Pages: 1-118
Prompt: Can you relate yourself or the World to any of the characters in the book you are reading? If so, how?
I just started reading The Outsiders this week, and I'm actually surprised by how much I'm really enjoying it! The characters are all very different and distinct, but they're all real and genuine; a quality pretty hard to create in fictional characters. There have been a few instances where I have found myself relating to certain characters, but maybe not the character themselves. This meaning, I could relate to one of their actions or something they said, not the character as a whole! There have also been a few instances where I found myself relating something a character said to the real World! I could apply a lot of what was said to real life, as a lot of the quotes really give us insight on how our World and the people in it, really work!
The first character that I can find relation to is Cherry Valance. In the book, Cherry and Ponyboy were having a conversation about the Socs beating up his friend Johnny, a Greaser (two rival groups who refer to each other under these names). After that, Ponyboy and Cherry are talking to each other about how not all Socs and Greasers are the same, and may not all have the reputation that people believe. It says, "'I'll bet you think the Socs have it made. Rich kids, the West-side Socs. I'll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you've never even heard of. You want to know something?' She looked me straight in the eye. 'Things are rough all over.'" I think that a lot of people, don't realize this whole idea that everyone has problems! Just because things may seem perfect for someone, doesn't mean they are. I feel like I am someone who may be looked at like I don't have any problems. I'm a pretty nice kid, who gets really good grades, is a great dancer, gets to travel all over the World, has a tight knit family, is living above the poverty line, always has food on the table, and a bed to sleep in. I should have nothing to complain about, right? What else could I want? Well, I don't need anything else. I'm content with the life I live. I'm actually unbelievably grateful! Though, aside from having an amazing family, and food and water and shelter, I have a lot of stress. Keeping the grades I have and staying at the level I am in dance can be difficult and stressful sometimes. Actually, all of the time! Everything may look okay, or maybe you can see that I struggle sometimes. Though, I usually try not to show if I'm too out of sorts. I have problems just like everyone else, and I can really relate to what Cherry said at this part in the novel.
The second character that I can find relation to is Ponyboy. In the novel Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally are walking home with Cherry and Marcia. Being from different "social classes" it wasn't very common for them to be hanging out together. As Ponyboy it thinking about this, it says, "Maybe the two different Worlds we lived in weren't so different. We saw the same sunset." I think it's hard for people to look at the bigger picture of things in the World, because we are all so focused in our own little worlds. We tend to forget that we are not so different from everyone else in the World, no matter who or what they are. Yes, there is a difference in where you live, and how much money you have, and your gender, and your thoughts. Though in the end, we all see the same sunset (kind of; the sun doesn't set at the same time everywhere) we all see the same moon rise in the sky. There are little things in the World that bring us all together, and remind us that the differences that separate everyone, only reach a certain extent before we find all of the similarities! We all eat three meals a day, we all go shopping, and sleep, and read, and go swimming, and go to school; generally. Obviously people in countries that are not as fortunate and advanced as the U.S. don't have the opportunity to go to school, or go shopping regularly. Though, like it says in the book, we all see the sunrise. In the end we are not that different after all.
One last character I can find relation to is Two Bit. Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally were recognized in the paper for saving the children from the burning church, and they were described as heroes. Two Bit then says, “Y'all were heroes from the beginning. You just didn't 'turn' all of a sudden” I very much agree with this idea that you don't just turn into a hero all of a sudden, even if you show one amazing act of bravery and kindness. Becoming known as a hero, in my opinion, is a build up of all of the courageous and amazing things you've done in your life, to be able to earn that title. You could actually be a terrible kid, who is in gangs and commits crimes, but saves an elder from being hit by a car and is magically known as this "hero". He doesn't show any other heroic qualities. If it hadn't been for that single act of if bravery and kindness, he wouldn't be known a hero. I think what Two Bit is trying to say, is that even though Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally were in the paper for doing one courageous act of kindness, they were already heroes and kind people in the past. They just were able to show this for the first time in front of cameras. I think that a lot of people in the World see someone who has done something great that gets them publicity, so they think this person is "all that and a bag of chips," when really, they just got lucky that this act was caught on camera and shared. Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally had already been great people, they didn't just get this title all of a sudden. They were just finally recognized.
Pages: 1-92 (Finished)
Prompt: Analyze the impact word choice has on the meaning or tone of the text. Analyze how dialogue or specific incidents reveal information about characters. Make sure to include textual evidence.
*WARNING* This is a very long blog, because I had so much to say!
This week, for Social Studies class, we were required to read the book Nightjohn. Nightjohn is Historical Fiction, written by Gary Paulson. It's about a young girl's (Sarny) experience with Slavery. She comes in counter with a new Slave, John, which is why the title is Nightjohn. The book gives very vivid descriptions of Slave life on a plantation, and shows the extreme brutality Slaves faced.
Word choice, has a huge impact on Nightjohn. I mean, Gary Paulson, really had no other choice. If he didn't choose to include strong, descriptive words, for how the Slaves were treated, or how the Slaves looked, then we wouldn't be able to see the full picture. The harsh ways the Slaves were treated, wouldn't be portrayed as well. Some of the words he uses aren't very complex either. They just have a very powerful affect with the context they are written in. For example, when a new Slave comes to the Plantation (John) his physical state is described when Sarny says, “His back was all over scars from old whippings. The skin across his shoulders and down was raised in ripples, thick as my hand, up and down his back and onto his rear end and down his legs some more." When Sarny describes John's back as having ripples from all of the whipping, you can visualize it so much better. You can picture it, and almost feel it. I know that when I read this part of the novel, my skin rose, and I could practically feel what had happened to John! Paulson uses better word choice, to help evoke the sorrowful and harsh tone of the book. Though, this quote can be used to help evoke the tone as well. Through this, we can see that Gary is showing how terribly the Slaves were treated, and you could tell, just based on how they looked. Because Paulson does not not hold back on the descriptions of the Slaves, we can really feel that unpleasant tone in the atmosphere.
Another place in the story where word choice has an impact on the novel is when Mammy is talking to Sarny about learning. It was technically against the law for Slaves to learn to read or write, or to learn any letters or numbers. If they were caught doing one of these things, they could face extreme punishment. In the story, Mammy says, "Don’t. They catch you doing that and they’ll think you’re learning to read. You learn to read, and they’ll whip you till your skin hangs.” This description, of someone's skin hanging off, is absolutely disgusting. Slaves were given punishments this unbelievable, and Paulson is really able to show that, through how he describes what happens to the Slaves if they break even the stupidest of rules! The two examples I gave, were not the only in the story used to describe the abominable "wounds" of the Slaves. Gary Paulson did an excellent job showing us how gruesomely Slaves were treated through every single one of his descriptions. This quote, again, shows the unpleasant tone, because Gary is describing a terrible consequence Slave's faced. It is disgusting, and leaves that harsh feeling in the room as we hear that the Slave's skin could literally hang off of their bodies! It also gives the novel a more stern tone, as Mammy is very serious about not wanting Sarny to read. It becomes more serious, as Sarny has to realize that her actions could have major consequences.
This isn't exactly word choice, more of the way Gary Paulson wrote the book. So, if you want to skip this paragraph it would be okay, because it does not exactly fit with the prompt. Though, Gary Paulson wrote the book where he made all of the Slave's dialogue a certain way. He used incorrect grammar, to actually show us how Slave's spoke, because they weren't educated. As you saw in the last paragraph, if they were caught learning, they could face punishments that would really hurt their bodies! It's decently subtle, but extremely obvious at the same time! He's able to only take out one word in sentence that sounds like it should be there, or write a instead of an in places. For example, in the story when Sarny is speaking, she says, "A big hand grabbed the back of my shirtdress and dragged me up off my feet so I be hanging there." We would most likely say this statement as, "A big had grabbed the back of my shirtdress, and dragged me up off of my feet so that I was hanging there." We know it's incorrect, but most Slave's did not because they did not receive proper education, if even the slightest education at all! I just think that this is important to bring up because, if Gary Paulson didn't have the Slave's talk this certain way, then the story wouldn't be the same. The Slaves wouldn't be as easily distinguished from the other people, and it wouldn't really set the tone and mood as well. It also wouldn't be as accurate, because I'm sure one of the goals in writing this book, was to make it as realistic as possible.
Now, there's one specific event that I feel reveals a lot about two certain characters. This is shown by both the word choice, and the actions the characters make. We are really able to see their true colors! I'm going to include an excerpt from the Novel to show what I mean.
"What are you doing?"
A big hand grabbed the back of my shirtdress and dragged me up off my feet so that I be hanging there.
"Tell me what you're doing." He was ugly. Pale white maggot ugly and I could smell his ugliness on him-white ugly. Stink of bad sweat and whiskey and smoke and fat food. I didn't say nothing.
He shook me like a dog shaking a rat.
....
"Don't know nothing about writing."
He hit me then. Be holding me with both hands, one on each shoulder so I'm facing him, and he quick drops one hand and hits me with his fist alongside the head as I fall.
I saw lights. Exploding colors.
"Don't lie to me. You tell me the the truth of it and I'll let you off. Where did you learn to write?"
"Don't know nothing about writing," I said again. I had dropped all the way down and was sitting in the dirt looking up at him but it put me in a bad place.
As you can see, there's a lot going on in this excerpt! We can surely see a lot about the characters Sarny (the Slave who is denying learning to write) and Clel Waller (the Slave owner who is beating Sarny). What we learn about Sarny, is that first, she is very brave. She continually denies learning to write, even though she continues to get beaten every time she lies. From the word choice of Paulson, we can see that what Waller is doing, is pretty disgusting and terrible! Sarny was hit so hard, that she saw colors! She was also being shaken like (as said in the story) a dog shaking a rat! This is alluding to the fact that Slaves are treated like animals! Though Sarny perseveres through all of the pain! The things that Clel Waller is doing to Sarny, really show us that he is a monstrous! He is really a sickening man! A large man, beating a small child is just outrageous! Though, because Sarny continues to receive the beatings and keeps her mouth shut, we can see that she values friendship. This may not be obvious by looking just at this excerpt from the story, but it does make sense. Sarny learned to write from John. As she is being shaken or hit, she could just easily let Clel Waller know that John taught her to write. All of her misery could simply end. Though, she takes the pain, to save the pain of her friend, John. She does it to protect him, showing that she values their friendship. One last thing we can see about Sarny from this excerpt, is that she thinks of her Owner as a very nasty person. She is not blind to the fact that what he is doing is unjust. We get to see what she personally thinks of Clel. Gary Paulson's word choice helps us to really see what Sarny thinks, as well. She describes Waller as ugly (we can assume not only on the outside, but on the inside), and like a maggot, and stinks of disgusting cigarettes and whisky. We don't always get to know exactly how Slaves would describe their owners, and how Sarny describes Waller, shows that she clearly dislikes him very much!
Pages: 1-End
Prompt: Describe the topic that you learned about in your Non-fiction piece. Can you relate what you've learned about to your own life?
This week, I decided to branch out a little bit. I wanted to try something new. So, I decided to read a Non-fiction piece of writing. Normally, I don't really go for Non-fiction pieces. I find them very boring to read. I would much rather lose myself in Fantasy or Fiction; genres that bring more life and interest to myself. So, I decided to pick a topic I knew nothing about. Maybe because I had no knowledge on the subject, I would find it more interesting to learn about. This showed to be true, because I learned so much factual information on Tourette Syndrome. I'm guessing very few people in our school know about Tourette Syndrome as well! It will be interesting if I start talking to someone about it, or someone reads my blog! I would love to know if they were interested in the topic because they knew nothing about it! After reading this book, I definitely think I'm going to start reading more Non-fiction. Learning about new topics and important figures and such, will really broaden my horizons to new knowledge! I've never heard of Tourette Syndrome before, and now, I can actually have an educated conversation about it! I hope to gain so much more insight on anything that I can read about, that I didn't previously know!
I've learned a lot about Tourette Syndrome through reading Tourette Syndrome By: Marlene Targ Brill. Tourette Syndrome is a condition where a person will constantly repeat a certain movement or sound, which they have no control over. The physical disorder is estimated to affect 100,000 people in the U.S. alone. The repeated sounds and movements the people make, are referred to as Tics. Tics come suddenly, and quickly, at very irregular and inappropriate times. They can be simple or complex; motor or vocal. Though they will repeat for very long periods of time. Some tics include eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, muscle tensing, grunting, sniffing, coughing, belching, barking, scratching, smelling objects, repeating others actions and words, and many more. The main trigger of a tic, is emotion. When a person with Tourette Syndrome gets very angry, or excited, or upset, the tics will begin to occur. Currently, there is no real diagnosis. Dr. Gille de la Tourette, believed that it just ran in the family. in 1960, people believed that it was a mental illness that people were born with. Even though the cause is unclear, it is definitely not contagious. To control Tourette Syndrome, you can take medication. Most parents of kids with the condition tend to opt for something different, but it's an option. Non-medication options are going on a diet. Making sure you get all of your vitamins and nutrients. Even going to therapy or getting surgery are possibilities. That's just the basics I learned about Tourette Syndrome, and it was actually much more intriguing than I originally thought it would be!
What I've learned about Tourette Syndrome can definitely relate to my own life. I learned that OCD (Obsessive Compulsion Disorder) though is not the same as Tourette Syndrome, shares a similar behavior pattern. I have never been diagnosed by a doctor as having OCD, but I can tell I have a mild form of it (to say the least). I always want everything to be perfect. I want perfect grades, I want to be perfectly organized. I'm obsessed with just being on track and, well, perfect (even if I don't always end up "on track"). What takes place of the tic, in the context of OCD is compulsion. I will randomly have the urge to organize my room, or redo an assignment. This is because I'll be stressed out about the un-organization. Then I will feel relief, but go back to the need for perfection. This is like how Tourette Syndrome works. You start off with a trigger (most likely something to cause you to feel great emotion) and then you get the tic. You start uncontrollably barking or scratching, or whatever your tic brings. Then, you are able to feel relief, but the cycle continues. So, I guess you can say I can kind of relate to Tourette Syndrome. I go through a similar "cycle" just with OCD. It's very interesting the the two disorders actually relate to each other! I found out that I have a connection to Tourette Syndrome, and I'd never even heard about it before this week!
