Thursday, March 25, 2010

Black and White

I think that this book pays tribute to many true life experiences. The one that stuck out the most to me was that of loyalty and dependability (or lack of) in a friendship. Best friends, in my opinion, should treat each other with respect and understanding. In this novel, Marcus shows Eddie true friendship by refusing to turn him into authorities, even when it could help Marcus out with his own case. Marcus also tries to understand Eddie’s thoughts and feelings and doesn’t get truly angry at him for looking after only himself. Eddie, however, does not return the favor to Marcus. Eddie does not act like a good friend, or even a decent human being, even though Marcus is acting exactly how a best friend should act. I know that this situation happens all the time with friends. It does not necessarily under the same circumstances, but it still happens.
The book also discusses issues that have to do with race. I think that it does a pretty good job of explaining a realistic point of view. Marcus definitely has worse luck than Eddie in this book, but it is not because he is black and I don’t think the author wants the audience to believe that Marcus’ race led to his bad fortune. His race, however, was a big deal because the book described how blacks generally had different fates than whites in the court system. Marcus, who is black, could not make bail right away and had to go to Rikers. Eddie, who is white, immediately made bail and never set foot in a cell. When Marcus was in Rikers for a short period of time he noticed that it was mainly blacks and no whites.
Monetary differences were also discussed in this book. Eddie’s family had enough money to hire a good lawyer and (at the close of the book) Eddie did not have to go to trial. Marcus’ family did not have enough money to hire a lawyer, so he had to work with a state appointed lawyer. He never had a trial, but that is only because he took a guilty plea. I believe this must happen all the time in real life. I would imagine that many innocent people go to jail for crimes they didn’t commit because they didn’t have the money to hire a good lawyer. I also strongly believe that many guilty people walk free because they have the money to hire a good lawyer.
I definitely think that this book is very realistic. I would recommend it to kids because I think it touches base with many things kids are dealing with in life. I also think they would be able to learn from this book. I definitely enjoyed it and would read the sequel if he were to write one.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Thompson

Children are very different from adults. Since a child’s brain is still developing much more rapidly than an adult’s brain, it is important that children’s literature be written in a way that children can comprehend and learn from. The Thompson article discusses differences in writing styles in children and adult literature, fiction and nonfiction. Children’s brains are not nearly as developed as adult’s brains, so they need literature that caters to their level of intelligence.
Many children’s books are written from the point of view of another child character. I think that this is important because it makes the novel easy for a child to identify with. When a story is narrated by a child, the child reader is more likely to empathize and care about the narrator. The child also can relate to the narrator’s thoughts, feelings, and opinions. When narrated by a child, the writer also can write the book in a simple language. The child narrator (who ideally should be the same age as the targeted audience) will have a vocabulary similar to that of the reader. This is good because “scary”, “big” words will not intimidate a young reader from reading.
The Thompson article also addressed specific words and phrases being repeated over and over again. I believe that this is done intentionally in children’s literature. Children are young and do not have a full vocabulary yet. The repeated use of words and phrases helps them to familiarize with what words and phrases mean. They also serve as context clues. If there is a tricky word in the story, the young reader can check the familiar words and phrases around the odd word and figure out what it means. These easier words are also good because they encourage the reader to continue reading. If the young reader were to read something that made no sense to them and they were constantly looking up words in the dictionary, they probably would eventually stop reading.
It was also noted in the Thompson article that there is much more fictional children’s literature than nonfictional. This does not surprise me at all. Children are full of imagination and are constantly finding ways to make games and have fun. Children also have a short attention span. In order to keep their interest, children’s writers must use their own imaginations as well. Harry Potter and Twilight are two best sellers. They both are full of creativity and create a whole new world for young readers to imagine. I know that as a very young child, all the way through high school, even now, I have always preferred fiction.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

My favorite fairy tale is the Disney movie “Beauty and the Beast”. I love this movie; it has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. I think that it also has a great meaning to it. Belle refuses to marry the most attractive man in the city because he is mean and rude. Everyone is astounded that she rejects him because he is the most “popular” guy in the city. Belle ends up falling in love with the beast, even though he is very ugly and hated. This teaches children that looks are not the most important thing. I know all of this now because I am able to analyze the fairy tale. When I was younger, however, I think I just loved the movie!
I think most of the popular Disney fairy tales impacted my childhood because I was always watching the movies. I loved watching them with my younger sister and brother. I remember watching “The Swan Princess” and each of us acting out a different character (I was always John Bob, the French frog). I think that these movies were very important to my childhood because they helped to fuel my imagination. For example, my favorite part of “Beauty and the Beast” is (and always has been) when all the plates and silverware and furniture rush around to make dinner. I do not think I was very impressed by the princesses, but more by the magic in the stories.
The tale I remember the most vividly is not a classic or even one that anyone will know. My family goes to Cashiers, North Carolina every Thanksgiving for a big reunion. Many years ago while we were up there in the mountains, there was a huge storm and the power went out. As hours went by, it got colder and darker in the house. All the cousins began getting antsy and bored, so my Uncle Bill took us all into a room and told us the story of the “Fagan Brothers”. The “Fagan Brothers” tale is now repeated each Thanksgiving at our reunion… and each year it gets more and more elaborate (and ridiculous). My Uncle Bill completely made up the story off the top of his head, but it is one of the most memorable fairy tales from my childhood.
Another factor of fairy tales that has affected me is, of course, the music! Disney music is one favorite things in the world. In fact, I am listening to “The Little Mermaid” as I write this blog. I think that Disney music is so great because it is loved and known by so many people. I still listen to it all the time and I know many of my friends listen to it too. It calms me down when I am stressed out (so I have recently been listening to it all time!). For this reason, these fairy tales did not just affect my childhood, but continue to affect me, even now!