A Response to "The Circuit"

The book, "The Circuit," was a great autobiographical account of a migrant child. I appreciated the way it was told from the point of view from a child. It is interesting seeing the way he interpreted the difficulties his family endured and how intuitive he was to what was happening all around him. When I was seven years old, we moved twice in one year and I attended three different schools. I though my 3rd grade year was the hardest thing I had ever encountered. However, I am humbled after reading this story because my one difficult year proved to be the ongoing reality for the narrator of "The Circuit," and many other migrant families. I think this is one major and powerful theme or moral this book has to offer: be grateful for what you are given. I loved the emphasis on family in this book and how there were constant descriptions of how the family kept their home and family together. 


Throughout the book, the reader notices the narrator's appreciation for the little things such as his notebook he writes words in, his penny collection and the neighbor's goldfish he likes to watch. In particular, I found the goldfish especially intriguing because it seemed to be a metaphor for the struggles the narrator had as a Mexican immigrant compared to the luxurious lifestyle of those who his family worked for. There is a scene where the narrator attempts to help a grey fish that is suffocating after there has been some flooding. He brings the grey fish to his neighbor's house in hopes that they will place the grey fish in the bowl with the goldfish. The narrator discovers that they have indeed put the grey fish in there, however, the grey fish remains still, seemingly unhappy, in the bowl while the goldfish seems to happily move about the bowl (40). I found this passage to be a metaphor for the narrator. The narrator acts as the grey fish and those who do not struggle to survive, act as the goldfish, moving about happily and unworried.


This book spoke true to the memoir genre. It allowed the audience to focus on one individual and his family during a particular hardship. Similar to House on Mango Street, I thought this book  was written in a series of snapshots; highlighting the important occurrences in this boy's experience. 

A Response to "A Long Way Gone"

This book spoke eloquently to the violence in Sierra Leone. Not only did it speak to the violence in this country, it spoke to the fate of a child in a war with country: becoming a child soldier. Although I was unable to personally relate to the horrendous occurrences of a child soldier, I was able to realize that as a reader of this memoir, I have a responsibility and that responsibility is to not only react to the story but also act. Memoirs such as these that share tales that make our stomachs turn are meant to make us want to act. After reading this memoir, I realized that I do not know much about Sierra Leone and the violence occurring there. I also thought about what I can do to get involved with helping stop the violence, perhaps by joining the UNICEF organization. But the first step is listening to the stories of those affected by the violence.

This memoir spoke vividly about pain. The story was a roller-coaster of emotional and physical pain. Ishmael speaks about this pain: "one of the unsettling things about my journey, mentally, physically, and emotionally, was that I wasn't sure when or where it was going to end. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I was starting over and over again. I was always on the move, always going somewhere," (69). This journey he speaks of is a great lesson for adolescents, one that I think they would respond to well. This memoir speaks about jumping hurdles and survival. Although most adolescents may not be able to relate to the difficulties Ishmael faced and overcame, they can recognize his struggle and then act on the struggle; they can figure out a way to help with the violence.

One of the most intense parts of the story is in when Ishmael joins the army. It is clear that Ishmael turns into an emotionless being: " I was not afraid of these lifeless bodies...the sharp aches in my head, or what I later came to know as migraines, stopped as my daily activities were replaced with more soldierly things...I took turns at the guarding posts around the village smoking marijuana and sniffing brown brown, cocaine mixed with gun powder" (119-121). It is during this haze that Ishmael turns violent without a worry in the world. I find this incredibly moving. Later on, he talks about how this was a way of survival (199). I found his vulnerability and rawness in writing this book spoke true to the memoir genre. Without Ishmael's vivid account, it would not have been as powerful and it would not have had as great of an impact. 

A Response to "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World"

I truly enjoyed this non-fiction piece. I am such a history channel lover and this book seemed to fit perfectly with what I love watching on the history channel. Most of the time, I found myself shivering for the characters and suddenly felt claustrophobic, thinking about constantly being surrounded by snow. I found that several themes resonated with me as I read this book. There was the theme of camaraderie among the men, I loved that they seemed to care for one another even in, as the author explained, "the most hostile environment this side of the moon" (Armstrong 1). I also really appreciated the amount of compassion the men had, especially Shackleton. It seemed like his passion turned into the passion of his crew and I find that anyone that has that kind of an influence on someone is extremely powerful. Finally, this story shared with the audience a very important theme, that it's not the destination; it's the journey.  


This book is memorable as a piece of literature because it speaks of heroes. I found that, unlike some non-fiction I have encountered, the story seemed extremely objective. This should be the goal of the non-fiction genre; to remain as subjective as possible, and this book managed quite well. I thought the story candidly exposed a lot about history, adventure, danger and simply the human spirit. This book did an wonderful job getting the audience to recognize the hard work that went into such a voyage. It expressed the planning of the voyage in such a way that made the voyage seem that much more wonderful when the crew made it home safely after such a troubling journey. For instance, on page 8, they talk about the amount of supplies they had to bring with them for the journey. I think the passion of the "boss" made this story plentiful, suddenly because of this real live character, the story had a lot of depth. This non-fiction piece would work really well with adolescents. I found that the story was easy enough to follow and did not read as blandly as a History textbook. Instead, this book accomplished telling tale after tale about feat after feat made on the journey. It is a story of adventure but one that actually happened in real life! I think Jennifer Armstrong did a wonderful job of sharing with audiences a story of heroism that needed to be told. I think most of my future students would agree. 

A Response to "Esperanza Rising"

I immediately had a connection with the main character, Esperanza, because I too lost my father at a somewhat young age, around the time of my birthday. Although following my father's death I did not experience something as horrible as my house burning down, I did have the sense that my world was crumbling around me. In comparison to The Book Thief, I had trouble grounding this novel in the genre of "Historical Fiction." I found that this novel did a really good job of being timeless, meaning, it was relatable in any time period. However, the only way I truly knew the time period was because it stated it at the beginning of the book and then did not mention it again. 


I really appreciated the way Esperanza was forced into experiencing the lives of "the peasants" and in doing so, she became an extremely humble person and over time had a sense of humility toward others. Related to this experience, I loved the figurative language she uses to describe the relationship between Miguel and herself: "Miguel was the housekeeper's son and she was the ranch owner's daughter and between them ran a deep river" Esperanza stood on one side and Miguel stood on the other and the river could never be crossed"(18). 


At one point Miguel points to the idea of capitalism saying, "[in the United States] even the poorest man can become rich if he works hard enough"(75). I found this to be powerful because it speaks to the American Dream and how immigrants envision the United States and sometimes, working hard is an understatement of just how hard immigrants work to gain citizenship in "the greatest nation on Earth." 


I found it difficult to sympathize for Esperanza, instead, I pitied her. Although her character eventually grew to be a better person, her princessdum was quite irritating initially. I really hated the way Esperanza looked down on others who had less than her. Although there may have been some truth into her culture, I found that I despised the way she judged people but then I appreciated the irony of others placing judgment on Esperanza once she arrived in the United States. This flip of events allowed Esperanza's character to grow. I thought Ryan did a great job of showing how an individual through triumph of character can accomplish a great amount in their life. 

A Response to "The Book Thief"

This book was my favorite book so far. The book was incredibly powerful, I'm not sure where to begin. One thing that really resonated with me, was that it offered a perspective of World War II and Nazi Germany I have not seen before. Until now, I mostly just read about this time period from the perspective of a Jewish person before, during, and after the war, and from the perspective of Americans back at home and in the war. This perspective was unique and incredibly enthralling. I could relate to the way in which Liesel found comfort in words and books. I find that, like Liesel, I can escape to fictional texts in difficult times. Throughout the novel, I found Liesel and her foster parents' compassionate relationships with one another such to be such a powerful lesson to the readers of the story: strong relationships will carry you through anything, even war. 


As a historical fiction piece, I found this novel did a really good job of subtly pointing to the facts of the time. By having the narrator (the grim reaper)tell the story, whose focus was on Liesel, we see the war in a new light, one that allows us into how others dealt with and felt about the world during the war. I appreciated the subtly, for instance, when Liesel hears her foster parents talking about her mother. As audience members, we don't entirely know what has happened to her mother. We can assume that she has not survived a concentration camp but the novel effectively allows us to wonder by only offering a conversation had by Liesel's foster parents which was overheard by Liesel (95).


History also subtly, but effectively, sneaks in for instance, with the mentioning of people's names and how powerful a name can be. On page 61, Rudy's father talks about his, "safe blue eyes" and on page 31 the narrator mentions that, "you didn't really want brown eyes in Germany around that time." Although the narrator does not go into great deal about these ideas, as readers, we are offered the opportunity to make the connections between the time period and what these things mean in context. 


The last historical reference that I found the most powerful was the power and impact the book Mein Kampf had on the lives of the characters in the book. I found it interesting that Hans's son made an emphasis on the book saying, "And what trash is this girl reading? She should be reading Mein Kampf" (105). And the book also temporarily saved the life of Max. I couldn't believe how much impact a book could have, then I got to thinking about how Hitler, one man, had the same powerful effect. No matter how many times I study this subject, I find myself appalled, terrified and disgusted that so many people could die because of one person's idea and ignorance. 

A Response to "The House on Mango Street"

As a female, I could really relate to the femininity presented in the novel. This was one theme that resonated with me. Similar to Sold or Out of the Dust, which were written in verse, I love the way this novel was written in vignettes. This allowed the story to really focus the points attempting to be made. I also loved the way the narrator introduced the audience to so many different people in her life. In this way, as a reader, we were really able to engage with the way she lived on Mango Street.


As a piece of multicultural literature, this novel did a good job of allowing the audience to witness the hardship of a minority. I also could appreciate the emphasis made on woman, their bodies, and the way they are supposed to act in their culture and community. In particular, a few passages come to mind. Right away in the vignette titled, My Name, the narrator mentions how she is named after her great-grandmother stating: "I have inherited her name but I don't want to inherit her place in the window" (11). She says later on: "what matters, Marin says, is for the boys to see us and for us to see them" (27). There is such an emphasis made on these young bodies and sexuality. I found it interesting, however, that despite her attitude towards not subjecting to a man, she objectifies her body: "Lucy, Rachel, me tee-tottering like so. Down to the corner where the men can't take their eyes off us" (40). 


I thought it was powerful the way the author allows us into Esperanza's intimate feeling towards her neighborhood; her resentment, and then in the end, in the vignette, Alicia & I Talking on Edna's Steps, her friend helps her realize that someday she'll want to return and be proud to say that house was hers. This is made clear by the last lines in the novel: "They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out" (110). 

A Response to "Monster"

I loved the way this book was written, in screenplay format. I found it interesting that the narrator had to write the story this way as a way to cope with his horrendous time spent in jail. Although I could not relate to this experience specifically, I found that I could relate to dealing with pain. We all deal with situations and pain in a different way. I found this to be an interesting way for the author to convey this story through his pain. 


As a piece of "Multicultural Literature" I felt as though it did not address the stereotypes of African American males. This can be a positive notion and a negative one. If this were to be taught from the standpoint of Multicultural Literature, I would find myself wondering how this falls into that category. I had trouble recognizing how this novel could act as a piece of Multicultural Literature. 


This novel did a great job of making the audience feel just as depressed as the narrator. A few times throughout the novel I could feel his pain. For instance, on page 95 the narrator says, "they laughed. It must have been funny." This passage creates the message that the narrator has lost the ability to feel anything joyous, it truly reflects how he feels. I found this to be extremely powerful. 


I particularly love the end of this book when the jury concludes that Steve is not guilty and he describes the way in which his dad and O'Brien look at him. He asks the question whose answer seems to be unequivocally the answer of the book, "what did she see?" This almost rhetorical question leaves the readers wanting more. 

A Response to: "The People Could Fly"

"The People Could Fly" was such a pleasant read because of its storytelling abilities and qualities. I love how each tale had a moral to be taught. Of course all stories have a theme or moral that needs to be taught. However, these stories were short and the moral (most of the time)was much more blatant, sort of "kid-friendly." Something this book opened my mind up to was not only the genre of folklore, but more specifically, the genre of folklore from a global perspective. My knowledge of folklore is very limited and from what I can remember reading as a child, the folklore spoke to a white, European, history, it neglected culture anywhere outside of that. For future reading, I would love to read a collection of folklore that involved all cultures, this would make it fun to compare and contrast the different types of folklore from different nations or people. However, although I could not directly relate to the history involved in these stories, they were quite nostalgic and invoked in me the folklores I was familiar with. 


The colloquial nature of the text made these stories more visible and more apt to being read out loud. Not just read out loud, but told in an improv manner. As I read I could see someone reading it, standing in front of a bunch of people or children and performing the stories, without the text in their hands. I loved the way these stories could reach any age group. The first section in particular was probably tailored more toward a very young age group, however, people of all ages have something to take away from those stories. However, I found that some of the "lessons" or morals of the story were hard to develop. For instance, I found "Papa John's Tall Tale", among others, to be quite pointless. Maybe the point of this one was for pure entertainment? Maybe there was not a lesson to be taught?


As the book progressed, as a reader, I became more and more indulged in the reading. In particular, the section that stuck out to me the most was the section entitled, "Carrying the Running-Aways." I found these to be the most tangible because they were more realistic than the other folklores.