Journal #2 - Chapters 4-7 - Perspective: Scout

Scout's Diary

Dewey Decimal System, my bum. It makes no sense, to learn by flashing cards in your face. I could learn more by myself. I'm happy it ended. Summer started, and that meant no more of that flashcard crap. I think it was unanimous that no one liked it. Jem said it gets better as you go, but I wouldn't believe it. Anyways, Summer starting meant Dill was coming back, which we both enjoyed. Strange fellow, really, but he was fun. We started acting out the Radleys, because we had exhausted nearly every other act, and we thought it would be fun to start our own act. We got it nearly perfect, down to the itty bitty details, 'till Atticus came and ruined it all. Asking if this game of ours had anything to do with the Radleys, Jem answered no. Judging by his evasion, we wondered if it was safe to play this game anymore.

Dill 'n Jem have been two peas in a pod. They have been so close together, and I've been feeling a bit left out. I've been visiting my neighbor, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a lot. She's this chameleon lady, who changes to what she's doing. She's real good at gardening, and her cakes are amazing. She was a friend of my pa's bro, Jack. We started talking about Boo, which she insisted I call Arthur. She said she wasn't malignant as a boy, which I find hard to believe. Said it was his foot-washing father. Nonetheless, if he wasn't crazy before, he is now.

Next mornin', Dill and Jem had a plan. They said they would stick a note in the side window of the Radley place. They wouldn't stop callin' me a sissy, so I went along. We got caught by Atticus, though, just like I predicted. Not too good of a plan, I'd say, but they were going to come back for more.

On the last day Dill was going to be here, Jem and Dill had another plan to get a peek of what Boo looked like. I was forced to come again, because they wouldn't stop tormenting me. All of the sudden, we see a man in a hat. We tried to get a closer look, but BAM! A gunshot in the air, and we scattered. Dill and I were home free, but poor Jem was stuck on the fence. He took his pants off and ran. We got punished a bit by the adults, but we got off easy considering our excuse was playing poker. Dill had to go that day, so we waved him goodbye. He kissed me before he left though, because we were apparently engaged. That boy, wonder where he'll end up one day. Anyways, after he left, Jem snuck back out to get his pants back. He looked a little shocked when he came back, but we decided to call it a night.

The next day, I found out why he was so shocked. The pants were mended together, but not like what a woman would do. Something like what a guy might have done. Stirred me up a bit, but we continued on with our day. School started again, and so did the Dewey Decimal System. I'll learn to bear with it eventually. After school had ended, on our way back, Jem and I found some soap carvings in a knothole inside a tree. I decided to take it. After examining them closer, we were shocked to find that they looked just like us. We were spooked by this, and wondered who would do this. We considered our neighbor that could carve soap well, but why would he carve us?

The next few days, we found chewing gum, a spelling bee medal, and a pocket watch. We decided from then on out, anything in there was ours. We had a jolly good time collecting these things and putting them in Jem's trunk, but we wondered where they came from. No one dare walked by the Radley place besides us, so it wasn't anyone from school. Could it possibly be from Boo Radley himself?! The thought sends shivers down my spine, but Boo doesn't seem as much of a beast as he was. He seems more human. Anyways, the knothole got sealed up by Boo's brother, and we were a bit glum. He said the tree was dying, but it looked perfectly fine. What's up with that?

Journal #1- Chapters 1-3 from the perspective of Jem

Jem's Journal~

This week stood out from the monotone summer. On the first day, we met this kid named Dill. Glad he had a nickname that fit his size, unlike his oversized “Charles Baker Harris”. Boasting about how he knew how to read, but my sis Scout one-upped him. Still, he became one of us. He had a few eccentric things to tell and do. Later that day, we talked about the Radleys. That house of theirs was the malevolent house no one dared get near. All sorts of stories were going about them.

No one knew about the ma and pa of the family, but they had two sons. However, Boo Radley... he was one scary kid. He and his gang got arrested once, and Boo was sentenced to an industrial school. His father declined, however. A while after, Boo tried to kill all of his family. That's just how crazy he was- he was even locked in the courthouse basement. Dill dared me to knock on the front door. I was scared of course, but I never back down. He changed it to just touch the house to make it a bit easier. It was pretty scary, but it was only a minute of my life. I did see a little movement in the house though. Was it my imagination?

The next day, I condescended to take Scout to school. I was paid, though, so it was all good. I don't want her embarrassing me though, so I told her not to bother me at all. School went by like a breeze, and I was out in no time. Scout irked me about her day with Mrs. Caroline, but I couldn't care less. She didn't seem like a very good teacher from what I heard. Newcomers to Maycomb almost never get anything right.

The day after that, Scout and I came to school as usual. I saw her rubbing Walter Cunningham's nose in the dirt. Why was she doing this? Maybe it was something from her school experience yesterday... was it the fact that he supposedly got Scout in trouble? I wouldn't know, but maybe it was. Walter looked like a twig; he probably wasn't fed very well. I'm surprised he's still alive, after being in this condition. Still, being the nice guy I am, I invited him over to dinner. “Why not?”, I thought. He couldn't be that bad.

On the way home, having them two by my side gave me comfort. I didn't worry about Boo Radley nearly as much. In fact, I even told them my courageous story of how I went all the way up to the house once. Scout made fun of me as usual, but I persevered in my joyfulness. We continued our trek home, and shortly we reached the front steps of our house.

Walter started pouring molasses on his food like crazy! What the heck was he doing?! I didn't want to say anything though, because that would be rude. It's not smart to get into trouble you don't need to be in. Scout doesn't understand this, however, and goes ahead and asks what the sam hill he was doing. She was in for a long Calpurnia-style lecture. I overheard, and it seemed like Cal lost her temper.

The next day, Walter and I started for school. Scout followed after, and I heard her mumbling about how Cal liked me better. After school breezed by, Scout and I ran to meet Atticus. We returned home, and we saw Cal with a smile on her face. Evidently she was in a good mood, because she had a surprise for us. Crackling bread! She said she missed us, and I was glad to be back.

I spent the Saturday in the treehouse. I would have stayed there for a while, until Scout and Atticus started ignoring me and I had to come down to eat. It was a fun week, one more interesting than all the others. My best hopes go to having a fun time tomorrow. Maybe one without as much trouble.

Immigration Reflection - End of Project

Ethan Chan

03/28/09

Immigration Project Reflection

In this project, the New Americans/Immigration project, we had to do three things: read an immigration-related book, create an art piece about the book, and interview an immigrant. Throughout this process, we learned all about immigrants and what they go through, such as Angel/Ellis Island. It was an interesting learning experience, because we got to personally know an actual immigrant. I feel like I got a lot out from this project.

The first thing we did was the Literature Circles. We had to read a book and post responses on our blogs. My book, A Long Way Gone, was about a boy who was forced to be a soldier. I didn't learn much about immigration from this book, mostly because it didn't say anything about it until the very end, but I was happy I chose this book; it was very emotionally moving. However, I did learn how tough it was to have your home destroyed, forcing yourself to move to another place. It was fun learning about this with my group, through commenting on blogs.

I think that the LC process is very good, because I have a lot of time to think about the quote itself. The only thing I would like to add is some comments about the book's plot, like predictions. I think that using blogging to respond to quotes is an excellent way to do so, because it's easy and you don't have to do it at a certain time. I didn't have many problems with blogging, besides the fact that some people did their blog posts late. I learned a lot from my group's blogs, like how they perceive the book and some important things that I may have missed.

The second thing we did was paint a piece of art relating to our book. I chose the option of redoing the book cover. I made this decision because I felt that the current book cover wasn't descriptive enough, and I already had the perfect idea in mind. My idea, representing the amount of change the main character goes through, makes a big connection between the art and the book. Through the process, I had to do several drafts to ensure the final product was perfect. I actually PhotoShopped the final sketch so it would be clearer which color goes where, and where the lines are.

I think the final product turned out great. It represents the book, and the concept is easily understood. I think it is descriptive enough, yet it is simple. However, it could have been more detailed. I think that I could have maybe added more details to the background, like grass and more buildings. Through this process of making art from the book, I have clarified my understanding of the book. This portion of the project has been my favorite, because I got to express my creativity and just have fun with it.

The final portion of our project was to interview an immigrant. Using the information collected from the interviews, we created a final product based on the immigrant's life. The interview process was very smooth, because my questions were straightforward and to the point. I also asked very detailed questions, and I was able to use most of the answers in my final product. My three interviews were easy, and I didn't feel very nervous about doing them. I only felt a little nervous about the in-person interview, and I quickly got over it when the interview started.

Through my three interviews, I learned various information. In the first two, I learned basic cultural information, like food and important people. In the third interview, however, I learned more details about how my interviewee came to America, and more of his personal life. This helped me understand more about immigration because I got to listen to a personal experience, rather than read one from a textbook. I think this method is much more effective because I get to learn about specific hardships or experiences.

The gift I made, which was a children's story, was difficult and time-consuming to make. A lot of effort went into making it, and it took a while to think of the story. I also did several thoughts for each of the illustrations, to make sure each one goes along with the story. I think my interviewee will be very happy to receive this gift, and I will be happy to give it to him.

A Long Way Gone - LC#6

Ethan Chan

Blog Post #6 – A Long Way Gone

Quote #1

“I didn't think much about the interview except that I still wondered why the man who had interviewed me smiled. I meant what I said and it was not a funny matter.”

-Ishmael, Page 187

I think this quote relates to how the Americans treat Ishmael and the other children. The Americans don't know the half of what happened back in the Sierra Leone. I think that this quote shows how ignorant we can be, as well as how different the environment is from the Sierra Leone to America.

I can connect to this quote when I have a one-of-a-kind experience, as well as when I do something that others haven't. Sometimes I may feel that these experiences are very important or terrifying, but all the others don't think it's a big deal. Even I have been like this, and this means you can't talk about what you haven't done accurately.

Would you get mad if you were in Ishmael's position, having faced a man who smiled about your bloody past life?

Quote #2

“I've come to learn that if I am going to take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge; then revenge and revenge and revenge will never come to an end.”

-Ishmael, Page 199

I think this quote explains what he had learned from his experience in the Sierra Leone. He had learned that revenge will start a chain reaction, and it won't end beneficially. I think that this is the main moral of the story, and that Ishmael had experienced a lot throughout the book.

I can connect to this because sometimes I want revenge, but I get in trouble if I do it. I think that this holds true for everything, that revenge will only make things worse.

Have you ever had experiences where you used revenge, but got in trouble?

A Long Way Gone - LC#5

Ethan Chan

Blog Post #5 – A Long Way Gone

Quote #1

“At the end of our handshake, Alhaji stepped back, saluted me, and whispered, “Goodbye, squad leader.” I tapped him on the shoulder again; I couldn't salute him in return.

-Alhaji and Ishmael, Page 180

I think this quote relates to adjusting to the new life, without war. Ishmael receives a salute from Alhaji, but he cannot return it. This shows how even though Alhaji is fond of these memories, Ishmael wants to forget some of his memories. He doesn't want to live in the past; he wants to move on with life. This quote struck me because it was a goodbye, and he probably wanted both of them to live a happy new life.

I can relate to this quote pretty easily. There have been times I have seen old acquaintances in random places. I wave hi, but I usually don't talk to them anymore. There is something holding me back, and that probably is the same thing as Ishmael: moving on with life.

If you saw an old friend, would you like to talk with him, or simply wave hi?

Quote #2

“They wanted to know about me, and I wasn't ready to tell them. It was okay. I liked being alone.”

-Ishmael, Page 184

I think this quote also relates to Ishmael adjusting to his new life. He hasn't completely converted over to city life, in which it is peaceful and there is no immediate danger. He still has some trust issues, but I think that's normal.

I think that I can relate to this because sometimes I'm not comfortable with telling people secrets that I've been keeping for a long time. I think that all people are like this, and they like keeping comfortable and not telling them their past experiences.

If you were Ishmael, would you be able to tell everyone about the war immediately?