Response

You have insight as shown through your use of the story the lesson what it means ot be an insider/outsider. I was glad to seee you bring in textual support to help futhter support your point. You do connect to the bigger golobal society as well. Why do you think that life is that way? Why do you think taht we will always look at others as outsiders or if things are out of our reach we will be outsiders?

Link to help me through Macbeth

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/macbeth

Poem that connects to me and my EQ

"Daffodils" (1804)
I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

My EQ: What personal qualities help of hinder a person's growth?

            This poem I believe connects to my EQ in multiple ways. Not only is it a lovely sounding poem, but there are many meaningful metaphors that allow the reader to go deeper and deeper into the poem to find many personal connections. First of all, the beginning line "I wander'd lonely as a cloud/that floats on high o'er vales and hills" shows Wordsworth's beginning state of loneliness and tranquil solitude. He then goes on to find happiness in a very small things: daffodils. This shows that his positive, open attitude helped him find happiness and let him grow as a person. I can imagine many others who wouldn't even take a second look at this daffodil field, but his personality lets him take great pleasure in small things. That is how his personal qualities help his growth as a person. Personally I can connect to this peom too. It connects to every moment in life I've ever had and will ever have. It shows how a positive attitude can make all the difference and help me grow as a person, despite my situation.

"The Charmer" Essential Question Response

EQ: How do our personal experiences shape our view of others? Ourselves?

               Our personal experiences shape our view of others. This statement is demonstrated in the short story "The Charmer" by Budge Wilson. The protagonist has grown up with a "charmer" of a brother and realizes how many horrible things happened because of it. Years later, as she has finally recovered from her brother's bewitchment, she realizes the similarity between him and one of her daughters. The similarity is not noticed in physical ways, but in the way they act, "like quicksilver, pretty and mischievous, quick-tempered and full of laughter"(p. 8). It is then that she decides  not to fall for her charm and she administers consequences at an early age. The protagonist would not have done this if she had not had that personal experience with her brother Zack in her childhood. If it were not for that experience, she would have continually blamed her daughter's outbursts on teenage hormones and made other excuses for her behaviour. This would have led to a much different life than the one she will have thanks to the fact that she acted upon the knowledge she gained from her personal experience with her brother Zack.

"The Lesson" Essential Question Response

EQ: What does it mean to be an insider or an outsider?

              Being an "insider" or an "outsider" is dependent on who you are, because different people have different definitions of those terms. Although there are many different opinions on that, people agree on the fact that "insiders" generally have something desirable that "outsiders" do not have.  In the case of the characters in the short story "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara, the children and Miss Moore seem to be outsiders. They seem this way because they are without nearly as much money as the insiders, who are depicted as being the elite of New York City. Being an outsider in this case means being  so much poorer than the insiders that it is difficult for them even to dream of purchasing things from the toy store in which the wealthy probably shop frequently. The gap between the insiders and the outsiders is shown by the powerful statement that Miss Moore told the kids: "Imagine for a minute what kind of society it is in which some people can spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven"(p. 4). Thus, although I believe it is in the eye of the beholder what it means to be an insider or an outsider, in the case of this story it means that you are part of one side of the divide in an unequal society.

Visual that connects to my short story

              In my opinion, this image of a toy store connects to the story "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara. Not only is it a picture of a toy store which relates directly to the story in that sense, but all the sparkle in the window really relates to how all the poor children gaze at its splendour in awe. This picture shows flashy, glitzy, and technically 'unnecessary' toys just like the toys described in the window of the toy store in the short story. I find the name of this toy store also connects. "Sweet Dreams" is an ironic name since the children all did dream of owning things like this, but it still made them mad, especially Silvia. This picture also relates to the location where Sugar has her epiphany and Miss Moore really feels like the day was worth it, so it is really a significant image that depicts the significant 'day trip into New York' . That's how this image relates to the short story "The lesson".

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alynawaters/3332000899/