Leias’ English Blog

 Today in class we learned about direct and indirect characterization. We learned that direct characterization is when the author tells us about the character and indirect characterizations is when the author tells us about the character used Steal. We also finished reading the story the rockpile which ended on a cliffhanger. It was really interesting. 

 In class today we started reading a story called The Rockpile. So far in the story, the rockpile is a dangerous place where boys fight. A boy named Richard drowned in the river where they swim in the summer. Roy and John sit at the fire escape and knew they weren’t allowed down at the rockpile. Roy saw some of his friends and decided to go. He ended up getting hit with a van and got injured. The mother and John were both afraid of the father who is a pastor which is why the mother hopes the scare doesn’t stay. This story is interesting to me and I look forward to reading it tomorrow. 

 In the beginning of class we took a test on all the Langston Hughes poems we read and annotated in class. I believe I got a good score on the test and hopefully an A. While I was writing this I received my grade and I received a 92 which is pretty good in my opinion. I really enjoyed reading these poems. I feel like these blogs help me remember more of what I did in class and helps me retain more information. 

 In class today we did an worksheet on the poem we read yesterday Mother To Son by Langston Hughes. This poem was about a mother explaining to the son that life is not easy but she always kept going. This whole poem was a metaphor about life represented by a broken up stair case. The mother stated that life hasn’t been a “crystal stair” for her and that life has be difficult but she always pushed through no matter the obstacles. This poems tone was calm and inspirational to me and I really enjoyed it. 

 In class we read Dream Deferred along with Refugee In America. Dream Deferred was about not putting off your dream. No matter how long it takes we can accomplish our dreams. We went over that a refugee is a person is forced to leave there Country due to war, oppression, violence, or they no longer have a country. We read that without knowing and understanding our rights as a citizen then we are not actually free. Out of these two poems I enjoyed and really related to dream deferred. 

 This is what we did in class

 Today, in class, we read the poem, I, too, by Langston Hughes. This poem was an amazing poem, with a very powerful message. in my opinion, this speaker was saying that, although he was being treated differently and separated, he is not ashamed of who he is. He expresses that one day things would change. He is also saying that when things change, those who treated him differently would start to feel ashamed. They would realize their wrong doing and feel bad. This is one of my favorite poems. 

 Today in class we answered 9 questions about the poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers. We dove deeper into the meaning of this poem and tried to discover what it meant to us and how it spoke to us. One of the questions asked why African Americans find it important to find out about their history and another asked why the speaker included the fact that we all originated from Africa. These two questions have a similar answer. We want to feel connected to our history and treated as though we are family. We want to feel as though we belong. 

 In class today we read a poem by Langston Hughes. This poem was called “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. This poem was about the black history and how deep our soul runs in the world. This poem uses four major rivers in the Middle East to connect the African journey to the beginning of time and now. I believe this poem had great meaning and was written extremely well. This poem really connected with me as well as many others. 

Our class today covered African culture. I learned information regarding a few misconceptions and how to get rid of them. I discovered the causes of crime and how to eliminate it. Crime occurs in areas of poverty, therefore if we want to reduce crime, we must increase wealth.  I learned more about soul food and the causes for their food choices.  We discussed how a significant portion of the music that we listen to is influenced by African Americans. We'll be reading a poem by the well-known African-American author Langston Hughes.

 My name is Leia Johnson and I am a senior at Lakeside High School. For this year I plan on getting all A s in my classes. I am in dual enrollment and I plan on doing well on those classes as well. In this class I want to learn about many different cultures. I also want to learn how these cultures are similar and different to the culture I identify as.