Post here. The theme is taken from Meklit Hadero's "Walls," on her compact disk, On a Day like This.
Look at walls as a symbol. Reflect on the theme of barriers --personal or societal. You can also look at the short stories we've been reading and the walls in the characters' lives.
For the freewrites, students have the option of posting anonymously. If you do post anonymously, send me a copy with your name so you can have credit (coasabirenglish1B@gmail.com).
MLA
Hadero, Meklit. "Walls." On a Day like This. . . . Porto Franco Records, 2010.
2. W@L: Chapter 4--Review pp. 57-60. Read pp. 61-77 (again). Complete p. 77. Review pp. 79-81.
3. "Maggie & Louis, 1914." (short story).
4. Homework is to catch up on the reading. I have given students the Preface and four (4) stories from The Dance Boots.
Handouts today included one on thesis sentences (from COA library carousel) and another handout called The Initial Planning Sheet.
For the essay due tomorrow, on The Story:
Here is an example of an opening paragraph looking at character and a second paragraph or third looking at how themes tie into character:
In The Dance Boots , author Linda Legrade Grover uses characters to populate the landscape that is her "mythical Mozhay Point Indian Reservation and allotment lands of tribe Objbwe extended families. . . in the heart of the six reservations of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, a few hours' drive north of Duluth, Minnesota, . . . on a hill on the shores of Lake Superior" (Preface 1). We meet several memorable characters in the first several chapters, some more striking than others; however, all of their lives, dreams and unrequited wishes resonate long after their demise or the chapter ends. One such character is (two such characters are). . . .
Loss, disappointment and shame haunt these (same or other) characters in Grover's stories "The Dance Boots" and "Maggie and Louis, 1914."
The Assignment
The assignment is to use 1-3 literary devices such as theme and character, plot, style, setting, or symbolism to show how these devices move the story forward.
Characters
Characters are often born of themes or the themes are their mission in the text--they exist as a vehicle for the event. Themes or reoccurring topics are not necessarily the plot.
Other literary devices again are: plot, point of view, setting, symbolism, style (57-60).
The Writing Assignment re: citations
Use examples from the text to illustrate your point; however this does not mean you can have more than 1 direct citation per page. For each essay use: free paraphrase, short citations, and a block quote.
Use only 1 direct citation per page.
Thursday In-class Essay Assignments, beginning Week 1, June 23, 2011
Bring in a completed Initial Planning Sheet electronically, that is on a flash drive and emailed to yourself. The Thursday essays will be a manageable 4-6 paragraphs (750-1250 words) or 3-4 pages. This can include the works cited page.
Bring in an outline for the essay, a detailed outline with a thesis and the sources or evidence one wants to use in the argument.
Tomorrow, we will talk about the essay, perhaps share thesis sentences. Look at research on-line on the topic, if such exists (smile). Write the essay, have a peer review and then email everything to ourselves. I will let you have the weekend for the first essay. You can turn it in Monday, June 27, 2011, via Internet.
Each essay will be a separate portfolio. We will talk about this more tomorrow.
Organization
Since I am giving you copies from a book (2-3), I suggest students invest in a notebook where you can put the various books together by chapter.
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20 comments:
Rebecca Ramos
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
The song “Walls” by Meklit Hadero the theme of walls serving as barriers comes out a lot through out the song. Barriers keep many people from doing thing they may want to do, however many times we are the ones that put up those barriers and allow them to keep us down. We have control over m any things in our lives but many times people get scared, perhaps of failure. We care too much sometimes about what other people think of us that we stop ourselves from reaching what we want in life. We listen to our family or our peers perhaps sometimes more than ourselves. I know from experience how it feels to let others dictate your life. I chose to pursue a career that’s not only hard for women, but more importantly women of color. When I tell people I want to go into the health care field many times people ask me “oh so you want to be a nurse”. Why is it that people automatically assumed I want to be a nurse? There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a nurse, however my aspiration is to be a doctor. People always find barriers in life, whether it be the profession you choose to go into or and obstacle that stands in your way from achieving your goals. Nevertheless, how one chooses to deal with the barrier is what makes them a survivor.
Daniel Lu
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
21 June 2011
Free Write: Walls as symbols
While most people see walls as barriers, physical or emotion impediments restricting one’s movement, I don’t see them that way. Now I’m not saying that people are wrong when they believe that walls are an obstacle, but instead I think that every wall is a possible gateway to another place, whether it be physical or mental or whatever. A wall doesn’t necessarily have to be a permanent, impervious barrier, nor does it have to be enclosing. A physical wall can be a test of your own perseverance to overcome a barrier while a mental wall is a test of one’s own ingenuity and creativity. A wall is simply a door that hasn’t been created yet, a door that one may have to create. In fact, the presence of a wall could help aid one to greater freedom. Some people, if they are not subjected to any type of challenge or struggle, may find themselves more limited than those who have to overcome. They will simply be content with where they are, desiring nothing else but to stay in normality.
Raymond Ye
Proffesor Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
Walls symbolize barriers because wherever walls are, it is a restriction for people to leave or enter an area. Walls tend to have windows or doors, but the wall on its own is a large barrier. A wall is seen as indestructible because people do not have the power to break a wall without tools. Also, there are certain walls that are thick enough that even some of the strongest blunt objects are powerless faced against a wall. On the other hand, there are some walls made out of simple paper. The song “walls” by Meklit Hadero is very calm and implies that either the writer prefers solitude or has a very thin barrier between him and his goal.
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls”. On a Day Like This…. Porto Franco Records, 2010.
S.C.
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
Walls: Inspired by Mecklit Hadero “Walls” from On a Day Like This
Walls are supposed to withstand anything, right?
Walls are supposed to protect us, right?
They stand tall with the cement that binds them
And I stand on the side that I know.
I fear to break it down on my own
Because the other side is a mystery.
Is the grass really greener on the other side, I ask.
What am I even looking for?
Work Cited
Hadero, Meklit. "Walls." On a Day Like This. . . .Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Homero Cruz
Wanda Sabir
Eng 1B
6/22/11
Walls to me are obstacles that you can’t eliminate easily. One must break down walls bit by bit to get over the obstacle. A wall is massive and they vary from color and size, some break easily while others are firm and stiff. Walls are barriers meant to keep some people or things in or out. It is up to one to decide which walls are worth taking down and which walls are acceptable because some walls keep things in place and order. The barriers that stand in your way can’t keep you down just as a wall slowly but surely it breaks down either from time or because one decides it’s time for it to come down. The song we listened to “Walls” by Meklit Hadero made me think about the barriers we face every single day and how we overcome these obstacles. What the song made me feel is that barriers like walls are meant to be taken down when they are stopping you from getting what you deserved.
Dwan Mays
Professor Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
Walls Free Write
Today I didn’t want to get up this morning. I’ve been so busy trying to get myself situated as a student. I have been running around until the late hours of the night. Between my two girls and keeping the house together I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off! I want to work on my personality it never fail every semester every job, some one has an issue with me or our personalities just don’t mesh. I am a people s person so it is funny that I have those problems. I do like people and I do get along well with people for the most part. I need to be a more humble person. I am trying I have recently held my tongue in a situation where I normally would have been irate. I have a lot to learn my English is juvenile but I am hoping to change that. I love the feel of this class Its a “thinkers” class. I hope I grow this semester as a student and as a person.
Source: Hadero, Meklit. “Walls” On a Day like This....Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Joanna Louie
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
Free Write – Walls as a barrier
Meklit Haden – “Walls” from “On a Day Like This”
I am a young girl who prefers to have a full plate of responsibilities as opposed to a half-full, or nearly empty one. Why? That is a good question. Since I can remember, I have always been enrolled in many activities, multiple activities at once. My parents believed that if they enrolled for every activity possible, I can easily withdraw from one, as long as I spoke to them about it first -- communication was key. They never wanted to put me into a position where I felt like I was forced to go to dance practice or felt like I had to play up to seven softball games in a single weekend. All my parents wanted to provide me with was opportunity, and that is exactly what they have done, and I appreciate it all.
However, all of these opportunities create a burden of stress. Sometimes I feel like I have so much to handle over a course of a few days, I don’t know exactly where to start. Music has always been one of my outlets I turn to, to relax me, or to reiterate my goals in life. I often find myself looking up lyrics to a song, because I enjoy the content of each line and really want to understand what the artist is trying to express. I believe that music is simply a way of storytelling.
I really enjoyed the piece “Walls” by Meklit Haden from “On a Day Like This”. I might try to find it online so I can add it to my iTunes playlist, and I am actually serious about this. The song had the perfect beat and melody to blend with the message the artist was trying to say. To overcome stress, or a burden, we must first find a way to get around the “wall” that is stopping us. In the first half of the song, Haden talks about various ways to overcome that burden, “I walk between them”. In the last half of the song, Haden destroys the “wall”, crumbling it and making the burden disappear – ultimately becoming successful.
Like I said before, I believe music is a way of storytelling. I enjoy listening to music to hear the artist’s message, and often find myself quoting lines or stanzas of songs I feel I relate to. I feel like this song can relax me, to remind myself to think outside the box to handle a situation, to ultimately get around my wall that is preventing me from finishing a task. We all of days where we feel incapable, days where we feel like we have no purpose -- “days like this” – the title of the song. This song has a very inspiration tone.
Work Cited
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls.” On a Day Like This. . . . Pofto Franco Records, 2010.
NR
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 june 2011
The wall of defenders
There is a wall of defenders on the gridiron
They yield the other team
They come in many sizes,
Small Large Huskie Humongous.
This certain wall will fight for every yard
They live in a world of many things
They love to eat most importantly
Such as large quantities of salad and chicken.
The wall does not budge
Instead it waits for a reaction
A certain call from a team
Waiting in anticipation
Hoping for a mistake from the oppenents.
This wall will not budge
It will do everything to stop the oppenenent.
Sharron Dawkins
Professor Sabir
English 1B
22June2011
“Walls”, a symbol of life’s many emotions, a symbol of what guides us, a symbol of what hold us back.
How do walls show up in my life? They show up as regret, the regret of things from the past that should have been different. They show up as fear, fear of the unknown, fear that has the power to stop me in my tracks. But these same walls that are described as a negative can also be a positive. These same walls can be the walls that protect me. The walls that shield my vision from what can hurt me; these walls can defend from outside intrusions that mean no good. These walls good and not so good have their purpose. Some walls where built by family, friend or even strangers, and some where constructed by me, in any case these walls create a delicate balance that will move with me through out my life’s journey.
Brittney Brunner
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
"Pictures on a Wall" Poem
As I scale this incessant wall,
I pray to God, Buddah,Allah..whoever is up there, that this structure is impenetrable and it doesn't fall, I climb and climb passing up bits and pieces of some girl's life, pictures of her with shirts on that don't fit right, skirts that are too high or too tight,
pictures of a girl with many men who are all as different at the seasons but change as quick as the wind,
I shake my head and cringe,
this girl is nothing but a walking sin,
does this wall have no end?
Pictures of a girl, a lonely girl with no friends, nobody there to lend a hand,
her emotions will bend and now this pathetic girl plays pretend as if all is fine and when someone asks if she is alright, her heart she must defend and as I get higher, the pictures blend into the wall as if this girl was never there at all and as I get to the top, my mouth drops and I SEE that this girl in the pictures is really a collage of ME !! .. have you ever had that feeling ???
Freewrite
Manuel Francisco Seminario
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
June 22nd 2011
In one of the most proclaimed movies of all time "The Shawshank Redemption "walls mean; encaged ,blocked,secured. But the main character of the story Andy Dufrenes ,slowly bit by bit totes his wall into the exercise yard. As the narrator and character"redd aka Morgan Freeman" says " That's all it takes really,pressure,and time.That and a big goddamn poster." Sometimes we feel like carving our walls to escape our own realities our own stone made cells.Some other non-fictional books like "The inheritance series"make walls to be as a way to have strong mental defense.As for me ,sure walls might stand for all those things but to me its different walls are secure and are the base of enormous buildings or even a house . Walls as a symbol can mean many things ,yet it differs from person to person .
Branson Phu
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
22 June 2011
Meklit Hadero’s “Walls” from On a Day Like This reflects upon the many factors of life that influences people to build walls, and these influences determines the rigidity of these walls, time of the wall’s effects, and how the walls take place. Walls represents the divisions between one’s emotional feelings and the outside world, and different cultures of the world affect how these walls are constructed and to what effect does it have in a social context. Barriers are objects to divide oneself from everyone else, and walls attempt to keep emotion or, in a literal sense, oneself from everyone else. Barriers also attempt to keep those beyond the barrier from affecting the present emotions one may feel, an attempt to keep safe a positive emotion or to keep oneself from physical harm. Cultures also contain barriers which seek to keep other culture’s custom from influencing the culture one abides by, like how the Indian children in The Dance Boots continue to speak their native language despite the punishments at an attempt to preserve their culture. The wall being created helps preserve their culture by separating two mixing cultures into two sides, with the Indian culture on one side and American culture on the other.
Work Cited:
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls.” “On a Day Like This. . ..” Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Grover, Linda Legarde. The Dance Boots. Athens, Georgia and London: The University of Georgia Press, 2010. Print.
Gerardo Guzman
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
WALLS
The first wall I can think of is the one between the U.S. and Mexico
Sometimes solid, sometimes invisible
It stands as a gateway, the threshold to the American Dream
Had it not been for my parents illegally crossing that boundary I would not be here today
Or maybe I would
Those who want to better themselves do not turn around when a wall stands in front of them
They go over, under, around, through
Walls deteriorate, burn, crumble, fall down
But one cannot wait for the passage of time to eliminate the wall for them
Language wall- check
Low income wall- check
Minority wall- check
These walls that enclose so many will not include me
I will not be defined by the labels of others and told I cannot succeed
Because they are scared
They are insecure that their comfort will be unsettled by a nobody
They are worried that their pedigree and country club lifestyle are being challenged
Let them worry
I’ll just keep on pushing through walls as fast as they erect them
Inspired by the song “Walls” by Meklit Hadero
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls”. On a Day Like This. . . . Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Ricardo A. Chavarria
Professor Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
Freewrite
The song “walls” reminds me of the barriers in people’s life that prevents them from accomplishing what they want. Whether it’s school, a job, or some other challenge that people face. The book “The Dance Boots” has many examples of barriers a group of people face.
In the story “Three Seasons” the Indian families face many hardships. Their kids are taken away for long periods of time, they have to get by with the little money they have, and getting a college education is a challenge. These are many of the barriers the families face. As the Native American kids get older, they too have to face the challenges of being an Indian at the reservations. Maggie leaves her abusive husband Andre and decides to care for her children elsewhere. Maggie has to work Monday through Saturday and has to look after all her kids including his sister Henen. Everyone faces barriers in their lives, some bigger than others but still it’s a challenge nonetheless. People react differently to the barriers in their life, but it’s important to maintain a positive attitude when taking on challenges.
Works Cited
Grover, Linda Legarde. The Dance Boots. Athens, Georgia and London: The University of Georgia Press, 2010. Print.
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls”. On a Day Like This…. Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Trang Tran
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
I set this wall up
To create a barrier from the unknown.
Hiding from all the problems.
Yet you my friend
You try to break my wall.
You try to make me step out from behind these barriers.
But are you leaving me alone?
With this broken wall, are you making me face the problems alone?
If so, why break my wall down?
Work Cited:
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls”. On a Day Like This…. Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Jeffrey To
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
Keklit Hadero-“Walls” from One a day Like this
Freewrite:walls as a symbol-reflect on the theme of barrier
When I think of walls, I think of something I need to climb over or get across. I see walls as a barrier or a blockade. Something that is stopping me or something there to let me overcome. Walls are either there to block you or wanting you to climb it or even break it down. To me, I see my Aunt as a symbol of a wall. My aunt graduated Stanford Univeristy, I feel like she set up a wall for me to climb over and surpass her or even get close. The wall represents her education status or the education she has. As a student and newphew I feel like I should climb and get over the wall she has set up for me.
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls”. On a Day Like This. . . . Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Shipra Pathak
English 1B
Professor Wanda Sabir
22 June 2011
My Walls
Walls are solid structures often representing protection or obstacle in my life. Wall can simply just be wall of brick that never talks. There are different types of walls, such as walls with pictures, walls with wall papers, walls with colors, walls with flowers. Walls can be painted or unpainted. But walls for me represent, the barriers that I face every day, for example English language is a barrier, literature writing is a barrier for me which I want to overcome and be proficient in English reading, writing and speaking.
Another wall that I am dealing in my personal life is my father who is against my wish to marry the person of my choice. He wants to pass on the tradition of arranged marriage, considering traditions more important that happiness of my life. The generational gap and cultural difference between me and my father has become a major wall. I am scared to go against my wish because I do not want my parents to be sad or disappointed from me, but at the same time I do not want to follow the tradition of arranged marriage to get married to someone that I don’t love. At present I do not see another way out besides being quite and waiting for a miracle to help change my dad’s feelings about my marriage.
Virgil Gamble
Professor Sabir
English 1B
22 June2011
The song "Walls" by Meklit Hadero begins to talk about literal walls and as the song goes on it, it begins to talk about how walls of society, relationships, and family exist. I agree with this concept because I have walls that I look to break through in life. Unfortunately walls tend to have a negative connotation because they tend to hold us back from hopes, dreams, and desires. These walls can include emotional walls, financial walls, or educational walls. On the flip side, walls can protect us from things that may be detrimental to us.
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls.” On a Day like This....Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Satima Flaherty
Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
"Walls freewrite"
Walls are built to either keep people in or out. Prison walls are built to keep men and women away from society. Walls isolate and separate people from their friends and family. When I hear walls I think of my cousin who spends his life behind bars, behind concrete walls isolated from the rest of the population. I think of him in a cell with four gray walls that are within arm length. The walls of the prison close in on him all hours of the day. The prison walls weigh heavy on his shoulders as he tries to keep his head high. He lives in a barricade that gets an hour of sunshine. Even though my cousin is behind walls all his days, they can’t build a barrier for his mind. Walls are a physical existence, we have the ability to climb and over power all walls with our minds.
Works Cited
Hadero, Meklit. "Walls." On a Day like This. . . . Porto Franco Records, 2010.
Alex Lam
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1B
22 June 2011
Free Writing #1
The song “Walls” from Melkit Hadero, is intuitive and inspiring. Walls are used as a symbol to represent barriers from our lives. They protect us, preventing others to actually hurt us. Melkit Hadero uses walls to protect her heart from being hurt. In the song, she says that the only thing she can see from her lover are bricks, mortar and mud but, when she misses him, she can actually see through her protective walls and see his face. I don’t really get the meaning of this song, but I do understand that, according to her, we have walls that protect our heart emotionally.
Hadero, Meklit. “Walls.” On a Day Like This…. Porto Franco Records, 2010.
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