Courtney Patterson
June 21, 2010
ROAR Blog
ROAR Blog #3
In the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, the last chapters lead the readers to a scene of chaos on the animal farm. The animals are trying to put blame on Snowball because he had promised the animals that if they help build a windmill, then it would improve their lives on the farm. Snowball’s plan backfired on him because the windmill failed. It broke when the animals finally got planned in the ground and of course the animals were upset, but Snowball wanted the animals to continue their process. He had them prepare to vote for their choice: for or against the windmill, but before snowball found out the result Napoleon came in with attacking dogs. The dogs scared Snowball off the farm as Napoleon came to take over. Napoleon might not have the support of Snowball anymore, but he still has the support of Squealer who tries to tell the rest of the animals that Napoleon is doing the right thing.
Under Napoleon’s power the animals try to work hard on getting enough food and also working hard on rebuilding the windmill. Napoleon and Squealer decided to get the animals to work faster and harder by saying they could only receive food, if they work for it. The animals responded to the new rule in a positive way; they choose to work without any problems. The leaders passed out the food among the animals, but soon they were running out of food. The pigs on the farm were beginning to get most of the food and they even started to live indoors, which went against the Seven Commandments that everyone was supposed to follow. Overtime more of the “leaders” started breaking the commandments as the other animals just watched on. Napoleon uses his attack dogs to kill some animals and scare the others, because he thought that they were betraying the farm.
As Napoleon showed that he was in control of the animal farm, he had some of the commandments changed, so they could fit the way he where running things. There were many killings, animals sleeping in beds, drinking alcohol, and becoming more like humans than acting like animals. As the readers finished the last chapter, they realize that the Animals changed into humans. They wear their clothing and they became everything that they were fighting against. The animals were walking on two legs, instead of four and that was one of the things that they hated the most about humans
*Summarized pages 74-128
Quote: “All Animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others” (Orwell 123).
Reaction: My reaction this quote is that Napoleon and the pigs were seen as better than the rest of the animals. They were the leaders, so they didn’t have to follow commandments and they were able to change them, whenever they choose. The leaders like the pigs made the important decisions and with all of the power that they gained, they became exactly like the humans that they hated.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Roar Blog #2: Animal Farm
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog #2
June 7, 2010
Roar Blog #2
Summary:
In the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, the animals continue with their plans to take over the farm and be their own bosses. To help with their plan, the animals find and use the tools that belong to Mr. Jones. The tools are used to harvest the food that the animals would need to use once they are able to run the farm, but in order to harvest food all the animals have jobs. The jobs that a few of the animals have is mowing and raking the leaves, but not all the animals took part of the chores. The pigs didn’t help with any of the hard labor, but their jobs were to supervise the other animals. They took the roles as the leaders and they are in charge of everything like the flag-raising/meetings which the rest of the animals have to participate in it. Snowball and Napoleon (the two main leaders) always make sure that their voices are heard the most when the animals have their meetings.
As the animals continue to work hard (some more than others) Old Major’s plan is being spread across the country. There are many animals that are starting to take apart of this movement “Four legs good, two legs bad.” They were singing the song “Beast of England” and growing a strong union among themselves, but Mr. Jones doesn’t like what was happening to his farm, so he made the choice to a take action against the animals. He decides to get help from the other farmers, who are scared that their animals will soon decide to make their own animal farm. They try to ambush the animals and take back Mr. Jones’ farm. Mr. Jones’ plan fails because a few birds had notice that the farmers were coming towards the animal farm and they went to tell the Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball decided that the animals will fight for what they thought was theirs.
The animals did fight the humans and they won, but one sheep had died in the process of the fight. This sheep was given a proper burial, but another animal was mentally wounded by the fight. It was Boxer, a cart-horse; he was upset that he had killed a human. It was a innocent kid who Boxer killed by an mistake. When Snowball heard that Boxer was upset about the death of this boy he basically told him that humans are best dead. This showed the other animals that Snowball really didn’t care about humans and he thought that they would be useless. For Snowball’s and Napoleon’s “leadership” ways they were honored and they received medals as well. When the animals were looking around the farm after the fight with Mr. Jones and the other farmers, they found Mr. Jones’ gun. They decided to place the gun on the flag-raising post and only fire it twice a year.
*Summarized pages 36-49
Quote:
“War is war. The only good human being is a dead one” (Orwell 49).
Reaction:
My reaction to the quote is that Snowball’s hate for humans is growing and soon every animal would feel the same way. Boxer would no longer be sorry that he killed a human and he would love destroying them. George Orwell’s writing style is very expressive. He expressed how Snowball felt toward the death of a human very well. He makes the animals have different emotions and strengths, and Orwell is good at expressing these emotions.
Roar Blog #2
June 7, 2010
Roar Blog #2
Summary:
In the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, the animals continue with their plans to take over the farm and be their own bosses. To help with their plan, the animals find and use the tools that belong to Mr. Jones. The tools are used to harvest the food that the animals would need to use once they are able to run the farm, but in order to harvest food all the animals have jobs. The jobs that a few of the animals have is mowing and raking the leaves, but not all the animals took part of the chores. The pigs didn’t help with any of the hard labor, but their jobs were to supervise the other animals. They took the roles as the leaders and they are in charge of everything like the flag-raising/meetings which the rest of the animals have to participate in it. Snowball and Napoleon (the two main leaders) always make sure that their voices are heard the most when the animals have their meetings.
As the animals continue to work hard (some more than others) Old Major’s plan is being spread across the country. There are many animals that are starting to take apart of this movement “Four legs good, two legs bad.” They were singing the song “Beast of England” and growing a strong union among themselves, but Mr. Jones doesn’t like what was happening to his farm, so he made the choice to a take action against the animals. He decides to get help from the other farmers, who are scared that their animals will soon decide to make their own animal farm. They try to ambush the animals and take back Mr. Jones’ farm. Mr. Jones’ plan fails because a few birds had notice that the farmers were coming towards the animal farm and they went to tell the Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball decided that the animals will fight for what they thought was theirs.
The animals did fight the humans and they won, but one sheep had died in the process of the fight. This sheep was given a proper burial, but another animal was mentally wounded by the fight. It was Boxer, a cart-horse; he was upset that he had killed a human. It was a innocent kid who Boxer killed by an mistake. When Snowball heard that Boxer was upset about the death of this boy he basically told him that humans are best dead. This showed the other animals that Snowball really didn’t care about humans and he thought that they would be useless. For Snowball’s and Napoleon’s “leadership” ways they were honored and they received medals as well. When the animals were looking around the farm after the fight with Mr. Jones and the other farmers, they found Mr. Jones’ gun. They decided to place the gun on the flag-raising post and only fire it twice a year.
*Summarized pages 36-49
Quote:
“War is war. The only good human being is a dead one” (Orwell 49).
Reaction:
My reaction to the quote is that Snowball’s hate for humans is growing and soon every animal would feel the same way. Boxer would no longer be sorry that he killed a human and he would love destroying them. George Orwell’s writing style is very expressive. He expressed how Snowball felt toward the death of a human very well. He makes the animals have different emotions and strengths, and Orwell is good at expressing these emotions.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
ROAR Blog #1: Animal Farm
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog
June 1, 2010
Roar Blog #1
Summary:
In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the readers met Mr. Jones. He is the owner of the Manor Farm, but he is a careless owner at times because he allowed himself to get drunk and he was unable to lock the animals behind the gate. The animals were able to wonder around and talk about the dream that old Major had. Old Major was a middle while boar, who was well respected throughout the animals. He knew that he would soon die, so Old Major wanted to tell the animals some life lessons and a dream he had the previous night. Old Major’s life lessons were about the fact that animals didn’t have long lives, their lives were hard, and how they usually die a horrible death. Old Major blames all of the animals’ hardships on humans, because they allow this to happen.
When Old Major talks about the dream, he has all of the animals’ full attention and he tells them that he dreamed about a world without humans. There were only animals and they were in charge of everything that went on. The animals would be able to be happy, live their lives the way that they wanted to, eat anything, and died with joy in their hearts. Of course, the point of Old Major telling the rest of the animals of this dream was to plan the idea in their minds: get rid of the humans and have a real animal farm. In order for this plan to work there would have to be leaders and the way that the animals decided who were the leaders of the movement were by gaining their “perfect comradeship.” This is where they decided which animals are best fit for the leadership roles.
In the next chapter, Old Major’s plans are still in effect after he dies. The pigs are seen as the cleverest animals and they soon decided to take over the whole movement. Three of the main pigs are Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball. They came up with this phase called Animalism and it meant that the animals were taking care of themselves; they no longer had Mr. Jones as their leader, and they enjoyed the new change.
*Summarized Pages 15-43.
Quote:
“Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend” (Orwell 21).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that the animals quickly changed their minds about humans and what they did for them. They wanted every animal to know that change was happening and if they knew best then they would get with the movement. George Orwell’s writing style is very creative because he makes the animals seem realistic. If humans could read the minds of animals, then they probably would be thinking the same things as the animals in the book. They probably would want to be in charge and able to do as they please.
Roar Blog
June 1, 2010
Roar Blog #1
Summary:
In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the readers met Mr. Jones. He is the owner of the Manor Farm, but he is a careless owner at times because he allowed himself to get drunk and he was unable to lock the animals behind the gate. The animals were able to wonder around and talk about the dream that old Major had. Old Major was a middle while boar, who was well respected throughout the animals. He knew that he would soon die, so Old Major wanted to tell the animals some life lessons and a dream he had the previous night. Old Major’s life lessons were about the fact that animals didn’t have long lives, their lives were hard, and how they usually die a horrible death. Old Major blames all of the animals’ hardships on humans, because they allow this to happen.
When Old Major talks about the dream, he has all of the animals’ full attention and he tells them that he dreamed about a world without humans. There were only animals and they were in charge of everything that went on. The animals would be able to be happy, live their lives the way that they wanted to, eat anything, and died with joy in their hearts. Of course, the point of Old Major telling the rest of the animals of this dream was to plan the idea in their minds: get rid of the humans and have a real animal farm. In order for this plan to work there would have to be leaders and the way that the animals decided who were the leaders of the movement were by gaining their “perfect comradeship.” This is where they decided which animals are best fit for the leadership roles.
In the next chapter, Old Major’s plans are still in effect after he dies. The pigs are seen as the cleverest animals and they soon decided to take over the whole movement. Three of the main pigs are Napoleon, Squealer, and Snowball. They came up with this phase called Animalism and it meant that the animals were taking care of themselves; they no longer had Mr. Jones as their leader, and they enjoyed the new change.
*Summarized Pages 15-43.
Quote:
“Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend” (Orwell 21).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that the animals quickly changed their minds about humans and what they did for them. They wanted every animal to know that change was happening and if they knew best then they would get with the movement. George Orwell’s writing style is very creative because he makes the animals seem realistic. If humans could read the minds of animals, then they probably would be thinking the same things as the animals in the book. They probably would want to be in charge and able to do as they please.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
ROAR BLOG #5: The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog
April 29, 2010
Roar #5
In the book The Rise and Fall of The American Teenager, by Thomas Hine, in the last chapters Hine talks about today’s generation and how there is a greater diversity of teens then there ever was. The teenagers come from different backgrounds and they all express themselves differently. Some express themselves through music, tattoos, piercings, the way they dress, extracurricular activities, drug habits, and in other ways. Hine described this as “youth tribes” and he says that they been around for 20 years. Teens were using these methods to have control of themselves and show people that they are maturating into their own person. Adults don’t see these teens as their own person, they see they all as one big group that loves to cause problems also known as teenagers.
The Libertarian teens are doing many things on their own because they parents might had to work many hours to provide from their families. This leads to teens having a distance relationship with their parents. Teens are able to be out longer, hide things from their parents more often, and the government thinks that this could lead to crime. If parents are more active in their child’s life, then the teen is less likely to take a part of any crimes.
Parents didn’t seem to be very active with their children’s life during 1985 through 1994, so the crime rate among the teen raised 70 percent. When the crime rate rose, sadly the homicides rate did too. Many teens take apart of the crimes and end up wasting their lives, but Hine believes that the United States is more relaxed than other countries when it comes to this topic. There are laws that are made just to target teens and slow down the crime rate, but many teens look pass the laws and choose to do with they pleased.
Hine talks about today’s teenager and how they are different from the teenagers in the past, because how they live now. Teens today are not looking to TV or newspapers for information or entertainment; they are looking to the Internet or to their cell phones. Their lifestyle is different from past generations and the “classic teenager” has changed into teens that are more independent, driven by technology, and are making an impact on the world. Teens are impacting the world because there are more teen-oriented clothing stores and teen-oriented publications than before. Teens today are getting their voices heard, just like they did in past generations. They are a mix of the older generations with a little twist.
*Pages summarized 274-304
Quote:
“Young people are here and, as always, ready to make history. Let’s help them. We were young once too” (Hine 304).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is all that young people want to do is change the world, make a positive impact on it, and also make history. As much as young people claim that they can do things on their own, they really do want the help and the support of adults who once were teens themselves. Thomas Hine’s writing style is good at expressing how adults feel about teens, but at the same time he is able to express how teens feel too. He understands that teens today are different than teens in the past, but they both share one thing: they are growing up with many and they are trying to understand where they fit in.
Roar Blog
April 29, 2010
Roar #5
In the book The Rise and Fall of The American Teenager, by Thomas Hine, in the last chapters Hine talks about today’s generation and how there is a greater diversity of teens then there ever was. The teenagers come from different backgrounds and they all express themselves differently. Some express themselves through music, tattoos, piercings, the way they dress, extracurricular activities, drug habits, and in other ways. Hine described this as “youth tribes” and he says that they been around for 20 years. Teens were using these methods to have control of themselves and show people that they are maturating into their own person. Adults don’t see these teens as their own person, they see they all as one big group that loves to cause problems also known as teenagers.
The Libertarian teens are doing many things on their own because they parents might had to work many hours to provide from their families. This leads to teens having a distance relationship with their parents. Teens are able to be out longer, hide things from their parents more often, and the government thinks that this could lead to crime. If parents are more active in their child’s life, then the teen is less likely to take a part of any crimes.
Parents didn’t seem to be very active with their children’s life during 1985 through 1994, so the crime rate among the teen raised 70 percent. When the crime rate rose, sadly the homicides rate did too. Many teens take apart of the crimes and end up wasting their lives, but Hine believes that the United States is more relaxed than other countries when it comes to this topic. There are laws that are made just to target teens and slow down the crime rate, but many teens look pass the laws and choose to do with they pleased.
Hine talks about today’s teenager and how they are different from the teenagers in the past, because how they live now. Teens today are not looking to TV or newspapers for information or entertainment; they are looking to the Internet or to their cell phones. Their lifestyle is different from past generations and the “classic teenager” has changed into teens that are more independent, driven by technology, and are making an impact on the world. Teens are impacting the world because there are more teen-oriented clothing stores and teen-oriented publications than before. Teens today are getting their voices heard, just like they did in past generations. They are a mix of the older generations with a little twist.
*Pages summarized 274-304
Quote:
“Young people are here and, as always, ready to make history. Let’s help them. We were young once too” (Hine 304).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is all that young people want to do is change the world, make a positive impact on it, and also make history. As much as young people claim that they can do things on their own, they really do want the help and the support of adults who once were teens themselves. Thomas Hine’s writing style is good at expressing how adults feel about teens, but at the same time he is able to express how teens feel too. He understands that teens today are different than teens in the past, but they both share one thing: they are growing up with many and they are trying to understand where they fit in.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Roar blog #4- The Rise and Fall Of the American Teenager
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog
April 18, 2010
Roar Blog #4
Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, Hines talks about money and how important it is to teenagers. In the past before the 1920s, teenagers had the same jobs as their parents, so they were making the same amount of money. As time went on more teens were going to school and the jobs that they once had were gone. Now teens had part time jobs, only paid for some of their entertainment, clothes, and maybe a car. The wages that teens were paid was design to be a small amount because parents didn’t want their kids to get a job and make enough money to be able to support themselves. They didn’t want this to happen because teenagers would quit school and would be responsible for themselves.
When World War II was going on all of this had changed. Teens were taking on part-time jobs like they did in the past and many teens drop out of school, so they could participate in the war. The parents’ of these teens were also very busy because they were also helping in the war, so many of the teens were left alone. The teens had money and no adults to watch them, so many of them were staying out and partying. The music that many of these teens partied to was the big band swing. It was a fast paced music that had a specific dance that went along with it. Music wasn’t the only thing that teens around this time period joined. They enjoyed shopping like any teen today. The clothing market was aimed at teens and what they wore. New magazines were showing up that expressed the views of teenagers. One of the magazines were Seventeen, this magazine still is around today.
Hines touches on the “baby boom” that happened during 1946-1964 and how it impact America as a whole. More schools were being built, so they could house all of the new students that they would have. When the first “baby boomers” were growing into teenagers, it was in the sixties and these teens were the cause of the fighting for peace and the justice that took place. The sixties were the start of more rebellion that happened in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Many of the teenagers wanted to make something of themselves, so they were willing to fight to go to integrated schools. They wanted to get the same education as everyone else. The teenagers’ actions had affected today’s teenagers because teens today are able to go to a school with a mixed group of people all because of what teens in the past had done. These teenagers of the 50s and 60s had become Freedom Riders, Civil rights Leaders, and people who wanted a change to happen.
*Pages Summarized 225-273
Quote: “Youth will make the Revolution! Youth will make it and keep it. Be young. Be bold. Be Beautiful” (Hines 250-251).
Reaction: My reaction to this quote is that the youth of this time were making a revolution. It was a long and slow process, but it was useful in the end. They were changing the way people thought about race, war, and about teenagers. The “baby boomers” were the start of something great, because the generations that came after them had followed their actions, so they could make their lives better. Thomas Hine’s writing style is very detailed. He gives the “good” and the “bad” of the teenagers’ actions in each generation. The “good” could be what the teens did that affected the generations after them like talking apart of the civil rights movement and the “bad” could be the violence or dropping out of school that some teenagers might had done, but whether it was “good” or “bad” it teaches the readers about the confusing life that American teenagers could have.
Roar Blog
April 18, 2010
Roar Blog #4
Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, Hines talks about money and how important it is to teenagers. In the past before the 1920s, teenagers had the same jobs as their parents, so they were making the same amount of money. As time went on more teens were going to school and the jobs that they once had were gone. Now teens had part time jobs, only paid for some of their entertainment, clothes, and maybe a car. The wages that teens were paid was design to be a small amount because parents didn’t want their kids to get a job and make enough money to be able to support themselves. They didn’t want this to happen because teenagers would quit school and would be responsible for themselves.
When World War II was going on all of this had changed. Teens were taking on part-time jobs like they did in the past and many teens drop out of school, so they could participate in the war. The parents’ of these teens were also very busy because they were also helping in the war, so many of the teens were left alone. The teens had money and no adults to watch them, so many of them were staying out and partying. The music that many of these teens partied to was the big band swing. It was a fast paced music that had a specific dance that went along with it. Music wasn’t the only thing that teens around this time period joined. They enjoyed shopping like any teen today. The clothing market was aimed at teens and what they wore. New magazines were showing up that expressed the views of teenagers. One of the magazines were Seventeen, this magazine still is around today.
Hines touches on the “baby boom” that happened during 1946-1964 and how it impact America as a whole. More schools were being built, so they could house all of the new students that they would have. When the first “baby boomers” were growing into teenagers, it was in the sixties and these teens were the cause of the fighting for peace and the justice that took place. The sixties were the start of more rebellion that happened in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Many of the teenagers wanted to make something of themselves, so they were willing to fight to go to integrated schools. They wanted to get the same education as everyone else. The teenagers’ actions had affected today’s teenagers because teens today are able to go to a school with a mixed group of people all because of what teens in the past had done. These teenagers of the 50s and 60s had become Freedom Riders, Civil rights Leaders, and people who wanted a change to happen.
*Pages Summarized 225-273
Quote: “Youth will make the Revolution! Youth will make it and keep it. Be young. Be bold. Be Beautiful” (Hines 250-251).
Reaction: My reaction to this quote is that the youth of this time were making a revolution. It was a long and slow process, but it was useful in the end. They were changing the way people thought about race, war, and about teenagers. The “baby boomers” were the start of something great, because the generations that came after them had followed their actions, so they could make their lives better. Thomas Hine’s writing style is very detailed. He gives the “good” and the “bad” of the teenagers’ actions in each generation. The “good” could be what the teens did that affected the generations after them like talking apart of the civil rights movement and the “bad” could be the violence or dropping out of school that some teenagers might had done, but whether it was “good” or “bad” it teaches the readers about the confusing life that American teenagers could have.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
ROAR BLOG #3: The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog
April 9, 2010
Roar Blog #3
Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, Hine begins to talk about high school and how it was different from past generations. In past generations high school was not a big deal to go to because teenagers were making money to help support their families. The first high school that was built was in Boston in 1821 and that school is now known as English High, but other high schools were not built until till many years later. The first students that attended these schools were young women, because most of them didn’t bring in enough money to support their families like the young men did.
In time, high schools around the United States started to change because more students were attending and education was finally becoming important to American teenagers in the 1930s and after World War II. Today education is still very important and like Hine said that many teenagers have problems with their family, themselves, and society, but they still continue to go try their hardness in high school. These teens are thinking of their goals and dreams, so they know that have to finish school in order to make these goals happen for themselves.
High school meant a large amount of teenagers spending time in an environment that was about education, but sometimes these teens thought that they were adults and they could make their own decisions. Hine touches on young women sexuality and how it changed from the past to the present. Before the 1920s, teenage girls were seen as innocent and many of them didn’t even kiss anyone until they were married. The act of kissing or showing affection to someone who were not family was an act only adults would be doing. This all changed when the 1920s hit and young women were showing their sexuality to the world. Teenage girls were changing the way they dressed, the music they listened to, the dances they did, and how they behaved. These girls were seen as leaders because adults and children looked up to them. Most people like what they were doing, but of course there were people who didn’t like how they expressed themselves.
The people who didn’t enjoy what these teens were going said that the teens were misleading themselves and were disrespecting their families. They saw them as “loose girls” and people who didn’t have any morals. Although some people didn’t enjoy seeing teenage girls express their sexuality, this was the start of something new. It began a more sexualized society that has continued to this day.
*Summarized pages 138-184
Quote:
“To reject your family is one thing; there may be very good reasons. To reject high school is to reject the society as a whole” (Hines 139).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it tells the truth about how many people feel about high school. High school is very difficult at times, but in the end it is preparing a teenager to be successful. In today’s society, many jobs ask for a high school diploma because it shows people that teens have received an education. High school is a stepping stone to be successful at life. Teens would always have problems with their families, but if they reject high school that could end many of the goals or dreams that they had for themselves. Thomas Hine’s writing style makes the readers think. He gives enough details to explain what happened in the past and the present, and then the readers are able see the steps that society or teens took that changed everything. Hine makes the readers think if teens had changed for the better or for the worst, when it come to a particular topic.
Roar Blog
April 9, 2010
Roar Blog #3
Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, Hine begins to talk about high school and how it was different from past generations. In past generations high school was not a big deal to go to because teenagers were making money to help support their families. The first high school that was built was in Boston in 1821 and that school is now known as English High, but other high schools were not built until till many years later. The first students that attended these schools were young women, because most of them didn’t bring in enough money to support their families like the young men did.
In time, high schools around the United States started to change because more students were attending and education was finally becoming important to American teenagers in the 1930s and after World War II. Today education is still very important and like Hine said that many teenagers have problems with their family, themselves, and society, but they still continue to go try their hardness in high school. These teens are thinking of their goals and dreams, so they know that have to finish school in order to make these goals happen for themselves.
High school meant a large amount of teenagers spending time in an environment that was about education, but sometimes these teens thought that they were adults and they could make their own decisions. Hine touches on young women sexuality and how it changed from the past to the present. Before the 1920s, teenage girls were seen as innocent and many of them didn’t even kiss anyone until they were married. The act of kissing or showing affection to someone who were not family was an act only adults would be doing. This all changed when the 1920s hit and young women were showing their sexuality to the world. Teenage girls were changing the way they dressed, the music they listened to, the dances they did, and how they behaved. These girls were seen as leaders because adults and children looked up to them. Most people like what they were doing, but of course there were people who didn’t like how they expressed themselves.
The people who didn’t enjoy what these teens were going said that the teens were misleading themselves and were disrespecting their families. They saw them as “loose girls” and people who didn’t have any morals. Although some people didn’t enjoy seeing teenage girls express their sexuality, this was the start of something new. It began a more sexualized society that has continued to this day.
*Summarized pages 138-184
Quote:
“To reject your family is one thing; there may be very good reasons. To reject high school is to reject the society as a whole” (Hines 139).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it tells the truth about how many people feel about high school. High school is very difficult at times, but in the end it is preparing a teenager to be successful. In today’s society, many jobs ask for a high school diploma because it shows people that teens have received an education. High school is a stepping stone to be successful at life. Teens would always have problems with their families, but if they reject high school that could end many of the goals or dreams that they had for themselves. Thomas Hine’s writing style makes the readers think. He gives enough details to explain what happened in the past and the present, and then the readers are able see the steps that society or teens took that changed everything. Hine makes the readers think if teens had changed for the better or for the worst, when it come to a particular topic.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
ROAR BLOG #1: The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog
April 1, 2010
Roar Blog #2
Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, Hine research if being a teenager from the way they act, talk, and do other things, is a phase or a part of people that never goes away. The readers learn about the phases that teenagers go through. One of the phases that Hine wrote about was how many teens express their conventional wisdom, but they also take apart of awful behavior, that many adults think is unnecessary. The same adults who don’t agree with the teenagers’ behaviors can sometimes behave the same way as the teens. Is the teenage agers a phases that many people get out of their system when they are still teens or is this a phases that which people could not never fully get over?
The readers also learned that the growth spurt and physical maturity that happens with teenagers today, has happened quicker in today’s teens then the teens in the past. Hine believes that it’s due to the food and how people live in today. Maturity is always a difficult thing to go through and Hine talked about Erik Erikson, who believes that today’s society moving too fast. The older generations aren’t able to pass on their thoughts/ experiences about how teenagers should deal with maturity.
The culture that American teens live in is very fast paced and it forced teens to deal with adulthood quicker than most culture, but coming of age is shown differently in every culture. Some culture feed their teenage girls fatting foods and forbids them to do any physical activity, because they are preparing them for marriage. In America, Hine express that the culture helps many teenagers have eating disorders because America is always telling teens that they should be extremely thin, but at the same time America always tries to force advertising for fatty snacks down teens’ throats. This also leads to many teens having to deal with obesity.
*Pages summarized 27-44
Quote:
“Older people may complain about the hardships they had to endure when they were growing up, but when it comes down to the things that really count, it never gets any easier to be younger” (Hine 41).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it shows how growing up will always be hard, because culture is changing and things are not the same way they once were. This quote is important to understand because it shows that being young will always be difficult to deal with. The other generation will always complain and say that the new generation is out of control, but the older generations need to understand that the new teens are living in a different time, so it calls for new experiences. Thomas Hine’s writing style is very good at expressing both how today’s teens lived their lives and their cultures, along with the other ways that pass generations lived their lives.
Roar Blog
April 1, 2010
Roar Blog #2
Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, Hine research if being a teenager from the way they act, talk, and do other things, is a phase or a part of people that never goes away. The readers learn about the phases that teenagers go through. One of the phases that Hine wrote about was how many teens express their conventional wisdom, but they also take apart of awful behavior, that many adults think is unnecessary. The same adults who don’t agree with the teenagers’ behaviors can sometimes behave the same way as the teens. Is the teenage agers a phases that many people get out of their system when they are still teens or is this a phases that which people could not never fully get over?
The readers also learned that the growth spurt and physical maturity that happens with teenagers today, has happened quicker in today’s teens then the teens in the past. Hine believes that it’s due to the food and how people live in today. Maturity is always a difficult thing to go through and Hine talked about Erik Erikson, who believes that today’s society moving too fast. The older generations aren’t able to pass on their thoughts/ experiences about how teenagers should deal with maturity.
The culture that American teens live in is very fast paced and it forced teens to deal with adulthood quicker than most culture, but coming of age is shown differently in every culture. Some culture feed their teenage girls fatting foods and forbids them to do any physical activity, because they are preparing them for marriage. In America, Hine express that the culture helps many teenagers have eating disorders because America is always telling teens that they should be extremely thin, but at the same time America always tries to force advertising for fatty snacks down teens’ throats. This also leads to many teens having to deal with obesity.
*Pages summarized 27-44
Quote:
“Older people may complain about the hardships they had to endure when they were growing up, but when it comes down to the things that really count, it never gets any easier to be younger” (Hine 41).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it shows how growing up will always be hard, because culture is changing and things are not the same way they once were. This quote is important to understand because it shows that being young will always be difficult to deal with. The other generation will always complain and say that the new generation is out of control, but the older generations need to understand that the new teens are living in a different time, so it calls for new experiences. Thomas Hine’s writing style is very good at expressing both how today’s teens lived their lives and their cultures, along with the other ways that pass generations lived their lives.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
ROAR BLOG #1: The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog
March 26, 2010
Roar #1
Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, the readers find out a little bit about Hine’s background and why he started writing the book. Hines found out that he began write this books a few decades before, because of a school project that he had to do. The project caused him to think about where teenagers fit in and the impact that they had society. In the process of finding out about teenagers he found out more about himself and what his interests were.
The term “teenagers” was created around the time of World War II and it described an age group that advertising and marketing were seeing had become buyers. Over time the meaning of the world “teenagers” or ‘teens” had changed. The meaning of these words became people who are in same place like high school, young, open to new things, and have a common experience. The image that America crated about teens is both positive and negative, but the negative image is expressed more often. The negative image is expressed by people hearing about teens killing other teens; teenagers had kids at a young age, teenagers killing the children they have, and other crimes. The positive acts that teenagers commit are likely to be overlooked and forgotten about.
Although many people see teenagers as “problems,” today’s teenagers are improving, in some ways. There is a larger amount of teens graduating from high school and going to college. They want to better themselves and they are event taking a part of the work force in America. At the end of the day as much as teenagers like their freedom and hanging around their friends, they still want attention from their parents. Hines believe that teens still need and want some advice from their parents because their parents still have a big affect on the teen’s lives.
*Pages summarized 1-26
Quote:
“Maybe I’m something special, and maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m here for a reason and I might be going somewhere after this, but then again I might not. I wonder where I fit in?” (Hines 2).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it describes how many teens think and it helps the readers better understand teenagers. This quote help many teens decide if what they are going with their lives going to change the world or is it even going to matter in the long run. Thomas Hine’s writing style is to give the facts about the American teenager’s lives, but add in a little bit of his background, what he believes, and how he grew up. Hines used many quotes to back up his comments and he does not stick to one side more than the other. He is just trying to explain that teenagers are all different and different times throughout the American history called for different teens.
Roar Blog
March 26, 2010
Roar #1
Summary:
In the book The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager written by Thomas Hine, the readers find out a little bit about Hine’s background and why he started writing the book. Hines found out that he began write this books a few decades before, because of a school project that he had to do. The project caused him to think about where teenagers fit in and the impact that they had society. In the process of finding out about teenagers he found out more about himself and what his interests were.
The term “teenagers” was created around the time of World War II and it described an age group that advertising and marketing were seeing had become buyers. Over time the meaning of the world “teenagers” or ‘teens” had changed. The meaning of these words became people who are in same place like high school, young, open to new things, and have a common experience. The image that America crated about teens is both positive and negative, but the negative image is expressed more often. The negative image is expressed by people hearing about teens killing other teens; teenagers had kids at a young age, teenagers killing the children they have, and other crimes. The positive acts that teenagers commit are likely to be overlooked and forgotten about.
Although many people see teenagers as “problems,” today’s teenagers are improving, in some ways. There is a larger amount of teens graduating from high school and going to college. They want to better themselves and they are event taking a part of the work force in America. At the end of the day as much as teenagers like their freedom and hanging around their friends, they still want attention from their parents. Hines believe that teens still need and want some advice from their parents because their parents still have a big affect on the teen’s lives.
*Pages summarized 1-26
Quote:
“Maybe I’m something special, and maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m here for a reason and I might be going somewhere after this, but then again I might not. I wonder where I fit in?” (Hines 2).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it describes how many teens think and it helps the readers better understand teenagers. This quote help many teens decide if what they are going with their lives going to change the world or is it even going to matter in the long run. Thomas Hine’s writing style is to give the facts about the American teenager’s lives, but add in a little bit of his background, what he believes, and how he grew up. Hines used many quotes to back up his comments and he does not stick to one side more than the other. He is just trying to explain that teenagers are all different and different times throughout the American history called for different teens.
Friday, February 19, 2010
ROAR Blog #5: Finding Fish & the Antwone Fisher movie
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog-Book into Movie
Feburay 18, 2010
Roar #5
Compare and Contrast the Movie to the Book:
The book that I read for my roar was Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher and the movie that was based on this book was Antwone Fisher. Both the book and the movie were very good. They shined a light on the life that Antwone was living. Antwone grew up in Cleveland, Ohio with his forester parents. Antwone didn’t know his birth parents. He was abused throughout his childhood, by his forester parents along with his forester brothers and sister. Antwone was able to leave his situation in his forester home and finally end up in the navy. He had some problems in the navy, but with time, he was able to be successful. Antwone seen the world and feel in love while in the navy, but he was still missing something… his biological family. He wants able find his family which gave him hope that anything could happen. His father’s family loved Antwone and were glad that he was in their lives, but when Antwone when to see his mother, he didn’t feel the same amount of love. Antwone had to forgive his mother for everything she did, but he had to move on.
When I compared the book to the movie there are more things that are different. In the movie all of the characters had their names changed, but Antwone Fisher. With new names, there are also new characters like Cheryl Smolley, who is Antwone’s girlfriend in the movie. In the book Antwone did fell in love, but it was with a woman in Tokyo and their relationship stayed in Tokyo. The relationship that Antwone had with Cheryl was on the ship because she was in the navy with him. While in the navy Antwone found someone that he could talk to and it helped him get things off his chest, but in the book it was not touched on and much as it was in the movie. The movie was revolved around Antwone talking to Dr. Jerome Davenport and telling him his story. Dr. Davenport played by Denzel Washington had helped Antwone played by Derek Luke; realize that he needs to find his biological parents. In the book Antwone wanted to find his parents because he always wondered about them. The way that Antwone went about looking for his biological family and some of the family members had also changed. One of the big events that happened in the movie and not in the book was Antwone going back to his forester parents’ home when he was looking for his biological family. In the book Antwone says that he never tried to reconnect with his forester family, because that was one thing that he didn’t want to revisit.
The events that stayed the change in the movie and the book were the dream that Antwone had when he was younger. This dream was of him being welcomed by people who looked like him and they had a feast prepared for him. This dream came true when he finally met his biological family and they had a feast for him and a way of welcoming him home. Another event that was the same and was shown in the book and movie was Antwone getting into trouble in the navy. Antwone would get in fights because he felt that it was the only way to protect himself. Antwone felt that he had to protect himself, because when he allowed people into his life he felt that they always left like Jessie. Jessie was Antwone close friend and he gave him a place to live for a while, but Jessie tried to rob someone and ended up getting killed. In the book and movie this event was seen and it affected Antwone because that was his friend. While Antwone became depressed about the event that took place, he started to write poetry and the poem that he wrote was expressed in the book and in the movie. The poem was about him and who would care enough to help him. Antwone gave the poem to Dr. Davenport in the movie, but in the book it was just a poem that he wanted to share with the readers.
When I compared the movie to the book it seems that Fishing Fish: A Memoir was better than the Antwone Fisher movie, because there were more details and there were no added characters. It was more realistic than the movie, but the movie was great in its own way. The movie allowed people to view Antwone’s Fisher’s life and it lead to people picking up the book and getting a closer look.
Roar Blog-Book into Movie
Feburay 18, 2010
Roar #5
Compare and Contrast the Movie to the Book:
The book that I read for my roar was Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher and the movie that was based on this book was Antwone Fisher. Both the book and the movie were very good. They shined a light on the life that Antwone was living. Antwone grew up in Cleveland, Ohio with his forester parents. Antwone didn’t know his birth parents. He was abused throughout his childhood, by his forester parents along with his forester brothers and sister. Antwone was able to leave his situation in his forester home and finally end up in the navy. He had some problems in the navy, but with time, he was able to be successful. Antwone seen the world and feel in love while in the navy, but he was still missing something… his biological family. He wants able find his family which gave him hope that anything could happen. His father’s family loved Antwone and were glad that he was in their lives, but when Antwone when to see his mother, he didn’t feel the same amount of love. Antwone had to forgive his mother for everything she did, but he had to move on.
When I compared the book to the movie there are more things that are different. In the movie all of the characters had their names changed, but Antwone Fisher. With new names, there are also new characters like Cheryl Smolley, who is Antwone’s girlfriend in the movie. In the book Antwone did fell in love, but it was with a woman in Tokyo and their relationship stayed in Tokyo. The relationship that Antwone had with Cheryl was on the ship because she was in the navy with him. While in the navy Antwone found someone that he could talk to and it helped him get things off his chest, but in the book it was not touched on and much as it was in the movie. The movie was revolved around Antwone talking to Dr. Jerome Davenport and telling him his story. Dr. Davenport played by Denzel Washington had helped Antwone played by Derek Luke; realize that he needs to find his biological parents. In the book Antwone wanted to find his parents because he always wondered about them. The way that Antwone went about looking for his biological family and some of the family members had also changed. One of the big events that happened in the movie and not in the book was Antwone going back to his forester parents’ home when he was looking for his biological family. In the book Antwone says that he never tried to reconnect with his forester family, because that was one thing that he didn’t want to revisit.
The events that stayed the change in the movie and the book were the dream that Antwone had when he was younger. This dream was of him being welcomed by people who looked like him and they had a feast prepared for him. This dream came true when he finally met his biological family and they had a feast for him and a way of welcoming him home. Another event that was the same and was shown in the book and movie was Antwone getting into trouble in the navy. Antwone would get in fights because he felt that it was the only way to protect himself. Antwone felt that he had to protect himself, because when he allowed people into his life he felt that they always left like Jessie. Jessie was Antwone close friend and he gave him a place to live for a while, but Jessie tried to rob someone and ended up getting killed. In the book and movie this event was seen and it affected Antwone because that was his friend. While Antwone became depressed about the event that took place, he started to write poetry and the poem that he wrote was expressed in the book and in the movie. The poem was about him and who would care enough to help him. Antwone gave the poem to Dr. Davenport in the movie, but in the book it was just a poem that he wanted to share with the readers.
When I compared the movie to the book it seems that Fishing Fish: A Memoir was better than the Antwone Fisher movie, because there were more details and there were no added characters. It was more realistic than the movie, but the movie was great in its own way. The movie allowed people to view Antwone’s Fisher’s life and it lead to people picking up the book and getting a closer look.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Roar Blog #4: Finding Fish
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog-Book into Movie
February 17, 2010
Roar #4
Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers learn a little more about Antwone being homeless and how it lead him to joining the Navy. Antwone was forced to go to the YMCA’s men shelter after her graduated from school, because he was not older enough to join the navy. He was only seventeen, but his birthday was coming up. While Antwone was at the shelter there were two men who were trying to sexually abuse him, but Antwone found protection with Butch. Butch was a drug dealer, ran numbers, stolen goods, and ran prostitutes, but Antwone soon became Butch’s protégé. Being the Butch’s protégé did not last long because Antwone made the wrong move and was beat up for his actions. Antwone had to leave the men’s shelter because he feared for his safely and he was homeless again. In this time he happened to miss his eighteenth birthday because he lost track of the days.
One of Antwone’s childhood friends name Jessie seen Antwone on the street and he told him that he could crash at his house. Jessie’s mother didn’t notice that Antwone was living there because she had a lot of kids and she couldn’t keep track of all of them. Jessie was a good friend to Antwone because he let him take showers and gave him clean clothes to wear, but one day that all changed. Jessie wanted Antwone to come with him to the store, but Antwone had to do something first. When Antwone was finish, he seen Jessie in front of the store with an old man and he started walking toward them. The old man pulled out a gun and shot Jessie, because he was sick and tired of people trying to rob him. After this event Antwone took off and he was homeless again, but not for long. Antwone seen Flo, who grew up in the Pickett too, and she brought him to Mercy’s home. Mercy was always nice to Antwone and he lived with her for a little while. Antwone also reconnected with Dwight and this is when he began seeing signs saying to join the navy, so Antwone finally joined.
Antwone joined the navy, so he could see the world because he didn’t want to settle. Antwone wanted more for himself. The Navy was difficult for Antwone at first, but with time it became easier. Antwone learned many lessons while in the navy and Chief Lott taught him the most important ones. He taught Antwone as known as Fish, communication skills that helped him speak up for his self. These skills were helpful, but Fish was still depressed because of his past and he took up a hobby that would help him express himself better. Fish started to write poetry and he was very talented, because many of his peers paid for his work. This helped Fish gain a good reputation along with all of the hard work he put into helping people on the ship.
When Fish changed ships and was able to go to Tokyo he fell in love. The lucky lady was Seiko Fukashima. Fish was so happy because he was finally able to feel the love that he wrote about in poems. They dated for about a year, but they had to break up when Fish’s ship had to leave. Seiko didn’t want Fish to forget about her, so she put a bottle of her perfume in his bag and he was able to smell her for years to come. When Fish came back to the states he was awarded with medals and ribbons, but he also left the Navy after eleven years.
When Fish was in his new apartment in California, he started thinking about the family that he never had, so he decided to look them up. When fish finally found some numbers that might help him, he only decided to call one number and it was Annette Elkins. She was his long lost aunt and Fish was happy that he found his family. Fish decided to meet his uncle that lives in California. After Fish and his uncle reconnected, Fish flow down to Cleveland a few days later to meet the rest of the family. The Elkins family was very proud and happy that they meet Antwone. Antwone realized that he had many similar traits with his father’s side of the family. They were artists, writers, and Antwone looked like them, but he still wanted to meet his mother. Eva Mae Fisher was Antwone’s mother and they found her through a family friend name Jess. Jess was Antwone’s uncle on his mother’s side. When Antwone when to see his mother, some of his family members had came to support him. Antwone’s mother had done through a lot of hard ships and Antwone was finally able to see that when he met her. When she seen him and was told that he was Antwone, she began to cry, but she never addressed him. Antwone had repair a speech to say to his mother, but when he seen how she was he had nothing to say. Antwone had forgave his mother and it helped him realized that his entire struggle and unknowing his family, was just parts of the story of his life.
*Summarized pages: 375-508
Quote:
“Maybe I was naïve and undeveloped, even delayed, but if growing up meant the death of dreams, I chose immaturity” (Fisher 400).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that Antwone kept dreaming and he wanted to make those dreams come true. The people around him were just settling for whatever they had and he wanted more. He wanted to see the world and enjoy life to the fullest. He had his dreams come true. I also really like this quote. Antwone Quenton Fisher’s writing style throughout the memoir stayed the same. He had continued to use two different voices to narrate the book. The younger and older voice help the readers view how Antwone had seen things as they were happening. The older voice helped the readers see how Antwone felt about the events in his life, from a mature place and the younger voice allowed the readers to view things while they happened. Fisher’s writing skills gave great details into the setting, characters, and his dreams. This made the readers fell as if they were there with Antwone.
Roar Blog-Book into Movie
February 17, 2010
Roar #4
Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers learn a little more about Antwone being homeless and how it lead him to joining the Navy. Antwone was forced to go to the YMCA’s men shelter after her graduated from school, because he was not older enough to join the navy. He was only seventeen, but his birthday was coming up. While Antwone was at the shelter there were two men who were trying to sexually abuse him, but Antwone found protection with Butch. Butch was a drug dealer, ran numbers, stolen goods, and ran prostitutes, but Antwone soon became Butch’s protégé. Being the Butch’s protégé did not last long because Antwone made the wrong move and was beat up for his actions. Antwone had to leave the men’s shelter because he feared for his safely and he was homeless again. In this time he happened to miss his eighteenth birthday because he lost track of the days.
One of Antwone’s childhood friends name Jessie seen Antwone on the street and he told him that he could crash at his house. Jessie’s mother didn’t notice that Antwone was living there because she had a lot of kids and she couldn’t keep track of all of them. Jessie was a good friend to Antwone because he let him take showers and gave him clean clothes to wear, but one day that all changed. Jessie wanted Antwone to come with him to the store, but Antwone had to do something first. When Antwone was finish, he seen Jessie in front of the store with an old man and he started walking toward them. The old man pulled out a gun and shot Jessie, because he was sick and tired of people trying to rob him. After this event Antwone took off and he was homeless again, but not for long. Antwone seen Flo, who grew up in the Pickett too, and she brought him to Mercy’s home. Mercy was always nice to Antwone and he lived with her for a little while. Antwone also reconnected with Dwight and this is when he began seeing signs saying to join the navy, so Antwone finally joined.
Antwone joined the navy, so he could see the world because he didn’t want to settle. Antwone wanted more for himself. The Navy was difficult for Antwone at first, but with time it became easier. Antwone learned many lessons while in the navy and Chief Lott taught him the most important ones. He taught Antwone as known as Fish, communication skills that helped him speak up for his self. These skills were helpful, but Fish was still depressed because of his past and he took up a hobby that would help him express himself better. Fish started to write poetry and he was very talented, because many of his peers paid for his work. This helped Fish gain a good reputation along with all of the hard work he put into helping people on the ship.
When Fish changed ships and was able to go to Tokyo he fell in love. The lucky lady was Seiko Fukashima. Fish was so happy because he was finally able to feel the love that he wrote about in poems. They dated for about a year, but they had to break up when Fish’s ship had to leave. Seiko didn’t want Fish to forget about her, so she put a bottle of her perfume in his bag and he was able to smell her for years to come. When Fish came back to the states he was awarded with medals and ribbons, but he also left the Navy after eleven years.
When Fish was in his new apartment in California, he started thinking about the family that he never had, so he decided to look them up. When fish finally found some numbers that might help him, he only decided to call one number and it was Annette Elkins. She was his long lost aunt and Fish was happy that he found his family. Fish decided to meet his uncle that lives in California. After Fish and his uncle reconnected, Fish flow down to Cleveland a few days later to meet the rest of the family. The Elkins family was very proud and happy that they meet Antwone. Antwone realized that he had many similar traits with his father’s side of the family. They were artists, writers, and Antwone looked like them, but he still wanted to meet his mother. Eva Mae Fisher was Antwone’s mother and they found her through a family friend name Jess. Jess was Antwone’s uncle on his mother’s side. When Antwone when to see his mother, some of his family members had came to support him. Antwone’s mother had done through a lot of hard ships and Antwone was finally able to see that when he met her. When she seen him and was told that he was Antwone, she began to cry, but she never addressed him. Antwone had repair a speech to say to his mother, but when he seen how she was he had nothing to say. Antwone had forgave his mother and it helped him realized that his entire struggle and unknowing his family, was just parts of the story of his life.
*Summarized pages: 375-508
Quote:
“Maybe I was naïve and undeveloped, even delayed, but if growing up meant the death of dreams, I chose immaturity” (Fisher 400).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that Antwone kept dreaming and he wanted to make those dreams come true. The people around him were just settling for whatever they had and he wanted more. He wanted to see the world and enjoy life to the fullest. He had his dreams come true. I also really like this quote. Antwone Quenton Fisher’s writing style throughout the memoir stayed the same. He had continued to use two different voices to narrate the book. The younger and older voice help the readers view how Antwone had seen things as they were happening. The older voice helped the readers see how Antwone felt about the events in his life, from a mature place and the younger voice allowed the readers to view things while they happened. Fisher’s writing skills gave great details into the setting, characters, and his dreams. This made the readers fell as if they were there with Antwone.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
ROAR Blog #2: Finding Fish
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog–Book into Movie
February 8, 2010
Roar #3
Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers find out that the problems that Antwone was having at home continued as he got older. When Antwone was a teenager, Mizz Pickett was trying to kick him out the house and she finally got her wish when Antwone was removed from her home. At the age of sixteen, Antwone learned about his family past. He learned about the mother who couldn’t take care of him and the father who died too young. Along with information about his family, he also learned that no one would be able to take him in, so Antwone was focused on the streets.
Being sixteen and homeless is scary for any teenager, because there are always people that would try to take advantage of these teens and Antwone knew that it would be dangerous. Later on there were a few people who were trying to help Antwone get off the streets like Ms. Nees. She decided to send him to a private male institution. This intuition was a reform school for young males who committed a juvenile offense, but Antwone never committed an offense. The school was called George Junior Republic. Antwone was depress and was looking for an outlet. His new outlet was taking pictures. He wanted to be a world-famous photographer, because he saw a Jet magazine and he thought that he would be able to do the same thing. Antwone later met with the principal and vice-principal of his school, so he could see if he was able to find a way to graduate. He ended up taking many test and passed, so he was able to graduate before he turned eighteen. Antwone also had to enter into the United States Military Reserve, so he would be able take care of his self before going to college.
*Pages Summarized is 314-372.
Quote:
“Seems like it was raining all the time back then,” Antwone said. “It wasn’t,” said Ms. Nees (Fisher 331).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that Ms. Nees was trying to explain to Antwone that there was always hope and a chance for him. He just had to realize it for himself and once he did, he was able to become successful. This quote is important to know because it was foreshadowing that Antwone would overcome his situation and finally become the person he always wanted to be.
Roar Blog–Book into Movie
February 8, 2010
Roar #3
Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers find out that the problems that Antwone was having at home continued as he got older. When Antwone was a teenager, Mizz Pickett was trying to kick him out the house and she finally got her wish when Antwone was removed from her home. At the age of sixteen, Antwone learned about his family past. He learned about the mother who couldn’t take care of him and the father who died too young. Along with information about his family, he also learned that no one would be able to take him in, so Antwone was focused on the streets.
Being sixteen and homeless is scary for any teenager, because there are always people that would try to take advantage of these teens and Antwone knew that it would be dangerous. Later on there were a few people who were trying to help Antwone get off the streets like Ms. Nees. She decided to send him to a private male institution. This intuition was a reform school for young males who committed a juvenile offense, but Antwone never committed an offense. The school was called George Junior Republic. Antwone was depress and was looking for an outlet. His new outlet was taking pictures. He wanted to be a world-famous photographer, because he saw a Jet magazine and he thought that he would be able to do the same thing. Antwone later met with the principal and vice-principal of his school, so he could see if he was able to find a way to graduate. He ended up taking many test and passed, so he was able to graduate before he turned eighteen. Antwone also had to enter into the United States Military Reserve, so he would be able take care of his self before going to college.
*Pages Summarized is 314-372.
Quote:
“Seems like it was raining all the time back then,” Antwone said. “It wasn’t,” said Ms. Nees (Fisher 331).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that Ms. Nees was trying to explain to Antwone that there was always hope and a chance for him. He just had to realize it for himself and once he did, he was able to become successful. This quote is important to know because it was foreshadowing that Antwone would overcome his situation and finally become the person he always wanted to be.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
ROAR Blog #2:Finding Fish- A Memior
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog–Book into Movie
January 24, 2010
Roar Blog #2
Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers began to see how Antwone deals with school. At first Antwone showed a lot of hope and process because he was following directions and learning how to be a good student, but all that soon changed. Antowne started to not pay attention to his school work because the kids at his school didn’t like him and there were more problems at home, because Mizz Pickett would find other ways to abuse Dwight and Antwone. The other problem that Antowne had at home was that people were starting to show their favoritism towards Keith, who was a young new forester kid that was living in the Pickett’s home. Keith was favored over Dwight and Antwone because he was biracial and Mizz Pickett said that he had “good” hair. This added to the reason why Antwone didn’t like his dark brown skin.
As Antwone continued the school, he began to skip school more often and he began to steal pennies and nickels from Mizz Pickett. He stole the money because he wanted to be able to buy some penny candy before school like his fellow classmates. When Mizz Pickett found out that he was stealing from her she told the case worker that she wanted him and Dwight to leave her home. When the case worker was in the process to take both of the kids out of Mizz Pickett’s home, she changed her mind. After hearing that Mizz Pickett wanted to keep the boys, the case worker decided to make Antwone go to Metzenbaum Children’s Center for a psychological evaluation. She wanted to help him and find out what was going on with him. Antwone had to take a few tests and the results were that he had the potential to do better than an average child his age, but he was not living up to his full potential. The doctor Mrs. Honhart also thought that there were more problems going on at home with Mizz Pickett and the way she treated Antwone.
As time went on Mizz Pickett took Antwone and Dwight to see Dr. Fisher, who was there to help them express their feelings because they constantly fought. When Antwone found out that the doctor had the same last name as him, he thought that he could possibly be his long lost father. When Antwone met Dr. Fisher, he realized that he was not his father because they didn’t look anything alike and he was white. Dr. Fisher was asked to help decide if Antwone should stay in the Pickett’s home, but there were not many visits to the doctor’s office because Mizz Pickett stopped the visits by telling social services that the visits were not needed any more.
Antwone began to express his self by drawing and this is when Mizz Pickett started to notice his talents. She was very happy and she bragged to anyone who would listen about how talented Antwone was. Antwone was happy that his drawings brought pleasure to people.
*Summarized Pages: 99-151
Quote:
“Inside, to myself, I make a promise, like a prayer, that if my father does keep me and I don’t have to go back to the Picketts, I’ll be good for the rest of my life.” (Fisher 144).
Reaction:
My reaction to the quote is that Antwone is desperate to find out about his family. He is desperate because he learned a few details about his father and he wants to know where his is, so he could save him for the Pickett’s home. Antwone wants to feel love and he thinks that his biological father would be the person to love him for who he is. Antwone Quenton Fisher’s writing style is to narrate the book with a younger and older voice. When Fisher was describing the events that happened in his life, he wrote in a younger voice. The younger voice was switched with an older voice when he was talking about how those events had affected him.
Roar Blog–Book into Movie
January 24, 2010
Roar Blog #2
Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers began to see how Antwone deals with school. At first Antwone showed a lot of hope and process because he was following directions and learning how to be a good student, but all that soon changed. Antowne started to not pay attention to his school work because the kids at his school didn’t like him and there were more problems at home, because Mizz Pickett would find other ways to abuse Dwight and Antwone. The other problem that Antowne had at home was that people were starting to show their favoritism towards Keith, who was a young new forester kid that was living in the Pickett’s home. Keith was favored over Dwight and Antwone because he was biracial and Mizz Pickett said that he had “good” hair. This added to the reason why Antwone didn’t like his dark brown skin.
As Antwone continued the school, he began to skip school more often and he began to steal pennies and nickels from Mizz Pickett. He stole the money because he wanted to be able to buy some penny candy before school like his fellow classmates. When Mizz Pickett found out that he was stealing from her she told the case worker that she wanted him and Dwight to leave her home. When the case worker was in the process to take both of the kids out of Mizz Pickett’s home, she changed her mind. After hearing that Mizz Pickett wanted to keep the boys, the case worker decided to make Antwone go to Metzenbaum Children’s Center for a psychological evaluation. She wanted to help him and find out what was going on with him. Antwone had to take a few tests and the results were that he had the potential to do better than an average child his age, but he was not living up to his full potential. The doctor Mrs. Honhart also thought that there were more problems going on at home with Mizz Pickett and the way she treated Antwone.
As time went on Mizz Pickett took Antwone and Dwight to see Dr. Fisher, who was there to help them express their feelings because they constantly fought. When Antwone found out that the doctor had the same last name as him, he thought that he could possibly be his long lost father. When Antwone met Dr. Fisher, he realized that he was not his father because they didn’t look anything alike and he was white. Dr. Fisher was asked to help decide if Antwone should stay in the Pickett’s home, but there were not many visits to the doctor’s office because Mizz Pickett stopped the visits by telling social services that the visits were not needed any more.
Antwone began to express his self by drawing and this is when Mizz Pickett started to notice his talents. She was very happy and she bragged to anyone who would listen about how talented Antwone was. Antwone was happy that his drawings brought pleasure to people.
*Summarized Pages: 99-151
Quote:
“Inside, to myself, I make a promise, like a prayer, that if my father does keep me and I don’t have to go back to the Picketts, I’ll be good for the rest of my life.” (Fisher 144).
Reaction:
My reaction to the quote is that Antwone is desperate to find out about his family. He is desperate because he learned a few details about his father and he wants to know where his is, so he could save him for the Pickett’s home. Antwone wants to feel love and he thinks that his biological father would be the person to love him for who he is. Antwone Quenton Fisher’s writing style is to narrate the book with a younger and older voice. When Fisher was describing the events that happened in his life, he wrote in a younger voice. The younger voice was switched with an older voice when he was talking about how those events had affected him.
Monday, January 18, 2010
ROAR Blog #1:Finding Fish-A Memior
Courtney Patterson
Roar Blog–Book into Movie
January 16, 2010
Roar Blog #1
Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers find out about Antowne’s biological mother’s and biological father’s past. Antowne’s father was known through his neighborhood as an upcoming star that had a lovely signing voice and as a troublemaker. Edward “Eddie” Elkins was his name and he had two daughters with his 19 year old girlfriend, at the age of 23. His parents were hard working people who felt that all their children where special, but he had a little extra something to offer to the world. When Eddie met Antowne’s birth mother Eva Mae Fisher, he cheats on his girlfriend and Eva becomes pregnant, without Eddie ever finding out. Eddie never found out about his unborn child because his girlfriend Frances ended up killing him. She killed him because he was threading her and becoming dangerous to her family. After this event Eva realized that she could take care of Antwone by herself and she had to give him up.
Antowne’s new foster parents became Mizz. Pickett and Reverend Pickett, but Antowne didn’t know that he had forest parents, until later on. He thought that they are his real parents. While at the Pickett’s home, Antowne gets treated differently along with the other foster kids. Mizz. Pickett calls the foster kids out of their name, hit them and treat them like animals. Antowne also gets abused from a family friend name Willenda. She sexually abuse Antowne when no one is home and she makes sure that he would not tell a soul.
In the years that Antowne lived at the Pickett’s home he always Dwight to play with. Dwight was a few years older than Antowne and they were both foster kids, but they were closer than anyone in that house. Dwight had done everything with Antowne, he even visited Antowne’s biological mother with him. Mizz. Pickett and the boys went to visit the caseworker and this is where Antowne visited his mother again. She was glad to see Antowne, but she was not ready to take care of him and become a real mother to him.
*Summarized pages 13-98
Quote:
“All through my case files, everybody always seemed to be slipping away, in one sense or another.” (Fisher 49).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it foreshadows what will happen next, because in Antowne’s life people will always enter his life then exit it. People would not stay around long enough to help him develop into a man, so this quote is explaining how he noticed that. Antwone Quenton Fisher’s writing style is very descriptive. When he was talking about one of the dreams that he had when he was younger, he made the readers feel as if they were there experiencing everything that was going on. He explained the setting of the dream and how each person in his dream looked like. He also explained how they welcomed him into their family with open arms.
Roar Blog–Book into Movie
January 16, 2010
Roar Blog #1
Summary:
In the book Finding Fish: A memoir by Antwone Quenton Fisher, the readers find out about Antowne’s biological mother’s and biological father’s past. Antowne’s father was known through his neighborhood as an upcoming star that had a lovely signing voice and as a troublemaker. Edward “Eddie” Elkins was his name and he had two daughters with his 19 year old girlfriend, at the age of 23. His parents were hard working people who felt that all their children where special, but he had a little extra something to offer to the world. When Eddie met Antowne’s birth mother Eva Mae Fisher, he cheats on his girlfriend and Eva becomes pregnant, without Eddie ever finding out. Eddie never found out about his unborn child because his girlfriend Frances ended up killing him. She killed him because he was threading her and becoming dangerous to her family. After this event Eva realized that she could take care of Antwone by herself and she had to give him up.
Antowne’s new foster parents became Mizz. Pickett and Reverend Pickett, but Antowne didn’t know that he had forest parents, until later on. He thought that they are his real parents. While at the Pickett’s home, Antowne gets treated differently along with the other foster kids. Mizz. Pickett calls the foster kids out of their name, hit them and treat them like animals. Antowne also gets abused from a family friend name Willenda. She sexually abuse Antowne when no one is home and she makes sure that he would not tell a soul.
In the years that Antowne lived at the Pickett’s home he always Dwight to play with. Dwight was a few years older than Antowne and they were both foster kids, but they were closer than anyone in that house. Dwight had done everything with Antowne, he even visited Antowne’s biological mother with him. Mizz. Pickett and the boys went to visit the caseworker and this is where Antowne visited his mother again. She was glad to see Antowne, but she was not ready to take care of him and become a real mother to him.
*Summarized pages 13-98
Quote:
“All through my case files, everybody always seemed to be slipping away, in one sense or another.” (Fisher 49).
Reaction:
My reaction to this quote is that it foreshadows what will happen next, because in Antowne’s life people will always enter his life then exit it. People would not stay around long enough to help him develop into a man, so this quote is explaining how he noticed that. Antwone Quenton Fisher’s writing style is very descriptive. When he was talking about one of the dreams that he had when he was younger, he made the readers feel as if they were there experiencing everything that was going on. He explained the setting of the dream and how each person in his dream looked like. He also explained how they welcomed him into their family with open arms.
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