Native Son Questions

1. In the opening scene of book three, Bigger feels as if the world is REALLY now out to get him because of his horrible crime. He also feels stupid for getting caught, even though there was really no way around it.

2. During the pre-trial, Bigger feels as if every white person hates him and does not understand what life is like as a black person.

3. The newspaper story describes Bigger as an animalistic beast. They mention that his movements are animalistic and he is a danger to society and should be segregated.

4. The preacher tells Bigger to believe in God which is difficult for Bigger because if there was a God, then Blacks and Whites would be equal and life would be more fair.

5. In this scene, Jan tells Bigger that he is not mad about what happened and that he understands how Black people feel towards Whites because the Whites treat the communist party the same way they treat the Blacks.

6. Max questions Mr. Dalton's devotion to the Black community. Max mentions how donating ping pong tables to a shelter will do nothing for the shelter and will only make the Daltons look charitable.

7. Mrs. Thomas embarasses Bigger when she gets down on the floor in front of Mrs. Dalton and begs for her sons forgiveness. Her pleeding only makes her look more desperate and in need of hospitality from the Daltons, which she is already indirectly recieving through their charity.

8. Bigger confesses to the murders of Mary and Bessie becase there is nothing else he can do; he was caught and there's no way out of his situation.

9. Bigger understands Jan's point of view because the Blacks and the Communists are treated inferior to Whites.

10. Max challenges Mr. Dalton on why he has kept the Blacks in the slums of the city while the White community is flourishing.

"Native Son" Book 1 Questions

1. In the beginning of the book when Bigger kills the rat, Bigger's violence is displayed. Gruesomely killing an innocent rat shows that he has no mercy for innocence and does not care about other's feelings. He proceeds to wave the dead rat in his sister's face because her fear is humerous to him; a selfish act.

2. Bigger hates his family because they seem to not understand him and don't care about him, when really it is Bigger that doesn't care about his family.

3. Bigger and Gus are so interested in the planes flying overhead because it reminds them that they are not able to fly planes because they are "inferior" to whites.

4. Bigger and Gus imitate white people by making fun of how the black people are such a problem in society and how they need to be taken care of by the President and Secretary of State. They also make fun of how rich the white people are and how they can just throw money out of the window.

5. Write describes Bigger's environment as lower class and slummy. The two of them are just standing against the corner of a building looking suspicious. The whole scene makes the character of bigger seem like a troubled man with bad ideas.

6. Bigger gets mad at Gus in the pool room because Gus seemed to be frightened at the idea of robbing a white man's store.

7. Bigger learns who he is working for and that the daughter is involved with a communist from the movies that he and G.H. see.

"King of the Bingo Game"

When the narrator of the "King of the Bingo Game" says the quote ...
"“he felt vaguely that his whole life was determined by the bingo wheel”;“the unlucky cards and numbers of his days”“he felt that the man was making a fool of him”“as the wheel increased its speed it seemed to draw him more and more into its power, as though it held his fate; and with it came a deep need to submit, to whirl, to lose himself in its swirl of color”“This is God!”

I believe the wheel is discussed in these terms because it feels to the protagonist that winning the jackpot determines his life. Laura seems to be the love of his life, and if she is dead, then he has nothing to live for. The jackpot money will help pay for the doctor's bills, hopefully curing Laura from whatever sickness she has. By comparing the wheel to God, the protagonist is stressing how the money from the jackpot will change his life forever, just as God changes the lives of people.

I think at the end of the story, the protagonist did not win the jackpot and probably went crazy. His sexual thoughts from the beginning of the story hint that he might be "sick in the head" and this jackpot might have been his trigger for him to go crazy.

Macbeth- a tragic hero

Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero, one who is has the ability to become a hero, but can not because there are obstacles in the way. The tragic hero encounters his/her tragic flaw, which is the main cause of his/her tragic fall. The play begins with King Duncan praising Macbeth for being such a fantastic soldier and how he is destined for greatness. Duncan appoints Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor for his bravery on the battlefield. Allowing Macbeth to be given the title Thane of Cawdor demonstrates that he has the ability to be a great leader because of his bravery and wits. Just as a tragic hero, he is destined for greatness. However; a tragic hero has a tragic flaw, a characteristic stopping them from achieving greatness. Macbeth is a very ambitious man, and he even admits this to himself when he talks about murdering King Duncan. When Macbeth hears his prophecy from the three witches that he will be Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland, his ambition gets the best of him. He does whatever he can in order to become king, instead of letting fate take its course.

Macbeth plots to kill King Duncan in order to achieve his greatness. The desire to become king affects his judgment and he comes a murderous traitor to his king and later on his companion, Banquo, whose sons will become king according to the prophecy of the witches. Ambition is Macbeth’s tragic flaw, because it ultimately ruins his character and causes his tragic fall, when he begins to hallucinate, seeing the ghosts of people he’s murdered. His insanity is derived from his ambition, in relation to the tragic hero, his tragic flaw of ambition caused him to fall by going insane and not able to rule the kingdom that he worked so hard to get in the first place.

Ambitious Women in History

The term ambition is defined as "eagerly desirous of achieving or obtaining success, power, wealth, or a specific goal." An extremely ambitious woman from the 19th century was African American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Born Araminta Ross,
a slave in Maryland around 1820, she lived her life working in the house and field while suffering from head trauma due to an accident during her teenage years. Around 1844 when she married a free African American man named John Tubman. Harriet escaped from her plantation in 1849 and made the trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the help of people hiding her along the way. While working in Philadelphia, she saved enough money to return back to Maryland and help her sister and nieces escape, and later on, her brother and husband (who had found a new wife). Harriet made the trip to the south 19 times, each time making a successful trip without getting caught and helping freed slaves start a new life. She is known as the “Moses” of her people because she led the African Americans in the South out of slavery.


Harriet Tubman was seen by freed slaves as a savoir because she was the one who helped create a life for slaves. Even African Americans that were not slaves thought she was incredibly brave for risking her life each time she journeyed to the South. Frederick Douglas said that [he knew] of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than [Harriet Tubman]." In modern society, Harriet Tubman is still looked at as a heroine who constantly demonstrated courage throughout her life. She is considered to be ambitious because she had a goal, to free as many slaves as possible, and she achieved her goal with the help of the underground railroad.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html

The past week , I have been researching many social issues. At first I wanted to research Holocaust denial or Holocaust reparations, but I decided that I would rather do something that pertains to teenagers, since I am one. I decided to research teenage abortion. (Don’t worry, I can’t relate to it) I feel that this topic is going to be very interesting to research especially because it concerns teenagers girls all over the world. The thesis that my paper will be based upon is either “Should parents have consent over their daughters abortion?” Or “do abortions cause mental illness or mental health damage to teenage girls?” Those two topics seem have a lot of information that could be formulated into a research paper. As for organization, the essay will go something like this:
a. into
b. body paragraph one-what is an abortion (but that could possibly be addressed in the intro)
c. body paragraph two-history of abortions
d. body paragraph three- effects of abortions on mental health
e. body paragraph four-valid examples of mental health effects
f. wrap up argument
g. conclusion

OR
a. into
b. body paragraph one-what is an abortion (but that could possibly be addressed in the intro)
c. body paragraph two-history of abortions
d. body paragraph three- should parental consent be mandatory
e. body paragraph four-valid examples of mental health effects why it should it be mantatory
f. wrap up argument
g. conclusion

"To Kill A Mockingbird" Blog

Harper Lee titles her novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" because a mockingbird is very symbolic throughout the novel. First of all, it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, the bird of song and innocence.

Throughout the novel, Scout and Jem are showing signs of growing up and loosing that innocence and vulnerability to racism in the world which was evident in the beginning of the novel. For example, when Scout finally agrees to sit in on Aunt Alexandra's tea time with her friends, she shows that she is leaving her innocent tom-boyish ways behind and replacing them with more mature "girl" ways, like chatting with the ladies over a cup of tea. Another example of maturity overriding innocence is how disturbed Jem was by the verdict of Tom Robinson's trial. It is difficult for a child to understand that the world is unfair and actions have consiquences, which Jem made very clear at the end of the trial. However; his attitude changes as the novel comes to a close when Jem realizes that there is hatred and dishonestly in the world, and everyone must face it some day. Tom Robinson is also a symbol of a mockingbird himself. Acting as a helping hand to Mayella Ewell, he shows that he means no harm and is a caring young man.

When Atticus says "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" it makes perfect sense because he does not believe that Robinson is guilty, and those who believe he guilty will get what they deserve. This theory is proven true when Mr. Ewell, who fought for Robinson to go to prison or face the death penalty for crimes against his daughter, gets killed at the end of the novel.

Atticus is attempting to teach Scout and Jem that they have to face the real world one day, and Maycomb County can not shelter them forever. I believe that this is why he let them stay inside and observe Robinson's trial. Atticus' lesson is taught well, because there are hints at the end of the novel (previously mentioned) that Scout and Jem are growing up and will turn into intelligent and well off adults.