Monday, August 12, 2013

Dialect Journals 31-the last

Chapters 31-32
Quotation:
"And they've took my nigger, which is the only nigger I've got in the world, and now I'm in a strange country, and ain't got no property no more, nor nothing, and no way to make my living, so I set down and cried. I slept in the woods all night. But what did become of the raft then?-- and Jim, poor Jim."(Chp. 31, pg.218)
Comments and Questions:
The fact that the Duke took Jim from Huck demonstrates that the Duke was just using Huck the whole time while he acted like he was being an acquaintance. This clearly portrays the Duke's distinct lack of good character. The Duke only sought money and was a very selfish man.

Chapters 33-34
Quotation:
"Work? Why certainly, it would work, like rats a fighting. But it's too blame' simple; there ain't nothing to it. What's good of a plan that ain't no more trouble than that? It's as mild as goose-milk. Why, Huck, it wouldn't make no more talk than breaking into a soap factory." (Chp. 34, pg.235)
Comments and Questions:
This quote depicts that Tom's morals aren't straight and he cares more about having fun and getting the people's attention rather than safely helping Jim. This is an example of Tom's extreme immaturity. Tom starts to show Huck who's in charge in the relationship.

Chapters 35-36
Quotation:
"Well, if that ain't just like you,  Huck Finn. You can get up the infant-schooliest ways of going at a thing. Why, hain't you ever read any books at all?-- Baron Trenck, nor Casanova, nor Benvenuto Chelleeny, nor Henri IV., nor none of them heroes? Whoever heard of getting a prisoner loose in such an old maidy way as that?" (Chp. 35, pg. 241)
Comments and Questions:
This is an important quote because Tom starts to make Huck feel bad about himself by saying that all of his ideas are better. Huck's character is not nearly as creative as Tom.  Huck doesn't seem to care as much about getting the attention from everyone that Tom seeks.

Chapters 37-38
Quotation:
"Every animal is grateful for kindness and petting, and they wouldn't think of hurting a person that pets them. Any book will tell you that. You try- that's all I ask; just try for two or three days. Why, you can get him so, in a little while, that he'll love you; and sleep with you; and won't stay away from you a minute."(Chp. 38, pg. 263)
Comments and Questions:
From this quote you can see that Tom wants to create more trouble. It would be useless for Jim to get a pet. Jim does not  understand Tom's intentions at all. This is very ironic because Tom thinks animals should be treated good, yet slaves are treated poorly.

Chapters 39-40
Quotation:
"But we didn't answer; we just unfurled our heels and shoved. Then there was a rush, and a bang, bang, bang! and the bullets fairly whizzed around us! (Chp. 40, pg. 275)
Comments and Questions:
This describes how Tom was being loud because he wanted to get men's attention. This also got the boys in trouble and Tom's immaturity was to blame once again.  Tom is laking a sense of reality because all he wants is to be the center of attention.

Chapter 41-43
Quotation:
"Doan' you' member de house dat float'n down de river, en dey wuz a man in dah, kivered up, en I went in en unkivered him and didn't let you come in? Well, den you k'n git yo' money when you wants it; kase dat wuz him." (Chp. 43, pg. 293)
Comments and Questions:
Huck becomes excited because he finds out that he finally gets his money that his dad was keeping from him because his dad is dead. This is an example of his father creating multiple problems for Huck  and since his father is dead, Huck is finally free of his father's restrictive ways.



Monday, July 22, 2013

Dialectical Journal Chapters 16-30

Chapters 16-17
Quotation:
       "...I couldn't get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way. It got to troubling me so I couldn't rest; I couldn't stay still in one place. It hadn't ever come home to me before, what this thing was that I was doing. But now it did; and it staid with me, and scorched me more and more. I tried out to myself that I warn't to blame, because I didn't run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn't no use, conscience up and says 'But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody.'" (page 90-91)
Comments & Questions:
      This passage displays that Huck feels guilty for helping Jim escape from slavery. It helps the reader get a good perspective on the time period, because most people thought slavery was a good thing and they thought of colored people as property.  This is significant because it displays that Huck does not deal with internal conflict very well, and he is letting his guilt is affecting him in multiple ways.

Chapters 18-19
Quotation:
       "I was about to dig out of there in a hurry, but they was pretty close to me then, and sung out and begged me to save their lives- said they hadn't been doing nothing, and was being chased for it- said there was men and dogs a-coming. They wanted to jump right in but, I says 'Don't you do it. I don't hear no dogs and horses yet.'" (page 122)
Comments & Questions:
       This event demonstrates that Huck is hesitant to help these people because he is unsure of who they are and he does not want to get in any trouble for faking his death or helping Jim escape. Once Huck hears the people chasing these two men he decides to help them and get to know them a little bit better. I am curious to know if these people will stay with Huck and Jim and if not what the future holds for them.

Chapters 20-21
Quotation:
       "Boggs throws up both of his hands, and says, 'O Lord, don't shoot!' Bang! goes the first shot, and he staggers back clawing at the air- bang! goes the second one and he tumbles backwards onto the ground, heavy and solid, with his arms spread out. That young girl screamed out, and comes rushing, and down she throws herself onto her father, crying and saying 'Oh, he's killed him, he's killed him!'" (page 146)
Comments & Questions:
       Boggs is known as the local drunk, and usually everyone ignores what he says and thinks of him as harmless. Though most of the towns people are not too bothered by Boggs, they know that Colonel Sherburn is not someone they should mess with. During one of Boggs' drunken rants he claims that he is going to kill Sherburn, and Sherburn does not take this threat lightly and decides to shoot Boggs in front of a majority of the townspeople, including Boggs' daughter. As most children would be, Boggs' daughter is traumatized by the death of her father.

Chapters 22-23
Quotation:
       "Then at the bottom was the biggest line of all- which said: LADIES AND CHILDREN NOT ADMITTED. 'There,' says he, 'if that line don't fetch them, I don't know Arkansaw!'' (page 153)
Comments & Questions:
       This acknowledges that during this time period most men did not think women and children were equal to them. Not only, does this point out that women and children were not equal, but it makes it clear that men thought that it was appealing to not have them around all the time.

Chapters 24-25
Quotation:
       "'Say' says the duke, 'I got another idea. Le's go up stairs and count this money, and then take and give it to the girls.' 'Good land, duke, lemme hug you! It's the most dazzling idea 'at ever a man struck. You have certainly got the most astonishin' head I ever see. Oh, this is the boss dodge, ther' ain't no mistake 'bout it, Let 'em fetch along their suspicions now, if the want to- this'll lay 'em out.'" (page 170)
Comments & Questions
        This proves that the king and the duke are con artists and all they are concerned about is money. This also reiterates to the reader that they were lying when they told Huck that they were innocent and they never did anything wrong.  This also reinforces that the men during this time period did not respect women and they just used them when it was convenient.

Chapters 26-27
Quotation:
       "The lid was shoved along about a foot, showing the dead mans face in there, with a wet cloth over it, and his shroud on. I tucked the money bag in under the lid, just down beyond where his hand were crossed, which made him creep, they was so cold, and then I run back across the room and in behind the door. The person coming was Mary Jane." (page 182)
Comments & Questions:
       Huck had to hide the money that he had stolen from the king and the duke in the coffin because he had planned on taking it outside, but then his plan was ruined when he realized that the door was locked. He decides to put it in the coffin when he hears Mary Jane's footsteps, and he knows that he has to act quickly because he does not want to show bad character and be caught with the money.

Chapters 28-30
Quotation:
       "But she had stopped now, with a folded gown in her lap, and had her face in her hands, crying. I felt awful bad to see it; of course anybody would. I went in there and says: 'Miss Mary Jane, you can't abear to see people in trouble, and I can't- most always. Tell me about it.' So she done it. And it was the niggers- I just expected it. (page 188-189)
Comments & Questions:
       Once Huck sees how upset Mary Jane is about the slaves being sold and separated from their families he tries to comfort her. While he is talking to her he tells her that the slaves will be reunited and he tells her the truth about the king and the duke. She then becomes very angry and cannot believe she ever trusted them.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

They Say I Say: Chapter 2, Exercise 2

       Unlike David Zinczencko, I believe that there are inexpensive and heathy alternatives to fast food. Most people with busy work schedules Monday through Friday result to grabbing a quick bite to eat from joints such as Burger King or Taco Bell on their way home. One way to avoid this unheathy habit is to make a bigger meal over the weekend and use bits and pieces of it to create a plethora of new and easy meals throughout the week. One solution would be to make a simple meat and vegetable stir-fry and throw it over some rice for a great balanced meal. Another easy idea would be to throw a couple ingredients together in a slow cooker before you go to work and by the time you get home you already have a dinner ready to go. Overall, there are easy ways to break the habit of eating fast food on a regular basis.

       I believe that the lack of available nutritional information at fast food restaurants has lead to obesity becoming a major medical issue. Most people who eat fast food on a regular basis may understand that the food they are consuming is bad for them, but they may not realize how bad it actually is. Today our society is more focused on what is fastest and easiest rather than taking the time to think about what is best for them or what they are doing to their bodies. This just goes to show that what people may think is a good decision at the time, will damage their body and can severely hurt them in the long run if they keep up the terrible eating habits.

       These two summaries both point out that a majority of people in our society are lazy and resort to consuming a lot fast food. The first summary explains that this is unnecessary because there are multiple options that are equally easy and affordable. Whereas, the second summary states that being overweight has become a serious medical issue and unless people get their priorities straight then their health will continue to get worse and worse.

Monday, June 24, 2013

They Say I Say Exercise 2

       In the introduction to "They Say/I Say" : The MovesThat Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birenstein provide templates to help people of all ages improve their writing skills. Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing documents offer "the importance not only of expresing your ideas, but presenting those ideas as a response to some other person or group" (Page 3), as the authors themselves put it "They Say and I Say." Although some people feel as if templates are only designed for children or people when they first learn something new, Graff and Birkenstein insist that these templates can help you "engage in kinds of critical thinking" (Page 3). In sum, then, their view is that templates can be used to "structure and even generate your own writing" (Page 2).
       I agree. in my view, the types of templates that these authors reccomend can be used as tools by people of all ages to help them become a better writer. For instance, these models display that you can better "develop your aguement by not just lookiing inward, but also looking outward" (Page 1). In addition, it is very important to "engage the voice of the other" (Page 1). Some may object to the thought of templates and claim that they know all that they need to know when it comes to writing, however I would argue that, "there is no major or disipline that does not require writers to frame their own claims as what others said before them" (Page 1). Overall, I belive that the templates offered in this book are a exellent way to improve ones writing ability.

They Say I Say Exercise 1

Many people of the generations before us claim that society is in the turmoil it is today due to our generations obsession with technology. Almost everywhere you look you will see a teenager with a cell phone. Cell phones help society by means of communication and connection with co-workers, family and friends, and others. Though they can be helpful cell phones can also be damaging to society due to the lack of face to face interaction. While, cell phones and other types of technology can be helpful in our moder day lives, they can also assist us in losing proper personal communication and interaction skills.
Dialectic Journal
Quotations:
1."You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Saywer," but that ain't no matter." (Chapter 1 Page 3)
2. "Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on" (Chapter 1 Page 4)
3."Pap he hadn't been seen for more than a year, and that was comfortable for me; I didn't want to see him no more." (Chapter 3 Page 13)
4."He was most fifty, and he looked it. His hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining through like he was behind vines. It was all black, no grey; so was his long mixed up whiskers." (Chapter 5 Page 21)
5. "Most everyone I knew was on the boat. Pap, Judge Thatcher, and Bessie Thatcher, and Jo Harper, and Tom Sawyer, and his old aunt Polly, and Sid and Mary, and plenty more" (Chapter 8 Page 40)
6. "Oh yes'm, I did. Sarah Mary Williams. Sarah's my first name. Some calls me Sarah, some calls me Mary." (Chapter 11 Page 61)
7. "The rain poured down...We boomed along down the river" (Chapter 13 Page 75)
Comments & Questions:
1. This informs the reader that the book is being told in the first person point of view by Huck Finn, it also displays his carefree attitude.
2. This description of Miss Watson uses imagery to help you get an idea of what she looks like and Huck's feeling towards her.
3. This helps describe the relationship between Huck and his father. His tone towards the subject depicts that Huck is not fond of his father most likely due to his series of drunken rants and his lack of being a responsible parent.
4. This description of his father is an example of imagery and helps the reader understand that he does not put effort is to much of anything aside from his drinking habits.
5. It is ironic that Huck acted like he was murdered and fled town to get away from his father and he was one of the first people that he had seen once he had escaped.
6. This demonstrates Huck forgetful and childish personality. This is significant because it ruins Huck's opportunity to stay under the radar.
7. This use of detail shows that it was very difficult for Jim and Huck to travel down the river late at night in the harsh rain. 

Friday, May 31, 2013

Dear Mr. Bird,
       I transferred to U-Prep when I was in the seventh grade and I have loved everything about it ever since.  I am involved in multiple clubs at our school such as Big Brother Big Sister, Interact, and this past year I was the president of the Junior Spokesmen of America. I have participated in school and traveling basketball teams for the past four years. I usually spend my free time working on basketball fundamentals or babysitting. My favorite subject in school is English, because I enjoy writing and I am eager to better my writing skills in your class this year. Some of my strengths are working well with others, my bubbly and outgoing personality, and my sense of humor. While my sense of humor is a positive thing to some people others may view it as a negative due to my overuse of sarcasm. I can not wait, and I look forward to your class next year!
                         -Hayley Roberts