Wednesday, May 14, 2014

What does the work tell us about people behave? (Vixen) #6

The work tells us about how people behaved in the 1920's.  If the author made the people act like the people in our society now, the book would have been totally inaccurate.  A lot of the things that the teenagers do in this book are similar to what we do now, but not the exact same.  For example, people now go out to clubs and wear tiny dresses with 5 inch heels.  People back then went to speakeasy's in long dresses and flats.  Even though some things are different, there are some things that are similar too.  For example, people back then go to the movies.  People now go to the movies.  Nothing much has changed with that.  Exept for the cost.  In the 1920's, movies were about 30 cents.  Now they are $10.  This book tells us the difference of how people behave compared to now.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Why do you think the author wrote this work? (Vixen) #5

I think that the author wrote this work to tell us that life hasn't always been like this.  They didn't have iPhones and computers back then, so the author wrote this book to inform us on how people lived back then.  I feel that she tried to make it as accurate as possible.  I think that she wrote it to inform the reader and also entertain the reader.  She tried to direct it towards teenage girls so they can relate to the characters.  Adults could read it too, but they probably wouldn't be able to relate to it as much as teenagers.  I think that she also tried to direct it towards people who are interested in the 1920's.  I think that she made the setting in Chicago because a lot of things happened in Chicago in the 1920's. 

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Final Blogging Assessment in English 1B

The vocabulary is different in this book from other books because this is based in the 1920's.  The author uses formal vocabulary because people spoke formally back then.  "Anyway, it was mortifying. I looked like such a bluenose. And that is why we now have to go back lickety-split, so that this time I can actually show my face. Proudly. Oh, and you can come with us, of course," (Larkin 45).  This quote is relevant to my topic because I don't know anyone who says 'mortifying', 'bluenose', or 'lickety-split'.  They didn't use the same slang words like we do now.  Everyone talks properly; from adults to children.  It's interesting to see how much has changed when it comes to vocabulary throughout the years.  The vocabulary in this book is important because you can't write a book about the 20's and use the words that we use now.  You have to use proper vocabulary to convince the reader that you know the difference from the culture back then to the culture now.  It makes an impact on the reader on how well you know the right vocabulary.
Saying 'You're the bee's knees!' was popular in the 1920's. Not many people say it anymore.

Most of the diction that I decided to use was abstract/concrete.  "You have to use proper vocabulary to convince the reader that you know the difference from the culture back then to the culture now."  I used words like 'formally', 'properly', and 'culture', because they make the concept easier to understand.  The sentence length in this post is approximately 18 words, which is medium length.  "This quote is relevant to my topic because I don't know anyone who says 'mortifying', 'bluenose', or 'lickety-split'."  This sentence has exactly 18 words in it, and not all of the sentences have 18 words, but most of them are close to about 18 words.

I have worked towards achieving my blogging goal that I set for myself at the beginning of the trimester because my goal was to post at least once a week and comment twice a week.  I haven't exactly been posting once a week and commenting twice a week, but I've been keeping up with my posts.  I made sure to stay on the topic that I chose, use compelling ideas, and use specific textual details.  I used a variety of syntactical structures, effective diction, and an engaging style.  I had a consistent understanding of grammatical conventions.

The best thing about my book is... (Vixen) #4

The best thing about my book is that the characters occasionally talk in French.  For some people, that may not be very important.  For me, it makes the book ten times more interesting.  The reason why I like it so much is because I'm taking French as my foreign language and it is one of my favorite classes.  So far, they're not saying whole sentences, just small phrases that I've learned.  I also like the way that the characters talk in general.  They talk very formally and it's interesting to compare that to the way that we talk now.  This makes the book fun to read.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Krista Ramsey Introduction Activity

Saturday open house a chance to learn about sikh faith

The Guru Nanak Society opened their doors and invited communities to come inside and find out who they really are.

"Since 9/11 Sikhs have been misidentified as terrorists and periodically targeted for violence, including the 2012 shooting deaths of six Sikhs at their gurdwara in suburban Milwaukee."

This sentence makes an impact on me because it's sad for me to know that people will make assumptions just because other individuals don't look 'normal' to them.

I chose this article because I went to the open house and it was interesting for me to see other people's lifestyles and how they are very different from mine.  For example, when we got there, we had to take off our shoes and cover our heads with scarves.  We don't have to do that at the church I go to.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Predictions (Vixen) #2

So far in my book, Gloria has gotten into the speakeasy by guessing the password correctly.  She also drank a glass of alcohol accidentally thinking it was water.  The thing that confuses me is that she's out at a speakeasy on a school night, but she's the president of the Honor Society, and she is supposed to be an example for the rest of the girls.  She felt out of place wearing a peach chiffon sleeveless dress.  She didn't realize that all of the flappers had bobbed hair, and she had to pin her long hair up.  I can't really relate to her as of right now, because I've never left my house at a late hour on a school night.  I predict that when she gets home, her parents will be upset with her and she'll get in trouble.  I also think that her fiance will find out that she was at a speakeasy and he will be upset with her.

This is the dress that I imagine Gloria wearing to the speakeasy:

Friday, March 28, 2014

Explain why you chose the book that you did (Vixen) #1

I chose to read Vixen because the setting is in the 1920's and I am fascinated with that time period.   I also chose this book because I thought it would be interesting to see what teenagers did in the 20's without cellphones and other electronics.  Initially, it was the cover of the book that drew me in.  It was a picture of a girl wearing a vintage dress with bobbed hair.  It immediately caught my attention.  It didn't take long to realize that it was an interesting story from the very beginning.  The girls in the book are in high school, and since I am too, I thought I could try to see if there was anything I could relate to.  I look forward to finding similarities and differences between teenagers then and now.