Reading Notes, Week 15, The Salve Trade

Reading Notes Part B The Salve Trade


-San Juan to Inglewood
-danced until they kicked off in the world
-a whistle sounded on the track
-loved people too much to be around them at school
-he hid under a tree to write a paper called Salve Trade
-fat women and helicopters
-danced everyday
-called him a simple MF'er-the Salve Trade

Reading Notes, Week 15, Maggie Nelson

Reading Notes Part A Maggie Nelson


-she aims her books towards her childhood
-her first book only took her 6 months to write
-it was called "The Red Parts"
-it was about a case that had gone undiscovered
-it touched on true crime
-she asked "is it possible to grieve successfully?"
-she also wrote The Argonauts
-wrote between fact and feeling
-she met Dodge the same year she wrote The Red Parts
-she called herself a formalist
-last year she was awarded a MacArthur Genius Fellowship
-

Project 3

Logan Huntze

8 May 2019

English 205

Ms. H

Project #3

For the third and final project, I have decided to choose the project topic that talks about theme and how it compares to the story and my life in general. I will be discussing and comparing the book called “About the House Girl” to a theme I relate to in my life. Patipir and Ifapi both use dedication in this story to better their lives as well as reach each other in the end. If it wasn't for this dedication, their lives would have been completely different. My life relates to this because the dedication and hard work I put into each day of my life is to reach a bigger goal and without this dedication my life and end goal would be different than what it is now. Without dedication in each individual's life, their goals and dreams for the future will not be accomplished.

Based on the topic I have chosen and the thesis I have stated about themes, I have decided to discuss dedication as the theme for “About the House Girl” as well as my life. In the beginning of this story, we were introduced to Patipir as a young man who lived alongside the river, and on his free time he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and playing his flute on the side of the river. However, when we were introduced to him it was clear that he was a responsible young boy who worked hard for the things he had. Some of the first words we learned about Patipir were, “He hunted and fished, he cut down trees and adzed and split the wood for the sweat house or other building, he carved and burned out his own canoe and made the long storage boxes to hold his accumulating treasure, he cut and carried ceremonial wood for sweat house fires, and he sweated himself and prayed.” This quote discusses all the hard work and dedication Patipir put into each day of his life, and how he not only did things for himself but others around him as well. This dedication continued throughout the story and Patipir continued to be a successful young man.

Patipir was never around woman, but a short way into the story he was introduced to a girl who was special to him from day 1. He never actually met this girl until a few times after encountering her, but she was all he wanted and her name was Ifapi. Ifapi was a young girl who was also very responsible, but her life consisted of things very different than Patipir’s. She was never outside, and she was held inside her Aunt’s house most of her life. Patipir first encountered Ifapi when he went to the “old ladies” house (Ifapi’s Aunt) to get fresh seaweed. He saw Ifapi there in the house, and he fell in love at first sight.

Days went on where all Patipir could think about was Ifapi. He was determined and dedicated to meet her and take her away to fall in love. Throughout the story, Patipir did everything he could to get to her, and it finally paid off. After the night Patipir and Ifapi saw each other at the dance party on the beach, Patipir rushed back to the Aunt’s house to find Ifapi and take her away. He refused to follow the Aunt’s orders to leave Ifapi alone, and as he explained his situation and what he was going to do with her the Aunt accepted it and let him take Ifapi away. All the hard work and dedication that Patipir had put into finding and taking Ifapi away had finally come true, and he wasted no time to marry her. That same day they went off and told Ifapi’s parents the situation and then the two of them left on a canoe out to the sea to go off and start their lives somewhere different with each other.

This sounds cheesy, but Patipir truly was dedicated to get to Ifapi. When he was in her Aunt’s house, he said “I am taking this little one with me, aunty.” These were his last words to show that his goal and dream were accomplished and he had finally reached Ifapi and had the opportunity to take her with him. I’ve talked a lot about how Patipir was dedicated to find Ifapi, but in the end Ifapi was very dedicated as well. She was at a point in her life where she felt comfortable to go off with a man she had just met to start a new life. This takes courage for a young woman, and also dedication. She was dedicated to go off and start a life with a man she had fallen in love with and she was happy to make her father proud. Both of these characters not only had dedication throughout the story, but they continued it when they sailed off to the ocean to start their new lives.

I can relate this theme to my life because I have been dedicated in everything I have done up until now in my life. It all started with sports and me being dedicated to be the best player I could be. This dedication carried into my schooling and future career choices that I have worked for to this day. My dedication with sports paid off a ton in high school with baseball, and I ended my senior year feeling like I was the best player I could have been. During high school, I made my decision that I wanted to be a firefighter like my father, and my dedication to get there started when I was 14 years old. I have continued that hard work and dedication to achieve my career dream up until this day, and it has all paid off. I recently was just offered a job as a firefighter at my dream Fire Department which humbled me and made me understand that hard work and dedication truly does pay off for whatever you are working towards.

My dedication and end goal was very different than Patipir and Ifapi, but it ultimatlely proves the same point. With hard work and dedication towards something you want, it can always be achieved. Patipir’s dedication to get to Ifapi and marry her came true, and Ifapi’s dedication to find the right man and live a good life also came true. My hard work and dedication paid off for me as well, so in the end the main point I took away from this was no matter what the situation is or the goal is you want to accomplish, it can always happen with dedication.

Week 14, Analysis, The Big Sleep

       For week 14, I have decided to do a close reading on the last third of the book I read called "The Big Sleep." A lot happened in the last third of this book and some of it was confusing at first, but then made sense at the end. A passage in this story that I was confused with was when Phillip Marlo (Riley) took Carmen Sternwood out to the sumps in the middle of no where near her house. The whole reason behind this was so Riley could teach her how to shoot a gun. However, he was one step ahead of her. The moment she got her hands on the gun, she aimed for Riley. Riley had put 5 blanks in the gun though so when she shot at him intending to kill him, nothing came out. From there, Riley was able to get ahold of her and get her under control.
       This scene to me was sort of a break in action but also a resolution to the story. Because this happened, Riley found out that what he thought about Carmen was true but he was also able to tell this info to Vivian, her sister, in hopes that she could provide some help. The events that had happened previously in the story line up to this one and how things almost went bad, however I was not expecting that at first until I thought about it more deeply. This scene is very important in understanding our characters. It proves that Riley was the smartest character throughout the whole story and it shows what Carmen's true intentions were towards him. He outsmarted her like he did to many characters in the story. The only other moments in the text like this one is when Geiger and Brady got killed. However, this situation wasn't as bad since nobody got killed.

Reading Notes, Week 14, The Big Sleep

Part B reading notes


Chapter 28
-he was in the room with Agnus
-he told Agnus what he knew about Canino
-she says she loves Eddie still
-her and Riley got in an argument
-she says Eddie didn't kill Rusty Reagan
-they kissed
Chapter 29
-Riley knew Canino's plan
Chapter 30
-Riley was at Harry's house
-there were cops and investigators all over
-the found Canino's prints at the scene
-the general wanted to talk to Riley
-he walked into General Sternwoods room
-he told Marlo he didn't want him to look for his son in law
-the general confronted him about the things he did
-Marlo explained why he did everything he did
-Riley told the general the truth about who he was and the general was still mad
-the general said he would pay Riley 1000 dollars to find Rusty
Chapter 31
-he found a girl playing darts-it was Carmen
-he gave her gun to her
-she wanted Riley to teach her how to shoot
-they left the house to go look for a place to shoot
-they found a place that was lonely
-Riley set up a target for Carmen to shoot
-she turned and pointed the gun at Riley
-she was mad, and had become an animal
-she started to shoot
-she passed out and he threw her in the car
Chapter 32
-Vivian came in the room he was in
-Vivian was angry and asked what Riley did to Carmen
-Riley told her the story
-Riley asked if she knew a man named Canino
-Riley had investigated the whole murder and knew every detail-he told Vivian
-Riley had loaded the gun with blanks
-Vivian said he was a horrible man
-Vivian offered Riley 15 thousand dollars
-he asked Vivian to take Carmen away a long way
-she knew she was wrong by being with Eddie Mars
-she admitted to why she did some of the things she did
-Riley gave her three days to get Carmen out of here
-Riley said he will handle Eddie
-it ended and they "slept the big sleep"

Reading Notes, Week 14, The Big Sleep, Part A

Reading notes part A

Chapter 23

-encountered a man and women in the fog

-Riley knew who it was 

-they got in a scuffle but Riley scared him with the gun

-man came up in a smock

-Vivian Reagan was there with them, talking to the injured man

-Reagan and Riley Marlo left in Riley's car

-stopped for coffee and whiskey 

-Reagan called Riley a killer cop

-Riley and Reagan kissed in the car

-Reagan demanded Riley to take her home, she didn't speak at all

Chapter 24

-Riley smelled a perfume in the dark room

-Carmen Sternwood was in Riley's bed waiting for him

-she got in his house from the manager

-she says his real name is Phillip Marlo

-he demands Carmen to get dressed and get out of his house

-she finally left

Chapter 25

-Riley says he has a hangover from women

-he walked outside and found the grey sedan parked out there again

-he left, parked his car, and a guy from the grey sedan walked up to him

-Riley went off on him

-the guy tells him he is Harry Jones

-the guy offers Riley money 

-the guy spills a lot of info about the murder

-tells him about Canino-always wearing brown clothing 

-Riley liked this little guy who approached him with all the info

-Harry tells him to bring the money to a house and he will bring him to Agnus

Chapter 26

-he arrived to the building 

-it was nice but old and smelled like mold

-he found the door and heard Harry talking to Canino

-Riley was still outside listening to them talk about the murder

-Canino wanted to know where Agnus was

-Harry finally tells Canino where Agnus is

-Canino left Harry's house

-Harry looked like he was in shock

-Harry Jones had died-he drank cyanide that Canino gave him

-Canino was maybe on his way to kill Agnus next

-Harry had lied to Canino and fooled him

-Agnus called Harry's house

Chapter 27

-Riley met with Agnus 

-he wanted information from her

-Agnus told Riley the story of Canino and Eddie's wife

-Riley fled to another town

-Riley got 2 flat tires

-he knocked on a random persons shop to seek help

Analysis, Week 13

       For week 13 I have decided to do a literary analysis post about the story "The Big Sleep" I have chosen to read. This week, I completed the second third of the story. A lot happened in this portion of the reading and I have chosen Riley, one of the main characters to do my post on. Riley is his undercover name he uses while doing investigation work.

       This whole story has been about murder and the events that went down before and after a murder has taken place. Riley has been the main guy investigating this and using his tools to gain as much information about the case as he can. A theme I have chosen to describe Riley is Sneaky. From the beginning of the story until now, he has been sneaky with every move he has made but that is required from him by the kind of work he does. He has accomplished a lot and actually has helped a lot of people out in this story so far and although he was been doing undercover work, he has been a good guy to people. This means to me that he is a person who cares. His work that he does can be dirty but overall, he is doing the work for a reason. It is playing out in the story very well. He started out with some enemies and that was because of the kind of work he does. People didn't like him because he was investigating things undercover and being sneaky and they thought of him as a bad person. However, since the story has gone on, the people who first disliked him now enjoy him and respect him for who he is and what he does. He has gained "friends" that he did not have in the start of the story.

       This works well with what the author has done so far because at first he was a sneaky undercover cop. However, now he is respected for the things he has done. This is a metaphor emphasizing the saying "don't judge a book by its cover." I believe this metaphor is going to carry out throughout this story and I will be surprised if the direction of this story changes.

Project Action Plan, Week 14

       For my third and final project, I have decided to use the topic : Think about a theme you see running through your life (failure is the best lesson, love is eternal, etc). Choose a reading that you think also discusses this theme (even if it reaches different conclusions about it). Explore connections between how the theme plays out in your life, and how the theme gets played out in the reading. 

       For this project, I am going to use the story "About the House Girl." This topic requires me to choose a theme from a story and compare it to my life. I have decided to use this story in this project because it is one of the stories that I have read and understood the most out of any of the readings in the whole semester. This story has multiple different themes and they each play into the outcome of the story. The theme I am going to use for this project is Dedication. Dedication is not only a part of this story but it is a big part of my life so I am going to compare how it is similar and different to the things happening in my life right now.

       Some literary devices that I plan on using in my project is theme, characterization, symbolism and plot. These literary devices will help me answer the project topic because I will be able to use each one of these to describe dedication in the story as well as my life. There are a lot of literary devices used in this story but I am choosing to use these. Dedication was shown by both main characters, Ifapi and Patipir, and I will use these literary devices to explain how.

       I have reread the book and highlighted specific quotes and scenes from the story that I am going to use for this project. I plan on using more quotes and specific proof from this story than I have on other projects and I think that will help me in the end to have a better project. Both Ifapi and Patipir were dedicated in different ways so I plan on talking about that as well.

       Thesis: Patipir and Ifapi both use dedication in this story to better their lives as well as reach each other in the end. If it wasn't for this dedication, their lives would have been completely different. My life relates to this because the dedication and hard work I put into each day of my life is to reach a bigger goal and without this dedication my life and end goal would be different than what it is now. Without dedication in each individual's life, their goals and dreams for the future will not be accomplished.

Citation: About the House Girl

Reading Notes, week 13, The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep reading notes part B


Chapter 18
-the cop came to Geiger's house
-went into the office
-asked about the shooting
-Riley Marlo told them what he knew
-they argued about who the killer was
-he handed over his info to General Sternwood
-they talked and talked
Chapter 19
-Eddie Mars called Riley at the house
-they talked about the murder
-the story came out
-it was different than what actually happened
Chapter 20
-Caption Gregory was in charge of missing persons bureau
-Riley talked to Gregory about the murder and the missing car
-a lot of funny angles to the case
-he left the city hall
Chapter 21
-he talked on the phone about the case
-The general wanted to talk to Riley the next day
-he had concealed the murder
-got $500
-him and Eddie talked for awhile at his house
-him and Eddie became "friends"
-they talked and drank for a long time
-Riley asked him about the grey sedan following him around
Chapter 22
-he went to a bar to get drunk
-Vivian was in the bar
-everybody was looking at her
-she was winning in gambling
-she spun the wheel and won again
-found a man with a mask on outside

Reading Notes, Week 13, The Big Sleep

Reading Notes Part A


Chapter 13
-Eddie Mars
-he smiled at Carmen
-he asked what they were doing there
-he made a threat to Riley
-Eddie had a key to Geiger's place
-Eddie pointed the gun at Riley
-Riley left and went back to hollywood
Chapter 14
-pulled up to an apartment
-Riley walked into Joe's Brody's room
-they talked
-he pointed a gun at Riley
-Riley called hum foolish
-Riley confronts Joe about killing Geiger
-Joe says he wins
Chapter 15
-Riley got attacked and he got the gun
-Carmen told Brody he shot Geiger
-he cracked her with the gun
-Brody grabbed for a gun
-Agnus (a  girl) was on the ground there
-she had a gun
-she and Carmen both liked Riley
Chapter 16
-he inspected Carmens gun
-he was near Brody
-they had to come up with a plan
-Riley asked where he got the picture
-Riley told Brody what he had on him
-Brody starts talking about the night before
-he tells him about the Buick
-Riley knew the whole story
-Riley asked him where he hid Geiger
-Brody got shot at his front porch
-Riley took action
-Riley got a kid
Chapter 17
-they were in front of Geiger's house
-the kid punched Riley
-Riley punched him in the neck
-they were in a fight
-Riley knocked him out
-Riley walked into Geiger's house

Topic Brainstorm

Project #3

The three topics I have chosen to potentially use for project number 3 are :

       1) Choose a reading. In your project, consider the following - I am interested in this project topic because it allows you to go back in time and use historical facts if you choose to. I do not have much previous knowledge in doing any project like this, so I think it would be a good challenge. I would like to learn how to tie a story of my choice back to an economical or historical event and learn new concepts as I go. A strength I will bring to this project is my dedication and knowledge of historical events that I may be able to tie into this one. The first two projects will help me with this one because I already know the concept of the project, what is expected, and the mistakes not to make again.

       2) Choose a reading selection. Explore relationships between the elements of the selection, For example, how does setting influence character development? - I am interested in this project topic because it directly relates the story with a character and talks about how certain things in that story can shape a character or outcome. The previous knowledge I have on this is the analysis we do each week when we talk about theme and characterization and how it plays into the story we read. I would like to analyze a story and understand how certain things cause a character to do something. A strength I will bring to this project is my hard work and my goal of completing the project with a good grade.

       3) Think about a theme you see running through your life. Choose a reading that you think also discusses this theme. - I am interested in this project topic because it allows me to relate a story directly to my life. The previous knowledge I have on this is whenever I have related something to directly to my life and compared it. I would like to analyze a story and see how much of it relates to my life or things that have happened in  my life. A strength I will bring to this is my personal stories and feelings.

Week 12, Analysis, The Big Sleep

       For this week, I have decided to do a close reading on the book I decided to choose and read on my own. The book I am reading is called "The Big Sleep" and I have broken it into thirds, so this week I am going to base my close reading off the first third of the book.
       The part in this story that was interesting to me was when "Riley" was outside of Arthur Geiger's house spying on it. The street he lived on was quite, and there wasn't much activity. But all of a sudden, a car pulled up to the house, walked towards the door, and within a minute there was gunshots. This personally caught me off guard and I did not see it coming. As the car fled, Riley went to the house and inspected. What he found also surprised me, as Geiger was laying there dead and Carmen was unconscious.
       After reading this, I was still kind of shocked. I knew Riley had his eye out for Geiger and was potentially going to take him out himself, but I did not see him getting killed by someone else coming. It doesn't all add up just yet since I am only a third of the way through the book, but I think it was a hint. Some sort of change in plot and I could see this causing more issues in the future of this story. This was important to understanding our characters because it shows who really is who. Who hangs out with who, and who is after each other. There has been no other parts in the text like this one, but I could see something like this happening again in the future.

Reading Notes, Week 12, The Big Sleep

Reading Notes for "The Big Sleep" Part B


Chapter 7
-Carmen was in the house Riley broke into
-she looked unconscious
-he found Arthur, on his back
-found a camera pointed at the girl
-he was laying in blood
-he attempted putting her dress on her
-he dressed her
-he went into Arthurs room and took some of his belongings
Chapter 8
-he went back to Geiger's house
-he wasn't there, the house was back to normal
-Riley went home and drank alcohol and went to bed
Chapter 9
-he went to the hall of justice
-Geiger's car was rinsed up in the ocean
-Riley met a blonde guy in the hall of justice
-they went to go look at the car onto the pier
-they asked a guy what happened to the car
-there was a dead guy inside
-some guy said "ask me and ill call it murder"
-another guy thought it was suicide
-he wants them to leave the old man out of it
Chapter 10
-Riley went back to the bookstore and asked for Geiger
-she denied he was there and said he was out of town
-she was scared
Chapter 11
-he talked to the girl again and she apologized for being rude
-he kept talking to Geiger's daughter
-she wanted to know what he talked to her dad about
-they talked and talked and started drinking alcohol
-she kept talking and giving information
-she said she could call her Vivian
Chapter 12
-he went to Geiger's house
-he found Carman there
-she was standing at the door, and she didn't know what to say when she saw him
-they went inside, he lit his cigarette
-she denied being there at the house the night before
-he asked who killed him
-she told him Joe Brody killed Geiger
-she said his name was Philip Marlo - Not Riley
-she said she had to go home now
-they both heard a car coming
-it pulled up to the house, and the doorbell rang
-someone had a key, and came in
-a man came in, staring at them

Reading Notes, Week 12, The Big Sleep

Reading notes for "The Big Sleep" part A


Chapter 1
-General  Guy Sternwood
-found a girl who looked pale and sick
-his name is "Dog House Riley"
-Riley Marlo
-the girl liked Riley and said he was cute
Chapter 2
-entered a room like a jungle, warm and muggy
-plants everywhere
-found an old dying man(The General)
-Riley smoked and the old guy sat there and smelled the smoke
-he was paralyzed in both legs
-the old guy sat there and drooled watching Riley drink Brandi
-the general asked what he knew about his 2 daughters
-General paid Joe Brody 5 thousand dollars
-the general wants Riley to take a guy out (kill him)
Chapter 3
-the daughter asked Riley is he was a private detective
-she asked "how did you like dad?"
-she also asked about Rusty - the guy who left suddenly
-she got snappy with Riley
-they got in an argument
-Riley left after arguing with the generals daughter
-thunder was crackling and the rain was coming
-Riley started downtown
-he went to the library to do some research
Chapter 4
-saw a blonde he had never seen in a bookstore before
-she approached him in a way looking for sex
-a guy came in a left quickly, Riley followed him
-he was spooked
-the guy got away
Chapter 5
-Arthur Guin Guyger
-he went to another book store and asked if she knew Arthur
-she denied knowing him
-he found a book
-Chapter 6
-he found Arthur and started following him in his car
-he found Arthurs house and parked at waited
-a girl showed up at Arthurs house and got in
-Carmen Sternwood was the girl who went to Arthurs house
-Carmen is the generals daughter
-Riley waited, and all of a sudden he heard a scream
-he went towards the house
-three shots went off in the house
-he broke the window into the house and entered
-saw two people, one was dead

Week 11, Analysis

       I am going to do a close reading on week 11's reading on Cleaver. The portion of this story that I am choosing to write about is when he described the police shoot out him and Little Bobby were in. The paragraph starts off by saying "Above my head, the windshield of my car shattered and I looked behind me." This whole paragraph as well as the others that follow in the story are describing a scary situation of Cleaver's life. He was essentially getting shot at and chased that day because he was black, and the whole situation really describes what racism was and how it affected peoples lives back then. This is a break in action in this story because the whole story is about racism and the challenges he faces, but this paragraph and part of the story is a breaking point. This is when they get gunned down and his friend dies laying next to him, and I could tell the importance that he was trying to get across from this passage. I can think of some similar moments in the text like this one, but not as intense and severe.

       This passage and story inside the big story is a big turning point in the book. This allows us to understand our main character a little more than we had, and also brings out a horrible situation that happened in his life that affected him and the whole community. The moments of this passage refer back to what has happened previously in the story regarding racism. This was definitely the most severe and hurtful event but it still ties and connects with the rest of the story.

Reading Notes, Week 11, Cleaver

Reading Notes for Cleaver (Link)


-born in Arkansas and moved to east LA when he was 12 years old
-imprisoned at age 22 for assault
-late 1960's, racism raged the streets of Oakland
-in 1968, Cleaver was involved in a huge shoot-out
-BBQ picnic for the Black Panther party
-Oakland police were against the party and picnic
-after the party, Oakland police arrested 16 members of the Black Panther Party
-Cleaver and the head police chief did not get along
-the cops murdered little bobby in the meeting they were in
-the cops would follow their cars around each day and night
-the never went in the streets at night unless they had two or more people
-one night Cleaver was stopped by cops, demanding  him to the middle of the street
-all of a sudden the cops were shooting at him from all around
-Cleaver took off on foot and tried everything he could to get away
-he laid on the ground saying by to his family and the world as he thought he was going to die
-the cops murdered little bobby right next to Cleaver in that shoot-out
-Cleaver was later taken to jail and told he was not going to attend the BBQ

Project 2

Logan Huntze

5 April, 2019

Ms. H

English 205

Project #2

            In the story “About the House Girl,” I believe Ifapi was viewed as a price possession by the author and the main characters of this story and she herself did not believe that as much as they did. She grew up getting babied by her father and Aunt, but as she grew up she wanted to be herself and live her own life, and that happened after she met Patipir. My attitude towards Ifapi is positive based off of the personal decisions she made throughout the story and her attitude towards every situation she was put in. In my eyes, I see Ifapi as a shy girl that knows her worth and is determined to live a good life. She is also perceived as a determined, smart girl by other characters in this story and she proves to everyone that that's just what she is throughout the story. 

            The author’s attitude towards Ifapi was positive and uplifting the whole entire story, and the way he described her made it obvious that he thought she was special. Ifapi didn’t made an appearance in the story until half way through, but leading up to the not knowing much information about her, the author still described her as this golden girl. We as readers were not able to understand the things he was mentioning about her until she appeared in the story, but the author did a good job leading us up to the event she was spotted at. Everyone was at the beach, late at night, and the dancing and singing all meant a lot to the people in the story. When Ifapi was first spotted by Patipr, the author described Ifapi as “Her skirt and front apron were heavy fringes of shells strung close together, each string tufted with a red woodpecker crest. She was barefoot, and as she bent to the fire or lifted a basket of incense to the Leader, the play and motion of thigh and leg showed through the fringe of shells which answered her every movement with a low rustle as of a receding surf playing shell against shell on the beach.” (45)  This quote by the author is when he is first introducing her at the beach, and the way he talks about her and describes her outfit is not like he is talking about a simple girl. He madet clear the her dress made of shells presented her as special, and a simple girl would not have something like this on; She was special. Throughout the whole story, this is the kind of tone the author described Ifapi as and that is what made it clear that he cherished Ifapi for her personality and presentation.

            My attitude towards Ifapi is very positive. In the start of the story, we were vaguely introduced to her as some sick girl who lived with some old lady, which was her aunt. It was hard to paint a clear picture of who and what Ifapi was, and why she was kept inside at this old ladies house all the time. However, as the story went on we were re-introduced to Ifapi, and this time it was at a public event, with tons of people. At first, I thought this was odd because she had been described the whole story as being some girl who never left home, and when I found out she was out at this dance party at the beach made me wonder.

            As the story continued on, and Patipir continued chasing Ifapi around as the girl of his dreams, Ifapi began to be a main character. She was no longer some sick girl inside a house; Instead she was a girl with determination to go out and live her own life and make her own decisions. This is ultimately what she did when her and Patipir decided to get married. She made one last visit to her father and explained to  him the situation, and surprisingly he was supportive. This story really shows how Ifapi changed as a person, and how she matured and made her own life decisions in a short amount of time. For me, I respected her more for this and my positive opinion of her grew since she was able to leave a house she was babied in, go out and meet new people, and then made a decision that changed her life forever.

            One character who had a strong opinion about Ifapi was her Aunt. Ifapi lived with her Aunt during the story, and for a young girl life Ifapi I think he Aunt made it difficult to live with. Although her Aunt cared about her very much, I think she was too protective of Ifapi and did not allow her to go out and socialize like she should be doing as a young girl. One scene in the story when Ifapi’s Aunt showed overprotection of Ifapi was when Patipir was at the house. Patipir was so interested in Ifapi that he walked over to her in the house and put his hand on her. When he did this, Ifapi’s Aunt replied with “Do not touch her. She is very sick. You mustn’t ever do that again!” (45-46) This dialog that came out of the Aunt’s mouth really showed how protective she was over Ifapi, and she even said she was sick when really she wasn’t. This behavior from the Aunt occurred throughout the whole story, but in the end after Patipir talked to her and explained to her that him and Ifapi were going to leave and get married, I think that was the point where her Aunt was finally able to let go of Ifapi and accept the fact that she is off to live her own life.

            Another character who was protective but accepting of Ifapi was her father. Ifapi’s father sent her to live with her Aunt, hoping she would be well nurtured and protected. This definitely happened while living with her Aunt, but Ifapi also wanted some freedom. The dance and sing parties she would go to at night was a way for her to get out and explore the world outside of being stuck inside all day at her Aunts. When Ifapi and Patipir met and made the decision to go away and get married, and leave their hometowns for good, Ifapi had to go let her father know the news. In today’s world, before people get married they normally know each other’s families first. In this case, it was not like that. Ifpai’s father had known who Patipir was from a little kid, but did not personally know him well. When Ifapi talked to her father and  let him know who she was marrying, he was very accepting and supportive of Ifapi’s decision. His mindset of being protective of his young daughter had changed, and he was finally able to allow her to make her own decisions in life and he would be happy with them. The father’s sending off words to Ifapi and Patipir were, “It is good, my son-in-law, my daughter.” (48) These words prove that the father is now happy with his daughters decisions and he can trust her on her own. His opinion definitely changed from a protective dad to a supportive and trustworthy dad, and he let Ifapi go on her own to start a new life with her husband.

            Ifapi viewserself in a few different ways. She knew she was valued by her family, but I don’t think she thought of herself as worthy as her family did. Being stuck inside at her Aunt’s house and being babied all day left her to be somewhat irritated I think. Every young kid wants to go out and have fun, and she really only had one opportunity to do that and that was at night at the dance and sing parties. However, she also valued the traits she had, and didn’t fall for just any man. Patipir had been on her mind since she was young, and at the parties I truly think she was after no other man but him, and one night she finally saw him. This shows that she had good self control and she knew what she wanted. She was responsible in this way and viewed herself as worthy like her family did. Although she didn’t see herself as a golden angel like her family did, she did know that she was important and she valued herself. She grew up being responsible and maturing each day. This helped her become the woman she was at the end of the story, and that woman was self loving and confident of herself and others. She truly grew to love herself like her friends and family members in this story. 

Reading notes, week 10, Mori

Reading notes on Toshio Mori (583-592)


-first American writer of Japanese ancestry
-born in Oakland
-left for Utah in WW2
-stayed there for 3 years
-woman he visits is old
-never forget the experience of her house
-used to make doughnuts for him
-he couldn't describe her doughnuts they were so good
-everyone calls her mama
-Sessue Matoi
-people feared him
-he told the old lady she was in an egg
-sad and alone but laughing all the time
-the Japanese would sit in the park everyday
-he finally talked to the man
-laundry truck driver

Week 9, Project Planning

       For project #2, I have decided to use the project prompt : From a piece of fiction choose a female character on whom to focus, and create a project that discusses some of the following question. In this class, we have read many books with female characters and I have enjoyed some of these readings, so that is the main reason why I chose this topic. I am choosing the reading "About the House Girl" for this project because almost this whole story was about a girl and how she was cherished not just by her family, but a young boy her age also. She was one of the main characters of this story and the story pretty much evolved around her.
       I am aware that we need to use literary devices in our project and I plan on using characterization, theme, plot, and a couple others once I start thinking about what to write more in depth. I think it should be easy to relate and discuss these literary devises into my project because this story had many of them used, and they were pretty straight forward to understand. I have outlined some ideas on a piece of paper by taking notes and thinking about what I am going to write and how to tie it into my thesis. Since this prompt has many questions required to talk about based off of the reading, I am assuming my thesis has to relate to all the questions or be a separate thesis for each question. The questions are based off her attitude and how she and other characters view herself, so I think I can tie each of those into a thesis.
My thesis statement is "I believe Ifapi was viewed as a price possession by the author and the main characters of this story and she herself did not believe that as much as they did. She grew up getting babied by her father and Aunt, but as she grew up she wanted to be herself and live her own life, and that happened once she met Patipir. My attitude towards her is positive based off the events that happened in the story and the personal decisions she made.
       I am going to think about this a little more and might change it a little bit, but that is a base line for my thesis. I have a good idea of what and how I am going to do this project on and I think my planning has helped me a lot.

Week 9 Progress

       My progress of this class is going well so far. In canvas, it shows I have 202 points out of a possible 210. However, that doesn't match up with the grading chart that was attached to our assignment, so I am not sure why mine is different. I believe I am on track to pass this class with an A or B and that is my goal. I will continue to do as much work I can throughout the rest of this semester to make that happen. There are no changes I would like to make for the rest of this semester since I am already doing fine as it is. One mistake I would like to avoid is doing the project wrong on my first submission. On our first project, I submitted it and half of it was wrong, so I would like to not do that again on the rest of our projects.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

       Looking back, we sure have had a lot of reading and writing assignments in a short amount of time. For the most part, they have been pretty good and I have been able to learn some things that have helped me out in previous assignments. My favorite reading so far has been "About the House Girl." The reading notes are helping me with my story posts because if I ever need any information to clarify something, I can go back to those notes and read what I put down. I have discovered a few new reading and research strategies, but its sometimes hard to mix them in to the homework. However, they have benefitted me and I am glad I learned some new strategies. I am happy with my class project, even though I was off to a slow start. My biggest accomplishment this class has been my improvements on the analysis each week and my project. Looking forward, there is nothing I want to do to get more out of the reading and writing assignments for this class. I believe the way we are doing them now is working out good.

Topic Brainstorm

For my project brainstorm, the three projects I have considered doing are :

1) Compare and contrast elements of two different texts.
I am interested in this because I can practice my comparing and contrasting skills which I think will help me with the overall class. Previous knowledge that I have from this would be small homework assignments from this class and high school that are related to comparing and contrasting. Id like to learn how to more affectively compare and contrast information, especially novels. Doing the first project will help me with this one because of the skills and information I was able to learn in our last project.

2) From a piece of fiction, choose a female character on whom to focus, and create a project that discusses some of the following.
I am interested in this because I know a story that would be perfect for this example. Previous knowledge none really besides some small homework assignments that can somewhat be related to this. Id like to get better at answering questions and comparing information in a story.

3) Choose one short story or novel. Write a piece in which you explore the following.
I am interested in this because it talks about the history. Previous knowledge is any assignment I have done that has to do with comparing history. I would like to get better and researching and understanding history from a novel we have read.

Analysis, Week 8, de Angulo

       For week 8, I have decided to do a close reading post on the writing called de Angulo. I am going to discuss the very first paragraph of this story. The first paragraph talks about coyotes, which are mentioned throughout the whole story. These coyotes are not actual coyotes though, as they're described as people with two different personalities. This paragraph also explained the importance of understanding how these coyotes work in Indian psychology. This paragraph was interesting to me but throughout the story I could see that a lot of it related back to this paragraph.

       This paragraph could be difficult to understand since the author is using animal names to describe humans, but I broke it down and it was easier to understand after. One of the metaphors he uses is when he uses coyote as someone's name. Even though this person isn't really a coyote, that is what they are referred to and looked at as. I think this paragraph was important because it informed us early of the coyotes meaning and the roll they had back then. They were looked at as "good" and "evil" and that is easy to see in the story.

       The text hasn't changed much for me since I broke it down, but I was able to relate and compare it to our world today. I am aware that people in Mexico are still called coyotes today, and they have to do with the boarder patrol in Mexico. I don't know that much about them, but I do know that both the coyote in this story and the coyote name in Mexico has similar meaning. Understanding from the beginning of the story about what a coyote was is important, and I think it was a good job by the author to start the story off by informing us about it.

       This paragraph was not really a break in action or resolution, but more of a heads up to the readers to help understand what was to come in the rest of the story. This information doesn't refer back to anything, but hints the readers as to whats to come later in the story. This is important to our understanding of the characters because if you cant understand what a coyote is and the role they had back then, the whole story would be difficult to understand. I cannot think of any other moments in the text like this one. Overall, the meaning of this paragraph was interesting, and it was cool to relate some of it back to our world today.

Reading Notes, Part 8, de Anglulo, Part B

Reading Notes for de Angulo Part B (414-421)



-born in France
-arrived in Colorado in 1905
-coyote and coyote saga
-coyote has a double personality
-don't know what god is
-Lina is a woman who died
-somewhere out west is where all the people die
-old stories and myths
-Jack and all the relatives finally returned in 5 or 6 different wagons
-threw everything into the fire as they unloaded it
-"Indians always argue"
-coyotes and foxes were everywhere
-Pit River Indians were afraid to touch mortar rocks

Pages 414-421
Author: Jaime de Angulo

Week 7, Analysis, Lummis

       For week 7, I am going to write a close reading post about the story called Charles Fletcher Lummis and the section of this story I am going to talk about is on page 343, third paragraph on the page. This section talks about how Lummis was sitting in his office writing, when all of a sudden he heard two explosions. When these explosions happened, Lummis jumped straight to the conclusion that the LA Times had been dynamited and he was correct. The very next morning, he got a 4 page article at his door step explaining that the Times had been destroyed.
       It is obvious that the LA Times had some issues in the beginning of the text leading up to the explosion, but even after knowing those issues I did not think they would get dynamited. However, to Lummis it seemed like no surprise and looked like he had been preparing for this day to happen for years, and it finally did. I think this hit him hard because of the long time he worked with the Times, fought with them, and defended them in many different instances. That was his job, and his second home and it had been blown up and killed 20 men.
       Breaking down the paragraph led me to realize it was a very strong and clear point the author was trying to make, and I made this assumption from the word choices he used such as: two explosions, dynamite, threats, the phrase he shouted to god when the explosions happened, killing twenty men. These are all powerful words that were obviously talking about a powerful event, but I think the author chose to use these powerful words to indicate how much it affected him by the Times getting blown up. There is different ways and words to use to describe something like this that don't seem so powerful, but the way he described this scene going down really shows it impacted him as a person.
       Taking a step back and looking at the paragraph I chose to analyze, my opinion hasn't changed much but I have realized how deep Lummis took this event when it happened, and the impact it ultimately gave him. I don't need to re-state my thesis much, but I need to add that this wasn't only a huge event that went down in the Times history, but it was a huge event that went down in Lummis' life as well. It all adds up because Lummis had talked about the threats the Times had earlier in the story, and we saw the disagreements the Times went through with different agencies. So it was kind of a hint the whole time, but did not seem real to anyone until it happened.
       Taking another step back, this was not really a break in action but an ignition of action. This explosion boomed a new topic in the story for us as readers. This tells a story about a previous event, and how it was kind of revenge. I cannot think of any other moments as significant as this that happened anywhere else in the text.

Reading Notes, Week 7, Lummis Part B

Notes for Lummis (339-347) Part B


-walked to Los Angeles from Ohio
-when he reached San Gabriel, he met with Otis
-they then walked 11 miles to LA
-the next morning, he was on duty at his new job Los Angeles times
-used to shoot quail and jackrabbits
-the times supported the Chief of Police after a police fight in the city
-the union was battling with the times
-railroad strike in 1904
-in 1910, he was writing when he heard two explosions
-the times building had been exploded, killing 20 men
-1887, LA was growing b7 1500 each month
-SD was growing by half that rate
-in May 1888, half of Southern California was plowed

Reading Notes, Week 7, Noguchi Part A

Notes for Noguchi (330-338) Part A


-one of the first literary figures that came to California
-arrived to California in 1893 via boat
-started publishing poems and books
-"Chinese steerage" smell made him sick on the way over
-didn't eat or drink for many days
-reached San Francisco on a Sunday morning
-didn't know much, but knew there was plenty of things to learn in California
-attracted to the American women
-got hit by a man from California who called him a "jap"
-grew to love Mr. Miller
-wanted to travel to the Yosemite valley
-as he traveled, he stopped and stayed in vacant houses
-he began to travel a lot
-stayed at Monetery and learned the mystery of the sea
-one of his favorites was traveling through San Luis Obisbo

Project Revision, Week 6

Logan Huntze

Ms. H

English 205

27 February 2019

Project #1

Love has an important affect on each individual’s life, some in a positive way and some in a negative. Two texts that we have read this semester that involves love are “About the House Girl” (40-50) and “Thocmetony” [Sarah Winnemucca] (254-261). These two texts illustrate love in two different ways. In “About the House Girl,” love is accepted and persuaded by each individual, versus in “Thocmetony,” love is more hesitant and persuaded in a much different way and often times frowned upon rather than being something special. I think love was much easier to pursue in the story “About the House Girl” compared to “Thocmetony” and love definitely had a different meaning in both texts.

            We have been reading lots of texts from back in the day about California’s history and the influence it had on so many people. Each story has had a meaning behind it and that is a reason why I chose the topic to talk about that I did. In the beginning of the semester, we read a text called “About the House Girl” (40-50) and this was an interesting story to me. I was able to relate to the story in some way and I was also able to paint a good picture in my mind about what the setting was during that time. This text was evolved around the love that Patipir had for Ifapi, and eventually the love they both had for each other. We have also read another text in this class called “Thocmetony” [Sarah Winnemucca] (254-261) and in this text girls are involved with special ceremonies growing up and the value of love is rarely taught to them. For a man to marry a woman, he must approach her at night while she is sleeping in her grandmothers lodge, and from there the women either tells the man to go away or she accepts him and they get married. The concept is much different in this story than “About the House Girl.”

            In the text “About the House Girl,” the main character Patipir is described as a hard working young man who enjoys fishing and hunting, and on his quite time he enjoys playing the flute near the river. He lived on a village, and had other villages around him that were separated by a river. Ifapi, the other main character who is discovered later in the story, is also a young woman who stays with her older Aunt on the village of Rekwoi. Rekwoi is located directly across the river from Patipir. Patipir has known Ifapi’s Aunt his whole life, but has never seen Ifapi. In this text, Patipir begins his journey to locate and marry Ifapi, and the events leading up to this is what makes this story so interesting.  

            The story “About the House Girl” was definitely based around love, and from the start Patipir worked hard to get Ifapi. I think the river that separated the two symbolized the road to marriage, and Patipir knew that getting across that river meant he could finally find Ifapi. The imagery described in this text was very detailed, and it emphasized the meaning certain scenes had on the overall outcome of the story greatly. Without the description of the river, the smell of fresh sea weed in the air, and the steep hill leading up to Ifapi’s house, the story would have been more generic and basic. The scene where Patipir finally finds Ifapi out on the beach during the middle of the night really shows that it was love at first sight. Patipir knew who she was right from the start, and that night he continued to follow her around and watch her. The following day when he decides to go back up to her Aunts house, find Ifapi, and take her away to marry her seals the deal for him. However, the overall meaning of the story stays the same, and that meaning is love.

            Characterization is also a literary device used in this text, and it can be applied to both Patipir and Ifapi. Patipir was a young, hard working man, however was shy towards girls and focused most of his attention on hunting, fishing, or playing the flute. Ifapi was also a shy young woman, but her days consisted of staying inside and occasionally going out at night to dance at the beach. When the two saw each other that night at the beach, both of their personalities changed as they became less shy with one another, even though they didn’t even speak to each other that night. This escalated into the next day when Patipir went to Ifapi’s house, took her with him, and married her that day. Both of these characters changed, and it’s all because of the love they had for each other. This emphasizes the meaning of love that the author applied to the story and reveals that love at first sight is actually a thing.

            Another literary device this text uses is plot and by doing so, it creates a better understanding of how each event goes down to create a more significant meaning. There is a sequence of events that lead up to the important ending of the story, and is was very clear to follow in this text. The first important event that happened was Patipir crossing the river and going up to Ifapi’s house because of the smell of fresh sea weed. The next event was Patipir heading out to the beach at night, spotting Ifapi, and watching her the whole night. The third event was Patipir going back to Ifapi’s house the day after the dancing, finding Ifapi, and taking her with him. The fourth and final important event was Patipir getting permission from Ifapi’s parents to marry her, and them both going off into the ocean to start their new lives. Each of these events are very meaningful, and they all play an important part into the overall meaning of the story, and this is love. Each one of these events occur because of love from Patipir towards Ifapi and the author demonstrates this very well in each scene. If Patipir didn’t participate in any of these events, the overall outcome and meaning of the story would have been different. Love symbolized the whole story, and each event had its own responsibility in the outcome of the text.

            The other story we have read in class is “Thocmetony” and love was also a factor in this story. Love had a different meaning to this text, and what makes it different is love wasn’t necessarily the whole meaning of the story. Love was mixed into the story, and the way love is looked at and perceived is much different than the other text called “About the House Girl.” In “Thocmetony,” each child, especially woman, are taught to be good and are to follow a specific guideline when they are growing up. The girls in this story are Indian, and they do not do certain things until they meet a white man who is there to teach them. They are taught by their parents to love everyone, including their siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. However, the young woman are not allowed to talk to any young men that is not their cousin.

            Each year, the Indian girls have an event called the Festival of Flowers and this is an opportunity for the girls to dress up and finally be able to talk to young men. At this festival, the girls meet boys that they are interested in, and the boys walk them through the flower ceremony and sing the flower songs with them. When finished, the “Chief” would come out and announce that their flower day will come in 5 days, and until then they must wait. Five days later the ceremony happens, the girls now call themselves the “flower girls” and after the dancing is complete the day full of happiness ends. From there, the girls are sent off to womanhood at the grandmother’s house, and this is recognized as a very sacred thing. The girls cannot get married until after they have been through womanhood. Womanhood lasts twenty five days, and each day the girls are given certain tasks to complete that will help strengthen them. Once these twenty five days are over, the women are now open for men to approach. During the night, men will approach the girl sleeping next to the grandmother, and they are either told to leave or they’re accepted. It takes up to a year for some men to be accepted by the woman, but once they are the men can get permission from the girl’s father to love his daughter. After this, they have a wedding feast with lots of food and their lives continue on.

            In this story, symbolism is used a lot to describe and show the true meaning of certain events. When a woman gets to the age where she can participate in the flower ceremony, that is the first big milestone in the young girls life. This symbolizes the opportunity to meet a young man and find love. Once the girls are assigned flowers, the flower ceremony begins and they have the most special day of their life so far, and the most fun they have ever had also. It is an opportunity for a man to participate in a ceremony with the girls, and the whole time they are preparing themselves for love. After the festival, the girls must go to womanhood which is provided to them by their grandmother’s. The girls are here for 25 days and each day they are given a new task to complete, which ultimately gets them stronger. Womanhood symbolizes the importance of marriage to the young girls, and allows them to learn certain things that will help them be successful in their future lives with men. The final step is the men approaching the girls when they’re asleep, and the girls making the decision whether or not they are ready to marry this man. All of these events are described as important opportunities  that both men and woman get to learn and appreciate the meaning of love, and I think the author does a great job breaking each one of these events down to understand the true meaning.

            The author uses imagery a lot in this text to help describe each event that is happening which emphasizes the meaning of love. The flower each girl is given represents an opportunity for love, and the way the author describes these flowers shows the true meaning of how important it actually is. The flower festival is very descriptive, and easily paints a picture in my mind about what is actually happening in that scene. Womanhood is very visual, especially the woman cutting and stacking firewood to gain strength. The author uses this imagery to emphasize how important it is to be strong before a girl decides to get married. The last step before marriage is the men approaching the woman while sleeping, and this event is also easy to paint a picture of. The woman must decide whether they are ready for marriage, and having the grandmother there while the girl makes her decision is important because she is the one who has put the girl through womanhood and showed her the importance of being strong. Each individual scene has its own imagery, but they all have the same meaning and impact and that is for the girls to find love. Love is a process that is cherished by the family of the young girls, and it is a huge factor that is played into this story.

            Both “About the House Girl” and “Thocmetony” emphasize the meaning of love and the importance of it; However, it is looked at very differently in each texts. “About the House Girl” describes a young boy who is determined to find and marry the love of his life, and each event in the story descries an action he partakes in to make this happen. There are no rules of marriage in this story, and the young boy Patipir does all the work by himself to marry Ifapi. This is very different compared to “Thocmetony.” In “Thocmetony,” girls have to go through certain ceremonies and training before they can even talk to boys their age. The process to be able to be married takes a long time, most of the time over a year. They have to be taught certain things and go through training to learn the importance of love, but this was cherished in this story. Nothing like this happens in today’s world, and it is crazy to see how things have changed tremendously. However, Patipir’s actions relate to the world we live in today. Most people find someone they’re interested in, and make an effort to be with them. What is different in today’s world compared to “About the House Girl” is the time to get married. Patipir married Ifapi the first day he took her from her house. In today’s world I would say that never happens, and it usually takes a few years to get married.

            Both authors describe love in two different ways with two different perspectives and stories. It is interesting to think about how things have changed from back then until now. Although one thing hasn’t changed, and that is the meaning of love. Love was persuaded in two different ways in the story, and it is persuaded a whole different way in today’s world but the meaning of love is still the same. One author described the journey a young boy took to meet the love of his dreams and marry her, and another author described the importance of love more in depth and shows the steps required to take to become married. Each one of them were different points of view, but revolved around love in different ways.

Week 6 Analysis, John Muir

       For this weeks reading, I have decided to do a literary analysis on the reading "John Muir" (298-307). This story was from a very long time ago, and  it discussed California in a way we haven't seen much of before. The text was very descriptive, one of the most descriptive texts I remember reading in this class so far, and is very detailed about what the outdoors were like back then.

       In this text, there are a few literary devices that I can relate this story to and explain how they are a part of it. This story used a lot of imagery. I learned a lot about what California used to look like, especially in the Yosemite and Shasta area. That was pretty interesting to me because I visit those areas often, so reading something about what they used to look like was intriguing. I enjoyed reading about how the sierras used to be, and how it was split between the north and south. It seemed like most parts of California at this time were split into different regions, and they all had their own function and meaning. I think that concept has faded away in the world we live in today, it is more of just north and south. The volcanos make the text pretty amazing, especially since we never see volcanos anywhere near us today. These definitely had an impact on California and the cities surrounding, and has shaped the layout of the state today. All of the topography from back then has changed tremendously to this day, but it has all been a process of shaping the state we live in and that was interesting to understand. California truly has changed and who knows what it will be like in 50 years.

       A theme that I was able to connect to myself in this text is when it talked about Mount Shasta and the rivers surrounding it. I go up to Shasta pretty often, and it is one of my favorite places to visit. I couldn't imagine seeing Shasta any other way I have, and to think about what it was like back then is crazy. I also enjoyed reading about the Pitt River Indians, and what happened with them and Shasta. This connected with me because the Pitt River is still around at Shasta, and the lake actually has a part of it called the Pitt River arm, so that was pretty cool. This works as a metaphor with what the author is discussing because it symbolizes change. We learned about what these areas were like years ago, and connected it to how they are now. If things didn't happen the way they did back then, California would be different today so it all represents change.

       The context is written in a historical way, since almost the whole text is about the history of California's topography and how it has evolved. This was definitely and influence on how this text was written, and topography obviously meant something to the author. This text is important because it allows people to relate to certain things mentioned in the writing, and allows people to think about the amazing changes that have happened since those days.

Reading Notes, Week 6, John Muir, Part B

Notes for John Muir (298-307) Part B



-naturalist and ardent conservationist
-studied at University of Washington
-California's topography is very diverse
-coast ranged from 2000-8000 feet high
-the Sierra is 500 miles long, 70 miles wide
- Yosemite was made up of rocks that were the size of mountains
-middle region full of big trees and bushes
-bear and deer graze through the wilderness
-gold region of California, it brought miners from all over the world
-February to April the whole foothill is a swarm of bees
-every winter the Sierra gets snow
-north region floods with lava
-the volcanos have an impact on all the surrounding locations
-Pitt River Indians
-the ice started to fade away
-California continued to slowly change over time into what it is today

Reading Notes, Week 6, Josiah Royce, Part A

Notes for Josiah Royce (279-286)


-born in Grass Valley
-Californian's known as the conquerors
-drama of the Mexican War
-England and France were rivals
-presence of the first golden days
-two errors exist within California between 1848 and 1856
-"mining camps"
-California was full of Jonahs
-the new comers to California were homeless
-violence unrolled
-true carelessness came from many people

Project 1

Logan Huntze

Ms. H

English 205

27 February 2019

Project #1

To complete my first project of English 205 and meet the standards given, I have chosen the topic: Pick a subject – love, work, freedom, etc. Then choose two selections and discuss how that subject is discussed in those selections. Use literary devices to help frame your discussion.

           

            We have been reading lots of texts from back in the day about California’s history and the influence it had on so many people. Each story has had a meaning behind it and that is a reason why I chose the topic to talk about that I did. In the beginning of the semester, we read a text called “About the House Girl” (40-50) and this was an interesting story to me. I was able to relate to the story in some way and I was also able to paint a good picture in my mind about what the setting was during that time. For this text, I am going to talk about love and how it is discussed in that story, as well as the literary devices used. During the time in this class, we also read a text called “Sarah Eleanor Royce” (136-140) and this story was also interesting and meaningful to me. The main characters of the story, a husband and wife, set out on a journey to travel towards California. Their main goal was to reach California to have freedom and be successful with their lives, but in order to get there they had to work. I am going to discuss how work is described in this story and how it played into them reaching their goal, which was ultimately success.

            In the text “About the House Girl,” the main character Patipir is described as a hard working young man who enjoys fishing and hunting, and on his quite time he enjoys playing the flute near the river. He lived on a village, and had other villages around him that were separated by a river. Ifapi, the other main character who is discovered later in the story, is also a young woman who stays with her older Aunt on the village of Rekwoi. Rekwoi is located directly across the river from Patipir. Patipir learned about this young girl on the other side of the river from his family, but they knew nothing about her. From the beginning, it was obvious Patipir wanted to meet this girl, but he had little knowledge of girls and didn’t know exactly how he would do this.

            One day Patipir was peacefully playing his flute near the river when he saw two girls across the way down in front of Ifapi’s house. After some chuckling and whispering, Patipir made his way across the river to the two girls. This was his first time ever crossing the river in his canoe, and once he reached the girls he was not with them long. The smell of fresh seaweed attracted Patipir’s attention up the hill to the Aunt’s house, where Ifapi lived. Patipir ditched the two girls he was with, and headed uphill. He arrived, talking to the old Aunt he had known his whole life, and then made his way into her house. At this time, he saw Ifapi for the first time and he was attracted. He didn’t stay long, and soon left back down to his canoe and headed back to his village. From the moment he saw Ifapi, he knew he had to meet her, and from this point on in the story he attempted everything he could to get to her.

            The next night Patipir did his same routine, heading across the river as the sun went down. This time, the two girls ran from him, and he was left confused on the other side of the river. But soon after that, he heard the voices of people, and went down to the river to investigate. He was confronted by people who told him to get on the canoe to come to the dancing across the ocean, so that’s what he did. As he arrived to the beach, he was amazed to see all the dancing going on. Suddenly while he was there, he spotted a young women near the fire, and after examining her realized that it was Ifapi, outside of her house for once. That whole night into the following morning he watched her, and the next day he once again headed to the Aunt’s house where she lived. This time, wasting no time, he went inside and grabbed Ifapi, attempting to take her with him. The Aunt stopped him, but after listening to his reasoning she allowed him to take her, and Patipr explained that he was going to marry Ifapi that night. They proceeded to go down to the river, hop in the canoe, and head for Ifapi’s fathers house to tell him the news .She arrived and said to her father, “that you may know my husband” (47). This shows that she too was excited about the situation.  After explaining the situation to the father, he was excited for his girl and new son-in-law and they both headed down river with their friends and family. They had their marriage ceremony on the same beach as the dancing from the night before, and soon after that Patipir and Ifapi headed down river in their canoe to start their lives on new land far away from their villages.

            This story was definitely based around love, and from the start Patipir worked hard to get Ifapi. There were many scenes in this story that hinted Patipir trying to get to Ifapi, and one day he finally did. It was like love at first sight for both of them, and things worked out perfectly in the end. Patipr wasted no time with Ifapi, as the first day he took her out he married her. This is very different than what goes on today in our world, as people often date for years before getting married. This is one thing that is very different now than it was back then. Patipir’s hard work and determination led to his success with finding and marrying Ifapi, and they both went off to continue their lives in a new place.

            This text also uses literary devices to describe different situations in the text such as characters or the overall setting. One literary device that is used in this text is characterization, and that applies to both Patipir and Ifapi. Patipir is described as a young, hardworking man, who is also very shy around girls. Although his actions changed when he found out about Ifapi, and after seeing her he was no longer shy towards her. Ifapi was also a young shy girl, but he intended to stay inside most of the time, and people that knew of her thought she never left the house. However, she was spotted at night at the dance party by Patipir, and that was the first time for him to see her outside. She also changed when she saw him, as she was no longer shy towards him. Imagery is also a literary device that was used quite often in this text. Patipir used imagery the most, and it started out by him describing the kind of things he does: cutting fire wood, fishing, hunting, and playing the flute. Each one of these things can be visually imagined in your head, which makes it easier to understand what was actually happening in the story. Another literary device that was used often in this text is theme. The theme was constantly changing. The theme went from one village to the next, on a canoe in the river, to a beach in the ocean. The theme constantly changed and I think each different theme had its own meaning. The last literary device that was used a lot in this text is symbolism. Ifapi symbolized love and future life for Patipir, and that was important to how this story evolved and ended up.

            The next story I am going to discuss is called “Sarah Eleanor Royce” and this was a great representation of the people’s goal back in the 1800’s to make the trek to California. A husband and wife made the decision to leave Iowa, and head towards California in the middle of the gold rush to start a new successful life. Anyone who makes the decision to make that long of a hike has to be determined and willing to work for what they want to accomplish. They had one thing in their favor, and that was their transportation. They were able to ride mules which benefitted them a lot throughout the story. They started the adventure and each night would stop and rest to prepare for the next day. The first night, they stopped and were surrounded by feet of snow. They were at a disadvantage as it was hard to get a fire started, but they did what they could to make it work.

            On October 19^th, it was an exciting day of their journey. As they made their way across steep slopes and hills, the wife looked out into the valley and saw the “promise land.” She was so excited and said “I knew I was looking across the Sacramento Valley.” There long journey full of hard work had finally gotten more exciting, as they were now closer to their end goal of reaching California. Each night, they continued to stop the traveling and get some rest and food in their bodies. Two days later on October 21^st, they unloaded their packs and made fires that were somewhat close to other campers and travelers. That night they were awoken by ruckus and loud footsteps, and then a few shots were fired. The Indians had found them and were trying to kill them. One man was hit by an arrow, and a few other men rushed towards the Indians to try and catch them. The Indians had an advantage of knowing the area better and they got away.

            A few days later on October 24^th, they reached another town called Weaverville that was full of villages and people. The husband and wife were finally comfortable with where they were, and at this time they were able to meet up with one of the husband’s old friends. His friend had been in California longer than he had, and he had a small portion of gold that he had earned while gold mining. The friend proposed a plan to the women’s husband, and that plan was to head towards Sacramento City to buy some goods, and then open their own store. The husband and wife agreed, and there new business journey had started. They worked hard to build housing for each other and also had work to do before they could open the shop. After hard work by both the husband and his friend, the time of opening the shop had finally come. They soon had people working for them, and their business was growing. They purchased cattle, and each day they were able to sell fresh meat which was a huge profit. They also had guys out gold mining during the day, which was also brining in profit to the business. As business continued, they started making new friends with the guys from the community who had make the same journey to California as they had. They even met some Indians and made friends with them. The husband and wife’s journey from Iowa paid off as they had reached California, started their own business, and became successful.

            This story evolved around work, lots of hard work. Back in that time, it was common for people to travel from all over to come to California because of the gold rush. Even though that was the “norm”, it was still very hard work and some people never made it. However, this husband and wife team traveled and traveled, encountered some crazy things such as getting hunted down by Indians, and in the end made it to California. This was all because of their hard work and dedication to reach their final goal. In California, they continued working hard and eventually opened their own store and created great business. People were working for them and the business continued to grow, and they were very successful. This shows that hard work can get you anywhere, and if you continue working hard you can accomplish your dreams like they did.

            There were many different literary devices used in this story. The first one was imagery. Imagery was used a lot in this story, especially when they explained their journey. The journey was hard and traitorous, and it was easy to create an image in my head as to what it looked like. Another literary device that was used was plot. There were many events laid out from the start to finish of this story, and each plot had a different meaning. The next device that was used a lot in this story was symbolism. First off, the overall journey towards California symbolized success and freedom. Once they made it, hard work of gold mining and opening a business symbolized their future lives, and the success they will have. Overall, work symbolized the outcome of this story, and that outcome was success and profit.

Topic Research

       For my project, I have chosen a topic that requires the use of literary devices. I have not dealt with literary devices much besides our weekly homework, so I have read the links attached to better understand what they mean and how someone can use them for a project like this. I also have gone back over my blog posts of the notes from the two texts I chose to talk about, and that has given me a better idea of which literary devices I would like to use for my project. By doing so, it has opened up more ideas for what I can do with the topic I have chosen for this project, and has helped me better understand the stories.
       Some literary devices I plan on using for my project are characterization, plot, theme, imagery and symbolism. I feel that I can relate all these to the two stories I have chosen and it will make it easier for me to talk about and summarize how they are related. At this time, I have not done any outside research regarding my project for the two stories. However, when I am writing the final project and decide to use outside sources, I will make sure to cite them in the final product.

Project Action Plan, Week 5

       For my project, I have chosen the topic: Pick a subject - love, work, freedom, etc. Then choose two selections and discuss how that subject is discussed in those selections. Use literary devices to help frame your discussion. The two texts I plan on talking about for this topic are "About the House Girl" pages 40-50 and "Sarah Elanor Royce" pages 136-140.

       I have chosen to talk about the text called "About the House Girl" for a couple different reasons. First off, I enjoyed the context and theme of that story, and since it was almost all outdoors I could personally relate to it. It was also very descriptive, and I was able to paint imaginary pictures in my head of what it looked like in the real story. The story had a few different meanings behind it, but one of them was love and that was an option to use for this topic of our project. That is also why I have chosen this one. I have read the story multiple times to ensure I understand  it and at this time I don't feel the need of outside resources, although when writing my project if I use any outside info I will make sure to include that as a reference.

      I also have chose to talk about the text "Sarah Elanor Royce." This story had many different scenes of Sarah and her husband traveling towards California, and the obstacles they endured to get there. However, there main goal was to get to California and I think one of the main reasons why they wanted to come here was for a better life and to gain freedom. Freedom was an option for this topic of the project so I have chose to analyze freedom with this story. Again, I have not found any outside information to reference to, but if I do I will attach that to my final copy of the project.


       I am aware that I need to use literary devices as well when I analyze these texts into my project. To ensure I do this correctly, I have read the links Ms. H has provided to us about literary devices, and have gotten a better understanding and idea of what to do. I have read about the literary elements, themes, and context that have gave me an idea of what do to. I also have read the link attached to literary elements, that talks more about literary devices. This article breaks down the basics of the literary devices, and names many that are usable in this situation. I plan to talk about characterization, imagery, plot, symbolism, and theme in the two articles I have chose to do my project on.