Writing 2

Sunday Dinner
Every Sunday after church my family comes back to my grandmother’s house for what we call "Sunday Dinner." This is the time when we all get together and just enjoy each other’s company. Each adult brings a dish or cook one when they arrive. This has been a tradition in my family for over 20 years. Every year we try and improve the things that we do, but no matter what I enjoy it.

The sight of the house be entirely pack with all of my grandmother kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. Once everyone arrives all of the kids change clothes and head outdoors. While on the inside of the house the adults help cook and watch sports on television. Everyone has the same feeling of eager to eat dinner. When the food has finished cooking we all crowd around the table. The tables as well as the countertops are filled with food and desserts. When I say food I’m referring to: chicken, macaroni, potato salads, biscuits, collard greens, and so on.

The smell of all of these dishes causes you to want and hurry the first plate for seconds. The room has a smell of old time country meals from the down south. It reminds you so much as of why you love Sundays. I love the scent of the sauce from the macaroni that rushes up my nostrils. One thing in the world I would love to smell every day, it would be all of this food. Just think of walking into a school and have the smell of great food rush towards you. It would be a great smell to experience.

Once everyone has fixed their plates and gotten settled, its time to say a quick prayer of thanks. After that’s over, of course its time to eat. I love macaroni and cornbread, and they melt right into my mouth. I can’t forget about the homemade biscuits, they taste like butter and milk all in one. It leaves such a taste in your mouth where you just know you have to have more. No other food I have ever eaten tastes better than Sunday dinners. Such meals as the ones we share shouldn’t ever be forgotten or skipped.

The feeling of just being full afterwards is such a great touch to your body. It feels as if you’ve filled a spot in your system that’s been hungry for days. It leaves a touch of love in your heart, knowing someone cares to feed you good meals. Just touching your empty plate makes you want to go and get seconds. The touch of the food digesting inside your stomach gives you the feel of joy.

You can hear the food broiling on your insides, with the sound of satisfaction. From outdoors I can hear the younger ones talking about what was the best of all. In the kitchen I hear my mom and aunts washing dishes and scrubbing pots. On the other end of the house the men are screaming at the game on a full stomach of food. The sound of my family just being happy makes my day go well. Hearing the sound of a happy family lets you know that everything went good.

Having Sunday dinner every week gives me something to look forward to. Its such a good time to describe the things going on around you and it never feels bad. The sound of the family waiting to eat lets you know that nothing could go wrong. I enjoy all of these feelings and wouldn’t trade them off. If you were there when this all happens you would have these exact thoughts and feelings. This is a tradition that I hope to always keep in our family. As the generations continue to grow I hope we can expand the things that we do, such as games for the kids to play and more.

Novel Project: Essay

The Color Purple: Essay
The historical significance of The Color Purple is based on a time when men and women were seen very different in everyone eyes such as the wife obeying her husband’s rules. The importance of this novel was to give every African-American women who was feeling as if the didn’t have any control over their life, the power to keep hanging on. The story is based mainly on a character named Celie, who is forced to get married off to an older man and take care of his four rude and disobedient children. There are other women in The Color Purple who face many difficult challenges as well such as, Sophia, Nettie, Shug, and Squeak. As said by the San Francisco Chronicle" a work to stand beside literature of any time and place," this is absolutely true.

There is many importance of the novel and a lot of that is proved in the book as well as from critical essays. Many of the best criticism come from other essays. An author published "There is a strong relationship between Celie and Nettie not just because they are siblings but because Nettie is one out of two people Celie loves, and this doesn't exist between Celie and any other of her siblings." That was a big statement because there weren’t many people that Celie could talk to and trust because she was afraid of her husband and the things that he might do to her. As written in the story Celie explains that she could never look at a man in a romance way, because she had been forced so many times to have sex with her husband, and the man who says he’s her father. With her suffering from all of those issues in her life how could anyone expect her to love a man. Then there’s Shug Avery the one and only person that she will actually love besides her sister Nettie, and this is in a romantic way. As I read in another critical essay, "The relationship between Shug and Celie cuts very deep. Both of them help each other become what they really need to be. Both Celie and Shug were very oppressed people. Celie was oppressed by her lack of caring, and by her lack of self-esteem. Shug is caught in other people's image of her. She is not free to become what she really wants to be, which is a loving member of a loving family, which she never really had." This shows that the life of all of the women in the story wasn’t fair.

In the story there are many statements that you will come across to see and feel the pain of the women. For example, "Celie’s no good she’s spoiled, you can take her." This was a quote from Celie’s known father who wants to marry her off, in this day and time you wouldn’t speak of a woman in this matter. Then there’s Sophia who’s married to Harpo the son of Celie’s husband, and he’s learned how to disrespect women as well from his father. "Harpo had more cuts and bruises than Sophia," this meaning that Sophia wasn’t afraid of her husband she stood up to him. It took a lot of courage for Celie to finally stand up to Mr._______, her husband. Within due time and help from Shug, Sophia, and Nettie, her sister, she was no longer afraid to speak up for herself.

This book is really worth studying in literature class because it puts many thoughts in your as if it was you living this life. It would help to show many girls how our ancestors had to fight for their freedom and rights, when it basically came naturally to the men. You could see how many things have changed over the years and how many haven’t changed. The Color Purple is a great story to read anywhere and any time not just during literature class. Alice Walker has won the Pulitzer Prize for this story so it could be a big impact on someone.

Novel Project: Biography

Alice Walker's Biography

Author of The Color Purple

1944-Now

Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944 in Eatonton, GA. She was the youngest of her mother and father's eight children. In 1952 her life was changed forever when she was hit in her right eye with a BB gun. This was an accident that happened while her older brother and her were playimg a game of Cowboys and Indians. From that day on she dreamed of suicide but instead found interest in writing poetry and short stories.

Despite all of the troubles she faced she still continued to write stories. Her Pilitizer Prize winning novel was The Color Purple, this story is based on the life of a black girl named Celie in the South. This novel was later turned into a movie the year of 1982 which left her feeling really sucessful. The movie as well as the book was criticized by the public, mostly for Celie's husband, Mr.______, who was a stubborn, wife beating man, and this was a symbolise for the entire black male race. This did not slow Alice down fro m her career she continued to do more.

Not only did Alice write novels but she participated in them as well, for example The Color Purple. This story was based on true life experiences for her as well as the characters. The novel actually was focused on a certain time in the Deep South where members of her family were dealing with these issues, except in the book the characters name are changed. The Color Purple at the time when it was written sent out a message to women who struggled for freedom from men such as their husband and fathers. The events that happened in the story left a huge impact on her life because they were so real and actually had once existed.

Her purpose for writing The Color Purple was for black women to not give up on what they believed was right. With that being said she also participated in the Civil Rights Movement for women. In the novel Celie is the main character who is forced to be a mother, daughter, wife, and sister to the others, but through it all she is beaten by her husband for anything he feels she did wrong. This didn't fit well with Alice, so in her novel and movie towards the end Celie finally gains the strength to stand up to her husband. Alice Walker has made a big impact on the black women today and of our past generations, because she showed the true views of things and what was reall happening.

Novel Project Entry 3

The Color Purple

Pages 160-251

As the story goes on, Nettie is still writing to Celie and letting her know how her life is. She mentions that the people that her and Celie children are living with think that the children belong to her. After a while of the wife thinking Nettie slept with her husband and got pregant with the children she tells them the truth story. The lady husband believed Nettie but his wife thought it was just a lie to convice her to stop accusing Nettie. When she finally decided to believe the children were Nettie's niece and nephew she died within minutes, saying that she believed.

One day while having dinner at Sofia's sister house, Odessa, Shug makes an announcement that suprises everyone. Shug is going to take Celie back home with her to Memphis to live a better life with love and to get away from Albert. At first Albert refuses to let Celie go, but Celie speaks up for herself for the first time ever and curses him out. Along with this news, Squeak reveals to Harpo that shes going as well to pursue her singing career in public. When this was all over and done, Celie and Squeak was on their way to Memphis with Shug and Grady.

Once they were in Memphis Shug helped Celie get settled in and use to being there. After a couple of months Shug had to leave town for her music so Celie was alone with Squeak and Grady. When she was back home with Grady, Shug taught her how to make pants so this is what she started to do. Whenever Shug would return home from the road she would find pants hanging everywhere in her house, so within time this was Celie's job selling and making pants.

Celie liked this and yet in her spare time she wrote to Nettie to keep her updated on her life.

One day Celie recieved a phone call saying her Pa was dead and he had left the house to her and Nettie. After a while of living in the house, Celie started to visit Sofia and Harpo, who was back together again, and Albert and her started speaking again. Soon after, Albert would visit Celie and she taught him how to sew, and everyday they would sew pants and shirts and talk about their love for Shug. Celie recived more letters from Nettie and her children until one day while sitting on the porch, Celie, Albert, and Shug, who had returned, noticed some people coming up the path. To their suprise it was Nettie, Celie's to children, Nettie's husband, and Tashi, Celie's son wife. This story ended with love and joy for them all and I enjoyed it.

Novel Project Entry 2

The Color Purple

pages 80-160

In the beginning of this section Sofia comes to the club that Harpo has opened. Everyone is glad to see her except Harpo's new girlfriend, Squeak, who thinks Harpo shouldn't talk to Sofia. Harpo and Sofia have a dance together anyways regardless of Squeak's comment, but Squeak didn't like this she started and arguement with Sofia. After a while of arguing Sofia gave Squeak a good hit across her face that knocked her to the ground. This made Harpo have to choose between his wife and his girlfriend, but Sofia left with her new boyfriend.

A little after a week of this incident Sofia was locked up because she refused to be the mayor's wife maid, and cursed her out. The mayor didn't like that Sofia had disrespected his wife and they all got into a big fight including Sofia's children. She was beaten so bad, that one of her eyes wouldn't open, her face was swollen, and she had a lot of cuts and bruises. They gave Sofia seventeen years in the prison, and she felt like Miss Celie because whenever they called her name she had to go running. Harpo and all the others came to visit her twice a month for half a hour, which isn't long at all.

Later in the book, Shug Avery came to visit Miss Celie and Mr.______, who is named Albert. She had a suprise for them and that was her new husband, Grady, Miss Celie nor Albert liked this idea. Shug and Avery shared many experiences together during this period of stay and found out a lot of information as well. The most important of this information was letters that Shug found from Celie's sister, Nettie, they were sent to Celie but Albert never gave them to her. They had to come up with an idea to steal the letters without Albert finding out, so they took out the letters and placed the envelopes back in his trunk.

There was so many letters that Celie had not recieved from her sister, that it upseted her enough to want and kill Albert. Nettie had wrote her letters about her two children and their health, and the different places she was staying. In the story it gives you a lot of letters from Nettie that you could read. The movie never included as many details as I read in the book. The best part of it all is that Celie finally had gained the strength to know that she was somebody, and she actually meant something to someone.

Novel Project Entry 1

The Color Purple

Pages 11-80

Miss Celie, is forced to have sex with the man she calls Mr._______. They have two children together but he gets rid of the kids. Miss Celie is expected to keep the house clean and take care of the children. She doesn't know as much as her younger sister, Nettie, but she was given to Mr. ______ by her father because she was the "spoiled one." Even though she isn't as smart, shes a good cook as well as a great housekeeper.

After a while of Miss Celie being at Mr. _____'s house he brings home Shug Avery, the woman he wants to be his wife. When she first gets there she isn't so easy to deal with because she' s rude. Within a week or two of staying she starts to open up to Miss Celie who helps to keep her clean and feeling well. Miss Celie likes Shug Avery and admires her because Mr. ______ loves her. Shug and her become friends after a while and open up to one another.

Mr.______ has a son, Harpo, and he's married to Mrs. Sophia. They fight a lot because that's what Harpo thinks he's supposed to do, because his daddy did it to Miss Celie. Mrs. Sophia doesn't agree she beats Harpo more than he can get hands on her. After a while she starts to get tired of Harpo and his wrong doing and she leaves with her sisters. This leaves Harpo all alone to learn a lesson instead he builds a juke joint.

I like reading the book better than watching the movie, because you can focus more on whats happening. They're both detailed but the movie shortens some of the parts because of commercials. In the book it gives all the details on how the characters really felt about certain situations and their thoughts. There's many examples of how the two are different if in many ways. I think its better to see and read both of them for your own opinions.

Independent Reading

Cheaters

By Eric Jerome Dickey

This book was about 3 different couples who were all having problems in their relationships. There was at least one or the other in each relationships who were cheating. In the end of the story they all saw different views of what was happening to their lifes and wanted to do better.

Married to the Game

By Chunchi

This was a story about a girl named Ceazia who killed her boyfriend Vegas when she caught him cheating. In the mix of this story Vegas brother and nephew try and prove that Ceazia is the murder. It all happens that Ceazia will turn them against each other because she's going to seduce them both. in the end the two men end up dead at the hands of Ceazia and she is once again free and on the loose.

Short Story 3

The Lottery

By Shirley Jackson

1. I felt that the lottery wasn't fair to all of the people in the village. They should have drawn more times than the amount that they did. Once every family had a chance to draw they should have let the next member of the household draw also. The story focused on how the lottery affected all of the families in the village area, but not on how they felt about it. I think that Mr. Summers, the conductor, should make some changes to this event.

Even though I didn't like the way the lottery was done, i think it was better than the older lottery days. If the days before was the same then I think that there would've been more complaints. When the lottery was chosen and if the woman had the black spot on her card, her husband should take the hitting of the stones. Since the stones were used for the punishment, the villagers shouldn't be allowed to pick the biggest stones, but the smaller ones.

2. The subject of the story was The Lottery, a event that everyone in the village had to attend. The theme of this lottery was even though they all families had to attend in the end only one family was really prosecuted. I think that the author was trying to reveal to the reader that lottery was allowed, but the chances that the villagers took wasn't' fair. I agree with the author, because if it was going to be allowed, don' t just focus on picking out one family to hurt. Due to the outcome of the event, some other villages wasn't participating in it anymore.

3. The author didn't like this idea of lottery much either i think. I feel that she thought that this should be illegal in the village. The lottery wasn't something all of the villagers enjoyed anyways. ("There was a great deal of fussing to be done before Mr.Summers declared the lottery open.")

4. Movie: Daddy's Little Girl

Subject: A Father's love for his Daughters

Theme: Some fathers will do whatever it takes to make sure their kids are well taken care of

The person that created this movie delivered the theme by focusing the movie on a young, black man, his three daughters, and the situations that they face through the courts and in relationships. The father has to fight battles and risk a lot in order to convince the judge that he can provide for his girls. The creator of this movie lets you know that in order to get some things in life you have to sacrifice the other things of life. He convinces the viewers to feel the same because he shows the different things that the father had to do, when in the real world most fathers wouldn't care.

Writing 1

It was in 1999, and I was 8 years old at this time. My mom, my step-dad, and I all went over to my aunt’s house for a cookout. She didn’t live far from us but yet it felt like this was going to be such an exciting day. I knew that some more of my cousins would be there to play with and we would just enjoy this day. I was so focused on having fun that I never thought that this particular day would change all of my days later to come.

When we first arrived I was happy to be there since this is my favorite aunt’s house. Everyone was either in the kitchen or outdoors, but I was inside with the adults. A little after 20 minutes of being there we heard a noise in the bushes, but we knew it wasn’t anyone outside because they were all in the front or had came back inside. We never quite paid that noise any attention because we thought that it could’ve just been a dog or something. So not long after this everyone moved into the living room, to talk, dance, and enjoy themselves.

About an hour after all of this, out of nowhere I began to cry. Everyone kept asking what was wrong, but I just kept begging my mom to please take me home. My aunt begged me not to leave but I still wanted to go. She offered me money and lots of other things to stay, but I continued to cry and beg to leave. So we left, but keep in mind this is my favorite aunt.
When we got home, I got ready for bed and went to sleep. I don’t think I was asleep for more than three hours when I heard a big commotion and banging at my front door. I awoke but I didn’t move instead I just lay in the bed and listened. I heard some of my family members crying and talking, as well as my mom. At that moment, I got out the bed and ran into the living room. I asked what was going on but my step-dad told me to go get dress. So I did as I was told, but I was crying because my mom was crying and I was scared.

After I returned from getting dressed, I found out that my aunt had just been killed. This was the worst moment ever in my life, and I will never forget it. I had just left her side not more than six hours before. I was devastated and I just couldn’t believe that this was true. We had to go and tell my grandma, and from there we went to the hospital, where her body was. Still I didn’t think this was true until I saw her body laying there in a body bag.

This hurts me so much because when I kept crying my heart knew that something was about to happen and it was warning me to get away. Even now sometimes I still cry when I’m alone and wonder what would’ve happened if I had of stayed. Would she still be here today? There’s a hole in my heart that will always be there because she would’ve done anything for me or gave me anything she could since I was "her heart." Don’t get me wrong; I’m not blaming myself for what occurred, but she didn’t deserve that. She was just an innocent person who wanted a good life for her and her kids. She was stabbed numerous times because she didn’t want some of her kids’ father anymore. The noise we had heard earlier in the bushes was him watching her to see who all was around at that time.

When you love someone let him or her know because you don’t ever know when your last visit with them will be. This is something that I will always remember because I loved her but I never got a chance to tell her until it was too late. It has shaped my life uniquely since now I don’t take things for granted because I don’t ever know when it’s going to be taken away from me. I let my mom know every day that I love her because I wouldn’t ever want this same thing to happen again because I didn’t speak up or show my emotions. Life is precious and I try to cherish every moment.

Now that I’ve came of age more I understand much more about life. I realize that it wasn’t my fault because whether I stayed or not, he had already planned out what he wanted to do to her. But my crying helped push it off a little longer since she had company. I miss her but I know she’s still watching over me each and every day.

Short Story #2

"When I Lay My Burden Down"

Maya Angelou

1. "When I Lay My Burden Down," was a nonfiction story based on the situations that African-Americans had to face during the older years. There was a little girl who watched her mother and grandmother face rude and disrespectful whites. They owned the store that the whites would come to, but still they would try and give them orders. Reading this made me feel as if they had all of the power and rights to treat others anyway they felt, which wasn't right. The grandmother and mother would just standby without saying a word, except for humming a old spiritual hymn.

It made me think of all of the pain that my ancestors faced each and every day from other humans, just a different race. It shouldn't had matter who owned the store, but respect their property as well as their feelings. The white girls didn't care about how the African-Americans felt they just cared about themselves and their feelings of uppity. I think that the grandmother and mother of the little girl felt that every thing would be okay because they never gave a rude remark or fetched. Also, I think they were looking out for the safety of the little girl. This story shows a great deal of how things have changed from back then. In my eyes everyone should be treated equally.

2. Maya Angelou's purpose for writing this story was to show the things that African-American had to put up with. I think she wrote the story to make all of the readers feel the pain the family in the book felt. It also shows you that in life you have to go through many obstacles but sometimes you can't run you have to stay and face them. She would've wanted you to think about what if that was you? What would you have done? Just reading the short story made me think she really wanted to make a point and have it known.

She wanted us to come away from the story thinking, I never a day in my life want to have to deal with that type of situation. She made a statement saying, "Thou shall not be dirty" and "Thou shall not be impudent." But that's exactly what happened in this story. The mother in this story tried to be strong for her daughter ( "Momma never turned her head or unfolded her arms" ) but on the inside she probably felt hurt. ( "How could Momma call them Miz? The mean, nasty things. Why couldn't she have come inside the sweet, cool store when we saw them breasting the hill? What did she prove?" ) She wanted you to think about how the little girl was feeling just then, because she didn't understand why her mother stood outside the store and watched the other girls be impudent.

3. I think that it is important to read about other peoples lives because you can learn new things that you probably never knew as well as feel the feelings and thoughts that they're having. It teaches you not to think negative thoughts about others, as well. These type of nonfiction stories are so popular because they can help younger people focus on the things that their ancestors went through. There are instances in my life that would be helpful to others in their lives some sort of way. I think there's a instance in every one's lives.

"Poker, A Harmless Activity for Teens . . . Wanna Bet?"

1. I don't think it's a good idea for young teenagers to gamble, because I agree with the writer of the article, it affects their health. The article focused on how some parents feels it' s ok for their teenagers to play poker. There are more than a million teens under the age of 17 who plays poker daily. Along with the game comes rsk factors, such as stealing money from others or missing school. The parents who agree to this "illegal activity for teens" should be punished for allowing it to happen in their faces.

What stuck out to me the most was the fact that the parents feels its an alternate activity for drinking and somking. That's not true, because how do they not know that behind their backs their kids may still drink, smoke, and etc. There's other alternate activities they can choose from to participate in, instead of gambling. It's not a good idea, in my opionion, because it helps teach young teenagers that it's ok to go out and do other inapproiate things. There should be a law to punish the parents who allow this to take place inside their home.

2. Quotes: 1) " Scott Magerar, a father of a 13-year old boy, has different views, and he has no problem with staging poker parties for kids. You can't stop them right?" 2) "It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to gamble in a casino, but young people can play poker in their homes"

Questions: 1) Why is it okay for store owners such as Toys-R-Us to sell poker games on their shelves? 2) Why do the parents believe that playing poker is 3 times as likely better for their kids then other illegal activites?

3. The main idea of the article i just read was to inform you that some people in the world have no problem with their kids playing gambling games such as poker.

4. 3 details to support my main idea: 1) " Many parents approve of their teenagers playing poker it will keep them from trouble outside the home" 2) " This is a factor coupled with the fact that some people belive poker is a safe alternative" 3) " Televised poker gives young viewers valuable insight into the poker world, and the parents approve of it"

Short Story 1

To Hell With Dying

Alice Walker

1. Mr. Sweet was a loving and caring man, but also an alcoholic. The children loved to visit him as often as possible. He would play the guitar and sing a variety of songs, as the kids sat around him and listened. Mr. Sweet was also married and had one child. He was an older man, because he had grayish hair and wrinkles around his eyes.

There was a special family who really loved him and thought of him as part of there own family. There was many times when the community thought that he was going to die because he would have many sickness. When this "special family" came around he would get better, thanks to the kids. The youngest of the kids was a little girl, whom he referred to as his "little princess." She would be the one to sit on him and kiss and tickle him, to make him better, while her brother would inmate him playing the guitar.

Many times he would come so close to dying but they would always pull him back through. I think that their love and support always helped him remember someone loved him. Even when the girl grew up and went to college she never forgot him, she always came back to visit. One day she received a phone call that Mr. Sweet was sick again of course she left. Once she arrived, he was laying in his bed and she held him and he rubbed her hairline. This time Mr. Sweet didn't make it, he died.

I don't think the kids really understood death until Mr. Sweet's death. They just always thought that they could revise him every time. Mr. Sweet loved them because they always gave him hope and joy. He was like something that would always be there, in their thoughts. This really showed the girl that things don't always last forever.

2. Mr. Sweet: I think that he stayed sick a lot because he drunk too much and he wasn't suppose to. ( " He was constantly on the verge of being blind because he drunk , for he brewed his own liquor." ) He plays his guitar a lot because it was one of the unique things he could do since he couldn't have his dream jobs. ( "Mr. Sweet wanted to be a doctor or lawyer or sailor, only to find that black men fare better if they are not." )

The Girl ( Anonymous): She loved Mr. Sweet because he payed attention to her and she was special to him in many ways. ( " Mr. Sweet used to call me his princess, and I believed it." ) She would do anything for him because she thought of him as part of her family. ( "He was like a piece of rare and delicate china which was always being saved from breaking and which finally fell." )

3. Alice Walker, the author, showed me that Mr. Sweet was " an alcoholic and a guitar player." Not only this but she also described him as being "very melancholy and sad, though frequently when he was "feelin good" he'd dance around the yard." I figured out on my own that Mr Sweet had a loving heart because he made sure he made the children happy. ( " Toward all of the children he was very kind." )

4. Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using like or as.

Metaphor: One thing becomes another thing without the use of words such as, like, than, or resembles

Personification: A nonhuman thing or quality is talked about as if it were human

Allusion: Reference to a statement, a person, a place or an event from literature, etc.

Hyperbole: exaggeration

Irony: Contrast between what is said and what is really meant

5. Simile: "His mustache, which was long and sort of straggly, would shake like Spanish moss and was also that color."

Irony: "It was very sad Mr. Sweet Little was about to kick the bucket."

Simile: "He was like a piece of rare and delicate china which was always being saved from breaking."