Bronx Masquerade Compare and Contrast

     The character that I think changed throughout the book "Bronx Masquerade" was Tyrone.  I think this because towards the beginning he wasn't interested in school, all he cared about was wanting to stay alive. He didn't accept others because they were different. Tyrone states, "School ain't nothin' but a joke." This shows that he doesn't take his education seriously. Nikki Grimes had a page for Tyrone after every other character. I think that was very helpful because it showed the reader how Tyrone felt and what his thoughts were on each person. Tyrone doesn't accept others, he treats them differently if they aren't African-American like him and his friends. He is stereotypical. After Raul shared his "Zorro" poem Tyrone says, "...I didn't know he knew that much English!" This shows that Tyrone believes stereotypes because since Raul is a latino, he assumes that he won't know as much english. He would judge Raul because he didn't care how much money he got for working, he was just happy to do it. I felt that towards the beginning, Tyrone wanted everyone else to be like him.

     Towards the end of the book Tyrone changed his perspective on things. He learned to accept others for who they are, and that everyone has feelings and problems. The Open Mike Friday's was what helped him realize those things. After Diondra's first poem, Tyrone was talking about how fast she read and not explicitly making fun of her, but it was implied. Later on after Diondra's "Self Portrait" poem, Tyrone understood what she meant. He says, "I didn't get her first few poems, but I dig this one. The future is ours. Let us have it. That's what she's saying." On her first poem, Tyrone didn't understand the deeper meaning to it, but now that she's read more and expressed her feelings, he understands what she's going through.

     The plot, setting, conflict, and characters of a story influence each other because they all make a difference to the story. The setting of the story impacts the characters because it shows why they act a certain way. If a character is from a bad neighborhood, the characters attitude or reputation will reflect on it. The character can have a bad reputation because of what he/she does. The plot impacts the conflict because the plot is the events that lead up to the problem. Everything that happens before the conflict/problem is what leads up to it. Without one of the elements of a story, you will not be able to tell the mood of the story.

Spine poem 2/24/16

Poem:

Children Of The Night

Reached

Dreamland

Waiting for the Rain

Dancing on the Edge

    The theme of my spine poem is fear because the kids of the poem are afraid of growing up. The children decide to go to dreamland where they can be kids forever and are dancing in the rain and having the time of their life.

     The main point of my poem is to live life to the fullest because you'll grow up with regrets because you never did your biggest dreams. The children go to dreamland and do all the things they wanted to do in their life. Whenever someone enters dreamland, you are automatically a kid again.

Found Poem 2/24/16

     The theme if my found poem is effects of the past because the girl in my poem is having flashbacks about a conversation with a friend. About her telling a secret and it is driving her crazy because of her guilty conscience. She is full of regret and wants to take it back but cannot because the past is the past and she has to live in the future.

     The main point of this poem is to show what can happen to you if you do something wrong. I decided to draw a silhouette of a person to show her thoughts and the words in her mind. She is filled with sadness and guilt. I think that it has a deeper meaning with the silhouette because it is showing what she is thinking and that the words aren't actually being spoken, but being remembered.

"Where I'm From"

Bronx Perspectives Take One- 2/16/16

     The book Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes is about a high school that contains students that are completely different from one another. All these students do not show who they really are because they are afraid of being judged. Instead, they express themselves throughout poetry. Their poems show who they really are, they talk about what they want to be. They have an event called Open Mike Fridays, where the students can go and share their poems to the rest of the class. After each character talks about themselves and shares their poem, Tyrone, the main character, shares is thoughts about each character.


     Two characters that I found to be similar were Diondra Jordan and Devon Hope. I think that these two characters are similar because people judge them based on their looks. Everyone assumes that since Diondra is tall that she plays basketball, but she actually hates it. Her dad wants her to be in the WNBA. She wants people to see her for who she really is, she loves to draw and write poetry. Devon also gets judged on by his looks as well. Everyone assumes that just because he loves basketball and wants to be a basketball player, that he doesn't care about his education. He actually really likes poetry, he just doesn't want anyone to know because he thinks that he'll get made fun of. Both characters are keeping a secret from the rest of the students because they do not want to get made fun of.


     Two characters that I found to be different were Lupe Algarin and Gloria Martinez. I think that these two characters are different because Lupe wants to have a baby to feel loved, and Gloria thinks that having a baby won't make a difference. Lupe is having trouble at home because her dad left her, and her mom and stepdad do not really pay attention to her. She thinks that by having a baby she will feel loved. Lupe thinks that having a baby is the ONLY way to be loved. Gloria on the other hand is already a teen mom. She's a single parent so it is harder on her to care for a baby and go to school. She doesn't regret having a baby but she does wishes she could go back to hanging out with friends and not worrying as much. She doesn't think that a baby is the only way you could get someone to love you. Gloria wants Lupe to rethink about having a baby. I think that Gloria will eventually convince Lupe that a baby will not solve her problems, but only complicate them more.



                       

Poetry Response

     The poem I chose to research is called "A Valentine" by Edgar Allen Poe. This poem is about a woman that Poe fell in love with and he basically pours all his feelings towards her in this poem. Poe tells the characteristics of the woman and what he loves about her.

     I think that Edgar Allen Poe wrote this poem because he really loved the woman, and he wanted to let her know how much he did. Somewhere in the poem the woman's name is hidden. Throughout the poem he is giving hints to the reader as to where to find the name.

“A Valentine”
Edgar Allen Poe

For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,

Brightly expressive as the twins of Lœda,

Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling lies

Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.

Search narrowly the lines! -- they hold a treasure

Divine -- a talisman -- an amulet

That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure --

The words -- the syllables! Do not forget

The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor!

And yet there is in this no Gordian knot

Which one might not undo without a sabre,

If one could merely comprehend the plot.

Enwritten upon the leaf where now are peering

Eyes scintillating soul, there lie perdus

Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing

Of poets, by poets -- as the name is a poet’s, too.

Its letters, although naturally lying

Like the knight Pinto -- Mendez Ferdinando --

Still form a synonym for Truth. -- Cease trying!

You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.

HINTS: 
first letter of her name is the first letter on the first line
the second letter of the first word on the second line
third letter of the first word of the third line
fourth letter of the first word on the fourth line
fifth letter of the first word on the fifth line
sixth letter of first word on the sixth line
seventh letter of the first word on the seventh line.

The poem "A Valentine" reminds me of two teens that are in love and the guy is too shy to admit it so instead of telling her he dedicates a poem to her. I think that because the way Poe (the teenage boy) wrote the poem, by hiding the girls name, it makes me think that maybe he was too shy to actually tell her he loves her, so he dedicated a poem to the woman. I do not know the actual reason why Edgar Allen poe wrote it, but where I found the poem it says he wrote it on Valentine's Eve 1849.

     As I was reading the poem "A Valentine" I visualized a heart with the name of the woman because to me the heart is Edgar Allen Poe's heart and since he loves that woman so much I thought that she was forever in his heart. I wrote Frances Sargent Osgood inside the heart because that is the woman's full name, but in the poem 'Frances' is the part that is hidden in the poem.

Commented on: Amilee's, Emily's, Hazelle's

2nd Quarter Reflection

In what area do you think you made your biggest 
improvements in English Language Arts? 

     The area I think that I have improved on this quarter in ELA is vocabulary because I got better scores this quarter than last quarter. I think that I improved because in the 1st quarter I was not used to studying that much and having to memorize words and their definitions was really difficult. It still is but I've gotten better at focusing on the words and I repeat them over and over again. 

What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you

and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

     The most challenging part of the 2nd quarter for me was getting all my homework done in time. Although I did turn my homework in on time, I struggled with this because I had sports started and I did not have enough time to do my homework after my games. What I did was to do my homework ahead of time, or finish everything in class so I did not have to do it at home. If I had a blog or AOW due at the end of the week, I would finish it on Tuesday afternoon so I wouldn't have to worry about it. 

How have your research skills improved?

     I think that my research skills have improved a lot since 1st quarter because in the 2nd quarter we did much more assignments that required research. A lot of those assignments were very difficult because I could not find the proper information so I had to learn some strategies to help me. One of the strategies I used was that if I couldn't find what I was looking for, then I would search something similar. Most of the time I would find something else and I would use it in my work, but other times I didn't find anything so I had to remove that question. I honestly struggle with research because I get frustrated when I cannot find any information, and most of the time I just give up. I know that's not the best thing to do, but I can't think of anything else to do. The next time I feel frustrated for not finding information, I will try looking for key words, or specific things, instead of broad topics. I think that if I do that instead, then I will find what I am looking for.