Kite Runner Seminar Reflection #2

The seminar deepened my understanding of Hassan's respect. One thing said was that the fact that Hassan lived in the servant house despite Amir no longer living in the main house shows Hassan's infinite respect. I thought about this more in depth and realized how truly incredible Hassan is.

The statement that I agree with the most was that moving to America strengthened Baba and Amir's relationship. Being in smaller spaces and the lack of a high position for Baba allowed him to see Amir at eye level. The statement that I agree the least with is that Baba and Amir are cowards for "abandoning" their country in a time of disaster. I rebutted by saying that no one would call me a coward if I decided to leave DC because it was being bombed, and I stand by that claim. There wasn't anything that I can think of that I wish was said that wasn't. In fact, I remember that on many occasions there were things I was about to say when someone took the words right out of my mouth.

What worked very well was that the seminar never got out of hand. We were the dominator group, so we were expected to be screaming over each other like 3rd period. However, as it turns out, we were very respectful and everyone got to talk when they wanted to and no one dominated due to the collection of all dominators.

The only thing we could improve is spending too much time on one topic. Since we were all dominators, we all had lots of things to say, and therefore we would spend endless amounts of time on one topic because everyone had something to say.

Kite Runner Seminar Reflection #1

The seminar influenced my understanding of the friendship between Amir And Hassan. I now understand Amir’s conflict of being friends with Hassan, but being ashamed of him at the same time due to his status. One specific thing said that deepened my thinking was that Hassan might only have this great respect for Amir due to his social superiority, an idea that I’m unsure whether or not I agree with. 

The statement from a peer that I agree with the most was that Baba doesn’t believe that Amir is worth the death of his wife. We constantly see Baba being disappointed with his son’s life choices, and I believe he wouldn’t care as much if Amir’s birth hadn’t killed his wife. I least agreed with the idea that Hassan’s mother was a terrible person for leaving. She was forced into an arranged marriage to a man with physical disabilities, she can’t be fully blamed for leaving. However, this isn’t an opinion that I was able to fully vocalize, and I wish I were able to have said this because the discussion continued in a direction I didn’t agree with.

Almost everyone seemed to have understood the material very well and this led to a very deep and intellectual conversation. We were also finally able to establish emotional appeals in our conversation. 

I still think many people are too shy to talk… we have a few dominators that make their points and a few kids that have things to say but they don’t. The idea of splitting up the dominators from the less vocal kids is one I support.

Dramatic Reading

The tone I chose for this monologue by Othello was passionate, yet honorable. In this speech, he's trying to convince the senate that he is a good match for Desdemona, so he displays his care while maintaining the powerful presence they all respect. This balance is what I tried to achieve by speaking very deliberately, while emphasizing phrases such as “would Desdemona seriously incline" to show passion.

By becoming Othello, I learned that he has many sides, including two positive ones displayed here. The first side was the one his army knew: honorable, respectable, and strong. The next was the side Desdemona knew, his gentle, caring side. Othello used both of these angles in his speech to the senate to convince them to approve of Othello and Desdemona's love.

The organization of this into a monologue created a bolder sense of meaning. As opposed to just conversation, a monologue is almost a speech that emphasizes all talking points. This monologue characterized Othello by emphasizing the two sides of him I previously mentioned.

1984 1st Socratic Seminar Final Reflection

            The seminar greatly deepened my understanding of 1984 as a whole, as I was able to see other people’s view of the dystopian society. I realized more in depth how the propaganda of the totalitarian government dictates the thoughts of the people and directly controls their actions. When someone mentioned the woman Winston works with who claims that Big Brother is her savior, I thought she was saying so to avoid suspicion from the thought police. The discussion got me thinking and I realized that she actually believed this man was a god due to propaganda.

            I most agreed with the statement that this dystopia was a possibility if World War II had ended differently. However, I disagreed with the statement that our current desensitization toward violence could eventually lead us to this. If I could have properly responded to this, I would have said that basic human instinct and emotion will prevent us from the level of desensitization outlined in 1984. A fully dystopian society would be necessary to create such an apathy towards violence, and as the world moves towards democracy, this scenario seems more and more unlikely.

            The seminar flowed very smoothly, and I think it was evident that almost everyone read the assigned reading. Multiple arguments developed, and both sides could support their claims with textual evidence.

            However, the biggest problem to me was my personal contribution. While I was operating on a half hour of sleep, my responses were weak, unsupported, and I only utilized logical appeals throughout the seminar. I plan on focusing on textual evidence to support claims for all three rhetorical appeals for next seminar.

Chapter 8

The theme of chapter eight understanding the future. Here are five quotes that support that theme:

"...[H]e'd known his fate would be the same. He would spend the rest of his life in prison." (Moore 156)

"'You committed an act like something out of the Wild West, and you didn't even realize how outrageous it was,' the judge said. 'That makes you a very dangerous person.'" (Moore 157)

"Now Wes's mind wandered to the long term for the first time. Finally, he could see his future." (Moore 157)

"I... realized that... this was an exclusive group that held a significant amount of influence and power. (Moore 162)

"His tribe's influence in making him a man was obvious and indelible. At that moment, I realized the journey I took was never mine alone either." (Moore 171)

Analysis: As the two boys grow up throughout the book, the reader is well aware of their respective futures. However, the Wes Moore's have no idea where they are going until this chapter. Chapter eight most emphasizes the differences between the two Wes Moore's. In this chapter, the other Wes Moore comes to the realization that he will spend the rest of his life in prison (first three quotes). He will never be a free man, and while this must be a crushing feeling, he understands what's ahead for the first time. The author Wes Moore, however, fully appreciates having gotten to where he is in his life in this chapter, and looks ahead for the first time (last two quotes): he sees a bright future ahead. He isn't wrong.

"Choices and Second Chances" Title Justification Essay

Chapter Six

Chapter 5

The theme of chapter five is making choices. Here are five quotes that support this theme:

"I knew my mother was considering sending me away, but I never thought she'd actually do it. The final straw... [was when Riverdale placed] me on academic and disciplinary probation." (Moore 87)

This quote shows what led up to an important decision being made by Wes' mother. It's hard for a mother to send her child away for any reason, but in the end sending Wes to military school ended up being the right decision, as it set him on the right track.

"I began to lightly punch her in the arm," (Moore 87)

This quote shows that in the mindset Wes was in before military school, the only thing he could do for entertainment was hit people. A result of years of questionable decisions, it ended up landing him in military school.

"The directions he had given me were fake." (Moore 93)

This quote shows Wes' decision to blindly follow everyone and believe everyone and what they say. This shows his lack of initiative to think for himself, as he had begun to give up upon arriving at Valley Forge.

"Within two months of their meeting, Alicia told Wes that her period was late." (Moore 99)

This is a result of an in-the-moment decision that Wes made. Looking bad, he messed up. He's far too young and irresponsible to take care of a child, but he must do to a bad decision.

"Wes and his friend traded shots and finally heard Ray scream as he fell behind a black Toyota just fifty feet from his house." (Moore 105)

This terrible decision Wes made was driven entirely by anger. Again, looking back, he wishes he could take it back, but in-the-moment decisions are hard to make because often the right one goes against your instincts.

Characterization Sonnets

The Author, Wes Moore

When this sonnet shall be complete
It shall characterize the author, Wes.
He is detailed, this'll be no small feat
But to correctly portray him I'll try my best.
A funny kid, be too lazy he could,
Was torn between two worlds
Too poor for some and too rich for the hood
But Kid Kupid did get the girls.
He allowed his problems to get to him
And continued to spiral down
When his mother decides his future looked dim,
To Valley Forge he was sent, out of town.
With time, what he faced looked no longer dark
His old wound had been healed, and left not a mark.

The Other Wes Moore

When to him I shall refer
Let me call him the other Wes Moore.
For Wes to study his brother preferred
Despite himself dealing through Baltimore.
"Do as I say and not as I do!"
Was his brother's advice to Wes;
But dealing drugs became Wes' game too
For to be like his brother he tried his best.
He loved his mother and strove not to deceive
But the money he couldn't explain
So he told her a lie that she believed
Until she found his stash of cocaine.
Wes, just a child and good at heart
But his wrongdoings tore his family apart.

Chapter 4

The theme of chapter four involves crime and punishment. Here are five quotes that support this theme:

"'Wes is out here hustling! I told him to leave this alone, but he won't listen!'" (Moore 70)

This is the first example of the other Wes' involvement in major crime. He is following in his brother's influence and selling drugs.

"She took the boxes into the bathroom, lifted their tops, and emptied the contents into the toilet." (Moore 73)

This is Wes' punishment for selling drugs: his mother makes them disappear, sending Wes into a rage.

"'That was over four thousand dollars in drugs! I have to pay someone back for that!'" (Moore 74)

This quote from Wes shows why he is so angry. By getting himself into such a dark business, he has the opportunity for big money, but can be put into very tight situations if mistakes are made. Owing someone four grand, especially in drug money, isn't good news.

"Nobody could ever deny I was there. Not even me as a police cruiser rolled up around the corner." (Moore 81)

Switching to the author Wes Moore. Less serious crime (graffiti), but crime nonetheless.

"'I hope you really listened to what I told you,' he whispered in my ear, opening up the other cuff to let both of my hands free." (Moore 84)

In his case, the cops let him go. This was especially rare because of his race since it was the 1980s. Another reason the author progressed: second chances. On the other hand, the other Wes Moore was forced deeper into the drug game to make up the four grand.

Fathers and Angels Title Justification

The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore, is a story about two kids named Wes Moore with very similar backgrounds. One, the author, was a Rhodes scholar and went on to an extremely successful career. The other Wes Moore is in prison serving a life sentence. The first section of this book is titled "Fathers and Angels" and is largely about the presence of their fathers, or lack there of, and the effect this had on their lives.

This Section is called Fathers and Angels because the main characters' fathers play confusing, but important roles in their lives. "Angels" is included in the title because Wes' father is dead. The first chapter contains actual memories of the two Wes' fathers. The author's memory of his father is his death: "He died on a Friday night." The other Wes Moore's memory of his father went more along the lines of this: "A man sat on the couch leaning precariously to the side... The strong smell of whiskey wafted from his clothes and his pores.... 'Wes, meet your father.'" These two memories are very different, and affected the two Wes' futures differently.

The difference in how the two Wes' remember their fathers ties into how their respective lives took different paths, which is important enough to name the section about their relationships with their fathers. For Wes, the author, his father died when he was very young, and hear nothing but good things about him growing up. This created a perfect role model to look up to despite the lack of a physical presence. This perfect role model helped shape Wes' extremely successful journey. The other Wes, however, met his father once. This one meeting involved his father drunk and sitting on a couch. This image provided no form of a role model and was a huge disappointment to Wes. This early, subtle difference was the first that put the two Wes' on different paths.

Chapter Three

The theme of chapter three is fitting in. Here are five quotes that support this theme:

"But Justin and I were the only two who actually went all the way across town to attend a predominantly white private school." (Moore 49)

This entire section is about Wes trying and failing to fit in, both with his Riverdale friends and his neighborhood friends. This shows one big reason that he doesn't fit in with his neighborhood friends: he goes to Riverdale.

"For my friends, I decided to juice the story up a little. Or a lot." (Moore 50)

This quote is in reference to a story Wes told to his neighborhood friends about his suspension from Riverdale. He was desperately trying to fit in with them by sounding tough, when in reality he was suspended for a play fight resulting in a small cut.

"We tried to keep a bop in our step, tried to keep it cool," (Moore 52)

This is Wes walking home with Justin. They are rushing home because they are terrified of the crime that comes out after dark. However, even with this motive, they try hard to fit in by playing it cool.

"I would rotate their order, mixing and matching so that each day I had on a fresh combination." (Moore 52)

Here, Moore is referring to his clothes. This time, he is trying to impress his Riverdale friends by using a pattern to make it seem as if he has a lot of clothes, wanting to appear rich.

"I was becoming too 'rich' for the kids from the neighborhood and too 'poor' for the kids at school." (Moore 53)

This quote is a perfect summary of the whole section. He was spending all of his time trying to fit in with two polar opposites, and he ended up fitting in no where. To close out this section, Moore describes how his dedication to fitting in eventually led to a derailment of his life, such as letting his grades slip.

Chapter Two

The theme of chapter two is escaping negative situations. Here are five quotes that support that theme:

"The first [move] was from Pennsylvania Avenue to Cherry Hill to get away from Wes's father." (Moore 28)

This one is pretty self-explanatory: Wes's father had become an extreme problem with drug and alcohol issues, and Mary didn't want her family to be exposed to him. So, she moved her family out of the neighborhood where Wes's father had a lesser chance of influencing the family.

"Mary... was plotting her escape from Cherry Hill almost as soon as she got there." (Moore 29)

Cherry Hill was a dump. Moore calls it a "breeding ground for poverty, drugs, and despair." So, similarly to the way Mary moved to Cherry Hill to escape Wes's father, she moved from Cherry hill to Northwood to escape Cherry Hill.

"Wes broke into a sprint, running right past the kid.... Wes was running home." (Moore 32)

This one is on a more immediate level, because once he got home he grabbed a knife and chased back after the kid who hit him. However, as soon as he gets hit, one can imply from Moore's language that the immediate sprint home was to get away from the scene that angered him.

"'Mom, if it's still all right, I think we need to move up there. I can't do this alone anymore.'" (Moore 37)

Switching to the author Wes Moore. This is a quote of Moore's mother, Joy, speaking to her mother about moving to the Bronx to live with Wes's grandparents. This move was to escape the memories associated with Wes's recently deceased father.

"I got permission to play basketball at a park five blocks from our house." (Moore 43)

Wes played basketball to escape his troubles upon arriving in the Bronx. After realizing his grandparents are very strict, Wes gets antsy and uses basketball as an escape. This chapter as a whole was about a series of moves, all with the intent of escaping troubles.

Chapter One

The theme of chapter one involves the facing and overcoming of challenges. Here are five quotes that support this theme:

"When my mom first landed in the Bronx, she was just a small child, but she was a survivor and learned quickly." (Moore 8)

Moving to an entirely new country is a huge event for a small child, who faces the challenge of a cultural barrier. In the case of Wes' mother, Joy, she overcame this challenge by working extremely hard to fit in: she studied the other children "like an anthropologist" and mimicked their behavior.

"Together, they left Bill for good." (Moore 10)

Bill was Joy's first husband. Her time with her was challenging and painful because Bill was a violent alcoholic and drug addict. One night got especially scary and Joy pulled an knife on him. She overcame this challenging period of life by moving out with her daughter, Nikki.

"When Mary told her mother that she was pregnant, at age sixteen, Alma said, 'I don't care! You are going to finish school and go to college.'" (Moore 21)

Mary is the other Wes' mother. At sixteen, she faced a common challenge among teen mothers: whether or not she could continue her education. With support from her mother she was able to raise the child and attend Johns Hopkins University, successfully overcoming the challenge of being a mother and attending school at the same time.

"Mary was the first of the kids to leave home. Education was her escape in more ways than one." (Moore 23)

Mary faced many challenges at home, including her pregnancy. Her college education was an escape from home that allowed her to get away from her problems.

"Despite the fact that her son had nothing to do with Wes, Mamie didn't want Wes punished for the circumstances through which he was brought into the world." (Moore 24)

Mamie, the other Wes' grandmother, loved him a huge amount. Similar to the way Mary escaped her problems by going to college, the other Wes escaped his problems as a young child by going to Mamie's house. While her love provided no long-lasting solution, it certainly aided him in overcoming early challenges.