Response to Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat

1. Conflict in Story

The conflict is Delia versus Sykes. They both have been married for fifteen years. Every day, Sykes always argue and cause disturbance for Delia. He's a horrible husband to Delia.

2. Strong Sense of time and place

I have a strong sense of the time and place. The setting is somewhere in the 1870s of Florida. It was a time when there weren't many laws to protect women, and men were abusive to their wives. The setting is also in the country side.

3. What character interest you?

Sykes is the character that interest me. He interests me because he's a terrible husband to Delia. He's always arguing with her and sometimes he beats her. What I do not understand is why did he married Delia if he hated her so much? Why didn't Sykes divorce her, but instead kept her for fifteen years? Sykes also interest me because of his different personalities such as hating his wife and acting cocky when he captured a rattle snake.

4. Are the behavior of the characters plausible?

Yes, the behavior is plausible especially Sykes' actions. His mean behavior towards Delia is plausible. The setting has a time period in the 1870s. During this time, a man has a lot of power and influences over his wife. So it's natural for Sykes to behave the way he is. Back in time, women weren't even treated fairly.

5. How would you characterize the style?

I would characterize the author's style as descriptive and through dialogue. The author used a lot of dialogue to portray the actions in the story. The author also described the setting very much.

Response To Overcoat

1. Did the plot grow out of character or chance?

The plot grew out of character. In the story, Akakii loves his new overcoat very much. He saved eighty rubles to get it. Also, there were many details that described its importance to Akakii. Such examples are "as if he were married" and "as if he were not alone". Then suddenly someone stole his coat and he died. After that, he came back as a ghost to retrieve his overcoat. This is natural because Akakii had a strong bond with his coat. He has to retrieve it because it's the most important item to him. It's like the overcoat is his peace in resting. Without his overcoat, he cannot rest, so he should go and retrieve his overcoat.

2. What is the relation of the setting to the plot and the characters?

The Setting is somewhere in 19th century Russia. Russia was a very cold place and people needed coats to stay warm. Akakii needed a coat to survive in Russia. He builds a relationship with a coat that will help him survive Russia's cold harsh winter for a life time. When his coat was taken away, he felt remorse. He needs it to rest in peace. So that's how he came back as a ghost.

3. What character interest you?

Akakii interests me. He interest me because he came back as a ghost to retrieve his coat. This portrays to me the theme of loyalty after death.

4. Is the behavior plausible?

Yes, the behavior is plausible. I believed that Akakii coming back as a ghost to retrieve his coat is plausible. His furcoat was probably his closest relatioonship. It is his possession and he can't rest without it. So it's plausible that Akakii came back as a ghost to get his furcoat.

5. How does character change?

Akakii was a character that changed. He used to be a normal guy just working and getting by life. Then his new furcoat was stolen. He came back as a ghost and became vicious by taking people's furcoats. He changed by his physical form and his personality.

Interior Design 2: Describe Bedroom

The Master Bedroom

The master bedroom of the mansion has a rectangular floor of 30 by 40 feet. It has four door to it. One door leads to the living room. The door marked with a gun leads to the weaponry room. The door marked with a flower leads to an elevator. And finally, the last door leads to a giant restroom. On the center of the master bedroom, there is a mattress big enough to fit 10 people sleeping together. It is made with the finest cloth, cotton, and foam to form a unique bed that gives a person a close to perfect sleep. Then near the southwest corner there is a grand piano. After that, there are two highly advanced computers in the northeast section of the room. Then there's a closet in the south east corner. The closet is big enough to put ten caskets in it. Finally, near the northwest corner, there are ten giant stuffed animals. The stuffed animals include an ox, a pig, a lion, a tiger, a bear, a moose, an elephant, a vulture, a whale, and a gorilla. All of the giant stuffed animals are big enough to fit a fully grown person in it.

Write as if you're a grandma

I go to church every Sunday. At church, we always talk about Mr. Higgins. He's a dirty snake. He comes around the children every time. Why did they not arrest him for life when they had the chance? Now, it's too late.
Them cops should have killed him. Remember last year when he tried to kidnap one of our children. It was very difficult to get that child back. He was lucky that his brother was the mayor. I should have moved when I was younger. But now, I'm too old. I can't believe I'm left with the burden of these grand children.
Every night, we locked up our doors and windows. Now that monster comes every night to get our children. What's wrong with that man. If my son and his wife was still alive, we would have moved. This is terrible.
When will we capture this criminal who wants children? Who will take the task of hunting down this man? It will only be a matter of time before one of our children is kidnap again. I will be very grateful to whomever saves us from this corrupted man.
I can't sleep well at night. I have to stay up most of the time to keep a lookout for Mr. Higgins. The most dangerous time is the night time. Why does Mr. Higgins want the children anyway?

Point of View

Michael was just a boy when he entered the "Oily War". He was a soldier patrolling the city of Gebra. He was in the war because he wanted to help his country by winning the war and bringing oil to his home. He patrolled the city Gebra with his brother Jack. One day Michael and Jack spotted some suspicious men on the corner of a block buidling. Michaeld told them to stop and they kept walking. Then they pulled out their assault rifle and told them to stop. The men dodged behind the corner and the brothers followed behind.
"Alright you go this other way and we will intercept them. If they attack you, fire back!" Michael said to Jack. As Michael approached the corner, he heard assault rifle being fired. He knew immediately what he must do. He must kill the men. He turned around the corner and returned fire. The fire continued on for a while. Then Michael hit a man. The firing stop. He turned to look and there was his brohter dead on the ground. He had realized that he had shot his brother by mistake. Michael went over to retreat the corpse and brought to his base. He wanted to go home but he couldn't because he has to serve in the war for one year.
After one year, Michael returned home. He went to his brother's grave and kneel down. It was his fault. He wasn't careful.
"Why, Why, Why?" was what Michael said. He cried. There was nothig Michael could do. His brother had died long ago. Was the war worth it? Is this truly what happens in a war, where anything can go and happen? Michael felt very remorseful and don't know how he will go on living. What a horrible thing war is.

Character Description

Ching was a 5 foot skinny seventeen year old male teen. He may look skinny but he's a very violent person. His knuckles were iron solid hard cold and he could punch out a man's tooth leaving behind a stunning effect. Last week, he got into a fight with Joey Phenomenon. Joey wanted to bully him because he looked like a peaceful and weak teen. But boy was Joey wrong!
First, Joey approached him and asked him for one dollar. Ching responded by saying that he didn't have any money. Then Joey started pushin him around. Ching told him to stop but he kept pushing Ching.
"If you give me one dollar, I will stop" said Joey.
"I'm serious. If you don't stop, I will hurt you" said Ching.
"Okay, alright, you little SHRIMP" said Joey. Then he turned around and started walking away. As Joey was walking away, Ching threw a puch to Joey's back head. Joey fell on the floor and was temporarily blind. Ching picked him pu and looked at Joey's dizzy face. Then Ching punched him many times in the ribs until he was coughing up blood. Then Ching knee him five times on the chin. Finally, Ching gave him a tremendous punch on the chin. Joey lay flat on the ground near death. Everyone was shocked at Ching's brutality. The bell rang and everbody went to class with the fight as the number one topic on the mind. The next day, the school confirmed that Joey has four broken ribs and a shattered chin. Everyone was scarred of Ching and called him Ching, the Chin Cracker and no one wanted to mess with him.

Science Fiction Writing

My new home is now located in the south western region of the United States. I can't believed this happened. Why did it have to happened? We were just living normally. My father worked and paid for our meals, insurances, and home. Then all of a sudden, the planet started to heat up. It became warm, very very warm. Heat filled everywhere and you were always sweating. Next, it became impossible to live in California. The news reported that the intense heating was the result of global warming.
"We cannot live in here anymore" my father said. So he took us out of the state and moved to a less polluted area. The new area still have some ozone layer left and it protected the area from intense heat. In the new area, my parents worked together with other parents at a farm area. They supplied most of the food to the area.
Our journey from California to the new area taught us how important the environment was to everyone. Without a suitable environment, life would not be possible. Hopefully, this catastrophe will end someday. Was global warming a human cause or just a natural process on the earth? I hope that someday I can go back to what used to be my home.

Setting Landscape

There was this children playground near our school. We went there on April 23, 2009. That day was windy. The wind blew fiercely and sometimes not at all. It blew from all directions. It carries the scent of the air with it. When we were walking to the playground, it carried the scent of a garbage truck to us. That smell reeks. The disgusting scent showed me how the wind connects everybody together. It connects everything on earth by bringing the scent of everything together.
Besides there being winds at the park, there wasn't very much noises either. It was wonderful. Less noises bring a calm and relaxing atmosphere. This calm atmosphere was an excellent place to get away from school. It allows you to wander around and forget about the assignments back in school.
Not only did this place has a calm atmosphere, but it was also a boring place. The playground's sight was very boring. It was a boring place because I live in the cities and I saw this sight everyday. It was not unique and just plain ordinary. By ordinary, I mean that sands, cement floors, cars, and benches were present. How Ordinary! The sight may have been boring but the time spent out of school was worth the trouble.

Response to A Rose for Emily

1. Plot: Conflicts
The conflict is Emily versus society.

2. Setting: sense of setting
I have a strong sense of the time and place.

3. Character: interest
Emily engages my interest because she's a lonely person.

4. Symbolism
I think the symbolic elements are adequately integrated within the story.

5. Theme
The theme is that some people never change. This theme challenge the values that i hold to a weak degree. People changed when they're brain washed. Otherwise than being brain washed, some people never change.

Reading Response to Hills Like White Elephants

1. Plot
The story's conflict is the couple deciding whether or not to have an abortion.

2. Setting: sense of setting
I have a strong sense of the time and place. They're at a train station and it's somewhere in the 1900s.

3. Setting: Relation with plot and characters
The setting relates to the plot and characters. They are at a train stations. They have to decide which path they are going to take. Their choice of the path is like deciding whether or not to have an abortion. The train station is like a destination decision. Once you made up your decision and you ride the train, there's no going back.

4. Character: Interests
The man in the story engages my interest because he's always talking.

5. Theme
The theme is that a choice has to be made between life and death. The theme of this story reinforces the values that I hold.

The Story of An Hour Responses

1. Setting: Sense of Setting
I have a strong sense of the setting.

2. Plot: conflict
There conflict in the story is the woman deciding her future life. She has to think and plan out her future because her husband is dead.

3. Character: Interest Character?
The character that interest me is Mrs. Mallard. She interest me because she died of joy at the end.

4. Character: How author reveal character?
The author reveal Mrs. Mallard's character by her thoughts about the future, her actions, and her speech.

5. Theme
The theme is that people's life can change in an instant. This theme enforces values that I hold such as being a righteous person and an evil person.

Response to three questions for "The story of an hour"

1. Five important phrases to me are she wept at once, she was young; "free, free, free!", she would live to herself, and the joy that kills.

2. I chose "she wept at once" because the line shows how close Mrs. Mallard is to her husband. I chose "she was young" because it portrays a tragedy to a young woman, and that event is very rare. I chose the line "free, free, free!" because it is about freedom, a theme that i liked. Then i chose "she would live for herself" because that line illustrates her future for herself. Lastly, I chose the line "the joy that kills" because the line portrayed that joy can kill people, which is unexpected for me.

3. My question I have for the story is why did Mrs. Mallard died of joy.

Response to Yellow Paper

1. Plot
There is the conflict between the narrator and freedom. She was confined to a room and she could not go outside.
2. Setting
The setting is at a summer house in a village. The setting is the inside of a summer house. It's inside a confined room.
3. Relation between setting and character?
The summer house is the rest place for the narrator. It's also confined to keep the narrator safe from harm.
4. Symbolism
The confined room symbolizes protection. The husband wanted to protect his wife so he locked her inside the room. Also, he tends to the wife periodically to show that he has not forgotten about her.
5. Restate theme
The theme is that men thinks woman are weak. The narrator said that she feels better and her husband insist that she rest up. Her husband never accepted her words that she feels better.

Leaning Into the Wind Response

The reading was very long. It talked so much about the weather. The weather is usually the first thing someone mentions when trying to start a conversation. I don't like to talk about the weather when trying to start a conversation. It just isn't my style. But i do like to talk about the weather sometimes.
I only talk about the weather when i cannot think of anything else to talk about. After reading "Leaning Into the Wind," i began to think about the weather. The weather I'm thinking of is the clear blue skies. It looked so peaceful. Not only is it peaceful but it's also breath-taking. I can already imagine it. I'm somewhere high in the skies and it is very cold. Also, breathing is very hard too. Suddenly, I'm accelerating towards the Earth on a crash collision. Who knew thinking about the clear skies is wonderful.
Not only did I thought of the clear skies, but i also thought about the raining weathers. Raining weathers are my favorite weather. I like raining weathers because they are very rare weathers. Also, raining weather symbolizes forgiveness and a fresh start. The rain washes away the evil past. Then it leaves a fresh trail for everyone to begin on.

Final Memoir Response

Overall, i enjoyed the memoir i read. It is a fascinating memoir describing the author's experiences in the 2004 south Asia tsunami, the Middle East, Niger, and Hurricane Katrina. I liked the memoir because it captures the moment of intensity. Rarely, do you ever experience intensity in its most intense form. The intensities range from self-reliance to death.
The intensity ranging from self-reliance to death portrayed to me how different the world beyond Minnesota is. There are assassins in Bosnia, deaths in Niger, oblivion in Hurricane Katrina, and loss of loved ones in south Asia. I am very lucky that I'm living in such a safe place away from those dangers of the world. But sometimes it is not even safe in Minnesota. There are kidnappings and murders everyday in Minnesota. It's the same around the world. How lucky am I to still be living?
I think i should travel around the world someday. I want to travel around the world to see if what the author said is true. Also, I want to experience the intensity that the author experienced. But, I am not going to go to a place where people assassin each other such as Bosnia. Or a place where death is everywhere and diseases spread around quickly. It is direct suicide.

Memoir Response 4

The author reports about his experiences in Hurricane Katrina. The most dangerous thing about a hurricane is not the power of the hurricane, but the effects of the hurricane. He then goes on to talking about how politicians are thanking each other and the people for their efforts. But in reality, their not doing anything much. The author was very disappointed with the politicians and the people. There are dead bodies on the streets and on one's doing anything about it.
I enjoyed this episode about Hurricane Katrina. It portrayed to me something i haven't thought of before. Is our society really unwillingly to help each other. The politicians are not much help to the people except make laws and speeches. They're at the top living a luxurious life and the people are the ones suffering, maybe that's how it is.
Another thing that I liked was when the author said that Hurricane Katrina was a test. Hurricane Katrina was a test to test the resilience of the American people. Pretty much, the American society has failed that test. What should happen if a nuclear missile hit a U.S. territory. Are those people in that society doomed to suffer the same fate as those in Hurricane Katrina.

Memoir Response 3

In the third section of the book, the author talks about his experiences in Niger and Somalia. Thousands of children were starving in Niger. One out of four Nigerians child dies after birth. In Niger, the mothers constantly take their children to a ward care. The ward care only cares for malnutrition children. There were so many people that it is very difficult for one mother to get assistance for her child. In Somalia, warlords fights for control of the country.
After reading the third section, I felt shocked. People are dying in Niger and Somalia. No one is dooing anything much about it. I learned from this book that the less political something is, the less likely it will receive help. Also, there were so many deaths in Niger. Most of them died from starvation and warfare. How terrible!
The UN begs for help and aids from other nations. Most of the workers are volunteers. But it is so obvious. Generally, no one does anything for free. I learned that if you want something to be done, you have to do it yourself.

Response to Dead and The Bicycle

1) The author use characterization to showed how disrupted the character in "Dead" is. In "The Bicycle," the author used characterization to conveyed the mom's resilience.

2) The question i have for "Dead" is: is it Hitler that has killed the narrator? The question I have for "The Bicycle" is : did the author's mother ever let go of the bicycle?

3) For "Dead," I liked the passage "Leave Me alone. Don't bother me." I liked the passage because it relates to individuals. I am also an individual. Also, when I'm doing something interested or just doing something, I don't like to be disturbed. For "The Bicycle," I liked the passage "Matter involving race and identity she ignored." I liked the line because the other's a neutral person. She didn't pay any attention to the life she was living in. She ignored the fact that she was a white woman living in a black community.

4) In Dead," the passage that made me think was the passage where the narrator said he doesn't want anything to do with his family. In "The Bicycle," the passage that made me think was "matters involving race and identity she ignored."

5) I don't have any questions from the chapters.

Response to "How to tell a war story"

The author writes about truth as though truth has no moral. The truth also has no virtue, proper human behavior, or opinion. The author said that truth should be above love and memory. It should also be about sorrow. Also, the truth should be associated with sister who never write back and people who never listen.
In general, i believed that the author's opinion abourt truth cannot be applied to stories. I believed that truth should alos have morals, opinions, and virtues too. Stories are just like our lives too. There are truth and lies in the world. We also have opinions and morals towards truth too. If we didn't have opinions or morals about truth and lies in the world, there would be no point in reality. Also, the author have morals and opinions too. This story is written from the author's point of view, so it has opinions too.
I enjoyed the story. I enjoy the story because it used uncommon words such as fuckin, which is a word prohibited with most people. Also, the story was very depth in details such as describing the sound and noises in the mountain. Another intriguing element of the story is suffering. The men patrolled a place in the mountain. As they remained there, they began to suffer. Their suffering came from the noises and sounds of the jungle. The story also relates to the life-threating situation of a warfare. It also portrayed the author's mood when he lost one of his comrade.

Response to my Mother's Blue Bowl

I didn't enjoy My Mother's Blue Bowl very much. I didn't enjoy it because it didn't have intense conflicts. The story was very descriptive about the blue bowl. The author associates her mother with the blue bowl. It symbolizes so much memories for the author.
In the memoir, I like the line "letting go of possessions." The line reminds me of Buddhism I learned in tenth grade. The mother letting go of her possessions portrayed that she has lived a full life. It is like she has cut off all her attachments. Because she has broke off her attachment, she no longer suffers in her life.

Memoir Response 1

I enjoyed the first part of the book i read. The book is called "Dispatches From the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival." In the introduction, he described himself a little. His father died when he was ten years old. Then afterward, his family feel disrupted. Their life changed forever.
The author also gave information about his life as a reporter. He could never remain still. He feels that he has to keep moving around and reporting news. or he just wants to feel the intensity of conflicts surrounding the world. Whenever he finishes a report, he dives back into another report. He spent so much time reporting and editing. The first report he wrote in the book is about the Tsunami in Asia.
The Tsunami in Asia was horrifying. He reported on the place Sri Lankan. It was amazing. The whole place is flooded. People have drowned and there are rescuers everywhere. Mud and water is everywhere. You can also smell blood everywhere. There are bulldozers digging holes and bulldozers moving people into the holes. There was a massive burial. The dead didn't get a proper burial. It is so remorse.
The Tsunami brought a horrible catastrophic and everyone suffered. Some rescuers were laughing because the Tsunami didn't affect them. The Tsunami showed how selfish people can be. In times of other people's need, some people don't really care at all. What a nightmare!

Memoir Response Two

The author talks about his experiences in Sarajevo, Bosnia. It was a chaotic place. In Sarajevo, Serbs constantly lobbed shells into the city. It broke the marketplace, where old men tried to hold their dignity. When a shell fired, blood splattered the street. Also, the Serbs from the mountain used snipers to kill people. This description surprised me. It showed me how luck I am to be living in a place where there is no homicides everyday. One time, the author was reporting news, and a bullet almost him. He was lucky.
I would not go to a place like Sarajevo. It is suicide. You go in there and don't know what the situation is in. The next thing you noticed is that someone is dead. You could be next. I have to admit that the author is insanely crazy but the experience in Sarajevo is worth it.
The author also said that the news also have to report something intense in the media. Sometimes they would wait until intense story occurred, then they will report it. I don't think I can trust the news anymore. What the heck, I barely watched the news! I guess what you believe and don't believe is due to yourself.

Childhood Place Part 2

We still go to my uncle's house in Wisconsin. I still enjoyed our stay at his house. But it was a very long trip to his house. The trip takes four hours to get there.
He has moved to a new house, but the events remain the same. I still enjoyed times with him and he stills enjoys time with me too. We usually talk about his his life and my life. Also, i enjoyed the the night. We ate roasted ducks with rice. The roasted ducks were roasted outside on charcoal and it tasted wonderful. We always had a full dinner with every smile. Even though many years has passed, we still shared the same feelings.
When I was young, we went for a walk around the neighborhood. Even now, we still walk around the neighborhood. I always enjoyed this activity with him. He always asked me what I have done this year and I would asked him the same question too.

childhood Place

When I was a kid, my family went to my uncle's home in Wisconsin. It was a fun time. I did story telling with his son and daughter. The stories we told were ghost stories. The stories were scary and I usually ended up being scared. I could not sleep at night. Also, at night, I slept in a room with glow-in-the dark stars that were posted everywhere in the room. It felt like sleeping outside. Also, the windows were open so there were cool winds flowing by.
We did not went there to visit but also to travel and sight see as well. I remembered we once went walking around the neighborhood. There were cool winds blowing by and the temperature was perfect. It was also a safe trip because there were not many people outside. It was one of the most wonderful event in my life.

Childhood in the park

When i was a child, my family often went to the park. Usually, i ran around the park and played soccer. It was a serene scene. I felt free like i could go anywhere. The weather was sunny and warm. I remembered details from the park such as a soccer ball, the sunset, the cool winds, the evening moon, and the chilling nights.
Every time we went tot the park, my father played soccer with his brothers. They played for a pretty long time each time we went to the park. Their soccer games usually lasts about three hours. We went to the park at about five o' clock P.M. Then we came home at night about nine o' clock P.M. Sometimes they stayed even longer. My mom was always furious with with the delay.
Also, at the park, i learned to enjoy the night. The night was beautiful with the cool winds. It was also the time when people are going home. Most of the time, the night was the time when people went to bed. The night time was the calm time of the day. You don't hear very much noises during the night. It is as though the world was asleep. I learned about the night when I was a kid.

Reading Response to Excerpt from The Names

i liked the line "They call themselves Kwuda, "coming out." i liked this line because it shows how the Kiowas are self-accepting people. they came into the world through a hollow log. then suddenly, one woman was stuck in the hollow log. that's how they halted coming into the world. the fact that they accepted the fact that the Kiowas has a small population proves that they are self-accepting people.
Also, i liked the line "A day, two days before, they go." The line reminds of preparing for a rip that will take days. you have one or two days o prepare for a rip. it just reminds me of the past.