12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men could be looked at as an untold story. In the play a 19 year old boy's story is being told if he is guilty or innocent for stabbing his father to death. The boy tells his story as if he is innocent. He explains what he was doing that night on the night his father was killed. Witnesses tell their story as if the boy is guilty. They explain what they heard and saw the night the father was killed. The jury tells their story to each other about what they think happened and if the boy is guilty or innocent. A lot of stories are told.  One story that is not told is the father that was killed. That is the untold story. If he had a chance to tell his story what would you think would be different? I think a lot would be different if we had a chance to hear his story. The 19 year old's story was told about how he grew up without a mother, lived in the slums and been knocked down through out his life. These are reasons why he could of committed the crime. Maybe he was an angry kid. But that story is only being looked at one way. If the father was here he could of told us the story from the other side. Was the boy always in trouble? Was the father only trying to help him and teach him? Did they have a good relationship? All questions the father could have answered. The father's untold story could show the truth and let the other side of the story be shown. If the untold story was told, the 19 year old's story would not have been told. If the father's untold story was told, what would you think would be different?

Danger of a Single Story

"Danger of a Single Story" is a text that explains what single stories are. When people believe single stories, they believe the only thing they read, and think there is nothing more or different. Single stories are stereotypes, often false. On the fourth page, sixth paragraph, it says "they make one story become the only story". Single stories are dangerous because there is more to the story that isn't just negative, that doesn't get told. 

The author has experienced single stories through out her life. Growing up all she read was British and American books, so when she went to write her own story, that is what she would write about. She didn't know people like her were even in books. On the first page, second paragraph, she says "I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading: All my characters were white and blue-eyed.". The author also experienced being guilty of the single story. Growing up, her mother only talked about her house boy and his family as poor and nothing else. So when she saw there was more to his family then just being poor, she was surprised. On the second page, second paragraph, she explains "All I had heard about them was how poor they were, so that it had become impossible for me to see them as anything else but poor. Their poverty was my single story of them".

There are so many single stories around the world. When I was little I loved princess movies. I read so many books and watched so many movies about them. Movies and books like Cinderella gave me a single story though. They gave me a single story on what love should be like. In those movies and books, the prince comes and saves the princess, and they fall in love. So when I was little that is what I believed falling in love was like.

The Stolen Party

"The Stolen Party" is a text about a young girl that is the daughter of a maid of a rich family. The young girl, Rosaura, is invited to the daughter of the rich family's birthday party. Rosaura's mother tries telling Rosaura she is only invited because she is the maid's daughter. Rosaura doesn't believe it and thinks she was invited because they are "friends", so she ends up going.


Through out the party, the daughters mother, Senora Ines, treats Rosaura like a helper and not like a guest to the birthday party. In line 65, Senora Ines asks Rosaura if she wouldn't mind helping serve out the hot dogs. In line 74, Senora Ines asks her to help pass out the cake. Rosaura does not notice though. She feels special Senora Ines is picking her to help with things. In line 66, it says "as she knew the house so much better than the others". In line 75, it says "Rosaura had enjoyed the task immensely, because everyone called out to her, shouting "Me, me!". Senora Ines isn't the only one at the party that treats Rosaura like a helper though. When Rosaura helps the magician hold the money, he calls her "my little countess" in line 105. The magician is almost making a joke out of her because he knew she was the help. Rosaura doesn't seem to notice she was treated like the help at the birthday party until she is about to leave and Senora Ines gives her two dollars, when she gives all the other children a present with a toy inside.
Through out the text there are examples of ascribed status. Rosaura has an ascribed status because of her mother. Since her mother is the maid, Rosaura was treated like one too, and she has no control to change that. What are some other examples of ascribed status through out the text?


At the end of the text, in line 142, it says "As if the slightest change might shatter an infinitely delicate balance". The author puts this in the text for a reason. By "delicate balance", it means the balance between Senora Ines' class and Rosaura's class. If Senora Ines gave Rosaura anymore than two dollars, like a gift, it would mean they were equal, and Rosaura was equal to the other children. By Senora Ines giving Rosaura the two dollars, it was to remind her what her social class is and that she will always be a level lower than her family.

Girl

My first impression of this text, “Girl”, was that it was expectations of a girl or woman. This was easy to see. When I read into the text more a second time, I realized it was a mother telling her daughter what qualifies a woman or girl as “good”. The mother that speaks throughout the entire text, has a strong and stern tone. The writer created this strong and bold effect in her word choice. In line 10, the mother says to her daughter, “not like the slut you are so bent on becoming”. This proves she is stern and straight forward. What other words or quotes from the text proved the mother’s tone throughout the text?

According to the text, what qualifies a girl or woman as “good”? One thing the mother tells her daughter is housework: being able to cook and clean. In line 4 of the text, the mother says, “soak your little clothes right after you take them off”. This could be universal because most mothers teach their daughters how to cook, clean, and take care of the home. Another thing the mother says is to act classy around boys. In line 33, she says “don't squat down to play marbles”. The mother also tells her daughter how to not sleep around and how to walk away from a relationship. In lines 39 and 40, she says “this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don’t like”. If you can handle all of this, you are a “good” girl or woman in this mother’s eye. Do you agree with everything this mother tells her daughter?

Throughout this text, there are various kinds of imagery, metaphors.. In line 12, the mother says, “don’t eat fruits on the street - flies will follow you”. She refers to the flies as lower class men. In line 39 and 40, she says “this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don’t like.” In this line, the mother refers to the fish as men. She also means throw away as how to easily give your man away, if you do not want him.

Purple Hibiscus - Pleasing Papa

Papa is not just strict with religion, he is strict about his family's whole life. He likes order. He makes written schedules for his children of what they will exactly do each day and how much time they will spend doing it. Papa made sure there was time for studying, clothe washing, family time, eating and sleeping. He never allowed them to watch tv and if he did it was only for a little.


Papa was especially strict when it came to school. He expected Jaja and Kambili to come first in their class. On page 39, Kambili says, "He had often told Jaja and me that he did not spend so much money on Daughters of the Immaculate Heart and St. Nicholas to have us let other children come first.". Unfortunately Kambili ended up coming in second in her class and she felt like a failure. She was scared to tell her father because she knew what was going to happen. When Kambili ended up telling her Papa, her Papa went with her to school the next day. Kambili was embarrassed to have her father there with her and knew the other children were talking about her.

It is sad that Kambili is forced to feel like a failure for only coming in second. I think her father should be happy that she even got her grades up to the highest in the class.

Do you think it is wrong that Kambili feels like such a failure for only coming in second? What would you do is your father was as strict as Papa and you came second in the class instead of first?

Purple Hibiscus - Religion

Religion means a lot to Papa. Growing up, unlike himself, Papa did not have strict religious parents. He converted to a different religion then his father and actually stopped speaking to his father because of it. Papa is looked up to in his church because he donates so much money. He lives his life and his family's life around their religion. Papa requires his family to pray and go to church all the time. One day the family went to go visit Father Benedict and Mama didn't want to go in the house because she wasn't feeling good. She wasn't feeling good because she was pregnant and felt like she was going to throw up. When Mama told Papa that she didn't want to go in, he made her. Then later on that night he basically beat the baby out of her stomach because she could not go to visit Father Benedict. That is how serious Papa takes his religion. Papa calls his father a "heathen" and only allows his children to spend 15 minutes with him because of it. When Kambili and Jaja went to go visit their aunt, their grandfather had to stay there because he was sick but Papa didn't know. When he found out he drove to pick them up then poured boiling hot water on their feet because Kambili and Jaja didn't tell their Papa he was staying there.

Every time Papa abuses Kambili, Jaja, or mama, he cries while he does it. On page 194 and 195, Kambili says, "He was crying now, tears streaming down his face. Papa put the kettle down, wiped at his eyes.". Then on page 196, Papa says to Kambili, "Everything I do for you, I do for your own good.". It is almost like Papa does not want to hurt them but feels like he has to to teach them.

Why do you believe Papa cries while he hurts his family? Do you think Papa's religion would accept that he is hurting his family to obey it?

Purple Hibiscus

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a novel that has two different wars going on. One war is outside the home that has to deal with the new government that took over the country Nigeria. The other war is inside the home that 15 year old Kambili, has to struggle with everyday because her Papa has impossible expectations of her, her mama, and her brother, Jaja. Papa is a very strict religious man. He expects his family to do the things he likes or else he becomes abusive. Growing up Kambili thinks this is normal until her and her brother go to visit their aunt's home and live there for a few days. 

Growing up Kambili is a very shy girl. She rarely talks because at home she has to watch what she says to Papa or when she is around him. So when Kambili visits her aunt's home, she is not used to everyone speaking freely to one another, hearing laughter or even seeing smiles. On page 120, Kambili says, "We always spoke with purpose back home.". She gets scared when someone speaks to her because she doesn't know how to speak back. Kambili often stutters or just stays quiet. When someone else says something that she wanted to say she says "I wish I could of said that". She is scared to speak up and speak for herself.

Do you believe that Papa scarred Kambili? Why do you think Kambili is still scared to speak when she is not even around her Papa?