Homework is to write a summary of one of the stories: "Refugees Living and Dying in the West End of Duluth" (59), "Shonnud's Girl" (77) or "Objibwe Boys."
After writing the summary, just 250 words max, take three different sentences from the story and write for each one: 1 literal paraphrase and 1 free paraphrase.
Post here.
Tomorrow we will talk about introductions and their role in the essay, along with conclusions.
Tomorrow we will talk about introductions and their role in the essay, along with conclusions.
I loaned students a workbook. You have a week to do the exercises. Please return by next Thursday. Continue doing the research exercises at http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rules6e
4 comments:
Marie Heide
22 February 2012
Prof. Sabir
English 1B
In “The Dance Boots,” by Linda LeGarde Grover, one of her stories, “Ojibwe Boys” gives insight to what it was like to be an Indian trying to make it on their own. The story introduces to cousins, Vernon and Sam, who decide that it is time that they stop depending on Maggie and start living on their own. Under the advice of Maggie, the two boys begin their journey to Minneapolis in search of Louis. Once they find Louis, he is able to get the two boys jobs working at the grain elevators killing the rats to keep them from contaminating/eating the grain. After one day of killing rats, they did not return for a second. The boys end up finding jobs as pinsetters at a local bowling alley. Mr. Mountbatten, the owner of the bowling alley, gave the boys meals, paid them every week, and even let them sleep at the bowling alley with the other pinsetter, Punk. Biik joins Vernon and Sam and works with them, but is too young to be paid. Vernon falls in love with a girl named Dolly and she becomes pregnant with Vernon’s child. When Vernon turned eighteen, Louis drove all three boys back to Duluth so that Maggie could sign for Vernon to enlist in the Army. Dolly wrote to Maggie to see if she had heard from Vernon, and Maggie eventually asked Dolly to stay with her. Dolly gave birth to Vernon’s son, and Vernon was listed as missing in action.
Three sentences from the story, 1 literal paraphrase and 1 free paraphrase
1. “The draft dodgers bowled badly-maybe that was what kept them out of the army, Buster said” (p.114)
Free paraphrase: Buster said that maybe because those boys were bowling so badly, they had no skills that the army required to become a soldier.
Literal paraphrase: Because the boys, who willingly decided not to join the military forces due to their lack of bowling skills.
2. “It took us two days and four rides to hitch down to Minneapolis” (p. 103).
Free paraphrase: It was a couple of days and a handful of car rides before we finally made it to our final destination.
Literal paraphrase: We spent our time in a few different cars and a couple of days before reaching Minneapolis.
3. “Setting pins at the Place Bowl was repetitious work” (p. 100).
Free paraphrase: Working at a bowling alley to reposition the bowling pins is a redundant activity.
Literal paraphrase: Having to pick up pins and reposition those makes for a boring job.
Billy Russell
28 February 2012
Professor Sabir
English 1B
The story, Ojibwe Boys, takes place during WWII. It is the story of a teenage Sam and Vernon who, not being able to join the military because of age, decide to stop living off of Maggie and get jobs. They promise to make her life easier by sending her some of their money once they got jobs, a promise they fulfill. They hitchhike their way from Duluth to Minneapolis and meet up with Lois who gets them jobs at the Grain Elevators where he works. Their jobs are to kill the rats in the grain elevators with shovels. It is incredibly hard work, mostly because of the fine dust that is kicked up when the grain is shoveled. Many of the employees have breathing problems because of this. Sam and Vernon quit the job after the first day and get jobs at a bowling alley as pin setters. When their cousin, Buster, hears about their jobs at the bowling alley, he joins them. Even though he is too small to set pins, he is offered a free place to stay. While working as a pin setter, Vernon falls in love with a girl named Dolly. Vernon gets Dolly pregnant shortly before he joins the military. Vernon goes MIA and is never heard from again. Before Vernon goes MIA, Dolly moves into a duplex with Maggie and ends up giving birth right there, in the duplex. Maggie tells everyone that the baby is hers and Dolly is just watching it, even though no one believes that.
1. "Lois drove us back up to Duluth, where Maggie signed for Vernon to enlist in the army."
Literal: Lois gave us a ride back to Duluth, where Maggie gave her permission for Vernon to join the military.
Free: Vernon was able to join the military after Lois gave him a lift to Duluth where Maggie gave him her written permission to join the military.
2. "We slept on the floor in Louis's room that night: it was all right, a pretty good time."
Literal: We slumbered on the ground in Louis's room from dusk till dawn, it was okay, a decent experience.
Free: Sleeping on Louis's floor that evening was okay, a decent experience.
3. "You're gonna be all right, Chief, here, keep moving, walk it off."
Literal: "You will be fine, man, here, continue to move, keep moving until the pain goes away.
Free: "You'll be fine, Vernon, just continue to move around until the pain subsides."
Maribel Arrizon
Professor Sabir
English 1B
29 February 2012
In "The Dance Boots" by Linda Legarde Grover, one of her chapters, "Refugees Living and Dying in the West End of Duluth" takes us back once again to the narration of Artense but this time as a teenager observing the family events of the time. The chapter begins with the gathering of the family for the funeral of Louis's, Maggie's true love and husband, death. In the funeral party the customs of greeting and family interaction is shown as Artense explains what the wives and husbands do once they arrive to the house of Aunt Babe's where the funeral party is being held. Artense also lets the reader meet Stan as a white college bound teenager meeting Artense's family for the first time. The dynamics of the family are shown as Artense waits anxiously for her elder uncles to approve of her boyfriend. As the chapter revolves around Louis's death Artense's place in the family at a young age is revealed. By the end of the chapter, the reader witnesses the many attempted flirtation of Frankie to Artense as a young girl yet her determination to stay true to Stan without knowing if his feelings were as strong as hers for him. And the story ends with Louis's spirit finally rejoining that of Maggie's in the spirit world after almost two decades of separation.
Stephanie Kallens
Professor Sabir
English 1B
Spring 2012
Summary of “Ojibwe Boys”
In Linda LeGarde Grover’s series of short stories The Dance Boots, she has many stories coming from the woman’s perspective. However, there is one story that comes from the point of view from an American Indian man from the Ojibwe tribe. “Ojibwe Boys” describes the journey of cousins Sam and Vernon as they try to become independent men and find ways to provide for their family, specifically Sam’s aunt Maggie. As they begin their voyage to Minneapolis, they find quite a degrading job killing rats provided by Louis. Sam and Vernon stick with their pride and leave the rat slaughtering job to become pin setters at a bowling alley with another young man nicknamed “Punk”. Punk introduces them to a world of independence as well as some girls. Vernon falls in love with a girl named Dolly who later becomes impregnated with his child. When Vernon goes off to war, aunt Maggie, who is also Vernon’s mother, asks Dolly to live with her. Unfortunately, over time, neither Maggie nor Dolly hears from Vernon and he is listed as missing in action.
Post a Comment