Final blog of the year!

My favorite activity that was done in ELA this year was the response projects. I love the freedom that is allowed on them. I didn't find anything particularly boring because I felt that I was occupied with an enjoyable book or project throughout the year. My favorite book this year was The Great Gatsby. I love it's beautifully descriptive depiction of the Roaring Twenties, it's well developed characters, and engaging plot. I truly hold all of the books that we read this year in high regard, but the one that I found the least interesting was our final book, A Raisin in the Sun. I didn't find it's plot to be very interesting, and I thought it would be a bit more action-packed instead of a cut-and-dry dysfunctional family story. The self-proposed response projects are the best thing about this class. They allow the student to further explore the book's topic, or let their thoughts and imagination flow into something creative. For this reason, I believe we should keep it the same. I really enjoy this class, and for that reason, I do not think anything should change. The only thing I disliked is a part of the grading system for seminars. I think for ELA and all other classes that involve seminars, we should get rid of the grade that is obtained by one student inviting another into the conversation. I think it teaches the student to have to rely on the others for guidance and complete support, and not speak up for themselves. Over-all, this class has been a pleasure to experience and learn from.  

Walter's quote

1. On p. 143, Walter states, "There ain't no causes - there ain't nothing but taking in this world, and he who takes the most is smartest - and it don't make a damn bit of difference how." Do you think that this is true? Why or why not?

        Walter is saying that the ones who take are smarter and stronger according to the world, not just to himself. The people who take and gain more are in control and have a significant amount of power over those who they have taken from. They are viewed as smarter and stronger by society since they succeeded in taking from other societal groups. 

A Raisin in the Sun and Harlem

I feel that Lorraine Hansberry used the line:"a raisin in the sun" for her title, because the story and the poem are both about crushed dreams. In Langston Hughes' poem, he begins with the topic of sweet things. He ends the poem with words that describe destruction and death. This is how life was for minorities during the time that the play was based. One could go about being a kind and generous person, but the results could blow up in their face if they were considered to be undesirable. This could draw a connection to the Jesus Colon story that we discussed in IHSS. He wanted to help a white woman up the subway steps because her hands were full and she had three kids. He avoided the possible fate that could have befallen him when he decided to not help her because he thought she might have been a racist.

Exiting the world of F. Scott Fitzgerald

I drove to Galveston this weekend. During my walk around the area, I couldn't help but relate the streets to the cover of The Great Gatsby. No building rose higher than three stories, everything was ancient, and painted in a solid color. Bright lights made fuzzy glows of light through the hazyness on the roads, for it had been raining earlier. Old billboards towered above everything else and I pictured two big, faded eyes glaring down at me through circular glasses. The green light signaling go over a far away intersection reminded me of the view Gatsby had of Daisy's home in East Egg. This was my farewell to finishing such an exquisite novel, with such beautiful imagery and deep symbolism.

The Great Gatsby, Houston food deserts, and myself

Comment on any connections that you were able to make between The Great Gatsby and the topics that you are exploring in IHSS and Science. How did our outings and/or the seminar contribute to your ability to make these connections.

The primary connections between The Great Gatsby and my science and IHSS class is the constant comparison between rich and poor neighborhoods. One might find that "the valley of ashes" from Gatsby might be a bit of an exaggeration, but compared to the poor neighborhoods in Houston, it wasn't very different. The Houston neighborhoods weren't filled with soot and dirt, but their grocery stores were barren and ancient. Many of the people I saw from my bus window seemed to resemble the "crumbling", tired characters that F. Scott Fitzgerald mentioned as residents of the valley of ashes. 

The West and East Eggs are places fantasizes by many, for they are the representations of the people who achieved the American Dream. The book shows how these privileged, rich people can have a plethora of issues as well as others. In other words: nothing is perfect, the American Dream is a bit of a facade for the harsh reality of the world. After realizing this, a disturbing thought crossed my mind: what if I am in the same situation as one of the debatably fortunate citizens of the eggs?  

Myrtle's death

Describe  what happens when Myrtle is killed in chapter 7. How did it happen? Who was to blame? Use textual evidence.

Myrtle seemed to be in a quarrel with her husband, George. He was sick, and he told the neighbor, Michaelis that he and his wife were moving "the day after tomorrow", and that he had Myrtle locked in the overhead apartment until then. Myrtle must have been enraged when her husband discovered her adulterous ways and finally decided to stand up to her. Their neighbor, Michaelis heard Myrtle cry out "beat me!" and then she proceeded to run out into the road with her arms flailing in the air as if she was trying to get the attention of a speeding car. One spectator of Myrtle's death recalled the car being "light green". In the order of colors on a rainbow, yellow comes just before green, which means it is a lighter color than green. In the darkness of the valley of ashes, one might mistake Gatsby's yellow car for being a pale green in the dimness. So, the culprit is either Gatsby or Daisy (but one will later find out that it was indeed, Mrs. Buchanan herself).   

Gatsby's story about himself vs. Jordan's story about Gatsby

Contrast Jay Gatsby's story about himself on p. 65 and Jordan Baker's story about Daisy and Gatsby on pp. 74-77.  What is different about these stories, and why do you think that they are different?

Gatsby portrays himself to Nick Carraway as a very take-charge, and forever successful businessman. He tells Nick that he was born to some very wealthy individuals, which he then reminds Nick that they are "all dead now". This is the first sign that he is lying about his past. When Jordan expands on her past interactions with Gatsby, he sounds like a common school-boy, who drools after a pretty, young girl like Daisy. Jordan says Daisy received calls on the daily, since she was the prettiest and most popular girl in Louisville.