Reader Response #2

We had to read four stories: On Being an Mexican American, How Being an Immigrant Shaped My Life, On Being an American Journalist, and How It Feels To Be a Colored Me. They were all pretty similar to each other. They all talked about American, what it means, being it, or some part of an American. "On Being An American Journalist" made me think about how the journalist didn't report anything but facts. They want to report what is true and they actually have to go into the wars to gather information. They want people to know the truth about what is going on and that sometimes is not liked and people are killed for doing that. They try to stay neutral and just report what they find and sometimes that it really hard. Sometimes those things that they report might go against the government and people might think that they are not patriotic. They say that they do not represent the government so they should report whatever they find. So a big problem is should they report something that is negative about the government when it is true and all they are doing is trying to inform people about the truth.

King Still King?

I think that Martin Luther King Jr. is still king. We have a day off to remember him which means we respect him but a lot of us think about it as a day off. We just use that day for our own purposes. We don't really think about what King did for us on that day. We all know about him and what he did but we don't really mention him. He is one of the greatest civil rights leaders ever. He did a lot to help blacks have the same rights as whites. If it wasn't for him I don't think that the blacks would have gotten their right as fast. They would have eventually because somebody else would have come along but until then they would be discriminated against. He not only changed the lives of blacks but every single race. Nowadays there is a lot of diversity everywhere. There are all races living and doing things together. All sorts of people are friends with each other. Because king fought for black's rights this made people think that everybody should be equal helping all races get the rights they deserve. I think that King is still king but we should be more thankful for him because we have kinda lost the importance of what King did.

What is an American

Out of all the short stories that we have read so far the one that I liked the best was Children of the Sea. I liked how the story was told through letters and a man and woman was writing. Even though they never actually sent the letters to each other it still seemed like they did. Also you could understand what was happening even though it was not like a traditional story. Both of them had to deal with struggles in their own right. Both of them had many troubles and had to survive when it was hard. All the other stories, Young Gifted and Black, I Hear America Singing & There was a Child Went Forth, and This Sacred Soil were all not as good as Children of the Sea. I felt like it wasn't as interesting and I didn't really understand them. All I got out of them was that there are much diversity in America and that they all broaden the definition on what is considered an American. Also even though they themselves think they are Americans a lot of people don't think that because they were not originally from America. Also a lot of people don't think that the minority should be considered Americans.

Music Review

Cannon in D major by Johann Pachelbel is a very popular piece. It is also known as Pachelbel's Cannon. It is Johann Pachelbel a German Baroque composer's most famous piece of music. It is my favorite song that has no singing in it and is only orchestra music. I played it before and after that I liked it a lot. The Cannon was forgotten after it was composed then when it was rediscovered in the 20th century and it became really famous. A lot of people use it for weddings and included in classical music compilations. it was originally made for three violins but now whole string orchestras play the song.

Jay and Nick

Is Jay's and Nick's relation ship real or is Jay just using Nick. They first met when Jay invited Nick to a party of his and then Nick and Jay started talking about the war that they were both in together. But Nick did not know that he was talking to Jay but Jay knew he was talking to Nick. Jay later says that he just found out that Nick was Daisy's cousin and that he want Nick to help him and Daisy get back together. Jay also says he learned this from Jordan but did he really learned that or did he already know that Nick was Daisy's cousin. Then Jay tries to convince Nick to help him by being really nice to him and it seems like Jay really treats Nick as a close friend. Jay takes Nick out to all these place and even asks him if he is interested in some business thing but Nick refuses. But does Jay really feel that Nick is his friend or is he just using Nick to get close to Daisy and once he  and Daisy are back together would he just not think of Nick as a friend anymore and forget about Nick.

Winter Poem

Going down the hill.
Use sleds to race each other.
Wind blows on my face.

Thankful For a Classmate

The classmate I am thankful for is nobody because I am thankful for anyone in our class. I am thankful for every single person in my class because they all make our class fun and exciting. Every single one of them contributes to the class and make it into what it is. It is also because of everybody that I like this class and can pay attention, learn, and have fun at the same time. I am also especially thankful for Jaleel, Miles, and Sam because they help me a lot in class. When I can't see something clearly Miles tells me what it is and Jaleel lets me use his glasses to see. Also when we have the group work they all help to make the answers the best they can be and help me when I do not understand how to answer it or when I do not understand the question they explain it to me. I would also like to thank Mr. McCarthy because he is a great teacher to have and he makes the class interesting. He also makes jokes and keep the class lively and fun while also teaching us. He is a the best teacher to have for this class.