Chinese Cinderella
Loaded words:
--1) Mercilessly - page 36
This word is loaded because it shows emphasizes the fact that the boys were really teased. She used it for that reason, to make the teased point stand out.
--2) Loyal - page 39
This word is laoded becasue it shows that they are not only going to obey their grandfather, but also they will always be on his side. She used it to show that they will be only worried about being good to their grandfather.
--3) Daintily - page 40
This word is loaded because it explains how the other classmates so easily get around, while Adeline had to walk to school. She uses this word to show how they get it so easy while Adeline doesn't.
--4) Detest - page 44
This word is loaded becase it tells that Big brother really dislikes their step siblings tutor-nanny. She uses the word to do just that, show that the children really do dislike the nanny.
--5) Volatile - page 46
This word is loaded because it is showing the personality of big brother, and it really tells alot about him. She used it for the reason to show big brothers personality over the subject of their step mother.
--6) Spinxlike - page 47
This word is loaded because it is describing with frightning features, their step mother. She used the word to show that quality if her and how she is so scary to the children.
--7) Harrowing - page 51
This word is loaded because it intensifies the fact that so many things around her are turning against her and the ones she cares about the most. She used the word to get to the reader to be reminded of that.
--8) Paradise - page 53
This word is loaded because is tells of how Adeline visions where and how her mother is living in her heaven, and it is so much different than how Adeline is living. She used it to tell a story, but also to show that Adeline still has hope a nd belief of a better place she could be and that her mother is in a better place now.
--9) Illicitly - page 53
This word is loaded because it shows how happy her classmates are for her, and the attention she gets form her teacher and classmates. She used it to show the difference from how she feels and is treated at school versus home.
--10) Dreadful - page 55
This word is loaded because it shows how much Adeline hates her life. She uses the word because it shows that she not only hates her life, but can't tell anyone about her troubles because she feels she will never be loved again.
Summary of Section 2
Adeline and her siblings are neglected and are told that they have to walk to and from school every morning and afternoon. So they go to their grandfather, Ye Ye, and aunt and as for money for tram fares, and they get it from them. When their stepmother, Niang, found out of this that they were receiving money from their grandfather and aunt, she was very upset and said that it was good for them to walk the way to school. She told them that they could get tram fares if they came and apologized and admitted that they were wrong. Big sister and her brothers all went and said their sorrys and got their fares. But Adeline didn't want to give in and she felt that that would be disloyal to Ye Ye. The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for them, and they all get a new wardrobe to signify the new change. So all the family got a new outfit for the celebration. The five children got very bland outfits, and their two step siblings got brilliant nice outfits. They were very upset that they always got the worse side of everything, so they got together for a meeting, and during which, plotted what they could do against Niang. They decided to write a letter in Chinese characters, which Niang never read, to their father. Then when third brother left the room to go to the bathroom, Niang was right outside the door, she had been listening to them the whole time. During dinner that night, Niang didn't seem at all bent out of shape, in fact, she seemed better than usual, which made the children worried what she was up to now. Then Niang invited big sister to move into the bedroom on their floor, which was a huge thing, since that floor was for only Niang, father, and the step siblings, she had obviously figured out that big sister was the leader and had to be seperated from the others. So big sister was just as spoiled as the step siblings now, and was really close to the tutor-nanny who she used to despise, she was on the other side now. Adeline grew even closer to her aunt, and their room was her get away place, where she always went to, and in scool she was getting extra attention now because she was especially good at writing papers/stories for class. All the girls in her class would crowd around her and talk to her about her stories, or the latest ones she had written about. However, things around home were as bad as always, she hated her life, yet she wouldn't dare tell anyone because she would never have a chance of being loved by Niang or even her own father.
My Reactions
I really feel for Adeline in this story and i can't even imaine what she is going through. And I have a lot of respect for her and her siblings for being so strong through all of this they're having to deal with. I would have gone so crazy by now, I don't even want to know what its like to live hating all of everything. The part that really gets to me is the fact that their step siblings are spoiled beyond end, while they would rather starve than live the way they are. And while all of this is going on, their biological father is home during all of this nonsense, and he is the one bringing in all of te family's income, but he doesn't and can't do anything against Niang because of tradition of the woman being the head of the house.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Outside Reading Homework Section #1
Chinese Cinderella
Summary of Section 1
Adeline received a medal/award for being top of her class. The award was written in english, so they couldn't read it yet untill she learned to read english in school. Her mom died giving birth to her, so she is considered bad luck. She has a sister and three older brothers, all older. She lives with her father, siblings, grandparents, and her aunt. everything was done and seen in French, becasue France had taken over their city of Tianjin. Because of custom, her grandmother's feet were bound when she was young, so her feet were very small and deformed. Her feet hurt so bad that she hasn't been able to run or jump since she had it done. Adeline's third brother congratulated her for her award, and her other bother was picking on her and going to beat her up becasue he was mad that she was getting the attention. Her step mother is very beautiful and because of it, her children are considered far more superior to Adeline and her siblings. Her father was very proud of her for getting the award, and that felt very good too, because she never got any attention or affection from her father. Her and her older sister would get a ride in the rickshaw to and from school becasue her older sister complained of having to walk Adeline there. At school, she felt as though she blonged there, no one looked down on her and she was included. After school gets out, her older sister takes a very long time to get to the rickshaw becuase she wants to be with her friends for longer, so Adeline and Ah Mao, the rickshaw puller, have to wait for her. Adeline was winning the award for her class every week, which displeased her siblings, but mad her father proud, and she was always happy for that. Japan had taken over most of China, so her brothers were required to take Japanese classes, and whenever they were near a Japanese soldier, they had to show their respect and bow, otherwise they would be punished. The Japanese demanded to be her father's business partners, because he had such a good business. They would come by the house daily looking for him, wearing surgical masks and carrying bayonets with sharp tips. Then her father disappeared one day, then months later, her step mother and older sister disappeared too. The Japanese came looking for her father a few more times, but then lost interest as the business went down. After her father, step mother, and sister had been missing for over a year, they had almost forgotten about them, and hr grandmother had hired several extra maids to keep the house runing. Her grandmother was soaking her feet in hot water one night, when she had a huge stroke, fainted, and died. To keep her grandmother's body company, the childern had to sleep on the floor of the room of the coffin, and there was a big funeral the next day. Six weeks after her grandmother died, her grandfather took them out, and they went to the train station where they found her father. He told them that they were going to Shanghai where he had been living in a house with step mother and their sister, becasue they wanted to get away from the Japanese soldiers. Their grandfather had to stay back in Tianjin, so they had to say bye to him for now. Their house in Shanghai is very nice and big and decorated well, they are also not to invite friends over or visit their houses either, and they have been enrolled at expensive missionary schools. In the morning, her brothers were taken to school, but seperate from her because it was in the opposite direction of her school, and her sister's school started an hour later than her's, so she was still sleeping when Adeline woke up. The cook had to bike her to school becasue she was going to be late if someone didn't bring her really soon, and the other maids had forgoten about her. After school had gotten out, nobody had remembered to pick her up, so after a whie, she just started walking down the streets not knowing where she was at all. When it had gotten dark, she went and stood outside a restaurant and a lady eventually came up to her and asked what she was doing there, so she went inside with her and used the phone and her father came to pick her up there. Her aunt, grandfather, and step siblings were schedueled to move into the Shanghai house at the end of October and she was very excited about for that. When they arrived, everyone was happy to see them, and her step siblings looked so different and bigger, her little step sister was shying away from her own mother because she was a stranger to her since she had not seen her in over a year and had been taken care of by her aunt. The little sister ran away from her mother, and when her mother picked her up, she yelled don't like you, don't want you, go away! and squirmed trying to get away. Everyone was shocked at the scene and the mother was very upset that her own daughter didn't want her. The mother startedbeating the little daughter becasue she would not stop fussing and squirming, so Adeline told her step mother to stop because she's only a baby. The step mother get very angry, saying how dare you, and to get out, and that she will never forgive her for being o arrogant.
My Reactions
I thought that the first section of this book was very well told. I could really imagine the setting, and can understand what kind of environment Adeline grew up in. I am kind of upset that the young child was getting beat, and for no reason at all, she didn't recognize her mother, therfore should not interact with her, which is exactly what she did, but she got beat up. If I were in Adeline's situation I would definitely do the same, or just say anything to stop beating the child. It's terrible that these things actually do happen even today in our world.
Summary of Section 1
Adeline received a medal/award for being top of her class. The award was written in english, so they couldn't read it yet untill she learned to read english in school. Her mom died giving birth to her, so she is considered bad luck. She has a sister and three older brothers, all older. She lives with her father, siblings, grandparents, and her aunt. everything was done and seen in French, becasue France had taken over their city of Tianjin. Because of custom, her grandmother's feet were bound when she was young, so her feet were very small and deformed. Her feet hurt so bad that she hasn't been able to run or jump since she had it done. Adeline's third brother congratulated her for her award, and her other bother was picking on her and going to beat her up becasue he was mad that she was getting the attention. Her step mother is very beautiful and because of it, her children are considered far more superior to Adeline and her siblings. Her father was very proud of her for getting the award, and that felt very good too, because she never got any attention or affection from her father. Her and her older sister would get a ride in the rickshaw to and from school becasue her older sister complained of having to walk Adeline there. At school, she felt as though she blonged there, no one looked down on her and she was included. After school gets out, her older sister takes a very long time to get to the rickshaw becuase she wants to be with her friends for longer, so Adeline and Ah Mao, the rickshaw puller, have to wait for her. Adeline was winning the award for her class every week, which displeased her siblings, but mad her father proud, and she was always happy for that. Japan had taken over most of China, so her brothers were required to take Japanese classes, and whenever they were near a Japanese soldier, they had to show their respect and bow, otherwise they would be punished. The Japanese demanded to be her father's business partners, because he had such a good business. They would come by the house daily looking for him, wearing surgical masks and carrying bayonets with sharp tips. Then her father disappeared one day, then months later, her step mother and older sister disappeared too. The Japanese came looking for her father a few more times, but then lost interest as the business went down. After her father, step mother, and sister had been missing for over a year, they had almost forgotten about them, and hr grandmother had hired several extra maids to keep the house runing. Her grandmother was soaking her feet in hot water one night, when she had a huge stroke, fainted, and died. To keep her grandmother's body company, the childern had to sleep on the floor of the room of the coffin, and there was a big funeral the next day. Six weeks after her grandmother died, her grandfather took them out, and they went to the train station where they found her father. He told them that they were going to Shanghai where he had been living in a house with step mother and their sister, becasue they wanted to get away from the Japanese soldiers. Their grandfather had to stay back in Tianjin, so they had to say bye to him for now. Their house in Shanghai is very nice and big and decorated well, they are also not to invite friends over or visit their houses either, and they have been enrolled at expensive missionary schools. In the morning, her brothers were taken to school, but seperate from her because it was in the opposite direction of her school, and her sister's school started an hour later than her's, so she was still sleeping when Adeline woke up. The cook had to bike her to school becasue she was going to be late if someone didn't bring her really soon, and the other maids had forgoten about her. After school had gotten out, nobody had remembered to pick her up, so after a whie, she just started walking down the streets not knowing where she was at all. When it had gotten dark, she went and stood outside a restaurant and a lady eventually came up to her and asked what she was doing there, so she went inside with her and used the phone and her father came to pick her up there. Her aunt, grandfather, and step siblings were schedueled to move into the Shanghai house at the end of October and she was very excited about for that. When they arrived, everyone was happy to see them, and her step siblings looked so different and bigger, her little step sister was shying away from her own mother because she was a stranger to her since she had not seen her in over a year and had been taken care of by her aunt. The little sister ran away from her mother, and when her mother picked her up, she yelled don't like you, don't want you, go away! and squirmed trying to get away. Everyone was shocked at the scene and the mother was very upset that her own daughter didn't want her. The mother startedbeating the little daughter becasue she would not stop fussing and squirming, so Adeline told her step mother to stop because she's only a baby. The step mother get very angry, saying how dare you, and to get out, and that she will never forgive her for being o arrogant.
My Reactions
I thought that the first section of this book was very well told. I could really imagine the setting, and can understand what kind of environment Adeline grew up in. I am kind of upset that the young child was getting beat, and for no reason at all, she didn't recognize her mother, therfore should not interact with her, which is exactly what she did, but she got beat up. If I were in Adeline's situation I would definitely do the same, or just say anything to stop beating the child. It's terrible that these things actually do happen even today in our world.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
This I Believe Assignment
1) A link to the essay:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4853839
2) Author:
Bill Gates
3) Title:
Unleashing the Power of Creativity
4) One sentence of what the belief is:
He believes that computers are the most incredible tool we can use to feed our curiosity and inventiveness -- to help us solve problems that even the smartest people couldn’t solve on their own.
5) 2 examples from the story that showed their belief:
~for all the cool things that a person can do with a PC, there are lots of other ways we can put our creativity and intelligence to work to improve our world.
~through our natural inventiveness, creativity and willingness to solve tough problems, we're going to make some amazing achievements for medicine, education and, of course, for technology in my lifetime.
6) 1 favorite passage:
I feel particularly lucky to do something everyday that I love to do, he calls it: "tap dancing to work."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4853839
2) Author:
Bill Gates
3) Title:
Unleashing the Power of Creativity
4) One sentence of what the belief is:
He believes that computers are the most incredible tool we can use to feed our curiosity and inventiveness -- to help us solve problems that even the smartest people couldn’t solve on their own.
5) 2 examples from the story that showed their belief:
~for all the cool things that a person can do with a PC, there are lots of other ways we can put our creativity and intelligence to work to improve our world.
~through our natural inventiveness, creativity and willingness to solve tough problems, we're going to make some amazing achievements for medicine, education and, of course, for technology in my lifetime.
6) 1 favorite passage:
I feel particularly lucky to do something everyday that I love to do, he calls it: "tap dancing to work."
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Sophomore Goals
This sophomore year of high school, I have an overall goal to maintain at least a B average. That will require me to work very hard to finish all homework, and spend a lot more time studying for tests and quizzes.
High School Anxieties
In high school, I am anxious about getting good grades, because I plan to go to college after high school. I also want to challenge myself, but I know that that will equire a lot of effort on my part. I am also nervous about the fact that my best friend moved to Texas this summer, so she and I won't be at the same school and therfore we won't be able to see eachother every day.
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