We've read two stories and one poem this week about community, belonging and exclusion: "Theme for English B," "American History" and "Alone and All Together." Think about what the three stories have in common. What is their shared message about identity and community? How do they differ? Please write two questions that you would like to ask the class to discuss tomorrow. The questions should be open-ended, not empirical. You may wish to ask about the essays' meaning, you may wish to ask about the symbols and figurative language you saw in the stories and what they mean.
One question should be only about "Alone and All Together." The second question should incorporate or should be applicable to two or all three readings.
Write your questions in the comment section below. In order for you to submit your comment, be sure you are first logged out of any google account.
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Third, write your two questions, numbered one and two.
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Fifth, type in, as your name, your first name, your last initial, my name, and your period of humanities. For example, if your name is Bob Loblaw and you have Mr. Drogos in the morning, you would write, "Bob L. Drogos 1-2" DO NOT WRITE YOUR WHOLE NAME.
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1) Why is the girl (main character) so ashamed of who she is?
ReplyDelete2) Do the characters in "American History", "Theme for English B", and "Alone and All Together" realize and accept who they are?
Hello here are my questions:
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: Do you think that they are very worried about the plane crash in "Alone and all Together"?
Question 2: What are some similarities between each of the 3 stories?
P.S my favorite letter is ~
Hm...I'm not sure if that counts as a letter....
Deletep15 right column; When Sally says "No, I don't. We were born here, and so were Mom and Dad, right here in Chicago, Illinois, USA." Does she really believe that they can be considered that they are not part of "us" (i.e. Middle Eastern people) or is she just denying the fact?
ReplyDeleteAlone and All Together and American History: Why do big events cause such unification?
These are both good questions. An addendum to your second question, Allen: Do these "national tragedies" create unification or do they pull people further apart? In what ways and why?
Delete1.why did the older sister feel like her mom was never around any more?(beside the fact that she is in New York.)
ReplyDelete2. what do all three main characters from the poem and the 2 stories all have in common?
1.) why is the mother so sad
ReplyDeleteWhat class period are you in?
Delete1.Why do you think Libby wanted to go home but he was home?
ReplyDelete2.What do you think Elena and Libby have in comon?
A related questions would be: What does "home" mean in that story. Is their home America? Are they American? Or does this family live in a different American than you or me?
DeleteIn alone and all together the world trade centers went down and there was a sense of community when the sister in new york called the sister in chicago and wanted to see if she was OK. That ment that the two really cared about each other, and that is part of there identity. It was cool to see the people that come from different parts of the country come togather and solve a problem.
ReplyDeleteInsightful, John, but remember to look at the directions!
Delete1. Have you ever felt like an outsider like the people in these stories? How and why?
ReplyDelete2. What do you think it would feel like if you were in New York on 911?
1. What is the point of the story, Alone and all together. What is the main character trying to achieve, and what point does she achieve that?
ReplyDelete2. In all three readings, the main characters all do/say/write something bold or brave. How are these actions similar? How are they different?
Why is it that everyone picks on arab people just because of there race?
ReplyDeleteWhy is every main character isolated from everyone?
1. Way did libby say that "don't let it be us... let it be those white supremacitist, agian from Idaho or wherever. And not us"?
ReplyDelete2. Did Eugene and Elena ever talk agian after what happened on the day the preident died.
The three storys all have one thing in common, they all had a person that was always in a hard spot. For example in american history the girl had to deal with the death of the presidant and how the people around her reacted. The story all differ, one is about 2 buildings going down, one is about a man's identity and one is about a girl that has to deal with people around her feeling sad.
ReplyDeleteJohn, questions, not comments!
Delete1 why would the two sisters be so mean towards each other later on it the story?
ReplyDelete2 what do yo think the similaritys between the girl from all together and anerican history are ?
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Delete1. What happened that made Sally become so mean?
ReplyDelete2. How do "Theme for English B" and "Alone and All Together" relate?
Question 1. Why does sally in alone and all together hate it when Sitti talks to her in the Arab language.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2. Why do people in different races abuse each other?
1. Why did the author include the scene with Ahmed?
ReplyDelete2. What does Libby, Elena, and the character from Them for English B have in common?
1. What did Libby's sister, Sally, call their mother for?
ReplyDelete2. What does Alone and All Together have in commen with American History?
Hi Ily, don't forget to put your class period after my name. Thanks!
Delete1) Why were Libby and Erin calling Ahmed a "dib" and why, after calling him that, did Libby stand up for him? If she made fun of him, why does she stand up for him?
ReplyDelete2) Is it possible for a place to exist without racism?
1)Why do Sally and Libby always feel so alone?
ReplyDelete2)Are each of the main characters (Libby, Elena, subject of poem) glad to be the race and nationality that they are, glad to not be white?
The second question is interesting. To what degree are they proud; to what degree are they uncomfortable or shaped by this racial/ethnic identification? How does it make them stronger and help protect them, and how does it constrict them?
Delete#1 why do you think that Labibeh did what she did to help Ahmed and why did she do so?
ReplyDeleteUm... Make sure to sign your posts with your first name and last initial, my name, and the class period.
Delete1) Why do the americans bond with each other and at the same time do terrible things to the Arabs after 9/11?
ReplyDelete2) How is Labibeh "different" in this story as Elena was in her story?
#1 why do you think that Labibeh did what she did to help Ahmed and why did she do so?
ReplyDelete#2 why do you think that Joseph Geha and Judith Ortiz Cofer different language in their stories to describe what they mean by things?
The "language" question is interesting.... I wonder how much of a role language plays in the three pieces of writing. How (and how much) does language help create a sense of community? How does it include/exclude people from a certain group?
DeleteWhy does sally end up going to the vigil in the end?
ReplyDeleteHow do the writers/narrators in Alone and All Together and in the Theme for English B feel about being a minority ethnicities in the cities where they live?
ReplyDeleteOkay, Grace, but next time put both answers in one response.
DeleteThanks!
1. Why do you think at the end of "Alone and All Together" Sally's attitude changes as opposed to changing earlier or changing at all? Why?
ReplyDelete2. Between the three readings which two do you think the characters have the most similarities and why?
1. We should take about what with the on 9/11
ReplyDelete2. What happened when they were watching tv
Hi Ellie-
DeleteRemember to enter your class period.
why did sally refuse to believe she was still a foriegner with a different religion?
Deletewhy does libeah stand up for the boy?
1. How did Libby deal with the 9/11 incident? Why did she do the things she did? Why did she think so differently from her family, especially Sally?
ReplyDelete2. How did this relate to the other stories? How were Elena and Libby similar? How were they different? What made the people in the three writings different from everyone else?
1. Why do you think the author made the main character Arab?
ReplyDelete2. Are there similarities between the three main character's experiences being in America and being a diffrent race?
1. Where did Labieh get her braveness? Was it because she was being loyal to her friend, or because she didn't think the quarrel was right? Or both?
ReplyDelete2. In each story, the main character is a different race, and is alone (different than everybody else). In "Theme" the author was colored, in "American History" Elena was Latina and in this story, Labieh is Arabic. They are all put in a situation that is because of their race, and I think Labieh is the only one who gets out of the tricky situation, how come Elena doesn't get out too? She can get over Eugene, why doesn't she?
Maybe another way to think about this is to ask what's different about Labieh? What in her personal life and character make standing up to these men less of a leap for her than it would be for Elena to tell off Eugene's mom?
Delete1.Why does Sally refuse to embrace her heritage?
ReplyDelete2.What do each of the main characters in each of the stories have in common?
Ok, Tia, can you ask more of a question for number two, rather than a statement?
ReplyDelete1. Why does sally want to cover up the arabic part of her?
ReplyDelete2. Why does libby finally stand up for the arabic inside of her at the end?
1. Why do the kids laugh at Libby when she stands up for Ahmed?
ReplyDelete2. Why do you think Libby is the only one who has friends out of the main characters in all the stories we read?
Why would the sisters be so mean to each other later on in the story?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think the similarities between the girl from All Together and American History are
Mr. Drogos, I forgot what my quiestions were but you told me to test this out one more time.
ReplyDelete1. Do you think all of the phone calls in "Alone and All Together" had a purpose? If so, Why?
ReplyDelete2. In "American History" and "Alone and All Together", both of the girls towns suffered a terrible tragedy. What are the similarities and differences of how the girls reacted to them?