Socratic Seminar On Friday Analysis

I mean, I am smart and funny, and I know I’m a good person. But this is high school, and nobody seems to care about that. Why couldn’t I be tall and elegant like Diondra, or have Judianne’s perfect complexion, all smooth, super-rich fudge? Better yet, why couldn’t I look like Tanisha, or Gloria?” (Grimes 46). This showcases inner conflict as Janelle’s character is shown insecure about her physical appearance. Even though Janelle is aware of her good qualities, she makes her physical appearance overshadow them. Janelle compares herself to others which make it hard for her to embrace herself and realize her self worth. This tells the reader how society is so attentive to the outer beauty of a person, that one isn’t giving importance to the inner qualities of themselves. On the other hand this is evident in Freedom Writers when Andre Bryant who is characterized as a tough and aggressive guy, agrees to a failing mark in Mrs. Erin Gruwell’s class. When asked why he did not try he says “It's what I feel I deserve, that's all” (LaGravenese). This made Mrs. Gruwell question this behaviour and tried to consult him by insuring that he can do it. This

In her essay, “Context” (1994), Dorothy Allison states that knowing a person well and deeply depends on and requires personal knowledge of their upbringing and social life. The essay was published as a memoir to reflect on people’s perception about others. Dorothy employs flashbacks and comparison in order to express her opinions on understanding, trusting and judging a person. She uses flashback and comparison to show that context provides a varied angle about a person. She further argues that, when not properly understood, it can easily breed rivalry between people from varied social backgrounds. Dorothy writes her essay to a general audience and expresses her opinions about context, upbringing environment, and a social group having a fundamental role in a person’s character.

The reader is able to watch as Anita, the protagonist of this novel, blossoms into a young lady. In the beginning of the novel Anita is seen to be naive. For example, “Now I’m really confused I thought we like El Jefe” (Alvarez 19). Anita lives in a family of dissidents but naively enough, she hasn’t realized that. It is true that it can be taken as that Anita’s mother and father tried to protect Anita from the truth of what their family was plotting, but still, from that sentence the reader can infer that Anita was a naive young girl. As the story goes on, Anita changes physically, but maturation isn’t something that only happens to the body. Anita’s thoughts start to get more mature as well. Anita is first shown as a very talkative girl who is rather nosy. She used to ask questions regarding this uncomfortable situation, pestering them until they gave her an answer. Through the experiences Anita has had, like watching her family get prepared for a rebellion, the SIM invading their privacy, and being separated from her family, she has learned to not only think of herself but think of others as well. On page 116, when Anita is given food that is rather unappetizing, she pauses and thinks of the people who are suffering and eats without a single complaint. If Anita was still a child, she could have lamented about how the food is horrible but through all her experiences she is learning to say only

Often in literature character relationships change and evolve. In “Everyday Use,” the author, Alice Walker, introduces Mama and her daughter Dee as having two completely different attributes. While Mama is caring and hardworking, Dee is selfish and believes she is entitled to everything. This leads to Mama having enough of Dee’s emotional bludgeoning and cause a shift of Mama’s feelings toward her daughter. After a careful analysis of the story, the reader understands how Mama’s feelings toward her daughter Dee have changed, why her feelings changed, and how this change affects the story as a whole.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the most interesting book that our school assigned. It isn’t like The Great Gatsby’s tough love, isn’t like Hamlet’s tragedy, it is a unique, dark mysterious murder story. It got my interest even since I opened my book, and I could not put it down. Not everyone has multi personality like Dr. Jekyll, people like that simply attracts me. I believe there are people who has mental disorders in our school also, those who are disabled should be taken good care also.

On the upcoming block day we will have a Socratic Seminar in which we discuss the chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird that deal with Tom Robinson’s trial and its aftermath. Your assignment is to prepare for the seminar ahead of time, participate in the seminar and capture the main ideas of the discussion in your notes.

To start, in “Everyday Use” characterization shows up in many different ways and how each character is described. The three main characters that stood out the most are Mama, Dee, and Maggie. Throughout the story Mama is the narrator and tells the story about her life and her children. Mama describes herself as “In real life I am a large big-boned woman with rough man working hands” (744). Also, Mama says “I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man” (744). This shows that Mama isn’t petite woman and demonstrates her ability with strong work ethic such as a man with his strength to get the job done.

The examination of black women's need to keep their powerful heritage and identity is important to the protagonist in “Everyday Use.” Walker uses the mother’s voice to show the trials and tribulations of a small African American family located in the South. She speaks on multiple levels, voicing the necessity and strength of being true to one's roots and past; that heritage is not just something to talk about, but to live and enjoy in order for someone to fully understand themselves. Unlike Kincaid, Walker gives her black female character’s an identity of their own, each in their own right, and observes the internal conflicts of each mother and daughters struggle with identity. The mother represents a simple content way of life where identity and heritage are valued for both its usefulness, as well as its personal significance. In order to illustrate how the mother viewed identity versus her daughters, Walker quickly acknowledges that the mother has inherited many customs and traditions from her ancestors. She describes herself as a large big-boned woman with rough man-working hands (485). She also describes here various abilities including, killing and cleaning a hog as mercilessly as a man. Being able to work hard and not care about being such a lady, is how the mother defines identity at this point. On the other hand, the two daughters each have opposing views on the value and worth of the different items

Neither, there must be balance between local and national government. An example where almost complete power was held at the national level was the British rule of the colonies. Although this rule did lend to economic and political stability (despite falling apart pre revolution), the physical separation of the British national government from the local American government lead to policies that seemed reasonable, but were actually out of touch with the local population. In general, most taxes imposed by the British seemed reasonable to them, as they were necessary to repay debt from the French and Indian war and the cost of soldiers to protect colonists. Despite the fact that these taxes paid for entities benefiting the colonists, they were actually disliked by the colonists. For example, the Sugar Act was passed, which halved the taxes on molasses and started stricter enforcement of the tax was seen as a reasonable compromise by the British, but actually protested by the colonists, due to the economic struggles caused by the seemingly innocuous tax.

          The theme of appearance and reality more clearly comes through in the story "Everyday Use."  The older daughter in the story Dee/Wangero appears to be in touch with her heritage.  As Houston Baker and Charlotte Pierce-Baker point

In a way the children were innocent before Miss Moore came along. They thought that everyone else old, stupid, young, or foolish- while the children were perfect. Miss Moore showed them what they truly were- and why education was so important.

While Socrates visited an old friend, Cephalus, Socrates begins asking him and the men around him what justice is. After receiving three definitions from Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus, Socrates debunks them and explains his version of a just society through the myth of the metals. The myth states that one day you awake and find that the Gods have infused you with one of three metals: gold, silver, or bronze. These metals determine your status in society. After comparing the three classes, I have decided which one fits me best and formed an opinion on the whether the rule of the wise is just.

“I don’t believe in predestined fate. The future is what we choose to create.” (Davidson). All the characters in a Brave New World, are created in the London center and are a part of different groups, therefore are made for different purposes. Inside the hatchery, workers program children to act and think a certain way based on their groups.

Often siblings are brought up in the same environment and turn out completely different. This is the case in Alice Walkers, “Everyday Use”. Although two sisters, Maggie and Dee, are raised by the same woman and in the same home, their similarities end here. Both are different in their appearance, personalities, and ideas about family heritage. Each having opposing views on value and worth of the various items in their lives. Walker uses this conflict to make the point that the use of an object and of people, is more important than style.

One of the first times a reader can visualize Laura as a tomboy is in the book Little House in the Big Woods. The scene is set that Laura, Mary and Pa are playing an outdoor game. This particular game calls for the players to be rugged and courageous. At this point, it is clear to a reader that Laura and Mary are a representation of two different types of a female character. The game calls for a chase to begin and “with a wild leap and a scramble she went over the woodbox” dragging her sister, Mary, with her to safety.