A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Character Sketch)

Francie began as the girl "[that was] entitled to one cup each meal like the rest. If it makes her feel better to throw it way rather than to drink it, all right. I think it's good that people like us can waste something once in a while and get the feeling of how it would be have lots of money and not have to worry about scrounging" (14). Francie begins in the book as a young girl, very innocent to the world except for the community filled with poverty in which she lives. She was very devoted to her studies, reading a book a day and constantly writing. As she grew up she began to realize how much of a problem her father has with drinking and maybe this is why Francie throws away her drink to show that she doesn't have to give into excesses like her father. In the same way, Santiago from The Old Man and the Sea doesn't need all the things that all the other fisherman need. After her father's death and her assault, she was devastated changing her outlook on life forever. Her father was a large part of her and so was her innocence, once they were taken away she stopped believing in G-d which in part changed her day-to-day routine. Throughout the book, you watch Francie go from a young innocent girl to a woman full of both good and bad experiences.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Literary Device)

"The one tree in Francie's yard was neither a pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which grew along green switches which radiated from the bough and made a tree which looked like a lot of opened green umbrellas. Some people called it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up lots and out of neglected rubbish heaps and it was the only tree that grew out of cement. It grew lushly, but only in the tenement districts." (6) The tree against all odds grows in the middle of concrete with pollution surrounding it and yet it stills survives just as Francie survives all the odds. The fact that the author had this as the begins of the book shows how symbolic the tree is through out the book. As the tree grows, Francie grows, and so the tree is the symbol of Francie surviving the odds such as the fact that Francie's father was an alcoholic. Francie's growth as a person is a theme throughout this novel, and the tree mirrors this.

The Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Theme)

Betty Smith tells of a story of a girl living in poverty. The theme of poverty is relayed throughout the book. Not only is poverty a big theme in the book, but Betty also includes other themes such as class, how gender changes relations, perseverance through hardship, and especially the use to the American Dream. All of these themes are paralleled in the real world. Poverty is very much around especially with the economy these days. In an example where “Sissy was [a] tricycle standing there unattended in front of a stoop. She didn’t hesitate. She took the tricycle, pulled it around to the Nolan house, got the children out and gave them a ride” (116). Where Sissy, Francie’s aunt, took the tricycle just to give the kids the joy of riding on a brand new tricycle. In the society Francie lives in class has to do with everything and in the our society although it doesn’t play as big a role people still care about class more than they care to let on. The representation of the “American Dream” in the book has an underlying effect of the out look on the book. The themes in this book represent the real world.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Shalom Nwakibu
Explore Feelings

The scene that I found the most moving and painful was at the end when Bruno had come into the camp with Shmuel. It started to rain, so they were pushed into a long room. While they were inside " {bruno} took hold of Shmuel's tiny hands in his and squeezed it tightly {and said} you're my best friend. Shmuel... opened his mouth... but Bruno never heard it because at that moment there was a loud gasp from all the marchers who had filled the room. Then the room went dark... despite the chaos, Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel's hands in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let it go" (212). This event really foreshadows the ending of the war. The quote is important because it shows Bruno as the naive boy that loved his neighbor because of his traits and not his race. Also I thought of Shmuel as the little boy who really never got to experience life, but he did what he could. When this scene ended no one ever saw Bruno again. This hit Gretel really hard, "she spent a lot of her time in her room crying ... because she missed Bruno so much"(215).

Atlas Shrugged

3^rd blog: Theme (spoiler alert)

Ayn Rand has written many books expressing her political views. Her views come through in the heart of this book, during her crowning speech. Her message is not able to be summed up easily. During John Galt’s speech he states, “We are on strike against self-immolation. We are on strike against the creed of unearned rewards and unrewarded duties. We are on strike against the dogma that the pursuit of one’s happiness is evil. We are on strike against the doctrine that life is guilt”(1010). John Galt has stated what he will talk about for the next 50 pages, which makes this the heart of the book. He and a few others are rebelling against the looters that leached their hard work. Self-immolation was the self-sacrifice that the government required for their pawns. The creed that this leader rebel refuses to accept is that of gifts that are given for no reason and positions that are given to the ones not suited for the job. Ayn Rand then writes that he rejects the idea that if you do something good for yourself you are destroying another. Also that if you reach your goal that you are obligated to allow others to reap your rewards. Then the doctrine he talks about is that of the will and the ability to live is something to be ashamed of. Ayn Rand believes that one should earn their own living along with rule themselves. If you’re not able to keep up you are,”…Free to rise as far as (you are) able or willing, but it’s only the degree to which (you) think that determines the degree to which (you’ll) rise”(1064). John Galt states here that you can live for yourself and get were you want to be, by only your own will to do so. Ayn Rand speaks through her characters and leaves her message written in red ink all over the book.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac: Theme

Alejandra Lopez

English 8-6

March 11, 2010

Even though Naomi's story is based on what happened to her after her amnesia accident, I think that it is mainly about finding who you really are, what your made of, and finding what your potential is. I think that the message was effective because everyone does need to find his/ her true self because in the end that is what really matters. There were very few, other possible themes, but one would be finding who your friends really are and see if they truly are your friend or not. Another would also be that not everything has to be 'by the book' "sometimes, a girl needs to lose" (5). That just doesn't directly go to girls but to anyone losing will sometimes take you to the direction that you need to be in just like learning from your mistakes it is okay to lose. I believe that this relates to many other novels and almost everyone's lives because everyone has to find their true self.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac: Explore Feelings

Alejandra Lopez

English 8-6

March 11, 2010

Understanding her Feelings Towards her Boyfriend

Ace Zuckerman was a jock, sporty, popular, "and handsome, I suppose, though in an almost cartoonish way" (48). Even though Naomi was not up in the 'popular' crowd she was still liked by many people. She couldn't understand why she liked Ace in the first place, for her "everything about him seemed too broad, too big. If someone had asked me right at the moment, I would have said, "Definitely not my type."" (49). She finally figures out that the only reason that she liked him was because they were both on the tennis team and were always partners. Out of everything, that was all she could think of that they had in common. I think that this is a frustrating moment to try to figure out why, but, maybe she had just gone out with him for his tennis 'player', not for who he really was.