3rd Quarter Reflection Blog

    Of the books I have read in 3rd quarter, my favorite book was Night by Elie Wiesel. I think that this book really influenced my way of learning about the Holocaust. I didn’t know much about the topic, mainly about Jews and the Nazis. In our Language Arts class, we had to complete tasks and go to websites to look for the answers. But reading Night gave me background knowledge, it portrayed imagery, and most of all it portrayed its mood and tone the most. Imagine being in a concentration camp, living under that type of torture, it really touched my heart knowing he survived and still lives up to this day. He survived through the work, through the exhaustion, starvation, and the losses of his loved ones. The courage to build up that strength was impressive. At such a young age, everything was taken away from him, that is one thing I admire of this book, he accomplished to focus on himself and learn to live without anyone at his side, the world is not perfect, but he definitely did his best to great through his adversity.

    The area that I have most improved in English Language Arts is collaborating with my group. For example, we had to create a poster and discover themes for Night, we each had to look for quotes in our book and discover how it related back to the theme. We all helped each other out and I think it is really important to work with my table because we all put in effort and do not give up when we think something doesn't seem right, we continue and try our best.  PARCC is coming up, and my mind has to get ready for the questions being asked. Reading is not my strongest subject, but this quarter definitely helped me learn new things for the future.

    Something that I have accomplished during this quarter, that I am proud of is, persevering into my argumentative essay unit. I have always looked at presidential debates for the running of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. One day, I want to debate for something important in my life. Something small that affects me , to something big that affects everyone. The thing that I accomplished, is researching into gun control laws. I am proud of myself for choosing this topic because it affects communities and people. People are getting killed and we do not have it under control. We need stricter gun control laws and stricter background checks on people. Although it is hard for me, I stay too specific. My teacher checks up on me, sees how I am progressing, she says that I am too specific. I searched for sources that relate to my claim. I am proud for reminding myself that I can accomplish this type of goal. It makes me stay persevered and strengthen my confidence.

   The most challenging part of this quarter for me was research. Research and research. Looking for credible sources is not easy. Many websites have grammar errors, punctuation and spelling errors. It Paraphrasing quotes is also a challenge for me because I try to interpret the information at my best ability but some of the words in articles,  are complex . As fourth quarter arrives, I want to rise and improve in my complications. I also got distracted by personal things outside of school, my focus is important because it strives for success. Third quarter overall, was not my best quarter, but it was not bad either. Fourth quarter will be better, it is my goal to get fours in projects and assignments. I usually go for meeting standard, but I want to achieve fours.

Life is Beautiful Blog

 

Life is Beautiful

 While watching Life is Beautiful, I observed some similarities that can be compared to Night. For example, one similarity that happened in Life is Beautiful, is that Guido (main character ) receives a message from his Uncle Leo, that the Germans are on their way to capture them. Guido is in fact an Italian Jew. According to the information about the Holocaust, the Germans’ goal was to get rid of Jews. In the movie, the horse sprayed in green paint, had a message from the Germans. Uncle Leo warns Guido that they are coming to get him and he must evacuate the area. Guido does not believe him and he stays optimistic. In Night, the people are ignorant and do not listen to what Moshe the Beadle has to say about the Nazis coming to Sighet. Moshe survived because he acted dead. He came rushing to his community, spreading the word that the camps the Jews are being sent to, are meant to put them to work until their last breath. The Sighet Jews stay optimistic and hope for the Nazis to not come their way. Another similarity shown in Life is Beautiful, is the son and father relationship like the one in Night. As they are heading to the concentration camps, Guido and Joshua (his son) travel in the same cattle carts and in Night, Elie and his father were inseparable. They both remain together, and do everything in their power to stay alive for each other. They both care deeply about one another and make sure they are safe. The love really shows in both Night and Life is Beautiful because the bond they have is incredibly strong, Guido takes food given to him and gives it to his son and in Night, Elie and his father watch over each other when going to sleep. These are some similarities shown in Life is Beautiful  and Night.

    As well as similarities, comes differences. I observed many differences from Life is Beautiful and Night. One difference shown in Life is Beautiful and NIght, is that Joshua is much younger than Elie. This can affect the way they are both different because Elie is much more mature and realizes that his life's in danger. However, Joshua thinks that he is in a game. A game that if you win 1st prize, you get a tank. In order to get 1st prize, you must receive 1,000 points. Joshua is still a little kid and doesn't understand what is happening to him and his father. He is still living in his childhood while it was taken away from Eliezer. In the movie, they incorporated the defeat of Ethiopia, by bringing an animal and a flag. Everybody in the Grand Hotel, started to clap because they took power over Ethiopia. They also have two different leaders. In Life is Beautiful, the leader is Mussolini. Mussolini brainwashed children and had an inspector go to schools and had them learn about their beliefs. In Night, the leader was Adolf Hitler. Hitler didn't brainwash children, however he sent them to the crematorium or gas chambers because they were “useless”. They could not do the heavy work because they did not have the strength. Not only were the events different from each other, the mood and the tone were also different.

Another significant difference shown in Night is that it's tone is depressing and Life is Beautiful, the tone is humorous and cheerful. Throughout all the torment, Guido still manages to protect his son by the truth by filling him with humor. In Night, the whole story was depressing and scary. Elie and his father write about their experience, living in harsh conditions while in the concentration camps. They had a point of view of being desperate to live. Their life was in their hands, the Nazis were treating them so bad, they sometimes felt like giving up. Death always crossed Elie's mind, I would too because the things, the work, the labor we had to do, was so exhausting. My bones would ache, and my stomach would be in flames. On the other hand. in Life is Beautiful, their point of view creates humor because when Guido, gets captured by the SS, he knows that he is going to die. He says goodbye to Joshua, and walks away in his goofy, silly, walk. The final thing Joshua saw, was his wink. I find it so amazing that in the goodness of his heart, he finds his sense of humor, knowing that he is going to die, he still smiles and makes Joshua smile. He is a true father, a father that loves his son so very much, that he has to hide all that fear and terror in his body, to make Joshua think he will be okay. But this goodbye, meant that he was on his way to his death.

Life is being shown beautiful throughout the film in so many ways. Life is Beautiful really impacted me. It was such an emotional movie that teared me up. One example shown in the film that makes it beautiful, is the setting. Guido mainly travels in the city and finds his first true love there (Dora). The setting is really important because the audience wants a better picture of where the time period is taken place. His family enjoys living in the place they are in the beginning, the nature, the animals. The grand hotel was a marvelous beauty, that so many people went to. Guido was a servant and really enjoyed his job. Another example, that shows how life is beautiful in the film is the love. When it asks how life is beautiful, it does not have to be something physical, it can be emotional. The love Guido has for his wife is breathtaking. The first time he laid his eyes on her, he completely fell in love with her. They went on a couple of dates, had fun, and smiled endlessly. As well as Guido's love for Dora, Dora's love for Guido is jaw dropping. Dora's husband and child were being sent to concentration camps on cattle carts and she told the soldier that there has been a mistake. When the soldier tells her, that there is no mistake, she decides to put herself on the train. Incredibly courageous. It inspired me because love is so beautiful, if you truly love a person, you will do anything for that special person, in tis case, putting your life at risk is one thing she decided to do for the sake of her love for Guido and her child, Joshua.

"Night" Blog

As our language arts class finished reading “Night”, we have witnessed many changes that have impacted Elie as a person and character in the book. His struggles to maintain his faith. In the book, while Elie and all the other prisoners were marching to Buchenwald, Akita Drumer lost his son on the way. Unfortunately his son was trampled to death. Elie responds to this by asking,” Where is the divine Mercy? Where is God? How can I believe, how could anyone believe, in this merciful God?” (Wiesel 73). This quote shows how Elie has changed because in the beginning of the book, it really explains how pious, Elie was. Elie had no teacher to teach him the Cabala, however he finds Moche the Beadle, and Moche becomes the teacher. It states,” We would read together, ten times over, the same page of the Zohar. Not to learn it by heart, but to extract the divine essence from it” (Wiesel 3). This quote differs from the first quote because it shows the change Elie has been through relating to the relationship he has with God. At first he was religious, he even wept while he prayed, but now he doubts his God and believes he doesn't help him in anything. This is one way that Elie has changed as a character, the faith he has in his God.

Another way Elie has changed as a person and character in the book is that he becomes emotionally mature. In the beginning of the book, it states,”I didn't know that this was the moment in time and the place where I was leaving my mother and Tzipora forever” (Wiesel 29). This quote shows how Elie was separated with his mother, and this really affects him because he is so young, losing a parent and a sister is difficult to cope with. Elie was innocent and naive, his childhood was beginning to fade by entering a concentration camp. In the beginning of the book, he is really devoted to his family, his mother, his sister and dad. As a result, Elie’s mom and sister die. The way he changes is that he becomes mature and focuses on only surviving, once his father passes away, he watches out for himself. It states in the book,” Your age?" he asked, perhaps trying to sound paternal. "I'm eighteen." My voice was trembling”(Wiesel 31). This quote shows how an age difference can mean life or death. Now that Elie is “18”, he has to go through painful obstacles and he has to make sure he comes out alive in the end. It states," I spent my days in total idleness. With only one desire: to eat. I no longer thought of my father, or my mother” (Wiesel 113). This quote shows how he only focuses on himself and the only desire he has is to get food. The thought of his parents do not pop into his head because now that he has no one, he must stay persevered and determined to survive. In the beginning, he is naive but he transforms into a mature, single minded, young man.  

In conclusion, after reading "Night", we have witnessed many transformations with Elie as a character. The Holocaust really impacted his life and changed him into a completely different person than he was, back then living in Sighet. Elie changed in positive and negative ways, he lost faith in his God but also started focusing on his survival. He was selfless because he had his dad, his dad was the reason that he kept going and not give up, but now that his father passed away, he shone the light on himself. 

Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York : Hill & Wang, 1960. Print.

 

"Fear" Butterfly Project

"Fear"

Today the ghetto knows a different fear,
Close in its grip, Death wields an icy scythe.
An evil sickness spreads a terror in its wake,
The victims of its shadow weep and writhe.

Today a father's heartbeat tells his fright
And mothers bend their heads into their hands.
Now children choke and die with typhus here,
A bitter tax is taken from their bands.

My heart still beats inside my breast While friends depart for other worlds. Perhaps it's better – who can say? – Than watching this, to die today?
No, no, my God, we want to live!
Not watch our numbers melt away. We want to have a better world,
We want to work – we must not die!

Eva Picková, 12 years old, Nymburk  

I commented on Erik's, Denise's, Josh's, Arely's, and Sam's blog.

Berlin Memorial Activity

What did you learn?

     This Wednesday, during Language Arts Class, we did an activity contributing to the unit we are learning about. The Holocaust. In the activity, I learned that as years progressed from 1933 to 1945, laws and restrictions against Jews went up. At first, I learned that once Hitler rose into power, he wanted the Jews to get used to the torment, so he extended the laws to specific ones later on. From 1933 to 1945, I have seen a big difference in the laws. In 1933, I learned that the laws were mainly about jobs being taken away from the Jews. Jewish teachers had to be discharged, Jewish judges were placed on permanent "leave", (meaning they could not longer be a judge) and Jewish civil servants were discharged from their jobs. This period of time must have been difficult because what if these Jews had families? A son, a daughter? The jobs were the part that offered them money to support them, but by being taken away, they fell right to being poor.

 Why do you think this monument was built?

    I think that this monument was built for a memorial to the people that were musicians, and kept persevering their way through life although Hitler prevented it. Music was one of the things that were also taken away from Jews. They had to turn in their radios to the Nazi's. A monument is to remember those who died from an event in history. The Holocaust was a terrible, traumatizing, and horrible event that affected many Jewish families and Gypsies. Unfortunately many people died during the Holocaust, but the people that marked something, will not be forgotten for what they did. The Jews or Gypsies were overruled by the Nazi's but for example, the people that helped Anne Frank's family to hide, their effort to help was a good deed that they will mark for the rest of their lives.

 What did you notice about the number of laws passed in certain years? 

      I noticed that the laws passed in certain years became more specific. They became more specific because towards the end of the years of the Holocaust, the Nazi's began to take their food, they had curfews, they could not use a public telephone, and Jews had to wear yellow stars with the word "Jew" on it. At first it was jobs being taken away, but as time passes, it was almost like the Jews' life were a schedule given by the Nazi's. Hitler was a man with power and it was sad that the Jews couldn't unify because they weren't strong enough. They were abused in so many ways that they could not fire back. All these years were continuous of torment until 1945. 

Which restrictions do you think you would have the most trouble dealing with and why?

I think the restriction I would have most trouble dealing with, is not being able to graduate. I think this would be hard because education plays an important role in my life. My parents taught me to work hard in school, and the fact that I can't accomplish that, would be hard for me. Graduation gives me a chance to close a new chapter and open a new one. Jewish children could not go to public schools any longer, and it is required for children to attend school here in the United States. As the future approaches all people, we need to prepare for the journey of success we will have. Part of that journey, has to include graduation. 

2nd Quarter Reflection Blog

In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts?
      I think that my biggest improvements in English Language Arts is to read the text and analyze which quote is the best to support my topic sentence. In Language Arts, our teacher gives us an assignment called Article of the Week. The instructions are to first make annotations to help better your understanding of the article, take the pop quiz, and gather all your evidence to create a central idea of the article. There needs to be at least two to three pieces of evidence, the evidence we get from the article are quotes. The quotes have to relate back to the central idea, it was a struggle to find the quotes to tie back to the central idea. From all the text, there are many quotes that need to be mentioned and are there for extra information. It is important for me to follow the TIQA format, this format helps me throughout my reading. This is the area I think I made my biggest improvement because it becomes easier for me to look through the text and locate it. I have also become more manageable with my time. Studying for my vocabulary quizzes, reading for my 10 book challenge, and completing IXL goals that are due on Sunday.


What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?
       Something I have accomplished since the New Year that I am proud of is becoming more organized. I would use one folder for all of my classes and I would lose all the important things I needed for Language Arts class, the notes , articles, they were lost. I had to make an effort to organize all of my things because if not, I would lead myself into consequences. Id possibly go to working lunch and be behind on what we were learning in class. Now that I am organized, I've become more successful and doing my homework diligently and strongly determined. I have pushed myself to strive and cite evidence to get to a four. Fours are hard to receive but in order to get one, you have to get past your limit .

What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?
     The most challenging part of 2nd quarter for me was working on the investigative journalism unit. It was challenging because you had to make sure it was 3rd person point of view and all the research was extreme. I got a lot of information and paraphrasing the information intomy own words,was difficult. I overthink too much on the way it is supposed to be written. My TIQA format was a little off. I don't think that unit was my best however it was not my worst. The best I can do to overcome this is to read the text and analyze it and annotate it. For better understanding, and to overcome this, I have to work hard .

Book Talk

      The book I am currently reading is With Their Eyes by Annie Thomas. The genre of this book is nonfiction. With Their Eyes is about the tragic event that took place on September 11, 2001. The twin towers were attacked. Students from Stuyvesant High School experience this by being only a few blocks away from the World Trade Center. The students share their stories and how it has changed their lives since that day that has brought fear into many people’s lives. Teachers fighting to be brave for their students, evacuating the building as fast as possible, covering their face and mouth from the falling debris, all in all, this day was not going to be forgotten. The theme of With Their Eyes, is looking back at your history, whether it be terrible or fantastic, those are the moments in your life that will help shape you into the person you will be in the future.

        With Their Eyes is a really good book that I like because throughout all the struggles , the students have,  they were able to cope with the grief, sadness, anger, and share their stories with amazing details. Their lives are completely different now than before. One part I remember from this book was the story that Juan Carlos Lopez shared. Juan Carlos Lopez is  a school safety agent. When the towers were collapsing , it was his job to protect children from the falling debris. One thing I learned from him is that he has a son. Unfortunately, he states," We're going through some, ah, some post-divorce situations... I wish I could talk to him about what's going on so I could get his sense. It made me go start in tears again.... I'm picking up the puzzle pieces of mylife and putting it back together."  These quotes are explaining to me that from that day, Juan Carlos Lopez had his life changed around and focused on the real things happening in his life, like his family for example ,that is extremely important for him to regain the relationship with his son. Reading this also makes me wonder what things in my life are a puzzle?