In class we went over this poem a whole lot, especiall part with the line:
"Life for me ain't been no crystal stair."
We went over how it means that the crystal stair is a kind of a metaphor for the white peoples' life back then, how they had it nice and polished. And life for this woman has not been polished or nice it was more like a broken down, worn in staircase that has splinters and no carpet.
In the first part she is describing her life and how it was so bad. In the second part it was a kind of advice from the mother to the son, saying if your life is like mine, you can't give up, you'ce got to keep pushing, keep climbing, don't stop. Then she says that even after all that time she is still climbing still trying to reach her goal. And that is what the son will do.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Social Awareness Project. Media and News Immersion
Day 1: Shoot Out at Bedford- Stuyvesant salon: Off duty cop shot gun out of crook's hand to thwart robbery. By Oren Yaniv,John Lauinger and Helen Kennedy.
This article is about a cop who stopped a robber from robbing the salon by shootingthe gun out of his hand. They also say that one of Officer Ferris Jones's bullet hit the the lock on the door and locked the door. It was the first time the officer had shot her gun in 20 years. The officer was about to get her hair done in the salon when the robber burst in. I think that this kind of shows how the world is just evil in a way. This is showing how it is just natural for a person to think of or doing a bad thing before they think of doing a good thing. Crime is just natural part of the world.
Day 2: Time is runing out for U.S troops in Afghanistan, countdown to Obama's July 2011 withdrawl begins. By James Gordon Meek
This article is about how the troops in Afghanistan are kind of going down. They don't have much time left. What kind of stuck out to me in this article was how they said time is running out. What struck me about this was how important this time is compared to other times. Time could be running out while your taking a quiz in math class and your like oh that's not that big. Then there is the time on a bomb where you'll see time is running out and you panic. Panic is also something that came to my mind when I read this. Everybody panics some for different reasons. But the panic of one could affect a whole block, and city.
Day 3Canadian Omar Khadr, held at Guantanamo Bay, pleads guilty to avoid war crime trials. By The associated press.
This article is about a boy accused of killing an american soldier, pleaded guilty to killing the officer to avoid war crime trials. What came to me when I read this was how kids are kind of naieve. I know that sounds weird but I think they're kind of taking advantage of him bein a child, and thinking he is so unedcated to know anythihing and they are trying to take over.
Day 4 Ice Cream ad in Britain pulled for two male priests about to "Kiss Passionately". By Philp Caulfield
I think that this shows the issue of Acceptance vs. Tolerance. Because just because the people are gay they pulle the ad from going on air. This also shows social pressure because it's kind of saying that priests aren't supposed to be doing that. So it shows both of them.
Day 5 Worst tattoo ever? Amateur pranks friend by giving him obscene ink instead of Yin- Yang he asked for. By Meena Hartenstein
This article is about a an australian guy who is a tattoo artist that played a prank on his friend by tattooing a "male body part" onto his back instead of the thing he asked for. At first the guy didn't want to get a tattoo but then said yes after the australian friend persisted. I think this shows Social Pressure because the guy was under pressure to do something he didn't want to do, but then caved to please his friend.
During this whole proccess, I found out how to use the "socials" better and actually understand them. I thought that doing this blog thing every night for this assignment was hard and it was kind of tedious. Only because every night of this whole week, me and my siblings had track from 5 to 7, then right after that without going home we went to church. We came home everynight at about 11. After coming home that time then having to eat and shower then do this homework had affects on me during school.
This article is about a cop who stopped a robber from robbing the salon by shootingthe gun out of his hand. They also say that one of Officer Ferris Jones's bullet hit the the lock on the door and locked the door. It was the first time the officer had shot her gun in 20 years. The officer was about to get her hair done in the salon when the robber burst in. I think that this kind of shows how the world is just evil in a way. This is showing how it is just natural for a person to think of or doing a bad thing before they think of doing a good thing. Crime is just natural part of the world.
Day 2: Time is runing out for U.S troops in Afghanistan, countdown to Obama's July 2011 withdrawl begins. By James Gordon Meek
This article is about how the troops in Afghanistan are kind of going down. They don't have much time left. What kind of stuck out to me in this article was how they said time is running out. What struck me about this was how important this time is compared to other times. Time could be running out while your taking a quiz in math class and your like oh that's not that big. Then there is the time on a bomb where you'll see time is running out and you panic. Panic is also something that came to my mind when I read this. Everybody panics some for different reasons. But the panic of one could affect a whole block, and city.
Day 3Canadian Omar Khadr, held at Guantanamo Bay, pleads guilty to avoid war crime trials. By The associated press.
This article is about a boy accused of killing an american soldier, pleaded guilty to killing the officer to avoid war crime trials. What came to me when I read this was how kids are kind of naieve. I know that sounds weird but I think they're kind of taking advantage of him bein a child, and thinking he is so unedcated to know anythihing and they are trying to take over.
Day 4 Ice Cream ad in Britain pulled for two male priests about to "Kiss Passionately". By Philp Caulfield
I think that this shows the issue of Acceptance vs. Tolerance. Because just because the people are gay they pulle the ad from going on air. This also shows social pressure because it's kind of saying that priests aren't supposed to be doing that. So it shows both of them.
Day 5 Worst tattoo ever? Amateur pranks friend by giving him obscene ink instead of Yin- Yang he asked for. By Meena Hartenstein
This article is about a an australian guy who is a tattoo artist that played a prank on his friend by tattooing a "male body part" onto his back instead of the thing he asked for. At first the guy didn't want to get a tattoo but then said yes after the australian friend persisted. I think this shows Social Pressure because the guy was under pressure to do something he didn't want to do, but then caved to please his friend.
During this whole proccess, I found out how to use the "socials" better and actually understand them. I thought that doing this blog thing every night for this assignment was hard and it was kind of tedious. Only because every night of this whole week, me and my siblings had track from 5 to 7, then right after that without going home we went to church. We came home everynight at about 11. After coming home that time then having to eat and shower then do this homework had affects on me during school.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Final Appreciation
In the eighth grade when my group was assigned to read The Phantom Tollbooth, that was the first time that I had ever read the book. The assignment was to read the book and annotate throughout the whole book. That was so that we could understand the deeper meanings and ideas of the book. I liked the book and the authors veiws on the things he wrote about. And that is the kind of books that readers like, ones that they can connect their lives to and things they can think about throughout the book.
One thing that I would have definitely done if I had had the chance, was to go back to a time before the book was assigned and read it.
The book is about this boy named Milo, who thinks that there is nothing to life and there is nothing exciting in life at all. Then one day a mysterious package arrives and it is a Phantom Tollbooth. He goes into the Tollbooth an at first he doesn't know what he's doing or exactly what he is looking for. But after a while he finds people in the different worlds of the book like, Dictionopolis, Digitopolis, and he finds out that they are all in desperate need to get back Rhyme and Reason, the two peacemaking princesses. As he goes through these lands he finds out all kinds of different things, and sees how different people have way different points of views on things. Really he foun out a lot about the stuff that he didn't think was important, and saw how just the slightest things are in important.
I think this book leapt out at me when I first read it because first, I didn't have a lot of group books and seond the language and views of theis book is so unique and cool that it makes the book cool.
Phantom Tollbooth is a mixture of a lot of genres like, fantasy, fiction, science fiction, sort of fairytale, and I think the book grew on me so much because I like all of those genres except for fairytale. I think that Norton Juster is a really talented writer for not only being able to incorporate all of those genres into the book and make it work so well, but also to put his veiws into the book while doing all of that. The book is also like a childrens book in chapters and I think that its really cool that he could make the book have an impact on little kids, teenagers, and adults.
I think that Norton Juster wanted to tell people something when he wrote this book. Actually a lot things. One of them is displayed in the beginning of the book and the at the end of the book. At first Milo doesn't think that there is anything in the world that is interesting and nothing holds his attention, but after he goes through his adventure/ journey through the worlds of the phantom tollbooth he learns that all things or words I should say are important and you should pay attention to them. That was one thing he is saying in his book. And that idea connects to other big ideas and they kind of branch off of that.
In this book about words and life and views and just everything Norton Juster put a lot in it. And can't stress enough on his unique ways of exploring words and how to use them , and just how valuable they are. I mean as I said before this book is for everyone who can read and up, it doesn't really matter how old you are you can still enjoy the book eveytime you read it.
One thing that I would have definitely done if I had had the chance, was to go back to a time before the book was assigned and read it.
The book is about this boy named Milo, who thinks that there is nothing to life and there is nothing exciting in life at all. Then one day a mysterious package arrives and it is a Phantom Tollbooth. He goes into the Tollbooth an at first he doesn't know what he's doing or exactly what he is looking for. But after a while he finds people in the different worlds of the book like, Dictionopolis, Digitopolis, and he finds out that they are all in desperate need to get back Rhyme and Reason, the two peacemaking princesses. As he goes through these lands he finds out all kinds of different things, and sees how different people have way different points of views on things. Really he foun out a lot about the stuff that he didn't think was important, and saw how just the slightest things are in important.
I think this book leapt out at me when I first read it because first, I didn't have a lot of group books and seond the language and views of theis book is so unique and cool that it makes the book cool.
Phantom Tollbooth is a mixture of a lot of genres like, fantasy, fiction, science fiction, sort of fairytale, and I think the book grew on me so much because I like all of those genres except for fairytale. I think that Norton Juster is a really talented writer for not only being able to incorporate all of those genres into the book and make it work so well, but also to put his veiws into the book while doing all of that. The book is also like a childrens book in chapters and I think that its really cool that he could make the book have an impact on little kids, teenagers, and adults.
I think that Norton Juster wanted to tell people something when he wrote this book. Actually a lot things. One of them is displayed in the beginning of the book and the at the end of the book. At first Milo doesn't think that there is anything in the world that is interesting and nothing holds his attention, but after he goes through his adventure/ journey through the worlds of the phantom tollbooth he learns that all things or words I should say are important and you should pay attention to them. That was one thing he is saying in his book. And that idea connects to other big ideas and they kind of branch off of that.
In this book about words and life and views and just everything Norton Juster put a lot in it. And can't stress enough on his unique ways of exploring words and how to use them , and just how valuable they are. I mean as I said before this book is for everyone who can read and up, it doesn't really matter how old you are you can still enjoy the book eveytime you read it.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Reseach Entry on The Phantom Tollbooth
In my research I found that I was really impressed with the range of vocabulary in the book. And how Norton Juster knows how to apply the dictionary to a certain level of text that kids our age can understand. I also like how he makes up really long words from real words that people use, like the word " Lethargarians." Ms. Galang told me that the root of that word is Lethargary, and that words mean that you have an extreme case of laziness. And the place that the Lethargarians are in all they do is waste time and dilly dally, and sleep. So he applies the word into the book where it is supposed to be and somewhere where you figure out the meaning of it as you go along.
The way he uses play on words in this book is crazy cool. He uses them to show the readers that just changing one or two letters in a word can just change the whole word. On page 19 and I think that I have used this example before but it says that there is a wether man, and then he goes and asks Milo how the weather is going to be that day, and Milo is all like, I thought you said you were the weather man. Then the little man says back, oh no I said I was the "wether" man, not the "weather" man. And I thought he used the play to show what I explained before.
So I think that I certainly learned a lot more about words that I dodn't know before. How to use them and how tho define them.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Expanding on A Note
In the Phantom Tollbooth, there is a lot of examples on play of words in this book. All through the parts of the book that I have read so far, I've been commenting on this same thing. Like almost in the beginning of the book on page eighteen, where there is a wether man, and he is talking to Milo and he asks him, "Do you think it will rain?" And Milo says back, " I thought you were the wether man." and the wether man says back "Oh no," said the little man, "I'm the wether man, not the weather man." I thought that was pretty cool how he switched up the words like that.
I think that this whole book is about words and the importance of knowing what they mean. And using that play on words gives the author, Norton Juster, a chance to tell you the difference between two words that sound the same. It also gives him a chance to give the definition and examples of the word.
In the book there is a place called Dictionopolis, and everything there is about words. There is a word market, and guards of the gate who shout out words and there definitions. One time while Milo is in the palace having dinner with the king, and that part shows how words mean exactly what they say. Because Milo asks for something light for dinner and the butlers give him actually lightbulb kind of light, while everybody else asks for regular food.
I really like how Norton Juster uses word in this book. Except he makes words kind of look a lot more important than they really are in real life, that I don't like. Ohter than that I like the words and how he uses them in this book.
I think that this whole book is about words and the importance of knowing what they mean. And using that play on words gives the author, Norton Juster, a chance to tell you the difference between two words that sound the same. It also gives him a chance to give the definition and examples of the word.
In the book there is a place called Dictionopolis, and everything there is about words. There is a word market, and guards of the gate who shout out words and there definitions. One time while Milo is in the palace having dinner with the king, and that part shows how words mean exactly what they say. Because Milo asks for something light for dinner and the butlers give him actually lightbulb kind of light, while everybody else asks for regular food.
I really like how Norton Juster uses word in this book. Except he makes words kind of look a lot more important than they really are in real life, that I don't like. Ohter than that I like the words and how he uses them in this book.
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