Gray’s 10th Grade English Blog

First, answer questions about Act III…

1. Why didn’t Beneatha want to be a doctor anymore?

She doesn’t want to be a doctor anymore because

2. How did Asagai define “idealists” and “realists”?

idealist: a child’s way of thinking about things, and they will not give up.
realists: those who only see the circle.

3. What does Asagai ask Beneatha to do?

To move to Africa with him.

4. What fault does Mama find with herself?

She aimed too high all the time.

5. What solution does Walter have?

To buy a liquer store with the mother’s money and invest in it.

6. Why didn’t Walter take the money Lindner offered?

Because his mother told him not to give in to the white peoples’ preference of segregation based on racism.

7. What metaphorical significance does the small plant have for the Youngers?

That the plant grew and overcame obstacles dispite thier cercimstances like the family did.

Today a saw an unfountunate scene on my way to the office. There were two cars invoved. An immature teenager in a pickup truck and an old lady in what looked like an old volks wagon. The crash was the fault of the teenager who probably just caused his insurance rates to escalate by quite a bit. It was a red light for him. A solid red light. The lady was turning and in comes the truck, rearending the lady’s old car. It’s amazing she’s still alive. Even if their insurance companies find something to dispute over, the majority of the fines will end up on the kid. I sure feel sorry for his parents.

Why did the author think the U of Chicago test revealed that he was racist? Is he right?

Because he took on average, a smaller amount of time to decide whether or not to shoot black people than he did white people. He might be right, but everyone is somewhat ‘racist’. Just like with streotypes, there are times when judging a book by its cover is necessary. Unfourunatly there happens to be a correlation between safer, expensive neighborhoods, and dangerous, run-down neighborhoods. I am not saying that the reasons for this are just–or that it should be this way. It is (for almost anyone) common sense to not walk through a rundown neighborhood unprotected and by yourself whereas it would be fine in an expensive neighborhood. But, I think (because of the small difference) that it isn’t that reliable of a test.

Do these tests measure “unconscious” racism? Why do you think so?

Unconscious because to have good reaction time requires you to use the hammered-in stereotypes.

Why does the author think that sexism may be harder to fight than racism? What research suggests this?
Paraphrase this quote: The challenge for women competing in politics or business is less misogyny than unconscious sexism: Americans don’t hate women, but they do frequently stereotype them as warm and friendly, creating a mismatch with the stereotype we hold of leaders as tough and strong.
What is the real problem women face according to the author? What do you think?
How can this problem be confronted according to the author? What do you think?

Encouraging is no the first word that came to mind when I saw the story movies. The most thought provoking story would probably be James’s because of the art.
The funniest the one was the story about steroids and a giraffe. The most well-made the one came to a tie between the story with the fight sceen (Sierra, Rosa, and Nicole) and the giraffe on steroids (Emily’s group).

Elizabeth Dole:
We have learned that power is a positive force if it is used for positive purposes.”

What is a ‘positive purpose’?
-Is it something that will benefit everyone-is that even posible?
-Is it what will only benefit those who have good intentions and possibly even discourage those with inimicial (bad) behavior?

Who defines ‘positive’?
-Everyone? Should everyone be able to have a say?
-Those in power?
-The majority of the people?

Is it that power is only a positive force if used for good intentions but that it is possible for it to be a negative force trying to achieve a positive outcome.

a) would work sometimes, should work(sometimes)up until a point, and are immoral to follow.
b) A life well-lived is better than a life you gave up while trying to gain power. Law 5

The Invisible Void

So I was in English class and Hairwoman was hopelessly trying to engage the student to no avail. Amidst the usual flow of terminology that flies right over our heads, there was one word that I caught. It was an interesting-sounding word that I decided to look up. Lucid. According to the dictionary, it means ‘expressed clearly; easy to understand’. How is it that Hairwoman can try to use lucid speech and include the word lucid at the same time?

The class slips away from sight as I see Him passing by the classroom window.

A nightmare broken lose? what was this?

Then the smirking face pulls away from the window and just then Rachel runs up and pulls him close

It all seems so lucid from this vantage point when there is no one around you to obscure and muddle your reality.

Once I am out here though, it feels so cold and starkly desolate. I want to reach out to her, cross this intangible void and warn her before she falls to the depths that I am trying to emerge from.

And I realize for the first time why no one comes out here, why they all wrap themselves up in their own pretend fairytales and soap operas, and why they pretend that this place doesn’t exist.

They fear this place, but it is somewhere different for everyone.

In this place the things that your life was centered around unravel and fall to pieces before your eyes. I felt like no one could possibly understand me in that place. Usually there is one incident that causes you to careen towards

Maybe, for Mr. Neck maybe it would be when he is handicapped and can no longer control the things around him.

For Mr. Freeman, probably when he goes blind and loses the ability of both his hands and can’t save the world (one kid at a time) through his art.

It is impossible to have friends while you’re here and that’s why I had never been there before—up until Him, I had friends.

I’m floating through life barely holding on to the shreds of a previous one that no longer exists.

All I want is to warn Rachel—before it is too late. This impending disaster is one thing that will force me to defy the unwritten, law of silence that lies between the two of us.

The question on my mind still is: How? How do I tell her?

And also…

Why, why, why…did she have to choose Him?

The bell rings and Hairwoman frantically rushes through the directions for the homework as all the students stream through the doorway to be swept off into the crowds and on with their social lives.

1. Why does Brooks say girls do better in school?

He says that girls do better in school because they are better students than boys. He says that girls are more attentive and persistant than boys. He also mentions that they are less likely to have a learning disability. Although he refers to many statistics, he doesn’t site any of them and the amounts are vague—which I don’t like.

2. Is he right? Are girls better equipped for the future?

I’d have to disagree on that because I know many guys who have much higher grades than me and are accedemically achieved. I think that this education system will not last long and the chnges will be for the better. Personally I tend to procrastinate a lot but I like feeling accomplished and that’s how I feel when I get my homework in on time with good grades that I am satisfied with. Creative thinking is one of my strongsuits and so I try to use it often. On the other hand guys have a tendancy towards being stronger and more athletic. I don’t think it is a coincidence that many guys play sports and are usually separated in the sporting events from girrls because of their excess of over-used strength (playing rough).

3. What does Brooks think this means for the future of the US?

Brooks is saying that he thinks the government will need to think up a way to balence the job oppertunities because at this rate the women will have a lot of the jobs–many more in fact than the men. They will need to tip the scales to balence the career oppertunities.

4. What does he mean when he says this: “One thing is for sure: in 30 years the notion that we live in an oppressive patriarchy that discriminates against women will be regarded as a quaint anachronism.”

Brook thinks that in thirty or so years the number of sucessful woen in the workforce will match and suurpass the number of men. That thins country will no longer have the problem of discrimination against women because they will be allowed to suceed due to the educational oppertunities and the efforts that have been put into the rights for women.

5. What solutions does Brooks offer? Do you think they will work?

Brooks suggests that the government change the education systems so that boys are tested differently based on what things are easier for guys to do to even out the sucess. GUYS JUST CAN’T STAND TO SEE GIRLS DO BETTER THAN THEM

1. What is Second Life?

Second life is a new, more casual way, of meeting people for interviews online and having a more relaxed conversation. The two people would each have an avatar and the avatars would be made(with some crazy technological data) to meet up in the same location in a cyberworld. Those people would then talk using chat bubbles just like a regular instant messaging conversation.

2. How is Mr. Gould dressed? The author? Why?

Mr.Gould is dressed in a superman costume. He can do this because what is worn(by the avatar) is not very important for the interview and it wouldn’t make a difference whereas in real life it would be very important. The author is dressed in a white tank top, yellow pants and Birkenstock-like sandals. He chose a casual outfit that was similarly proportioned to himself.

3. What are some positives to having interviews in Second Life?

Some positive are that you don’t have to dress up (in real life) for the interview. You can communicate comfortable with your interviewer. You have a chance to show off your computer skills. You can think out better answers before you say them unlike at a face-to-face interview.

4. What are some distractions to having interviews in Second Life?

The animated surroundings might be distracting and it is harder to know what the attitude of the other person is. Some people have charisma as soon as they enter the room but that kind of stuff and jokes or being sarcastic does not transfer well over a screen. It doesn’t transfer at all in fact. The avatars attire might also be distracting.

5. How do you think job hunting and the workplace will change when you are ready to enter it?

I think that jobs will be much more competitive and it will be harder to get hired when employers have acess to many aplicants, making it easier to pick-and-choose based on credentials rather than seeing the actual person.

1. When does the author think is a good time for career planning? Why?

The author thinks that a good time for career planning is around the age of eighteen or when teens have reached their ‘full adult heights’. She thinks this because otherwise it just creates a lot of stressing out when we should be still just exploring our interests. She also thinks that we shouldn’t ignore it until it is right upon us after graduation.

2. What advice do you think the author would give to teens concerning careers?

I think this author would recommend that teens should spend their freshmen years fufilling requirements. She would then say to sophmores to start looking into how someone could take some advanced classees to clear up their senior year while still leaving room open for a variety of electives that sound fun to you. Around the junior year one should be looking into possibe careers and colleges and probobaly narowing down career pathways; maybe taking classes that are mandatory for some careers that sound interesting. Senior year you souldknow about where you are going to go, how you are going to pay for it, possible back-up careers pathways.

3. Explain what the following sentences mean and whether it might happen to you: “Besides the unnecessary pressure, there’s also the danger that the push to plan could backfire. Some of the most distraught e- mails I get from twenty- and thirtysomething readers come from people who committed themselves to a career path early on and then didn’t know what to do with themselves when it didn’t work out.”

This means that many people felt so pressured in having to chose a career pathway to follow that they jumped into one without making a back up plan. If they had had more time then they might’ve realized that they wouldn’t really enjoy that job and would’ve had a chance to find and change to one that suited them better.

4. How much do you think schools should focus on jobs and job skills in the education they give you?

I think that they focus quite little on jobs and job skills in the education that thay give us compared to how much they should’ve. They should at least tell us some of the careers that the things we are learning about would help us in. Or maybe after larger assignments (on specific things) thay might mention that if we enjoyed working on that project then we might enjoy a career in _____(thisthis&this…fill in the blank) because of all the use of _____skils (for example social skills, or artistic design).