Think back over everything we have read so far for this unit ("Theme for English B," "American History," "Alone And All Together," the song "Little Boxes,""Sylvia's Story" from National Public Radio, and "Crickets"). Your task now is to write and post a comment in this forum in which you describe a connection between TWO of these works, focusing on the role of "the box." Think about how different characters face similar or different challenges. Think about similarities or differences in the kinds of disguises characters wear. Do you think these characters will escape from their boxes?
Once you have made a connection between two works, post a comment describing that connection. Make sure to mention specific characters/narrators, and to be clear about how the "boxes" they experience are similar. Your post does not have to be long; four or five sentences is plenty. You should feel free to respond to your classmates' posts, as well as to ask your classmates questions.
*** Remember to use your first name, "Nekrosius," and your class period number when you sign your post (do NOT put your last name). Use the "anonymous" identity, and remember that after you click the "Publish your comment" button your comment will not appear until after I have approved it as the moderator. Also, if you choose to respond to what another classmate wrote, please do so in a respectful manner.
40 comments:
I think that Ted is in a box. The box is this American life that he is living. He longs for his childhood in Vietnam, and I think that he wishes that his son would appreciate cricket fighting. The box that he is living in is somewhat similar to the box that Sylvia was living in, except not as extreme. Sylvia faces challenges with her family, and Ted does too. (with his son who doesn't want to accept being Vietnamese) Sylvia feels like she wants to be doing something better with her life, I think that Ted feels a bit like that too. At the end of the story, when Ted questions why shouldn't crickets be different, he is at the same time wondering why he can't be different too, and why no one (his family) admires him like he and his friends used to admire the fire crickets.
--Florence, Nekrosius
Both the narrator from "American History" and Sylvia from "Sylvia's Story" are trying to break from their boxes. Both girls are immigrants, coming to America and both of them want to be more than their parents want them to be. They are both extremely smart. Both girls have a bright future in front of them, if they can escape from their little boxes.
-- Elizabeth Nekrosius
I think there was a connection between little boxes and Alone and All Together. How the Girl was kind in this box of her own. She would go to school go home see the same people ignore her parents and sit on the fire escape and watch the different families in that house. Meaning her life is the same almost every day.
--Taylor Nekrosius
Both Sylvia and Ted have something in common, they are both stuck in their own box. Sylvia's mom is convincing Sylvia not to go to school and live the life as a Mexican woman should. Ted feels the same way as Sylvia's mom because they both want their children to appreciate where they immigrated from. Although Ted is a little easier on Bill. Bill is not concerned at all about fighting crickets or speaking vietnamese or how his dad feels about Vietnam. I feel one day when Bill is older he will appreciate how much his dad wants to show him how his childhood was. Sylvia is stuck in her own box because she doesn't understand how her mother is trying to keep her safe but her mother doesn't realize that she is keeping Sylvia from doing lots of important things. I'm sure if they both try hard to get out of their little boxes then they will be able to come out.
--Victoria Nekrosius
both Esperanza and the girl from alone and all together are put into the box of having "daddy trubles" people think that they understand but they do not.
----George Nekrosius
ted is having problems bonding with his son and that relates to alone and all together when this terrible thing happenes and the family has problems relating and everybody is confused
--Clemente Nekrosius
I think that Sylvia and Ted have lots in common. They are both stuck in a box. Sylvia's mother wants her to realize where she immigrated from. She wants her to be just like all of the other Mexican girls. That's the same way that Ted feels about his son. Although, he doesn't push his kid as much as Sylvia's mother does. They are both going through some hard times in their family. With Ted, he feels he should be doing something a little better with his life and same with Sylvia. Hopefully they will eventually escape out of their boxes!
--Aliya, Nekrosius
Sylvia is in a small box because her mom is wanting her to be a normal mexican wife but she wants to go to school and become something. Her mom is also in a box. She is afraid to go out of her house. She is patching up the box when sylvia makes a hole in it. She just needs to be brave and step up to break the box.
--David2 Nekrosius
The main character in "American History" is Elena. The main character in "Alone and All Together" is Libby. These two characters are similar because they are both in a box of racism. One of them, Libby, has a disguise. She is Arab but she has blonde hair and blue eyes. She really identifies herself as Arab. Where Elena wishes she had a disguise but she doesn't have one. She will forever be in her mind Latina. The box of racism keeps Elena in because she has made it who she is. She seems to be more trapped in the box. Libby seems to use the box of racism for power. She is really aware of its presence. They are also both similar because neither has a father around to help them. I think Libby will escape from her box because she is aware of its presence. Elena will not because she will never test it.
---George Nekrosius
Sylvia, Ted, Sylvia's mom they are all in a box. Sylvia is in box because her mom wants her to be a typical Mexican housewife but she really wants to make something of her life she, needs to brake free. Ted is in a box because he wants his childhood in Vietnam again and that he wants his son to appreciate cricket fighting and he is trapped in sadness. Sylvia's mom is in a box because I think she is afraid of change and that if she changed people would turn on her then she would be alone and a big fear of hers is being alone. They are all trapped in a box and need to break that box.
- Cole Nekrosuis
I think that there's a connection between Crickets and Sylvia's Story.
In Crickets, Ted is always wishing that his son and wife will understand how he's feeling. He wants his son to appreciate his heritage and how much he admired fighting crickets. He wants it so much he's stressing and worrying about it all the time. His wife shrugs off how they're son doesn't want to have anything to do with his heritage. "He doesn't speak Vietnamese at all and my wife says not to worry about that. He's american."
In Sylvia's Story, Sylvia wants her family to understand how she's feeling to. She wants her family (especially mom and rude aunt) to support her life as an American. She takes every opportunity she has to try to impress her family, and fails. Like Ted. "I want them to say 'Oh, she did it!' and be proud of me."
---Molly, Nekrosius
I think that Theme for English B and Sylvia's Story are both trapped in the same box. Both Sylvia and the guy from Theme for English B(name unknown)are creative, and have a big dream/goal that they want to achieve. The guy in Theme for English B and Sylvia also want to be something they aren't. But, Sylvia's mom and relatives want Sylvia to be a normal mexican girl. As for the boy from Theme for English B, he is "colored" (which limits his options), and he is lower-middle class, which also limits his options for a career.
--Amanda, Nekrosius
The girl from alone and all together (AAT) is in a box. She is in the same box as the girl from American History (AH). They are both poorly effected by their race. The girl from AAT is picked on because she is "the same" as the terrorists. The girl from AH is denied love and a relationship because she is Puerto Rican. In both cases the color of there skin is the box that they are trapped in. I don't think that they can get out of the box, but they can cut a whole in the box and peek there heads out.
Libby (from Alone and All Together) is in a box: she considers herself Arab, but doesn't look it. Sylvia, on the other hand, considers herself/wants to be American. She wants to do something with her life, but her Mom tells her that she's Mexican. Libby is told by her sister that they're American. Libby has always been struggling- she's ARAB, but looks American; Sylvia's AMERICAN, but her parents were Mexican immigrants.
--Erica, Nekrosius
I think that both of the narrators from "American History" and "Sylvia's Story" are both in the same situations. They are trying to be who they want to be and their families are trying to prevent them because the families want to take charge of their lives.
--Georgia Nekrosius
i think that sylvia's just trying to be who she wants to be but her family is just pulling her back in to the box. same with the narrator from"American History".
--Kyle Nekrosius
In "Crickets", I think Ted is in a box because he wants his son Bill to learn Vietnamese and enjoy cricket fighting, but Bill "lives in the now" and does not admire "old stuff" like cricket fighting. And his box he was in was that no one appreciated what he liked. In "American History" the girl is in a box because everyone is grieving over the loss of John F. Kennedy while she wants to be with Eugene and she frankly isn't really that sad about the JFK assassination and she should be sad about it. The connection between these two is they both want to do they're own things but the box won't let them.
--Miles, Nekrosius
September 19, 2010 11:07 AM
Crickets and Sylvia’s Story had a connection. With Sylvia she was trying to get out of a box, the box that her Mexican herratiget set up for her. On the other hand in Crickets Ted was trying to get his son into a box.
--Tomas Nekrosius
I think that Elena from "American History" and the narrator from "theme from English B" are in similar boxes, because they are restricted because of the color of their skin. With Elena, she isn't allowed to be friends with Eugene because she is Mexican, and lives in "El Building", and the narrator from "Theme from English B" is denied a fair grade because he is African American.
-- David Nekrosius
I think that Ted and sylvia were both in boxes. Ted being in a box that he wants his son to come into and share with him, and Sylvia wanting to escape the box that she is in. Sylvia is in a box that her mother is putting her in where she wants her to grow up get married and have kids like the rest of her cousins. However Ted is trying to pull his son into the box that he is in were he loved his life in Vietnam, but his son was born here in America.
--Marc Nekrosius
I think the box that Ted is trapped in is the American lifestyle. He wants his son to act Vietnamese but his son identifies as American. This is kind of like Sylvia's story where her parents wanted her to be Mexican but she wanted to be American.
-- samy Nekrosius
I think Ted is in a box. Ted is trying to be American but can not, he is smaller, talks faster, and he has a "American" son who is some what American but he is not affiliated with his Vietnamese side and therefore doesn't know most of the things his father knows which excludes Ted. Ted and the narrator from American History are in a similar box. They both are immigrants and deal with racism to different extents (Ted less the narrator from American HIstory). They both are tired of being different, they both just want to be "American, normal".
--Terrance, Nekrosuis
I think that Elena form American History and Libby from alone and all together are both confined in box of racism because Elena is stopped by the box in the shape of the boys mom and Libby is stopped by the box in the form of the the racism going on around her.
--David1 Nekrosius
I think that both Ted and his family and Judith and her family are in similar boxes. Both families have parents who are first generation immigrants and children born in America. The parents have their own ideas on how life should be lived and how one should act. Those ideas are different for both cultures. The children want to live in a more American way. They have different interests and philosophies. The parents want the children to grow up the way they grew up so the children feel like they are in boxes. The parents try to keep their children’s interests in mind and first and foremost they want their children to be happy. The parents try to interest their children with old country things: including cricket fighting and going to church. But the kids don’t buy in. The parents don’t attempt to stop the kids when the kids take a step out of their box but they are saddened. The parents wish that their kids would be like them and they feel a little bit like their kids don’t respect them. So I think that shows that Ted and his family and Judith and her family are in similar boxes.
--Harrison Nekrosius 1-2
I think there is a connection with Libby ( from alone and all together) and Ted ( crickets ). They are both trying to know what their identity is and how it affects them and their family. Libby is not sure who she is Arab of American, and ted is not sure whether his son is American or Vietnamese.
--Zoe Nekrosius
I am adding on to the previous one because it got published on accident...
Both Libby and ted are strugeling to find thier identity. ted is triying to know if his son is completly american. He does not fully think so because it sayes that he is worried about him not speaking vietnamies. On the onther hand Libby lookes american but feels arabic. she does not know wisht one she is if she is both.
--zoe Nekrosius
I think there is a connection between the story "Alone and All Together" and the "Sylvia's Story" from the radio. Both girls feel inside a box because of their race. Sylvia is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to do with her life, while trying to break out of the box that her Mexican family holds. Sylvia doesn't really want to be Mexican as much as she wants to be American. In "Alone and all together" Libby is an Arab girl living in America during the tragedy of 9-11. Libby had been trying to connect with her roots by studying arabic. She is upset because she looks more american then her sister, but her sister wants to be fully american. When 9/11 occurs, people immediately start judging her. Libby starts to feels she cant crawl out of her box that holds her race. She wants to all the sudden be free of that feeling, and just be "normal". When She stands up for a boy on the street, I think she started to believe that even though she has been placed in that box, and people make fun of her for it, doesn't mean that she cant find a way to make everything work.
-Nora Nekrosius
I think that Ted and Sylvia are both in boxes. Sylvia is in a box that her mother is keeping her in. Her mother wants her to go to school get a boyfriend get married and have kids. However Sylvia wants to go to college and become a special features designer. Ted loved his life in Vietnam and he wants his son to enjoy cricket fighting as much as he did, but his son likes his American life. Ted is still trapped in a box that he is trying to pull his son into that box.
-- Marc Nekrosius
I think Sylvia and Ted are stuck in a box. Thieu's box is his Ethnicity. He is so used to Vietnam ways which are different from American ways. Everyone sees him as an American, but he does not have enough courage to step out of his box and be an American.
Sylvia wants to be something different from her family. She wants to step out of her box that her parents are creating for her. But she is scared that she may fail. She hopes that one day her parents will finally understand the way she wants to live her life.
Both of these characters face challenges with their family's. Ted faces challenges with his son, however, Sylvia faces challenges with her parents. Sylvia's challenge is a little bit tougher than Ted's. But they both are trying to convince someone they love to understand them.
--Kelsey Nekrosius
Both of the narrator's from "English B" and "American History" are both stuck in boxes. The way that their experiences are similar is that they realize the racial differences between people, but try to tell the people that have negative comments about their race that just because i'm different does not mean I should be treated differently.
--Jackie Nekrosius
I think that Ted from "Crickets" and Sylvia from "Sylvia's Story" are trapped in similar boxes.
Ted and Sylvia both really want their families to understand how they are feeling, but no matter how hard they try to make their families understand what they are going through they always fail to get through to them. Sylvia just wants her family to understand that she wants to be different, and go to college and get a good job, she wants them to support her and to be proud of her, but no matter what she does to impress them, they are still disappointed with her for not being more like them.
All Ted wants is for his son to understand his culture and to be impressed with him. When Ted tries to teach his son, Bill, about fighting crickets, expecting him to be impressed and have fun, Bill complains the entire time, and obviously hates it.
--Bailey Nekrosius
Sylvia and Sally, from Alone and All Together, are both in a box. Sylvia and Sally are both struggling to escape the box of togetherness with their family. Sylvia wants to be her own person now that she is about to turn eighteen and become an adult. She wants to start spending less time with her family and more time at school and alone. Sally is about to graduate from high school and go to collage. Sylvia is trying to escape the box of her mothers lonliness, and Sally is trying to escape the box of her mother's depression from her seperation with Sally's father. Both Sylvia and Sally are struggling to escape a similar box before they become full adults and go off and live by themselves.
--Lillian Nekrosius
The narrator from 'Theme for English B' and Elena from 'American History' are both in the same box. They both are being judged on their race, african american for the narrator and hispanic for Elena. In 'Theme for English B', the speaker doesn't actually give any clear examples of being refused do to his race, but he does hint about racial differences between him and his classmates. In the first scene from 'American History', Elena is on the playground, and she talks about how her classmates are african american and she is hispanic.
-Sophia Nekrosius
I think that Elena from "American History" and Libby from "Alone and All Together" are in similar boxes. At the end of "American History", Elena is crying because she was turned away by the mother of someone she liked because of where is lives and her ethnicity. When the World Trade Centers are attacked Libby thinks "Don't let it be us." Elena and Libby both feel sad or worried about who they are and where they come from because of what other people might think of them.
-- Maya Nekrosius
The narrators in "Alone and All Together" and "American History" are both put in boxes because of their race. Both narrators will face adversity in their lives because of these boxes. The narrator in "Alone and All Together" will face adversity/is put in a box because of the racial stereotypes concerning all Middle Eastern people (especially after an event like 9/11). The narrator in "American History" will face adversity/is put in a box because in the 1960's racism was still rampant in our country and Puerto Ricans (or any "ethnic" person) in general would not get the same opportunities as "white" people. Unfortunately, I don't believe the narrator in "American History" will ever break out of her box. As I said earlier racism "back in the day" was widespread, and by the time racism lessens it might be too late for her. As for the narrator in "Alone and All Together" she most certainly could break out of her box, if she works hard.
--- Michael Nekrosius 5/6
I believe that Sylvia and Esperanza both have a similar box. They both just feel their parents are forcing them into a box they don't want to be in. Sylvia and Esperanza are also immigrants that want to American not Mexican.
--Fionn Nekrosius
There is a similar connection between Bill in 'Crickets' and the narrator in 'American History'. They both have parents that wish them to be more oriented towards their ethnicity, but they both want to be more American. There is a difference in the way the stories are told; in the story 'American History', the box is described from the point of view of the person in the box, and in the story 'Crickets', it is told in the point of view of the person putting Bill into the box. The similarity in the two situations continues; the parents in both stories don't want to hurt their child. In the case of 'American History', the mother is trying to protect the narrator, and in 'Crickets', the father just wants to show his son just how cool his childhood in Vietnam was.
The boxes around the children in both stories aren't incredibly severe, but they are there.
--Jennifer Nekrosius 5/6
In crickets Bill (ted’s son) was trapped in the box of parents wanting their kid to be someone they are not. Ted wants his son to be aware of his heritage and be more like he was when he was a kid but he just isn’t he wants to be a normal kind and normal American kid. This box is similar to Sally’s she just wants to live a normal American life and not be like her mother and father, living a life were the mother is home and the father is working, she dose not want to be a house wife. She wants to be different and not like her mother. The boxes they are in are the same in the way of their parents wanting them to be something they are not.
--Janie Nerkrosius
I think that Libby, from "Alone and All Together", and Elena, from "American History", are both put in to boxes because of their races. In "Alone and All Together" Libby is shut into the box of being Middle Eastern. People treat her like she is the cousin of the terrorists who bombed the Twin Towers, when in reality she is horrified by this inhuman act of war. In "American History" Elena is shut into the box of being a Puerto Rican. Eugene's mother will not let her into their house to see Eugene just because Elena is not white.
Luis X. Nekrosius
I think there is a strong connection between the song "Little Boxes" and Silvia's Story. In Silvia's Story Silvia is trying to get out of the box her Mexican heritage and parents put her in. They want her to Listen to Mexican music, go to Mexican dances, have a Mexican boyfriend, dress the same way, marry early...etc. However, she wants to go to a university and be educated, wait to get married, and in general live a different lifestyle. The song "Little Boxes" is talking about how life is the same. It is saying that everyone grows up, goes to school, marries, then has children and lives in a "Little Box". I think this is what Silvia's parents are trying to force her into. They just want her to do the same thing and live in a little box. I also think that Silvia will prove the song wrong and emerge from her little box.
--Jacob, Nekrosius
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