Literature Analysis #2

General:
1. The book I read is Myeko's Gift by Kay Haugaard. This story is about a girl named Myeko, the main character, who just moved to California from her native land Osaka, Japan. Myeko is terrified to be in a place she knows nothing about. As soon as she starts going to school and doing things the American way she  is alienated and alone. She doesn't have friends because everyone sees her as a stranger and the kids like to stick to the usual. However little by little the children begin speaking to Myeko and noticing that she really has some fascinating ideas and talents. As time passes Myeko becomes accepted and great friendships are made by the end of the book.
2. The theme of this book is acceptance and friendship. Myeko is a young girl who really can't do anything to change and be like every other kid in her class. However as the kids begin to accept Myeko she also starts the process of accepting her new home. At the beginning of the book (page 13) Myeko states that she feels alone because no kid speaks to her. However as time passes (page 48) the kids really begin to accept Myeko and her culture like the rice cakes and Kimono she took to school on a new years season day. Knowing that others accept you makes you comfortable in accepting yourself and those aspects of you that you have never liked.
The other theme I chose was friendship because through the gift of friendship was the only way that Myeko was aloud to be free and happy in California. Being different and not knowing anyone or anything from somewhere you now need to call home is extremely difficult. However when you find that one person who decides to show you around and is able to put all differences aside it really feels like you have the chance to fit in and not be secluded. I think friendships are a very important thing but now idea people take the to loosely and abuse them and I think this book really brings me back to that idea that friendships are something we should value no matter how big or small.
3. The author's tone if very positive and doesn't really show the depressing mood that Myeko is going through. I think this is mostly because this is for young readers. However there is a lot of respectful tones, due to Japanese culture, that are used when Myeko is speaking to any member in her family when she is at home and when she first starts making friends. The respectful tone that runs through the whole book can be seen on page fifteen where Myeko is speaking to her mother and she responds with "I am sorry, honorable parent,..." This is just one of the examples that are shown throughout the book. I think the main reason that this tone settles throughout the book is because Myeko is Japanese and like every Asian culture they are very respectful people and live by honor systems from the younger to the old.
"...she started out with her box on her wagon."(page 63) The one friend names Carol who Myeko was now very close too could not visit Myeko to celebrate the Doll Festival because she got her appendix removed. However in that quote what Myeko was carrying the dolls in the box to celebrate at the hospital with Carol because no one was home to drive her she had to find a way on her on. This shows a lot of hope in the child's heart to do the best. Throughout the book Myeko hopes she won't disappoint anyone because she really wants to make friends so doing things like carrying that box really makes you understand she is a very young soul that is trying to make everything okay.
4. The text in the book always brought me back and reminded me who Myeko was and that she wasn't an American that she was trying however to make America her home. Through the book (pages 11, 51, 105) her language of respect and cultural differences appear. Whether she is making Origami or trying to pronounce the English words correctly it really makes you understand who this little girl is and that she is different.
    Imagery is another big element used through out the book. For example on page forty six we are given a vivid picture of a Kimono. Seeing as most of are at a young age are not familiar with other cultural things we would not know what it is. However on page forty five we are told how its a "beautiful red dress with butterfly long sleeves.." It really makes you imagine how the dress looked when Myeko had it on.
    I think both the themes and tones that I mentioned in the prior questions really give this story a great flowing sequence that makes it a page turner for anyone of any age reading it. Unless they are completely against learning of other cultures of course.
     I think symbolism is another great aspect of this book. on page one hundred and forty eight the little bird that Myeko and Harriet share really becomes a representation of the lovely friendship they have developed. It was a gift and now evidence that they really can be friends and really do care for each other which is totally opposite from the beginning where Harriett really did not like Myeko.
     The last and most obvious element is setting. If this story was not in California and how Myeko has to adjust then this story would not work. I think the most important part is that she is a stranger and she really doesn't feel like she can fit in because everything is so unusual to her. Even if at the end she can adapt this new setting what makes this story what it is. '

CHARACTERIZATION
1. On the cover of the book we are given a picture of the Myeko so I think that would count as direct characterization. However as for indirect characterization I think her family all being natives from Japan you get the idea that she is very tiny with straight black and and Asian eyes. Now this might be your typical stereotype but by experience I have come realized that these are all true to the people. I think its hard to comprehend at a younger age but since I have now studied more about international cultures..especially Asian cultures I can truly say that making her a native from Japan in itself is indirect characterization.
I think the fact that Myeko is not American and America is really mixed in looks indirect characterization is used to kind of mold Myeko into the person you think she looks like. Also even though there is a picture (direct characterization) on the front cover you can still picture something completely different with the indirect characterization ideas.
2. The characters in this story are very flat I would say. Just because personally to me they are very stereotypical figures. Your typical Asian or your typical white kid. There are not really any specific examples that I can pull out of any page but through the story line you can see when you follow a character that they end up doing what you expected them to do in the end. They are all kids to though so I think that is another factor as to why they are this way.
3.I think I met myself in this book when I first came here. Although I don't have great memory I can see myself in Myeko. Coming to America when I was six from Mexico was really the scariest thing on this planet. However being little its easier to make friends and adapt just like Myeko did. I am just about a hundred percent sure that we had very similar journey's. I can't really pull out textual support because its more of a heart feeling that I ended up getting at the end when she finally calls America home. I don't know if America is my home yet but I am sure glad she found hers.




First off I want to state that this book is a 160 page book that is at around a sixth grade reading level. Seeing as I forgot to read a book I decided to read this book. I had never analyzed this book however and I think there is a deeper meaning then a child's literature book. This is why I analyzed this book which even though is intended for a younger audience is one of my favorites. Yes I procrastinated and that was part of the reason I read this book but as a more mature person I think I can properly analyze this book and make others realize meaning behind books that you would not even see when you were younger. I guess I kind of cheated on this analysis but then again it did take just the same amount of energy and thought any other analysis would have taken me. I hope that this is demonstrated through my analysis.

Tools That Change the Way We Think

The internet constantly changes my mind because I realize day by day that having that world at our fingertips can not only be a great advantage but also a dangerous thing. I think the internet has really changed the way I communicate with others and made me kind of socially awkward because I usually hide behind my computer screen and talk to someone through an email or a Facebook chat box. I think the internet is a great advantage to learning new things but it is also very distracting and can send your brain to think about a million different things in less then a minute. Its great to have others opinions and help at the push of a button but sometimes we look at the opinions and ideas that should not really affect us but since they are on the internet they really do. I think at the moment I am trying to think about to many things at the same times because that is what the internet does and it really is becoming a way of life for my generation. You have the phones, the laptops, the ipods.. and everything else with internet apps just waiting to be taken for a spin. It kind of scares me to think that maybe one day we will have internet/Google chips stuck into our brain. However just as Darwinism states it, we must continue in survival of the fittest.

Who Was Shakespeare

To me as a student Shakespeare is a man who lived many years ago that wrote many great pieces of literature. The pieces that stick out to me are Rome and Juliet, Hamlet, and Julius Ceaser. I also think Iambic Pentameter and Old English at the mention of his work or just his name. I feel that in general for students his works are kind of hard to get through and understand, just because the writing is in old English and also it is in a style of writing (iambic pentameter) that we are not used to reading in our generation.

Here  is one website I found on William Shakespeare.
Obviously you can do millions of searcher online and/or in the library but we don't know very much about this man. Back then we didn't really have the paparazzi to keep us on the latest updates of what our favorite celebrity was up to. This is why many questions have come up as to who Shakespeare was and many of those questions will never be known. We really don't know much except of his origins which were of lower class but apart from that its hard to gather any other information about him.

Over the years Shakespeare's writing has become a lot more easier for me to understand because I am a musician. Now you might ask what that has to do with old literature and Shakespeare but honestly his writing was very musical and lyrical. At least to me that is the vibe I get off of his work. Being able to feel a connection like that of a song makes me really connect and understand better which I think I really get out of the great pieces written by William Shakespeare.

To Facebook or Not to Facebook?

When I first made my Facebook account I was in freshmen year of high school. At that time my knowledge of anything in social media were very poor and I just used it because I got to chat with friends. When I was first introduced to Facebook I really could not have an opinion  because I never really cared about the advertisements and the selling of information because I did not know what that was. I think the positives of being connected on Facebook is being able to see information about friends and family members you really care about and for some reason might be far away or you may just not be close enough to ask how they are every day. Facebook allows you to be connected and on some levels get to know people better. The down fall of Facebook which I have learned over time is that your information is never safe. You risk many privacy issues because what you decide to post on Facebook can become international instantly. I think its really up to the person though. If you are really careful with the type of information you post then there is no reason why there should be a problem. In the end you can decide to put in false information or set your settings to a certain amount of privacy. I get that Facebook sells your information to be able to maintain themselves but that doesn't mean you have to go into Facebook and tell them your life story.

This is just an opinion because I have never had a problem with Facebook but I know others have.

Hamlet Remix

 I know this is not the best quality but here it is. This video is very broad and so is missing a lot of the little details of Act 3. However if you read the Act then you should understand the order. I believe this song really connects all the feelings of Hamlet and the situation together. Also most of the pictures are connected to go with the lyrics so you should listen carefully! :D Enjoy!

Hamlet + Vocab.

After Hamlet’s father died he was left in complete abeyance until his uncle took the throne. He became very ambivalent and because he hid those feelings his future is foreshadowed as beleaguered.  After his mothers remarriage to his uncle, Hamlet went into a state of mental cataclysm in which he bottled up his emotions. Not only this but Ophelia showed up in the story wishing that Hamlet would give her a carte blanche for them to for a loving relationship. Though his uncle seemed to éclat and become more powerful for others to Hamlet he was only debauching his family name by taking the crown.  When Hamlet finds out about the truth of his father’s death he wants to gambol and take revenge immediately but he must become very fastidious in order to execute this tack with no errors.

I think Hamlet’s surroundings make him a very imbued character that I don’t really get to read about these days. Usually characters in the modern day are not afraid to speak their mind and I think this is something that has changed with society. However this story is at an inchoate point where I don’t think Hamlet should be lampooned and torn down as a strong character. Although Hamlet is a very malleable character he not has his eye set to take over his nemesis and opt to make him queasy and in the end dead.  I think Hamlet is a philistine well rounded character that would make a great king if his father had not died. Although he has a refractory mouth and bottles up his feelings he will not have to speak out and become savoir faire in order to revenge his father. In the end I believe Hamlet a very picaresque play that is hard to read but a great read when you understand it!(:

                

Midterm Reflection

a) What went well?
I think overall the best thing I did was time management. I was afraid I would not have enough time and it could have been because it was only matching but I think it still went well.

 b) What didn't go well?
I don't believe my grade was the best it could be. I don't think I put in enough hours to actually study through the week so I don't think I will be to happy with my grade. However I know that's all my own fault.

c) How much of the content will stick with you?  
I think fifty to sixty percent of the content will stick with me because I sadly have not changed my vocabulary studying habits since sophomore year and that is how much stuck with me then. So I am just basing it off of that.

d) What can you learn from the experience to improve for next time?
I definitely need to work on my study habits.

Vocab. Week #8

Abeyance-(N.) A state of temporary disuse or suspension.

Ambivalent- (Adj.) Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Beleaguer- (V.) Beset with difficulties

Carte blanche- (N.) Complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks best.

Cataclysm- (N.) A sudden violent upheaval, esp. in a political or social context

Debauch- (V.) Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.
(N.) A bout of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures, esp. eating and drinking

éclat- (N.) brilliant or conspicuous success

Fastidious- (Adj.) Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Gambol- (V.) Run or jump about playfully

Imbue- (V.) Inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality: "imbued with deep piety"

Inchoate- (Adj.) Just begun and so not fully formed or developed

Lampoon- (V.) Publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule or sarcasm.
(N.) A speech or text criticizing someone or something in this way 

Malleable- (Adj.) Easily influenced; pliable

Nemesis- (N.) The inescapable or implacable agent of someone's or something's downfall

Opt- (V.) Make a choice from a range of 
possibilities

Philistine- (N.) A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them

Picaresque- (Adj.) Of or relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

Queasy- (Adj.) Nauseated; feeling sick

Refractory- (Adj.) Stubborn or unmanageable

Savoir-faire- (N.) The ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations.

Dear Ophelia

Dear O,
 I am sorry to hear this dispute has arisen. Now let us adjudicate this situation by stating that in the end it is your choice. If you are really in love with this Prince then your dad and brother should not be a bane cause to stop your love. However, know that they have your best interest in mind and they only bicker with you because they believe Hamlet to be bete noir. I think its very bravado of you to want to continue this love but maybe its just not right. Your brother and curmudgeon of a father might be de facto and might save you by telling you this. Now you say this prince loves you but are you sure he is not being disingenuous with you? Anyways I hope whatever choice you makes ends up making you have a good life. Take lots of care and if you really love your prince don't let him go.

Sincerely with Love

Dulce