Cycle 19: White Tigers - New Critic

Tomorrow our class will be participating in our first lit circle. In my group my role is the new critic. As new critic my job is to select passages from the story and explain the importance of each passage. The section of The Women Warrior that we had to read was White Tigers.

• At first I saw only water so clear it magnified the fiber in the walls of the gourd. The old man encircled the neck of the gourd with his thumb and index finger and gave it a shake. As the water shook, then settled, the colors and lights shimmered into a picture, not reflecting anything I could see around me. There at the bottom of the gourd were my mother and father scanning the sky, which was where I was. “It has happened already, then,” I could hear my mother say. “I didn’t expect it so soon.” “You knew from her birth that she would be taken,” my father answered. “We’ll have to harvest potatoes without her help this year,” my mother said, then they turned away toward the fields, straw baskets in their arms. The water shook and became just water again. “Mama. Papa,” I called, but they were in the valley and could not hear me. (22)
  

This passage is of great importance to me because it gives a major clue about her destiny. By her parents saying she would be taken ever since birth, this passage shows that her parents already knew she was going to be taken. This passage also expresses the value of moving on. Not only did her parents know to let go and move on, but she also knew her duties and moved on as well. As a reader we also learn that there old people are magical because of the special gourd they have.

• A white rabbit hopped beside me, and for a moment I thought it was a blob of snow that had fallen out of the sky. The rabbit and I studied each other. Rabbits taste like chickens. My mother and father had taught me how to hit rabbits over their heads with wine jugs, then skin them cleanly for fur vests. “It’s a cold night to be an animal,” I said. “So you want some fire too, do you? Let me put on another branch, then.” I would not hit it with the branch. I had learned from rabbits to kick backward. Perhaps this one was sick because normally the animals did not like fire. The rabbit seemed alert enough, however, looking at me so acutely, bounding up to the fire. But it did not stop when it got to the edge. It turned its face once toward me, then jumped into the fire. The fire went down for a moment, as if crouching in surprise, then the flames shot up taller than before. When the fire became calm again, I saw the rabbit had turned into meat browned just right. I ate it, knowing the rabbit had sacrificed itself for me. It had made me a gift of meat. (26)

At first, when reading this passage I thought the rabbit was one of the old people, testing to see how much will power she had. When she described how the rabbits were skinned and used to make fur coats, I thought she was going to skin the poor rabbit. I felt this was an important passage because instead of skinning the rabbit, she added another branch to the fire to keep the rabbit warm. That part of this passage showed great loyalty. Eventually, when the rabbit jumped into the fire and sacrificed itself for her, I thought that was supposed to teach the girl that good things will happen if you wait.

Cycle 18: My Role Model

Most people who are recognized for their greatness are normally quite old or either dead. But, one person who I admire greatly is the same age as me. She is able to deal with pain no one could ever imagine, and never once complain about her problems. Coping with the pain she puts up with is only one of the reasons she is a person I admire. The fact that she is one of the best gymnasts in the state is not only impressive, but the modesty she shows is a quality every person should have. Her kindness towards all people who ever they are makes her the most kindhearted person I know. With all of the extra-curricular activities she does she is still able to manage her schedule and be an exceptional student. This young woman I know and love is named Keolamau Yee and I will always look up to her.

Cycle 18: No Name Warrior - More Quotes

This past week our class started reading The Woman Warrior, and completed the first chapter called “No Name Warrior.” “No Name Warrior” is a story about Maxine’s aunt which was told by Maxine’s mother. The story Maxine’s mother told her was about her aunt that committed suicide after giving birth to a baby that did not belong to her husband, but someone unknown. After Maxine’s mother tells her the story she ends up leaving the scene, leaving Maxine to ponder the possibilities in which this story took place. After finishing “No Name Warrior”, our assignment was: what does Maxine’s description and imagination about her aunt say about her?

• In one scene Maxine imagines, “Perhaps she had encountered him in the fields of on the mountain where the daughter-in-law collected fuel. Or perhaps he first noticed her in the marketplace. He was not a stranger because the village housed no strangers. She had to have dealings with him other than sex. Perhaps he worked an adjoining field, or he sold her the cloth for the dress she sewed and wore.”(6)
  

In this quote Maxine imagines three different scenarios in just one paragraph, this shows off how big Maxine’s imagination really is. Because there scenarios are all so wild, it reflects that Maxine has a wild personality. As readers, we learn that Maxine is creative. These scenarios are just three out of the many in this chapter. To imagine such creative ideas, she must have a creative mind.

• In another scene Maxine describes her aunt’s actions: “To sustain her being in love, she often worked at herself in the mirror, guessing at the colors and shapes that would interest him, changing them frequently in order to hit on the right combination. She wanted him to look back.”(9)
  

Because Maxine is a teenager, her thoughts reflect that of a teenage girl. When Maxine describes her aunt looking at herself in the mirror, I assume Maxine is self conscious herself and cares what she looks like. In this description Maxine talks about colors and shapes, this may show Maxine’s bright, colorful, and artistic side.

Cycle 18: My Family Story Characterization

On Friday, our class discussed the six methods of characterization. The six methods of characterization help to better describe characters in a story. The six methods are: appearance, inner thoughts/feelings, environment, what they say, what others say about them, and actions. To help practice characterization our assignment was to choose a character from our family story.

In my family story the main character is my gunggung. Here are the six methods of characterization about my gunggung:

Appearance:

• 18 years old
• young
• cheerful

Inner thoughts/feelings:

• scared, terrified
• nervous

Environment:

• Hawaii

What they say:

• calm
• controlled

What others say about them:

• generous
• giving

Actions:

• poise
• on top of things

Cycle 18: My Family Story

Our class is going to be starting an English project called: Thousand and One Flat World Tales. Here is an idea of a story i might use. Suggestions are very welcome!!!

I was ten years old and in the fourth grade when I got into the biggest fight about the littlest thing with my best friend at the time. Her name was Taylor, and we were the best of friends ever since we first met in kindergarten.

I remember this story like it happened just yesterday, we were in class on one of the hottest days of the year. My classmates and I were slowly counting down the long minutes until our lunch break. Lunch, where all of my friends would relax under the breeze of the cafeteria fans, feeling the air blow our hair around, listening to the laughter of all the kids around me. But, this day was different, the breeze from the fans above did not seem to be as satisfying and the laughter that I heard in the cafeteria made me want to cry. This was because all the kids were laughing at me. It just so happens that my best friend, Taylor, told another girl in my class named Andrea, who I liked. And by the time lunch had arrived I was the one being laughed at and I was the one being teased.

When I got home that day, my gunggung was at my house just for a visit. And, right away he could tell his little granddaughter was unhappy. He sat me down on my bed and I explained my story. I told him how my best friend stabbed me in my back and how I wish I was never born. My gunggung, being one of the nicest men I ever met, not only made me feel a whole lot better with the story he then told me, but I also learned something about him I will never forget.

After hearing my story my gunggung then told me one of his. He explained to me that I should never wish that I was never born because I almost might not have. “I was eighteen and as handsome as ever,” he bragged. He told me how he lived the best life ever, hanging out with his friends all the time, joking around in school and always frustrating the teacher. My gunggung then told me how one piece of paper changed his life. The piece of paper he was talking about was his draft number, the number that told him if he was going to be shipped out to fight in the Korean War. My gunggung’s aspect on life changed at that moment, he could no longer goof around or do what ever he pleased, because now he had a responsibility to the United States army. His number was so low that there was no chance he could avoid not being in the war.

My gunggung then explained to me how he felt with this duffle bag in his hands, starring at the ship that would that the newest batch of young adults to Korea to fight in the war. He explained every detail to me how if felt to hug his mom for what might have been the last time. He told me how he felt anxious, scared, worried, confused, and shocked all at the same time, not knowing what would happen next. As the military officers called each number one by one, my gunggung stood there in silence, waiting for his number to be called. …84…85…86…87…88…there it was, his number 88 was called. Henry Pang, number 88, please report on deck. At that moment his heart skipped a beat. But, then a message came in. As my gunggung walk to the officer that called his name, his memories of Hawaii flashed though him mind, not knowing when or if he would ever return. When he reached the officer, the officer told him how he was saved. The officer explained how my gunggung had been pulled out of the draft and was exempt from fighting.

It turns out someone in the administration knew my gunggung and pulled him out of the draft. He was informed, instead of fighting in Korea, he was to stay in Hawaii and carry out his duties by working in the office.

After my gunggung finished his story I was speechless. If my gunggung went to fight in the Korean War, he probably would never have met my popo, and they would never have had my mom, then I would not have been born. Because of this story my gunggung told me four years ago I have never again wished I was never born.

Cycle 17: No Name Warrior - Quotes

Yesterday our class read part of the first chapter of Woman Warrior. Here are some quotes I thought had important meanings:

• “Don’t humiliate us. You wouldn’t like to be forgotten as if you had never been born. The villagers are watchful.”
  

I choose this first quote because it reflects the feelings of the villagers. The culture reflected in Maxine’s village shows how honor is held at a high standard. The people in this village must live by the many rules and laws in order to keep a good reputation. This quote also reflects how strict Chinese families keep their households running. In China, your name is something you try to live up to for your entire life. When Maxine’s mother tells Maxine she will be forgotten if she does not take her mother’s advice it shows the importance of this story and also may foreshadow upcoming events.

• “I hope that the man my aunt loved appreciated a smooth brow, that he wasn’t just a tits-and-ass man.”
  

This quote comes from when Maxine is thinking to herself about what the possible stories that could have happened to make her aunty kill herself. I choose this quote because it shows the way Maxine thinks. This quote paints a picture of Maxine’s personality; it expresses her wild imaginations and shows her sexual thinking. As Maxine explores all the different scenarios, we learn Maxine has a somewhat blunt personality and is no where near innocent.

Cycle 17:Moodle

A goal that my English teacher, Mr. Watson, has made for our class was to go paper-less. To save paper, these past weeks he has introduced our class to moodle. Moodle is a website where our class can post assignments, share ideas, and communicate with each other virtually. One of the unique features of moodle is when other classmates are online, you are able to instant message them. With moodle, our class can have open discussions about assignments we are doing in class. Unlike a blog, with moodle it can not be seen publicly, it is your class’ site and no one else can access your work. What makes moodle difficult to use is the editing system. Only one person is allowed to edit at a time, and if someone else edits before you, you must edit again. This system would be a lot easier to use if more than one person could edit at a time. Moodle can also be troublesome when it starts to lag. If moodle updated each person’s work faster, it would be a lot more efficient. Overall, once our class starts using moodle more frequently, our work will like more professional.

Cycle 17: Lost Sister

During these past couple of weeks our class has been reading a few short stories and poems. One of the poems our class has read was Lost Sister. Lost Sister is a poem about a young woman who explains the situations of living in China, and then traveling to America in search of freedom and possibilities she could not obtain in China. One of the quotes I am fond of in this poem comes from the first sentence, “In China, even the peasants named their first daughters Jade-.” In China, Jade is a precious stone that is irreplaceable if ever lost. The reason why I like this quote is because it shows how daughters are referred to in China. This one sentence expresses how women in the Chinese culture are rare and beautiful even if they are just peasants.

A question raised by our teacher, Mr. Watson, was what does this poem say about how our “self” is created? By reading Lost Sister I realized you and only you can create your own “self”. In this poem, a young woman named Jade tells about her life in China. She explains how moving freely was a luxury taken from her and all girls at birth. Jade later creates her own “self” by moving to America. She broke through the old traditions and started something new. In this poem, Jade discovers that in America men and women are given equal opportunities. Jade is a perfect example on how to create your own “self”. To be your own person you must take life into your own hands. You must lead by example and not follow in other people’s footsteps. And you must live up to all that you can be. Once you have done all of that, then you can say that you have created your own “self”.