Monday, January 25, 2016

Matthew Rimmer: Journal #3

Matthew Rimmer
English 1109
Journal Three

Part One:
My overall reading is going good. While reading I take the time to write down the characters and places introduced in each of the books. I also underline or highlight things that seem to stick out to me. These underlines/highlights usually include descriptions to people, places, and even important events that takes place. Now for "A Long Way Gone" I write a short nutshell to the chapters I read.

In my opinion the strength to "The House on Mango Street"  is that Cisneros really introduces us to herself and her own surroundings. She takes the time truly describe herself, her family/friends, and her environment in a way that almost makes you fell like you are there. To be honest I do not really see any weaknesses to this book. However, there is something that sticks out to me and this is the fact that a lot of the chapters are short. This is not really a issue but I do not really like short. To be honest I do not know why this is but I would guess it is because.
In my opinion the strength to "A Long Way Gone" is that Ishmael really brings life into the book. He strongly describes all of his experiences in such detail that it feels as if you are in his shoes. He not only just talks about his experiences but he describes what he was thinking, how he was feeling, etc., you know the whole dynamic of his experiences instead of just pieces of them. To be honest I do not really think there are any weaknesses to the book.

For me reading "A Long Way Gone" is going easier. However, I am not saying that "The House on Mango Street" is harder. For me it is the fact that "A Long Way Gone" has more to it in a sense. With each chapter there are new scenarios and/or a build upon from a scenario. For me this make it easier to take notes and write down thoughts while reading and building upon previous thoughts and notes. To be completely honest I actually enjoy reading both books but I like "A Long Way Gone" a little more though.

Part Two:
For "A Long Way Gone" I have chosen to discuss chapter six.

The title I came up with for chapter six is "Journey to Kamator, Only to be Challenged". The reason I came up with this name is because of the fact that Ishmael and his group traveled to Katamor where they were able to stay for shelter and food in exchange for work but months after the rebels came and turned everything upside down.

Ishmael and his friends had faced many challenges. Due to rumors they were feared so they were once attacked by villagers which caused them to decide to only travel around the villages instead. They eventually made it to the village of Kamator, where they stayed. They would work in exchange for food and shelter by keeping watch for the rebels. However, after months of no sign the village came to the conclusion that the rebels would not come regardless of Ismael and his friends' warning. So they were moved to work in the field until the day came that the rebels did come and turned everything upside down. As a result Ishmael was separated from his group.

A word that I find important is separated. Separated is the act of people or objects being apart from another. I think this is a important term because at the end of chapter six Ishmael becomes separated from his friends and he will have to face being alone (maybe for the time being at least).

The theme that sticks out to me is that people believe what they want to believe regardless of the reality. The sentence that best describes/supports this theme is on page forty-one in the top paragraph at the bottom. "Even though we tried to convince them otherwise, the villagers grew certain the rebels weren't coming, and so they ordered us from our scouting posts and out into the fields.". Even with the war going on the villagers believed the rebels would not come even though they knew it happened to other villages. So as a result they were blindsided by their beliefs and was vulnerable to the attack that came. As people we tend to believe what we want to even if reality says different. However, the thing is we do not realize this until we come face to face with reality. Then we are forced to open our eyes and accept that we are at fault for only accepting what we believe.

7 comments:

  1. Cisneros does describe her surroundings, friends, and family quite well. It is fun to read!
    Ishmael has a strong way of describing what his experiences. You do feel and can visualize what he is going through

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  2. Cisneros does describe her surroundings, friends, and family quite well. It is fun to read!
    Ishmael has a strong way of describing what his experiences. You do feel and can visualize what he is going through

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  3. Both authors are able to bring the books to life. "The House On Mango Street" is fun to read even with short chapters being brought to us. But the author does an incredible job of telling the story short, sweet, and to the point. In "A Long Way Gone" I really enjoy the lengthy chapters because it gives me such a great image that I am able to remember what was happening and how the author is making me feel the way he feels throughout the book. These are incredible books.

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  4. Separated is a great vocab word for this chapter, being separated from all you have would be a tragic event. I used the word unbearable because I'm not sure just how much more the boys can take.

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  5. i agree with alex both books are a good to read just i think one is a fun book and one is an edge of your seat kinda of book.

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  6. I also agree that separated is a perfect word for this chapter. It would be hard to be separated from your friends, but especially your brother in such an event. I like your theme as well, the village did set their self up for disaster.

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  7. I Like separated I am also a bit surprised how little by this point being separated affected his character. It just goes to show how loss is beginning to mean less and less to Ishmael.

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