For the Life of A Child… Response One (10 points)
**Remember - creativity and originality count in order to receive full credit for each response! Your response should not be similar to any others posted by your classmates!**
First, list your novel’s title and the adult character on whom you will focus. Then, try to determine what he or she would have been like as a child. Write one brief story (at least one full paragraph) from his or her childhood to give the reader an understanding of why a character thinks or acts as he or she does in the novel. Be creative and specific! Your story should be in line with the book’s overall theme and the events and character traits evident in your character's life as an adult.
BONUS (2 points): Explain how this incident affected the character through the course of the novel.
Alfredo Flores
ResponderEliminarMrs. Gracesqui
World Literature
07 August 2013
For The Life Of A Kid… Response One
The chosen book for this summer reading is Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich and the character being analyzed for this response is Ivan Denisovich Shukhov.
Ivan Denisovich, referred to as Shukhov, is the protagonist of this novel. Shukhov is a prisoner at a camp, which has very strict rules, especially in regards to wake up calls. However, Shukhov is described to be on top of things since he was always ready when they were told to wake up. He never overslept. Waking up early in the morning and in the cold weather the setting describes is not easy yet Shukhov was able to do it. This person is one with a very precautious and sharp character. He is very cautious of his actions. When doing what he should not be doing, like escaping from work or exploring the camp, he would always be sneaky about in order to hide from the guards and offices. Also, he is very careful about objects he possesses, such as leather belts and metal, which are not allowed in the camp. Though he may not be the smartest person, he knows how to handle himself in tough situations. But he was not always this clever.
There is an event in Shukhov’s life that turned him to the calculating person he is. Before he was turned into a prisoner, he lived a happy and carefree life with his wife. However, one day they went bankrupt and were forced to live as mere peasants. Having no money, Shukhov had to come up with ways to feed and take care of the needs of his wife and his own. In his desperation, he started stealing and taking dirty jobs in order to gain some money. Shukhov continued down this path for so long that he got to the point where he need to be extremely careful not to get caught. From that point on, the cold calculating abilities were like second nature to him and did not require much thinking. Everything was going smoothly until he got caught all because he was not cautions enough to realize that it was all a set up. However, what angered and disappointed Shukhov the most was that his wife denied knowing him in order to save her own skin. Some time after these events, he was made a prisoner.
Knowing the previously mentioned events of Shukhov’s life aid in the understanding of his character. Because of the things he has gone through, Shukhov learned to be extremely careful, especially when hiding things like food and items that are prohibited in the camp. He developed a clever way of hiding food; he would get on his bed, open up a hole in the mattress, hide the food in the mattress itself and then stitch it back together so that no one would notice it. He had learned the importance of being careful and to pay attention to details, therefore he knew what to do and what not to do. Also, due to his wife’s denial, Shukhov does not feel eager or in need of seeing his wife again. When he reads the letters she has sent him, he has a monotonous and indifferent attitude towards her since he feels betrayed.
Timothy Seo, "One Day" by Solzhenitsyn, Andrei Prokofyevich Tyurin (also appears as Vasily Fyodorich Tyurin on the internet)
ResponderEliminarA bright warm stream of light beams into Andrei’s room through a little gap formed through years of erosion between the two wooden slaps of the room’s window. Its angle, at first, is perpendicular to the room’s walls. It hits directly on a little frame that has Fyodor’s smiling face on it. The window was constructed to be higher in the wall than in average houses. The light has still a little journey left through Andrei’s room. It is not in any hurry, time is always consistent, and it would certainly travel through Andrei’s room like it has always done, at the time it has always done, through the trail it has always traveled, as slowly or quickly as it has always traveled. After resting upon Fyodor’s face for a while, the light’s perpendicular angle starts to change. It slowly moves through the different pictures that hang in a column above Andrei’s head. These pictures are frozen instances of Andrei’s early childhood; he probably does not remember anything that happened in those years except the 3 minutes prior and after the picture was taken, that’s how pictures work usually. Every morning, the light skims through Fyodor’s face, Andrei’s first birthday, Andrei’s first bicycle, Andrei’s first ball game, Andrei’s last time with Fyodor, and Andrei with Prokofyev; all captured within their respective frames that collected quite the amount of dust over time. People know Andrei as Prokofyevich but, in reality, Prokofyev is not Anrei’s real father, Fyodor is.
Andrei is still dreaming. He is dreaming about Fyodor again. The same dream; happened quite a few times before. It seems Andrei’s mind will not let go of the last time he saw his father. It was during a fierce snowstorm, the Tyurin were about to have supper. Although inside the house was warm and nice thanks to the fire wood that Fyodor collected every day in case storms like this happened, Andrei knew very well that anyone who is unlucky enough to be outside at this moment would loose his soul within the frosty cage that was once human skin. Storms like this usually lasted 3 days at least; Andrei would spend that time together with his dad. Or so he thought. As the family seated on the table, someone started knocking on the door desperately.
“Fyodor! Fyodor! Please answer me!” It was uncle Prokof. Andrei was not really related to him, but he called him so because his dad treated him like a brother. Andrei would never decipher how uncle Prokof managed not to freeze to death while coming to ask for help. Fyodor told Andrei to be in the bedroom while he attended Prokofyev. The only thing Andrei knew was that his father was really serious, not his usual self. Child’s curiosity is never fettered by adult advices, not completely. Andrei silently opened the door slightly; he could see his mom with teary eyes and uncle Prokof behind his dad. Fyodor looked so strong and mighty to Andrei. A third party was there too. Scary looking men in uniform were staring at dad.
“May I ask you what brings you people to our humble house?”
“Sir, we’re after a thief.”
“So it seems.”
Andrei was no fool. He quickly noticed his uncle had done something wrong, or at least suspected to be the culprit. The conversation continued and Andrei listened how his father boldly protected his uncle by skillfully choosing witty answers. Dad looked like a hero and the scary men looked frustrated. What happens next would always be a mystery to Andrei; although he witnessed it, Andrei could not remember. Doctor said usually the brain conceals memories if they are too strong to bear. It seems Andrei was completely traumatized by what happened next. The next thing he knows is that he woke up in his room several days later with his uncle sitting on a chair next to him and continuously asking for forgiveness. Well, doesn’t matter. Whatever happened to dad, it was to save another man’s life. Andrei is still proud of his dad. Fyodor will always be Andrei’s hero and role model.
Cristina Chiang
ResponderEliminarOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: Alyoshka the Baptist
Alyoshka the Baptist is a man who has devoted his life entirely to Christ, but the moment that defined him as a Baptist goes back to his childhood. His father was a devout Baptist and went to church every week, so he tagged along with him. Throughout his childhood he was familiar with the church, its congregation, and its views. Later on in his teen years his beloved father passed away which left him devastated, empty, and heartbroken. He spent his days crying and grieving about the father he lost and the precious moments they would never have anymore. Then when he got over all his grieving he thought that following the steps his father took would bring him closer to him, so he started to really commit to his faith. The way he began to learn and accept Jesus and the Bible filled the gap and emptiness that his father’s loss had left in him. Later on, he decided to get baptized as a profession of his faith in Jesus Christ. Since then he has been a man who spreads the gospel and lives his life entirely for Christ, which one can see throughout the novel.
This event in Alyoshka’s life has affected him through the course of the novel and even throughout his entire life. Being a Baptist is the reason he is in prison and has earned him twenty-five years there. Nevertheless one can see his devotedness as a believer through his prayers and when he reads from the notebook into which he copied the New Testament; he knows how risky this is yet he keeps doing it out of love and faithfulness. Another way this event has affected him throughout the novel is that he is actually glad to be in prison. He is happy to have that time to think about God and his faith. It is a time of reflection for him. One can also see that he is a very Christlike character who is kind and likes to help the other members in Gang 104, yet he does not engage in dishonest activities like most prisoners. Being a Christian has also helped him endure his time in prison and keep a positive attitude about it.
Rosa Lee
ResponderEliminarAll Quiet on the Western Front- Erich Maria Remarque
Character- Paul Bäumer
Paul Bäumer would be pictured as a typical German boy. He attended school like a normal kid and had couple close friends whom he shared precious moments with. He was a timid kid, a bit sensitive at times. Also, he believed in human rights, and was a philanthropist. Paul had a close relationship with his mother, and grew attached to his family. Like every boy in the neighborhood, he wanted to grow up to be a soldier and work for the army. He had an uncle that used to be a soldier, and said the most intriguing stories about the battlefield, as a kid that fascinated Paul. He looked up to his uncle and looked up to any soldiers that went on fights, and only wished to be like them one day. He admired the patriotism that the soldiers had, to him they seemed like heroes; brave, strong, fearless, and almost invincible. Paul spent his time dreaming about being a soldier, going around his house with an imaginary gun in his arms and shooting at the imaginary nemesis. He would call his friends over anytime his uncle would go visit his house. Afterwards they would act like the soldiers his uncle had told them about, and would come up with foolish strategies to win over the enemy team. Paul and his friends would talk about becoming a soldier, and living the life of one.
Paul entered the army expecting everything his uncle had said. In the beginning he was excited but then his hopes were vanished as he started to lose his friends one by one. His uncle’s stories caused him to be too naïve and his personality was too sensitive compared to others, which caused him to be an unskillful soldier. However, around the end he learns to follow his "animal instincts;" he fought to live and he killed to live. At the end of the story the book demonstrates that his personality had been affected by the lifestyle he was living in. He was no longer remorseful and he was no longer the philanthropist he was. He realizes this when he kills the French man he faces and at the end he comes to a realization that he is a monster. Paul only looks forward to the death that awaits him.
Laura Santos
ResponderEliminarOne day in the life of Ivan Denisovich
In this novel the adult character I chose, is Ivan Denisovch. I imagine Ivan’s childhood a bit rough since he came from a wealthy family, but the family little by little started to loose their money. This lost of their wealthy life changed him completely; he started to work for the things he wanted. He also had to work for his daily food; he started to see life from a different point of view. Since little he started to see himself and started to act like an adult. He started working in order to survive. Ivan wasn’t a bad kid; he just had a rough childhood. Since he had this type of childhood he could progress in jail and he could survive in it. Life hasn’t been easy for him, but it at least showed him how to survive and work for what he wants. He learned skills and how to survive, even though he is where he is.
Angelica Ortiz
ResponderEliminarSo Long A Letter
Character: Ramatoulaye
Ramatoulaye Fall lived with her parents. She rarely had her dad’s presence, since he always had to work, while her mother stayed home as a housewife. Ramatoulaye’s mother was always cooking and cleaning. She was forced to help her mother do chores. Since she was the only child, her father sacrificed and worked hard for Ramatoulaye’s education. Her father’s effort for her education got her into a Senegal school, which at the time many women were not accepted. This gave her the opportunity to grow and view the world differently. Ramatoulaye could see the injustice in her school. She noticed that many of the better classes were given to men because women did not have the right to attend those classes. When Ramatoulaye 17 a group of friends and her formed a group to revolutionize and become a feminist party, but sadly it never came through. Besides a good education Ramatoulaye’s dreams was to have a family and get married with a man she loved. Ramatoulaye always played with many dolls and would name them. She would always tell her mother that she was going to have twelve children and get married.
So long letter
EliminarAissatou
Response one
Gabriela Fabian
As a child Aissatou was very smart, she was one of the few privileged girls of Senegal to receive the opportunity to study. Aissatou never felt accepted by the other girls in her class, therefore she would sit by herself at recesses. She spent her free time drawing picture of how she imagined the United states of America, hoping to one day be able to go and live the life of a successful educated women that she would someday become. Aissatou grew up in a loving environment her parents love each other deeply. Her parents did not believe in a polygamy marriage, therefore neither did Aissatou. Her mother would tell her she needed to marry a rich man that way she could live a comfortable life but Aissatou never thought that way. She knew she would marry for love and not for wealth. Aissatou and her best friend Ramatoulaye would pretend to get married and imagine their perfect wedding with their perfect groom. Aissatou had a bright future ahead of her.
Jae Ha, Cho
ResponderEliminarSo long a letter by Mariama Bâ
Character Chosen: Mawdo Bâ
He would have been an obedient and an eggheaded child, which most people of the town would be sweet on the boy. Nabou, mother of Mawdo, was so proud of his son, being the Princess of a Royal Family from Sine. His mother gave great meals, educations to become a doctor, to act formally, and promising the best of the bests. He also had a good heart to help others, unlike the other royal families. Mawdo was a thinker that led to not make mistakes, because he was afraid of his mother, and she was very strict between royal and lower class. There were some things that he could not do by his will like, meeting a girlfriend, playing with street boys, and expressing his ideas. Since he grew up being subjugated to his mother, in the book he could not oppose her order and had to marry young Nabou.
Javier Lopez
ResponderEliminarAll Quiet on The Western Front
Paul Baumer
Paul would have been a normal boy in his childhood with no family problems. Even though he has no family problems, he and his mom were attached, but they weren't demonstrative of their love. He had many friends which he loved and spent his childhood with. He probably had a rough time when he was taken to war because he was taken very young, but he had no problems when he was a small kid. He loves his sister and his mother very much but doesn't show it and protects them very much.
Something that affected Paul was going to war at such a young age. He repeats many times throughout the novel that his life was taken away from him. Also, he doesn't show his mom much love, because when he was a child they weren't very demonstrative of their love. Due to this way of being with his mother, in the war when Kemmerich died he didn't have the same affection towards him as I would if one of my friends died.
Daniela Rodriguez
ResponderEliminarMrs. Gracesqui
World Literature
23 August 2013
One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich
Shukov
I wake up one day and I am amazed of the lack of fortune I have had in my life. Coming from a not wealthy family, education has not been part of my childhood. I have had little experience on literature, and rarely spent time with my family. As a Russian living in the nineteenth century affection between citizens is hardly seen. Between all of this chaos and violence in my opinion, anyone could change from living thrilled waking up every morning to going to sleep at night all depressed.
I am now a grown man and I realize that I have been either using my heart less or I have simply become a heartless Russian. Present day I am a prisoner living miserably. I lack food, clothing, company, and a home. I could go days telling you everything I am lacking. Unfortunately, one thing that has made the greatest impact on my life was the fact that I have had to distance myself from my family. It has come to the stage where I have prohibited my wife from sending me stuff to the camp. All I have in life right now is my home. My family is the reason why I look forward to finishing my years in this camp, other than that there is nothing else for me.
Jarnes Mustafa
ResponderEliminarA Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Tyurin
The foreman of Gang 104, Tyurin, is a cold hearted and strict leader in the gang who has spend many years in the work camp, because he was sent unjustly to the camp for being the son of a farmer who didn't agree to let the government take his farm. Now the reasons behind his strict leadership are related to his past as a child:
Tyurin was always a child that other kids always looked upon him. He was always an extremely influential youngster, who would always think of his decisions before the did anything, although his main problem as a leader was that he never agreed to follow rules. He always decided to make plans and decisions his own way, no matter what others would say. As the son of a young farmer, he was always told to take responsibility of the cattle. One day as he was with one of his fellow Russian friends, he decided to ignore his father's order and decided to ditch his job to play with some friends, as the young kid he is, he isn't going to be incredibly wise about his decisions. When he decides to search in the woods, he encountered a pack of wild Tibetan wolves about 2 kilometers away from his farm. Him and his friend ran away from the wolves as fast as they could, but the heavy snow, and the short legs were no match for the hunters the Tibetan wolves are. Soon a wolf jumped and slashed his friend causing him to fall. Shortly after, his friend was being devoured as Tyurin sprinted out of there. Living with the constant guilt of disobeying his father caused him the death of his friend.
The incident affected him as he learned to follow orders and avoid problems when they are not needed. For this reason he's seen as a cold-hearted, but diligent camp worker. He learned to be wise about his decisions and to never take things too easy.
Marcos Bisono
ResponderEliminarOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Ivan
Ivan throughout the story is a very humble and working man. He is a prisoner accused of being a spy and charged with treason.
When Ivan was six year old his father would give him one ruble (Russian currency) per week. After two years of saving the money his father gave him he had about 95 rubles. He saw a pedal car he liked a lot and he was determined to have it. Ivan started working towards his goal. He put up a lemonade stall and started selling lemonade at 0.10 rubles per glass. After selling lemonade for five weeks he put his earnings and saving together, he had roughly one hundred and fifty rubles. The pedal car was one hundred and forty five rubles, Ivan had enough to buy the pedal car and save five of his earnings. He learned how working hard he can get what he want.
Of the work Ivan was put through to get his toy he became the worker he is now. Thanks for the ambition to get what he wanted he became passionate about anything he does in life. Everything he does he does it right and how is needs to be done.
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminarJoan Manuel Reyes
ResponderEliminarSo long a letter by Mariama Bâ
Character chosen: Ramatoulaye
In the book So long a letter, Ramatoulaye is a very passive and respectful character. Her husband’s family used to follow the Muslim tradition of polygamy but she always thought that this was not right. Ramatoulaye struggled a lot because she wanted the African women rights to be respected. Even though she didn’t like some decisions that her husband took, she always honored him. When Modou died she was very sad. Throughout the story Ramatoulaye is dealing with an internal suffering that she never shows with her actions; Aissatou is the only one that knows about her feelings because of the letter that Ramatoulaye is addressing to her.
Throughout the story the character of Ramatoulaye gives a clue of how she would have been as a child. She lived her childhood close to her family. Ramatoulaye was the eldest of three daughters. Her family was very united and they had a good relationship with one another. Ramatoulaye had the privilege to attend to a private school called a Senegal school. She was a very intelligent girl that worked hard to get what she wanted; She was very friendly and a peaceful-maker. Since she was a kid she started to notice the difference of how men were treated versus how women were treated; she would have liked the women to be appreciated and be important like men. Even thou there where bad things she had to face, her family was always there supporting her. The time passed by and she was an adult. Then, she meets a wealthy man named Modou and a little later they got married.
All this characteristics of Ramatoulaye and the environment that she grew up in is what makes her be the character that she represents in the novel. One important thing is that no matter the circumstances, her family was always first. The attitude of Ramatoulaye affected her character throughout the story because besides all the problems she had, she could always support her family and take care of them.
Jose Lorenzo Fermin
ResponderEliminarAll Quiet on the Western Front: Erich Maria Remarques
Paul Baumer
World War I was a war filled with propaganda. A childhood like Paul’s was a time where becoming a soldier was a patriotic action. People like Kantorek, his teacher, influenced children like Paul to become soldiers. War was not filmed and people couldn’t see the horrors of it. It wasn’t until people like Paul join the army to see just how different it was to civilian life. Paul’s childhood is different to todays childhood. Children have a sense of what the world is really like. At the time, Paul believed that war was a perfect place. Paul as a child was in a world created for the purpose of joining the war, being a child, he believed everything that was said to him. Being around in that environment made Paul a soldier a such a young age, losing his mother, his siter, and his friends.
BONUS:
This incident affected Paul throughout the novel because he becomes someone without sentiment due to the traumatizing effects war has on an individual. Also, he no longer can relate to people who have not seen war. The death of his friend Kemmerich made him loses his sentiment over people and even his own life.
Response 1
ResponderEliminarCarlos Gomez
The book I chose is One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and the character I will analyze is Alyoshka the Baptist.
Alyoshka is one of the members in the same cabin as Shukhov. Alyoshka strongly believes in God and is always reading his Bible when he is in the cabin. He rebukes Shukhov many times because Shukhov does not pray sometimes. Alyoshka is a very devoted Christian but he was not always like this. When he was a teenager, he went through an event that changed his life completely.
When he was a teenager, Alyoshka only cared about things in this world. He loved going out with friends and drinking. He would always spend time with his friends doing all the crazy things teenagers do at that age. Alyoshka had heard of God before but had decided that he did not need him in his life. So he continued to do many immoral things. However, one day him and his friends were involved in a violent murder in a local bar. They were drinking as always when a drunken man entered with a shotgun and started killing people. The man killed Alyoshka’s friends because they tried to stop him. Alyoshka was really scared so he jumped over the counter and hid behind it. While he was here, the drunken man had already killed everyone and was looking for anyone who survived. Alyoshka was desperate and did not know what to do so he started praying out of fear. He asked God to forgive him for rejecting him so much and that if he could survive, he would dedicate his life to God. When he was done praying, everything was quiet so he stood up and saw that the drunken man had committed suicide. Alyoshka was relieved and went to the drunken man to remove the shotgun. Just as he was picking the gun up, a police officer saw the scene and immediately thought the murderer had be Alyoshka because he had the gun. Alyoshka tried to explain his innocence but the officer did not believe him. After some trials and interrogations, Alyoshka was declared guilty and put in the camp where he met Shukhov. Just before he was put in the camp, he remembered what he had pray the day of the shooting in the bar. So he bought a Bible and sneaked it in to the camp.
This event in Alyoshka life shows why he is the devoted Christian he is. He dedicated his life to God because of the prayer he did on the day of the event. He continued to pray and worship God even while in prison. He started praying and reading the Bible everyday. He would even try to share the good news and about God to the members of his own cabin. Alyoshka was always getting mad at Shukhov because Shukhov would sometimes forget to pray. So Alyoshka was always reminding him to pray. Alyoshka treasure his Bible so much that he had to hide it in a secret opening in the wall. It was because of the event in the bar that Alyoshka is the Christian he is.
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminarMaria Jose Ulloa
ResponderEliminarOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Character: Volkovoi
It was a Saturday morning. 7-year-old Volkovoi had just woke up and headed straight to the kitchen to get some breakfast. On his way, he encountered with his dad, Valkhing. Valkhing was lying on the living room sofa terribly drunk. As soon as he felt Volkovoi walking, he grabbed his empty bottle of rum, threw it at him and started cursing. Volkovoi now had an immense cut on his leg and had to run away from his dad and walk to the hospital. When he came home, his mother was waiting for him. She was a sex-addict. Volkovoi was sexually abused by her and this time it happened again. Volkovoi suffered a lot during this stage of his life.
As time passed and events like these regularly happened, Volkovoi became traumatized. All the abuse and violence he experienced transformed him into an aggressive person. He hated having such a dysfunctional family, but one day he thought of a solution. He went to his father’s bedside table, opened the drawer and grabbed a gun. Then, he walked down the stairs with it in hand and tears coming down from his eyes. He was tired of his parents and could not handle the situation anymore. As he walked down he saw his parents screaming at each other and fighting. He was determined to kill them. He raised his gun, aimed at his dad and pulled the trigger three times. Valkhing immediately fell on the floor. His mother was shocked and didn’t know what to do. She just stood there. Volkovoi then aimed at her and without thinking twice killed her with a bullet right in her forehead. Afterwards, he ran away from the city and no one knew where he was until he appeared 15 years later.
All this violence that occurred in his home led him to be the person he was in the novel. He became merciless and cruel. Prisoners and even guards feared him. He punished people for things they did not deserve,hit them with whips and yelled at them. He basically imitated what he saw at home when he was a child. Childhood is a critical period in everyone’s life. It is incredible how negative events in this period can affect the development and character of a person.
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminarNashly Nunez
ResponderEliminarThe House of Spirits
Character: Clara Trueba
Clara was born to Severo and Nieve. She is a psychic. Clara was brought up to believe in fate and how it can control the way you live. She believed that if fate had willed it, then it needed to happen. Clara lived to help animals and to be around them. Her psychic abilities allow her to help her family and to solve problems. She enjoyed spending time outside with nature. She felt connected to nature. Her connection allows animals to come to her and feel connected to her dead or alive. She was pure and innocent and believes in justice. She can interpret dreams and tell people the future. Clara helps her family solve problems. She is the reason her family is still together.
Bonus: Clara’s childhood impacted her life greatly. Her psychic abilities continued to grow. She helped her family overcome many situations. Clara’s belief in fate helped her believe she was destined to marry Esteban Trueba. She stayed with him through his temper and even when he hit her. Her strong belief for justice and compassion forced her to punish him by never speaking to him and her compassion forced her to stay with him. Clara lived peacefully with Esteban and let him die in peace. She punished him by giving him the silent treatment.
Karla Abreu
ResponderEliminarThe House of the Spirits
Characters: Esteban Trueba
Esteban was born into Trueba family. His parents were rich . He grew up not missing anything. He had everything he needed but not everything he wanted. He lacked love from his parents. Although they were rich and they bought him all the material things, he didn’t receive love from his family. They were cold. His parents did not have much contact with him. They were concerned about making money and keeping their wealth. Esteban looked for love in the workers of the house and found none. The house workers were given orders to not have contact with him, to not show him affection. Esteban found comfort in looking for material things. He found comfort in hurting animals and hurting things that were smaller than him. He grew up wanting to have power and being in control. He liked to be able to control what was going on around him. He did not have anyone to talk to. He had a violent and uncontrollable temper. Many times he would take his temper out on the people around him.
Bonus: Esteban’s childhood impacted his lifestyle as an adult in the book. He continued to seek wealth and riches. His life revolved around material things. He became rich. He continued to be mean was a violent man. He didn’t respect anyone. He treats the Native Americans with disrespect and racism. His childhood made him who he was as an adult. The lack of love from his family and from the servants made him a cold-hearted violent man who only cared about himself.
Suah An
ResponderEliminarAll Quite on the Western Front
Character: Paul Bäumer
Paul was growing up in the small town. Ever since Paul was a kid, he was unsophisticated person. He likes to hang out with his friends, Katczinsky, Albert, and Müller, also he maintains good relationship with them. In the school, he was a good student who likes to read and write a book and has responsibility to his work, so all the teachers really liked Paul. Also Paul was a lovely son to his parents and his sister. Sometimes he tells a joke to his parent to cheer them up and he was a good friend to his family.
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminarRandy Dominguez
ResponderEliminarOne Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
Character: Alyoshka the Baptist
Growing up Alyoshka had things going for himself. He would always read the bible, keep his faith with God, and be overall humble with everyone. He obeyed his parents strongly and was a great child. His childhood was a rather challenging one because he would always be busy with church and school. Luckily, Alyoshka found comfort in Jesus Christ. Alyoshka always had a strong connection with God. One time, Alyoshka was reading the bible outside from his bench. Someone approached Alyoshka and seemed fairly surprised. The guy told Alyoshka how rare it was to see someone reading the word of God at such a young age. Alyoshka immediately felt blessed once he heard those extraordinary words from that mysterious guy. Alyoshka felt as if God sent that person to remind him that he is a son of God. From that point on, Alyoshka tried to spread the word of God to people across his neighborhood with the approval of his parents. Luckily, he got a few to actually take time and listen to him. Throughout the novel we see Alyoshka constantly praying in prison for himself and the others. Alyoshka feels if God is always by his side, he doesn't have to worry about suffering.
ResponderEliminarIna Yoo
One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich – Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Buynovsky
Buynovsky lived in a family, which no one gives him attention. He had family of course. Even though he had a family as the others, they didn’t care. His parents were always busy. They didn’t care if he told them something or if he did something. They didn’t even know if he got a hundred points in his test. He was lonely everyday. He wanted his parents’ attention. He wanted their interest. Since he didn’t have any interest from their parents, he was always alone and he was lonely. But from that, he was already matured. He knew how to live alone. He learned how to be an adult. But he was still lonely. Even though he was lonely, he lived alone. He did everything by him self. That’s why we see Buynovsky in the prison as someone who doesn’t know how to speak well and someone very strict. He doesn’t know how to interact with people. He doesn’t know how to talk to the others, he doesn’t know how to treat others, and he doesn’t know how to live with others. He just acts as how he grew up. Lonely.
Rosia Bermudez
ResponderEliminarOne day in the life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Character: Ivan Denisovich
In the novel One day in the life o f Ivan Denisovich, the character I picked was Ivan. I believe his childhood would have been a rough path. Throughout out the novel we can see how he is very good dealing with any situation. Ivan came from a family who lost everything and in that time he had to decide whether to give up or to start fighting and working for what he wants in his life. It shows how no matter how hard the situation is he has to work hard if he wants to be able to succeed. In his childhood he would have been a boy who faces a lot of problems dealing especially with education. It shows how the past has helped him get to where he is know. he has learned how to keep everything in secret and quite. He learned because of his childhood in order to get what you want you must fight for it.
Gabriel Fernandez
ResponderEliminarAll Quiet on the Western Front
Character: Himmelstoss
Dear Diary,
I walk down the street after school. I am super excited because today it is my turn to get the eggs out of the chicken coup. As I walked, I sang the tune from my tuba piece. Since I was so focused on my humming, I did not realize that the local bullies were following me. I rounded a corner and was pulled back by my collar until I was on the ground. The bullies stood around me and mocked me. They kicked me and spat at me. They through my books on the ground and laughed before leaving me alone with a heap of books thrown all around. I cried as I ran home. People always bullied me because of my position, as a poor farmer's son. If ever I were to be of a higher status, those who bullied me, would learn their lesson.
Bonus: As Himmelstoss grew up, this grudge of people abusing him as a child grew along with him. He would find himself in a position where he was given authority over people, as a drill sergeant. The scars from his childhood bullying experience caused him to treat soldiers, such as Paul, Kropp and Kat, unfairly.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
ResponderEliminarChosen Character: Paul Baumer
Pauul Baumer is a German boy who is convinced, together with his high school friends, to enlist in the army. The boys were to fight in the World War One defending their country. During the war Paul had to face many deaths and states that “[He is] young, [he is] twenty years old; yet [he knows] nothing of life but, despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow” which demonstrates his attitude towards life during war (Remarque 263). With only twenty years of age Paul expresses himself as if he were forty years old, with more experience of hurt than any average young adult.
Paul, as a kid, was always told to be a soldier. Sometimes he even tried talking to soldiers whenever he saw one, but they always tried to avoid questions about war, or any of their duties as a soldier. Paul never understood their attitude, yet he kept thinking about being a soldier. His father was not a fan of Paul liking the soldier-fighting-and-going-to-war thing, he was more of a be-a-lawyer person. One day Paul asked his father and mother their thoughts about enlisting in the army. His mother was proud of his decision and assured him that no matter what she would always love him. In the other hand, his father ignored him and changed the topic. Paul was really affected by this that he left the house and ran to his friends and talked to them about enlisting. The next day their teacher talked to them and they were finally convinced. A few months later it was time for Paul and his friends to leave. That same morning Paul’s sister and mother were ready to take him to the train station when Paul saw his father had a heart attack. Paul had to leave his dad in that situation since he was a young adult and had made a decision and could not stand up to his friends. That marked Paul for the rest of his life, especially during the war. Standing up for the man who gave him everything he had was the toughest decision he ever made. It affected Paul so much that when his friend of a lifetime, Franz Kemmerich, died, he acted as if they met a week before.
Paul had to experience a lot of tough things that his incident with his dad had helped him a lot. Walking over dead bodies, thinking about killing some of his team members in order for their suffering to stop, and more. When Paul started forgetting about the incident he created a great bond with Kat. He got his seventeen-day vacation and went back home and saw his father alive. His father was not happy as he should have been but Paul was. Paul saw his mother with cancer and he had another problem to add to his life. He lied about the harshness of the front and after the seventeen days was back in the game. During an attack Kat got shot in the leg and he tried to help him. He carried him all the way to the camp and when he got there he noticed that he got shot in the head meanwhile he was running. Paul went back to the same thoughts as if it was the day his father had the heart attack. Until he died “in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still…his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come” without a friend near him, just the memories of his fathers heart attack and the death of all his friends (Remarque 296).
Camila Hahn
ResponderEliminarThe chosen book for the summer reading is All Quiet In The Western Front by Erich Remarque and the character being analyzed is Stanislaus Katczinsky.
Each person has a way of thinking and acting, and most times these actions have an explanation. For instance, Katczinsky was known as the smartest of them all. His sixth sense identified him. He had the ability to find necessities, such as food, in the toughest places. This soldier saved his comrades countless times putting his talent into action, and because of it, he was well recognized. However, he did not simply develop these tactics out of nowhere; these have an explanation and source.
Family and hard work were the things that surrounded young Katczinsky’s home. His father was a hard worker. He left his house at sunrise and arrived at sundown. His mother stayed home and educated Katczinksy. However, the most important lesson he learned was off his class schedule. Kat excitedly welcomed his father everyday as he arrived home after a long day of work. He noticed that his father always walked with the same three characteristics: He looked exhausted, yet he had a genuine smile planted on his face, and he held a bag of food. One day curious Kat decided to question his father about what he had noticed.
“Father,” said young Kat, “why is it that you always walk in this house exhausted? Can you not work less?”
His father, with the smile still planted on his face, answered the following way: “I’m not exhausted from my work fixing shoes, my son. After I leave my job, I have a much more important task. I must be able to walk through that door holding a bag of food to feed my family. It does not matter where I must go, how exhausted I am, or how difficult it is. Yes, most times I feel worn out at the end of the day, however, the feeling of being able to walk in with the necessities of my family is a much stronger feeling than exhaustion.”
Those words were planted as a seed in Kat’s brain and not long after started to grow. As he grew, he became passionate as his father and not only towards his family, but towards all loved ones. After accompanying his father for many years, he mastered the art of dedication. Additionally, he comprehended the most important tactic, which was patience, making him as good as his father. Katczinksy was a hard and dedicated worker making him able to accomplish all the tasks he desired with excellence.
Alexandra Rodriguez
ResponderEliminarOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Ivan denisovich
It was a typical cold winter day in Russia and in the Denisovich household everyone about to wake up for early work. Today Pa was going off for duty in the force and Ma was up early with him making sure he was well-nourished and good to go before it. Ivan their only son was up even before them working on a little job Pa put him to do a few weeks before, and he wanted to make him proud before he left. Ivan had great admiration of his dad and loved to brag tang his father was in the force. Before pa took off he went to say bye to Ivan and found him working intently putting the cement on the blocks for the new room in. Their house. Pa proudly says ' you do it just like your old man right here. Us Russians always do it better, you keep on doing that'. Ivan doesn't even make a flinch as if he hadn't heard anything, as he puts the last chunk of mortar places slowly but firmly the block on the wall with a smirk of accomplishment. Ivan turns and runs to his father and says in his ear " just like you daddy, ima be just like you'. They give each other a tight hug and Pa leaves. Ivan runs to the side of Ma and watch him off together. From there on Ivan never saw his father again and as the years passes by the more anxious he got to join the force and to make his dad proud wherever he was.
In the novel Ivan doesn't like to show much affection for anyone ever since he lost his dad. He has never wanted to get attached to anyone again so he doesn't have to go through the pain of not seeing them again. He just keeps his mind concentrated on whatever he's assigned on and do his best.
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ResponderEliminar-Charles Medina -One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich -Alyosha the Baptist -At the age of 14, Alyosha had just gotten into becoming a christian. As he saw the sufferings going around him in the slums of Russia, he saw the light that Christianity had on his fellow classmates. As he accepted Christ, his family kicked him out of his home, embarrassed by the choice their son had made.He was forced onto to streets as a mere teenager. Face with bad choices and alcohol, his family had just doomed his life. This event was what marked his fate in the prisoner labor camp, as he had no family support.Prior to his imprisonment, he still followed his christian life and decided that preaching in a prison where there would be no shame/consequences, would be the best place to spend his life.Even at the prison, he was actually "happy to be there" and "enjoyed what he did". -This childhood incident led him to follow Christ on his own, and made him open his eyes to the ones in more need of Christ, which would be those of the prison camp, where he enjoyed staying at.
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ResponderEliminarMagdaline Hurtado
EliminarSo Long a Letter- Mariama Bâ
Ramatoulaye
As she walked the streets of town, on that hot summer night, all Ramatoulaye could only think of was why young females, like herself, and woman were treated differently than men. She understood that the men are always the head of the home and so on, like her father but there was still something wrong. "I want to be the one in control of my own life when I become an adult. I want to make my own decisions," she said to herself. She was an extremely independent, bright, and hardworking child, always helping her mother around the house but she wanted more for herself. Ramatoulaye had always dreamed of a home for her future children to be just like hers but she had to be the one to take control and make sure it happened. There had to be a way of getting here.
This incident that happened to Ramatoulaye was the moment she decided what she wanted for herself as she grew up and became an adult. Things might have no gone as planned with her former husband, Modou, but she sure did build a strong character for herself through her independence and personality at such a young age.
Michael Jeon
ResponderEliminarOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Ivan 'Shukhov' Denisovich
It was a bright cold day when Ivan was coming home from church with his family. Young and active as Ivan was, he skits along the dirt path while his father watches him with a smile every father can give to his beloved son. Ivan thinks of an idea to play hide and seek and asks his dad to play with him. Mr. Denisovich, as loving and caring he is, drops his wife's hand and starts counting while Ivan runs and finds a hiding spot. As Ivan was running to the woods not too far from the pathway, he feels this shivering cold breeze that feels a bit odd for his senses.
'It's only late summer,' Ivan thought. 'Oh well, dad's almost finished!'
Ivan chose his spot in the woods and hid. The cold odd breeze struck him again, until he notices his father walking towards him.
His face was all sad, and he looked as if he was recently in a struggle. Bruises and cuts in his faces.
Ivan runs to him and asks what happens, only to hear the footsteps of his father walking deeper into the woods.
He turns around and tells Ivan, "I'm sorry Ivan. You're going to be alone."
Right after, Ivan wakes up, noticing he is a prisoner, a prisoner of happiness and bliss.
This nightmare of Ivan depicts his youth on how it may have been like. It shows how he used to pray and be carefree with his joyful time passing by. Until his father leaves and tells him he's going to be alone, that scene points out as a forerunner to Ivan's separation of his wife, and his hate towards God while being a prisoner in the gulag. Although Ivan had fellow inmates, he is a prisoner from happiness and has to escape it to chase happiness.
Laura Asencio
ResponderEliminarHouse of the Spirits
Esteban Garcia
Esteban Garcia was very young when he began to work for the Trueba's. He knew that if he did not do something his life will always be like that. He was born with vengeance in his heart because of what Esteban Trueba did to his grandmother Pancha. She was the first women that Esteban Trueba raped in Tres Marias and left her pregnant, though he did not recognize him as his child. Esteban Garcia had to work every day from dawn to dusk. They barely had enough to eat because of what they got paid. He woke up every morning and saw Esteban with his little granddaughter Alba holding hands and walking around. He hated this girl because he knew that he would never achieve their social position. He hated his life because he knew that he would always have to work for them. This little girl did not know how much hatred Esteban Garcia had on her because she was just a little innocent girl who walked carelessly around. When Esteban Garcia had is chance to avenge his grandmother, he would take it. He dreamt of ways that he would avenge his grandmother and in many occasions had a chance to prank Alba, but he never had the courage to do so. This was until one day he became a man and changed, sadly he changed for bad.
This event affected Esteban Garcia throughout the novel because when he got older he asked Esteban Trueba if he would recommend him to the police and he agreed to do so because he thought he could use a friend in the police, without realizing that this would be a mistake in the future. Later on when he visited the Trueba’s home in the city he started by kissing Alba with an excuse that is was her birthday gift, but later on when he had more power than Esteban Trueba, he sent his men to look for her. They brought her to a concentration camp where he tortured and raped her. His excuse was that he wanted to know where Miguel was, but what he really had in mind was vengeance.
Mabelle Sanchez
ResponderEliminarHouse of the Spirits
Nana
Lina, Nana's mom, met a peasant, Manuel, who work as a gardener at the house of the Santos where she fell in love with him. She then began working for the Santos as a housekeeper and cook. After two years of working Manuel married Lina, they had a child, and called her Nana. Nana was taken cared by the Santos until she was 3 because Lina had to leave to see her mom who was dying. When Lina arrived Nana started working with her mom at the house. From a very young age she would fix the beds and organize the room of Mrs, Santos children. When she would go organize the toys she would play with them before putting them where they belonged. She always wanted to be part of the Santos family but they never accepted her or loved her. When she got older she decided to move to study nursing but at that time women weren't aloud to become nurses. She then found some on to teach her.She secretly started learning and knew everything about nursing. When she left to find a job she decided to work as a housekeeper and a nurse in a household . She called her mom to ask if there were any family who wanted a housekeeper and decided to worker for the Del Valle family. She met Severo and Nivea who was pregnant with her 2 baby. There she decided to stay util their death because they loved her and treated her like family.
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ResponderEliminarCarmen A. Perez
ResponderEliminarOne Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich
Character: Alyoshka the Baptist
It was a normal cold day in Russia when Alyoshka woke up. He went downstairs to have some breakfast before starting of his day. He went down and said good morning to Pa and Ma! They will always read devotion every morning during breakfast. Alyoshka had accepted Christ since he was a small kid, he lived in a Christian home and was educated with Christian beliefs and morals. He would always be busy with school but he never forgot to read his bible and to spend sometime with Jesus Christ. But his life wasn't as good as it seemed, one day his mom passed away form a heart attack and Alyoshka was dealing with a lot of problems and questions through his head. In this time was the time he really devoted his life to Christ and he filled that missing place in his heart with the word and love of God. He was a really obedient and good child who was always devoted to Christ, where difficult situations in his life instead of bringing him apart from God it brought him closer to Him. He learned how to deal with his problems looking for answers through Christ, which made him strong to overcome these situations.
His education, morals and spiritual life have helped him a lot throughout his life in the novel. His religious views, as a Baptist is the reason why he is in prison. It is impressive to see throughout the novel how he shows how devoted he is to Christ; he even takes the risk to be caught with the little book where he wrote the New Testament. Another thing that is very impressive to see is how he is happy to be in prison and to have the time to think about God. You can also see the difference in character between Alyoshka and the other prisoners, how he shows his morals without being dishonest and how he helps others around him. He has been able to survive prison because of his amazing attitude and his beliefs about God.
Emely Taveras
ResponderEliminarOne Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Alyoshka the Baptist
It was a very cold morning when Alyoshka, at the age of 10, discovered what will define his beliefs, he discovered Jesus. His grandmother, a Baptist, always wanted his grandson to be part of the Church she assisted and she took him with her one day. In a very cold but sunny Sunday, Alyoshka was walking to Church holding his grandmother's hand. Going to Church was something he wasn't use to but he trusted his grandmother, nothing wrong will happen nor a bad thing he'll see. His parents assisted once in a while to a catholic church and he never understood what the priest said during the service. His grandmother told him to pay attention to what the pastor said because it was a very important message. The pastor came out and all the attention was on him. Alyoshka was very curious and listened to every detail but he felt that there was a piece missing. At the church he normally goes with his parents they would make specific prayers and signs, like rituals, but that didn't happened. The pastor was talking a lot about some Jesus but, where was Mary? Why not pray to her?
After the service, Alyoshka's grandmother introduced her grandson to the pastor. Alyoshka wanted to ask him various questions and he didn't bother to hide his curiosity. The pastor knew this kid wanted to ask and that he could answer the questions. Alyoshka asked about Jesus and the pastor was delighted with this kid. This day is memorable in Alyoshka's mind because he started to build his faith on hard stone and it will never be destroyed. Even when he was going through the hardest moments of his life, on a camp, he believed in Jesus and prayed all the time. Nothing would stop him from believing nor from preaching the Gospels and helping others grow in their spiritual life.
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ResponderEliminarElvis Sahad, "One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The Character used for this response is Tsezar Markovich.
ResponderEliminarTsezar Markovish, descendant of a great warrior honored by everyone and known by his loyalty and braveness.
His family, known by everyone in the world because of its integrants and loved by its past, since young,
Tsezar was that kind of person who obtains all he wants and wants all he doesn't have. His family lived in Moscow and were of many resources. By the time Tsezar had fourteen years old, not many of the other guys knew he was part of a rich and famous family, he was shy in public and considered to be the isolated guy, seen by everyone but known by no one. Tsezar continued to be this child until the day of one of the biggest and most important celebrations in Moscow, were important and rich families were honored.
Everyone used to assist to this celebration, nothing was different until everyone discovered that this guy was part of
one of the most rich families in Moscow. Since that day, everyone wanted to meet Tsezar, not because of him, but because of
the money his family had. He started to notice that money was granting him the only thing he couldn't ask for, money made him
feel bigger than others, he loved to make others envy because of his money. This man always tried to be known, not because of his family,but because of his acts, to be envied not because of his money nor his name, but because of his actions. As a man, Tsezar always wants to be different than others, to be higger and special, to be treated different. He always seeks to be the person envied by everyone even in prison. The only thing that can satisfy him is the envy others have towards him. He thinks that others' envy is the only thing that can keep him away from being the child he once was.
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ResponderEliminarMarlene Rodriguez
ResponderEliminarThe title of my novel is All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque. The adult character I will be focusing on is Corporal Himmelstoss.
Himmelstoss had been a victim of the social ladder his whole life. As a child he had to suffer the consequences of and alcoholic father. Mr Himmelstoss used all his money to buy beer and cigarretes, leaving Himmelstoss, as the eldest, to take care of his mom and five other children. He started to work at 9 years of age at the only place he was accepted, picking up garbage at the Pub. He could not handle the work and school, so he dropped out and looked for a full time job as the janitor in a restaurant. Once, when he was cleaning up the remains of a plate from the floor, his boss, Mr. Hartmann, yelled at him because he was not holding the broom the way he wanted him too. He slapped young Himmelstoss' face in front of all the employees and threw trash on the floor just to make him work more. Poor Himmelstoss did as he had to and swept the trash. After all, he needed the job in order for his mom and siblings to survive. He grew bitter from all the work and the abuse he had to put up with, but he had no other choice. He knew he was not strong enough to stand up to Mr. Hartmann, but one thing he thought was that one day he would be a boss and the tables would be turned. He would not be abused then.