemption from your sins. When the author talked about going to confession, I remember all the times when I have to  go to confession and think about all the things I've done. Afterwards I don't even know if I feel any different, but its nice to get things off your chest.

Sometimes it is very hard to tell your religious leader that you sinned, but he is supposed to forgive you and forget what you told him. That is probably why people don't like to go to confession because they believe the priest will review your secret or personal thoughts to someone else. The fact that the priest is also a human being makes people think that since he's human he will spread everything his parishoners' have told him. Wouldn't you think that having all those people go to your church, you would forget everyone's sin.

 Last week in CCD, we talked about the eight commandment. "Thou shall not bear false witness". Many parts of this commandment included lying, calumny, and telling secrets. We spent most of our times talking about how we lie for good reasons and bad reasons. Gossip was also a popular subject considering we hear that everyday at school..Secrets was more emphasised because everyone has a secret and they must decide whether to tell someone their secret or leave it alone.

The problem is like I said in the last couple paragraphs is that you can't always trust somebody with your secrets because we are human and you never know when that secret will slip from your lips. When secrets become public, everything in your life starts to go downhill. Having everyone know what you go through everyday, would be a nightmare. You start to feel left out and believe that you are truly alone and nobody cares about you.

Thank Goodness for PostSecrets. Despite my belief that you should reveal your secrets to a priest, I believe this is a perfect way to get your secret out in the open without anybody knowing who you are. According to the Rev. Heather Janules' article, this has decreased the amount of suicides, depression, and young deaths in our country. This program helps people say what they want to say knowing that nothing will ever come back to hurt them. The transformation of these individuals is great, and I hope this program will still be around for years to come.

Post Secrets

Post Secrets That Catch My Eye

http://postsecretarchive.com/wp-content/plugins/yet-another-photoblog/YapbThumbnailer.php?post_id=7613&w=600


I chose this secret because it makes me think of choosing your major in college. When you go to college and don't know what you want to do with your life, you major in undecided. You go from one major to the other until you find something that is interesting and you really want to do.

http://postsecretarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/yapb_cache/1326482900_sk____rmbillede_2012_01_13_kl__20_25_20.9pk41x4vmmscsw844oo8w4wks.ae6egtt2xvk0sowk84g4ock8k.th.jpeg

I interpreted this secret in two ways: you will challenged more in high school or you have no social life. You may think you are smart in elementary school and middle school because you never had to study for any tests and you still did well, but now you start to feel dumb. The reason you feel like you are no one is because some teenagers believe that they need to fit in with other people. 

http://postsecretarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/yapb_cache/1296131758_381671928_e66b8f8e03.u4akylqzcsg0c84cwggokgg0.ae6egtt2xvk0sowk84g4ock8k.th.jpeg

When I first looked at this one, I laughed. It makes me think about people who have had bad relationships. Animals are sometimes the only one you can count on because they don't care what you look like or what you do. They love you unconditionally, and that is why you would choose your dog over your boyfriend or girlfriend.

http://postsecretarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/yapb_cache/1295657090_smile.btlpklsdfdw088gkckco0ok0w.ae6egtt2xvk0sowk84g4ock8k.th.jpeg

Everyone gets angry and some let it out and so hold it in. Nobody really wants to show how angry they are because then nobody would want to around them. I have that problem and I hold it in, waiting until I get home to release all my anger that has accumulated throughout the day. You have a limit of how tolerant you are and when you go over that limit you just want to scream, and let it all out. 

http://postsecretarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/yapb_cache/1296244203_postsecret2.ckzh6uz8k8gss4kk4wsoswg48.ae6egtt2xvk0sowk84g4ock8k.th.jpeg

When I think of this post, I thinks of parents. When a man and women get married, they expect a little quiet time to be with each other, but when they have kids that dream is over. You are there to take care of your kids, tending to their every need, and helping them get through school. After a while, parents should take at least a day away from their kids so they don't go completely insane.

Help me

http://postsecretarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/yapb_cache/1295977388_tylerbear.fbnqyvlfc9sk0kgw8ckwc4wk.ae6egtt2xvk0sowk84g4ock8k.th.jpeg

I believe that this post is definitely true. A person may say their fine, but the truth is their not. There is always something going on in a person's life that may be unpleasant and the only way they escape is by going to school and acting like there is nothing going on. Sometimes it's nice to tell someone what you're going through. Try confiding in a school counselor or a friend that you know would never spill your secrets.



http://postsecretarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/yapb_cache/1295936081_postsecret_1.3a7ie3jrs3swcw4scwo4808g8.ae6egtt2xvk0sowk84g4ock8k.th.jpeg

I saw this one and I was thinking to myself this is true and it happens everyday. Under false pretenses, you seem to be innocent, but really your innocence is as true as your rumors. People act innocent to make people think that this person couldn't hurt a soul or tell a secret, but in reality they tell lies about other people and spread rumors that hurt others. I believe that everyone has listened to at least one rumor or told at least one lie. That is why innocence is hard to find.

I’m afraid I’ll end up alone

http://postsecretarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/yapb_cache/1293236992_lovesneakers1_1_1.5nehiplvpkco4w0s4ckgskwgg.ae6egtt2xvk0sowk84g4ock8k.th.jpeg

It is like being in high school knowing you want to start dating, but you know that these types of relationships have a fifty-fifty chance and you don't feel like taking the risk. You're are afraid that nobody will want you, and that you will be all alone. People believe that because they don't have someone, they are alone, but in reality everyone has something whether its a family member, a friend, or a dog. Somebody will always be there for you so you are not alone.

Cutting grass, huge flames, fire department. 

Six Word Memoir

IRA#13

Scarlet Letter Reflection





I liked this book, it was a little dry in the beginning, but it got better. Hawthorne depicted the historical reference of this story very well with the paranoia and the hypocrisy of religion. The major themes in this story are Sin,  Hypocrisy of Religion, and the symbol is the "Scarlet Letter". The theme and the symbol collerate with each other. Sin is Arthur and Hester's weakness. There foreshadowing tragedy is caused by commitment of one sin.  There are those who believe in God and are most pious individuals, and then there are those who pretend to be what they are not! The citizens may follow the minister, and what he says, but do they know anything about his life outside of church? He could be having an affair or secretly speaking to the "black man" and he would still be considered the most religious person in the world. That is defined as hypocrisy. Reverend Dimmesdale would preach to his parish about sin and repentance, but when would he repent his sins. You do something wrong, the trustworthy thing to do is own up to it. You shouldn't say one thing to make them believe you are what you aren't, when you are clearly in the same mess as your patrons. The symbol of the scarlet letter was only to be a punishment toward Hester, but it was more of a sign of redemption. The scarlet letter motivated her to get her life back together, while it made the minster's life worse. However, in the end, this fabric letter brought them together. 
I hate to say that this wasn't truly a happy ending. Reverend Dimmesdale finally saw the light and eventually passed away, and  Hester was still shunned for her adultery even though it was years 
ago.  Many of you might think that the scarlet letter was terrible, singling out a women from other women, and accumulating sin in a pious minister, but like I said everything worked out. Hester and Arthur finally were together, and being together for a brief time is better than nothing. Overall very good book. I would recommend it.  

IRA# 12

The Scarlet Letter


Summary: Chapters 20-24

These last few chapters are devoted to our  minister Reverend Dimmesdale. He is now contemplating what it would be like to run away with Hester and Pearl and be a real family. Deep down he really loves Hester and Pearl, and would like to get away from this town. Soon, he decides to leave the village for a year to spend time in the woods, so he think about his next step in life. After a year, he returns thinking about the new developments in the town, and the things that never changed. The reverend visits Hester and they talk about leaving with Pearl on the next ship.  He sees his dear friend Roger Chillington who he believes is a true devil. Supposedly this man who is portrayed as the devil, knows about their silly little plan to leave. A few wakes later, the pastor is getting ready for the Election Sermon, which is a big thing for these puritans. As the days approach, he keeps thinking about telling the public that the holy man that stands before them every Sunday is not as holy as you think. There is foreshadowing that the story is going to get very emotional. As Hester and Pearl get ready for this New England holiday, the mother still wears the scarlet letter because she does not feel herself without it. This scarlet letter was a symbol of her shame, but it has been there for her through everything. It has encouraged her to live a better life. You can tell this symbol foreshadows something later to come.

 A man walks off a ship and talks to Hester like he knows her. He is actually one of sailors who has agreed to take Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl. However, the physician has to go with him. Thinks about this, why would you want to run away with someone who know is supposedly the devil? Something isn't right or is it? Dimmesdale walks through town, as the crowd oohs and ahhs because they think he is so wonderful. He makes his speech and people believe they are looking at Jesus Christ himself. After he gives his speech, there is a connection with the reverend and Hester as if both of them had scarlet letters on their chest. He asked Hester to come up to the altar with Pearl, and he spills his guts about his lustrous affair with Hester. He believes that it is now judgment day and believes that God punishes everyone. That he is as vengeful as anyone who wants revenge. Dimmesdale hugs Hester and his daughter Pearl, telling them that he does not belong in this world anymore. He knows that he is dying and will not receive any more medical aid, believing that it is time to await punishment. He says farewell to his girls, and sees the light.

The story concludes talking about the aftermath of Reverend Dimmesdale's death, and how it has changed the entire town, To this day, there are still different stories of what happened, but only Hester and her daughter really know the real story. Pearl is in her late teens now, married and very wealthy. Roger Chillington has reflected on what happened to his friend, and he has decided to vanish and nobody knows where he is. Hester is still known for her shame, but continues to live her life. It all started with a mortal sin, and it ended with a Scarlet Letter.

iRA#11

The Scarlet Letter


Chapter 18-19: Summary


In the last few chapters we found out that Hester and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale were lovers. The chapters mainly focus on how a clergyman deals with his shame and sin. He for the most part feels like there is nothing else for him in this world and wants to end it, but Hester tries to convince him that this is the time  they can be a family. She believes that he does have the ability to love someone even his own daughter Pearl. Pearl is still a little girl and doesn' know who her father is and this seems like the perfect opportunity to tell her. No matter what the minister still feels unloved. When children come up to him, they are scared of him. He is afraid that will happen with his own child. Hester finally rips off her scarlet letter, and lets it flow downstream, but something interesting happens with Pearl when the letter is removed. She starts looking for the letter and feels that her mother is not complete without that symbol of shame and sin. Peal looks in the water, picks it up, and gives it back to her mother. Pearl meets meets the ministers, but for some reason she has to be forced to see the minister, like she can't deal with any holy figure. After watching the child grow up in these past seven years, Arthur has noticed that there is something wrong with the child. There is something supernatural about her. There is foreshadowing that Hester and  may have a problem with her daughter someday. This is the era where superstition, witchcraft, and devil worshiping was common, and that anyone could turn to Satan. The rules of faith are so strict during this time period, that everyone is acting hypocritical towards others lying about their sense of good faith.

IRA #10

The Scarlet Letter


Summary: Chapter 14-17


Topics: Evil and "Scarlet Letter"


Hester is almost off probation and will have her scarlet letter removed soon, but she believes that this scarlet letter that was given to her for committing adultery was actually more of symbol of good faith. This makes sense because when you think about it she committed a mortal sin, which is usually punishable by death, but she was lucky and received the scarlet letter. When she became pregnant the scarlet letter was a symbol of vagrancy or pity, but actually this scarlet letter influenced her to take care of her daughter, regain her faith, and get her life back together. She talks to Roger Chillington (physician) and inquires about the old minister Dimmesdale. The minister hasn't been feeling well throughout the last few chapters, and the medical professional is one of the reasons. He is the reason for the minister's suffering and his been finding ways to get the minister to crack and be realistic to the idea that he cannot hide his sin forever. Hester wants Roger to stop hurting Arthur, but he refuses. There is foreshadowing that the  secret between Hester and this malicious man will be revealed: Hester's lover and Roger's real name.

He is depicted as the Devil in human form. This doesn't surprise me considering everyone in the story thought he was a bit wicked with his herbal medicines. I guess that was some foreshadowing that I missed. It also could have been easily missed because when you read books about the puritans and their crazy superstitions, you tend to think that is normal. He doesn't care about anyone or their suffering,. He wants  vengeance for what his ex-wife did. The two people he will go after are Hester and her lover Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. She doesn''t know what she saw in her ex-husband. They were complete strangers to one another. (Another note is that this was the time period where men and women were arranged to marry someone they barely knew. This included a marriage for benefits). It has been seven years since Hester was accused of adultery and Pearl was born. Pearl thinks she is old enough to know what the scarlet letter means and why she can't have one. There is also a discussion about how Hester supposedly saw the 'Black man".  This interests her daughter for some reason, and she wants to know the whole story. Peal believes that she can move the sunlight, and Hester witnesses this extraordinary event. This has to be some sort of joke that she is playing on her mother. How else could it  be  assumable that she can  move the sun. Prynne tries to tell her ex-lover that he is being betrayed by his good friend Roger.

The truth is finally revealed about Hester and Roger's previous relationship, and now what if the secret between Hester and the minister is revealed. Arthur blames Hester for his suffering and believes that he is the only one that can't repent for his sins.He believes that he is a hypocrite and should have told his secret sooner. Hester should never have begged this confused holy man to lie. This guy cannot forget and forgive despite his profession of granting forgiveness. The tables have finally turned. When Hester was feeling like the object of self-pity, he was feeling great living his life with a secret that is hidden deep into his soul. Now  he is very weak and does not have the energy he should have at his age, and feels like he has lost some of his faith. In contrast, Hester has been closer to her faith ever since the scarlet letter has been embroidered on her chest, and gave birth to a daughter. That scarlet letter was more like Karma. What goes around comes around.

IRA #9

The Scarlet Letter


Summary: Chapter 11-13


          The first couple of chapters are devoted to talking about Reverend Dimmesdale and how his bottling up of his sin is making him go absolutely crazy. Last week, Roger Chilllington got proof that this somewhat pious reverend had something secret deep hidden inside his soul and it is not leaving him alone. After the reverend had his little temper tantrum in the last chapter, the relationship between the physician and his pious friend is starting to get a little hostile. Dimmesdale still believes that Chillington could be the devil trying to torment him . Despite the Reverends health, he keeps preaching and holding vigils, probably as a way to get back on God's good side. Everyone thought of him as the perfect role model for serving Christ. Older adults, virgin women, and others swoon at the sight of him. This may sound weird that he is preaching on repentance and redemption, yet he can't even do that for himself. I actually think it is good that authors portray the religious officials this way because it shows that everyone sins and that nobody is perfect. The only person who is perfect is God himself.


        The story continues when the reverend starts having visions of Hester and Pearl, standing together hand in hand. He believes that adding Hester and Pearl to the equation shows the three parts of the tragedy: ,and that they will all see each other together again on judgement day.  He is woken up by his friend Roger. Dimmesdale believes that if he repents under false pretenses he will still be okay, and contemplates whether he should tell the fellow people of his shame. The last chapter is devoted to the adulterer Hester. It talks about how Hester is not looked down on for her scarlet letter. The entire town believes that Hester is a good person, always giving to the poor treating the sick, and being a religious women. Nobody even believes that the "A" stands for adulterer, but "able" which means she can do anything that will benefit those who are less fortunate.


              She may still be seen as the worst person that walks the earth to other people, but to the rest, she is respected and she has worked so hard to earn that respect back. Hester starts to notice the poor health of the minister and she is wondering if there is someone or something close to him that his making him so weak. The only person that would be extremely close to him is Roger Chillington, the physician, who everyone believed had satanic qualities because of his herbal medicine techniques. She starts to regret making that deal with the doctor. True, she didn't want the father of her child to suffer public shame, but he is already suffering too much. Even when people don't know about it, he is on the verge of making his secret public.   Who do you think is the father of Hester's baby? 

The Scarlet Letter IRA #8

The Scarlet Letter


Summary :Chapters 8-10

           We left off when Hester and Pearl visited the home of Governor Bellingham. Governor Bellingham enters his living room with a few individuals: Reverend Dimmesdale and Hester's ex-husband, the physician who lives under the pseudonym, Roger chillington. Everyone in the room starts to question Pearl's belief of religion. They wonder whether the child should be in Hester's care because they want Peal to be educated in the ways of the Lord. Hester disagrees on that decision and tells them that she can provide all the education about the Lord that is needed. Suddenly Rev. Dimmesdale speaks up and encourages the governor that this women has learned from her mistakes and has the ability to care for her child. (This is interesting. I wonder why he of all people would stand up for her, when he made her life a living hell? Literally) The eight chapter devotes its' entire self to Roger Chillington, who we all know is actually Hester's ex-husband. The chapter talks about his medical skills and how nobody has a clue that he is pretending to be someone else.  Reverend Dimmesdale soon falls ill and Roger is up to the challenge to figure out his condition. As the physician takes care of the young reverend, he convinces the pious man to let him move in and provide at-home care. As the years go by, the reverend and the doctor start to become good friends and get extremely close. I believe that Roger has a reason for this relationship as if he has a hunch that this young man of God has been hiding something. Many of the town villagers believe that there is a change in the doctor and the reverend as if the devil is among them. There is a rumor going around that Roger Chillington, the skilled physician that knows Native American herbal methods that can save people from diseases that the colonist don't even know about yet, uses methods that are unholy and satanic. Reverend Dimmesdale is getting to be very suspicious about the skilled doctor and may start believing the rumors that surround the city about his friendly doctor. The two men watch Hester and Pearl walking through the graveyard, and this is where the doctor brings up the subject of repentance and sin. The physician is starting to get even more suspicious about Dimmesdale , and his tenaciousness to figure out what this pastor is hiding will be his main objective. The minister talks about how Hester and how "it is better for Hester to  suffer her pain, than to cover it up in his heart"(213).  If you notice the underlined and bolded word "his' you can tell it means something like maybe a confession or something. The reverend finally asks his health care professional if he is making any progress in find out his condition or disease. Roger points out that the symptoms are strange and that the minister may not have revealed all of his symptoms. He points out this disease cannot be medical, but some "spiritual ailment" that he is suffering. Reverend Dimmesdale freaks out and storms out of the room as if through some kind of rage or passion.  The doctor feels that this goody-two shoes minister has so much  passion and the inability to  control himself, that he has done something so terrible that he is contradicting himself when talking about sin and repentance.  


 The major theme that I can pull out from these three chapters is Sin and Repentance. of course this is probably the major theme of the entire story. This theme is followed by the symbolism of irony and how the most pious individuals could be seen as the best Christians on the outside, but on the inside they are hiding something underneath their skin that is so terrible, they refuse to repent their sins in fear that they will not be saved, or their reputation will be blown. The character who I believe has displayed the most irony is Reverend Dimmesdale because he is preaching about sin and repentance and how it is better to suffer the pain than keep the pain. That is just not true, because  we all know because inside his soul he knows that he has done something wrong. There is another theme called the "spiritual ailment" in which the skilled doctor believes is the young reverend's disease or condition. I  believe that because his soul is in deep pain. Or maybe his condition is both medical and spiritual as if he is so worked up over his sin that  he maybe developing signs of a stroke or heart attack because of the amount of stress put on a holy man. 

Memories

Memories


Think about how well you remember things? Do you remember words or images better? Based off of today's game, how reliable do you think the memories retold by the characters throughout the novel are? I think that it was easier for me to remember everyone else's memory except one because I accidentally got the entire memory wrong. It would be easier for someone to remember if the person gave more details and got their story straight. If everyone is told a different form of the memory, then we would all get it wrong. I believe that I could remember words better than pictures because I am very good at remembering vocabulary words and can recall what someone said years after they said it. I have such a good memory that my mom has me remind her of specific things like her cellphone number (ha ha). Based on our little memory game in AP English class, it made me think that the memories of retold by the characters in The Sound and The Fury are not very reliable because this is each character's interpretation of their memory with Caddy. Everyone has experienced a different memory with Caddy and they may have also spiced up the story too. For example, during the activity, we would get into a circle with the people who we haven't shared our memory with and give them all the details, while the first group did the same thing. It turns out that those who listened to the person's memory one on one will be at a loss because they didn't get all the information of the memory, and some people just added to the memory as they went along. The interpretation of the memory in the book would also depend on the character in the story because Benjy loved his sister Caddy, Quentin loved his sister so much that he would lie to his father and say that he slept with his sister, Jason didn't care at all, but that's because he feels Caddy is a shame, and I don't know about Dilsey, but I am going to say that she cared for her, but she somehow knew that Caddy would become very promiscuous.  These are the many ways why people could have their own interpretation of  memories.

IRA#8

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne


Themes:


Religion







Motif:


Evil









Summary: Chapter 6-7





The first chapter is devoted to Hester's daughter Pearl. Hester acts like a worried mother believing that her daughter is possessed by a demon or an offspring of a demon.As the child grew up, Hester noticed many different things about her child including that she had no friends (which is no surprise because they are basically shunned and the puritans and their children think they are hot crap), she had an interest in witchcraft, and that she did not acknowledge the Lord our God as the person who created her and brought her into this world. Peal wonders who her real father is, but her mother still refuses to say his name. Hester develops a definite fear of her daughter.  She actually believes the legend that women who commit sin give birth to demons. The story goes on into the next chapter, as Hester brings a pair of gloves to the Governor's house.  She knows that the town's people believe that Pearl is an evil spirit and that she needs to be taken from Hester and converted back to Christianity and being good again. The main character in this story knows for a fact that Governor Bellingham favors taking  the child away from Hester. Later, Hester and Pearl get ready to see the governor and she realizes that Pearl is her "scarlet letter" not this piece of ribbon on her chest, but her out of wedlock daughter. While at the governor's mansion, they were looking at artwork, when Pearl caught her reflection off of a suit of armor, and her mother realized that her smile looked evil.  She believed that her daughter may be physically there, but that is not her actual  daughter, but a demon who is using her body to torment others. This sounds extremely freaky like watching a little bit of the Exorcist or watching a Ghost Hunters episode where you see one of investigators who looks like he's possessed. It is truly freaky, but this is the era where there is a huge battle between the good almighty God and the Devil, persecuting those who choose Satan over God and Jesus.

Next week we find out what will happen when Peal and Hester face the governor and a bunch of ministers. Those of you who have read the Crucible can at least imagine what is going to happen. The ministers are probably going to ask the daughter a dozen theology question, testing her faithfulness in God.

IRA#7

The Scarlet Letter by Arthur Miller


Summary: Chapter 4-5

The next day Hester is visited by that same man in the crowd, who she recognizes for some reason. The stranger who comes to visit her is actually a doctor who insisted that he check and make sure the baby is not affected by its' mother's wrong-doing. Hester finally recognizes him to be her long lost husband, who she thought died at sea. Her husband asks her who the father is, but she still will not let out the name of her partner in crime.  Hester agrees not to tell anyone in the village that   her ex-husband is alive and living among them, since she is so good at keeping secrets. She finally gets out of prison and decides to stay in the village in which she committed her sin of adultery, instead of returning home to her birth place.  The magistrate allowed her to buy a home and live in the town, but she will remain to be shunned from everybody. Her seamstress work in the village was doing really well, leaving her very busy. She spent her time making money to support her child, making clothes for the poor, and giving all her extra money to the poor. This sure sounds like a woman who is trying to turn her life around. No matter what people thought of her she just kept going believing herself to be a martyr trying not to feel vulnerable toward the devil. The scarlet letter on her chest is acting as a symbol in everyone's' hearts that she has sinned. "O Fiend, whose talisman was that fatal symbol, wouldst thou leave nothing , whether in youth or age, for the sinner to revere?" She believes that her sin was way worse than any other sin and that only she can be the guilty one. This is really sad because people are still looking down on her even though she is working, her business is great, she's feeding her kid, and she is even giving to the poor. Yet those puritan snobs just keep staring at her as if she was a museum exhibit. The theme in this chapter is faith and how it can affect people. For example, the people who are really pious look down on and make fun of Hester because she has committed a sin and therefore should not be part of the society. Another example is that Hester recovers from her downfall and she is now a working mother who is trying to get her life straight, by trying to live a better faith or at least trying to do some good that would get her back on God's side according to the puritans who believed everything was bad back then.

Grapes of Wrath Blog Reflection

                 Comparing and Contrasting:

The Grapes of Wrath book    vs.   The Grapes  of Wrath movie.




We have just finished reading and watching The Grapes of Wrath. I have read this story twice and I understand the physical and emotional suffering on  this journey to find work and shelter. After reading this, I understood more about the Dust Bowls during the Great Depression, and the hardship and abuse these farming families endured to survive. I like reading John Steinbeck novels because he writes his books from his perspective on significant historical periods and by doing that he makes it personal so that it is easier for us to understand and feel what the characters had to go through. The thing about movies and books is that there is a distinct difference between the two.

The movie begins  the same as the book does with the owner's telling the tenant farmers to leave the property, for it is owned by the bank, and they can do whatever they want with the land.  I would like to point out the distinct difference in the movie, which is that the events do not take place in the correct chronological order. There were a few examples such as the government camp and Tom getting into trouble with the law, and the fact that the movie skipped so many of the truly emotional parts of the story. In the book, the Joads find out about the government camp first and travel there where they find that they are actually being treated like normal individuals, before Tom finds Casy, witnesses his death, and supposedly kills Casy's murderer. The emotional parts that were missing from the movie were like when Ma Joad had to throw away some of her memorable possessions, when the kids who are mostly all grown up reminiscent about the good times on the farm,  when the dog was run over by a car and when grandfather was really sick and Mr. Wilson and his wife Sairy let him lay in their tent, as he peacefully died from a stroke.It also talks about in the book how the Wilson's and the Joads carpooled to various places before they went their separate ways.   And the last scene, with the unfortunate death of Rose of Sharon's baby and the inevitable flood. By the way, here is  some more  things they didn't show Rosaharn being pregnant, but then again it was the forties and a woman couldn't be shown on TV with a pregnant belly. These emotional scenes in the book represented the circle of life and death due to their unfortunate losses of their farm, their family members, and the connection they used to have as a family. I don't know why they had to switch up the movie and take out the important scenes, but sometimes they have to do that so that the movie isn't like four hours long. Today, they split movies that are based off books that have important events and plots.

I would say that they book was way better than the movie. I don't know if it was the time period or what in which it was filmed, but I just prefer the book because all the events that I felt were the most important were not included in the movie.

The Scarlet Letter IRA#7

The Scarlet Letter


Chapter 1-3: Summary





The story starts out talking about the history of moving into the new colony of Massachusetts. It concentrates mainly on the aftermath of the witch trials and the extreme religiosity of the puritans. There is talk about the harsh punishments for those who disobey God and the law. The second chapter discusses the reaction of the town folk when a woman named Hester Prynne, walks out of the gallows with a baby in her arms and a red  letter "A" embroidered on her breast. This woman has committed Adultery, (hence the capital letter A), and is forced to stand around the marketplace in the village, and show off her shame to everyone.  The pious women of the colony believe that Hester's punishment wasn't serious enough for her actions. In the story,  it talks about the magistrates giving Hester a misdemeanor instead of death because she supposedly lost her husband at sea and was extremely lonely. The ministers of the church ask the adulterer who the father is, but she refuses to name the culprit who helped her sin against God. This foreshadows that the father has to be someone in the church or a very rich individual. As the story goes on, she looks in the crowd and finds a Native American with a white man who is dressed in traditional native attire. After they have been exchanging looks for long time, the mysterious man asks about the women with the red "A" and the infant. The mysterious man and Hester seem to recognize each other, but I still don't know why. The man is definitely not an inhabitant of this colony because he does not know the actions of the poor Hester Prynne, and must result to listening to rumors. Then Hester was moved back to her prison cell.
In the story, I believe that I can relate a few things to this story. For example, the politics of the today is  basing on their issues on  religion and other social issues.The issue of religion definitely plays an important issue today in presenting a tiny hatred toward women who believe in premarital sex and use  birth control. When I think of Hester and every one  of those men and women giving her a terrible name, it makes me sad because you shouldn't think of her as a bad person, even though one time she wasn't very responsible, you should just be glad that she is taking care of the baby and is trying to do her best to raise it.

Anonymous?

Anonymous Blog Reflection


I never knew that there was so much conspiracy about who actually wrote these beautifully written pieces of works such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and many others. During our freshmen year we are taught that William Shakespeare, a penniless individual, wrote these plays. There is so much information about him that makes us believe that he is the mastermind behind these well-known works of literature. There is another theory, stating that a royal individual wrote these and let Shakespeare take the credit. When you watch the movie Anonymous you see the background of the royal characters, including one special royal: the Earl of Oxford. The Earl of Oxford is supposedly the author of these plays. He wishes to publish them, but there is a strict rule about royals writing and publishing them. The beginning talks about the messenger, who carries supposedly Shakespeare's plays, locking them away so nobody could find them, thinking that they were destroyed. Then it talks more about the childhood of the future Earl of Oxford and how he loved to write and recite poetry, but was never allowed to do any of that. He asks the messenger to take all of his plays and to give them to someone who can bring them to life. The person who puts together the production is said to be an ordinary actor named Will who can read, but cannot write. In the movie, you could see the connection, but then you have to think, that you will see more information on Shakespeare, than the Earl of Oxford. This movie  has really opened by eyes and I keep wondering if William Shakespeare,  the one playwright who we have known for his comedies and tragedies, is a fraud.  I am still unsure on this issue and maybe in the future there will be more information that will crack the seal off of this controversy and mystery. Overall, I liked the movie because it made me really think about the possibilities.

IRA#7 Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes: The Ending




Summary : Chapter 11-18


Frankie finds out that the truth of his birth while looking in an old chest. He figures out that he was born before his parents married, and he thinks he's going to limbo when he dies. At eleven, Frankie is learning more about sex and it's temptations which foreshadows sin. The main character finds a job working for a coal factory helping out a neighbor, but has to quit eventually due to his health and his mother. The children's father sends a letter saying that he will be coming for Christmas, but everyone has a bit of a negative attitude when it comes to the father (including me). After going to the train station, they don' find him and expect that he got drunk and fell asleep. The next day, he comes home surprising everybody. The big question, the whole reason Malachy Sr. went to England, "Where's is the money". I believe that by knowing the current knowledge of this book, you would have realized that he spent the money on booze. Later, their no-good father leaves for London. Hopefully he will bring home the bacon! (Expression). Of course he won't this family barely has enough food to feed themselves, there is no way he will bring them money in time because he will be tempted to spend it. Too bad there wasn't an Alcoholic's Anonymous because that guy needs it. The McCourt's continue their poor, poverty-stricken life, bringing sick people and animals home, learning about the difference between lice and flees, figuring out that by helping others ,it affects not only those who are worse off than you, but yourselves., and living in their home on the brink of being evicted. A few days later, the boys were running around and they knocked over the beams that holding the entire house together. Soon they are evicted and forced to live with their cousin Laman , living in his loft obey his every command. I mean what would you do. You are desperate and your own mother can't fit you into her home. Soon Malachy is accepted into the Irish army band,  Frank is encouraged to stay in school, but he rather work and be the man of the house, and Angela is feeling like her children are flying the nest. At the age of fourteen, Frank is out of school and he is working as a telegram delivery boy. There were many who believed that he could be better than this, but this is what he wanted to do. The main character delivers telegrams to various places including a teenage girl who suffers from consumption (TB). Frankie commits his first sin by letting a girl take advantage of him sexually. That moment he discovers his first love, and is scared for the outcome of her condition. A few weeks later, he finds out that Theresa didn't make it. Frank makes a deal with Laman that he will take care of him, but in return he would like a bike to carry his telegrams. He's starting to think that all the abuse he takes from this man isn't worth it.  After being drunk on the job, Frank loses his job and finds a new one working at Eason's , as a paperboy. A few years later, Frankie and Malachy decide to move back to New  York.

Reflection and Recommendation
The main themes covered in this book were religion, hardship, poverty, and alcoholism, and temptation. I will tell you the truth and say that this book was really sad. It makes you be thankful for what you have, and feel bad for those who don't have as much as you do. After reading this story, and picturing the poverty, hardship, and the death of your little children, I don't know if I would be able to take it. This family went through a lot. This reminds me so much of the Joad family in Grapes of Wrath and how they lived through poverty, hardship, and death. These novels sound like they may be the same, but they're not. Angel's Ashes is a memoir written by the author who experienced every word in this book, whereas Steinbeck just talks about the historical period and adds his own characters. Overall pretty sad book, but some the most sad and realistic books turn out to be good books. This book allowed me to see what it was like for the foreign countries during the Great Depression.

IRA#6

Angela's Ashes


Chapter 8-10


Francis is preparing for his confirmation. Before confirmation there is temptation to follow Henry Dooley who everyone calls Quasimodo who does sinful pleasures, and the moms are locking up their kids making sure that they do  become him. Then days after confirmation, Francis starts to bleed about everywhere. After going to the doctor, he is diagnosed with typhoid and quickly taken to the Fever Hospital. The main character meets a girl named Patricia Madigan, who is a diphtheria patient. He and Patricia are not allowed to communicate in fear that he may get even more ill, and because he should be praying to God thanking him for helping him get through. Despite the Sister Rita's warnings, the two kids have the orderly Seamus sneak books back and forth as she instills his mind with new types of literature such as The Highway Man. Patricia tells Frances the story of the highwayman, the redcoats, and the woman. The bad thing is that right when he is going to figure the ending of the poem, the nun catches them and Francis is relocated. I find this very sad. He finds a friend that introduces him to the wonderful world of literature, and now he has to go. He is taken downstairs in the hospital where the famine patients in the late 1880's suffered malnutrition and died. You wouldn't think that a bunch of nuns would put you in a place that has so many memories of sickness and death as punishment. The worst thing is that the main character is actually have nightmare of illusions of people lying on the beds and dying. I definitely wouldn't want to be in that room because I would be scared to death where I would join the
couple dozen or more ghosts that haunt that very room Francis is staying in. The nuns explain that the literature that he has been given is pagan. I don't know how that poem written about two lovers who take their own life would be considered pagan, but all right. The  theme of sadness continues as Frankie finds out that Patricia dies the next morning. After being the hospital from several weeks to a month, he returns home. He tries to get back into school, but finds out that after being gone for a long period of time, he must be held back. He and Malachy will be in the same classroom despite the fact that Frank has already been confirmed. Think about it! How would you feel if you had to be held back to the same class as your younger brother who is like two years younger than you. The teasing really worries Frank, and he hopes that since St. Francis of Assisi made him healthy again, maybe he can help him with one more thing. The main character is the oldest and is asked to write a paper to talk about what he learned last year when preparing for Confirmation. He write such a well written paper that he gets booted back to his original classroom. You see miracles do happen! Frank is starting to realize that there are three sides to his father and it is more like the Holy Trinity. He reads paper in the morning, works in the afternoon, and then later spends the money on booze. The conditions of their home are not very promising. They are told by an official that they must move. Money is the huge problem around here as we have all known. There are jobs opening up in England in factories making artillery and bombs. Many Irishmen want to leave their families and get jobs, but I find this iron because in these chapters they talk about the horror that the English put the Irish through. Malachy Sr. agrees with Angela that he go to England and get in a job in the factory sending them a little money every now and then. Uh Yeah Right? He has never given any of the money he earned to his family and now he's going to start. I believe this is foreshadows that the money is not going to come as soon as it should leaving the families desperate. The men leave their families with a promise that they will send money, and they will not get mixed up with other women. After a few weeks, the women and children wait for the telegram boy asking him if their husband sent them anything. When there is no word, everyone starts to become a little scared. Francis gets sick again and stays in the hospital. Angela suffers from depression and some sort of disease, while the boys are stealing bread and food so they can eat. After being discovered by a guard, the mom is taken to the hospital and the boys are taken to live at their aunt's. I would say by reading this that their aunt is the meanest person alive. She is like an exact replica of the grandma. The only time the boys are happy is when their uncle Sheehan takes care of them because he is nice to them and makes them laugh. Their father finally comes home, but warns them that he can't be here forever.

IRA #5

Angela's Ashes


Chapter 6-7


The first chapter starts talking about what it is really like being in a Catholic school classroom. Just by reading this, I can tell that religion is so important in Ireland. The idea of having an extremely strict teacher make you repeat every word that he says makes the entire class seem like some kind of robots. It makes me think about when I have Catechism classes, except the fact that our teachers are way more lenient. There is no punishment for being disruptive or for asking too many questions.  The teacher torments the students by taunting them with food, which is extremely low considering that not many of these kids get enough to eat. The torture that is depicted in this story is so cruel. The idea of the teacher peeling a fresh piece a fruit and not giving it to any of the hungry children is just terrible. Only if you are good will you get a piece of the apple. The chapter continues talking about school and it's ups and downs. The thing that it does talk about most importantly is bullying, which is a very scary issue. Basically there is this boy Fintan who is teased and made fun of because he is seen as the outcast, the smart one, and the most religious out the entire class. Francis and his friend Paddy hang out with Fintan, , but they are also teased. After reading this, you could tell that bullying was even an issue back then, but there wasn't anything done about it because everyone thought it was normal. Today in this era, kids are committing suicide because of what is said about them behind their backs. Bullying has an emotional toll on not only the victim, but the bully itself. Who knows what contributes to bullying? Another thing that goes with the idea of school is truancy. Frank skips school to hang about with Paddy where they both go on their way finding food, relaxing, and  enjoying their day. However, when the parents find out, things aren't as relaxing and enjoying as they were. The main character is scared what his parents and the church will do to him so he stays at his friend's house. The next morning he picked up by his mom and surprisingly not punished as bad as he should be. When you have your child run away, you sometimes just want to be happy they are home, and lessen the punishment even though they are in trouble. Here is some more information on the children of this era. They were extremely tough. If there was a death or illness in the family, there would be no crying. The entire family helped them get well or made them comfortable. Now for the idea of little kids working, going to school, and doing extracurricular activities. Frankie is forced to get a job with his uncle selling the newspaper. Unbeknownst, he got a job reading stories and the news paper to a crazy old man. However,, this tends to be a conflict, whereas he is being forced to be in the Confraternity by a kid-who-thinks-he's-all-that, who doesn't want to ruin his perfect attendance for it will ruin everything according to him. On the bright side for Frankie, his mom has another baby named Alfonsus. As you can see from this blog, I did not talk about the father at all. Well he is still the worthless, lowlife, piece of crap he was in the last chapters, still drinking away the families income.

IRA#4

Angela's Ashes


Themes:

Religion
Hatred Toward Americans


Motif:
Temptation



Plot: Chapter 4-5

Frankie is getting ready for his first communion and first confession. These are two of the seven sacraments according to Catholicism. Catholic school is getting to be even more scarier because the teacher is starting to used punishment for those who do not know the answer or ask way too many questions. There is a lot of talk about dying for your faith, which makes him think about what did his brothers and sister die for faith or from starvation. The narrator talks about his childhood friends growing up and realizes that he and his friend Mikey both have an alcoholic dad that drinks away his wages instead of bringing them home to the family. Francis finally has his first confession and tells the priest his sins, but eventually comes back three times, confusing the priest.Then a few weeks later, he receives his first communion. A few weeks later, Grandma lets a man named Bill Galvin stay in her home. The narrator's mom asks him to take food to Mr. Galvin in exchange for sixpence. However, Frankie, famished, eats the meal. Grandma scolds him and tells him to not eat it this time. Then later, he is forced to join the Redemptorist church, and  the Arch Confraternity. Angela decides to ask the church if Francis could be an altar server.


Reflection/Journal


The major themes in these two chapters are Religion, Hatred Toward Americans, and Money vs. Temptation. You could definitely see religion playing a significant role in these two chapters because in the beginning of the chapter it talks about the preparation of receiving two of the seven sacraments: First Communion and Confession or Penance. The narrator points out the difficulty of getting ready for First Communion. For example, when the teacher gives the boys a piece of paper saying that it will dissolve in their mouth. That gives me the impression that the piece of paper is magic. The piece of paper is supposed to symbolize the bread and body. Their philosophy is that if you drop that bread you are going to Hell. The thing that really surprised me was that teachers used cruel and unusual punishment on students who asked lots of questions or didn't know anything. Of course you have to think that you are in Ireland, where the main religion is Catholicism.  We all know that Frankie also received the sacrament of Confession meaning he is able to ask for forgiveness of his sins. I find the scene of his first confession to be quite funny because he sees the same priest three times not even minutes apart, and the priest is just so befuddled wondering how he could sin so fast. Of course this was the grandmother's fault because she refrained Frankie from confessing the sin between him and God in the backyard. I'm not really sure what this means. Hopefully, I will find out.  I have a two characters that I need to talk about who play a negative role in these chapters. . First, Frankie's' teacher, who makes fun of Frankie being from America despite the fact that he is a very smart kid. The grandmother is the second character that we need to talk about. . The grandmother is definitely someone you could talk about with religion. She has this arrogant feel to her like she is the most religious person ever. I really don't like the grandmother because she like many other proud Irish make fun of the Yankees. Like any mother-in-law, she makes fun of her son-in-law, but because he is from the North and acts more like a Protestant than a Catholic. The quote that I like is  Angela's poem:

He came from the North so his words were few
But his voice was kind and his heart was true.
And I knew by his eyes that no guile had he,
So I married my man from the North Country (McCourt 134).

.
                    But there's not--and I say it with joy and way
                   A better man in all Munster wide
                   And Limerick town has no happier heart
                    Than mine has been with my man from the North (McCourt 134).

 I like the third line saying that she loves her man from the North and nobody can tell her what to do. So going on with the story. Angela makes Frankie take food to a man who is living under grandmothers roof without eating it. When you think about it, of course the boy is going to eat it. The family is poor because they barely get food on the table because the dad's a drunk. Of course he is getting paid to deliver the food and if he doesn't deliver no $.  So I guess temptation to eat the food overruled the amount of money. It is really sad that they are asking young children to help bring the money in. Another temptation could be when he heard the story of how Cuchulain (you may have seen this word in my other blogs) came to be and how he met his wife. This story is very inappropriate therefore making a sin to listen or tell the story. Pretty interesting.  So all in all, Religion plays a significant role, that correlates the idea of hatred towards Americans, and temptation.

Introduction About Me

Katie Keitges


My name is Katie Keitges and I am a senior at West Monona High School. Some people say I have way too much on my plate.  I am involved in many school and outside school activities including Key Club,  FCCLA, Band (clarinet and bass clarinet), Speech,  National Honor Society, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and American Legion Auxiliary. I work as a library assistant part-time for the Onawa Public Library. Some of the major books and plays that I have read for AP English include Things Fall Apart, Oedipus the King, Macbeth, Love's Labor's Lost, The Kite Runner, Grapes of Wrath, Beowulf, Pygmalion, My `Antonia, and I am currently reading Angela's Ashes for my IRA (Independent Reading Assessment).  So far I like the story, but I find it a bit depressing. It makes me sad knowing that this family has suffered so much hardship. I bet I could relate this to the book we are reading in class called The Grapes of Wrath.  I believe that would work because they are basically in the same historical era, and they both suffer from loss, poverty, death, and hunger. After graduation, I am attending University of South Dakota in Vermilion, South Dakota, where I will study Secondary Education/ English and psychology. I hope to purse a degree in School psychology or Educational psychology.  In college, I hope to play my clarinet and bass clarinet in the band, make the Dean's List, and get into the University's Psychology Honor Society. After getting my undergraduate degree, I hope to get into a master's program,  graduate, get married, and have kids. My one long-term goal in life is to write a novel, have it published, and made into a movie.

Angela's Ashes IRA #3

Angela's Ashes


Setting:  Limerick, Ireland


Vocabulary:
Perfidious- deliberately faithless, treacherous


Terms to know:


St. Vincent de Paul Society--voluntary Catholic Christian organization that helps out people who are living in poverty. It has been an organization since 1844 and has networks of 9500 volunteers who here to help.


Themes:


Alcoholism
Poverty
Apprehension


Plot Summary: Chapter 3


Angela is having trouble coping with the loss of her third child. After a few months, Angela and Malachy are blessed with a new baby boy named Michael.  Mom is starting to get extremely worried that she might lose her new baby. They have thought about moving, but not when Francis and little Malachy are starting school. The mom goes to the Saint Vincent Society in order to pick up some furniture and so other necessary items. The father starts looking for work, but there is a pattern where he finds a job, and then hangs around the bar, spending his money earned on a job's work. Therefore the themes are Poverty and Alcoholism. 


Since the McCourts are so poor they must be evaluated by the St. Vincent Society. They are surprised by the society, and they do not like what they see. The horrible living conditions and the shortage of supplies are a huge surprise to them. Francis and Malachy need new boots, but their father doesn't believe in charity. Malachy Sr. tries to fix the boots by cutting up a tire and gluing it on the thread of the shoe. There was lots of bulling about the boys shoes, even though everyone is penniless in Ireland and they just don't want to show it.  The father finally gets a job at the cement factory, and the family is so excited.  They hope to see him at home for dinner, but he comes home late and he is drunk. (Big Surprise)


Journal Friday January 20, 2012


The themes are Apprehension, Alcoholism and Poverty. The term apprehension refers to the worried mother (Angela). She has this terrible feeling that her baby won't survive. Angela is not the only one who is scared. The entire family is scared something terrible is going to happen. For example the father is out of a job, but when he does find employment they are worried that his temper and smart aleck attitude will cost him his job. That is why when you are working at a job, you need to make sure you listen and do everything your boss tells you to because they can fire you in a split second.


The theme Alcoholism comes to mind because Malachy Sr. has this compulsion to drink. This theme connects with Poverty because as we all know when you are in poverty you are most likely to become depressed. Which brings to a question. What is the most common depressant in the United States? Alcohol! Booze! What ever you call it.  Malachy was thinking more about how to ease his depression than come home to his family "bringing home the bacon" (except on Fridays). While reading I  have discovered that Alcoholism and Poverty are the highlighted themes of this memoir. They are never going to change because Malachy will always be the alcoholic father leaving his family and himself in poverty. Nothing is going to change in this novel.


Now lets elaborate more on poverty and how it affects others. We know that people don't want to be poor, so that is why they try to forget about it. They pretend it doesn't exist. The perfect example is when Francis and Malachy go to school and they are bullied because of their improper footwear. I find this ironic considering that a majority of the children come to school barefoot. The truth is that these children who are bulling others, are also poor. Isn't that a huge contradiction?

IRA #2 Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes


New Characters Featuring:


Grandma and Grandpa McCourt- relatives of Malachy.
Aunt Aggie- Angela's aunt wants children, but feels terrible for her sister's loss.
Uncle Pat- Aggie's husband
Grandma Sheehan- Angela's grandmother and a very pious individual

Themes: Sorrow


Motif:  Story of Cuchulain, Religion


Terms from Ireland That I learned:

Guard- policeman
Fags (terrible name) - cigarettes 


Plot Summary: Chapter 2


The chapter starts out in Moville County, Donegal, Ireland where the family has moved. Malachy and his family go visit his family in Toome County, where his relatives tell him that finding a job in Ireland is as hard as finding a job in America during this time. The next morning, the family decides to take a train to Dublin where Malachy tries to find a job, but ends up convincing a bank to loan him money. They find out that they don't have enough money to go back, but luckily a policeman gives them a ride and provides them with food. Later, Angela, Malachy, and their family, take a train to Limerick to spend time with Angela's grandmother. Everyone finds out that there is very little room for them and there is very little food available. They all sleep on one bed, which they found out was covered with fleas. Times start to get bad, where they can't find food, and they have to find coal off the streets in order to stay warm. The kids start catholic school and find out that it is going to be a little hard to get to.

After a few weeks, Oliver started to get sick and they needed milk and onions in order to help him. After getting milk and an onion from a good Samaritan, they start to boil the milk and the onions for a cure. Unfortunately, Oliver didn't eat the onions, and eventually he passed away in his sleep, most likely from pneumonia and hunger. The entire family gathered for the funeral the next day. After a few months, Eugene starts to wonder the whereabouts of his twin brother. Then six months later, Eugene dies from hunger and pneumonia. There is another funeral and Angela is wondering why God has taken three children away from her. Malachy Sr. is handling his grief by abusing alcohol. While this is going on, Aunt Aggie is always moping around because she wants to get married and have a family.


Journal Friday January 13, 2011


I said I was going to find out a little more information on the author last week. Here is a little info his book. First of all if you didn't figure this out, this is a retelling of what he had to endure while growing up as a kid during the rough times of the depression. He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Irish Immigrants. At the age of nineteen he was drafted into the Korean War and went back to school thanks to the GI bill to pursue a degree in education, where he taught at the public school system in New York for many years. In 2009, he passed away. There were four million copies published in twenty-seven countries. There is another book called "Tis" that talks more about his later life.  There is also another book out called "Teacher Man".

Frank McCourt achievement.org  29 Jul. 29 2009. 13  January   2012.<http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/mcc1bio-1> 

Lets go to our theme. The major theme that I felt was used so much in this chapter was sorrow. I just feel so bad for this family having to move someplace different in hope of escaping their rough surroundings, to going to Ireland where it is worse. The McCourt family suffered so much. The inability to pay for necessities is just so terrible. When Oliver passes away because he does not have the right food and supplies to get through the night, it just makes me feel so sad. The little boy is about two years old and he has has to die because of the depression going on. The same for Eugene, being that little wondering where his brother is, and then several months later, your other baby boy is gone. I don't understand how the older children Francis and Malachy deal with this. It just seems like they are handling it easier than their parents. The mom is always barricaded in her room crying, and the father is dealing with his sadness by doing the only thing he knows how to do, get drunk. I felt that before the twin boys passed away, I was seeing a different side of Malachy Sr. He didn't drink at all, he helped Angela with the children, and he brought money back to his family. I 'd like to think that sorrow is the main trigger in this chapter.

The motifs that I would like to talk about are how religion plays a role and how the story of Cuchulain plays a role in this chapter.  First of all religion is very important in Ireland. you are most likely to be a Catholic or Protestant. When these kids were taken to Ireland, they were taken to someplace that is very pious in their religion.

"Good Morning Father, said Malachy   
Dad, Is he your father, said young Malachy
He is a priest (McCourt 48).

I picked this quote especially because it shows that these kids had no idea about their faith. Then when they hit their father and mother land, they learn they need to get on track with their religion. When I was little,  going to church with my parents,not knowing really what was going on, my mom said hello to the priest and called him  "Father" and I asked her the same question as young Malachy

Now for the second motif the story of Cuchulain. I know that Malachy tells this story to his sons, but I still have know idea what it is about.  I guess I will just have to research more on that subject. I know it has something to do with WWI.

            

Angel's Ashes IRA#1

Angel's Ashes by Frank McCourt


Genre: Memoir (true story)


Settings- New York in the neighborhood of Limerick. . 


Time Period: Early 1900's (Roosevelt Era) and (Great Depression)


Character List:


Angela Sheehan- The narrator's mother (full-time mom)


Malachi McCourt- The narrator's father (drunk and provider)


Philomena Flynn and Delia Fortune- Angela's cousins that like to butt in her life.


Francis- first born son (most likely the narrator of this story)


Young Malachy- middle child


Oliver and Eugene- surprise twins


Margaret- only baby girl


Themes:


Religion- The Roman Catholic Church is mentioned more than ever in this story. People talk about praying to various saints for certain purposes. Angel's cousins talk about how religious they are versus  Malachy, who is from Northern Ireland and more likely to be a Protestant. 


Alcoholism- This all started with alcohol. Francis, their first born, was conceived because of the consumption of alcohol. The father has a drinking problem and tends to spend more of his money on booze than his family. 


Poverty- This theme goes with the alcoholism because the father is the provider and yet he spends his money on alcohol, so his family will get barely anything. They are low on food and clothing. 


Symbols:


Margaret (Baby Girl)- After Margaret was born, McCourt dropped his drinking and became the best provider for his entire family. Margaret was his little miracle. He absolutely loves his little girl and spends more time with her than any of his other children. When she dies unexpectedly, Malachy returns to his old self.


Depression- This theme can also go with Margaret because before she passed away, everyone was happy. Then when she didn't wake up and was taken from them, the mother and the father just went down in a deep depression. Malachy went back to drinking, and Angela stopped eating and started to blame herself for the premature death. 


Motif:


Generosity- Everyone tries to help this family whether it is a storekeeper giving away free food, or the neighbor feed them and clothing them for no price at all. 


Plot Summary: Chapter 1


The story starts out talking about the origins of the narrator's mother and how she met the father. Angela was born in New York and came from a neighborhood called Limerick, while the  Malachy was born in Northern Ireland and later moved to New York.  Angela and Malachi both meet in a bar, and he gets her pregnant. Angela's cousins scold Malachy and force him to marry her. He marries Angela and they have a baby boy named Francis. After promising her cousins that she will not have anymore children, later she has another son named after his father. Then soon a miracle happens and Angela gives birth to twin boys. The father always tries to find a job, but every bit of money he earns, he uses it to buy booze. This family suffers much poverty because the father is the only one working.  Eventually they have a baby girl named Margaret and everything changes in their lives.


 This little baby girl changes Malachy. He went to work, brought home money for food, and stopped drinking. This little bundle of joy changed his life. However, the neighbors were getting worried about the children and that they were not getting enough of food and they have very few resources. So they start to help Angela by bringing food and helping take care of the kids. Unfortunately, little Margaret did not live past seven weeks old, and the father regressed back to his drinking. He didn't show up for a long time and Angela started to fall down into a deep depression, leaving the neighbors to take care of all of them. Whenever Malachy comes back, he is usually drunk and wakes up his sons, and makes them say stupid things like "Will you die for Ireland?" Angela tries to look for Malachy, but then he loses his job. Later, the cousin's make a visit telling her Angela how worried they are. One of her cousins, Philomena writes to Aunt Margaret, hoping to get tickets so  that Angela and her children can go to her homeland and make a better life for themselves.


Journal Friday January 6, 2012


I remember someone talking about this book in AP English. I saw that I had this book at home and I decided to read it. In this story, I have pointed out some major themes including: Religion, Alcoholism, and Poverty. The major symbols were Margaret (death of baby girl) and Depression, we have one motif which is Generosity. 


Religion is talked about frequently in this book or referred to on  every other page. In the beginning there is talk about saints. I am a Catholic and I learned more about saints in this book than I do at Catechism. I learned that Saint Anne is the patron of difficult labor, and St. Jude is the patron saint of desperate causes. The cousins who think they are all that, talk about  Catholicism versus Protestants. They talk about how low Malachy's morals are, and how he drinks too much. I actually think of this as more of a contradiction because Catholics are more likely to drink, but that is just my opinion.


 Alcohol is expressed as the anti-depressant in this story. It is the reason for all the problems in the story. Malachy has this drinking problem and he tends to not think when he's drinking. Some things that happen because of his poor choices are getting a girl pregnant, having to get married, and try to support a family. He spends more money on his booze than his family. Of course you have to know that this was Prohibition and everyone was drinking alcohol illegally. The reason alcohol was forbidden because everyone was thinking about the crime rates, family abuse rates, and the violence rates. If you pay attention to the beginning, Malachy was getting involved in some dangerous things because he was in the  IRA, always had trouble getting along with Englishmen, and was always wanted by someone for doing something illegal or misconduct. Today, alcohol is legal everywhere for ages 21 and over, but some families face the problem of a binge drinker or a young drinker. 


I know there had to be some reason why Malachy started drinking. He probably started drinking as more of a conforming issue and then he started doing it for fun. The symbol I would like to point out to you is the tragic death of his baby girl Margaret. Before this little girl was born, he was an alcoholic and spent more of his time at the bar, than with his own family. Then after she comes into the world, everything changes. It is amazing how one little thing baby can change the way the person acts. This little girl was a miracle to this family. Margaret, even though a baby, made her father rethink his life and devote more of his time providing for the family and spending time with her. Then after she died, everything went downhill.


Poverty is well known in this novel. This theme goes with the consumption of alcohol because he is spending more money than taking in more money. The husband's binge drinking leaves his family of five kids and a wife penniless. That money should be used to pay for food including milk for the children so they don't have to drink sugar and water because that is not healthy for them. Angela can only buy food if she has enough money. The children are not getting enough food and most of the time go to bed hungry. They also live in poor conditions and their clothes and diapers are in terrible shape. These diapers were cloth and they had to washed every night.The way it was described washing those clothes was not very pretty. 


This reminds me of the UNICEF commercials and the Christian Children's Fund commercials.You always see a sad child walking on dirt with no shoes, raggedy clothes, and no food. It just warms your heart to know that there are people out there giving money to these organizations to help.The one and only Motif for this chapter is Generosity. It seems that there have been people watching this family. The neighbors bring food to the children, they clothe them, and they take care of them. The neighbors are so nice to the kids that they fascinate about having these ladies as their own mother. That is very sad. Another thing that caught my eye was when Frank stole bananas food stand for his brother. He worries that he will get in trouble with the owner, but it turns out that the guy does have a soft spot inside and he gives Francis a bag a fruit for his family. 


The major themes in this story were Religion, Alcoholism, and Poverty, The symbols were Margaret and Depression, and the motif was Generosity. The Religion part of this story just basically shouts "Catholic". It talks about the religious ceremonies such as baptisms, Holy days of obligation,not eating fish on Fridays. This is a negative message towards protestants. Most of all to Malachy because the cousins believe that he ruined Angela's life. The Alcoholism  and Poverty themes also speak for themselves because it is like the reason you are poor is because you spend your money on booze and not food for your family. The symbols show more of the meaning behind Malachy's ability to drink and not drink. Margaret was his reason to stop drinking and then when she was gone, he started again. She was his non-substance anti-depressant. Depression could combine with the death of Margaret because she caused the mom and the dad to lose themselves. The only motif was Generosity and I believe that was the best thing because many people were helping these kids, It was like almost the entire community started making their life a little bit easier. 


Next Week:

I am thinking of talking a little more about this author because I am not quite familiar with his works.