Looking back on quarter one I see that I have made many improvements and I now have more to look forward to as the school year continues. The work required for enriched English 10 seemed overwhelming at the beginning of the year but by now I'm beginning to appreciate the results that it pays. At this time I see myself as a better writer and in general a more prepared high school student.
My edline report tells the story of my English experience. One hundred percent scores reflect times when I have studied or prepared for a quiz or assignment. Low scores represent when I have not been prepared. This fact has taught me that I need to work hard to get good grades. I am fully capable of getting an A on each and every assignment, it is all a matter of effort. Looking at my percentage for the quarter, 92.6%, I have become determined to break that barrier that I am so close to and get past 93% for an A.
One area that I believe I am not totally capable of getting 100% in is essays. Although I can make a good essay that may get an A I am still in the process of learning how to write great essays. I look forward to the end of the year when I will be able to work efficiently and effectively at making a well crafted essay. At this point in time however I do not have enough practice and still have a lot to learn. This is where the effort can really pay off. Thus far I am a better english student than I was at the beginning, but the work will continue and further improvements will be made.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
OR post #5
How is this novel similar to other pieces of literature (poems, novels, films) that we have studied in class?
The theme of going against society that is prevalent in On The Waterfront is found in the novel Until the Streetcars Come Back by Stanley Gordon West. In the novel, Cal is faced with a difficult situation with a friend who has an abusive father. He can't tell anyone because they would tell the police and that may get Gretchen killed. Gretchen made Cal promise to keep his mouth shut as she says "You need to promise!" (West 157). The policeman that Cal calls only wants to know her name so he can send someone to investigate but there lies the same problem. Cal can't tell anyone about Gretchen's situation because of the possibility of making it worse. Because of this Cal takes a big risk by framing her father. This risk is similar to the risks that Terry in On the Waterfront takes when he testifies against Johnny Friendly and puts himself in serious danger. Both characters decided to do what they thought was morally correct and took the consequences but could say that they did the right thing.
An abusive parent lies within the plot of both Until the Streetcars Come Back and The 400 Blows. In the novel, Gretchen's father abuses her and therefore creates a disdain for her father in Gretchen. She fears him and knows that he does not care about her. In fact he abuses her, getting her pregnant and killing the baby in front of her (West 202). This unhealthy relationship leads to Gretchen leading a strange and isolated life in society, lacking a father. In the film The 400 Blows, Antoine, the main character, has an uncaring and apathetic mother. In the Antoine is aware of the fact that she does not care for him as he talks to the psychologist at the Observation Center. One of the reasons he is at the Observation is because of the poor decisions he made which may have been preventable with the support of a caring mother. As we see, in both the novel and the film, the lack of proper parenting renders the children strange and troublesome.
The theme of going against society that is prevalent in On The Waterfront is found in the novel Until the Streetcars Come Back by Stanley Gordon West. In the novel, Cal is faced with a difficult situation with a friend who has an abusive father. He can't tell anyone because they would tell the police and that may get Gretchen killed. Gretchen made Cal promise to keep his mouth shut as she says "You need to promise!" (West 157). The policeman that Cal calls only wants to know her name so he can send someone to investigate but there lies the same problem. Cal can't tell anyone about Gretchen's situation because of the possibility of making it worse. Because of this Cal takes a big risk by framing her father. This risk is similar to the risks that Terry in On the Waterfront takes when he testifies against Johnny Friendly and puts himself in serious danger. Both characters decided to do what they thought was morally correct and took the consequences but could say that they did the right thing.
An abusive parent lies within the plot of both Until the Streetcars Come Back and The 400 Blows. In the novel, Gretchen's father abuses her and therefore creates a disdain for her father in Gretchen. She fears him and knows that he does not care about her. In fact he abuses her, getting her pregnant and killing the baby in front of her (West 202). This unhealthy relationship leads to Gretchen leading a strange and isolated life in society, lacking a father. In the film The 400 Blows, Antoine, the main character, has an uncaring and apathetic mother. In the Antoine is aware of the fact that she does not care for him as he talks to the psychologist at the Observation Center. One of the reasons he is at the Observation is because of the poor decisions he made which may have been preventable with the support of a caring mother. As we see, in both the novel and the film, the lack of proper parenting renders the children strange and troublesome.
OR post #4
How do the characters face the conflicts and how does going through these conflicts help the characters to learn more about themselves?
As stated in the previous post, Cal the main character faces his conflict with Gretchen, the daughter of an abusive father. One step he takes to face this conflict is to do whatever he can to get her father out of her life and stop him from abusing her. To do this Cal has the idea of framing her father for stealing a bunch of liquor and smashing his car in the front window of the liquor store. he followed through with the plan and eventually her father was sent to prison for all the heinous crimes he committed (West 264). Cal chose to go to such lengths because he is not able to go straight to the police for fear that an investigation would warn Gretchen's father and that because Gretchen said so, he would probably kill her if he sensed trouble. In the process of framing him however, Cal got in trouble with the law for stealing liquor to act as her father's and was not able to watch his classmates graduate at the end of the year (West 272). Cal is able to learn that he is a soft person and can care for people by going to such great measures to save a girl's life. His sacrifices do not go to waste as Gretchen, her mother and two sisters live free as her father sits in jail. Cal stats that he regrets nothing as he says, "I was glad I did what I did!" (West 273). Cal does a good deed and learns that he is a good man.
Gretchen Lutterman has a very grave conflict with her abusive father. After killing her baby, that he conceived, he tells Gretchen that if she tells anyone about what he did he will claim that she was the one who killed the baby. Because of this and the threatening demeanor of her father throughout her life Gretchen leads a life in fear. It took guts for her to seek help from Cal and risk her life. We see a glimpse of her anxiety when Cal takes her to Minneapolis during school and Gretchen throws a fit worrying that her father who was at work in St. Paul would find her. Gretchen shows new colors as she goes against her father and ask Cal to put him away. This behavior teaches her that inside of her timid self there was some courage after all. When her father is sent to prison and Gretchen can lead a more normal lifestyle she starts to have fun and be more like everybody else. Going to a school dance taught her that she could be free and that her life did not have to be isolated (West 260). After a life in fear, Gretchen discovers courage and happiness through a dangerous ordeal.
As stated in the previous post, Cal the main character faces his conflict with Gretchen, the daughter of an abusive father. One step he takes to face this conflict is to do whatever he can to get her father out of her life and stop him from abusing her. To do this Cal has the idea of framing her father for stealing a bunch of liquor and smashing his car in the front window of the liquor store. he followed through with the plan and eventually her father was sent to prison for all the heinous crimes he committed (West 264). Cal chose to go to such lengths because he is not able to go straight to the police for fear that an investigation would warn Gretchen's father and that because Gretchen said so, he would probably kill her if he sensed trouble. In the process of framing him however, Cal got in trouble with the law for stealing liquor to act as her father's and was not able to watch his classmates graduate at the end of the year (West 272). Cal is able to learn that he is a soft person and can care for people by going to such great measures to save a girl's life. His sacrifices do not go to waste as Gretchen, her mother and two sisters live free as her father sits in jail. Cal stats that he regrets nothing as he says, "I was glad I did what I did!" (West 273). Cal does a good deed and learns that he is a good man.
Gretchen Lutterman has a very grave conflict with her abusive father. After killing her baby, that he conceived, he tells Gretchen that if she tells anyone about what he did he will claim that she was the one who killed the baby. Because of this and the threatening demeanor of her father throughout her life Gretchen leads a life in fear. It took guts for her to seek help from Cal and risk her life. We see a glimpse of her anxiety when Cal takes her to Minneapolis during school and Gretchen throws a fit worrying that her father who was at work in St. Paul would find her. Gretchen shows new colors as she goes against her father and ask Cal to put him away. This behavior teaches her that inside of her timid self there was some courage after all. When her father is sent to prison and Gretchen can lead a more normal lifestyle she starts to have fun and be more like everybody else. Going to a school dance taught her that she could be free and that her life did not have to be isolated (West 260). After a life in fear, Gretchen discovers courage and happiness through a dangerous ordeal.
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