Final Blog post: To Kill a Mockingbird

I have recently finished the wonderful and intriguing book To Kill a Mockingbird for the second time, and I have realized that there many more themes and symbols than I noticed when reading this novel the first time.

     One very important theme is the existence if good and evil in a person, essentially, whether a person is good or evil. The book shows this theme, by illustrating Scout and Jem as two children who have never seen any evil, therefore picture everyone as good. Their perspective changes as they grow up, and experience more evil, do they realize that people can be evil, and are not always good. 

     An important symbol I had noticed when reading te book the first time, but didn't quite understand, was the mockingbird. The mockingbird symbolizes innocence, and goodness. A few characters can be identified as mockingbirds, such as Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. The idea that a mockingbird portrays innocence, is displayed by saying multiple times that killing a mockingbird is a sin. For example, when Tom Robinson was shot, Mr. Underwood compared his death to the "senseless slaughter if songbirds" another example that portrays this idea is when at the end of the book, when Scout thinks Boo Radley is innocent, she says hurting Boo Radley would be like shooting a "mockingbird". As you can see the mockingbird symbolizes innocence.

There are many themes and symbols in the book "To kill a mockingbird" one theme is the existence if bad or good in a person, and a symbol is the mockingbird and innocence, there are many other themes and symbols in this book but I feel these two were the strongest. Reading the book a second time gave me lots of new info I hadn't noticed before.

Reading response on Nonfiction article “Why Russia Can’t Afford Another Cold War”

Reading response on Nonfiction article “Why Russia Can’t Afford Another Cold War”

In the article by James B. Stewart Why Russia Can’t Afford Another Cold War, it is explained why autocratic President Vladimir Putin, would not be able to engage in another cold war. The crisis in Ukraine has attracted the attention of many world leaders and has also been compared to Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968.

The major difference between now and then is that the Russia now has a stock market, which has recently dropped by more than 12 %, which is, according to the article “panic selling”. Because the Stock market is falling, Russia would not be able to “afford another cold war”.

            The author seems to think that because of the failing stock market, Russia avoided invading Eastern Ukraine for a while. For example according to Anders Aslund, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, because the RTSI, (Russian stock market index) 12 %, Russia was trying to get its economy back up instead of invading Ukraine. In addition, the author also thinks that President Vladimir Putin is following an old “soviet playbook”. This shows that the author believes that the President of Russia could cause another war. Another reason that Russia can't have another cold war is because they are part of the global market. They need companies to invest in them, and now it is "far more exposed to market fluctuations because it owns a majority stake in a number of the country’s largest companies". Again, according to Dr. Aslund, Russia is much too vulnerable economically to go to war. This is becasue the Kremlin has made a humongous mistake by ignoring how much they depended on Europe. All in all, Russia will not be able to go to war anytime soon, because its stock market is too weak and vulnerable t0 be able to fund a war.

           

After reading this article, it made me think if it was possible of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could escalate into something bigger, like war. Also since I know that the US is getting involved, they might use force to stop Russia. I would like to research more on previous wars, to see if there is a connection on how they started. The possibilities to what this crisis could turn into are endless, from another World War, to just not even having to use force.

1st draft of reading response on poetr

Poems can be interpreted in many different ways. Many poems have many different meanings and "America" by Claude McKay is one of them. This poem is about how the author has a “love-hate” relationship with America.

The speaker talks about how hard it is for them to be in America, and all the challenges that are thrown at him/her.

An observation that supports my thesis is that the speaker loves America. For example, in the 4^th line, they state, “I love this cultured hell that tests my youth” This quote shows that the speaker loves how America challenges them. This shows that even though America is being tough, the speaker still loves them. Another way that the author shows how the Speaker loves America despite the challenges, is by using literary devices such as similes, metaphors, personification, etc.

For example “Giving me strength against her hate”. This is an example of personification, because America cannot give strength. But this shows that the speaker loves America even though America hates them.

The speaker also believes that America has good and bad sides. For example, te speaker calls America a “cultured hell” but also says it is “priceless treasure” This shows that America has good and bad sides.

         In conclusion the speaker loves America despite all the hardships and challenges that are faced. This poem could be from the point of view of an immigrant, trying to make it in  America. I also think that the speaker think it is huge challenge to be in America despite how some people view living in America as an amazing opportunity.

Revised Poem on Writing prompt

poem from writing prompt number 10


The eagle stares at me
Intently, watching
From the ledge of the bridge.
Its yellow beak shines
Bright in the sunlight.
A low whisper escapes
My lips.
This eagle,
Is the one
to whom I
Broke
My promise,
To never tell the
Secret.

1st draft of reading response

Upfront Magazine: Minimum Age and a Minimum Wage.

The article Minimum Age and a Minimum Wage, by Joseph Berger, talks about how the minimum age for working has changed throughout history, and also how the minimum wage has increased. The first part of the article talks about the story of a 12-year-old boy who worked 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week, in the late 1930s. Daniel B. Cornfield states "It was  not considered exploitative" "The idea of all family members participating in the enterprise was considered the norm.” The boy was interviewed by photographer Lewis Hines, and told him, he didn't know how to read or write. He said "yes, i want to learn but can't when i have to work all the time." But in 1938, The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed and prevented children under 18 from doing certain jobs, and also set the federal minimum Wage of 25 cents an hour. If employees worked beyond that, employers were required to pay time and a half. The minimum wage has been changed more than 202 times since 1938, and is currently $7.25. Outside the USA, Child labor is still a big issue.

     The author of this article does not have a clear bias, but the facts that are giving in this article are making me feel very fond of the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) For example, the fact that Children as young as 12 worked for 72 hours a week, without even the slightest bit of education. This made me think about what it would be like if the FLSA had never been passed. Maybe we would still be working with no education., and this makes me afraid for what the future would have been like. The author is not showing any bias, because he even lists the Pros and Cons of the Minimum Wage. This section makes me feel that I would be an “advocate of a higher minimum” as I believe that the “minimum wage is too low to live on”  

This article has made me appreciate the Foundation of the FSLA and how we are able to get a good education, and not have to work long hours to support my family. This article has also made me interested in how other countries are doing with child labor. I would like to research how children are living in these countries that still have child labor, and if they are bale to still get an education. This article has also taught me that poverty and child labor have always been linke

revised Reading Response on Independent Reading Book

After reading a good portion of the novel, I have personally enjoyed Persepolis. I have never read a novel in comic form before, so this is a new experience for me. However, I think that the comic feature, with the pictures and less text, allows the reader to capture more of the characters’ emotions. You can read the text and dialogue and then look at the picture to instill the image in your mind. I think this is the main reason that Marjane Satrapi chose to write the text this way. Persepolis is engaging to me for a number of reasons. One being that I have no prior knowledge to the background of the story, therefore I am learning about history as I read it. Also, I find the story of the little girl, Marjane, interesting because she is so young while all of this violence is going on, and I am interested to see how she and her parents handle that and deal with her growing up in such a time of violence and torture for so many people. One example of Marjane’s confusion about the world is on page 32 when she hears her elders laughing about cadaver, cancer, death, murderer. She then thinks that the appropriate response to these terms would be laughter. She realizes that she does not understand anything about the world and she then starts to read all the books she can. I just find this interesting that a girl so young would want to learn so much about the world and understand all she can. She basically is growing up much faster than a young child should have to grow up. For these reasons I am interested to read the rest of the book and see what happens.