Journal 5 From Evan

Part 1:
My favorite story from the reading was The Earl Of Tennessee. This story stood out the most to me because of the description she gives Earl. She really gives him a great back story on who he is and what she knows knows about him.

The writing is at its best when she is describing him she says "Earl is a jukebox repairman. He learned his trade in the south, he says. He speaks with a southern accent, smokes fat cigars and wears a felt hat-winter or summer, hot or cold, don't matter-a felt hat." In this portion of the writing she really gives an amazing description of who he is and what he does.

Part 2:
When I was younger and still lived in my old house my family lived across the street from an older man named Jim. Jim for his own enjoyment used to go on walks which when I was younger he would go with his wife Margaret. After awhile I noticed that Margaret was no longer going on these walks with Jim so I asked my dad why. My dad told me that Margaret had passed away and Jim now lived by himself. After a few weeks went by Jim started sitting on his porch a lot by himself so I started walking across the street everyday and talking to him just because he seemed like he needed company. Over the next few years Jim had taught me more about life than many others could even imagine teaching someone. I learned that Jim had lost both of his parents by time he turned fourteen years old and that also he was separated from his brother in foster care when he was sixteen and never had the chance to find him again. When he turned eighteen Jim joined the military and fought in the Vietnam war. After getting out of the war he just casually lived his life in Marion, Ohio where he worked for the Marion Steam Shovel for m any years. He met Margaret at this time and soon married her. When Margaret passed away her and Jim were married fifty-four years. After I began having these conversations with Jim he taught me valuable life lessons that no one had ever mentioned before to me that i didn't really use before until I became a little older. These things included how valuable life is and that at any given moment you or someone you love could be taken, He taught me to never take anything for granted. and because of these things he taught me is why i look up to him personally.

Journal #5 by Alexis Hopkins

Part one: Cisneros

My favorite chapter that I’m choosing to wright a response on is Marin. The reason why I chose this as a favorite to me is because I could relate to the chapter. I have an older cousin and growing up shed always talk about boys and try to give me tips. It also stands out to me because it makes me wonder on if that is how us girls sometimes think. Themes that I found important in this chapter is when Marin discusses that what matters is for the boys to see us and for us to see them. It was interesting to me on how she viewed that. The writing at its best to me was when Marin said, “If you count the white flecks on your fingernails you can know how many boys are thinking of you and lots of other things I can’t remember now,” a quote from the novel.  That caught my attention and what she meant by that. Made me thing how that could be a result of how many boys were thinking of you just by the simple white flacks on your fingernails.


                                                            

Part two: Role model

As we see positive and negative influences of older teens and adults in the book and neighbors, got me thinking of a role model that was to me, that influenced me in many ways. My role model was my Aunt Shelly. She did drugs, got in a lot of trouble with the law and ect. Now why would that be my role model? Shelly was my role model because what she went through, the struggle and pain she not only put herself in but others, it influenced me to never want to go down the path she did. In the town I grew up in there was a good majority of people who did drug and ect, so yes I’ve been asked once or twice about doing so. What made me to say no in the process of being asked was thinking of my aunt and what she had to go through and how that could be me by the simplest thing, just saying yes. My aunt didn’t get the outlook that I was able to, she didn’t have someone like I do to see what can happen before you start. Shelly lost jobs after jobs, being broke to the last penny, selling things just to get things in return that were less valuable for what it was worth (drugs).  Losing trust, family, friends, even almost losing her daughter. All because of one thing, which led to many more which led to almost death. I was able to visually see how hard it was for her to try and get better, how it was like pulling teeth. I didn’t want to go through the stress and the depression of it. Even though I’d walk the halls of my school or down the sidewalk of my hometown and hear gossips of how wonderful it is. It was what they thought, their brain tricking them, but physically it was running their lives.  Again I chose my aunt as my role model not because I look up to her in a way that I want to one day follow her footsteps, but to see why I don’t want to follow her footsteps. Its changed my behavior in a way to want to help people more in that need.

Shaylee Campbell

Journal 5: Cisneros, and Role Models

            The story I chose was The Earl of Tennessee on page 70, and 71. This story stands out to me because it is different. Everyone has that one weird neighbor, that doesn’t show their face that much, that you always wonder about. You always want to know their life but they stay hidden from the world, and come out at odd times during the day. The themes that are important in this story is that Earl likes to stay hidden and in the shadows. He likes to come out at night, and stay in his house all day. It kind of seems like he doesn’t like being around others that much. Language and writing is at its best when talking about the dogs Earl owns, “He has two little black dogs that go everywhere with him. They don’t walk like ordinary dogs, they leap and somersault like an apostrophe and comma.” I think that simile Cisneros uses is cool because you wouldn’t normally think of relating a dog to an apostrophe.

            A lady named Mrs. Sears who lived down the block from me. She was older like 75+ about 5’2, not fat, but definitely not skinny. She had big, curly, red hair, grandma glasses, and bright red cheeks. She had really bad knees that eventually got replaced. She smelled like cigarette butts and vodka with Coke. She also had two little yorkies, Muffy and Holly. My sisters and I adored Mrs. Sears and her dogs. We loved hanging out with her and walking her dogs. During the days of the week after school we would go to her house and play scrabble or watch the news with her, and sometimes make her dinner. She was like an adoptive grandma to us, and was closer to us than our actual grandparents. Mrs. Sears had a huge influence on our lives. She taught us how to play cards, and scrabble. She also taught us that being a widow had its ups and downs. She learned how to be independent and strong, but she also fought depression and drank to get away from life. She helped me see how much I love dogs. She made my behavior better in front of people. She taught me manners, and good study habits. She always bugged me to do my homework while I was over, so I could keep my grades up. 

Journal #5 by Regan Endsley

Cisneros

My favorite passage in The House on Mango Street is “Born Bad”. The part in this book that stands out to me is, how sickness is interpreted to Esperanza, “I don’t know who decides who deserves to go bad. There was no evil in her birth. No wicked curse.” And “maybe the sky didn’t look the day she fell down. Maybe God was busy.” She thinks that sickness is just a curse that picks people randomly. The most important theme in this chapter is sorrow and guilt. Esperanza and her friends are all making fun of her aunt who then died that day and when she dies she feels really bad about it and guilty and feels like she’s going to go to hell, she says, "Most likely I will go to hell and most likely I deserve to be there. My mother says I was born on an evil day and prays for me. Lucy and Rachel pray too. For ourselves and for each other...because of what we did to Aunt Lupe.".” This chapter is basically about guilt and the sorrow that Esperanza feels about making fun of her aunt and how now she thinks she was “born bad “and is going to hell.  

Story of the local Role Model

I had a couple role models growing up. I was always searching for new traits to have in myself, different styles, different anything. When I was in middle my school my oldest brother named Trent had a girlfriend named Paige, who is now his wife and the mother to my niece. Trent and Paige started dating their freshman year of high school. Paige is bubbly, funny and probably the nicest person you could ever meet, she was the homecoming queen of her class, and cheerleading caption. Me being a 6^th or 7^th grader thought she was the coolest person ever. I remember always trying to be as nice as her. Paige always wore dresses, so of course I wanted to be just like her I bought tons of dresses and she even gave me a couple of her hammy downs. Whenever I had a problem or anything I would always go to Paige and she would help me, she was the big sister I never had. So Paige influenced me by just having good personally traits and I guess at my age dressing nice. It affected my behavior because by watching her be so nice and bubbly I tried to do the same, Also by her helping me I always try my best to listen to others and try to give them the best advice like she did to me.  

Journal #5 by Jordan Kightlinger

     Personally the chapter that interested me the most was Born Bad because it really expresses how little kids feel in those kind of situations. This story was the most interesting because of the empathy and relation to her feelings that are apparent. When her aunt was sick they played a game and used her as one of the figures, but when she died they were sad, believing they were the cause of it. We've all been in that situation where we do something and then something occurs and we believe it was our fault. The theme I believe Cisneros was portraying is some things are out of our control, but don't blame yourself. I felt the writing was at its best in the middle of the chapter on page 59. Cisneros writes, "But I think diseases have no eyes. They pick with a dizzy finger anyone, just anyone," (Cisneros 59). I love this quote because I, too, have lost a loved one to sickness and she did no wrong to deserve it. Bad things happen to good people, a famous quote that occurs more often than we'd like.
     If I had to choose one person who had a major impact on my life I would choose my grandpa. My grandpa was old fashioned, loved classical music, went to church, but most importantly he loved his family more than anything. He spent long hours at work to provide for my grandma and himself and I would always love to go over and play. It was my home away from home. He helped my family in times of need, even though he himself was experiencing stress. We lost my grandma a while back and it was the hardest on him, but he never let it get to him. He would always let me sleep in and he made delicious burgers and took me out to eat when I asked. My grandpa passed away not too long ago, but I will never forget the kindness and help that he showed the whole family. When I think about what I want to be when i'm older I think of being a grandpa with my own family, as loving and supportive as my grandpa was.

Journal Five by Miranda

Role Models

Part one: My Favorite chapter would have to be Geraldo No Last Name. It stood out because it’s different from other chapters. It makes you wonder, and leaves you hanging more than the other chapters in the book. A theme about this chapter would be mystery. You wonder why Geraldo is important, yet it gives you no reason or explanation. All throughout the book, Cisneros writes in a very unique and capturing manner.  In this chapter alone she writes, “his name is Geraldo. Amd his home is in another country. The ones left behind are far away, will wonder, shrug, remember. Geraldo-he went north… we never heard from him again“ on page 66, which I believe is at its best. I see it as how would a younger girl like Esperanza, really know that is what will happen.

Part Two: In my childhood, I gained new neighbors when I was five. The family lived across a field onto the next road over. My neighbor Darlene, who was the mom quickly became a mother figure in my life. My parents had gotten a divorce just months before, causing my mother to be out of the picture. Darlene soon treated me as one of her daughters. She already had three, a four year old, a two year old and one that was just a few months old. Now me, a five year old.

Throughout growing up she was the person I would go to if I had a problem. The older I got, she told me that I should never rely on any other person. Make sure I have what I need to survive and not expect someone else to be there. She also would tell me that I could be anything I wanted, and I have unlimited opportunities to do so. She would talk about how when she grew up in the 70’s nobody ever told her she could go out and do whatever she wanted with her life.

Now I have the attitude that I am going to go out and become successful. Not to let anyone drag me down or hold me back from being happy and doing what I love. She has pushed me to go get a higher education, just like any other good mom would. She taught me that I need to make myself happy and not base my feelings on someone else. Without her, I wouldn’t have as big of a fire under me to go out and do what I need to do in life to be happy.

Journal Five By Max Balderson

Journal Five

            The chapter I have chosen for my Journal for The House on Mango Street is “Born Bad”. This story stood out to me, because it shows the common experience of being ashamed and regretful about a choice that you’ve made, from the viewpoint of a child. The most prevalent and important themes in this chapter are regret and losing a loved one. The absolute feeling regret and shame is shown by Cisneros, when she states, “Most likely I will go to hell, and most likely I deserve to be there”. This sentence, although short, portrays how the author felt when she realized her and her friends had been poking fun at their aunt, who had just died. She had done something that she regretted so much, that she felt like she needed to go to hell for it.

            When I was a child, I had two big role models in my life. They were my older twin cousins, Derek and Daniel. I always would want to hang out with them whenever I could. I looked up to them, just as much as I looked up to my parents, but there was something that made my cousins different. My cousins were cool. They were always breaking the rules and getting into trouble, and they weren’t ever afraid to say anything to their parents. I wanted to be just like them when I was a kid. This ended up negatively impacting me. I repeated bad language that I learned from them, tried to break the rules when I was with them, and some days tried to copy their behavior exactly when I got home. Thankfully, whenever my parents would see me act like this, they would “shut me down” so to speak, and my phase of being rebellious didn’t last for very long at all.

Journal # 5 By: Jussett Flores

Jussett Flores

English 1109 10:30

9/22/2016

Journal 5

Part 1:

The story that stand out to me is Geraldo No Last Name because you never know who is going to change your life. The person that you met can be a big influence. The theme that is important is that one person can change your life in so many ways that you don't even realize it and being kind and loving person. The writing is at its best is when Cisneros say “Only Marin can’t explain why it mattered, the hours and hours, for somebody she didn't even know” (Cisneros, 66). When she talks about hours and hours for somebody she didn't even know is a life changing or can be a life changing moment.

Part 2:

My best friend Taylor Clark is an influence in my life, because she is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. She influenced me to go to church with her and her family and listen to what the pastor had to say. She taught me to believe that you can have friends that do bad things, but believe in God and trust him that he did that for a reason. Just because you have bad friends does not mean nor make you a bad person. Knowing Taylor made me see the world a whole lot different, she has open up my eyes and made me see pass the bad and in the good. She made me a better person and made me become the true me that I was suppose to be. I am forever thankful to have her as a best friend, but mostly like a sister. Now I have two sisters that I care about and love and know that they will forever be in my life.

Journal five by Payden Fultz

Payden Fultz

English 1109/ 10:30

September 22, 2016

Journal 5 Cisneros, and Role Models

            Part One: My favorite story from Cisneros from last week was Edna’s Ruthie. This story stands out to me because of how different Ruthie is from her mother. Ruthie is a very kind, loving, sweet and thoughtful person. A theme that is important in this story is that Ruthie could become a wealthy person and live in a beautiful home and have wealthy friends, but she chooses to live on Mango Street with her mom. This shows that being wealth and having wealthy friends doesn’t matter to her, but what matters to her is that she has great friends that love her and include her.  Ruthie gets very sidetrack and loves to just say random things, Ruthie says, “The moon is beautiful like a balloon. Or somebody might be singing and she’ll point to the clouds: Look, Marlon Brando. Or sphinx winking. Or my left shoe” (pg. 68).

            Part Two: My babysitter Lexi from when I was a young child has become like a big sister to me. She has many great influences on me growing up. She helped me mature as a cheerleader throughout my young childhood. She had cheered since she was in seventh grade, and when I couldn’t cheer in the little league anymore she showed me my new home Midwest Cheer Elite. She taught me many things about cheerleading from new motions, to tumbling, to stunting and clean motions. What she taught as I grew to be a better cheerleader was leadership, communication and how to work with others.  Three major things you need throughout your life. With out her in my life I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

Journal 5: Emma Kleinknecht

Emma Kleinknecht

English 1109 10:30

9/22/16

Journal 5

            Part One: A chapter I found interesting was Geraldo No Last Name. It stood out to me because it wasn’t as unorganized as some of the others and it was easier to follow. I could make sense of the situation. An important theme to me was always treat people with kindness and love because you never know what could happen next whether it’s good or bad. The writing was at its best in the first paragraph when Geraldo is being described “She met him at a dance. Pretty too, and young. Said he worked in a restaurant, but she can’t remember which one. Geraldo. That’s all. Green pants and a Sunday shirt. Geraldo. That’s what he told her” (Cisneros, 65). Cisneros makes his death seem so casual but repeats his name to put emphasis on it which caught my eye and got me thinking. The simplicity of that description made it easy to comprehend even though there isn’t a description of what he looks like, she kind of makes it up to you to create in your mind.

Part Two: Growing up I was an extreme tom boy. I am the middle child of two brothers, and I was forced to play every masculine sport by my father. I wore my hair up every day, basketball shorts, and a t-shirt. I destroyed the neighborhood boys in our games of backyard football, baseball, and kickball. One day a girl named tiffany rode past my house on her bike and introduced herself to me. She wore all pink and even makeup at the age of 11. I was intimidated and looked up to her. We started hanging out every day. She would give me makeovers, made me get new girly clothes, and made me begin my journey as a competitive cheerleader which I am very thankful for. I am still not very girly in general but if it wasn’t for Tiffany I would not have evolved into a girl that occasionally wears dresses and makeup for my own enjoyment or even discovered my passion.

Journal 5 from John

Role Models

Part One: The chapter I chose to write about was The First Job. I believe that the main theme of this chapter was just plain awkwardness. I could totally relate with her about being kinda shy and timid towards people on your first day of work ever. My first day was when I was working for the Columbus Zoo and I was nervous and scared of messing up the whole time I was there.I thin the writing was at it's best on the bottom of page 54 when she is talking about the lunchroom. Here she says "I was scared to eat alone in the company lunchroom with all those men and ladies looking at me." I thought that that quote really helped show how nervous she actually was with people starring at her while she was eating.

Part Two: The person that chose as a role model to me was actually one of my best friends Caleb Neagele. It was the way that he acted around me and others is what I really looked at him as a role model, somebody that would care for you in a time of need and the person that helped me truly find God in my life. I just looked up to in that aspect of life. He also was the one person that really does still to this day push me to become a better person in faith and in life as a whole, and to also reach out to others and ask them about there faith or how there life is going at that time. Caleb to this day is one of my best friends and he is the only one that I would say is a friend that I truly look up to in life.

Snapshot Two From Evan

When Bushes Attack

When I was in the sixth grade I was at a friends birthday party and they had a surprise water balloon fight. Since it was surprise I still had my dry clothes on and my cell phone in my pocket still. Once they started chasing me and my cousin Jrew we both bolted. The birthday party was at house that was right across from Grant Middle School.

As we were sprinting the first place we saw to hide was the front of Grant Middle School because there were bushes that wrapped around the front of the building so we hid behind those. Once we got behind them they stopped chasing us and went away so we decided to come out. When we finally came out we had to jump down about three feet or so and Jrew jumped down and started sprinting again. I jumped down quickly but didn't jump down quite as smoothly as he did and after tried to run again I  just fell down. I looked up at him and his face was just in awe.

I tried to get up and couldn’t stand. The only thing I remember him saying is “Oh my god dude there's a hole in your leg!” I looked down then and realized that there was blood everywhere and that there in fact was a hole in my leg.

We later found out that when I went to jump down the root of the bush went in my leg and when i started running it came back out and that my adrenaline was so high I didn't even feel it.

After realizing I couldn't walk, he helped carry me to his house and all I said was “my shoes are ruined with blood.”

And he just looked back at me and said “are you kidding me there's a hole in your leg!”. I was only worried about keeping my shoes clean and that was it and I never ended up getting those shoes clean or keeping them. The hole in my leg is repaired now and I still have the scar.

Snapshot 2 by Keirra Allinder

Haiti Memories

 

The summer of my junior year my best friend Brianna and I went on a trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Up until the I had never been out of the country nor been on a plane, so needless to say emotions were following through me such as excitement, nervousness and a touch of anxiety. Brianna had already traveled to Haiti at least one other time, when I arrived at the airport I briefly remember her telling me "everything will be okay, think positive and remember I'm here with you".

 

After receiving our tickets we noticed that we'd be seated next to each other and she told me I could have the window seat since it was my first time. As the plane was taking off and going up in the sky I begin thinking to myself how happy I was to sit by the window, the clouds don't appear the same way they do as compared to when you're standing on the ground.

 

Arriving in Haiti seemed like a whole world to me and that it was, filled with poverty all around while somehow the people still  managed to be happy. Brianna once told me something on this trip "Its not what you have in life but rather how you choose to live

 it'" Still till this day that motto resides in my heart, nowadays we often take materials and life for granted.

It was an amazing opportunity to travel across the world with my best friend and learn a new language, try new food and learn about a new culture. Has defiantly opened my eyes for the way I once viewed the world to how I view it now.

 

Snapshot #2 By Jussett Flores

Dark Woods

It was halloween time and I was about 13 years old and that is when my friend said “Let’s go to the haunting trail. It will be fun.” I was thinking to myself “I need to be heroic for once”coming from behind, my friend Jennie said “She’s not going to go. You know that she doesn’t like anything scary.” I am thinking to myself, agreeing with my friend knowing that I probably won’t want to go. There are terrifying things in the woods like spiders and CLOWNS. All of my friends stop talking and debating if I was going to go or not and they turn around and look at me with their confused faces. They all say “CLOWNS”.

“Yes clowns, that is what-” before I could finish Pauleina said “Why do you think there are clowns in the woods”. “Well because Mandy said that-.” Mandy saying, “I told her that it was a haunted trail.” while interrupting me before I could finish. I already knew that I would not go since I don’t like anything horrifying  nor anything haunting or terrifying. Then after a while I just told them that I will go just so they would stop lecturing me about it.

We ended up heading to the trail and so the mysterious music begins. I hate being outside at night since I don’t have night vision to see, I tripped over a stick. I asked one of my friends “What if they touch me?”.

Hannah told me that they can’t touch me, but Kayla responded with “They technically they can since they are not legally run by a company, but don’t worry they normally don’t.” Out of nowhere comes a loud chainsaw running towards us we run into a tent and the lights turn off. You could hear the heavy breathing of the people around you, sensing that someone is near you and BAM the light come on and there are 15 clowns all around and up in your face. It was like being in a room with moving dolls and nowhere to escape. My hands were shaking, my heart beating fast, and my legs feeling weak to walk from being scared. We all end up screaming so loud and we have to find our way out of the tent with little bit of light that was on and let me tell you it was hard. The clowns followed us until we made it out, but right as we got out there were more clowns and the chainsaw massacre waiting for us. I knew right there that I will never do anything scary again. Well at least that is what I thought. Mandy was like one of those evil clowns with no soul coming for you. We ended up close to the end of the trail and once we made it my friend and I cried a little then end up laughing and our other friends laugh with us.
We left the dark woods and ended up going to Abby’s house and we just watched movies till 4 in the morning while eating junk food and telling stories and just making memories. That day was a good day. Actually the best day ever.

Regan Endsley, Snapshot 2

The Best Snow Day.

        Growing up in my childhood I would say I had a lot of friends. I was a friendly girl and got a long with almost everyone. Although I had a lot of friends my best friend was a girl named Maggie Grill. We started being friends in 6th grade. Our moms graduated together and were friends. My mom told me to ask Maggie to come over sometime, and I did. She came over that day, and ever since then we were together every single day. Maggie is literally a brown hair version of me, she was the funniest person I knew, and I was the funniest person to her. We annoyed all of our another friends because we thought we were so funny. 

          Maggie and I have many memorable experiences. It's not hard to because we were with each other every single day, but one of my favorites was in 7th grade when we when ice skating. It probably doesn't sound like it would be that memorable but for some reason I always remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a Friday and we were rewarded a snow day, so of course the first then I do is head over to Maggie's house. We were so bored so we thought ice skating would be fun. I sat upstairs while Maggie went to ask her mom, I could hear Maggie ask, "Mom me and Regan are so bored we will do anything you want if you take us to go ice skating." I didn't hear a response for a couple seconds then I hear Maggie's mom, Lisa, say, "Clean up your mom first then we can go."Maggie sprinted up the stairs and said to me, "you have to help me pick up my room my mom said thats the only way we can go." I said, "Oh I heard what your mom said she said for you to clean your room." But I helped her anyways so we could go faster, because let me tell you her room was a pigsty. So after we cleaned we were on the road to go. When we arrived we were so excited to get on the ice and Maggie was just skating like she was a pro, but me on the other hand would keep falling and for some reason my feet would not stay straight up, they would go to the side making me unable to skate. Maggie and her mom thought that was the funniest thing, we were on the ground laughing so hard we almost peed ourselves. Since I couldn't skate I would hold on to the back of Maggie's shirt and have her swing me around. It was still very fun.

             It was just a really fun snow day that we experienced. It might have not been a big adventure but it's the little things I remember the most from my childhood and ice skating in 7th grade happened to be one of them.