Chinese Handcuffs By: Chris Crutcher

In my story the characterization of the characters was great and well put by the Chris Crutcher. While reading Chinese Handcuffs Chris really made it seems as if I knew Dillon and Jennifer all my life. In the prologue when Chris was telling about Dillon and his track meet it made me seem as if I was there. Like when he said " He tear off his gogles and hands them to stacy,poised with the bicycle and his gym short, which he pulls on over the wet suit as she hands him his reeboks. The socks are a little hard to get on over his wet feet, and he loses some time drying them. Chris Cruthcher has a nact for describing good characterictics

All-Bright Court

As we all know my book setting was near Buffalo in Lacawana New York 1977. In 1977 the huge blizzard had hit in buffalo so this means it also hit Lacawana because there that close. Last year in 2006 we had a bad storm also that just nocked most of the power out And when I was in fourth grade the same happened but just with alot of snow. There has always been terriable weather in Buffalo.
One of the conflicts that happened in my book that relate to my life was when Sam had to meet his son Mikey after school to help him through the snow. The blizzard in 1977 was so bad that Mikey couldnt really walk through it so he feel and alot of snow fail on top of him. So his father came to his rescue and pulled him out the snow and took him home. The same thing happened to me in the fourth grade after school when I was walking home. The only thing different is my mother didnt pull me out the snow but she draged me home.

Jennifer's Character

Also in my story I have another character her name is Jennifer she's not the main character but she a big part of the story. Jennifer is a basketball star everyone thinks she's the best in the state but she has to defend that honor against there rival school Wakefield and there star point guard Renee Halfmoon. So far during my story I seen Jennifer evolve into a better basketball player and a better person. Events such as how when her grandfather passed away she took it hard but she did not let that change her life. Jennifer has a lot of things to deal with in her life she tries to protect her little sister from the things her father did to her. Jennifer little sister is to young to understand but Jennifer isn't. She hides what her father did to well but she is evolving to rise above that and become better at everything she do.

Dillon's Character

In my story Chinese Handcuffs, so far my main character is Dillon. He is track star but he still have many things he tries to deal with in his life. He have a caring family that love him a lot but as all family's there's downfalls. While reading this book I can tell in character actions that he has evolve through the story a little in what I read. A event that seem to had evolve Dillon was the tragic death of his older brother Preston who committed suicide by shooting himself. Such things of this nature is what change an character. Since the death of his brother Dillon tries to use his brother mistakes and tries to become a better person in life. Dillon get his inspiration for playing sports and being great at it because he don't want to see his life crumble as his brother did. This is what evolve characters!

All-Bright Court

There are good and bad things that happens in the book I read. A situation was when Sam's son Mikey wanted to know where babies come from. Mikey ased his parents and they they told him about the birds and the bees and Mikey really didnt get it so he asked his girl friend about it. When Mikey asked her she said Ill show you. So this means two young children lost both of there virginity at the age of eight years old. This situation is also even more sad because I feel that the little girl had to malested at maybe even a young age from having sex.
I am very puzzeled and confused because I feel that maybe Mikey's parents could of explained sex better to his child than he did and told him how bad it was and how un-safe it was for a boy his age. If they would of told him that maybe Mikey would of said no to the little girl and told her some new information she didnt know about to prevent her from doing the same so young. Im also puzzeled and confused because I wanted to know where were the parents when all this was happening and thinking of if it was really the parent's fault.

The Color Purple

Hey you guys it shante again im also reading another book call The Color Purple everybody should be fimilar with it. Its a story when racism was going. The white people thought they where better then blacks. Blacks where treated so bad. one of the characters have a baby in with her being black they took her baby from her..but i dont wanna tell you too much.. how bout you read the book and watch the movie and compare it jus like i am doing..

I like the movie so far better then the book the book adds different thing then the movie. In the movie i think you can connect to the character even more and even better, because you see what they are going threw, but if you have a very good imagination you love the book. i mean i have an good imagnations but i like thing right in front of me so i can see whats going on. but im going to finish reading the book so i can tell you much much more....

By: Shante Purdue

Random Family 5

How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?Characters change throughout the story because of many events. Coco who is Jessica's sister-in-law has changed dramatically. She goes from having Cesar ( who is Jessica's brother ) has her boyfriend to falling in love with him after only being with him for a couple of months. Coco plans her whole life out with Cesar. Cesar isn't the best man to be with because he is involved in drugs and gangs. He thinks he can trust his gang members but he thought wrong. Before he gets put in jail unexpectantly he gets Coco pregnant. They face they face the matters that Coco is pregnant and keep the child and take care of it. After Coco has her first baby, Mercedes, Cesar is running around with other girls. Coco should have just let him go right then and there.

When Coco finds out that Cesar is messing around with other girls, Coco thinks it's okay and does the same. Soon after he's put in jail, Coco gets pregnant again but it's not by Cesar. Coco changes her ways and tries to hide that she isn't pregnant from Cesar, but people talk and he found out. While he's in jail they write letters to each other and Cesar isn't to happy about Coco, but Coco doesn't really care because Cesar is locked in jail. What can she do when her baby daddy is in jail? Nothing.

Cesar gets out of jail and still doesn't change his ways. Coco tries to move on but she can't resist Cesar. She ends up pregnant again by Cesar and few months pass and Cesar's back in jail. What can she really do with him? He is in and out of jail and not doing nothing for the babies he has. Coco on her own finds a place to stay with her children. Places were she has stayed were comfortable for her. So she looks for better places. Weeks later she finds a man who wants to be with her and her children not just her. Coco looks at him like he is ridiculous but accepts his offer. Moving far away from her old activities and habits and starts herself a new life. By her babies father being locked up in jail made her realize that she doesn't need him. He isn't worth nothing, because she raised her children by herself . Nobody really helped her at her young age.

All- Bright Court

Have you ever loved your character so much that you actually wanted to ask them a question about themselves? If so then you should probably read this book. The character that I want to a question is Sam.I would ask him what made him such a strong person such as going so hard for what he believes in. For example what made him adopt the little and go through all that trouble and hard work for that little girl. I would like to know so I can be more encouraged and inspired. I felt that maybe his pass from going through the same type of experience that the little girl went through when he was growing up could have been the reason. But I wont be able to find out if since the character is just make believe thats why I like non-fiction movies and books.

Random family 4

The book is very interesting. This book can relate to many girls in the society today. Most girls want to have a boyfriend, get tattoos, go partying, and having sex. Why is that? To me personally to fit in. Jessica has to face terrible consequences for messing with a boy who she says she is in love with. She said that about a couple of her boyfriends that she had in the book. The one that she stays with is tatted allover body. 6 tattoos in his honoring. That is not something that looks cute. There not married, don't have any kids together, they just have sex together and she lives in his house. Jessica doesn't have a job. She thinks that every time she needs some money, that her boy George gone give her money all the time. Jessica has 3 three kids that she doesn't even take care of. Her mother and a girl named Milagro she calls her friend watch her kids. Having 3 kids didn't change the way she thought or took care of them.

Boy George makes a lot of money, but not the legal way. The way he makes it is buy selling crack, heroin, and weed. He has a few mils that he works out of to get his drugs transported. His ex- girl friends work for him, his boys, and some of his family members. Later Jessica starts working for boy George in one of his mills. Jessica is his girl but boy George has many other girls. They use codes to talk about there drugs . One day when Jessica was talking in code over the phone, she did not realize that her phone was tapped. Boy George got caught and Jessica was accused but never put in jail.

Months later Jessica was caught and put in jail. Now she never will be able to see her children. She was away from her family, but soon she realized what she was doing was awful. That the wasn't the way she had to live.

Random Family

The motivation that Jessica has is other girls in the book. When Jessica gets around her friends and they dress better than her , or there boyfriends look better than hers she has to go out and get clothes and a better looking boyfriend. A boyfriend she doen't even need she goes out and looks for one. A world without biys to her is like she has nothing else to do. When her mom finds a good, nice, boyfriend Jessica has to make sure that her boyfriend is better.

Growing up in a poor part of the city makes Jessica want to be better than everyone else. Just because she lives were she lives doen't mean that she can't dress nice or have the hottest jewerly, or even the cutest boyfriend. She only cares about herself it seems like. If she was alone and no boy would want to be around her she might go crazy.

Motivation in her eyes is being better than everybody else. When one has something that she doesn't, next thing you know she's out getting that thing that she really doesn't need. Why is she like this? Only she knows. chool doesn't matter to her but when she gets busted and locked for a while her attitude changes towards everything.

The Allure of the West

<i>Into the Wild</i>, Jon Krakauer, pgs 144-207 (end)

<i>Death of a Salesman</i>, Arthur Miller, pgs 1-97

So, I finished <i>Into the Wild</i> and started rereading a book that I'm studying with my AP Literature class.  As I read the first act of the play I was struck by the similarity between Chris McCandless and many of the characters from <i>Death of a Salesman</i>.  The main character of this story, Willy Loman frets over a missed opportunity to accompany his older brother to Alaska to make money. Instead he is 60 and stuck in a dead end sales job.  Interestingly enough, Willy's father abandoned <i>him</i> as a child to also seek fortune in Alaska.  In a weird twist, Willy is disappointed in his son Biff because he is constantly seeking work outside of the norm of the day.  He's worked on cattle farms and other jobs that Willy does not respect.  Biff explains that he likes these jobs because he's not stuck inside at a desk and can be out in the open air.

In American culture the west has always been symbolic of the open frontier, a vast unexplored wilderness where a man could make his living outside of the realm of laws and societal constraints.  It's interesting that these two books, written 50 years apart, have such similar themes.

Does anyone else know of any characters who seek a life outside of society?  Anyone have a friend or family member who constantly wants to go out on the open road?  What do you think drives a person to feel like this?

__________________________________________________

<b>Dear Blogger:</b>  This is not a spam post.  I am mailing to publish this on all of my student's blogs in order to provide a sample and to engage in discussions.  Please call off the spambots.

Admin Privileges

Hey girls, grant me administrative privileges please.

All Bright Court By Connie Porter

I am pulled towards the character called Mikey who plays the little boy in the story. I can relate to him because everybody be dogging him and dont think to ask him about his back round, and the bad thing about it is he is a little boy he's not even a teenager he hasn't even experienced life yet. Connecting this back into my life I was talk about when i was a little girl because i was fat i was skinny like the rest of my friends. People would dog me make me fill little, i can jus imgain wat that little boy going there. being talked aboput isnt good in everybody should be able to see where i am comming from because some point in time in everbody life they have been talked. in they know it hurt deep down inside.

Chinese Handcuffs By: Chris Crutcher

Antonio Reese

Chinese Handcuffs By: Chris Crutcher

My book is about these two student athlete's who are friends. One is a female name Jennifer Lawless and she play basketball, and the other is a male name Dillon Hemingway and he run track. They both are fighters, fighting to push away the pain in their lives. Only together can they survive, look horror straight in the eye, and pull themselves away from the wrongs that have been done to them.

My book was written by Coonnie Porter as a novel called All- Bright Court. The book is about a young black man trying to find him self who actually live near Buffalo,New York. But in a colorfully painted but crumbling housing project near Buffalo, steel mill. This novel is full of wisdom,grace and poetry. In this novel it had alot of diffirent characters such as Sam, Mary Kate and Mikey. My favorite character was Sam because he didnt just remind me of myself but others that I see or be around that I understand as a person. What my grandmother use to always say about me was she's not stupid, selfish or bad but she's just mis-understood and thats the same way I feel about Sam.
When you read a book do the character seem real and believable? Are you able to relate all their predicaments? And do they ever start to remind you of yourself? My answer is yes i feel their is actually a real and believable person because I be so into the story or book that I feel that the whole book is real. The charater Sam diffinently reminds me of myself because I feel I can relate to him such as children life responsibilities and even family.

All Bright Court by Connie Porter

Hi my name is shante the novel i am reading is All Bright Court By Connie Porter.
This novel is about how a little boy is being raised in a society where he really does know anything and/or how to take on challenges in his life.
This story cought my attention because this young boy named Mikey is being faced with so many challenges at a young age. i have been faced with many challenges in my life were i wanted to give up. but what really inspired me was how mikey this little boy never gave up. he showed me that things happen for a reason, and that you should never give up because you giving up just shows that your a failer. I dont want to have to grow up like his mom telling my children i was a failer

Random Fmily, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc pgs1-136

The book Random Family has characters that people can relate too. Jessica one of the main characters, is an intellingent person but doesn't use it the right way. Jessica and her family live in Bronx, New York. The family consist of a mother 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Jessica and Cesar are the closest family members. Growing up in the ghetto was hard for them but they got through it and mangaged to survive. With not a lot of money, Jessica dressed as best as she could, so when coming outside all the boys would look at her.

Most girls want to be the ones that get looked at every time they see a good looking boy. Every girl wants to be loved by some boy. All girls want to be the one on top. No other girl can have there man. They don't want there man to be shared.

It all started when she was younger and older men started falling for her. She was young so she aint really know what to do. When she had a boyfriend she had to sleep with him, if not they she felt not loved by him. When her boyfriends would leave her because they found another girls. She didn't care,as long as she got to have sex with them it was o.k. When she was in the 9th grade she got pregnant, but it wasn't by her boyfriend Victor. Jessica was a slezy girl. Having sex was always on her mind. The boys she told that they were the father of her child didn't take no responsibility to take care of no child.

When your 14 nobody wants to take care of no children. Kids are into clubbing, going out, having fun, they aren't ready for no big responsibilities at that age. You see it now out on the street girls getting pregnant not just having one or two kids but 3 or 4.

The characters in this book are believable. I can relate to their predicaments. The extent that this book reminds me of characters is quite well and I can relate too.

Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer Pages: 1-144

So, the book I'm reading is about this early twenty something kid who
is pretty alienated. It's a nonfiction book, and since I haven't
summed it up yet in a previous response, it's about a kid who is
searching for meaning in life and seeks this meaning by exploring.
At the beginning of the book we find out that he ends up dying in the
middle of Alaska to exposure.

Even though I think I'm supposed to, I'm having a really hard time
identifying with the main character, Chris McCandless. I look at
the cover and there's this picture of Emile Hirsch portraying
McCandless. He's a good looking kid, and he's kind of sitting in this
"top of the world" type dominant pose. The author seems to really
identify with the character, and spends a couple of chapters relating
his own similar experiences. And McCandless is seemingly the rugged,
individualistic antihero that Americans celebrate.

But, I can't get into him, and I think it's because I'm a parent
now. I see the way this kid abandoned his parents, went off into the
middle of nowhere, took chances, didn't write home, and espoused his
theories on the way life works to whomever would listen, and I'm
like, "dude...call your mom, dad and sister. They're worried sick."
The kid is kind of portrayed as this spiritual, deep Thoreau quoting
prophetic figure, but he just strikes me as naive and self centered.
I don't know what I'd do if I was his parent. I would be devastated
if my son took off after graduating college and just disappeared.
It's really rather sad.

(By the way, if you're wondering, this response is to the 7th bullet
under character. The total length of this response is 279 words. I
summed up the book to start because I figured you'd need that
information, but then I really tried to stick to talking about
whether or not I identified with the main character and why.)

I dont have a book to read yet. I know im wrong and will get one from the school library as soon as possible.

Random Family

The title of the book is Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. This novel is about a boy and a girl who grow up in a ghetto in the Bronx. The Jessica and Cesar, who are brother and sisters, who are trying to outrun their destinies.

I like about the book is that Jessica and Cesar are my age, so I can relate to what is going on. It gives in detail how things have happened so far. How Jessica doesn't feel loved by anyone. By her saying this it makes me want to get into the book even more.

Your 1st Post!

Today in class we will be posting to our blogs. To keep things simple, this
first post will be a kind of introductory thing. Here's what I'd like each
of you to write (make sure it is under your own display name):

1. In 2-3 sentences, give us a taste of the book. What is the title? Who
is the author? What is the "gist"? (It's about a girl who...)
2. In a separate paragraph of 2-3 sentences, finish this sentence: One
thing I like (or don't like) about the book so far is...

Welcome

Hello folks. I just wanted to give you a hearty welcome to the
blogosphere (the world of weblogs, according to my widget dictionary).

I'm going to send you more meaty information in the next few days
(right now I'm testing out the "mail to blogger" option I told some
of you about today).

But for now, I want to talk to you about grammar and conventions.
These are blogs for my English class, and I expect you to follow the
rules of standard English as best as you can. Some of our previous
rm305 blog discussions were replete with mistake after mistake. You
may IM your friends and write on Myspace one way, but on these blogs
we are going to assume a more academic diction.

Thanks for the help. If you have any questions, let me know.