Post 7 - Chapters 26-28 - Jem

Journal #7
Chapters 26-29
Perspective: Jem

It was time for school again. Boring, boring school. I was now in the seventh grade and I was going to high school. It was pretty scary at first, but then it turns out that it’s not that bad. I hardly saw Scout now days because I was in a different building than her, but I only saw her during mealtimes. I wanted to be part of my schools football team, but they said that I was too young and to weak for now, so for now I’m the water boy. I was really committed to do my job and even sometimes I would come home later than I usually do.
One night during practice coach said that I could join the team next year if I gain 25 pounds. I was so happy that I went home, and laid down on my bed and started stuffing my face with bananas. Scout came inside my room and started talking to me about Ms. Gates and Hitler for no reason. I asked her what was wrong and Scout started talking to me about how Ms. Gates feels sorry for the Jews because they were being persecuted, but at the court case over the summer she didn’t like the blacks. Then I had a whole bunch of flashbacks. I remembered how excited I was when I thought we were going to win the case but we lost and my heart was broken. I never wanted to be reminded of that again and Scout brought it up. I exploded. I jumped off my bed, grabbed her by the collar and shook her. I told her to never bring up the court case again, and she left. I felt sorry afterwards for what I had done, but I was too tired to apologize.
Later that month we heard that someone tried to break into Judge Taylor’s house. We also heard that Bob Ewell was stalking Mrs. Robinson and Mr. Link Deas was said that he was going to press charges if he didn’t stop. We also heard that people were trying to mess with Ms. Tutti and Frutti and moved all of their furniture down to their cellar and allegedly they heard everything. Halloween was coming up and everyone pulls pranks on each other. There was going to be a Halloween festival at the school auditorium and there was going to be a pageant and Scout was going to be in it. She told us that she was playing a ham.
Halloween came along and it turned out that Atticus couldn’t go to Scouts performance. Neither could Aunt Alexandra. I felt sorry for Scout but I didn’t want to go either. I didn’t want my friends to see me with Scout, plus I was too old for Halloween anyways. Just so Atticus and Aunt Alexandra could see Scout perform, Scout preformed her part right in the living room. Atticus made me go with Scout to the Halloween Festival. I didn’t want to at all, but I did it for Scout.
On our way to the school Scout tripped on a tree root and I accidentally dropped her costume trying to help her up. Cecil Jacobs scared us on our way to the school and he said that he would show Scout where to put her costume and they would go off and have fun at the festival. I thought that was a great idea because then Scout would be with Cecil and I was able to hang out with my friends. The pageant began and Scout missed her cue and “supposedly” ruined the pageant. I felt sorry for her because she embarrassed herself so I consented to wait with her backstage until the audience left. When almost everyone was gone we began to leave. We were walking back to the house when Scout told me that she left her shoes backstage. That was an inconvenience I heard something unusual and out of the ordinary. I told Scout to stop walking for a moment and she looked at me with an odd face. I turned around and I couldn’t see anything. I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me but then I heard it again, and if sounded like footsteps. I told Scout to stop walking again and she looked at me like I was doing an assessment or something. But every time we stopped the footsteps stopped. We thought it was Cecil Jacobs again but it wasn’t. It was crazy and I was starting to get scared then suddenly the footsteps weren’t walking anymore, they were running. “Scout, run!” I shouted and she fell down again and I helped her up something attacked me and started to hit me. I started punching any surface I could find and the thing hit me. I got furious and started hitting even harder. I discovered that that thing was a person and he or she grabbed my arm and snapped it. I yelled so loud and I couldn’t do anything else and the person hit my head and next thing I knew was that I was unconscious…

Post 6 - Chapters 16-19 - Mayella Ewell

Journal #6
Chapters 16-19
Perspective: Mayella Ewell

I was standing outside the local court in Maycomb waiting to go inside for the case to start. I was so nervous that I was sweating… or maybe it was the heat. I was tapping my foot just waiting for time to pass by. It was my court case today. Papa and I accused Tom Robinson of raping me. I know it’s not true but we didn’t know how else to hide the truth. Papa and I had an acquiescence that we won’t tell the truth and make up a story that is similar to the real one but can make Tom look guilty. We rehearsed over and over again and got our story straight. I was ready for the case but it seemed like the time just went my slower and slower every second.
Finally it was about time that they let us inside. It was 90 something degrees out there. I went inside and I sat in the first row of seats where all of the witnesses were seated. I waited and waited until Judge Taylor came in and started the court session. The first witness called up was Mr. Heck Tate. He just explained how I looked when I was beat up and which eye was my black eye. I glanced over to the defendant’s seat where Tom Robinson was seated. I can still remember that day as if it was yesterday… it was the worst day of my life. I was completely oblivious that I had started daydreaming and by the time I woke up Mr. Heck Tate was walking off of the stands and papa was called to the stands.
Mr. Gilmer was asking him what he had seen that day and if he agrees with Mr. Heck Tate’s description of how I looked afterwards. But then Atticus started asking questions. He started asking if he went to go get a doctor. What kind of question was that? Like seriously? Then he asked a question that tricked my father and almost blew our cover. He asked my dad if he could write his name on a piece of paper… almost everyone was shocked. He didn’t even have a clue on why people are making a big deal. Then Mr. Taylor told him that he was left handed. And my black eye was my right eye… Right then and there I knew that I hated Atticus and I was afraid that he was going to trick me too.
“Mayella Violet Ewell!” called Mr. Gilmer. My heart was beating so hard that I could feel it through my chest. I walked up to the stands slowly and amiably and Mr. Gilmer started to ask me questions. He asked me things like “where were you that evening?” And “Can you explain in your own words what happened?” I answered the questions and I suddenly burst into tears. I started crying because I knew that Atticus was going to trick me too and mock me. Judge Taylor asked me what was wrong and I told him that I didn’t like how Atticus tricked my father with the writing trick and how I didn’t want him to do that to me too. He told me that I was a big girl and he told me to continue with my story. I told him that Tom was passing by my house and I asked him if he could chop up a chiffrobe and when I told him that I was going to give him a nickel he came up behind me choked me and took advantage of me. Then Mr. Finch started asking me the questions. He called me things like “Ms. Mayella and Ma’m” I didn’t like him. I could tell that he “wanted to be my friend” I just wanted him to be dispelled. He started to ask me things like “Has your father ever beaten you?” And “Do you love your father Ms. Mayella?” It got on my nerves! I thought he was mocking me I didn’t like it one bit. I started to cry again and I told him that my father has never touched one hair on my head. I was relieved that they called me off the stands but then next was Tom Robinson.
He told his side of the story about how he usually chops things up for me when I don’t want to do it and how that day I tried to kiss him… once he said this I froze. In my head I was screaming… I couldn’t believe that he actually told everyone that. I was so afraid because I knew that was the truth. I looked over to my dad and his face turned bright red. I could tell that it seemed like he was going to explode and it looked like the jury was believing Tom Robinson’s side of the story. I had no idea what to do.

Post 5 - Chapters 13-15 - Aunt Alexandra

Journal #5
Chapters 13-15
Perspective: Aunt Alexandra

Wow. Atticus asked me if I could live with them for a while to help Jean Louise. I couldn’t believe it, after all of these years he finally asks me to try to help Jean Louise become a proper young lady. That’s going to be a tough one. Jean Louise doesn’t even act like a girl! She gets into fights, she curses and she dresses in overalls! If she wants to be a young lady she has to talk properly, walk properly and most of all dress properly. She will have to be nice and clean everyday and not play dirty and I’m pretty sure that’ll never happen.
Atticus doesn’t raise his children correctly. If he did, Jean Louise and Jeremy wouldn’t be a disgrace to our family. Atticus should’ve married or hired a nanny after his wife had died so then Jean Louise could’ve been influenced to be more like a lady or at least a little girl. For Christmas Atticus got her an Air Riffle! What kind of present is that for a little girl? He should’ve got her a tea set or a nice dress or something. If he wants her to start acting like a lady he has to start treating her like a lady… not like a boy!
Sometimes when I had some company over at Atticus’s house I would see Jean Louise running in and out getting some water. I was able to see that others saw her too so I asked her to come and say hello. I regretted that so badly. Jean Louise was wearing overalls and she was covered in dirt and her hair didn’t even look like it was combed. She said hello and left and the others giggled at the sight of her.
I sort of liked living with Atticus and his family. It was different and I fit right into Maycomb. I made many good friends and I see them daily. But something disturbed me about living with Atticus and his family. They were too close with their maid. One day Jean Louise asked Atticus if she could go and visit Calpurnia. I was astonished, she actually wanted to go visit Calpurnia! I replied “You may not.” Jean Louise decided to talk back to me and she told me “I didn’t ask you!” If Atticus wants me to help get her more ladylike, she’s got to get rid of that attitude. That was no way you should speak to an adult… ever! And when she “apologized” I was able to tell that she didn’t mean it at all. I tried to talk Atticus into letting Calpurnia go for a while but he just wouldn’t give in. He said that Jeremy and Jean Louise were really attached to her and he didn’t know what he would do without her.
On that same night a kid named Charles Baker Harris (Jean Louise and Jeremy call him Dill) was found under Jean Louise’s bed and it turned out that he had ran away from home. He was such a filthy kid. When we first saw him he was all dirty and he was covered in dirt. He was also starving so Atticus gave him something to eat. Charles didn’t have any manners at all and he was just eating like a pig. He was Jean Louise and Jeremy’s friend so of course they didn’t care about how he ate because they ate the same way… it bothered me.
About a week later people came to the house and they wanted Atticus. I was able to tell that they were talking about the Tom Robinson case and I was able to see that Atticus was going to be in a big mess that he will soon regret… I told him not to be in that case… but he didn’t listen.

Post 4 - Chapters 10-12 - Calpurnia

Journal #4
Chapters 9-10
Perspective: Calpurnia

Mad Dog

Today Scout was talking to me about if I knew anything about her daddy and if he could do anything. I could tell by the look on Scouts face that she thinks her dad is lazy and just reads all the time. But he's not lazy, he's just getting old. Scout tells me that everyone else’s parents are around the same contemporaries, but he's not. I tried to tell her that her dad could do a lot of things, he just doesn’t choose to do them right now.
Scout and Jem went to go play with their air rifles while I was in the kitchen washing the dishes from this morning’s breakfast. Jem and Scout raced in the kitchen “Cal. Cal.” Jem said out of breath “can you come down the sidewalk a minute?” he asked. “What for, Jem? I can’t always come down the sidewalk every time you want me.” I replied “There’s something wrong with an old dog yonder.” He said. “Wow. I know that it’s sad to see a dog hurt but sometimes you can’t always help them, sometimes you just have to walk away.” I thought to myself. “I can’t wrap up any dog’s foot now. There’s some gauze in the bathroom, go get it and do it yourself.” I told Jem. “He's sick, Cal. Something’s wrong with him.” Jem said. “Is he trying to catch his tale ?” I laughed. Jem impersonated the dog as if it was twitching. Oh my gosh… was it a mad dog? I thought Jem was just playing around for a second. “Was he runnin’?” I asked “No, he’s moseyin’ along, so slow you can’t hardly tell it. He's comin’ this way.” He told me. I rinsed my hands and I followed him out into the yard. “I don’t see any dog.” I said. They were walking towards the Radley Place and I was just following. Was this some kind of joke? Jem pointed to something that looked a mile away it was inconspicuous. I saw it, the dog was walking really weird and lopsided and it looked like it was crazy. I just stood there and stared at the dog coming this way I was inaudible. It was a mad dog. I grabbed Jem and Scout and ran home. I locked the door behind us and I was breathing heavily. I ran to the telephone and dialed a number “ Gimmie Mr. Finch’s office!” I waited until they put me on the line. “Hello” I heard Atticus say “Mr. Finch! This is Cal. I swear to god there’s a mad dog the street a piece- he's comin’ this way” “Are you guys locked inside?” he asked “Yes sir… yessir…yes.” He cut me off and told me that he’s on his way. I hung up the phone. Scout was looking at me with concern but I had nothing to say. I dialed another number I was talking to Miss Eula May and told her not to connect me to Mr. Finch anymore and to call anyone on the street that has a phone and tell them that a mad dog is coming and that they were in peril. She was contradicting me because it was February. But I know a mad dog when I see one. The Radleys didn’t have a phone so I ran out side to the Radley’s house and knocked on their door and told them that a mad dog was coming they’re way. I saw a black ford pull into the driveway. Mr. Finch and Mr. Tate got out of the car.
Atticus told us to stay inside so I grabbed Scout and Jem and went inside and latched the door behind us. I was holding onto the hook incase if Mr. Finch or Mr. Tate wanted to come inside. I was scared that one of us was going to get hurt and my heart felt like it was going to explode. I kept Jem and Scout away and they were trying to look out the window. I saw Mr. Finch and Mr. Tate arguing outside and then Mr. Finch grabbed the shotgun and walked closer to Tim Johnson. He bent down, aimed and fired. Tim Robinson was dead. Mr. Finch sure looked like he had experience with a gun before. I found out that they used to call him “One Shot Finch.” Now, Scout knows something about her daddy.

Post 3 - Chapters 8-9 - Miss Maudie

Journal #3 by Ambar
Chapters 8-9
Perspective: Miss Maudie

Lost

It was around 1o’clock in the morning and I woke up to the smell of smoke. “Uh” I grunted as I shifted to my side and closed my eyes to try to fall back asleep. I took a deep breath. I smelled even more smoke… it was unusual because the fire in the chimney would’ve gone out by now because it’s so cold outside. I slowly got up, put on my slippers and rope and walked into my living room. I was still half asleep and I saw a bright light get closer to me each time I took a step. It was a bright orange-red-yellow color. I tilted my head to the side to get a different view until I noticed what the bright light was. It was fire! It was spreading through my living room coming closer to me. I froze. I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there and the perplexity that I was feeling just stopped me and kept me from not doing anything. I finally snapped out of it and ran out of my front door “Help!” I screamed.
I looked around the adjacent houses and I saw some neighbors looking out of their windows, wondering why I was screaming. “Help! My house! Help!” I screamed. Finally some of my neighbors came outside to help me. “Miss Maudie, are you alright?” I heard numerous people ask. “Yes I’m fine just help my house!” I told them. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have the strength to get some of my furniture out of my house so I just stood there in front of my house watching it burn to flames. I felt so isolated from the world, everyone was inside my house trying to get some of my most prized possessions while I’m just standing here in front of my house hopelessly. I watched my house get eaten by flames, little by little until all I could see were flames. I could hear the roar of the flames and a big crash as my house collapsed into pieces on the floor.
I didn’t want to talk about all I just went through. I wasn’t acquainted about how the fire first started. All I know is that I woke up smelling smoke. Everybody was asking me if I was alright I didn’t pay attention to them and I just slowly walked towards my house step by step and tried to picture what used to be there. I lived in that house for many years, and it was kind of hard for me to try to believe that it’s all gone now. “Where would I stay?” I asked myself. As soon as I thought that Stephanie Crawford came up to me and asked if I would like to stay with her as if she read my mind. I told her that I would be delighted to stay with her and I thanked her for thinking of me. I was debating if I should’ve said no or yes but its too late now because I already told Ms. Stephanie that I would be delighted to stay with her. Oh well…
When we got to her house she gave me many blankets and set up her guest room for me and turned on her chimney. She told me that I went through a lot in the past couple of hours and that I should go to sleep. I agreed with her and I laid in the bed lightly closed my eyes, and drifted away into sleep.
The next morning I walked over to where the remains of my house laid and I went to see the damage. All of my azaleas were gone with the wind and burned to ashes. I looked around my backyard and saw that everything was gone. I realized that now I can build a smaller house just like I always wanted and I could have more room for my azaleas now. I began to get a feeling that everything was going to be just fine.

Post 2 - Chapters 4-7 - Jem

Journal #2 by Ambar
Chapters 4-7
Perspective: Jem

Summer

Today I was walking back home from school and I found Scout chewing gum. She told me that she just “found it”. I couldn’t believe that Scout would chew gum that she didn’t even know where it has been. Maybe someone could’ve poisoned it or did something else really bad to the gum. I swear, sometimes Scout doesn’t think about what she’s doing. She could’ve been killed! Ugh. I can’t believe she found the gum in one of the Radley trees… at least she didn’t die.
The next day Scout and I were walking past the Radley place and she pointed at the tree that she found her gum in. She told me that there was something in the Knot-hole and at first I didn’t believe her. As I looked up I saw a piece of tin foil and I actually saw it. She wasn’t playing around. “I see it, Scout! I see it-” I said. I looked around and I stood on my tippy toes to get the shiny tin foiled package. I put it in my pocket and we ran home. We went to sit on our front porch and we opened the package. “Whoa” I thought to myself. There were two polished coins inside and I picked one up and examined it. They were Indian Head coins. One of them was made in the nineteen hundreds, so they were really old coins. I thought it was amazing. Scout thought that it was someone’s hidin’ place. But I didn’t think so hardly anyone passes by the Radley Place, unless it was an adult. But Scout sure did make a good point, adults don’t have hiding places… but what would we do with them if hardly anyone passed by? Who would we give them too? Oh well…
Two days later Dill came. I was so happy that Dill came back to Maycomb. Finally, someone I could hang out with other that Scout. We were outside wonderin’ what we could play and Dill said that “he could smell death” he said that an old lady taught him how. Yea right. I swear sometimes he tries to show off to often. I started to tell Dill about hot steams and Scout interrupted me and told Dill not to listen to me.
Scout wanted to roll in the tire. I didn’t wanna play because I’m too big for it. Scout wanted to go first. I was still a little annoyed that Scout interrupted me while I was talking so I was going to push the tire with all of my strength. I teetered from side to side while I was trying to push Scout down the sidewalk with all of my strength. While Scout was rolling on the side walk I noticed that she was about to crash. “Scout!” I yelled as she crashed. I didn’t move. It took me a while to realize what Scout crashed into… The Radley House. “Scout, get away from there, come on!” I yelled. Scout didn’t move, she was just lying there on the ground wondering where she was. She finally got up and she ran back and left the tire behind. “Why didn’t you bring it?” I asked. “Why don’t you get it?” Scout screamed. I got mad and I ran in the yard and retrieved the tire. “See there? Nothin’ to it. I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it’s mortifyin’.” I said.
Calpurnia came out of our front door and yelled “Lemonade time!” we walked back to the house and got lemonade. I finished my second glass and I knew it! I knew what game we could play! “I know what we’re going to play” I said “what?” asked Dill. “Boo Radley” Scout acted like the game was malignant and it seemed like she didn’t wanna play. It seemed like she didn’t wanna be a wimp so she decided to play. This game turned out to be our daily game so our game progressed each time we played. One time when we were about to play Boo’s big scene, I got scissors from Calpurnia’s sewing machine drawer and Atticus caught us outside and asked us what we were doing. I hoped that Dill and Scout could catch on to my evasion and keep quiet.
Dill and I later grew tired of Scout because she never wanted to do anything anymore. So we would just spend time in the tree house wondering what Boo Radley might have been doing and if all of those rumors about him were true. I felt sorry for Scout because she was always alone but she never wants to do anything anymore! Oh well… its her loss.
One morning Dill and I came up with a great idea. We were going to give an note to Boo Radley. We were really excited and we hoped that he would answer. We told Scout to be lookout while we were trying to put the note on a bamboo pole and send it to the Radley place. I tried to get it off the pole but it was stuck. Atticus caught us once again and he told us to stop tormenting Boo Radley… whatever that means.
When it was Dills last night in town we asked if we could go to Ms. Rachel’s fish pool. Dill and I wanted to go to the Radley Place and try to peek into the house to see if we could see Boo Radley. We snuck in through the back gate. I was terrified, I felt like my heart was about to beat out of my chest. We made it to the side of the house and I saw a shadow. I was so scared and I just wanted to run away, but I couldn’t act like a baby in front of Dill. Someone came out of the house and we heard a shotgun. We all ran to the gate and tried to climb under. While I was getting out my pants got stuck on the tip of the gate. I was so scared that I ran and left my pants behind. We all ran to where the neighbors were and it was unanimous that we were never going to do that ever again.

Post 1 - Chapters 1-3 - Miss Caroline

Journal #1 by Ambar
Chapters 1-3
Perspective: Ms. Caroline

First Day of School

I printed my name on the blackboard and took a deep breath. It was my first day of school. Well, not my actual first day of school, it’s my first day of teaching here in Maycomb. I had butterflies in my stomach. I kept telling myself “I’m just teaching first graders, they hardly know anything, so why should I be nervous?” Well they were just first graders, it couldn’t be that hard trying to teach them. This was really eccentric to me. I took another deep breath and turned around with a serious look on my face.
“This says I’m Miss Caroline Fisher. I am from North Alabama, Winston County.” I said aloud to the class. “Today we’re going to read a story about cats.” The book was about fantasy. Cats were taking to each other, and they wore clothes (something that cats would never do). The story amused the class, they knew that it was complete nonsense. They all knew that cats don’t wear clothes or talk. Can’t they imagine a little bit? I finished reading the story a couple minutes later. “Oh, my, wasn’t that nice?” I asked the class, they giggled some more. I walked over to the black board telling myself that the day would be over soon and not to worry about a thing. I printed the alphabet on the board and asked “Does anybody know what these are?” A little girl named Jean Louise raised her hand and I asked her to read the alphabet for me. The little girl knew every single letter and she knew how to pronounce every one right! I was astonished. I asked her if she could read me My First Reader and quotations from The Mobile Register aloud. She read every thing I asked her to read. I couldn’t believe it. This kid was smart. It’s the first day of first grade and she already knew how to read and write. First graders aren’t supposed to know anything. They’re supposed to hardly know a thing and I’m supposed to teach them things.
“Jean, tell your father to stop teaching you to read, that’s my job, not his.” I told her. Jean chuckled at the thought, it seemed like she cared about my pronouncement “Teach me? He hasn’t taught me anything, Miss Caroline. Atticus ain’t got no time to teach me anything, why, he’s so tired at night he just sits there and reads.” She told me. I didn’t believe her. “If he didn’t teach you, who did? Somebody did. You weren’t just born reading The Mobile Register.” I told her. She started telling me all of this nonsense about this guy named Jem and how he said that she was reading ever since she was born. I thought she was lying. “This is going to be a problem” I thought to myself. “Tell your father to stop teaching you how to read. Your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now.” I told her. I could tell that what I just finished telling Jean irked her.
Later, I was walking around the class room watching the students work. When I walked past Jean, I saw her writing a letter. “She knows how to write too?” I thought to myself. I bent down to talk to her “Tell your father to stop teaching you Jean. Besides, we don’t write in the first grade, we print. You won’t learn to write until you’re in the third grade.” I took away her paper and walked away. I saw the look on her face after words and she looked at me as if I was malevolent or something worse. But I’ve had enough with Jean so far.
It was lunch time. “Everyone who goes home to lunch hold up your hands,” I looked around the classroom to see who was raising their hand. “Everybody who brings his lunch put it on top of his desk.” I walked over to Walter Cunningham’s desk and asked “Where’s yours?” The kid looked really sick, I felt bad. He didn’t answer “Did you forget it this morning?” I asked. Still no answer “Did you forget it this morning?” I asked again “Yeb’m” he replied. I walked over to my desk and opened my purse. “Here’s a Quarter, go and eat downtown today. You can pay me back tomorrow.” I said. “Nome thank you ma’am.” He replied. I was starting to loose it “Here Walter, come and get it.” He shook his head. Jean rose from her seat. “Ah- Miss Caroline?” she asked “What is it Jean Louise?” I asked. She started telling me that he’s a Cunningham and they don’t have that much money and they don’t accept any money that they know that they won’t be able to pay back. I felt embarrassed, it seemed like Jean was a smarty-pants and she knew everything. “Jean Louise, I’ve had about enough of you this morning,” I said impatiently “You’re starting off on the wrong foot in everyway, my dear. Hold out your hand.” She held out her hand like it was nothing and I whipped her hand. I didn’t feel indigenous at all here in Maycomb.
After lunch I screamed so loud. I was deathly afraid. I was just walking by and I saw something come out of a kid’s hair. The class said that it was just a cootie and to not be afraid. The kid’s name was Burris Ewell. He looked filthy. I couldn’t stand it. I told him to go home and wash his hair and not to come back until he was all clean. He told me that he was not going any where and he was only going to be there for one day. Another child told me their story on how they only have a father and Maycomb bends the rules for their family. After that, I couldn’t wait until the day ended.

Immigration Project Reflection

Ambar A.
March 29, 2009

Immigration Project Reflection

I read the book Once Upon a Quinceañera by Julia Alvarez. I think my experience reading this book was a good one because I learned a lot about the Hispanic culture and how some Hispanics lived when they first immigrated to America. I also liked learning about Quinceañera and what might/ might not happen and how every one has their Quinceañera their own way. I was happy with my choice because I learned so much about Quinceañeras, the Latin culture, and immigration and how some immigrants were treated when they first came to the U.S. I also learned that having a Quinceañera helps Latin Americans maintain their cultural ties to their homeland.
I think that it was better to do the lit circles meetings in class than do it online because I think that it was easier to communicate with your group. I think that having the in person lit circles meetings were more accurate and our groups could really see who did/ didn’t do their Dialectical Journal on time. Some problems occurred when I tried to post a comment on someone’s blog and it wouldn’t let me and my whole comment would get deleted. I learned that not everyone has the same perspective. For example: some people thought that it was boring and some thought it was a good book.
I think that it was hard trying to decide which sketch I could stick with in my painting. It was also hard trying to think of ideas for my painting because so many people were taking every idea I had. So, I had to really think for a while. At first I wanted to draw a flat transforming into a high heel (because that was one of the Quinceañera traditions), but I noticed that it would be really hard to draw something like that. So, I had to forget about that idea and think of a new one. I think that you could easily see a connection between my painting and my lit circles book because the connection was the Quinceañera dress. The dress is one of the things you need to have a Quinceañera, and the book is about Quinceañeras.
I think that my final product came out really good. I think that it came out better than most paintings I’ve painted before. I also like the colors that I used because it stands out. If I could change anything about my painting right now I would put the authors name in the same font as the title. I think that this was a really nice experience reflecting on my lit circles book by doing a painting. I really liked it because it was something new and I’ve never done anything like that before. I would like to do reflect on my lit circles book by doing a painting next time again.
I think that interviewing my interviewee about their immigration experience went really smooth. My interviewee was really cooperative and it seemed like he really cared about the project and wanted to help as much as he could. I think that the interviewing went well. I think that interviewing my person 3 times was a good technique because I got a lot of information about my person. In my first interview my interviewee used to live in Pakistan. I thought that was very interesting because I never knew anyone who used to live in Pakistan. In my second interview I learned that the company that my interviewee works for has many locations outside of the U.S such as Latin America, the Caribbean, Argentina and Guatemala. In the third interview, I thought that it was very unique and odd that a consumer filed a lawsuit because she bought a bottle of sparkling wine. And while she was opening it, it flew up and hit her eye, and that was unusual for me because in Italy the bottles have a WARINING sign on them and everyone knew to be careful opening sparkling wine, but I guess they don’t have those signs in the U.S.
I think that having the chance to interview someone about their immigration experience was an amazing experience because it helped me understand what we studied in class. I learned that not everyone has the same experience. I also learned that immigration changes over time because during the time the Chinese came to America they were discriminated and faced so many hardships, and now, since there is so much diversity in America, its different and not one particular race is discriminated, and there is more advanced transportation to get to the U.S. than there was back then.

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Ambar A.
March 11, 2009

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Quote #1:
“Ana Maria came to this country in 1965 when she was eighteen, working hard at everything from waitressing to packing eggs, but kept going to school at night.” Julia Alvarez, page 223.
Significance:
This quote has to do with the question “What hardships do the characters endure as they make a new life?”. It has to do with this question because Ana Maria had to do a lot of things to make a new life and try to survive here in America. I chose this quote because I thought that she had to do so many things that not that many Americans do, but she did that to maintain her new life here in America.
Character Judgment:
I feel sorry for Ana Maria because she had to do so many things when she first came here to America. I also hope that she didn’t have that much of a hard time doing all of those things that she had to do. I also think that she’s very responsible.
Question:
Does it seem like many immigrants had to do many things to maintain they’re new life here in America? Why or why not?
Quote #2:
“The writer critic Norma Cantú thought so. Having a traditional Quinceañera, which reflected the limited roles available to her as a young Latina, she decided to throw herself another Quinceañera at fifty! Her “cincuentañera,” as she called it, included a traditional court, with forty-nine (instead of fourteen) godmothers of such items as a madrina de queques, madrina de AARP, madrina de hierbas y remedies caseros (godmother for cakes, for AARP subscription, for herbal and home remedies). The celebration was a chance to affirm what had been only potential thirty-five years earlier as well as to reframe the tradition from a place of power, intelligence, humor, and experience.” Julia Alvarez, page 133
Significance:
This quote has to do with the question “How do the characters maintain their cultural ties to their homeland while living in America?”. It has to do with that question because that is how Norma Cantú maintained her cultural ties by having a “cincuentañera”. I chose this quote because I thought that it was a really interesting quote because I never knew that someone would do something like that.
Character Judgment:
I think that Norma Cantú did a really unusual thing, in a good way. I think that it was really cool that she just thought of that idea and had a Quinceañera again except only when she was turning fifty.
Question:
Would you ever do anything like that like Norma Cantú? Why or why not?

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Ambar A.

March 5, 2009

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Quote #1:
“In the Hispanic community, traditionally it has been the women who hand on the faith. Hispanic women are the evangelizers and teachers of values, yet their leadership has often gone unrecognized. The Quince Años blessing publicity acknowledges this historic role” –United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, page 179
Significance:
This quote has to do with the question “How do the characters maintain their cultural ties to their homeland while living in America?”. It has to do with this quote because this quote was talking about how Quinceaneras are a blessing and it is a historic role, I thought that it has to do with maintaining the cultural ties between America and their home countries. I chose this quote because I thought that it was a powerful quote and that it really stood out to me.
Personal Connection:
I agree with this quote because I think that women aren’t really recognized for what they do, and if it wasn’t for them, life would be really hard without them. I can relate to this quote because I know someone who does everything for her family and makes sure that everything is in place and perfect, but the people in her family don’t even notice the nice things that she’s done for them.
Question:
Do you agree with this quote? Why or why not?
Quote #2:
“College was supposed to be the next step, but I kept crumbling under pressure. The headmistress at Abbot suggested to my parents that I take a year off. After all, I was younger than most of my senior class, having turned seventeen in late March. Then, too, none of the colleges I had applied to had accepted me. No doubt my Abbot teachers had felt compelled to address my perplexing behavior vis-à-vis exam taking, even as they presented extenuating circumstances or mentioned improvement at the time of the writing of their letters of recommendation. And of course, since I had walked out of SATs and achievement tests, I had terrible scores.”- Julia Alvarez, page 183
Significance:
This quote has to do with the question “What hardships do the characters endure as they make a new life?”. It has to do with this question because Julia was having a hard time with her education and it was hard for her to get into college which is really sad. I chose this quote because it really showed that she had some major problems when she was in the U.S.
Character Judgement:
I don’t think that Julia should’ve walked out on the SATs because SATs are a huge part of grades and they count a lot. But I can understand that she immigrated to the U.S. so she might not be used to the American customs but I think that she should’ve tried harder. I feel sad for Julia because she must’ve been going through a lot and must’ve been under a lot of pressure. :[
Question:
How do you feel about everything that has been going on in Julia’s life?

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Ambar Avila

March 1, 2009

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Quote #1:
“Probably, he took on one to many jobs, wanting the extra hours, struggling to make his way up the success ladder to become o professional in America.” Julia Alvarez, page 133
Significance:
This quote has to do with the question “What hardships do the characters endure as they make a new life?” This quote has to do with this question because the photographer took to many jobs because he wanted to be discovered and become a professional here in America instead of his home country. I chose this quote because this situation occurs often and that’s why the photographer almost missed the girls Quinceañera.
Character Judgment:

I don’t think that the photographer should’ve took so many jobs and he should’ve made sure that he wasn’t booked so he wouldn’t be in a situation like that. I think that the photographer should’ve been more organized and he shouldn’t have called in the last minute to tell them that he might not come…he should’ve called ahead of time.
Question:

Would you ever take to many jobs and not be organized like the photographer? Why or why not?
Quote #2:
“Still, the whole night seems unreal, with a terrible storm raging not far from here: the teenage mariachi’s surprise entrance during dinner singing “Las Mañanitas”, the changing of the shoes- not flats to heels, as the ritual prescribes, but heels to higher heels; the crowning by her mom with her hairdresser standing by to adjust Ashley’s curls around the rhinestone tiara.” Julia Alvarez, page 137
Significance:

This quote has to do with the question “How do the characters maintain their cultural ties to their homeland while living in America?” It has to do with this question because Ashley had a traditional “Latina Quinceañera” and that’s what they would do everything that Julia said they did. I like this quote because it told you almost everything that happened but in only one sentence.
Personal Connection:
I can connect to this quote because I’ve been to many other Quinceañera before and I’ve seen this stuff happen but in a different way. I can also connect to this quote because one Quinceañera that I went to did the exact same thing so I thought that that was cool.
Question:
If you could, would you have a Quinceañera like this one that Julia describes? Why or why not?

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Ambar A.

Febuary 25, 2009

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Quote #1:
“Now our young people are growing up in a diversity of cultures and faith- who is preparing them? Who is instructing them in family, language, faith, traditional aspects of their lives? The quince años preparation is an opportunity to do just that.” Sister Angela, page 94
Significance:
This quote means that since immigration, everyone is living in diversity, and they start to learn about different cultures, they forget about their own. And Sister Angela thinks that having a Quinceañera, you can learn more about your culture. This quote has to do with the question “How do the characters maintain their cultural ties to their homeland while living in America?”. It has to do with this question because having a Quinceañera is their way of staying cultural.
Personal Connection:
I completely agree with this quote because no one teaches us about our culture and our ethnic background because we spend to much time wondering about others. I also think that having a Quinceañera can help us learn about where we came from and we could look up to it.
Question:
Do you think that people forget about their own culture while they learn about others? Why or why not?
Quote #2:
“They had taken ‘un curso’ back in their home countries, though a couple had some formal training and one had actually graduated from medical school in the Dominican Republic.” Julia Alvarez, page 104
Significance:
This quote means that some of the nurses (that worked for Julia’s dad) didn’t really graduate from medical school but some just took a class in their home countries. And maybe this quote has to do with the question “Why have the characters in your book come to America?” I think that this quote might have to do with this question because maybe they took classes at their home country, but they came to America to get a job from what they took classes from.
Character Judgment:
I don’t really think that Julia’s dad should’ve hired nurses that didn’t graduate from medical school. I think that just because they took a class doesn’t mean that the graduated and got a degree. But, I also think that they just took a class and immigrated here to the U.S. to get a job…
Question:
Do you think that Julia’s dad should’ve hired nurses that didn’t graduate from medical school? Why or why not?

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Ambar A.

February 20, 2009

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Quote #1:
“I lay down on that cut grass, looking up at the sky, feeling desolate, lost. Where did I belong?”-Julia Alvarez, page 50
Significance:
This quote means that the character/ artist (Julia Alvarez) started to question “Where did I belong?” and I think that she was confused and didn’t know what to do because she was questioning where she should belong as if she wasn’t wanted. I chose this quote because many people/ teenagers feel that way, and they always ask themselves that question. The significance of this quote was that once Julia relaxes, she just wonders where should she be and where she belongs.
Personal Connection:

I liked this quote because I could relate to it because sometimes I feel that way too. Sometimes I do the exact same thing, and I relax and I just start thinking about what has gone on in my life and ask my self questions and give myself advice like I have given to others.
Question:

Do ever feel that way too (like wondering where you belonged.)? Why or why not?
Quote #2:

“They threw the house they probably didn’t own out the window.” –Julia Alvarez, page 65
Significance:

This quote relates to the question “What hardships do the characters endure as they make a new life?” because one of the Hispanic families paid so much for their child’s Quinceañera, that they probably can’t afford to pay their mortgage anymore. So they pretty much “Threw their house out of the window”. They pretty much used most of the money that they spent hard time working to get as they made a new life for a Quinceañera.
Character Judgment:

I don’t think that it would be a good idea to use most of your money over a Quinceañera, even thought they cost a lot of money, you should keep it under a budget. I also think that they shouldn’t have put their house in danger, because if they loose their house…they wouldn’t have a place to live. If I was having a Quinceañera, I wouldn’t spend so much money on little things that cost a fortune, I would make sure to keep it under a budget and never go over.
Question:
Would you ever “Throw your house out the window?” for a Quinceañera? Why or why not?

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Ambar A.
February 15, 2009

Once Upon a Quinceañera

Quote #1:
“There had been several incidents at my school, older boys spitting at me, throwing pebbles at me, chasing me down the block, accusing me of being a Commie because they overheard me say that our island was next to Cuba, where the dreaded Castro was getting ready to launch bomb against the United States.” – Julia Alvarez, page 26.
Significance:
This quote relates to the question “What challenges do the characters face upon their arrival?” It relates to this question because when Julia arrived no one was that big of a fan of immigrants and they were racist and they just didn’t think that Julia and her family should belong in the U.S. They also just wanted them to go back to where they “belong” but they (the students at her school) didn’t realize that Julia and her family went there for a better life and they weren’t giving them that opportunity to have a better life.
Character Judgment:
I feel so sorry for Julia because of what people did to her; I don’t think that what they did was right. I think that Julia shouldn’t care about what people did/ say to her because she should not care about them because it’s her life she should get a chance to do whatever she wants with it. And that’s exactly what she did. :]
Question #1:
Would you every do something like what the people at Julia’s school to someone else? Why or why not?
Quote #2:
“I don’t care what class or group you come from, every girl should have one.”-Isabella Martinez Wall, page 32.
Significance:
This quote means that Isabella Martinez Wall thinks that every girl should have a Quinceañera. This quote kind of also means that Isabella isn’t a racist/prejudiced person because she wants almost about every girl to have a Quinceañera even though they aren’t a Hispanic race. I also think that this quote means that Isabella Martinez Wall thinks that Quinceañeras are really special that it shouldn’t just be a Hispanic/Latino tradition.
Personal Connection:
I agree with Isabella because I’ve been to many Quinceañeras before and I’ve seen how much fun the Quinceañera has and it looks like a wonderful experience. I think that every girl should have the opportunity to have a Quinceañera so they could have a wonderful memory in their mind for the rest of their lives. :]
Question #2:
Would you want other girls and you to have a Quinceañera? Why or why not?

Field Trip Reflection

Ambar Avila
February 12, 2009

Field Trip Reflection

Part 1 From Haven to Home:
I think that the purpose of this exhibit was to show/let people know the history that the Jews went through and their hardships living in America. I think it was also meant to show people how the Jews have helped create America how we live in it now days. While we were at the exhibit I learned a lot of things that I have never known/heard of before. In the year of 1654 is when the first Jews came to America. I also learned that a Jewish lady named Ruth Handler invented the very first Barbie doll, and I thought that that was really interesting. I also learned that in the years 1654-1766 the Jews fought for equality because others (Americans) feared that if they excepted the Jews, they’d have to except everyone else (everyone else’s race/culture). I also learned that George Washington assured them that the government would protect their religious rights, so that’s one reason why the First Amendment is in our Constitution. I also learned that when slavery was going on the Jews divided because some agreed and some disagreed. So approximately 9,000 Jews fought for the Union and approximately 3,000 Jews fought for the Confederacy. I also learned that 20,000 Jewish women boycotted and broke into the Kosher Butcher shops. Another interesting fact to me was that the Jews somewhat started Las Vegas.
Part 2 Children of Immigrants:
a) The photograph that stuck me/that I liked the most was at a Photo Immigration Rally in Chicago in 1998. I liked this picture because of the angle; it was shot at a worms eye view. And it had a little girl sitting on someone’s shoulders with an American flag in her hands and you can see the tall buildings in front of her.
b) The quote that I chose was “When I left my country Vietnam I didn’t know that I would probably never come back again. I was just 10 years old. I knew my life began from this moment.” Ngoe Nguyen, Vietnam. From Between Cultures. This quote was interesting to me because I thought that it was amazing because he/she was only 10 and its amazing how they automatically knew that their life was going to start from that moment. I also thought that it was really powerful for a 10 year old to think that.

Immigration Reflection

Ambar A.

February 6, 2009

Immigration Reflection

An immigrant is a person that was born in a country that travels to another to country to live in. (For example: Someone was born in China but they left China to go live in the U.S. So they immigrated from China to the U.S.) Some people want to immigrate to another country because they want to live a "better life" or because they want to "start over". Also sometimes some people move just because they have to.
Some of the things that the U.S has to offer other than other countries are more freedom. We get more rights and we have chances to decide what our laws should be. We also have more food and water than other countries around the world because there are more starving/parched people in other countries than the U.S.
The U.S. has been affected by the immigration because now the U.S. has different cultures, and ethnicities. If you kind of think about it this way, the U.S. is kind of like most of the countries put together! And another thing that affected the U.S. with immigration is that ever since immigration started there has been racism, and segregation.
If there wasn’t any immigration, I wouldn’t be here right now. And my life hasn’t really changed at all due to immigration because immigration started long before I was born.

Farewell to Manzanar Book Review

Ambar A.
January 17, 2009

Farewell to Manzanar
By Jeanne Wakatsuki

This book is about a Japanese- American girl (Jeanne Wakatsuki) who got sent to an Interment camp after the Pearl Harbor attack. The reason why the Americans sent the Japanese- Americans to the interment camps was because they didn’t want to risk the Japanese attacking the US again. Jeanne’s family and her were innocent but they were still sent there. This book tells you how Japanese- American people were treated after the Pearl Harbor attack and how other American citizens treated them.
I liked this book because I learned a lot from this book. Before I read this book, I knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and I was on the Americans side because I couldn’t believe that the Japanese attacked the US. And ever since I read this book I’m not on both sides but now I feel sorry for what the US has done to the Japanese- Americans. I liked this book because it was in her perspective and you get to read what she had to deal with and its kind of shocking how everything that happened to her happened right here in the United States.
I recommend this book for kids 12 and up because the content in this book isn’t that serious. I recommend this book to people who like history from someone (other than the text books) else’s point of view. I also recommend this book to people who like to know what happened in someone else’s life because this book only talks about Jeanne Wakatsuki life as a kid in a different time period than ours. I also recommend this book to people who like to read about Pearl Harbor or Japanese- Americans.
I do not recommend this book to people who aren’t interested in history because this book is all about history and what happened to Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family. I also do not recommend this book to people who don’t like to read tragic stories about what happened to people after wars/ attacks. I also don’t recommend this book to people who don’t like “happy endings” because then you would have read the book and not have been satisfied.
I rate this book a 3 ½ out of 5 because I liked this book but I wasn’t completely satisfied. I have to admit that while reading this book I did get bored at some parts because some parts of the book people just loose interest, and not everyone’s the same so you might/might not loose interest in this book if you read it or not. As I said before I recommend this book to people who like to read about history in someone else’s perspective. I also don’t recommend this book to people who don’t like reading sad/ tragic stories about the past.

ROUGH DRAFT:Farewell to Manzanar Book Review

Ambar A.
January 17, 2009

Farewell to Manzanar
By Jeanne Wakatsuki

This book is about a Japanese- American girl who got sent to an Interment camp after the Pearl Harbor attack. The reason why the Americans sent the Japanese- Americans to the interment camps was because they didn’t want to risk the Japanese attacking the US again. Her family and her were innocent but they were still sent there. This book tells you how Japanese- American people were treated after the Pearl Harbor attack and how other American citizens treated them.
I liked this book because I learned a lot from this book. Before I read this book, I knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and I was on the Americans side because I couldn’t believe that the Japanese attacked the US. And ever since I read this book I’m not on both sides but now I feel sorry for what the US has done to the Japanese- Americans. I liked this book because it was in her perspective and you get to read what she had to deal with and its kind of shocking how everything that happened to her happened right here in the United States.
I recommend this book to people who like history from someone (other than the text books) else’s point of view. I also recommend this book to people who like to know what happened in someone else’s life because this book only talks about Jeanne Wakatsuki life as a kid in a different time period than ours. I also recommend this book to people who like to read about Pearl Harbor or Japanese- Americans.
I do not recommend this book to people who aren’t interested in history because this book is all about history and what happened to Jeanne Wakatsuki and her family. I also do not recommend this book to people who don’t like to read tragic stories about what happened to people after wars/ attacks. I also don’t recommend this book to people who don’t like “happy endings” because then you would have read the book and not have been satisfied.
I rate this book a 3 ½ out of 5 because I liked this book but I wasn’t completely satisfied. I have to admit that while reading this book I did get bored at some parts because some parts of the book people just loose interest, and not everyone’s the same so you might/might not loose interest in this book if you read it or not. As I said before I recommend this book to people who like to read about history in someone else’s perspective. I also don’t recommend this book to people who don’t like reading sad/ tragic stories about the past.