Maus/Night Reflection Poem

I can see the gates
"ARBEIT MACHT FREI"
It is adorned over the entrance to the death camps
like a sorry excuse for a welcome mat
Work sets you free

THE JEWS LIKE TRAPPED MICE
THEY PILE OUT OF THE BOXCARS
Freed from the cramped space
Only to be bound once again to the death camps

FIRE FROM THE CREMATORIUMS LIGHTS UP THE NIGHT SKY
AS THE "DEFECTS" ARE PUSHED TOWARD THEIR DEATHS
FAMILIES ARE SLASHED APART WITH THE QUICKNESS OF A CAT'S SWIPE
AND SENT OFF INTO DIFFERENT PATHS
Never to see each other again

And yet, there are bonds
SUCH AS THOSE BETWEEN FATHER AND SON
That are too strong to be broken
AND THAT REMAIN DUE TO THE FIGHT OF THE OPPRESSED.

Explanation:
I used many references to the Maus books such as lines 6 and 12. I did this by comparing the Jews to mice and the Germans to cats, as it was done in Maus. I also made allusions to the book, Night, by including details that were described such as how "Arbeit Macht Frei" was the sign above the gates to Auschwitz (line 2) and how the Jews were transported in cramped boxcars (line7). Also, I described how there was the image of fire (line 10) and how people considered unable to work were sent immediately to them upon arrival (line 11). Also I alluded to the fact that Elie Wiesel's family was split apart in line 13. At the end, I made references to how Elie and his father managed to stay together and how they had to fight to keep it this way (lines 16 and 18). In my poem, the volta occurs at the start of the third stanza and changes from a totally dark and depressing attitude to a somewhat hopeful attitude because the father and son are able to stay together in the middle of this struggle.

Found Poem - Possible Hate Crimes

The article my found poem is based off of is 3 killed, 2 injured in Oklahoma shootings from CNN.

(CNN) -- Three people were killed and two were injured Friday in four shootings in north Tulsa, Oklahoma and police are searching for a lone suspected gunman, they said.

Tulsa police spokesman Capt. Jonathan Brooks said investigators were looking into whether the shootings may have been possible hate crimes.

"We're not absolutely certain, but a hate crime is a possibility. And we'll go with where the investigation leads us," he said.

All of the victims are black. The suspected shooter is a white male and is believed to be traveling in a white truck, said Brooks.

It was not immediately clear whether any of the victims knew each other, he said.

They range in age from 31 to 54. They were shot over the course of seven hours at four different street locations in the early morning, Brooks said.

Tulsa police formed a joint task force with the local FBI office as well as the U.S. Marshals Service. In the event the shootings turn out to be hate crimes, "they can help us pursue it," he said.

"This is not your standard homicide," said Brooks.

Possible Hate Crimes
Three people were killed and two were injured.
Friday, in four shootings
All of the victims are black
and the suspected shooter is a white male
"We're not absolutely certain"
Possible hate crimes.

They range in age from 31 to 54.
Four different street locations
Early morning.
"This is not your standard homicide."

Explanation:
In this poem, I tried to stress the details of the article to create emotions to make it real for the reader. For example, I used an end stop after "early morning" so that this would resonate with the reader. Also, I emphasized the detail of the shootings being on Friday by using a caesura in the middle of line 2. I used an enjambment in lines 3 and 4 so that they would be read quickly and together, which I thought was important. I also split up the poem into 2 stanzas to give the reader a chance to reflect on the "Possible hate crimes" line before jumping into the second stanza. I included a volta which happens in line 6 because it changes from a normal shooting to a possible hate crime. I emphasized this by using an end stop at the end of line 6.

Imagine Witness Poem

Imagine if people weren't so self-centered
And people started to ask questions of others
Imagine if people weren't always fighting
Trying to talk over someone else
When someone tried to state an opinion
The other wouldn't shoot them down
They wouldn't just get louder
Trying to shut them out
Imagine life without politics
A view wasn't a wrong or right
People weren't always trying to push their agenda
Screaming at you that their side's right
Imagine simply less judgement
In a more peaceful world

Discussion #2 Reflection

Since I missed today because I was sick, I read over the Cyber Team's chat and so my reflection is based on their discussion.
I agree with Syver that fitting in is a really important theme in Animal Dreams. I'm not quite sure yet how this actually fits into a thematic statement but I feel that the author is trying to say something about it. Maybe, Kingsolver is saying that to find yourself, you have to find how you fit in with your community. Actually, this could work. For example, Codi has all of these dysfunctional relationships with her father, Grace community members, and others. But when she is able to find her place with others, like how she helps the Bitch and Stitch Club and she allows herself to love Loyd, she ends up becoming more at peace with herself and come to terms with who she is. Another example of her finding out how she fits in with her community is how she discovers her relation to the Gracella sisters and that her mother and father were actually from Grace. I think that you could also use Hallie as an example of someone who has found how she fits in and so she has found herself and is happy. For example, she fits into society as an activist and so she knows who she is and how to make herself happy. Her happiness is shown in many of the letters she sends Codi. If I use this, I'll need to cite Syver.

Animal Dreams Group Discussion #1 Reflection

During the discussion today with the Dream Team, I found that many other people were finding the same things and connections that I was finding in Animal Dreams. They also had some of the same confusions about the book. It was good to get clarification from both Mr. Cheng and the other members of the discussion group. It’s useful to do this because the book and Barbara Kingsolver’s writing are filled with symbolism, motifs, and because Doc Homer’s chapters are written so that he jumps back and forth between different scenes or moments. One of the things I got cleared up today is that I was confused on Doc Homer’s chapter in which he is developing a photograph of the river and the cactuses I think and he said something about how “the truth can’t be corrected in the photograph.” I was confused because I wasn’t sure what the picture was of at what time he was developing the photograph, more specifically if it was a flashback or the present. At this point in my reading, I don’t really enjoy the book that much. This is mostly for the reason that I dislike the main character, Codi. To me, she seems really sarcastic, especially toward the people that are just trying to help her or be nice. I find this a really annoying quality in people and so this translates over to the book and how I dislike Codi. Another reason why I dislike Codi is that she is very rude to her father, even though her father is losing his mind with his mental illness. Maybe she is rude because that is just how their dysfunctional, uncommunicative relationship has always been. However, I feel like she should be kinder to her father and be understanding of his illness. Having said that, I do think that Barbara Kingsolver is a good author and is skilled at implanting motifs and symbolism throughout the book. We have discussed some of these things in the discussion group.

Education Presentations Wrap-Up/Animal Dreams Intro Reflection

After finishing the Education Innovation presentations, I realize now that my group should’ve been better at organizing our thoughts at the beginning of the project. This is because I felt like we got somewhat lost and weren’t exactly sure of how we wanted to present our information. Also, since we were confused, we kind of just threw visual aids in there. I thought that the project and the Google document that explained it was a little confusing which might have led to the underdeveloped outline or proposal. Overall though, I thought our group ended up with a quality end product. For the most part, I enjoyed seeing the presentations that everyone did. I especially enjoyed the “Mozart Effect” group that presented first. They played instrumental music throughout their presentation which made the presentation more interesting. I don’t know if this is because it kind of filled in the empty spots of their project or if it actually helped me focus in or something else. It might just be a little of both. Either way, it left me with a positive memory of their presentation. I hope that we can implement this education innovation into our class. I have many initial thoughts about the content and the structure and methodology of the next unit we are going to do in which we read Animal Dreams. One of the things I worry about is that I am not going to like the book because I have heard from other students in other classes who have finished the book that it is all about feminism. This might make it harder to connect and identify with the content of the book. Another one of my initial thoughts is about the structure and methodology of the unit. I get that Mr. Cheng is using an incentive for the essay in that if everyone gets an A or A-, then we just have creative projects for the rest of the quarter. Personally, as a concrete sequential, I don’t really want creative projects either. I don’t mind writing essays because I like how essays have a format and a traditional layout. So, I’m not really responding to the incentive in this case. Also, I think that it’s very hard for everyone in the class to get an A. By the way, I’m not going to try and get a B so I don’t have to do creative projects. I’ll do my best to get an A. Also what’s confusing is which essay this deal is for. Is it the timed essay or the second one? I hope that it’s the second one because I think it will be especially hard for everyone to get an A on the timed test. Then we all wouldn’t have to do the second essay. This is another way that I was confused. There are so many overlapping, dependent grading structures in this unit. I left class today confused because the power point was like an hour long which made it hard to stay focused and the unit seems huge and has a lot of tiny projects/parts to it. Hopefully I will enjoy it though.

My Learning Style - Concrete Sequential (CS)

After doing the learning style evaluation, I found that I was a really dominate Concrete Sequential (CS) learner. This fits me exactly after I read the explanation. One of the things it said was that they are very practical and organized. This is one of the things I do best. Also, one of the things it said was that CS's hate working in groups. It sounds like a negative quality but I do really prefer knowing what I'm doing and where the project is headed, which is more easily accomplished individually. I can use this to enhance my learning by being more organized and possibly making concrete deadlines and time limits (which it says CS's do well) to manage my work. Also, I will try to work on the areas that it says CS learners aren't as strong in. For example, dealing with abstract ideas and working in groups. I feel like I now have an accurate representation of the kind of learner that I am which I think will really help in being successful in learning, both in and out of school.