Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Lost in Translation

Today students worked on their character profiles. We are up to

Homework is to continue reading Chapter 5, and to bring in an item representative of a woman to reflect on for freewrite for International Women's Day. It can be a poem, a photograph, a play, a work of art, lyrics to a song.

As background do a bit of research on the observance here and abroad.

Post your freewrites here. Also respond to a student's post (2-3). Students will be invited to share with the entire class.

Homework for the weekend is to read Chapters 6 & 7 in Girl in Translation.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Billy Russell
Professor Sabir
English 1B
8 March 2012

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/72/8marta.jpg

The image I found for International Women's day is a strange one. The writing on the poster is in Russian, and the poster appears to have been made by the USSR as propoganda. The picture is of a woman being crushed by a pile of dirty dishes and other common household items. Another woman is seen grabbing her arm while waving a huge red flag. The woman holding the flag is rescuing the other woman from the oppression of household labor.

Through a little research, I learned that international womens day was originally a socialist holiday. The first women's day was celebrated in the US in 1909, by the American socialist party. International Women's Day was actually primarily celebrated in Soviet Russia, and was considered a communist holiday 1977 when the UN chose to officially recognize it.

ethel said...

ethel murrey
Professor Sabir
English 1B
March 9 2012

I chose for Nat'l Womens day. "Aint I A Woman" Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) Well children, where there is so much racket there muss, look at my t be something out of kilter. I think that "twix the Negrows in the South aand the women in the north, all taking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody everr helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place! and ain't I a woman? Look at me look at my arms I have ploughed and planted and gathered into the barn and no man could head me and ain't I a woman I could work as much and eat as much as a man--when I could get it and bear the lash as well I have born children(13) and seen most all sold off to slavery and when I cried with mothers grief, non but Jeses heard me and aint I a woman
Then they talk about that thing in the head what's this they call it(audience whispers, intellegence) thata it honey, what's that got to do with womens' or Negrows rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint and yours holds a quart wouldnt you be mean not to let me have my little half measue full? Then little man in the black says woman cant have much rights as man cuse christ wasnt a woman. Where did your christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with HIM. Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner aint got nothing more to ay

ethel said...

ethel murrey
Professor Sabir
English 1B
March 9 2012

I chose for Nat'l Womens day. "Aint I A Woman" Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) Well children, where there is so much racket there muss, look at my t be something out of kilter. I think that "twix the Negrows in the South aand the women in the north, all taking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody everr helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place! and ain't I a woman? Look at me look at my arms I have ploughed and planted and gathered into the barn and no man could head me and ain't I a woman I could work as much and eat as much as a man--when I could get it and bear the lash as well I have born children(13) and seen most all sold off to slavery and when I cried with mothers grief, non but Jeses heard me and aint I a woman
Then they talk about that thing in the head what's this they call it(audience whispers, intellegence) thata it honey, what's that got to do with womens' or Negrows rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint and yours holds a quart wouldnt you be mean not to let me have my little half measue full? Then little man in the black says woman cant have much rights as man cuse christ wasnt a woman. Where did your christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with HIM. Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner aint got nothing more to ay

Anonymous said...

Ryan Gozinsky-Irwin
Period 8-8:50
English 1B
3/12/2012

I appreciated and want to thank Miss Sara Nazeer for her post on International Women's day. Her link to flikr had a very powerful picture with a story that a lot of us living here in the States might not have knowledge of because it is a custom that we do not experience. The picture was a women with a nose ring that held on that held onto another metal chip the size of a few gold dollars. It was a symbol of her marital status and that she was a widow. Very interesting because there for sure are not a majority of women wearing a piece of jewelry to signify if they have lost their husband, divorced, or what have you. Without traveling we cannot experience or may hear about incidents such as this therefore, I think this image was a good find. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Ryan Gozinsky-Irwin
Period 8-8:50
English 1B
3/12/2012
Wanda Sabir

I thought that the image that Mr. Russell found was very interesting. Regardless if I could read the Russian or not what I took away from the picture was a group of women standing up to industrial work. It seemed as if they were helping each other up after being toppled by machines, to stand together and unionize. Than again I could be completely wrong. It reminds me of a poster you may have seen during WWII where a lot of the women were a work force in these factories.

Anonymous said...

Maribel Arrizon
English 1B
Professor Sabir
22 March 2012

"Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston is a story about a woman, Janie, finding her voice and sticking to what she believes is good in life despite the fact that to others it might look like a mistake. Janie enbarks in a journey to find love, a kind of love that to many is not real because it includes the male listening to her and letting her be independent with both partners being equal and honest with each other. Janie finds independence when her second and third husbands die and though she had found the kind of love she was looking for with the third husband, his death doesn't mar her independence but in fact emphasizes the fact that she loved him but didn't lose herself during their marriage and after his death. She stays independent and finds peace with her solitude whereas many women of her time might not have.

I love this book because it shows us a very strong heroin and is in many ways like Kimberly from "Girl in Translation" who both believe in something and don't let the outside world mar their determination to get what they want. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" says that a woman can be independent while still falling in love and being married. For me this book is the perfect symbol for Women's day.