Active reading for me is going pretty well so far. It was a little
hard starting off, but it eventually got easier. I tend to struggle with
writing down my notes. I sometimes have to go back and write down the questions
I have. I also have to go back and write down the plot points. I think about
them, but I do not physically write them down. Highlighting the main ideas,
characters and places is the only part that is easy for me.
There are multiple strengths for the story The House on Mango
Street. The author uses great figurative language. I can picture what she is
writing down on the page. She also shows you her thought process in a great
way. She doesn’t leave you confused while reading, she states a fact and
finishes the thought. There are many strengths of A Long Way Gone too. One of
those strengths are that Beah writes with great imagery. He goes back
throughout the book and shows you his experiences. They’re sometimes fun,
they’re sometimes sad and graphic. I don’t see any weaknesses in my opinion in either
of the books.
In chapter 6 the theme of people not trusting each other is shown
multiple times. I believe that it is important because it helps you understand
just how trusting the villages were before the war. It also shows you how all
of the trust has changed for the worse since the war has taken place. On page
38, it the boys try to go into a village and get stopped by people trying to
protect the village. The people in the village ask them if they are rebels and
the boys respond with no. The chief gets angry and then states,“If you do not
tell me the truth, I am going to have these men tie stones to your bodies and
throw you into the river.”(Beah 38) Later in the chapter Beah states that
before the war, interaction between people was respectful and trusting but,
that since the war it has not been respectful and trusting
I Definitely know what its like to struggle to write and annotate text when i started back in high school i was horrible at it . But practice makes perfect
ReplyDeleteIt's just amazing in life how so many things that we learn simply take perseverance and repetition. It's like learning new chords on guitar: you don't think your hand is ever going to remember that shape, and then one day, gracefully somehow, it does!
DeleteTeylar, I can really relate to what you wrote about active reading. I actually add most of my plot points just as soon as I have finished a chapter, as then it does not slow me down and everything is still fresh in my memory.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your great, mature attitude on both books! Attitude has a lot to do with why and how much we learn, and it's great to see your eye for the figurative language in Cisneros. She's a master.