Journal Three: Colton Long

Reading Response

My active reading is not the best that it could be. It could be better, but half of the time I am unsure of whether it is necessary or not. It works out about half of the time it is useless information and the other half is actual good note taking. The longer that I get in the book there is a higher difficulty for me to know what to take notes on and what not to take notes on because I no longer have basic information that I can comment on and things of that nature. There are things that stand out to me that keep me hanging in there.

In A House on Mango Street there are nice easy pages to read and understand where as in Beah's book there is a more complex structure. Although Cisneros has an easier structure, it can hinder the overall effectiveness in the book. In Beah's book you have the extreme detail of what is going on whether there is death happening or they are getting attacked. It almost seems as if what one book lacks in the other makes up for.

There is one theme that I have noticed through it all, and that would be that the kids don't always know what to do next. If they do know what to do they usually get hindered in the process. It seems as if they are more thinking in a kid mentality in some situation where they should be thinking smarter as an adult would. "my children, this country has lost its good heart. People don't trust each other anymore. Years ago, you would have been heartily welcomed in this village...". It has come to a point of everyone thinking like a kid or not at all, or at least acting like one.

Journal Three from Hiten

My active reading is actually going pretty good, writing and highlighting in the book has helped me understand the book alot better because before i used to just read the chapter and by the end of it i would have already forgotten half of it but not i pay more attention to what's going on in the book and look out for specific type of writing and what is actually happening in the book. It did take me awhile to actually get the pen and a marker out and have it in my hand but i think i am finally getting the hang of it.

I think the weakness in the book The House On Mango Street is that the chapters go from one thing to another, its feels like as if the book is all over the place. One of the strengths is the why she writes the book, its not perfect and there are so many grammar mistakes but it makes it kind of fun, another strengths is that the chapters are short which to me keeps me interested in the book. One of the strengths that i found in the Long Way Gone is amount of detail and the strong graphics that Beah puts in the book. I prefer to read the Long Way Gone.

The theme that I found in chapter 7 is the courage and dedication cause in chapter 7 cause Ishmael walked 5 days without straight without any contact with anyone else and was by himself Beah writes "for five days I walked from dawn to dusk, never coming in contact with any human being. At night I slept in abandoned villages“(Beah 47). That to me sounds impossible and the fact that he kept going for 5 days without giving up is true courage.

Journal Three - Nate Riddle

So far in my active reading between these two books, I feel like everything is going smooth. I have actively ready before but not an entire book. So, starting to get back into active reading wasn’t too hard. I still have a few times where I catch myself just reading through the pages and I haven’t marked anything down. This is because I feel as if some of the things aren’t important or that I might have missed a couple of plot points. But still all in all I am trying to get back into the habit of doing this and its actually very helpful. It helps me to understand the book even more. And it almost puts me into the shoes of the characters! What’s going well is that I know all the characters and the ways they act and all of the cities and places in both books.

In the book The House on Mango Street I would say that there are a few strengths in this book. One being that Cisneros keeps her stories or chapters relatively short and sweet and to the point. I also love that in this book her use of metaphors, both directly and indirectly. She always has one and most of them I have never even heard before. As Mr. Lohre would say, she keeps them “Fresh” and I like that. As for any weaknesses in this book, I would say that there are times when chapters are too short or small.  In the book A Long Way Gone there are some strengths as well. Beah is great at telling what he knows best and that would be his life story. He keeps us right there with him in this action-packed book always having to run and living on the edge. It keeps us as readers intrigued and wanting to know what happens next! As for weaknesses I’m not sure there are any that I can spot out! This is because I love this book and Beah’s story. The book that I prefer this far is A Long Way Gone. This book just has so much meaning and is very interesting to read about someone’s life during such a tough time.

The theme that stuck out most to me was Life and Hope. Beah lives this terrible life and has to hope and pray that one day it will get better and be reunited with the ones that he loves. He must keep his hope alive that this nightmare will soon be over. It’s important to understand this because we are luck to live the lives that we do and never experience anything like this. On page 43 Beah says “It was during that attack in the village of Kamator that my friends and I separated. It was the last time I saw Junior, my older brother.” Things like this are what Beah has to have hope for, he has to hope he will see his brother and family again and that sucks. 

Journal Three- Brady Hund

        While reading both, "The House On Mango Street," by Sandra Cisneros and "A Long Way Gone," by Ishmael Beah, I think my active reading has gone very well. I never really used to be an active reader but being one lately has sure helped a lot. Highlighting important events, or details, or writing the character names, or places in my margins have definitely helped me not only understand the book better, but it helps me remember a lot more details than if I were to not be an active reader. I think I'm doing well in keeping up with what has been going on in both stories and I'm very eager to find out how the books are going to conclude. I also think I can improve my active reading by making more connections, or simply just trying to relate the some of the characters or situations in the each novel. I think it would both gain more of my interest and also help me remember even more to what I am reading.
        I can't neccessarilly point out an weaknesses for either of the books but they both definetely have many strengths I can acknowledge. In "The House On Mango Street," I really enjoy how Sandra Cisneros  tells the story from a child post of view instead of her adult self. To me I find that very challenging as a writer but she does an excellent job with the details in her story. Sandra's vocabulary is also something Ive also really enjoyed while reading, her grammar and her use of metaphors has really gotten my attention. In "The long Way Gone," Ishmael Beah does a great job using imagery in his writing. The way he describes events, people, places, or things have really helped me get a better visual understanding of whats going on and sometimes I feel like I'm even there.
        In "A Long Way Gone," I think a great theme would be "Hope." In chapter 8, on page 54, Ishmael gives us a great quote. He says, " When I was Little, my father used to say, " If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die."" Beah says that those words kept him moving even when he didn't know where he was going and that those words became the vehicle that drove his spirit forward and made him stay alive.

Journal 3 from Cole

        So far my active reading is going well. In high school I used active reading quite often for things such as setting, character details, and important events that happened throughout each chapter. It made it easier to know what happened in the chapter and helped keep track of each character as the story went on. With the active reading now, it’s even easier being able to write in the book so you don’t have to worry about losing or forgetting your notes for the chapters.
        A strength for “The House on Mango Street” is with the chapters being so short, it’s easy to get through the book quickly and retain what you read from each chapter without having to look back in the book. Like we also talked about in class, Cisneros does a good job of keeping the point of view and thoughts in a young girls point of view. She’s also good at being descriptive with the characters by explaining details about the individual. A weakness is with the chapters being so short, it’s also hard to stay engaged or interested in my opinion. I like the chapters to be a little more in depth and have some length so I can get as much information as possible. In “A Long Way Gone”, Beah does a nice job of explaining the setting that they’re in. He gives details that helps me visualize the place where they are in the story. It’s also much more entertainment and interesting to read personally because I like more action type of stories. I don’t really see any weaknesses for this book.
        An important theme to me was perseverance. He had to overcome a lot of things throughout the story so far. Losing his family, being so hungry it hurts, and having fear of the rebels. They kept running away despite their hungry because they feared the rebels. The group overcame that fear though when they returned to Mattru Jong due to hunger. As they got further and further away, hunger set in but they overcame that hunger so they could keep moving and get to a safer place away from the rebels. Beah wrote “ We were so hungry that it hurt to drink water and we felt cramps in our guts. It was as though something were eating the insides of our stomachs.” (pg 30). This shows how hunger was affecting the group but they were able to find food, overcome the hunger and continue moving to get further away from the rebels. However they were caught by the rebels heading back to Mattru Jong.

Journal Three: Brittani Velazco

      So far I feel my active reading is going well. I think I do fine understanding vocabulary, what to highlight, and putting characters in the margins. I need to improve on being better able to find and put the plot points in the margins and how to research. 
      I honestly love both books and though I'm not much of a reader I feel both books are very strong in language and context. So far I don't see any weakness in either of the books nor do I have a preference between the two at this point. I find both of these amazing books to be very interesting and intriguing they draw me in and keep me wanting to read more.
      I had a pretty difficult time coming up with a theme. I decided to read chapter seven again. I choose fear as my theme. I feel it is very important to understand fear because it is there to keep you safe and on your toes, alert, and aware of your surroundings. I know fear very well because I am a mother. In our book A Long Way Gone Beah writes, "I became frustrated with living in fear. I felt as if I was always waiting for death to come to me. So I decided to go somewhere where at least there was some peace." (46) This shows how much fear can hold you back if you let it. Beah decided to stay in the swamp for awhile. When he was ready to go he said, "maybe it was because I was afraid of what might lie ahead." Once he stopped crying he decided not to let fear hold him back and made the choice to move on. This stood out to me because I have panic and anxiety attacks a lot. Even though fear can be a good thing sometimes to help keep you out of harms way it is good to keep a handle on it and not to allow it to control your life because it can hold you back. I know because I have let it consume me. I have learned to let go and I'm trying to gain back control by finding peace in God.

Jake Goedde- Journal Three

I feel like my active reading has gone pretty well so far. I have noticed that highlighting and marking notes has helped me comprehend the novel a lot more. When I am constantly writing notes about what I just read, it gets me in the habit of connecting with the story making it very interesting to read. My biggest struggle is definitely understanding what is going on in the book, for example, The  House on Mango Street. The story is hard to stay with it because it jumps from story to story almost every page and their is a lot more chapters in it then A Long Way Gone.

The strengths in A Long Way Gone are how Beah uses very graphic text throughout the chapters, and you can really put yourself in the characters shoes, which makes the book way more entertaining. I think the weaknesses tie in with Beah not using as many metaphors as to say Cisneros does. The strengths in The House on Mango Street are definitely how Cisneros uses quality language and very intriguing metaphors that pull in the readers attention. The weaknesses are how it's hard for readers to stay focused when the author goes from story to story losing some of the readers attention. I prefer A Long Way Gone more just because of how detailed and intense the author brings, which makes it more interesting to read.

One theme I noticed in this chapter I just read was motivation, Ishmael tries to tell him self that he can keep moving forward even though the pain he is in. He never gives up and still tries to fight for himself no matter what crosses his path. It is important to understand this theme because it shows how good of a character Ishmael really has and how he looks at life. His father used to say, "If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, her or she will die."(Beah, 54) When Ishmael is walking through the woods alone he just thinks about what is dad told him and he never gives up.

Journal Three from Henry

My active reading is going good. Ive been marking up both of my books quite a bit. I write a lot of margin notes and underline anything that I think is important or useful to know in the story. Sometimes I might not catch a metaphor or simile but I circle most.

I think a long way gone is a very good book with little flaws. Beah does a great job of showing us the  terrors and hardships that he and his people had faced. I like the amount of detail Beah gives us, he doesn't hold back on the violence he had witnessed. He tells us exactly how it was and doesn't leave anything out. The only thing I haven't seen a lot of in A Long Way Gone are figurative language. On the other hand I don't really enjoy reading The House On Mango Street so far. I get confused and uninterested because every chapter I feel like we are meeting another person and I can't keep track. I do like the constant use of metaphors and similes. I also like how short the book is.

I think a good theme for chapter 8 would be that Ishmael is very strong and courageous during this very difficult time. He is strong because he travels for 5 days straight with little rest and eating whatever he can find in abandoned villages. and when Ishmael said "For five days, I walked from dawn to dusk, never coming in contact with any other human being" Beah(46) I knew he had way more courage than any other person in Sierra leone because he was the only one walking out in the open and not hiding from the rebels.

Journal Three with Marysa

My active reading is going great. At first I would forget to highlight and write in the margins because in highschool I never did it but I think I am starting to get used to it. Now, I am doing well with highlighting and writing in my margins but still struggling to remember to look up the words that I don't know the meaning to.

I haven't really found a weakness in any of the books except in The House On Mango Street it gets kind of hard to understand sometimes. Some of the stories just don't make sense to me. A strength in The House On Mango Street is that it is very creative. A Long Way Gone is what I would prefer to read out of the two because I find it more interesting and fun to read. This book has a lot of detail and can really bring the story to life which I enjoy a lot.

A theme that I found in chapter 6 is trust. Trust is big in this chapter because the chief of the village of Kamatar had to trust them and believe that they were not rebels. And had to trust the boy that said he knew them and that they weren't rebels. It's hard to trust someone you don't know. And also, trust is big when it comes to all 6 of the boys because they are all slowly starting to lose hope and being able to still trust each other and have hope takes a lot at this point. A quote that I like in this chapter is "People stopped trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy"(Beah 37).

Journal Three- Alyssa

Journal Three

      I think my active reading is going well. Although I  struggle with reading a head and not writing important information down, I really do like having the highlighted and written in the margins information. It helps remember important detail about the book.

     I really enjoy reading " A Long Way Gone", its so easy for me to get caught up in the book. " The House on Mango Street" not so much. The short chapters in the book make it easier to read, but I cant seem to keep up with the who, what, when, where, and why. Its all over the place. " A Long Way Gone" keeps me intrigued. I can picture the places, the people, and the situations they are put in.

     The theme I chose from the book " A Long Way Gone", chapter 6, is trust. While traveling to get safe, the six boys had to bypass villages and walk through near by bushes. Because people would try to hurt them to protect themselves and their families as they did not know who were the rebels and who weren't. Beah writes, "people stopped trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy" ( page 37 ).

Journal Three by Daryn Stiers

My active reading so far is going pretty well. I am doing well with highlighting and vocabulary. However, I'm still struggling writing notes in the margin and looking up the background information on what I read. I never annotated in high school, so it is a big change for me.

The strengths in the book, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah are the flow of the book. He is very good at describing what is going on around him and how he is feeling. Although, sometimes this is a weakness for him. Beah occasionally drags the scenes on. So far, that is one of the only weaknesses I've discovered. Unlike Beah, Sandra Cisneros' book The House on Mango Street, has different strengths and weaknesses. Cisneros strength is being creative in her writing. One of her weaknesses to me is some of the stories seem pointless. I don't always understand all of her stories. I prefer A Long Way Gone because I can picture it more. There are more descriptions in the book, so I can see the scenes in my mind more vividly.

In chapter seven one theme that stood out to me is survival. This is an important theme to understand because it shows us how determined Beah is. It gives us an insight to who he is so we can understand him more. He was even willing to leave the only person he knew so he could stay alive. In the book Beah stated, " I became frustrated with living in fear. I felt as if I was always waiting for death to come to me, so I decided to go somewhere where at least there was some peace. Kaloko was afraid to leave. He thought that by leaving the bush we would be walking towards death. He decided to stay in the swamp" (Beah 46). He was choosing to leave because he knew the rebels would get to them at some point, so he took the smart way out by leaving.

Journal 3 -Bailee Patton

Bailee Patton
English 1009 T,Tr, 10:30
Jan. 24th 2018

                                                     Journal Three
      My active reading is going very well. I feel I have a very good understanding of the books. I can find most metaphors and similes, i'm also good at finding characters and settings. I have a hard time finding themes and scenes sometimes. Other than that i think i can find good key points in each chapter.

       I think my strengths are that i have a good understanding of each book. I have a hard time following along in The House On Mango Street only because she doesn't follow any rules on writing books and it can throw me off at times. I find a long way one more interesting. i read better when i can enjoy the book.

       I think the theme that i come across the most is probably the most important in the book. The theme of fear is constantly occurring over and over again. Its important to understand this theme because its what the whole book is about. Using fear as a tactic to make everyone do what they want.For example voluntary guards threatened to drown little boys because they were afraid they were rebels."If you do not tell me the truth i'm going to have these men tie stones to your body and throw you in the river." That just shoes the amount of fear everyone has.

Journal three- Vilma lopez

    

      Beginning my active reading was a struggle. It was something new, and a new habit to start doing. writing in the book, was a strange thing for me. I never wrote anything in the book. But now I am noticing that it does help. I usually forgot what I read after reading a chapter. also what the chapter was about. Now putting a title on the book, it bring me back to what it was about. I keep struggling with highlighting. Sometimes I can not find the right title for the chapter.

      I can not really say there is a weakness for either book. "The house on Mango Street' has several strength. When describing a person, she is very detailed. Not telling it by an adult point of view but a child. This attracts the readers attention and helpful to imagine the character.  Cisneros vocabulary is everywhere. she brakes some grammar rules but it does not really matter. Because, she does it so well. In the book "A long way gone" is more dramatic and  intense. More action bringing the attention, as if we are in Ishmael's shoes. His life while  growing up can not be compared to what we would say a "normal" child growing up. Ishmael saw people killed, shots going all over the place. going days without eating and not being able to having any contact with his parents. Not so much metaphors used as Cisneros does. He just puts it out there, what he feels and sees happening. I do not have a preference between both of them. I like both. 

        

            The theme I found in Beah was doubt. In chapter 6, we can see how communication was lost. Nobody trusted no one, not even those who were really close. This is important to notice  because people felt unsecured. They feared their surrounding. No one specifically who were the spies so, as Ishmael was hiding in the bushed, and were spotted. They were tormented, and they  were lucky someone in the group remember them from their performance. If that person had not remembered them, the outcome would have turned out differently. And more because the children were used as a weapon in the war. Beah writes "People were terrified of boys our age. Some had heard rumors about young boys being forced by rebels to kill their families and burn their village".(Page37) Here we can notice that for them roaming around the village, was a dangerous things. More knowing that at their age they were not seen as innocent kids.  

Journal Two from Vilma L.

Hi, my name is Vilma Lopez.
       My family is from Guatemala. I have traveled there before. I speak Spanish. I like to play soccer. I am the first person in my family to go to college.

The House On Mango Street, is book where is can compare my life too. The theme that stood out for me personally was the American Dream. I can compare with her , with the goals that her parents had. Because, my parents had the same ones and would often talk about it also. Most all those who are immigrants come with a mentality of becoming someone better in this country.

Journal Two - Jake Goedde

Hi, my name is Jake Goedde. I went to Olentangy Liberty High School and my hobbies are hanging out with friends, watching football and basketball, and having fun. I visited Alaska 5 years ago and explored all the cities, experiencing glaciers and the different climate. My mom grew up in Athens County and my dad grew up in Lima.

In these first few pages I have read in the House on Mango street, I have noticed a lot of grammar errors that have been used to perfection. The family in this novel is not very wealthy and are trying to get into a normal house with basic necessities. It is a prime example of a hardworking family that doesn't like the current position they're in and that show's a lot about all their character. This theme means the most to me because this family is trying and trying to do better and that's what a lot of people look up to.

Journal Two from Daryn

Hi my name is Daryn Stiers. This is my first semester at OSUM. I am going to school for early childhood education. I'm from Marysville and went to Marysville High School. I graduated from high school early due to having my son, Ezra, in September. When I get older I want to move to Seattle, Washington. Fun fact about me is I've been to or through 35 states.

Theme that really stood out to me is that when she was talking about her name and house. None of it was good enough for her. She hated her name and the house was to embarrassing. I feel this is important because it lets us into her feelings. I used to hate my name because whenever someone heard it they thought I was a boy. This made me feel really uncomfortable. I was also embarrassed that my parents were divorced. Everyone made fun of me because of them.

Journal Two from Cole

Hi, my name is Cole. I grew up in Mount Gilead but currently live in Upper Sandusky. I am majoring in business but would like to narrow it down more to marketing. I work at Lowes here in Marion, unloading trucks and stocking shelves in the evenings. I'm a huge Ohio sports fan, yes even the Browns. I played football all 4 years in high school, my senior year I was named an All-Conference defensive back. In the little free time I  have, I enjoy playing Xbox and hanging out with my friends.

This photo is of my younger brothers and I at prom last year.

The theme that stood out to me most was that Esperanza felt like she didn't fit in. Her home wasn't an acceptable place to be proud of, to point at. She wants to be able to fit in with everyone else and have a home she can be proud of. This stood out the me because it's an odd thing to be self-conscious about. You would think she'd be more concerned with the way people thought she dressed or looked but she only cared about their thoughts of her house.

Journal Two Brittani Velazco

      My name is Brittani Velazco. I am turning the big 30 this June. In a year and a half I will be celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary with my husband. We have three beautiful children our oldest Michael is 18, our middle child Daniel is going to be 11 in May, and our youngest Aiden just turned 8 in November. I would like to let everyone know that I have some health issues as well in case something were to happen nobody is caught off guard. While I was pregnant with my second child I was diagnosed with a heart condition called Supraventricular Tachycardia. This condition causes my heart to randomly beat 170-233 beats per minute. The normal resting heart rate is 60-100 beats per minute. I also have a pretty severe vitamin deficiency that has caused me to pass out and have a seizure but those symptoms have not reoccurred in the past eight years. I currently work at Whirlpool part time while attending college here at OSU. I am majoring in Social Work until I receive my associates degree. I want to go into Nursing and obtain my RN after I receive my associates in Social Work. I'm still pretty undecided on what I really want to do as far as my career goes but I am very interested in child psychology. So maybe after Social Work and Nursing I might go into a Psychology major. A fun fact about me I would say is my goal for 2020. After I get all of my schooling done and graduate I am going to be moving my family to Lake Havasu City Arizona to be closer to my father in-law. Lake Havasu City Arizona is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life and it is the end destination in my American Dream where I want to settle down and raise my family.
      The House On Mango Street is turning out to be a very interesting book for me to read so far. I don't find reading to be fun or interesting so much but I'm enjoying reading this book. When Esperanza had described all of her living conditions in most of the places she had lived I felt something for her. Where and how her family is living really stands out to me because its more real life unlike other books that are unrealistic and leave you unable to relate. I've had friends that has lived close to how Esperanza is living and I'm able to make a connection with the characters and situations. To me this is very important because I think that is what is keeping me interested in the book and it allows me to want to continue to read.

Journal Two Henry

Hey,
       my name is Henry Shelley, and I graduated from Olentangy Liberty high school last year. I have lived in Powell Ohio for most of my life but I also lived in Texas for bit. I am an old soul meaning that I enjoy older or antique things or styles rather than new. Some hobbies of mine include cars, hunting, music, tattoos and sports. I fun fact about myself is that I have owned 7 already cars in my life time.

So far I like the house on mango street, I enjoy the authors style of writing and how short the chapters are. I think so far a reoccuring theme is that Esperanza is embarrased of what people think about herself, her family, and also the house they live in.

Journal Two from Colton

Hello, my name is Colton Long, I have lived in Mount Gilead all of my life. I went to preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school all in the one mile radius that is the Mount Gilead school district. A fun fact about me is that i can play quite a few instruments. I have played piano for about eight years now, snare drum for all four years of high school, and center snare for two, any percussion instrument, the trumpet, a little saxophone,  and the marimba and similar board instruments.

So far the book is pretty easy to pick up and understand, i can't say for sure what part stood out to me so far.

Journal Two: Brady Hund

Journal Two: Brady Hund

Hello, my name is Brady Hund. Im a young, independent, outgoing college student who loves to meet new people. I love to experience new things and try to learn as much as I can about anything that sparks my interest. I love sports, music, and most of all animals. In fact my favorite animal is the Monkey. It has always been my dream to be able to one day, own a pet Monkey.

While reading The House On Mango Street, By: Sandra Cisneros, having Dreams was one theme that really jumped out at me from the beginning. Sandra talks about having a somewhat large family, two brothers and a sister who move more than often. She doesn't like the houses they live in and she talks about her family and this dream house her and her parents dream to live in. I feel like this is very important because every one has dreams and its interesting to learn about them. Not always do they come true, but I'm excited to see the development and the full story of Sandra'slife in, The House On Mango Street.

Journal Two from Nate

Hi, my name is Nate Riddle.
I am from here in Marion and graduated from Marion Harding High School.When I grow older I would like to have a family of at least four and live in New York or in Florida. A fun fact about myself is that I love to golf. I work at a golf course here in town and in the summer you will only catch me wearing golf shirts, shorts, and visors.

My girlfriend and I on New Years Eve. 

What I can say about the book The House On Mango Street is that I can kind of relate to Esperanza. This is because I grew up with three other siblings on my moms side of the family and we didn't always have nice things and stuff. As for the theme, I'm not sure I can say that anything has stood out to me so far.

Journal Two- Alyssa

Hello ! My name is Alyssa Lambert.

This is my family.

I am learning ASL, my goal is to become an ASL interpreter once I have my Bachelors degree. I am married, have been for 8 years. We have been together 11 years altogether. We have three children together. All boys! I work in the bumper department at Honda, I have been there almost 2 years. 

So far, I like the book " The House on Mango Street". I like the lay out of the book, the short but to the point chapters. The chapter I can relate to the most ( right now ) is, boys & girls. Because I have 5 siblings. At one point we were all in the same three bedroom, one bath house. My youngest sister would follow me around and while I didn't have to take care of her she did want to be around a lot. My brother and older sister were close with one another. The rest of us were just there. 

Journal Two from Marysa

Hello, my name is Marysa Barber. This is only my second semester of college at OSUM. I went to Marion Harding High School and graduated in 2017. I am also from Marion. .My favorite place to travel to is Panama City Beach, Florida or St. Petersburg, Florida. A fun fact about me is I have a pet skunk named Lola.

This picture is from my senior year prom.

A theme in The House On Mango Street that stood out to me the most was when she was talking about her name and how much she disliked it and wished she had a new name. I don't actually dislike my name or wish I had a new one, I just wish it was spelled normal like "Marissa" so that it is easier for people to pronounce and so that I don't always have to correct people.

Journal Two from Hiten

Hi, my name is Hiten Dhinoja.
I'm from Columbus Oh. Some things that i like to do is fix cars and work on computers, I can also build my computers. I am also in the Army National Guard.

Journal two from Bailee

Hi, my name is Bailee!
 Some fun facts about me are i love riding horses, i plan to own more when i'm older. I plan to move to own a house N.C.  especially near the beach. I also have a passion for singing.
    One of my favorite themes is that Esperanza feels she has to take care of her sister. That she can’t have any friends until her sister is grown up. She says this when she uses her direct metaphor quoting “until then i am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor.” I think this quote describes how lonely she truly is.

Welcome to our Blog-- From Mike Lohre

Hello students, and welcome to our blog! Today in class we'll work to join the blog and become familiar with its basic features.  See my handout for more, but our main goals for your first post here are:

--For your first post, write a paragraph where you introduce yourself, tell us some things that help us know you more, and share a fun fact about you.  Also, please post a simple photo of yourself, so we can always come back to this and associate your name with your face and introduction.  Again, the blog will just be for our class and I will adjust the privacy and search settings.

--In the next paragraph, respond to the reading in The House On Mango Street so far.  What theme stood out to you most so far?  Why do you feel this important and what does this theme mean to you?

This is my wife Irene and I on a trip to the Florida everglades last December.