It's Storming Outside

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/-white-slaves-used-for-1860s-fundraiser-propaganda-1330466217-slideshow/

        This very very brief article is about slavery and race, which is a recurring topic in Beloved. Sethe wants to escape her past as a slave and tires to live her life in freedom. The article relates to this as well because it's about half black children who don't want to be slaves and want to be free. Only they won't do it by running away, they'' do it through education. Even though the children are being used as a sort of propaganda to raise money the benefit is that they will(at least partially ) free. The circumstances about slavery is very disturbing and sad,  if you are born to a certain race you are automatically a slave. You will have to live a life without opportunities and have extreme hardships. Which is the life Sethe survived and the life the children are trying to avoid.

Sometimes They Come Back

                       Does the past really die? Well yes and no. When something has happened it is forever in history. It has existed and become real. In that way the past is still alive. As long as the little boy fell off the monkey bars that moment will always exist for him.  It will exist in history because it happened. However when the people who are directly by the past die, and when toe who are affected by them die, then the past is forgotten and nonexistent. The past, I think, is always with us. It's apart of our personal history that's ours and makes us who we are. And no matter what we can never truly forget ( unless you have soap opera amnesia). Human beings can move on, and learn form their past, but complete erasing is impossible. Take Sethe for instance, she'd rather not remember her time at Sweet Home but can't forget it. It's something that took place and shaped her. What I do disagree with is not letting go of the pass. It's not dismissing it or looking through rose colored glasses, it's accepting it and moving on. Berniece didn't do it and she was unhappy and bitter for a good portion of her life. Dwelling on the past can often can often blind you to the future (cliche). Now, I will provide a little sad story on this subject. Once upon a time I lived next to a boy who's mother treated him pretty badly. I didn't know this, and was focused about why he spent a lot of time over my house and around me. But one day I moved away and it wasn't until I was older and when my mother told me that I realized the truth: he was being abused. All of a sudden I nitpicked all my memories of him  to try to spot the warning signs, and I blamed myself for not noticing and not getting help. But I realize that I was just a kid, what could I do?I don't harp or obsess about what happened but have made up my mind to stop and get help for abuse if I ever come across it. Therefore my past hasn't really dies, I keep it in my memory to serve as a caution and reminder to do better in the future.

Benchmark Assessment Test

4.) Answer: D. What I put :C. Now knowing what the correct answer is I realize the error of my choice.The "vilely phrased" quote is pretentious because it's a round about way of sating Oxford Street. Why not just say Oxford street instead of "the street which borrowed it's name"? And now looking up the definition of pretentious, which means excessive or unjustified claims, I realize that the speaker is pretentious and so is his tone. This may be difficult because if the reader didn't know what vile or pretentious is and how it relates to the speaker it would be hard to understand.
7.) A ; B. Question asks to evaluate the way a particular sentence is used and how it is used in relation to other sentences, which I'm not really good at. I thought it was introducing an exception to the rule that everyone in the world is thinking except England, but that's wrong. I really don't know why it's the wrong answer( but I hope I learn tomorrow!) I also think that the reader had to know specifically what rhetorical and digression means.
9.) E ; A. I chose A because I thought that some the answers have some ti-bit of truth in them, so I chose the more broader answer because that process  has worked in the past. But I do see why the answer is right because reflecting on it this answer is found in the passage.
13.) C. I got this question right. I think the question is difficult because of the answer. Compared to A which is simple. C is very complicated. The combined words of "paradoxical", "inversion" and "conventional " all in one sentence is very confusing. But because I knew what these words meant I applied them to the passage and got it right. Paradoxes are contradictions that are circular. Inversion is like the opposite . And conventions are commonly perceived ideas. The speaker talks badly(inversion) about something everyone seems to like(convention): nature.
21.)D ; B . Grammatical questions are a hassle and are so out of the mainstream norm of level 2 questions it feels tedious to do them. People (me) don't give them any introspection and want to quickly get it over with so they'l go with their first instinct, which may not be right.
24.) E; D. If you don't know what idiosyncratic means you are really in a jam. Idiosyncratic means unique about an individual. The question states which is LEAST idiosyncratic , which is the meter, everything is pretty unique( capitalization, tone, diction).
54.) E ; D. I can't believe I got this wrong. I guess because the reader is so focused on Louisa, the main character being so subtle and quiet, I automatically assumed that Dagget is. Especially because of the sparse dialogue and quiet mood. Dagget is very straightforward and I realize I made a not so smart mistake.

Debate: Should Huck be Taught in Schools?

              I found the debate today to be very intresting. I haven't been in many debates but I think that is the best one yet due to the subject matter and how everyone was devoted to winning. Personally, I think Mr. Beddingfield won, but that was because he is super eloquent and knows how to spot hole in our argument.I also think he choose his stance purposely so that his chances of winning are higher. The student side had alot of information and ideas, but I feel that we were a bit unorganized and didn't work as a team. Though I feel that if we had that we could have won, we had evidence and good points. For all the controversy involving Huck Finn, I think schools should read it. It's got plenty of merits and in my opinion Heart of Darkness is much worse(Jim actually was an individual, not a swirling mass of elderich abomination). And, at the end of the day, the book is just a book. It won't change a person's life, except maybe a fledging black panther, and it's not going to give soemeone a great epiphany.

Toni Morrison's "This Amazing Troubling Book"

                      In the selection of articles written about Huckleberry Finn I find the Toni Morrison article to be my favorite. Not to totally disregard the other articles but I find it very interesting to hear an opinion of the book from someone who's black.I wanted to see how they felt about the book. Like Morrison, I too was a bit uncomfortable with reading the novel, it's odd seeing how people felt about other races back then. When I first started reading the article I expected it to be one that was against Huck Finn, instead I was totally wrong. It's not so much about race as a whole but the characters and their relationships with each other.Prior to reading the article I never knew that Huck was a bit depressed and suicidal, it was something I didn't notice while reading. I also didn't understand the relationship between Huck and Jim properly. I always saw Huck as the dominant one in their relationship, and that is true, he is dominant. But I failed to see Jim's paternal nature. I knew he was affectionate towards Huck, but I wrote it off as something someone like Jim would do to a white child, that he had to do it.I also realized that Huck and Jim's relationship had a time limit to it due to who they were, a black man could not act as a paternal figure to a white child. The characters knew it and silently accepted it, giving the novel unexpected depth. Another thing I learned was about Huck's chosen isolation from civilization at the end of the novel. He has a home, and money, and a best friend, but because he is disgusted with society he chooses to leave.Plus the article was a breath of fresh air from the other articles and their sole focus on race.

Comedy and All His Cohorts

http://www.cracked.com/article_19549_5-old-timey-prejudices-that-still-show-up-in-every-movie.html
             The article, 5 Old -Timey Prejudices That Still Show Up in Every Movie, to be hilarious because it tells a truth. It explains the rather idiotic conventions of Hollywood. Such as there not being any female sexuality, little to none black male lead characters, and white washing history. These are all inequalities in the movie industry that everyone seems to either ignore or not care about. The article is humorous because it presents the flaws of Hollywood in a sardonic light. They point out the flaws and state the current system, such as a part of the article that reads: If It's A Blockbuster the Actor Better Be White (Or Will Smith). It's funny because it's true. Will Smith is one of the few minorities that can actually star/act in a movie without being killed off half way through it or being someone's best friend. Presenting the issues in a humorous way lets more people understand and relate to the article. If it was in the New York Times or something serious many people wouldn't give it the time of day, but because it both informs and entertains us we like it. It has a very serious message, that prejudice still exists,that is presented in a funny way.

Dear, Mr. Twain

            Well, Mr Twain, as of right now I'm reading the novel you wrote called "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Though I am not finished I find the novel entertaining and thrilling. I am often on the edge on my seat because of all the scrapes Huck get's into, like his almost lynching . Tell me, who did you model Huck after? He's an interesting bright little boy who's wiser than most around him. Is he like you when you were a child? And were his experiences, like abuse, running away, and witnessing murder like yours? I also have to commend you the adventures Huck goes on, each one builds or adds to his character and each adventure is different. It gives the novel a epic and archetypal presence. A novel of self discovery. Jim seems to stand out to me. As a black person I am slightly offended by his portrayal. But as I think more about it, this is what people thought of black people at the time. And even worse , some were this way. As I read more of the novel Jim is revealed to have more depth, which is a relief for me because I wouldn't find your novel very enjoyable. And as of right now, I do find the novel entertaining. It has made me laugh at the absurdity of people's logic, cry at the senseless death's of children, and scare me when Huck is close to death.  You've written a novel that will last through the ages.
Sincerely, Maugrette

Huckleberry Finn

                I think "Huckleberry Finn"  is one of the most interesting novels I've read in class. It's unique that the reader is told a complicated story from a child's eyes. The novel plays out so far as episodic.Huck and Jim are traveling and they meet new people. I feel that if this were a movie or a t.v series or even a cartoon(!) I would watch it. As Huck and Jim go to a new place they grow and experience new things (kind of  like "Star Trek").Huck is the main character, he isn't good or particularly bad, he's just a kid who likes to have adventures. He's a mischievous, cunning, and (sometimes) caring little boy. And I like him well enough, he's surprisingly wise for someone so young. I also like his shifting views on Jim. Jim, a runaway slave is supposed to be property, yet how can someone care for and befriend property?Huck sees the little cracks in society that most people pretend not to notice. I think Twain wants to say sometimes is that " There's something wrong with you and the only person who realizes this is a kid."  I like Jim, at first I didn't but now after having some kind of back story(his wife and daughter) I've changed my mind. In the beginning  though that he was a black stock character stereotype. He is superstitious, simple, and is a sidekick to Huck.  But then I realize that he's a person. He isn't just a slave without feelings and emotions, he didn't choose to be a slave and he can't control what others feel about him. So maybe his superstitions and things like that are his ways of dealing with his life.(But this may be me adding my own thoughts and opinions on slavery to Jim's character) A theme I see in the book is failure to conform to society will make one an outcast. As Huck fails to conform to Miss. Watson's teaching and other standards and longs to be away from it all. Another theme is that  hate is an irrational emotion that can only lead to violence. Exampled in the feud between the warring clans and hatred towards black people. I also want to learn more about Huck's relationship with Tom. I know that Tom is a foil to Huck, but so far I don't have much of a back story. To me Huck seems to admire him in a childish way, I think Huck sees Tom as a sort of father or older brother figure. Also, where are the police? People are dying left and right and I've only seen one policeman.