September 10th 2010, Notebook entry #2
From Devil to Angel
The story “Thank you Ma’m” by Langston Hughes, is about a woman named Mrs.Jones and a boy named Roger. Roger is a thief who thinks that he could get away with stealing Mrs.Jones pocketbook. In return Mrs.Jones dragged the boy to her home to teach him a valuable lesson. The theme of this short story tells its readers that if you show you believe in someone you can help that person feel valued. Roger didn’t feel like he was valued, that he didn't matter in the world, but when Mrs. Jones dragged him to her home, he felt appreciated. She showed him he was appreciated by asking him, weather he wanted sweet milk or canned milk, and by giving him 10$ to buy shoes, making Roger happier than ever because not only was he getting milk he was also getting 10$. It really shows how she believed in him and how he changed throughout the story, from a thief to a happy boy. Another way she showed him, he was appreciated was by asking him his name, the reason why it showed him he was appreciated was because she cared enough to ask him his name and unlike other people she didn’t bring him to the police. Mrs. Jones is sort of like his motherly figure.
The movie “Make A Difference” by Mary & Craig Reynolds, is about a teacher named Ms.Thompson and a little boy named Teddy. Teddy is a young boy who isn’t doing well in school, and does not have many friends, and he can concentrate in school ever since his mom died. Ms.Thompson,his teacher, thinks that he is just not trying in school but when she realizes he hasn't taken it well since his mom died she began to show him appreciation. This movie like the book tell you that if you show somebody you believe in them you will help them feel valued. In the Movie Ms. Thompson shows Teddy she believes in him by encouraging him more, and by paying more attention to him. This made Teddy feel valued and it really helped him reach his full potential making him one of the most intelligent student in his class. Later on in Teddy’s life he kept emailing his teacher and thanking her for believing in him and for helping him reach his full potential. Also he said she was the best teacher he had ever had as she understood him better than other people did.
In both stories there is one misguided boy, Roger stole bags and Teddy as hard as he tried to concentrate in school he couldn’t. Those misguided boys didn’t feel appreciated or valued in any sort of way. In each story each boy got help from an elderly women, they got shown what it felt like to be valued and they were toughedhow it felt to feel appreciated in the world.
The story “Thank you Ma’m” by Langston Hughes, is about a woman named Mrs.Jones and a boy named Roger. Roger is a thief who thinks that he could get away with stealing Mrs.Jones pocketbook. In return Mrs.Jones dragged the boy to her home to teach him a valuable lesson. The theme of this short story tells its readers that if you show you believe in someone you can help that person feel valued. Roger didn’t feel like he was valued, that he didn't matter in the world, but when Mrs. Jones dragged him to her home, he felt appreciated. She showed him he was appreciated by asking him, weather he wanted sweet milk or canned milk, and by giving him 10$ to buy shoes, making Roger happier than ever because not only was he getting milk he was also getting 10$. It really shows how she believed in him and how he changed throughout the story, from a thief to a happy boy. Another way she showed him, he was appreciated was by asking him his name, the reason why it showed him he was appreciated was because she cared enough to ask him his name and unlike other people she didn’t bring him to the police. Mrs. Jones is sort of like his motherly figure.
The movie “Make A Difference” by Mary & Craig Reynolds, is about a teacher named Ms.Thompson and a little boy named Teddy. Teddy is a young boy who isn’t doing well in school, and does not have many friends, and he can concentrate in school ever since his mom died. Ms.Thompson,his teacher, thinks that he is just not trying in school but when she realizes he hasn't taken it well since his mom died she began to show him appreciation. This movie like the book tell you that if you show somebody you believe in them you will help them feel valued. In the Movie Ms. Thompson shows Teddy she believes in him by encouraging him more, and by paying more attention to him. This made Teddy feel valued and it really helped him reach his full potential making him one of the most intelligent student in his class. Later on in Teddy’s life he kept emailing his teacher and thanking her for believing in him and for helping him reach his full potential. Also he said she was the best teacher he had ever had as she understood him better than other people did.
In both stories there is one misguided boy, Roger stole bags and Teddy as hard as he tried to concentrate in school he couldn’t. Those misguided boys didn’t feel appreciated or valued in any sort of way. In each story each boy got help from an elderly women, they got shown what it felt like to be valued and they were toughedhow it felt to feel appreciated in the world.
August 16th 2010, Notebook entry #1
The soul is fragile don't break it
"Betrayal can scar the soul"
"Betrayal can scar the soul" is one of the theme shown, in the book "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl created a character in his story, the character was called Mary Maloney. Mary Maloney's life had the perfect life, a husband, an unborn son and a home, but it all changed after her husband came home with the news that he was leaving her ("For gods sake"he said hearing her, but not turning around. Don't make supper for me, Im going out."). This shattered Mary's soul making her angry and killing him, after wards in the book Mary's soul recovered but it was not 100% healed, the betrayal of her husband had scarred her soul, which shows the theme "Betrayal can scar the soul". The autor tells us that her soul was scarred because at the end of the book he writes "and in the other room Mary Maloney began to giggle" this quote really shows she got hurt by patrick and that her soul was still scarred from him.
The theme "Betrayal can scar the soul", is not only shown in the story "Lamb to the slaughter", but it is also shown in a poem called "Where do Broken Hearts Go?" by kayla. The poem "Where do Broken Hearts Go?" is about a person that got hurt by another person ("Why would this person want to deliberately hurt me?") and they feel very sad about it, but then the depression turns into rage("Then the depression turns to RAGE.")So when the person got angry they were trying to seek revenge ("Since your heart just went up in flames You want revenge.") they ended up killing the person they use to love ("take a deep breathe and inhale the fumes of the dead corpse."). This Poem really reminds me of the main theme, because the soul of the person in the poem, got their soul hurt by another person and it wont really be 100% healed ( "Leaving them like you felt COLD") .
The connection that is between "Lamb to the slaughter" and "Where do Broken Hearts Go?" is that they are both about getting their hearts broken, and that they both relate to the theme. Some of the things that they have in common is that they are both based, on a person getting their hearts broken. Also they pretty much have the same meaning, because Mary first feels really shocked and sad, but when patrick snaps at her ("For gods sake!) she just changes her mood to anger. In the poem it was the same, the person was sad and then she eventually got angry and killed the other person(inhale the fumes of the dead corpse). Not only is that the same but, when they killed the person they look at their dead bodies first and then leave the room ("inhale the fumes of the dead corpse").
