Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Ms. Prevosti

Semester 1 Final Blog Paragraph

Please post a 6-8 sentence paragraph that analyzes one literary technique in your Independent Reading Book for the end of Semester 1. This paragraph should include a topic sentence, details from the book, analysis about how the author uses that literary technique, and a summary sentence.

16 comments:

Emily Fauske said...

In the novel, "Tuesdays with Morrie," by Mitch Albom the author uses first person narration to explain to the reader the stories and experiences of his life. Throuhgout this book Mitch Albom learns many important life lessons from his professor, Morrie Schwartz. He teaches him about culture, life, love and much more. As he learns more and more every Tuesday; he begins to understand forgetting the things of this world and excepting lifes greatest lessons. "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they are chasing the wring things. The way you get meaning into your life is devoting yourself to others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." (Albom 43) Because of the lessons Morrie taught Mitch not only will he live a life with better meaning and understanding, but so does the reader.

Emily Fauske
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Christian Luk said...

The book I read was "Tuesdays with Morrie," by Mitch Albom. This novel is a collection of memories of every Tuesday that Mitch spends with this dying professor. In every visit Morrie guides and teaches Mitch life choices and life teachings. "He was intent on proving that the word "dying" was not synonymous with the word "usesless"" (Albom 12)this quote shows Morries determination to make the best of the time he still has. The thing that Morrie teaches Mitch is thatt the things that usually define a persons life is not very important. Things like money, wealth, and fame really should not be what someone looks for in life. things like love recognition and time is the most important. And Morrie is right, our Morales and needs are way out of focus and not where they should be. Morrie knowing that he will die soon lets him view things in a completely different way. Morrie appreciates things more and is able to tell that to Mitch. The most important lesson that Morrie passes on is Forgiveness because if you do not forgive you will eventually regret it because you might have lost something or someone important to you. In many ways life lessons are only realized when they are too late, when people are about to die. It is THEN that they realize it and it is too late. That is why morrie wants to talk to Mitch all the time, he wants to tell everyone how to embrace death and use it as something good; a catalyst to learn.

HeY! warD said...

Hayward Yatco
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In the book, "Tuesdays With Morrie", by Mitch Albom, theme was important to the author. Mitch had Morrie as a college teacher. Morrie was Mitch's favorite teacher and they would meet every tuesday. Morrie was told by his doctor that he has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), unforgiving illness of the neurological. Mitch would visit Morrie every Tuesday and bring him food and keep him companied. Theme was important because Mitch shows his love and care by taking care of him and realizes that it wasnt the fod that Mitch brought him everyweek; however, it was the time Mitch spent with Morrie and how much he loved him. "All the love you created is still there.All the memories are still there. You live on- in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here."(Albom 174) That was the message Mitch Albom was telling the readers and how the reader can learn the lessons Mitch is trying to tell.

Anonymous said...

Megan del Rosario
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In the novel, "The Color of Water," by James Mcbride, Mcbride uses the theme of racial polarization to help the reader understand about the context of his and his mother's stories. He writes both his autobiography and a tribute to the life of his mother, Ruth McBride. The way Mcbride uses the technique of combining his own life story in and out of his mother's story allows us to learn about the lives of mother and son in the situation of both stories. James also compares the story of his mother's young adulthood with the story of his own young adulthood. "Boston was not an easy place to have a racial identity crisis either. Its racial problems are complicated, spilling over into matters of class, history, politics, even education. It was more then I wanted to face, and I had to run." (Mcbride 204) He reached a point where he had an indecision regarding his career, due to his confusion about his own racial identity. Because of both the telling James' life story and Ruth's life story, the reader can understand what they both had to deal with due to their race.

Andrea Puno said...

In Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, Albom displays conflict throughout the novel. The major conflict within the novel is the struggle of Morrie Schwartz, Mitch's former professor in sociology with a disease known as ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Mitch consistently visits Morrie every Tuesdays to keep him company and have discussions about the true meaning of life. Morrie's condition worsens as time went by, though he tries to detach himself from his fears and sufferings for he is willing to accept his death. "The truth is, Mitch..once you learn how to die, you learn how to live" (Albom 82). Time is precious in everyone's lives and that we must use every moment of our time wisely appreciating the wonderful blessings we have here on Earth. Mitch learns this from Morrie's lessons which inspired him to look at life from a different perspective. Both Mitch and Morrie learn to grapple within the acceptance of aging and death as their "last thesis together".

Jennifer Siliato said...

In the book, "The Color of Water" by James McBride the author uses direct characterization and conflict to show the different situations in the book. James and his mother Ruth's stories differ with religion, family, personality, and heartache. In the book you are directly told the race, religion and appearence of people to show the seperation of religions at that time. There's a lot of conflict between Ruth's jewish religion when she was younger and the area that she was raised in. Many conflicts also occured when Ruth fell in love with a black man and abandoned her jewish family for a new life as a christian. As Ruth's husband dies her family starts to deteriate starting a new chapter and new conflicts in her life. Her children were half black and half white and raised christian, which aroused a lot of confusion in their lives. The author used direct characterization because of the many different cultures the children are introduced to. "I thought it would be easier if we were just one color, black or white."(McBride 86) Both conflict and direct characterization are tied together in the story with the time periods and situations. The differences in apperence and people taught the family lesson's on life and how to live, and the author used these literary devices to show the importance of differences.


Jennifer Siliato
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Nasir Kujenya said...

In the novel, "Tuesdays With Morrie", by Mitch Albom, the author uses characterization to describe the character Morrie. Morrie was old and he was diagnosed with ALS and he was going die soon. Mitch began to visit it him and he quickly noticed how his appearance changed. He remembered Morrie from when he taught Mitch as a student at Brandeis. " The skin from his wrist to is knuckles was dotted with age spots, and it was loose, like skin hanging from a chicken soup bone" (Albom 35). In this book Mitch would often describe how Morrie's skin was very saggy and aged compared to when he first knew him.

Gary Golub said...

in the color of water, the author uses characterization to tell how each character plays a role in the book. "im dead" mcbride pg.1, she is saying that she feels like she is dead. this book has to sides to it. one side is a jewish girl and the other side is a black boy with a jewish mother. the girls name is ruth, she is forced to leave her hometown because she used to see a black person when you werent allowed to.she was forced to move to new york. the black boy just has a jewish mother and is wondering why his mom looks different from all the others. characterization is used as a very important literary technique in this book.

Philip Aleman said...

In the novel "The Things They Carried" by Tim Obrien, the author uses scenery to visualize the surroundings for the reader. The story takes place in vietnam during the war. There are quite a few battle scenes in the book, and the author uses scenery to help you better understand what is going on."The lake bed had been dug out by the southernmost advance of the wisconsin glacier. Fed by neither stream nor springs, the lake was often filthy and algaed, relying on fickle prairie rains for replenishment" (Obrien p138). Scenery plays an important role in this story, it helps the battle scenes seem more real. It makes the book more enjoyable.

Anonymous said...

Michael Luppino
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In The “Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, O’Brien uses setting and plot to represent the atmosphere of war. Each chapter O’Brien switches the situation with memories of the chaotic war moments. Brien puts the reader inside the story into an atmosphere of confusion and chaos; each chapter is putting the reader through a flash back of O’Brien’s past. Through Brien’s dark past of warfare and combat, he is in remembrance with his memories is stained with him to his present point in time. “Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can’t remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story.” (O’Brien 38) This quote refers to how much of an impact stories make in the lives of people. O’Brien uses various settings and plots in “Things They Carried” to fit O’Brien’s description of his personal experiences during war.

Christian Luk said...

The book I read was "Tuesdays with Morrie," by Mitch Albom. This novel is a collection of memories of every Tuesday that Mitch spends with this dying professor. Flashbacks are used often in this book. Each flashback served a purpose. "We met beyond the classroom, just to talk" (Albom 46) this quote shows the relationship between Morrie and Mitch. It shows that Morrie was more than a teacher to Mitch. it also gives the author a more sad feeling. The purpose of these flashbacks are to explain the significance of the previous chapters. it explains why THAT moment and not the others.

Nicholas Bonet said...

In the novel "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien the author uses mood to tell the relationship between the characters. They all seem to get along but there are points in the book in which characters are comforting one another or are mad at one another. Many times though the characters just argue with each other because of an event. "Like cement, Kiowa whispered in the dark. I swear to God-boom,down. Not a word.
I've heard this, said Norman Bowker.
A pisser, you know? Still zipping himself up. Zapped while zipping.
All right, fine. That's enough.
Yeah, but you had to see it, the guy just-
I heard, man. Cement. So why not shut the f*** up?" (O'Brien 17). The mood let's the reader know what the relationship between characters may have at different times. The author may have chosen to do this so that the reader knows that not all military men necessarily get along great, even during war. This shows that the author uses mood very well to describe character feelings in "The Things They Carried".

Jennifer Carullo said...

Jennifer Carullo
G Block

In the novel, "The Color of Water," James Mcbride uses direct characterization to tell the audience about different situatuions during his life. The book is split between James and his mother Ruth, and their storys are completely different. The storys differ between religion, family and struggles that they have been through. James' mother grew up a completley different way James' and his siblings did. James Mcbride writes both him and his mothers story's and he goes into enough detail that it feels like your hearing it from the direct sorce. He thooughly explains how different he was from the other kids being that he had a white mother, and he and all his brothers and sisters were black. "I thought it would be easier if we were just one color, black or white."(McBride 86) Mcbride is trying to let the readers understand that he had a hard time growing up, but it taught him the real importances of life and how to act and react to regular everyday situations. In this book James Mcbride uses characterization to tell of the struggles of life.

Anonymous said...

In the story of, "The curious incident of the dog in the night-time" by Mark Haddon, the author Mark Haddon uses direct characterization to show the personality of the main character Christopher. Throughout the story Christopher points out many of the things he doesn't like, which make him who he is. At the beginning of the story when Christopher discovers the neighbors dog, Wellington, lying on the front law dead Christopher is approached by a police man. The police man asks christopher a series of question like, did you kill the dog, is this your pitchfork. "He was asking to many questions and he was asking them too quickly, they were stacking up in my head like loaves"(christopher 7). Christopher then says "Th policeman took hold of my arm and lifted me onto my feet. I didnt like him touching me like this. And this is when i hit him"(christopher 8). Christopher directly tells the reader he does not like people touching him instead of hinting it to the reader. Overall Mark Haddon uses direct characterization in the story by telling the reader Christopher's inner feelings.

Sean Geissler
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AzmiC said...

In the Novel "The Things They Carried" by Tim Obrien which uses the sensory detail visualization to help the reader understand what's going on in the story. This story is during the vietnam war. The story has some battle scenes which sensory helps understand the visualization of that part."It was the fear , mostly, buti felt wobbly, and then I had a sinking sensation, ears plugged up, as if I'd gone deep under water.(Obrien pg 189)Sensory helps understand the story more better.

Sals' academic life said...

In the story, "The things they Carried," by Tim O' Brien
the literary technique of imagery by showing and describing what he saw during his service at war. The story first starts off as O' Brien describing the parts of war and weapons. Then towards the end of the story O' Brien speaks in detail about the events that have happened and makes them one. The quote from a passage which shows imagery of sight is "The grenade made a popping noise- not soft but not loud either- not loud either-not what I'd expected-and there was a puff of dust and smoke-a small white puff - and the young man seemed to jerk upward as if pulled by invisible wires" (O'Brien 133). The way the author describes the person being jerked by a grenade. That is how the author talks about his life through imagery.


Salvatore Barone

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