The book I am reading in class right now is called, "The Bronx Masquerade." This book is about many different students with different lives attending Bronx Masquerade. They have different tragedies, different believes, different race, and different religion. But they all do the same thing on Friday, "Open Mic Friday." On Fridays, there is a class that they go to and recite their poems. They speak about their life and what they do. This expresses the way they feel things, see things, do things, and more. But most importantly, they let others no more about themselves. It lets them get everything off their chest. Open Mic Friday is a day for them. There are many characters in this book. In this book, the characters I know so far are Tyrone, Raul, Diondra, Devon, Janelle, Mike, Judianne, and more. These characters each have different problems. They go through so much but most of them read and write their poems. What I like most about this book is "Open Mic." That gives everyone a chance to say what they got to say. But the character I can relate to the most is Sterling S. Huges!
I can relate to Sterling S. Huges for many things. Him and I are not rich. We both like walking away from problems some times. He and I want to stay off street and go to college. It just goes on and on. He believes in God. He knows his life is in Gods hands. He wants his prayers to be answered. He knows he has to do good in life. He is a really nice person and with most of the things he believes in and does...It just reminds me so much of me! This is why I can relate myself to Sterling S. Huges.
The character I can relate to the least is Devon. He likes to write poems like I do, but he hides it. He scared of what people might think of him. Not me! I don't do things to impress anyone. I do it for me or if I know it its the right thing to do. Devon is now not caring of what people think of him, but what he thinks of himself. He doesn't care if people hate poetry, he loves it and that's all that matters. This book is called, "Bronx Masquerade."
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Cinquain Poem: Favorite Hobby
Football
Football
Its a fun sport
like life with no ending
Its a long non-stop spinning world
TOUCH-DOWN!
Football
Its a fun sport
like life with no ending
Its a long non-stop spinning world
TOUCH-DOWN!
The Cinquain Poem: Favorite Food
Eating Pizza
Yummy!
Pizza's the world
Pizza's sweet like honey
It is knowledge in your stomach
Yummy!
Yummy!
Pizza's the world
Pizza's sweet like honey
It is knowledge in your stomach
Yummy!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
My Bull:
The Original Poem: With Similes
My bull is white like the silver fish in the river,
My bull is white like the silver fish in the river,
White like the shimmering crane bird on the riverbank,
White like fresh milk!
His roar is like thunder to the Turkish cannon on the steep shore.
My bull is dark like the rain cloud in a storm.
He is like summer and winter.
Half of him is dark like the storm cloud
Half of him is light like the sunshine.
His back shines like the morning star.
His brow is red like the back of a hornbill.
His forehead is like a flag, calling the people from a distance.
He resembles the rainbow.
I will water him at the river,
With my spear I shall drive my enemies.
Let them water their herds at the well;
The river belongs to me and my bull.
Drink, my bull, form the river; I am here to guard you with my spear.
Edited Poem: With Metaphors
My bull is the white silver fish in the river,
Is the White shimmering crane bird on the riverbank,
Is White fresh milk!
His roar is loud thunder to the Turkish cannon on the steep shore.
My bull is the dark rain cloud in a storm.
He is summer and winter.
Half of him is a dark storm cloud
Half of him is the light sunshine.
His back is the shining morning star.
His brow is the red back of a hornbill.
His forehead is a flag, calling the people from a distance.
He resembles the rainbow.
I will water him at the river,
With my spear I shall drive my enemies.
Let them water their herds at the well;
The river belongs to me and my bull.
Drink, my bull, form the river; I am here to guard you with my spear.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Homework 2/11/08
To me, poetry means a lot. Poetry is a way to express yourself or your feelings. It's also a away to say what happens in life. Some people write poetry freely. People can say what they want. I think poetry is used to write songs or raps. Poetry is used for many things. It's a creative, descriptive way to show something, say something, teach a lesson/theme, or is made for display. Poetry is fun and means a lot.
A Poem:Puerto Rico
I'm proud to be
It's like being
One in a million
In Puerto Rico all day
It's as hot as the the sun
In the streets, the beaches
I just run, run, run
At the beaches
The waves are
Huge water beds
Its cold as a snowball
I love my culture
I love my race
I have faith in my believes
Its not a disgrace
Today, we learned about simile, metaphor, and figurative language. Writing poems are fun and show a creative way to express how you feel or what you want to see. This was my poem about Puerto Rico, and being Puerto Rican!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Jim Crow:My Story
Desire Ramos Literacy Ms. Bentley
Class 702 2/10/09
The Jim Crow Laws
Stupid laws. Hi! I’m Jimmy Mason. Today is May 9th, 1953. I’m seventeen years old. Growing up as an African American is pretty hard. It’s hard going to school. It’s hard avoiding racial comments. My life is a living hell.
A few years back in 1943, my dad came home from work. Blood was pouring out of his mouth. His face was covered with lumps and scratches all over. At work, he got beat badly. Then he got fired! My mom’s cleaned him up. And just as we settled down, we heard a crack. Someone threw something through the window. It was a bag on fire. I instantly took it out. My dad was furious. He couldn’t take it. He was outraged. He ran out the house and attacked the man across the street. It was his ex-boss. But little did he know, there was more people there. They all jumped him. Three men picked him up. The entire group lynched him to a tree. Tears ran down my cheeks. There goes my dad. Mama took me to the escape route hidden in the basement. While we were running down the tunnel, our house was getting burned down. We smelled the smoke.
My mom and I moved to another side of Texas. We moved with Auntie Ellen. Life was good, for a while. In 1949, around midnight, people broke in. Mama was sleeping on the couch so Auntie and I both knew it was too late. We climbed out the window but watched just in case. I saw it all. They covered her mouth with a sock. They stripped her naked. They raped her. Then they beat her. She was lucky when they let her live, but they weren’t done yet. The cops came and took her away. Soon, word got around that they killed her and disposed her body in the lake.
Now, Auntie and I live in Alpaca, Texas. We are saving our money to move away. We don’t know where, but we are moving far, far away. I went from school to school. It was all segregated. Getting the education was like trying to survive 60,000 bullets. It was hard. We didn’t have textbooks. We didn’t have anything. The only thing every segregated school had was old, dirty, rusty, broken down, bathrooms. I’m scared to get a job. After seeing what can happen, I have no idea what they might do now. Running home from school was also rough. All you would hear is, “what are you doing hear n*****.” I just can’t wait until all of this is over. This is the life of an African American growing up through this segregation. It’s time for someone to take a stand.
Class 702 2/10/09
The Jim Crow Laws
Stupid laws. Hi! I’m Jimmy Mason. Today is May 9th, 1953. I’m seventeen years old. Growing up as an African American is pretty hard. It’s hard going to school. It’s hard avoiding racial comments. My life is a living hell.
A few years back in 1943, my dad came home from work. Blood was pouring out of his mouth. His face was covered with lumps and scratches all over. At work, he got beat badly. Then he got fired! My mom’s cleaned him up. And just as we settled down, we heard a crack. Someone threw something through the window. It was a bag on fire. I instantly took it out. My dad was furious. He couldn’t take it. He was outraged. He ran out the house and attacked the man across the street. It was his ex-boss. But little did he know, there was more people there. They all jumped him. Three men picked him up. The entire group lynched him to a tree. Tears ran down my cheeks. There goes my dad. Mama took me to the escape route hidden in the basement. While we were running down the tunnel, our house was getting burned down. We smelled the smoke.
My mom and I moved to another side of Texas. We moved with Auntie Ellen. Life was good, for a while. In 1949, around midnight, people broke in. Mama was sleeping on the couch so Auntie and I both knew it was too late. We climbed out the window but watched just in case. I saw it all. They covered her mouth with a sock. They stripped her naked. They raped her. Then they beat her. She was lucky when they let her live, but they weren’t done yet. The cops came and took her away. Soon, word got around that they killed her and disposed her body in the lake.
Now, Auntie and I live in Alpaca, Texas. We are saving our money to move away. We don’t know where, but we are moving far, far away. I went from school to school. It was all segregated. Getting the education was like trying to survive 60,000 bullets. It was hard. We didn’t have textbooks. We didn’t have anything. The only thing every segregated school had was old, dirty, rusty, broken down, bathrooms. I’m scared to get a job. After seeing what can happen, I have no idea what they might do now. Running home from school was also rough. All you would hear is, “what are you doing hear n*****.” I just can’t wait until all of this is over. This is the life of an African American growing up through this segregation. It’s time for someone to take a stand.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow Laws was used against black people for segregation. Back then, black people were miss treated. The Jim Crow Laws ended in 1965. This all ended due to the civil rights movement. Many people wanted equal rights. And many people were killed.
If you were black, some people wanted you to be lynched. They would hang you on trees. People would hang you and take it as a joke. If you do research, you can find images of people smiling while another person is being lynched.
During the Jim Crow Laws, people would attack and mistreat women. They would get attacked then arrested. You would be lucky if they let you live. They would use the "n" word, (n******), to put you through shame. Blacks where not treated like human beings. Life wasn't fair.
Soon, in the mid 1960's, it was all over. There was no more of this Jim Crow Laws. The Civil Rights movement took place. People like Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Chisholm, and many more, took a stand. There is no more segregation but it's something that no one would forget.
Merry-Go-Round (Colored Child at Carnival)
Mister, cuase I want to ride?
Down South where I come from
White and colored
Can't sit side by side.
Down South on the train
There's a Jim Crow car.
On the bus we're put in the back--
But there ain't no back
To a merry-go-round!
Where's the horse
For a kid that's black?
If you were black, some people wanted you to be lynched. They would hang you on trees. People would hang you and take it as a joke. If you do research, you can find images of people smiling while another person is being lynched.
During the Jim Crow Laws, people would attack and mistreat women. They would get attacked then arrested. You would be lucky if they let you live. They would use the "n" word, (n******), to put you through shame. Blacks where not treated like human beings. Life wasn't fair.
Soon, in the mid 1960's, it was all over. There was no more of this Jim Crow Laws. The Civil Rights movement took place. People like Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Chisholm, and many more, took a stand. There is no more segregation but it's something that no one would forget.
Merry-Go-Round (Colored Child at Carnival)
By: Langston Hughes
On this merry-go-round,Where is the Jim Crow section
Mister, cuase I want to ride?
Down South where I come from
White and colored
Can't sit side by side.
Down South on the train
There's a Jim Crow car.
On the bus we're put in the back--
But there ain't no back
To a merry-go-round!
Where's the horse
For a kid that's black?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
They Cage The Animals At Night #3
Dear Journal,
When I was sleeping at the zoo, I was nervous. I was scared at the fact I might get caught. That’s why I stood in the bushes. I read and played with my baseball cards over and over again. I read my comics about five times before reading it to Doggie. I was just waiting to find some food to eat. The morning came and a nice gentleman gave me food. Now I just can't wait until I see Sal.
Sincerely,
Jennings
When I was sleeping at the zoo, I was nervous. I was scared at the fact I might get caught. That’s why I stood in the bushes. I read and played with my baseball cards over and over again. I read my comics about five times before reading it to Doggie. I was just waiting to find some food to eat. The morning came and a nice gentleman gave me food. Now I just can't wait until I see Sal.
Sincerely,
Jennings
They Cage The Animals At Night #2
Dear Journal,
I hate the Carpenters. But that’s all aside me. Yes, they abused me! Yes, they made me starve! But the past is the past. And I’m happy! The best part is that my mom came back. I wanted Mark, my best friend, to come with me, but he couldn’t. I can’t wait until I go home. I can see all of my brothers again. This is really interesting.
Sincerely,
Jennings
I hate the Carpenters. But that’s all aside me. Yes, they abused me! Yes, they made me starve! But the past is the past. And I’m happy! The best part is that my mom came back. I wanted Mark, my best friend, to come with me, but he couldn’t. I can’t wait until I go home. I can see all of my brothers again. This is really interesting.
Sincerely,
Jennings
They Cage The Animals At Night #1
Dear Journal,
At first, I had no idea where mom was taking me. I was nervous when she left. I was scared. But when I met Sister Francis, I was frightened. I had no idea who she was or what she was going to do. I had no idea what she wanted from me. At this point, I really wanted mom back. After being smacked and bullied, I met Mark. He told me a lot. I almost cried when I found out that I was in an orphanage. A couple of days had gone by. We finally got stuffed animals. Mine was a dog. I named him Doggie. I could tell him anything I wanted to say. He was always there for me. I really don’t know what’s going to happen to me. I don’t know where’s mom. And I don’t know what’s going to happen after the orphanage. I just want to go home.
Sincerely,
Jennings
At first, I had no idea where mom was taking me. I was nervous when she left. I was scared. But when I met Sister Francis, I was frightened. I had no idea who she was or what she was going to do. I had no idea what she wanted from me. At this point, I really wanted mom back. After being smacked and bullied, I met Mark. He told me a lot. I almost cried when I found out that I was in an orphanage. A couple of days had gone by. We finally got stuffed animals. Mine was a dog. I named him Doggie. I could tell him anything I wanted to say. He was always there for me. I really don’t know what’s going to happen to me. I don’t know where’s mom. And I don’t know what’s going to happen after the orphanage. I just want to go home.
Sincerely,
Jennings
Sample Methods 2/04/09
The survey population is about who likes football in school.
*RANDOM SAMPLE: Randomly select the first 150 students from the student directory
*CONVENIENCE SAMPLE: Ask the first 50 students at the lunch table
*BIASED SAMPLE: Ask the students you playing football.
*RANDOM SAMPLE: Randomly select the first 150 students from the student directory
*CONVENIENCE SAMPLE: Ask the first 50 students at the lunch table
*BIASED SAMPLE: Ask the students you playing football.