Character Development in Bronx

     In the book, Bronx Masquerade, students at a highschool school get a chance to share poems that they've written every Friday.  As time progresses the characters become more open with their poetry, and it allows not only the reader but the other characters to get to know him/her more.  By listening to other people's poems, and writing their own poems, they start to change more throughout the book.  One of the students that has changed throughout the book is Diondra Jordan.

     In the beginning of the story, Diondra starts out as a very shy person that is self-conscious about showing off her artwork.  In the story it said, "I'm an artist, like Raul. This difference is I don't tell anybody. I refuse to give them new reasons to laugh at me.". This shows that she is self conscious about what she loves doing.  In the book she also said, "I've been drawing since I can't remember when. Not that anyone where knows that..." This shows that Diondra is shy about taking pride in her artwork, unlike Raul is. It also shows that she hasn't broken out of her shell, and has walls surrounding herself.

       As the story progresses, Diondra slowly started to show off her art and breaks out of her shell.  In the story she says, "He's part of the reasons I don't mind people looking at my drawings anymore." This shows that Raul (who she was talking about) has inspired her to not keep her talent a secret.  In the book she also said, "The drawing was good. The eyes did look right through you. Maybe I should try working on the rest of the face." This shows that after a while she has started gaining confidence is her art.  In Diondra's poem, High Dive, she states, "I take a deep breath, dip the tip of mu my brush into sky,  take one long leap and ... to be continued". This shows that she is becoming more open with her classmates, and is giving them a look into how she feels about her artwork. In her last chapter she had art school brochures and wanted to get a scholarship to an art school.  This shows that she has become more open and confident, especially with the idea of sharing her art to other people.

       Overall, Diondra has changed because she became more confident with herself and was less shy by the end of the story.  In the beginning of the story, she didn't like to show her work, and kept it a secret because she thought she would get made fun of. At the end of the story, she realized that her art was good, and stepped out of her comfort zone and started sharing her art.  She has changed because she overcame her shyness, and self consciousness.

       The elements of a story effect each other in many ways.  The setting influences how the characters act, talk, and think, and what conflicts they are going to have regarding the setting.   The plot influences what the setting is going to be, and what conflicts are going to make up the story. The conflict effects how the characters are going to act, and what setting the story iso going to be taking place in. The characters effect what the setting is going to be, and what the conflicts are going to be like.  Each one ties into another one, it's basically the term 'vice versa' over and over again. In conclusion, they're all connected somehow.

     
   

Spine Poem

Evaluate Poem First!

Poem - Dreamland - Salvaged Pages- Small Steps - Things not Seen - Hope was Here - Reached 

This poem's theme is dreams, and goals.  It is about dreams and goals because the poem is based on what a person went through for their dream/goal to become an accomplishment.

 The message hidden behind the picture/poem is that there is a way to make your dreams come true, you just have to go out, have perseverance, and motivation. 

The main point of the poem is that there are many steps and difficulties you have to go through to make your dream become a reality.

The way I visualized it was that there was a person who had always dreamed of their life goals and achievements.(Dreamland)  They would save money, memories, and anything that would help them in succeeding. (Salvaged Pages) In order to make their dream come true they gradually took small steps from when they were a child to an adult. (Small Steps).  Despite how motivated they were, other people saw no value to his/her dream and didn't understand. (Things not Seen)  However, that didn't let the person stop believing and hoping in their dreams/goals. (Hope was Here) Finally, after all that hard work they did, they reached their goal. (Reached)

Found Poem

Evaluate Poem First!

Poem - It's beautiful, big, empty, and dry.  The aroma will be warm inside. The outdoor sounds are sensitive and calm.

This poem's theme is Nature. This is the theme because the poem is marking the significance and beauty of nature. (I pictured a desert.)

The message is more hidden, and it's to pay attention more to the environment.

The main point of each word is to describe just how spectacular the desert is, even if there's not much too it.

Overall, this poem marks the acknowledgment of the beauty in nature. 

"Where I'm From" Poem

Bronx Perspectives Take One - 2/15/16

       Bronx Masquerade is a book about teenagers in high school who express their true feelings and experiences through poetry at their open mike fridays, during class.  Each and every student has a back story to them that they keep to themselves.  They all seem seem to have issues, yet they don't like openly discussing about them and tend to drop hints of these issues in their poetry.  Tyrone, which is the main character, always reflects on the person and their poems after they perform. 

       Each student in the book all have an issue.  Some of these issues being bigger than others.  However, they all have things in common, they just don't know it yet.  For example, Raul Ramirez and Diondra Jordan.  Raul is more of a outspoken confident person, which is the opposite of Diondra.  Despite their difference in personality, they both have art in common.  Raul paints, and Diondra draws.  Nevertheless, Raul likes to show his work and isn't afraid of it being judged, and Diondra keeps her drawing secretive because she is afraid of getting judged.  So in a way, they are both different but they both have a talent in art.

       Two other characters that are different is Lupe and Gloria.  What makes them different is their perspectives.  Gloria is a single teen mom, she has many struggles being a mother and student and it's hard for her to balance being both.  She, in a way, regrets her actions.  She wishes she can do things over again because after she had her kid life has been rough for her.  Lupe on the other hand, really wants a child.  She believes that having a baby young will make her happy, and it won't be a hassle to care for him/her alone.  They both believe differently on having children at a very young age, which makes them different.

       Overall, all of the characters in Bronx Masquerade are different in their own unique ways.  Some of them being more different than others, and some of them being more similar than they think.

Poetry Response

Poem: Still I Rise 

By: Maya Angelou 

“You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise."

~~~~~~~~~

  The poem I chose is, Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou. This poem is about a person who gets bullied. The people (bullies) who try to bring her down expect her to be sad and ashamed, when in reality she doesn't let them bring her down. Even after she gets bullied, she still manages to hold her head up high and never gives in to the taunting. She doesn't let them get to her head, and believes that bullies will not succeed because she will always rise.
   
I think the author wrote this story to encourage people who are teased or harassed to not let the bullies dampen your mood or have you endure pain. I am convinced that her message is to not let the bullies succeed into bringing you down, or feeling less of yourself. They may insult you, but at the end of the day it's you who keeps yourself together and doesn't let people ruin you.

This poem's connection reminds me of Text to Self. This poem reminds me of Text to Self because it encourages the reader to not let bullies get their way, and to make yourself stronger. The message is the main key to the whole poem, and it's there to inspire people to believe in themselves. It is text to self because the poem has encouraged me to not care what people think of, and has reminded me of when I used to get insulted, but didn't let the bullies get their way.

I created a picture with multiple silhouettes to show what I visualized while reading this poem. In my picture (below), there are two bullies. These bullies are teasing the girl, and are expecting their words to hurt her and make her sad. Instead of feeling down, the girl raises her head up and thinks of herself as someone better. In the poem, it states "I rise." multiple times. To display this I made the girl look like she was on the clouds because she was feels very highly of herself, and she 'rose' up and will continue to 'rise' up from the bullying.

I commented on:
Sophie's Blog
Brimady's Blog
Kezia's Blog

2nd Quarter Reflections

Prompts:

1.  How have your research skills improved?
2. Of the books you have read this quarter, which was your favorite?  Why? 
3. What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?

~~~~

 1. 

        My research skills have improved greatly because this quarter, our class has focused on research a lot.  We did an Edgar Allan Poe web quest, a Charles Dickens web quest, and we had to do a lot of research when creating our argumentative essay. 

        We learned how to find reliable sources, which definitely helped because some websites in the internet don't exactly tell the truth.  I also learned how to cite other websites or works, which is going to help when we write argumentative essays that involve research. 

        Overall, my research skills have improved since the beginning of the second quarter.   I learned how to find information correctly, and efficiently with both simple and complex articles.  I also learned how to put my research together, which helps when writing. 

2. 

  

        Out of all the books I have read this quarter, The 5th Wave, is my favorite.  It specifically interested me because I love books that are post apocalyptic and are all about survival.  The book's genre is Science Fiction, which happens to be my favorite type of genre.

        The book also adds love interests, which ties everything together.  I really like it because it was very suspenseful and I just couldn't stop reading it.  It is a fast paced novel, and I happened to finish it in less than 3 days.  

        Overall, it is a very well written book, and the conflict is well thought out.  The characters are lovable, without them the book wouldn't be as good.  I fell in love with the plot and the characters, and was just engrossed in the book.  The ending was especially great, which is why it happens to be my favorite book of the quarter.

3. 

        Something I have accomplished since the New Year began that I am proud of is that I finished my argumentative essay.  I am especially proud because I worked hard on it, and I know that I put all my effort into it.  I was very happy at the end result, and knew that all my time and endeavor was well payed off.

        I had spent a lot of time on my essay, researching, citing, and writing.  It wasn't as easy as it seemed because a lot of websites weren't reliable, and finding one that was reliable was very complex.  Citing evidence also took time because you had to make sure everything was precise, and nothing could be wrong.

        When writing my essay, it was also difficult to stay away from informal language such as contractions and abbreviations.  Making sure everything was worded correctly was also problematic. 

        Amongst everything, I managed to put everything together correctly.  It formed a complete argumentative essay, and I was proud to know that I was finished.  It took a lot of time, and the end result was worth it.