To bank up to 2 points, post your extra annotated bibliography paragraphs here. You may complete a paragraph for any novel you are reading independently. In order to receive the 2 points, your paragraph must be thorough, follow the correct format, and be error free. Proofread carefully.
Format for composing an Annotated Bibliography Paragraph:
1) Compose a topic sentence that states the author and title of the novel and explains whether you liked or disliked the novel.
2) Compose 6-8 sentences that:
a) detail the main plot events (remember the paragraph should not be entirely plot summary).
b) detail how the author uses one literary device to develop the plot (characterization, theme, conflict, setting, point of view, etc.)
c) include transitions between your detail of the main plot events and your detail of the literary device.
3) Finish you paragraph with a summation sentence that restates the topic sentence by explaining why you liked or disliked the novel.
DO NOT USE "I"PHRASES ANY WHERE IN YOUR PARAGRAPH AND REMEMBER TO ITALICIZE BOOK TITLES AND THE TITLES OF PLAYS.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
31 comments:
'Animal Farm' written by George Orwell is a fascinating story that will catch everyone in a daze. This novel shows how quickly the leaders against tyranny can turn their revolutionary ideas towards totalittarianism. corrupted by the humans, a farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With outstanding idealism, and stirring sogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice and equality. The animals join together to start their own type of government, a more humane esablishment than that of their previous master Mr. Jones. The animal in charge of the farm animal's revolution is old major, and throughout his last days in the animal farm, he is seen as a symbolic figure by all the other farm animals. When old major dies, Napoleon takes his place as a revolutionary leader and corrupts old major ideal of a farm run only by animals. His rules were the seven commandment's for the animals to follow, in those seven commandmrnts, Napoleon strictly pointed out that two legs were the enemy's and four legs were good. He soon became power hungry, and established a new type of government, leaving him total control over the farm. 'George O rwell' uses charatercterization, and personifcation to explain how politcal leaders can act like animals, and vice verse. In 'George Orwell' novel Boxer represents the working classes, which are always fighting for the dream that the politcal leader illustrated for them. The conflict is when the politcal leader always addresses that he/she will provide equality and freedom among all; but yet the working class like Boxer ends up fighting for the causes that their leaders falsely promised them. The authors purpose is to explain how people with too much power can act like animals and destroy there own creation with their power. Overall too much power can only cause chaos to yourself and your follwers.
Mario Lucero
D-BLOCK
2/10/08
Maus I written by Art Spiegelman is an intriguing novel filled with romance and action, telling a story about one man and his life through WWI. The plot of this novel is about Vladek, a man who is now a grandfather. His son, Artie, comes to his house and asks Vladek to tell him the story about his life and WWI. While Vladek is telling the story, the author brings up many other characters along with many fun filled facts about WWI. Also, while the suthor id introducing the new characters, Art Speigelman tells abut their story and how everyone id related. The main characters in the story are Vladek who is a strong man and has lived his life through WWI. Artie, Vladek’s son who write’s novels. He now wants to write a novel about his fathers’ life. Nonetheless, Anja. Anja is the love of Vladek’s life. They both struggle through a hard time, but get through it. The author, Art Spiegelman, uses imagery to reflect on what is happening throughout the novel while Vladek is telling the story. This novel is good for readers who love history. It is filled with action, Romance, and many detailed facts about WWI.
Tirath Singh
B Block
" the kite runner" is an absolutely fascinating story written by khaled hosseini. the storyline is captivating and it invokes the reads interest. the story is set in afghanistan in thelate 20th century, and it itis a narrative of the life of an afghan boy nemd amir. amir happens t be bestfreinds with his servant, hassan. amir has longed for nothing more in his life than his fathers approval and one day gets his wish as he wins the kite competition in his city. during this hassan is molested by an older boy assef, and amir deserts his freind as he longs for the kite he had cut,which hasan olds in his hand tryin to protect it from assef. amirs guilt does not let him forget that day and he soon frames hassan and gets him fired, though amir knows it was not the best solution to his problem. even ten amirs paast haunts and thoughts of hassan haunt him throghout his life and soon amir hears of how hassan, who turns out to be his half brother, dies at the hands of the taliban who freed afghanistan from russia. amir feels it this way he can pay back hassan for all his loyalty and friendship. thus he heads to afghanistan to find his nehew. the uthor has woven in his story fine details and much emotion whic is what makes the reader connect with the character of amir. the sensory details are very fine in this and the author uses suspense to build the plot as amirs life unravels and out spill a bunch f secrets his father had kept from him. the kite runner is an amazing novel and i one of the most touching stories ever written , the storyline is very intense and heart warming which makess this novel all the more harder to put down.
Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman is an extrodinary graphic novel about the Holocaust. Written in first person point of view Maus is a novel about Vladeks accounts during the Holocaust. Vladek is retelling his story to his son Artie. During Vladek's life in Nazi occupied Poland Vladek has been to many concentration camps. At these camps Vladek lied about being a tinman because he knew that he would live longer. As time passed he became a friend of the guard. The guard hid him during arrangment and gave him extra bread. Vladek used the extra bread to pay a meesenger to bring letters back and forth to his wife Anja in a different part of the camp. Besides first person point of view Art Spiegelman uses conflict to convey a message to his reader. By using conflict Spiegelman details what was happening during the Holocaust, and how it affected the lives of many. The novel Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began is an exemplory novel because the storyline was very interesting.
"my sister's keeper" is a wonderful and tragic book, written by jodi picoult. the story is set in modern day long island, and it involves an intriguing set of characters, who have intricate stories that all relate to anna fitzgerald. anna is a young girl who was concieved by her parents through stem cell processes. she was mainly concieved to help cure her sister kate who is a patient of leukemia. anna on kates request hired a lawyer to seek medical emancipation from her parents.she hires a lawyer, akexander campbell, who helps her achive emancipation. the stroy is reiveting and the plot is very family oriented and highlights the differenc between whats right and whats fair. the story is very intriguing as well as tragically touching. this book is defintielt a keepr, and a must have for anyone who likes a tragic tale.
The Adventures of Sherlock Homes by Conan Dyle was a very intriguing and mysterious story. The king of Bohemia is in danger of losing the trust of his subjects and his marriage. The king whose name is Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigmond Von Ormstien had a secret affair with Irene Adler. Irene Adler now has some picture of her and the king together. She has started blackmailing him and asking for money. She has somehow duplicated the king’s seal. He came to Sherlock Homes and Mr. Watson to help out with the problem.
The story is properly placed in the home of Sherlock Home’s apartment was very tightly packed but neatly organized. There was a dull but pulling atmosphere in the air. The mysterious and intriguing way the story was put out really captured my interest. I recommend this book to readers who love mystery books. The mystery that surrounds this book just makes me want to read it.
Reuben Gunasingh
B-Block
1/14/07
Anthony Nival said...
A Child Called It by Dave Peltzer was both an inspiring and controversial story. A child is severely abused by his unstable, emotional, and alcoholic mother. At first the child named Dave had a Brady Bunch family and was happy as can be, but things soon would change dramatically. Out of nowhere an emotionally unstable mother took out her drunken rages onto Dave and him only. She would "play" torturous games that were a nightmare but fun to her. In one of her games Dave's mother mixes ammonia and Clorox cleaning chemicals, and sets it in the bathroom with Dave inside; therefore nearly choking him to death as if he were in a gas chamber. This disgusting behavior continued for treacherous months at an interminable pace. But Dave’s prayers were later answered when at a normal day at school he was taken to a police station and promised to never return back to the abusive life he has known for such a long time. Dave’s drunken mother was later arrested for battery of a young child and was put in jail for a long time. When Dave grew up he later wrote A Child Called It and it is a Newberry honor. One literary device that Peltzer uses in the book is suspense. The way that he explains every torture device that happened to him by his awful mother has you feeling as if you are in his shoes. When reading this book your stomach turns because of each example he gives, and the feeling you have is to just want to go through the book and save him from that monster.
Anthony Nival
H block
" The Kite Runner" is an absolutely fascinating story, written by Khaled Hosseini. the storyline is captivating and it invokes the reads interest. the story is set in afghanistan in the late 20th century, and it it is a narrative of the life of an afghan boy named Amir. Amir happens to be best freinds with his servant, hassan, who is very loyal to Amir. Amir has longed for nothing more in his life than his fathers approval, and one day god grants his wish as he wins the kite competition in his city. during this Hassan is molested by an older boy Assef, and amir deserts his freind as he longs for the kite he had won in the competition,which Hassan caught and holds in his hand trying to protect it from Assef. Amirs guilt does not let him forget that day and he soon frames hassan and gets him fired, though amir knows it was not the best solution to his problem.Amir then flees from his country with his father to america, as the russian army invades Afghanistan. Even then amirs past haunts him and thoughts of hassan plague him throughout his life and soon amir hears of how hassan, who turns out to be his half brother, dies at the hands of the taliban who freed afghanistan from russia. amir feels it this way he can pay back hassan for all his loyalty and friendship. thus he heads to afghanistan to find his nehew. the uthor has woven in his story fine details and much emotion whic is what makes the reader connect with the character of amir. the sensory details are very fine in this and the author uses suspense to build the plot as amirs life unravels and out spill a bunch of secrets his father had kept from him. the kite runner is an amazing novel and one of the most touching stories ever written , the storyline is very intense and heart warming which makess this novel all the more harder to put down.
Face On The Milk Carton written by Caroline Cooney is a moving and exciting novel. Fifteen year olf Janie Johnson attends school in Connecticut with her two best friends Sara and Adair. Janie is lactose intolerant, so she never drinks the milk from the school lunch. One day druing lunch, she decided to pick up Saraha's milk carton and read the missing child panel. She sees a young girl who is wearing a red collard dress like the one she used to own. She continues to read the information, and examines the photograph more closely. Janie is shocked to recongize it is her on the milk carton. She has been going through so much, with schoolwork, boyfriend problems, worried about passing her road test, and now this. Her friends continued to tell her it couldn't be her, but Janie is convinced it is. After school, Janie rushes home and heads straight towards the attic, where pictures of the family and what not were stored in dusty old boxes. After searching high and low, she finds the same exact photo that was on the milk carton. Miranda her 'Mother' comes up and questions Janie what she was doing, but Janie did not wish to speak about it right now. Janie just wanted some time to herself, and time to think. This book is so alluring and really captured my interest. I like the fact it is about a fifteen year old girl's life, where I can realte to her in some ways. Unlike some boring books, which do not capture my attention. The author, Caroline Cooney, speaks to the reader in first person. This novel is also based on a true story. So far, Im not so far into the book, but I really enoy reading it. I would recommend this book to any highschool student, or just anybody who enjoys a good, fascinating, overwhelming novel.
Ally Beals
G Block
Night written by Eli Weisel is a very Interesting and emotional book. This book is about the authors experience during the Holocaust and how it felt to be torn away from his family. He was taken from his home in Sighet, Transylvannia and was sent to a concentration camp.He struggled to survive and he explains how he thought there was no value for life. If he didnt describe his emotion in the story the reader wouldn’t of really understood his view his writting is very descriptive and gives the reader a great illustration of the situation. So far this book is a very intresting story on a struggle for survival in a concentration camp.. there is more to find out.
Samantha Wong A Block
The novel, It's Not the End of the World , by Judy Blume was an excellent story. The story involves a lot of conflict in the life of a young girl who was trying to manage through life easily. The main character, Karen Newman, is twelve years old. She lives with her mother and father, her older brother Jeff, and her younger sister Amy. Karen has a normal life and a normal family, or at least that's what she thought. She thought everything was perfect until her parents began fighting constantly. They fought almost every night. Eventually, over time, her parents decided that they must get a divorce. Karen had never been through something so horrible like this before and she didn't know how to react to it. She didn't know how to feel or how to act. Karen had many emotions running through her mind and she was confused. The main plot/conflict in this novel was that Karen's parents were getting divorced. In the novel, the author Judy Blume uses a great deal of characterization to make the novel explode with greatness. The author uses characterization in the novel because she describes each character in the novel throughly.
Judy Blume explains each and every character that comes into the novel. The point of the novel is that when something knocks you down, to just get back up again and keep on trying, because it's not the end of the world. This novel was very good and can teach kids today a valuable lesson in life. It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume, was also spectacular because it had a good story line and kept me hooked on it the whole time.
by angela matrone
A Block
1/16/08
The novel, It's Not the End of the World , by Judy Blume was an excellent story. The story involves a lot of conflict in the life of a young girl who was trying to manage through life easily. The main character, Karen Newman, is twelve years old. She lives with her mother and father, her older brother Jeff, and her younger sister Amy. Karen has a normal life and a normal family, or at least that's what she thought. She thought everything was perfect until her parents began fighting constantly. They fought almost every night. Eventually, over time, her parents decided that they must get a divorce. Karen had never been through something so horrible like this before and she didn't know how to react to it. She didn't know how to feel or how to act. Karen had many emotions running through her mind and she was confused. The main plot/conflict in this novel was that Karen's parents were getting divorced. In the novel, the author Judy Blume uses a great deal of characterization to make the novel explode with greatness. The author uses characterization in the novel because she describes each character in the novel throughly.
Judy Blume explains each and every character that comes into the novel. The point of the novel is that when something knocks you down, to just get back up again and keep on trying, because it's not the end of the world. This novel was very good and can teach kids today a valuable lesson in life. It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume, was also spectacular because it had a good story line and kept me hooked on it the whole time.
by angela matrone
A Block
1/16/08
Briana Kohm
D-block
2/10/08
The novel Black Boy by Richard Wright is an intriguing novel about a young black boy growing up with many conflicts, such as racism and striving to be better than others. When Richard was only four years old, he burnt his house down which resulted in him being beaten. With such a religious, violent and strict family growing up was hard. His father abandons the family leaving the mother to take care of her two sons alone. Having the troubles Richard had as a child truly changed and traumatized his life. This made him trust no one and do everything on his own, hoping to be successful one day. As Richard grew older he faced many struggles. Trying to find a job was difficult because the color of his skin was black. Even hunger became a familiar thing to him and his family. While struggling for a job, he raises enough money to move with his aunt to Chicago. Once there, he raises money to send for the rest of the family. In Chicago tragedy follows them. Richard’s mother grows sick causing her to have a stroke and become crippled for the rest of her life. In response, Richard began reading and writing, which his family felt was a sin, but Richard developed a talent and newfound career. Only his mother supported him. As a result, Richard Wright learned to better himself by having others strengthen him as a child. Instead of having things handed to him, he was terribly beaten which made him stronger. Richard also learned not to let people judge him for his color, personality and knowledge. Not only did whites criticize him, but other blacks tried to bring him down. This was because he was a black man looking for success. This book truly opened my eyes to the fact that we should all do what Richard did, and learn to become stronger from our past experiences without letting them bring us down.
The book Maus 1 and Maus 2 by Art Spiegelman is a very well written book series. The book is written for the reader to view the holocaust through the eyes of the Jewish people. The book uses mices, cats, and dogs to make the book feel less dramatic and more comical. Spiegelman revolves the book around his father and what he did to survive. Spiegelman uses personification to give human like qualities to animals. Spiegelman uses personification by making the Nazi cats seem like power hungry monsters. The Jewish mice are innocent and wise, and the American dogs are kind but aggressive. The book pushes the reader into this evil place and makes them stay their until the book ends. The characters are well drawn making the Nazis look like soulless beings and the Americans look like battle ready heroes. Overall this book deserves an eight out of ten for being such a dramatic reenactment of what happened during those times.
Shawn Cybulska
Block-B
2/10/08
The Motorcycle Diaries is an exciting novel about Ernesto Che Guevara, the author, and his journey with his friend throughout South America. Their journey started from Argentina, making their way up to Venezuela, and finally reaching the USA. Ernesto and his friend, Alberto Granado, meet many different kinds of people and find themselves in many various predicaments. At one point in the novel, Ernesto and Alberto find themselves in a small village full of people who are extremely ill, where Ernesto and Alberto must decide whether to help these villagers or not. Some life lessons are found in Ernesto's novel. Ernesto writes about these life lessons from a first-person point of view. The author makes good use of sensory details; however, the literary device that caught my attention was Che's use of personification. In the beginning, he used personification to describe the sea, stating that the sea is a friend that listens to everyone's secrets and keeps them to itself. The use of personification hooks me into the story and allows me to understand the author's feelings much more clearly. Therefore, The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara is a superb novel for the life lessons the story brings to view and its use of personification.
Michael Appelgate
H block
The novelIn the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a poignant tale of courage and hope, as much an inspiration as it is a tragedy. It is a wonderful rich tale which skillfully weaves facts and fiction to a gut-wrenching climax. In the book, there are four Mirabel sisters named Patria, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Dede who live in a country shadowed by dictatorship and despair. Eventually at the end of the book, all three of the sisters die except for one; Dede. Before the death of the sisters, all four of them speak across the decades to tell their own stories. They begin to describe the everyday horrors of life under the Dominican dictator Trujillo. One of the literary devices used by the author is conflict. The author uses conflict between the Mirabel family and a guy named Lio to later on develop the plot. Minerva Mirabel had met Lio through her cousin Mario. Little did Minerva know that Lio was an enemy of state and also a communist. He was thrown out of the country several times because of fighting against the regime. Minerva fell in love with Lio and this caused chaos through out the book because police are looking all over for Lio and now that Minerva is involved with him, it brings her more trouble. If the dictator ever finds out, god knows what’s going to happen to her. Not only is Lio hiding, but he puts Minerva in danger by inviting her to leave the country with him. If Minerva does choose to go along with him, she would be putting herself and her family at risk. This novel is very compelling and vivid. Its evocation of everyday life in military dictatorship, with its informers and paranoia, ranges from the comical to chilling.
Ashley Suechee H-block
The mists of avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradly is a very suspenseful and moving novel. The story takes place in old britian and is expressed in the eyes of the woman. The gripping tale shows how the woman played such a huge role in the time. Marion Zimmer Bradley uses such thought and describtion to describe her characters I feeel like I am in the book. She always makes me think what will happen next and that is the reason why I will keep reading
Ryan Mclean
A- Block
"Falen Angels" writen by Walter Dean Myers is a war story about the viet cong war. it's a journal entry by Richard Perry who is drafted into the army. when he gets there he meets many friends and they are johnson(the m60 machin gunner)Lobel( who becomes captain later on) Pewee (Perry's best friend who stays with him through the book) and Jamal( the medic for Perry's troop).
The book tells a fascinating story about friend ship thruogh the book between Pewee and Perry. this frienship was tested when the troop they are with is ambushed by the viet congs and cut down. Pewee and Perry are stuck together and hide.they end up being wounded in action after finding thier troop and get sent home. thisis a story of heroism.
derik hubbard A-Block
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden was a very interesting book. The story takes place in Kyoto, Japan and is where the main character Chiyo (who was later named Sayuri) is sent to become a geisha because her family could no longer care for her. Becoming a geisha was a very difficult thing to do and dealt with taking many different classes and trying to become everything that a man would find attractive. Throughout the story you see Chiyo struggle with the process of becoming a geisha and is faced with many conflicts. Like the older geisha in her home that treated her very poorly or being separated from her sister. When she finally becomes a geisha she struggles with becoming popular and must compete with many others. In the book the author uses setting to make the book realistic. If the story had taken place anywhere but Japan it wouldn’t have been the same. The setting made the story much more believable since what a geisha did would be considered a much less respectful occupation in other countries during the time. What the geisha did would seem like a mixture of gold digging and prostitution so if it had taken place in somewhere like the United States it wouldn’t have the same culture value. Overall the book was about a very interesting topic and was an original type of story that really caught the attention of the reader.
Josephine Barone
D-Block
Story of a Girl is an exciting story about a teenage girl named Deanna. The author, Sara Zarr had put a lot of interesting hooks and turns in the novel. Deanna had a hard family life after her father caught in the back of a car with an older boy, Tommy. Her father has never forgiven her after that day, but in this novel she works on finding forgiveness. Tommy spread nasty rumors about Deanna, which makes the whole school aware of what happened. Everyone called her the school slut. Deanna had only two close friends, and she tried to have a close relationship with her older brother. But Darren (Deanna’s older brother) is struggling as teenage parents. When Tommy comes back into Deanna's life she notices he still torments her. She then finds a way to work through problems with Tommy, and her family, and her friends are always there in the end.
Vanessa Cucuzza
Mrs. Provosti
A:block
'The Kite Runner', written by Khaled Hosseini is a moving and extrodinary novel Amir, the main character,'s life is transformed. I just began reading this book, but so far I am very impressed. At first, I thought this book was way too thick. As I continued to read further into the novel, it got much better. Khaled Hosseini uses many literary devices I have learned in Mrs.Kaplan and Provosti's class. I have noticed He uses large worded transitions.
-Jake D. A Block
Colors of the Mountain<\i> written by Da Chen, is a story that is very moving, and thoughtful. It is a true story about a boy named Da and his struggles that he goes through while growing up. Chen was the grandson of a landlord which rendered his entire family pariahs during the Cultural Revolution. They were considered outcasts because of there race. And though initially an excellent student, he was ostracized in school and told he could never attend college. Chen was regularly beaten to a pulp by other children and, despite performing at the top of his class, he was repeatedly denied the right to continue at school. Da responded by making friends with a group of young thugs who drank, smoked, and gambled, but were kind to him. After Mao, his sister, died in 1976the juvenile delinquent discovered that higher education might be available to him after all. Scoring among the top 2% of the country, the 14-year-old Chen achieved his dream of attending Beijing Language Institute. At the age of 23 Da wins a scholarship to attend Columbia Law School, and later landed a job on Wall Street and married a doctor. Despite the devastating circumstances of his childhood and adolescence, Chen recounts his coming of age with arresting simplicity. The novel is read through first person narrator Da Chen. The author uses characterization and sensory detail to lure the reader deeper into the interesting and humorous story. The book is recommended for its inspirational message.
-Kristine Munoz
-B Block
-Mrs. Kaplan
X-Rated Bloodsuckers by Mario Acevedo is a funny twist on old vampire folklore. It is the second book, the first being Nymphos of Rocky Flats. Like its predecessor, the book stars private detective Felix Gomez and this time he has to take on Los Angeles. When approached by porn star Katz Meow, she wants Felix to investigate the murder of once friend and fellow porn star Roxy Bronze. Mario Acevedo uses much of his usual style of literary devices by making the book by the first person point of view and makes Felix describe certain things as if you could picture them directly. This book so far has been great and I look forward to finish reading it.
Bryan Rivell
A Block
Nothing But The Truth is a documentary type novel about ninth grader Philip Malloy, which is an interesting read. Avi switches points of view in this book throughout the novel to show how every character is feeling or reacting to a certain situation, one of those several characters is Philip. Philip is a typical teenager; he likes to make jokes and is athletic. Philip enjoys running and weirdly enough, singing along to the “Star Spangled Banner”, which plays during morning announcements. Miss Narwin, Philip’s new homeroom teacher notices his singing and calls it a disturbance, so she kicks out Philip and sends him to the assistant principal for punishment. He ends up receiving a two-day suspension. Nothing But The Truth shows every character’s points of view toward his suspension. Philip states that it was a sign of patriotism, people think otherwise. Though I have not finished this novel yet, I think this book is very good to read, and how many things do not have only one view on a subject.
Allison Lee
A Block
Ms. Prevosti
Island Of The Blue Doplhins is a spellbinding fictional book with a great storyline, and begins with an excellent plot. The author of Island of Blue Doplhins uses a first person view of the main charecter Julia. The stroy is set in a small town in Portugal, at the beginning of World War I. Julia and her brother James are sent off to Columbia where their grandfather lives, because their mother is worried about them getting caught in the middle of the war. The small ship that was sent was bombarded with cannon fire from an enemy ship. Julia is sent off in a life boat, and a couple of days later, James and her find themselfs on a deserted island. Both siblings struggle with survival, while they wonder if they will ever get off the island. Afterwards, James gets killed by a pack of savage wolfs, and Julia is all alone. Julia struggles with her depression and her lack of ability, and is able to survive throughout a period of two months. After two months, ships find Julia, and leave the island. All in all, Julia reunites with her family once more, but without James. The author uses the mood in the story to manipulate the readers thoughts of a happy day, to a dreadful nightmare. In addition, Irony played a great deal in the stroy, since the entire novel was based on the idea of so many unfortuante things happening. Also, the author uses many of the main charecters flashbacks and memories to find out Julia's past. Even more so, the author uses Soliloquy to give the reader the distinct felling of Julia losing hope, and going insane. All in all, Island Of The Blue Dolphins was an extrodinary book about courage, sorrow, and will power to hold out against all odds.
Vincent Arcello
H Block
Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir Boy. New York: Penguin Books USA,1987. Kaffir boy is a revealing story that shows the effects of European invasions in South Africa. Mark Mathanabe, the main character and the author goes through a rough life in his youth. From poverty, cruel police officers and a racist father, Mathanabe faced problems his whole youth. Eventually, Mathanabe uses his tennis skills, and academic success to go an American college with a scholarship. In Kaffir boy the themes that are shown seem to cause the suffering, for Mark and his family. One of the major themes that appear in the story is the abuse of power; the abuse of power is blamed on the government of the time. Mathabane accuses the government for allowing the white men to hold powerful positions; while they are the minority and don’t deserve to make decisions according to his opinion. The author shows how placing the white men in power caused the turmoil of many individuals in Southern Africa. Another theme expressed is the racist inequality found in the Mark’s society. Throughout the story white people in Africa seem to benefit from freedom and wealth compared to the others. This inequality is what caused Mark to attempt to break through the social barriers, and reach the same status as the white men both in Africa and later in America. Kaffir boy turned out be story full of emotion and intensity, which made it a great read.
Simit Christian
D block
3/18/08
Imani in Young Love and Deception by Jackie Hardrick,is an amazing book about six teenagers who go through many different ups and downs. Their lifestyles are all connected in some way and are about love and the deception many teenagers go through. Hardrick uses characterization to descibe each characters difficult problems. Imani, the main character, breaks through how people percieve her as being the ugly jock with no boyfriend. Imani make a life changing decision and stands up to the mean, slut, cheerleader. In my life, I feel connected to her because I am always that girl who has beautiful friends but guys don't really talk to. Hardwick describes everything in slang and it is relevant to young black people.
Post a Comment