Tears of a tiger (Draper 82-162)

Summary:

Since the death of Robert, people have not been seeing the light in life. Andy began to think, what if his younger brother died.  It would be tragic because he has a good future just as Robert.  But when he thinks about his future he sees nothing but darkness. Andy feels as if he is to blame and he shouldn’t live anymore, as he said in his letter to Roberts parents. All he does is reminisce about the old times when he was alive. The story then shifts to explain and talk about Andy’s family and life with his girlfriend named Keisha. At the same time while some of them are feeling miserable, their also reflecting off Robert’s death, now cherishing friendship even more. Andy’s life began to go down the drain. The death hurt his feelings; he got a disease (senioritis) which later on killed him. The book ends with his younger brother writing a letter to him, expressing his feelings. His life and his emotions are similar because they shift. One moment he cherishing life the other he thinks he doesn’t deserve life. the book continues with journal entry about emotions all the character go threw not only about Robert death but about a lot more. Such as Andy’s younger brother last entry. His entry was written to Andy as a way for him to get a load off his chest, since the day Andy died. This letter was a way to talk about how life wil be without him but different from Andy. He seen and learned from Andy reactions to his friend death but he made his reaction different by changing his life in a positive e way

Quote:

“I’ll never forget that it’s okay to put a dragon in the jungle and tears on a tiger”

Reaction:

My reaction to the book was how realistic this book could be. Many people could relate to the characters, one of which is Andy.  Being on a basketball team, I know how it feels to have ups and downs, to feel terrific after a victory. But if we lose a game and I feel as though it’s my fault for the loss, things get emotional. Feelings can become overwhelming and tough to hide. Andy isn’t a character who wears his emotions on his sleeves. He tends to keep back, and express himself through writing. This quote is the second best if found in book because it saying it’s ok to be put in a predicament where you don’t know how to react or know anything about a situation. As Andy didn’t know how to react to his friend death being put in that situation that often left him confused.  Its ok to put tears on a tiger because its ok to cry even when you haft to be strong for others. As Andy had to be strong for his brother and cry sometimes because reality is the hurtful truth.

Tears of a Tiger (Draper 1-82)

Summary:

The book starts off with a surprise. It introduces the character having fun talking and relaxing after the exciting victory. The talk and laugh while they crack jokes as boys do. They then decide to take a ride while having a few drinks of beers and hit the road hoping a party would find them. Until the car crash and exploded.  Robert Washington, captain of the hazel wood high school basketball team died that night. His friends that were with him in the car including the diver Andy survived, but they felt confused. As to why they didn’t die and he did. Robert had a god future he was an excellent basketball player averaging double digits point and not only high point but al sigh grades. His friend Andy, rob, Tyrone, and bj all felt miserable and they didn’t know how to deal with the fact their friend has just died. News of the accident struck the media. It was on the front page of the news it was on the news and all the publicity made Andy miserable. All the stress piled on him because he felt it was his entire fault. He question life and felt he didn’t deserve it. He was truly hurt. he srated to slack after because he didnt know how to deal with his emotions. sjould he sit and blame himself or should he move on. in a way he did start to move on because he did start to cerish things more in life after reliezing hings happens.

Quote:                                                                  

“Last week I learned that kids my age could die”

Reaction:

My reaction to the first half of the book is wow that can be anyone that died just like Robert did. A group of innocent talented young basketball players go out to celebrate their victory with their closest friends and all at once it happens. This quote means a lot because it shows Andy reaction. How he is left confused and dealing with the fact that he feels he is the reason why his friend is dead and he does not know how to deal with it. What makes the book so good is the realism. How some people are left with he saying “what now”. People can relate to the book because its shows problems that teen can face in a everyday life.

Buried secrets (Sanford 248-313)

Summary:
The end of the book and the main idea is about the author Victoria Sanford’s how her book is a vehicle for survivors of La Violencia , the period of human rights abuses against Maya Indians in Guatemala, to tell their stories of persecution and, ultimately, of survival. Buried Secrets strives not only to tell the stories of the victims, but to show how their testimonies help to find both truth and justice for the Maya in Guatemala.  Guatemala use the term La Violencia when referring to the massacres in 626 villages and 200,000 civilian victims of a thirty six year long civil war. Buried Secrets is a difficult book to read because of the tears that flood the eyes of readers who wade through the traumatic memories of massacre survivors.

Quote:
"La violencia"

Reactions:
The word la violencia raps up the story because its the circle of life in the book. Its a word that raps up what the Mayan went threw. It sums up their event of suffering. This book was really good it open my eyes up to a different level of struggle far from other books that involved similar even such as the book night. It was a painful book to read because of how everyone faced the treatment and how it effected them to a maximum point where they went even safe in their own pride land. They were strip of all kinds of integrity and hope.

Buried secrets (Sanford 186-248)

Summary:
Many did die but many were also recruited, they were recruited at young ages. Such as Mateo, a massacre survivor from Pueblo Nuevo. He was recruited into the Guatemalan army at age fifteen. Most of the recruites were indigenous.they punish them everyday, they hit them everyday. Sometime they would be hang, and or tied to a bed. They would make them do push up and lay on the ground all roll around until they threw up. By the time they were lines up and punches in the stomach they didn't fell anything because it was empty. They hade training called tiger course. Kids were told they had to complete the training in order to become a man. This was the creation of the army. Kids beaten until they meet their limits. They follow rules if not they'd be beaten and or killed

Quote:
"Lots of people were dying and it was impossible to be objective in this period"

Reaction:
Until the end of the book your heart it cold and it drops. I felt shock and had no real response because of the image they painted. Wanting you to almost live as these people did. As they lived in pain and fear. Its sad reading this book because it almost feels as if they have no hope at all. That this cant be stop no matter what. People are being killed for no reason. Even if you were caught at the boarder you was kidnapped. Depending on age you was kiled or sent to the army. All around this a sad book, but hopefully their will be a turn around.

Buried secrets (Sanford 124-186)

Summary:
promoting safety in Guatemala is a fiasco. Crime rate were high, in 1979 and arbitrary executions of local village leaders had become a systematic practice of the Guatemala army. As early as 1980s civil patroller and military commissioners participated in army-ordered kidnappings and arbitrary execution. Everyone was killing everyone. They killed village leaders such as Francisco Lopez. He was killed and his house was set on fire       the army selective execution of local leader was not limited to the civil society leaders but it included elected members of the local governments. It was a massacre. This section was about the curroption of the army. The military began a ghetto where it was a base where people lived that was supervised by armed military men.

Quote:
"we are always afraid"

Reaction:
Killing became expected like the sun rising everyday. Population began to decrease. Its surprising when you hear the people who suspose to stop the crimes ; actually increase them. The book its interesting and surprising with scene when you can stop reading. My reactions are just surprised. The quote also reflects the book because of the endless unjustified crimes that causes people to always be scared.

Buried secrets (Sanford 54-108)

Buried secrets  (Sanford 54-108)

Summary:
Unfortunietly in 1987 sister dianna ortiz a U.S nun began working as a teacher in the san Miguel Acantan, a small community high school in the Cuchumatan mountains of huehuetenago. On November 2nd 1989 sister dianna was kidnapped from within then enclosed garden of religious center. During her detention, she was burned with cigarettes, raped, and placed in a pit of rats and decomposing bodies with other still-breathing torture victims. she was confused with a guerilla leader Veronica, they made a mistake. Soon after she escape.

Quote:
"Push for an end to U.S aid in Guatemala"

Reaction:
So far Guatemala is being described as an reckless place, with people who simple cannot be controlled by the government. They are doing what they want and when they please. This book so far is jaw dropping. This time period is by far the worst I've read about in any other spanish country.

Buried secrets (Sanford 1-54)

Buried secrets  (Sanford 1-54)

Summary:
So far in the book their is a doctor treating an wounded patient. This patient has gun shot wounds in his body, multiple stab wounds and also bruises that covered his body. Still alive he lays while gazing at the sealing. His wounds indicated he was being attack and they made an attempt to kill him. Just before performing surgery, armed men rushed in the door with machine guns, moving Voctoria out the way ; the doctor, with their machines guns. All three men lined infront of the patient and quickly fired, killing the man instantly, leaving the doctor alive.

Quote:
"I cant even describe what it was to watch then kill my patient in my surgery room right in front of me as I was trying to save his life"

Reaction:
After reading this section of the story it was hard to stop, I was left with questions, such as what would happen next. It seems to me that this is a time line in Guatemala where an large amount of crimes are being committed. This first death in the story and the tittle may have a relation because of the death and the buried secrets. The secrets behind all the killings.

film review

Reading one of the new york times review, there was one comment that I agree on. What I mainly disagree about was  “This whole movie showed white people in a positive light” to me the movie was debating on weather what race is better. It was not showing the negative side of the color community and the positive side of the white community. But it showed more of the struggles children face living in the harsh community, it shows the pain and suffering that they face. But it also shows the strength of the black community. Its not saying that there kids who get introduce to the drug life, kids who chooses gangs and kids who throw their life away. It doesn’t show how they have no choice. But what it does show is that they did make bad decisions some did and some didn’t but also they are willing to change their life around. The best part of the movie is showing how these kids have the strength turn their life around and finish what they started. This movie shows both white and black people in a positive light. It shows blacking walking from the bottom and running to the top. So I do disagree with the comment that was made.

film use in freedom writers

In the movie freedom writers the use a main film shot through out the entire movie. Which elaborates on each person feeling, facial expression help you understand the character more. This film shot is s close-up, head and shoulder, enabling you to easily see facial expressing, so you can see what the character is thinking and expressing. During this scene the famous R&B singer Omarion plays a freshmen student in one of the toughest school. The kids are seen to have no educations. From the teacher eyes there worthless and not even defined as students. A new teacher joins the school and she teaches this freshmen class. Unlike other teacher she sees something in the students. Omarion fails the class purposely and after school she approach him, she knew he could do better so she said “you will pass my class, even if that means me going to your house everyday to make sure you study and do you homework” when saying that sentence the camera close up to her face and we was able to see the rage in her eyes but also the care.

Another film term they use is a pan, which is pivoting the camera to the side to scan a scene or to follow a moving subject. In the movie there is a scene where a girl watched her father abuse her mother and almost beat her to death. Charges have been pressed on her father, but it is up to her to actually justify his sentence. He now faces the judge and is ask to testify. But before the court scene numerous times she being chased down, and being told not to snitch. They use pan when a gang of both males and females are chasing her to an ally way and as they chase her. The visualization is the camera moving side to side.

As I said before this school is a tough school were many things happen. A day in class a group of asian decided to draw a picture. (the kids ins school divided themselves by race) this picture was of a black male mocking the stero types of a black male. As the boy open the paper he seen the picture and was quickly humiliated. This scene shows a medium shot, a shot that frames a actor, normally from normally from the waist up. 

Freedom Writers (Gruwell 56-112)

Summary:
After reading more stories, a message is sent out from each story, and most of them are similar. The message they send out is, out lives are the same. But when you see life flash before your eyes, or when you see other people scoop down real low to end another life, what do you do? How do you react to it? How can you control your emotion? Where can you go? They experiences of these kids leave a blank and confused mind of what to do next, and how to get past what happen without crying every night.

Quote:
they say american is the "land of the free and home of the brave," but what's so free about a land where people get killed?

Reactions: my reactions where heart braking. Some people may think their lives in bad cause they live in boston or other reasons. But after reading about Thomas it changes everything. He had to fight threw two close death. His best friend was kidnap, beat up, then killed because of being shot in the head five times. His cousin died while diving home. They tried to rob his mom car while he and his mother was in the car. They shot him took the car and his mother had to hold her son until he died. And his last words was I love you. Now hoe do you get past that ?

Freedom Writers (Gruwell 1-56)

Summary:
This book is based on a real live event. An old English teacher at Wilson high school in long beach, California, confronted a room full of so called unreachable students that are at risk. In the book is chapters, and each chapter is a story, story that tell tragic events taken place in teenage kids life. They each explain a crazy experience that had to recover from. Such involving getting jump, buying a gun, juvenile hall, the projects, and even russian roulette. All those name were the tittle of story that was short words to describe a situation for them.

Quote:
"When I felt the rush of the air from his fist whizzing past my face, I went crazy? I started kicking him in the head? The only thing that made me stop was when I saw his eyes roll back in his head as though he was dead"

Reactions:
My reactions were and still is jaw dropping. The thought of situations that kids face in movies wouldn't seem to be real. But this book shows they can be true. These kids expect the unexpected because they seen what people would call the unthinkable. Such as in the quote where a kid was relaxing at the bus stop and some guys approach him teasing him and instead of them beating him up he ended up almost killing one of them.