Bernice Bobs Her Hair is an interesting short story on how one friend tries to help another until jealously overturns that assistance given and becomes a way to fail her in society. Bernice was anti-social. She did not talk to anyone or what we will call “the life of the party.” Marjorie teaches Bernice how to hold interesting conversations, how to flirt with even unattractive or uninteresting boys to make she seem more desirable, and how to dance. Bernice's best line is teasing the boys with the idea that she will soon bob her hair and they will get to watch. The new Bernice is a big hit with the boys in town with her new attitude, especially with Warren, a boy Marjorie keeps around as her own but neglects. When it becomes clear that Warren has shifted his interest from Marjorie to Bernice, Marjorie sets about humiliating Bernice, tricking her into going through with bobbing her hair. Marjorie’s mom was not pleased with Bernice’s new haircut. She thought her haircut would cause a problem because it was very liberated at the time. When Bernice comes out of the barbershop with the new hairdo, her hair is flat and strange and the boys suddenly lose interest in her, and Bernice realizes she has been tricked. After the family has gone to bed, Bernice packs her trunk and intends to leave on a train at 1 a.m. Before she goes, she sneaks into Marjorie's room and cuts off her cousin's two pigtails, taking them with her on her run to the station and throwing them on Warren's front porch.
The identical style of long and wavy was commended because it showed a woman’s true beauty. Many elder women took the short hair, the bob, as offensive and disreputable because it took away from the woman’s true beauty, which was the long and wavy hair. Many women were very apparent and shallow, Barbie’s, making men draw more towards this very sexy cut. Women are supposedly to be graceful and full of self-assurance. Being that Bernice was tricked into such style, she did not know that boys would actually like her for that until Marjorie told her. Women still were until the title of cults of true womanhood, with no EXTRA strings attached! Marjorie taught Bernice how to hold conversations with the boys to help them like her more. Marjorie would be what we call, the popular girl, the girl who knew everyone, who was socially proficient with others, especially boys. On the other hand, Bernice was brought up “on novels in which the female was beloved because of certain mysterious woman qualities, always mentioned but never displayed.” (pg 4) She was brought up as a superlative woman, but that image was no longer to be true after the “bogus transformation.” Bernice did not know that she was far from being a modern female in her society anymore, due to Marjorie’s deceitful changes. The old Bernice made the men known for not liking her and when conversations were held they would just be bored and uninterested in her existence.
In this story, Fitzgerald added a small amount of figurative language to help his story understood by people who would pick it up and read it. Irony was used in this story in small ways. Irony is a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated. The irony displayed was situational irony or cosmic irony because Marjorie’s purpose was to help Bernice out but instead she got jealous and began to deceive her into the voluptuous woman she became. It is very ironic because you thought that family would not treat others but I guess that sometimes blood is not always thicker than water.
The true image of a woman begins to change and evolve over time. Even though, there is always that one woman who wants to fit in society. Society has to be the crowd that accepts that woman.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Martin Luther King's Speech Questions
II. Rhetorical Structure: Figures of Speech
1. Alliteration – the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group
Allusion – An indirect reference to some piece of knowledge not actually mentioned.
Metaphor – a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity
Simile - a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”
2. In the opening of king’s speech, an allusion represented the Gettysburg address given by Abraham Lincoln. It reminds the people about how it started with one man fighting for freedom of slaves.
3. An allusion to the declaration of independence was “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” An allusion to the Bible was, “…Every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
4. An example of an alliteration used was “I Have a Dream" and “Let Freedom Ring”.
5. An example of a metaphor used was “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
6. An example of a simile used was “…and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
7. Metaphor is the figure of speech used.
This statement was used to justify the fact that even though slavery has been abolished, people still, to this day, are prejudice and racist to the people of color.
8. Two examples of an Anaphora used in King’s Speech was "Now is the time..." and "We can never be satisfied,”
9. This phrase states the idea that racial equality in this country is nothing more than a sanguine dream.
III. Understanding the Dream
1. The speech “I Have a Dream” was the most massive protest demonstration ever occurred in the U.S. It took place on August 28, 1963 when King was leading the “March on Washington” before the Lincoln Memorial. Some 250.000 Americans of all faiths, races, and creeds joined him and other civil rights leaders in this demonstration of solidarity. It was staged in an effort to impress upon the nation’s conscience the urgency of granting first-class status to blacks. By making this speech, King tried to persuade the blacks to carry on their struggle by non-violent means for the justice and freedom promised them by the Emancipation Proclamation. King’s dream of achieving equality and tolerance was a dream of the time when the evils of prejudice and segregation will vanish. King’s speech has been called “the emotional crescendo of an emotional day.”
2. Some specific acts of injustice were “the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”, “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.”, and “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”
3. The “American Dream” for an “average American” is the freedom that allows all citizens and most residents of the United States to pursue their goals in life through hard work and free choice. The “American Dream” for an ‘average African American” is the faith that an individual can attain success and virtue through strenuous effort is the very soul of the American nation.
4. He named these states because they all have something in common; they all have high areas of land such as mountains and hilltops.
5. I would have been moved by King’s speech because he was the only one to actually make it to Capitol Hill to let everyone know that people are country are white, but all shades of color. Even though slavery was abolished, racial discrimination was not.
IV. Relating to the Dream
1. Racism has existed throughout human history. It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another or the belief that another person is less than human because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that apparently reveals the basic nature of that person.
2. They did not want the people of color to have a place in this country. It was still considered a “white” man’s world so people still did not understand that this country was a mixed population and that if blacks would have a place in this world they would become superior to whites. I think blacks were spiritual and they knew better to treat others wrong and kill them for what they did. If blacks responded with their own violent retaliations then nothing would be solved.
3. Skinheads are dangerous because they have been provoking violence since World War II and they continue to be racist towards many people.
4. I think that this country is only getting closer to making King’s dream a reality to this nation. We have already accomplished the citizenship to the African American, along his right to vote. The part of the dream that yet remains to be accomplished is the complete permeate of this country from the dangers of discrimination. Our country has made a huge change by electing Obama as our president. People understood this country was not all white people but a mixed population.
1. Alliteration – the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group
Allusion – An indirect reference to some piece of knowledge not actually mentioned.
Metaphor – a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity
Simile - a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”
2. In the opening of king’s speech, an allusion represented the Gettysburg address given by Abraham Lincoln. It reminds the people about how it started with one man fighting for freedom of slaves.
3. An allusion to the declaration of independence was “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” An allusion to the Bible was, “…Every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
4. An example of an alliteration used was “I Have a Dream" and “Let Freedom Ring”.
5. An example of a metaphor used was “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
6. An example of a simile used was “…and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
7. Metaphor is the figure of speech used.
This statement was used to justify the fact that even though slavery has been abolished, people still, to this day, are prejudice and racist to the people of color.
8. Two examples of an Anaphora used in King’s Speech was "Now is the time..." and "We can never be satisfied,”
9. This phrase states the idea that racial equality in this country is nothing more than a sanguine dream.
III. Understanding the Dream
1. The speech “I Have a Dream” was the most massive protest demonstration ever occurred in the U.S. It took place on August 28, 1963 when King was leading the “March on Washington” before the Lincoln Memorial. Some 250.000 Americans of all faiths, races, and creeds joined him and other civil rights leaders in this demonstration of solidarity. It was staged in an effort to impress upon the nation’s conscience the urgency of granting first-class status to blacks. By making this speech, King tried to persuade the blacks to carry on their struggle by non-violent means for the justice and freedom promised them by the Emancipation Proclamation. King’s dream of achieving equality and tolerance was a dream of the time when the evils of prejudice and segregation will vanish. King’s speech has been called “the emotional crescendo of an emotional day.”
2. Some specific acts of injustice were “the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”, “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.”, and “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”
3. The “American Dream” for an “average American” is the freedom that allows all citizens and most residents of the United States to pursue their goals in life through hard work and free choice. The “American Dream” for an ‘average African American” is the faith that an individual can attain success and virtue through strenuous effort is the very soul of the American nation.
4. He named these states because they all have something in common; they all have high areas of land such as mountains and hilltops.
5. I would have been moved by King’s speech because he was the only one to actually make it to Capitol Hill to let everyone know that people are country are white, but all shades of color. Even though slavery was abolished, racial discrimination was not.
IV. Relating to the Dream
1. Racism has existed throughout human history. It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another or the belief that another person is less than human because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that apparently reveals the basic nature of that person.
2. They did not want the people of color to have a place in this country. It was still considered a “white” man’s world so people still did not understand that this country was a mixed population and that if blacks would have a place in this world they would become superior to whites. I think blacks were spiritual and they knew better to treat others wrong and kill them for what they did. If blacks responded with their own violent retaliations then nothing would be solved.
3. Skinheads are dangerous because they have been provoking violence since World War II and they continue to be racist towards many people.
4. I think that this country is only getting closer to making King’s dream a reality to this nation. We have already accomplished the citizenship to the African American, along his right to vote. The part of the dream that yet remains to be accomplished is the complete permeate of this country from the dangers of discrimination. Our country has made a huge change by electing Obama as our president. People understood this country was not all white people but a mixed population.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Letter to the Later Generation
Dear Khadija Allen,
I am surprised to hear from you. Your generation now days have it made. The technology such as the computer, cell phones, and the emails keep you people updated a lot. I would have never thought that you would have written me a letter, but I am thrilled you did. You people have high fashion, luxury cars, and other costly items that only my social security can get me so much of.
You ask me to describe how life was for me in the early 20th century. I say much different than it is now. Let us just say people. Especially women, have a lot more freedom than they did during my time. Women were not allowed to vote or hold legit job. We were treated like slaves and we had jobs like to care of our children, hold risky jobs such as police officers and even being a nurse to the soldiers in the wars. While men were getting most of the attention, we were just being put aside.
Transportation for us was just opening to expand. New fixtures such as bridges and automobiles were all put into effect. The automobile vastly increased the mobility of people in the Western countries in the early to mid-century and in many other places by the end of the century. City design throughout most of the West became focused on transport via car. New inventions began to make a move on us and everything made life much easier. When Henry Ford invented the Ford Model T, everyone just had to get there hands on one of them. The Model T set 1908 as the historic year that the automobile came into popular usage. People were saying that it is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the car that "put America on wheels”. Early on, it was this marvelous, extravagant bridge created right after my mother’s birthday. It was the famous Brooklyn Bridge. It was made for people who wanted to get to Manhattan from Brooklyn or vice versa, a lot quicker and easier. Later the Wright Brothers made a superb invention that can get you from place to place in mid air. It is what’s known as the airplane. The brothers made their first successful flight in 1903. Everyone was proud and wanted to try for him or herself.
There is a lot more that I wish I can tell you but then you would not learn some of these events on your own in school or even reading a book. I am so glad to hear from you and I hope you write to me soon.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Doogood
I am surprised to hear from you. Your generation now days have it made. The technology such as the computer, cell phones, and the emails keep you people updated a lot. I would have never thought that you would have written me a letter, but I am thrilled you did. You people have high fashion, luxury cars, and other costly items that only my social security can get me so much of.
You ask me to describe how life was for me in the early 20th century. I say much different than it is now. Let us just say people. Especially women, have a lot more freedom than they did during my time. Women were not allowed to vote or hold legit job. We were treated like slaves and we had jobs like to care of our children, hold risky jobs such as police officers and even being a nurse to the soldiers in the wars. While men were getting most of the attention, we were just being put aside.
Transportation for us was just opening to expand. New fixtures such as bridges and automobiles were all put into effect. The automobile vastly increased the mobility of people in the Western countries in the early to mid-century and in many other places by the end of the century. City design throughout most of the West became focused on transport via car. New inventions began to make a move on us and everything made life much easier. When Henry Ford invented the Ford Model T, everyone just had to get there hands on one of them. The Model T set 1908 as the historic year that the automobile came into popular usage. People were saying that it is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the car that "put America on wheels”. Early on, it was this marvelous, extravagant bridge created right after my mother’s birthday. It was the famous Brooklyn Bridge. It was made for people who wanted to get to Manhattan from Brooklyn or vice versa, a lot quicker and easier. Later the Wright Brothers made a superb invention that can get you from place to place in mid air. It is what’s known as the airplane. The brothers made their first successful flight in 1903. Everyone was proud and wanted to try for him or herself.
There is a lot more that I wish I can tell you but then you would not learn some of these events on your own in school or even reading a book. I am so glad to hear from you and I hope you write to me soon.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Doogood
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Paragraph Comparison
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/us/04middlebury.html?ref=us
1. 680 Words
2. 33 sentences
3. Longest sentence contains 47 words
4. Shortest sentence contains 2 words
5. Average sentence length is 21 words
6. 24 sentences
7. 78%
8. 6 sentences
9. 20%
10. A. 3 sentences
B. 1 sentence
C. 2 sentences
1. 680 Words
2. 33 sentences
3. Longest sentence contains 47 words
4. Shortest sentence contains 2 words
5. Average sentence length is 21 words
6. 24 sentences
7. 78%
8. 6 sentences
9. 20%
10. A. 3 sentences
B. 1 sentence
C. 2 sentences
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Souls of Black Folk - Chapter 3 Analysis
In Chapter one, Du Bois conveys in his message that he is a very proud African-American and considers that fact that whites do not accept the achievements of blacks. Their achievements are not appreciated and valued by society. Du Bois gives the readers a general idea about what his life was like and how he does not respond to ignorance of the white society. He believed that the Emancipation was the best way to end slavery and a new way for blacks to overcome the issues of society. Having an education was a struggle. If blacks were thought, they were not given a textbook. They had to learn on their own. In order for Washington to have completed his dream and goal of showing the Northerners that black people were not as bad as a large majority of the Northerners made them out to be, he had to gain the Northerners respect. Washington soon then began working on getting himself an education. With this education, Mr. Booker T. Washington would be able to show all those discriminating Northerners just how sophisticated, proper, educated, and well brought up that black people could be. Washington had the requirements to gain respect and honor from the white people’s society.
Washington had to be the voice of the people and help blacks get their foot in the door. “I had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through.” (Chapter 3) Symbolism was expressed in this quote, that white Americans are blinding the black PEOPLE from seeing the greatness of America.
Washington had to be the voice of the people and help blacks get their foot in the door. “I had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through.” (Chapter 3) Symbolism was expressed in this quote, that white Americans are blinding the black PEOPLE from seeing the greatness of America.
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Souls of Black Folk - Chapter 1 Analysis
Society makes a huge impact on people in our world. Some of the people respects others and the rest are discriminate towards people who are surrounded by them. No one will understand how a black person experienced there life, but to walk in there shoes. In the Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois should readers his viewpoint about life in these times. He explained how his life was at that time. He also explained what blacks had to go through to get to so much. He spoke about the times before slavery, during slavery, and after (which is the present). He explained to readers what being “Black” meant in a society that viewed blacks as a contempt. In chapter 1, Du Bois gave a brief episode of himself and what he recalls during these times.
Du bois uses amazing detail in this chapter to explain what he recalls. He remembers the times when he was a young boy and what happen when he realizes life. He remembers when he was told to buy greeting cards for the boys and girls in his class for ten cents. “The exchange was merry, till one girl, a tall newcomer, refused my card… with a glance.” (Du Bois) He uses extreme detail in this quote to explain how the girl refused her card. She refused to take the card “peremptorily.” Logically if readers think about it, the color of the girl was never mentioned. He later describes, “It dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from others.” He realized that race played a big role into the life of Du Bois. His feeling towards the situation makes the tone of depression, but at the same time, he is realizing that racism is a major role in society during this time.
He also uses detail when he describes the sky. “The sky was bluest when I could beat my mates at examination…” (Du Bois) He remembers the sky or day and how it was when he was competing against his schoolmates. This is detail used to describe how he viewed each day.
W.E.B. Du Bois had to face many challenges with the people of his time and racism was key to every struggle he endured.
Du bois uses amazing detail in this chapter to explain what he recalls. He remembers the times when he was a young boy and what happen when he realizes life. He remembers when he was told to buy greeting cards for the boys and girls in his class for ten cents. “The exchange was merry, till one girl, a tall newcomer, refused my card… with a glance.” (Du Bois) He uses extreme detail in this quote to explain how the girl refused her card. She refused to take the card “peremptorily.” Logically if readers think about it, the color of the girl was never mentioned. He later describes, “It dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from others.” He realized that race played a big role into the life of Du Bois. His feeling towards the situation makes the tone of depression, but at the same time, he is realizing that racism is a major role in society during this time.
He also uses detail when he describes the sky. “The sky was bluest when I could beat my mates at examination…” (Du Bois) He remembers the sky or day and how it was when he was competing against his schoolmates. This is detail used to describe how he viewed each day.
W.E.B. Du Bois had to face many challenges with the people of his time and racism was key to every struggle he endured.
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