Links And Videos

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      This video talks about the importance of writing memoirs,and about how they are different from autobiographies.The video mentions that memoirs are different because they focus on one specific event from a persons life.Autobiographies narrate a person's whole life.It also talks about how autobiographies take a lot more research in a person's past life and their families history.Whereas when writing Memoirs the author can just think back to a specific event on their own.
      Some of the things that the video talked about that I agree with are for one when a memoir is written it allows the reader to relieve some of their thoughts on paper especially the events that seem to cause them emotional pain.
   

Reflection of writing Memoir

         Some of the problems I think memoir writers face include getting emotional  while writing.I believe that as authors dig deep into their past to write they run into sensitive topics that hurt them emotionally.Most of the time memoirs are about something sad or upsetting that happened.I often wonder if authors stop writing about a specific topic because it hurts too much to complete it.

      Another problem I believe writers run into while writing is getting stumped. Writers may begin their writing on a role with their thoughts flowing one after the other, but soon stop because they simply don't know what to write about next.

      I am sure that writers have conflicts with getting information correct at times.They probably try to contact relatives to make sure they have the story right, but I feel like 9 times out of 10 their relatives don't have the stories right either.

      I wonder if  authors ever start lying while writing to make their story more interesting. 

     Some of the big hang-ups I'm worried about is getting off topic while writing.I think i'll start to talk about one event in my life and start talking about something completely different.I also think that I will get stuck while writing and not know what to type next.

Glass Castle

I really enjoyed reading my memoir, "the Glass Castle".  The story was so beautiful and yet so heartbreaking at the same time.  I was so relieved near the end when Jeannette found a job and a husband.  She expressed to her mom that she was very comfortable.  Although reading a memoir was a great experience, so far writing one has been the opposite.  I can't quite remember everything that happened to me in the past so I'm having to stretch some events to make them seem.."bigger" than they actually were.  I'm also having trouble with including specific details, it's hard to know what to leave in and what to take out.
     This makes me wonder about how did the authors of the memoirs feel when they couldn't remember something?  Did they ever have to "lie"?  What if they forget something very important and have to destroy so much of their work just to put it in?  Writing has never been easy for me, so yes, I tend to leave out significant things even if they are essential.
     Some obstacles I'm worried about are; What if I find something better to write about after writing so much about something else? What if I started my memoir at the wrong point in time? I'm also worried that I'll write about my life and then forget a really important even leading to the next, so I reach a dead end and can't continue until I remember what is was.  It's probably going to e boring anyway, but I'll try.

Reflections On Writing Memoirs

 I really enjoyed reading the memoir. It was very entertaining and funny. Now that I actually take the time and think about it. . . It must have been difficult to write. I started thinking about how I will be starting my memoir; what will be in it, what will be the title, etc. and it all just seems actually sort of difficult. SO many things that need to be taken under consideration. Thinking about all this I can already name a few problems the authors of these memoirs probably faced. For example, where to start, where to end the memoir, how to end it, what to title it, etc. Also, what needs to be described with more detail and what doesn’t. You can’t describe every single thing too much because that could result in you losing the reader’s attention. Another problem the author could have faced was exactly how to make the memoir interesting enough for someone to want to read it.

 All this makes me wonder how authors usually decide what part of their lives they want to write their memoir on. How do they decide when something is significant enough for them to actually want to write about it? What makes it significant? How do they decide what details they will and won’t include in their memoir? While writing the memoir do they usually have a theme in mind they want the reader to come across or does that usually come to them as they write/outline their memoir?

 Some big hang-ups I’m worried about coming across as I write my memoir are; I’ll make it too boring and put emphasis on the wrong parts. I’m worried my memoir won’t be as interesting as I hope it will be or that I won’t remember the event good enough for me to give accurate descriptions on the things that need to be detailed. But I’m sure I’ll do fine. If someone else was able to do it then so can I.

"That year I started working for the school newspaper, The Maroon Wave. I wanted to join some club or group or organization where I could feel belonged, where people wouldn't move away if I sat down next to them." I chose this quote because it relates to me in a big and important way as it does for most kids at the Durham School of the Arts. I feel like I like playing sports because you can feel included since you are in a group with people who like to do the same things as you such as sports, writing or even knitting. Most kids at the Durham School of the Arts try various club for varuous reasons but many more try to find them for the sense of family you get. I play soccer and I really enjoy it because of the new friends you can make and the new cool people who you can get to know who also enjoy a common object. Its a big deal amongst most kids to feel excepted and i really think clubs and sports can help kids fit in to a group or cliche. 

A moment in my life that relates to that scene is a sixth-grade year, my first year at the Durham School of the Arts was choosing a pathway. You had 3 choices. You could pick between Chorus, Orchestra, or Band. Right away I realized band was not for me. It was a big toss up between Chorus and Orchestra. My mom had played the cello and so had my sister so it became a choice and in the end, I chose chorus. looking back on it, it was the right choice for me. On the first day of school chorus just felt good for me. It was a sense of family and it is a big reason I stuck with it through all of the middle school.

The Color of Water (Character Description)

Character Description

My favorite person throughout the book is the author's mother Ruth McBride-Jordan.

• "Ruth converted from Judaism to Christianity after her move to New York. She became increasingly involved with local churches, and eventually opened her own church with her husband. Ruth's parents had forced Judaism on her, causing her to resent religion. She embraced Christianity because she discovered it on her own. After her separation from her family, Ruth needed some source of relief from the guilt she felt, and she found that relief in Christianity's emphasis on the power of forgiveness. "

Ruth is my favorite character in the novel because of the characterization that the author gives her. His mother is his greatest inspiration and this fact is very evident throughout the whole novel. He explains how his mother told him that God was the color of water, and not black, white or brown. This was great characterization because it let us know that his mother valued the inside more than what was on the outside and this was a way of thinking that he and his siblings adopted. The author also describes the late night hours that his mom works, and this shows us that she is hard working. He lets us know that she has sent all 12 of her kids to college, and this shows that she is devoted to their success, and she wants them to have the best in life.

It would be fun to write a description of my grandma, because she has some of the same characteristics of Ruth McBride-Jordan.

• "My grandma is a hardworking women, and she is deeply involved with her faith. She is involved with a lot of churches, and she prays every day in the morning and in the night. She loves her family and she provides a lot for them. She is a principal at a school, and education is very important to her, and she wants the best for all her grandkids."

The Glass Castle post 2

The Walls take a trip to the laundromat when their electricity is shut off. "The laundromat, with it's windows completely steamed up, was as warm and as damp as a Turkish bath." (178).

 A Turkish bath is the old Greek equivalent of a sauna today, which is seen as a luxurious place for peace and relaxation. The Walls' are so bad off at this point that a trip to the hot, dirty laundromat is a luxurious and warming experience for Jeannette. The idea of a laundromat as being such a haven seems ridiculous to me because it helps me put my life in perspective to Jeannette's hard life. To her a little thing that seem disgusting to us is wonderful and new to her. Its like me saying that moldy ice cream is as amazing as newly homemade ice cream. It helps me understand what she is going through, how hard her life is and how small stupid things to me are like a million dollar gift to her. It tells me that I should not take for granted what I have, all things matter big or small.

I decided to do two quotes.

Jeannette describes what her mom calls her 'distinctive looks': "My elbows were like flying wedges and my knees like tea saucers." (200). 

Showing the poor view Jeannette has of herself, this simile creates an image in the head of the reader that is most unappealing. This shows that although Jeannette never shows any insecurity, she does look at herself and compare her body type to other girls like a normal, insecure teenage girl. Every person child, grownup, men or women judges them self in some way no matter what. She is using figurative language to explain how she looks (yet I doubt she looks that bad!) Yes she is using a simile, but I also feel like she is using some hyperbole. I doubt that her her knees and elbows look exactly like tea saucers and flying wedges, maybe you could say oranges and the end of a banana! I am sure she is exaggerating ( as all humans do) she probably looks just fine and is the only person that notices her flaws.

The absolutely true diary of a part time Indian- Second post by Clara Kennedy

     Here is my second post for T.A.T.D.P.I.. Sorry for the delay my WiFi was totally screwed up at my house. Anyway, finishing the book was kind of sad for me. Don't get me wrong, I really loved the book and I'll talk more about that but it was like saying goodbye to a really great friend. Even though I finished the book feeling kind of remorseful because it was over, I was really hooked on how the author used dialogue and imagery throughout the entire novel.
     I think memoirs tend to be a little more thought-heavy, which can get boring pretty fast for me. I really enjoyed this memoir because it was dialogue heavy. It wasn't like reading a Robert Frost poem or like listening to Romeo and Juliet. I don't have anything against reading like that, but I really think that being able to read something that you can relate to easily is a really refreshing change for memoirs. Reading his dialogue was really great and I feel like it was a key factor in making this book so enjoyable in the first place.
     The imagery in this book also really interesting too. When I think of imagery I think of really small details and deep interesting similes like "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your going to get.". I feel like this book just wasn't having most of that metaphorical junk. When similes were used, he talked about how it was like King Kong and Godzilla fighting. When he used small details, he describes how books are so exciting they can even give you boners. Not only did he use imagery, he literally drew cartoons for important scenes and characters throughout the whole novel. Overall, I really think that his use of dialogue and imagery really made the book so enticing to read.

Memoirs are difficult to write. One main problem memoir writers face is making it interesting for varying audiences. Books are great ways to share your ideas and beliefs, but lots of people, especially younger audiences, have trouble wanting to pick up a memoir. (This is also probably partially due to younger individuals mostly just interested in themselves.) A good way for memoir writers to make it easier for all kinds of audiences to understand and enjoy is to include lots of figurative language that people can relate to. It is also important to chose an interesting topic that it easy for the author to write about. But when choosing  a certain topic, it is important to be aware of certain sensitivities accompanying it. Another important thing to keep in mind is how well the author recalls a topic. For example, if the topic of a memoir occurred years and years before the actual memoir was written, it may be difficult to recall every detail. This is also related to the issue of bias. Despite being in a cleat point of view, memoir authors have to be aware of all of the bias that may be effecting the accuracy of the detail. Despite all of these things, a good memoir with lots of important detail that lots of people enjoy is a good thing to find.

In memoirs I think authors have trouble not just finding out something to write about but recalling all of the specific details in that event. Also how they are going to write the book. Acting like it was a diary and it just happened or writing as if they were just looking back at the events. I wonder how they come up with the parts they are going to exaggerate. Also I wonder if memoir writers ever worry about talking about a traumatic experience they had with someone and then the person they were talking about it gets mad reads it and gets mad the told the world about that story. Another thing I wonder if memoir writers worry about is if their story of there life or whatever they are talking about is interesting to other people. Usually authors like relating to their audience to and i wonder if they ever worry that no one can relate to what they are talking about.  I think I will not be able to figure out what to write about because I don't there is anything that interesting that happened yet. Also I don't know if I will be able to Remember enough specific details to make the story interesting. I guess that is what exaggerating the story is for though. How to write it I might struggle with like if I should write it like it happened yesterday or if I write it like it was way in the past. Lastly I don't know if I'm going to be able to be creative enough to use a lot of literary devices. Overall I think there is a way to fix all of those problems and I think I could write a really good memoir if I put some thought into it.

The Glass Castle 2

I think the biggest problem when writing a memoir would be telling your stories and getting the true colors of the characters across. Sometimes someone can be so complicated its hard to get the full picture across without sounding like a bad writer who just rants about one thing too long. I think another problem would be remembering some hurtful or painful memories that are important and really help the reader see your life as you've lived it. We tend to want to forget bad memories because why cause yourself more pain by thinking about it. Memoirs make us think about the big picture, fun, happy, joyful moments but also sad and depressing moments. I wonder if sometimes writing a memoir could be a type of therapy or of it would just make you feel worse from digging up all those moments and emotions. When I write my own for class I wonder about the level of expectance from other students or parents or whoever. You cant change the past moments of your life but you can choose not to share them because of being afraid of what others will think. I don't want sympathy or advice. Just for my story to be heard.

"When I was Puerto Rican" Blog Post 2

"There was nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to talk to." (pg 222)

There was nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to talk to. Our apartment was filled with silence, a bustling of motions everywhere wrapped into a wisp thin air. We weren't the constant echoing of the cicadas, we were the quiet cockroaches moving about our day in the apartment without letting the world know we existed. 

It was a Saturday morning, we got up to smell of the food Mom had prepared before leaving for work. We had to wake up early as usual because we didn't want to heat our food in the microwave, as it would alert the things outside our door if we close it. I tiptoed from the bathroom to the kitchen table, following behind me were my sisters, one by one like ducklings following their mother. Once we finished our share, we cover the rest of the food for lunch, and maybe even supper if our parents got home late.

As the sun rose up, the children outside were cheering and riding their bikes up and around the apartment complex buildings. We envied those children, as they were actively talking and letting their bodies reach out to the sun. However, while they were screaming to their heart, we were at eased, talking in a voice about 68 decibel. My sisters and I enjoyed playing hide-and-seek, as it didn't require a lot of sound or movement. I would make sure they were not bored, so I also let them play the radio, however, when we were reading. 

We have read, or should I say I was reading, for more than an hour already and my sisters quietly playing with their toys, we got bored. Just when I was about to get up from the bed, I noticed legs walking across the windows up above us outside. I snapped at my sisters, signaling them to get underneath the bed, they did as I told them to. Just after that, a knock was at the door, I hesitated, but slowly tiptoed to the door, until it got harder and I rushed back to be with my sisters. It was getting late and our parents wasn't at home. No women around this area would knock that loud and the vibration of the knocking had a higher pitch than the knocking with the bare hand, we were scared.

Close Reading

The House on Mango Street

By: Sandra Cisneros

             A quote that I really loved from this book was "Someday I will have a best friend all my own. One I can tell my secrets to. One who will understand my jokes without having to explain them. Until then I am a red balloon, a red balloon tied to an anchor." I love this line because in the beginning of the book Esperanza really wants some friends to play with, to talk to, to hang out with, and to just listen to. I like how the author is using a metaphor to explain that Esperanza isn't going anywhere just yet. She is staying, not moving or doing anything at all, but how some day that will all change. Some day she will have a friend, and no longer be "a red balloon tied to an anchor."  The words hold so much meaning and I can just imagine Esperanza in front of me telling me all of this with all these emotions being expressed by her voice. Throughout the book you come to notice that Esperanza starts to grow as a character and that eventually she does find friends and that she no longer can be tied to an anchor. It is beautiful to think how in the beginning you can start at one thing, and then in the end the results are completely different.

Bitter Sprinkles On An Orange Cupcake

I decided to do the Close Reading prompt today

Context: 14 Year old Arnold can't afford to pay for his dog’s medical bills so his parents decide to euthanize his dog, Oscar.

“I love you Oscar” I said.

He looked up at me and I swear to you that he understood what was happening. He knew what dad was going to do. But oscar wasn't scared. He was relieved.

But not by me.

(My face while I read that)

Holy hecc.*

This is early on in the book and it has established itself as this hilarious lightweight and enjoyable read. But then this sets the real tone for the rest of the book. I was in shock that this book had some actual weight to it and as I kept on reading, it kept on dropping these little powerful lessons and ideas. I chose this one because it was the most shocking. It was like being shot at a gun safety convention. You simply dont expect it.

It's such an interesting  idea. I bet everyone has thought of it. The idea of euthanasia and if someone would actually do it. Or at least, how much pain would be too much. Should we continue fighting for that small chance that we may break through? Or give up due to the odds against you? It's a dark and very mature idea and it's something I didn't expect from this book. The book does this a lot however, sprinkling these dark ideas throughout an otherwise fun and sweet book. Its goes from winning 1st place in a masturbation contest (Yup) to describing how Arnold found out his crush had anorexia. It's a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s sad and funny, sometimes both at the same time.

What makes this so good? Well it's built up amazingly. It starts out talking with Arnold describing his family. His mom is a human tape recorder and given the chance, his father would have been a musician. Then it continues with Arnold saying his people dont have the money to follow their dreams. His people dont have the mindset or money to pursue their dreams so they just gather dust and are eventually forgotten. He talks about how poor his people are and then, he presents the story of Oscar. How bullets were cheaper than help. It's a nice and subtle buildup that throws the final punch to engrave it in your head. That final punch being, “But not by me.” It built up the death of Oscar, which is horribly depressing itself, then it does a twist and shows that Oscar was relieved not because Arnold was there, but because he was ready for the sweet release of death thanks to that one, powerful sentence.

(How I imagine Oscar before getting shot)

*I meant to spell heck that way.

Close Reading

     One quote in the book the interested me was "One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. 'You'd be destroying what makes it special,' she said. 'It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty.'" I like this quote because it shows how things won't always be perfect. But also on the other hand it brings up the fa that if all things looked the same, tasted the same, smaller the same how boring of a world that would be. It also shows how you can’t always protect our control every single aspect of your life. For example how Jeannette couldn’t control and protect the plant, but in some cases it is better to leave things alone than try and help them through every little thing. This line is well written because I am able to relate to it by the words in which see has used to draw the picture out. If I see something that is broken or needs help for first instinct is to try and help it. But this quote makes me stop and take a step back to rethink and see if it is truly the best option for that situation.

This totally isn't CLICKBAIT

I think that some problems that memoir writers face include: correctness of details, and making sure their bias doesn't affect the story too much. As some of my peers have mentioned in their blog posts, it is highly unlikely that they will remember every little single detail. Most memoir writers probably go back to friends and family that they could inquire for some of the details. The other major issue that memoir writers could face is the fact that they don't want for their own opinions to alter the reality of the memoir. I understand that what they are writing is their own memoir and it is supposed to be influenced by their thoughts, but to a certain degree, it can be too much and alter the bigger picture of the story. The writer can become so consumed by their own thoughts that it exceeds the point where it's only a small opinion that helps the reader see the story through the writer's point of view. Their thoughts need to be contained to a point because otherwise they might as well be writing a fiction story instead of a memoir. Something that I wonder about the memoir writing process is, how long does it take? And I mean that more as a question of "Do memoir writers get to emotional or discouraged and take a six month break or longer, or completely give up and stop writing?" You would think that some people would tell themselves that they want the world to know their story, but then when they got to writing a very emotional part, they break down and can't bring themselves to continue. My biggest concern of writing my own memoir is that I won't have anything interesting to write about. I feel that since I'm only fourteen, and I've had a pretty normal life, that I don't have enough to go off of when writing my own memoir.

Reflections on Writing Memoir- The Color of Water

In my book the author uses two perspectives. The reason I think he decided to do this was because there were a lot of blanks and disconnections from his point of view that didn't explain the story very clearly. I think a trouble he might've faced was remembering details and portraying the story in an interesting. As the book progressed James's personal story became more interesting but their was an underlying factor that was missing. His mother's life was such a huge part of his own because she was his only parent. Many parts of his life was always intertwined with his's mothers. He may have struggled to put his story together on its own. To make the reader more divulged into his world he chose to add letters from his mother that was given to him. It would better capture the overall feeling of the events since it was written and you can feel the emotions in the words. It seems like a common issue that would occur when writing a memoir is remembering the little things that built upon each other. James was lucky to have his mom's letters to aid him and find a way to connect it to his own. I am fairly confident in my memory of events that happened, but I think I may struggle to add the emotional factor to my writing. I want the reader to be able to feel the journey of my life as if they were experiencing it also, but I think that will be very challenging for me. I worry I won't be able to portray it in such a mellifluous way that I've other authors do. I know some memoir writers might have problems finding an interesting part of their life to write about. In 9th grade some people haven't had huge experiences or events that they would find worth writing about. I think in my memoir I'm going to have to bring out the little moments that people over look but can make a world of difference,

Into Thin Air by Your Boy

"A memoir takes some particular threads, some incidents, some experience from a person's life and gives an account of it."- Richard Hell

This quote describes a memoir as being something that puts together different events in one's life, whether they are good, bad, or ugly. The author of this quote, Richard Hell was in the bands Television, The Heartbreakers, and Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He saw his fair share of all three of those things. I agree with him that a memoir is a compilation of memories and experiences that you have had in your life. 

I know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Post 2

I have never read a book that talks about rape before. It is a subject most people don't want to hear or speak of. But Maya Angelou, tells her story bluntly, she does not try to go around it she tells it just like she remembers. I think this is extremely brave and powerful of her. Not only is she putting something about herself out there, but also is speaking for the million other people who have had to go through the same thing. I think that is what makes this memoir so interesting. She talks about stuff that no one else does, she says the cold hard facts. A good memoir should do these things I believe, address the hard things, speak out about them and tell the truth. The reason I think that a good memoir should do this is because it's refreshing and different from social norms and no matter what people might say, challenging social norms is intriguing. It's refreshing because you get to hear something that many may deal with but is not touched upon. It's different because it's not your typical "everything is perfect" story.
Maya also addresses racial issues. This is also something that many people back when this book was published wouldn't talk about. Maya's way of writing, her way of thought inspire me to press my own social boundaries. I want to be able to have people connect just like Maya did.
Another thing that I have notices, is the author uses a lot of figurative language. I think she uses it to have people able to understand things easier and to leave things up so the readers interpretation. This is another way she connects her readers to her by letting them interpret her story to kinda match their own struggles.
Overall I think this book has taught me to challenge what I'm used to and to connect with others.
when I write my own memoir. I am going to keep these things in mind.

Reflections On Writing:

      Writing memoirs must not be easy, since very little people seem to do it these days, personally I see lots of inspiration in an authors personal life story. Perhaps its that most people don't have something  significant enough to write about. When you read through someone else's life, who had issues, and you see and understand their troubles and their ups and downs you feel that your own troubles that you once thought were gigantic are actually quite small and unimportant, you see that their are others who are actually have it worse off than you. In "The Color of Water" I read about James' troubles growing up with twelve siblings and having a beloved father die in his youth, I read about how his white peers thought extremely stereotypical things about him. When comparing these things to what i call my own troubles, mine are nothing, I feel that people who have troubles like James does would laugh at my problems, I feel they would happily trade their own problems with mine. I think if you had something difficult enough to spill out onto paper, you can truly call it a memoir, you can truly call it your own.

Bad Boy Post #2

As I was thinking about what I might write my memoir about, I began to wonder how authors choose that.  How exactly does one decide what parts of their life they could write a memoir to include?  My guess would be that one thing to consider is, is it a topic you can write a lot about?  You would probably want to choose something you have a lot of experience with so you’ll have a lot of things to say about it.  I’m not quite sure if you’d want to pick something you have particularly strong opinions about, because on one hand that could end up turning it into something more reminiscent of a persuasive essay.  On the other hand, it might be a good thing because then the reader learns more about you and you give them something to consider.  Another thing I’m wondering is, do the things you write about need to be related?  In Bad Boy, Myers connects most of the topics he mentions in one way or another.  They all fit it with each other.  Two things I considered writing a lot about in my memoir are figuring out what friends really are, and music.  Both of these things have been constants in my life, even though they’re almost entirely unrelated.  As I said in my previous post, I don’t really think a lot of the things in my life would form a coherent story if I were to write about them.  I’m not entirely sure if they need to, though I get the feeling they probably should, since it won’t really be a good read if they don’t.  I’m also wondering if the things you write about need to have some kind of meaning to them, or leave a message for your reader.  I’m not sure the topic of music would do that.  Sure, it tells about how I’ve changed over the years, but it’s not really a super deep topic.  It’s just my music taste.  I suppose I could use it as a way to tell about what kind of person I am, but I’m honestly not sure.  I guess it does tell a lot about my influences when I was younger, and I could probably make a story out of that if I included some other elements.  Those other elements would be very different, probably, which takes me back to my earlier question: Does everything in a memoir have to be related to some kind of central idea?

Bad Boy- Literary Device Admiration

  One thing I feel that Walter Deam Myers did really well is his use of imagery. One particular quote caught my eye, and I used it as my passage picker quote from week 1. It says, "we piled into the old Buick and made our way to the Bronx, where Aunt Nancy now lived. The apartment was cluttered with little porcelain figures, decorative plates, and ashtrays from various nightclubs. When we arrived, my aunt was crying loudly, her face contorted with grief. I had never seen that much sadness before, and the smells that permeated the apartment- liniment smells, stale tobacco, a pot of pepper rice and cloves on the stove- added a heavy weight to the atmosphere."
  This quote is talking about when Walter and his father went to their aunt's house because his uncle Lee had been killed during the night. This was a great use of imagery that he used, and I felt like it really enhanced what he was saying and describing. This also helped me connect with his Aunt; I really connected with how she felt and the vivid use of details made me imagine the scene as if I was there. Another example of imagery is, "Bellevue was a city hospital, huge in dimension and unbelievably depressing. The walls of the long corridor where I was sent might once have been green, but as I sat on a wooden bench, waiting for the Joker to call me in for the next test, they were grimy gray with patches where the paint had peeled off, serving as landmarks for the roaches that scurried on irregular routes from floor to ceiling." This was when Walter was sent to do some tests of his intelligence after he had missed over thirty days of school. He was caught by his mom and Walter was allowed to stay at the school he went to as long as he could be supervised by a city agency. The use of imagery showed just how grim his situation was by explaining where he was and how gross it was.
  Imagery is a great thing to do in memoirs and something I will definitely do in mine. It helps you further picture a scene or character in your mind and can bridge the gap between the author's words and you. Imagery can really bring a book to life rather than it being words on paper.

The Glass Castle #2

        One of the quotes that I love from this book is, "One day we hear on the radio that a women in the suburbs had seen a mountain lion behind her house and had called the police, who shot the animal. Dad got so angry he put his fist through a wall. 'That Mountain lion had as much right to his life as that sour old biddy does to hers,' he said. 'You can't kill something just because it's wild.' " I like it because there's truth to the fact that humans kill things because it's in the wild or because we think it's dangerous. It’s just an interesting thought because I do admit that I understand what the women was thinking. It's like when I see a spider in my house I assume it's dangerous because I naturally don't like spiders and I kill it. When the spider probably ends up eating other bugs and helping me, but I'm to fixating on the fact that I don't want a spider in my house that how it helps me doesn't matter. I guess in killing a life it’s a gray area because there is not right or wrong answer to this, but Is it our fault that we kill things because we think that they pose a threat against us?

I'm not saying that this quote was not written well, It's just there isn't something specific in the writing that I see that makes it special, but that's not the point. The value of this quotes means more to me than how the writing was structured or written. I'm kind of glad she gave a little flashback to this scene because the quote as a whole tells us that even though her dad has drinking problems he is still a decent man. I also, believe not everyone is willing to sympathize with something or someone others are indifferent about.

The Aboslutlely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian #2

                 One literary device that this author used very well would be repetition. The author uses it to really deepen the meaning of what they were trying to get across. He uses it multiple times throughout the story but an example would be; "I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. And to the tribe of basketball players. And the tribe of bookworms. And the tribe of cartoonists. And the tribe of chronic masturbators. And the tribe of teenage boys. And the tribe of small-town kids. And the tribe of Pacific Northwesterners. And the tribe of tortilla chips-and-salsa lovers. And the tribe of poverty. And the tribe of funeral-goers. And the tribe of beloved sons. And the tribe of boys who really missed their best friends." I feel like, at this moment he wanted to show us all that we aren't defined by one aspect of our lives. All of us are like little melting pots in our own right. He uses this literary device to really show that we are lots of things that aren't limited by race, religion, or state in society. I really liked how he uses this literary device and i know when I'm writing my own memoir I will use that technique to really stress the important things. Another way he used repetition, would be to transition into the darker themes in his story. For example, when he was talking about his grandmother, he kept reiterating how great she was. That repetition led into how she died, which was being run over by a drunk driver.  But that's why I really like this book, that there were no boundaries, everything is real and blunt. I learned a lot about life by reading this book. And isn't that what books are supposed to do?

Close Reading

“Mami insisted that I take the long way to school and not cut across the projects, but I did it once, because I wanted to find the spot where the little girl had fallen. I wondered if she had been dead when she fell, or if she had still been alive. Whether she had screamed, or whether, when you fall from such a great height, you lose air and can’t make a sound, as sometimes happened to me if I ran too fast”(Santiago 232).

This segment describes main character Esmerelda in When I Was Puerto Rican going back to the scene of a terrible crime out of pure curiosity. It made me jolt awake as I was reading because it takes a one of a kind teen to wander back to a crime scene in the newspapers and wonder how the victim died. In Esmeralda’s life, to incredible odds, her endless curiosity has not killed the cat. Because nothing bad has resulted from her curiosities, it seems that she hasn’t developed a healthy amount of fear concerning dangerous situations. If I were her, I would be asking myself: Could the same thing happen to me if I go through this unsafe area?

Throughout the book, Esmerelda has approached new things with an endearing curiosity. She boldly figures out what being Señorita means to her and sometimes, after a move to another town in Puerto Rico, she roams the streets to answer questions she has about the area (much to her mother’s disapproval). In New York City, Esmeralda can’t help but quench another curiosity on the rough turf of the projects.  

Esmeralda's personality differs greatly from that of most children and leads me to assume that her background in Puerto Rico created her personality and, more specifically, her tolerance level of fear. The beatings she received from other kids at school, transitions from the country to the city and back again and to New York City, and her parent’s restless relationship all broadened and tampered with her fear spectrum.

This quote was interesting to me because it shows me even more that this main character is of a different kind. Unlike other teens, Esmeralda skims by danger like the two have made a deal to stay out of each other’s hair. She seems to approach the world with an eat or be eaten attitude of moral flexibility.

When I Was Puerto Rican post 2

Towards the middle of the book, a scene stood out to me where Negi (Esmeralda) went to stay with Abuela ( Papi's mother) for a week. Papi took her there Sunday and was suppose to pick her up the next Sunday. When they arrived everything was fine, before Papi left they had dinner and talked. But as Papi was leaving he said that he had to see some people on the way back to Macúm, as he said goodbye Negi noticed a couple things. "His eyes had a peculiar expression, as if he were begging. He kissed and hugged me, and in his arms there was a plea. I was confused by the rage that thudded in my stomach like a fist. I was certain that he was not going home to Mami and my sisters and brothers and that somehow I had been used". Negi just had the worst realization, she realized that her father was not going to return to her family and instead he was going to someone else. She had heard people say that her father was a cheater but she did not believe it until now. Up until that point, she loved her father, she looked up to him and in that moment that changed. He now was not her father, he was the person who cheated on her mother.

This scene made my mad and sad at the same time. I was mad at Papi because he was cheating on Mami and that he was ruining Negi's family.   But I also felt sorry of Negi because she always hoped that Papi was not a cheater, she always hopes that he loved his family, but right then to her it seemed that she was wrong and that Papi did not love her. I was also mad because when Papi was supposed to pick up Negi on Sunday, he didn't, instead Mami had to pick her up a week later. Negi was actually happy that she was going to see Papi even after what he did, but he never showed up, she waited all night but he never came. Which made me sad because it broke her heart that he did not come, she was ready to forgive him but he never came.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Post #2

What I learned from “I Know Why the Caged Bird sings”.

              ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird sings” is full of lessons and truths to learn from, though not stated directly. Many of these lessons the author learned herself through daily to traumatizing experiences. The main thing I took away from reading the book, is that even when life is very difficult, and nothing is going well, you need to not let it affect the rest of your life. An example of this is when Maya, as a young child, was raped by the terrible Mr. Freeman. Naturally, after the incident, Maya was much traumatized for a while, and even though the Rape was a terrible thing, she did not let it stifle the success she is today. I greatly admire her for this. I don’t know if I could deal with what she dealt with, she was a very strong woman. Another lesson I learned from the book, is that people can change. A great example of this is Maya’s brother. He used to be her best friend, they would laugh together, have fun together, and generally understand each other. As he got older and became a teenager, he changed, and became meaner, more rebellious, and Maya and he drifted away. He ended up leaving at 16, and trying to make a different life for himself. Maya had to deal with this change, and let him go. I also learned that you have to accept people’s changes, because it is their choice to change, and you can’t force anyone to stay the same. Thus is life. The last thing I learned from “I know why the caged bird sings”, is that you just have to have a generally good outlook on life, and it will help you live your life to the fullest. 

family is the best thing.

"Two weeks later, dad had a heart attack. when i got to the hospital, he was in a bed in the emergency room, his eyes closed. Mom and lori were standing next to him. its just the machines keeping him alive at this point, mom said." This is very sad. At this point in the book ( page 280) you know that hes going to die. Hes lived a "good" life. the reason i say "good" is because compared to us it was a messy terrible life, but to him it was great. there were the normal ups and downs you go threw but thats life. Nobody's life is going to be the perfect social media life, if it is whats the point. In his life he got to be a dad (not a very good one, but a dad) and have a family. there isn't much more you could ask for. Family if the best thing in the world. You have to be thankful for it and cherish it while you still have it. you wont have it for ever. I personally like sad and messed up books better because it makes you love the small things in life. my parents think thats weird but is so true. you also are more engaged in the book just like i was with this one. i was not expecting so many things to go wrong at the end of the book. i thought it would fix itself and there would be a happy ending. nope. thats not what happened. One thing i loved about this book besides the book in general was how specific she was. there was figurative language though out the whole story. i dont think i would have been that specific. I just realized that the front of the book is just her. that could be interpreted in many different ways. how i thought of it is was that she is independent and is the only one that was there for her 100% of the time. Look! how would you interpret that?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian #2

"It makes me feel like I've had to grow up really fast, too fast, and that I've come to realize that every single moment of my life is important. And that every choice I make is important." This goes through my head at least once a day. I live in a household with three younger sisters, and two of them aren't even old enough to take care of themselves quite yet. I was an independent child. I didn't need anyone else to entertain myself, and I always had my sister, Julie, who is only one and a half years younger than me, to accompany me when I wanted to play with toys or bike ride around the neighborhood. But I never had to raise her, she was quite independent herself. We both were obedient kids who never really bothered mom and dad, we didn't need to, we knew how to take care of ourselves pretty early on. But after mom and dad split up, I had to learn that life wasn't easy. After a bit of time my mom had my little sister Angie, who is a huge handful. She craves attention which is something I had never been asked for. I was only nine, and I had to learn to take care of a whole other life. One that barely knew the reality of the world. Heck I didn't even know the truth about the world around me, and how hard I would have to work to take care of her and myself. Me and Julie both had to watch Angie and take care of her after school so that mom and stepdad could work and make dinner. This was only the beginning of the responsibilities which were placed on me at a young age. Not too long after Angie, Veda came into the world. So me and Julie had to take care of two little beings. I had to learn at such an early age how hard caring for children is, and how time consuming. You have to give them your everything and put their dreams before yours, so that they can be happy. I realized how much my mom gave up for me and I'm so grateful. But I had to watch as the stress of four kids ate at my mom. She is so young and she has so much more time to live, yet she gave up her life she wanted to live for us, and we didn't even ask for it. The whole experience of raising little humans has made me learn concepts and life lessons that I wouldn't understand unless I had raised them. You need to realize the consequences to your actions and think about the responsibilities you will face before you take action, and you need to think about what you're giving up.