I think for my first speech, I had the actual speech memorized better than the second run through. I cannot tell you how many times I recorded the second run through because I kept mixing the two speeches up in my head. The first run of Speech 2 I don’t think was very organized and I worked hard on that for the second run through, especially because of the reading chapters this week. The comments also brought up my organization problem in my speech and repeating myself, which I think I improved with the final submission. I think I need to slow down when speaking because I noticed that in my submission. I don’t know if it was nerves or excitement with my object, but that was obvious to me.
I also think I was more serious in the final submission, which is something that you made a comment on. I felt like I was trying to hard to not be so serious, but it didn’t work in my favor and made it worse. Sometimes when I have a critique stuck in my head I overthink it and then it ends up being worse than the first time I was told about it. That’s one of my biggest struggles in general for me. In my opinion, the speech was good and it wasn’t weak, but I do need to improve on things still.
For me personally, this book is not very memorable. I am not a huge fan of poetry, but I thought it I would try it out anyway. With the poetry mixed in with changing point of views, it felt like a Walmart version of Jodi Picoult and Laurie Halse Anderson.
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This story is told from seven different perspectives: Violence, Cami, Rand, Ashlyn, Silas, Daniel, and Noelle. Don’t get me wrong, it is an intricately written novel with a huge message. But the way the author hypes up her own ending really threw me off once I read the last page.
The novel starts with a man accidentally shooting his wife, thinking she was an intruder. So the man sells the gun without a second thought, not caring about who bought it. The question posed throughout the whole novel is “The gun will fall into who’s hand?”
Will it be:
Silas – the member of a teenage white supremacist group
Ashlyn – Silas’s girlfriend who helps hunt immigrants in the white supremacist group (yes you heard me, I said hunt)
Cami – who is a teenage mother married to Rand selling weed on the side to make extra money
Rand – Cami’s husband who works day and night to support his family but has a dark childhood secret
Daniel – who has a stepmother who hates him after his mom gets sent back to Honduras and constantly lives with resentment towards everyone
Noelle – who now suffers with epileptic seizures and depression after watching her best friend’s dad get shot in the head over a road rage incident
After learning about all their pasts, it adds a bit of suspense and was extremely intriguing. I felt like Hopkins wrote nicely, but there wasn’t enough of a punch to her viewpoint. She hyped up the ending to be bigger than it truly was in my opinion. I felt like there were way to many questions left unanswered and a lot of fluff that wasn’t needed in the middle. I would have scored it lower if I didn’t agree with the overall message.
Although my rating is low, some people disagree which is totally okay. Some reviews given were:
“Absolutely incredible. Hard to read at times because of the subject matter, but absolutely necessary.”
“I’m always so incredibly impressed with Ellen Hopkins’ ability to emotionally wreck me. She is seriously one of my favorite writers. She always writes about something relevant and hard to read, always writes for the education and betterment of people. And she does it so well.“
“This was a really interesting commentary on gun violence in the United States. I liked reading from the different perspectives (only because it provided somewhat of an insight into the minds of real people with similar beliefs) of the characters and I enjoyed how they were all distinct from each other but connected as well.”
“Wow. She never fails to astound me”
However, an abundant of people did agree with me. Pretty much all the “negative” reviews do say that it is written beautifully, but there is something missing. Here are some examples of the reviews:
“Wow, what a let-down. “
“Thanks, I hate it.”
“Ellen Hopkins always writes beautifully. This was no exception, an interesting combination of both story and verse about race and violence. I’ve read almost all of her novels, but this one didn’t impress me, nor grab me like her other ones.”
“Before I got sick I finished People Kill People by one of my favorite authors ever (Ellen Hopkins) and I am just going to get this out of the way right now I was really upset and disappointed with this book and that is a totally new feeling for me with one of her books.”
I think the main reason why so many people picked this book up was because it focused on such a controversial topic. I congratulate Ellen Hopkins on taking a risk that some others would much rather avoid.
To read further on the statistics of Americans viewpoints on gun control, click here.
The controversy of gun control is something that has been argued about for years in the United States. This books demonstrates just how easy it can be to attain gun today, but tries to portray that the gun isn’t always the problem. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this aspect, but I can’t say I can blame the author. Pew Research says, “Similarly, a majority (70%) says that most or some types of guns should be legally available for sale in the U.S.; just 20% say almost all types of guns should be legally available, while only 10% say almost no types should be available.”
The other aspect of gun control is mental illness. I think that’s what makes this story so uncomfortable because some of the characters viewpoints are extremely crazy to me.
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Although this may not be my favorite novel, it was interesting to read. It was easy to get through word wise, but really makes the other think throughout the whole thing. However for me personally, it will not be a book that I pick up again.
The first thing with chapter 11 that I immediately noticed was that I should go back and fix my outline for my speech. I think in my outline it was missing the correct form for the sub-points and main points. The one quote that I will take with me not only through this class, but also in life is, “In essence, the introduction of a speech tells listeners where they are going, the body takes them there, and the conclusion lets them know the journey has ended” (78). Speeches are similar to essays, but they are also completely different as well.
After reading this chapter, I also realized that I need to work on my transitions. This is also something that I tend to struggle with in my school essays, but is a whole new level when just talking to people in general. Sometimes in my speeches I tend to “squirrel” and start going off track. This chapter was really helpful especially when it gave a list of possible transitions to use for our speeches in the future.
Chapter 12:
First off, I really enjoy the checklists in this book because they are more helpful then I thought they would be. Also this chapter has made me realize that there is a lot more that goes into speeches than what I have been putting in. I didn’t know that there were so many different types of organizational rules for various speech genres. The one quote in this chapter that stuck out to me was, “Whatever the structure, simply telling a story is no guarantee of giving a good speech” (95). Sometimes if I am unsure of my organization, I solely rely on my presentation. But I have learned through this chapter that that doesn’t ensure that the audience will take away what I am trying to voice. Organization is much more important to speeches than I thought and I will definitely be looking back at this chapter for guidance in the future for more speeches.
Picture Received from: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534050/dear-martin-by-nic-stone/9781101939499
There are not enough words in the human dictionary to describe how amazing, raw, and truthful this story is. This book has so many messages that no one wants to hear. The fact that Nic Stone can portray systematic racism so well in a fictional story is mind boggling. Let alone expose how biased the media and court system are in today’s society.
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This novel follows the life of an Ivy League student, Justyce McAllister. After being racially profiled when trying to help his girlfriend, he decides to start a project labeled “Dear Martin.” This project entailed writing letters to Martin Luther King Jr. after dealing with racist comments from people at school. The constant question asked is “What would Martin do?” which makes the story plot even more interesting.
This is a novel filled with amazing characters of all different backgrounds and viewpoints. It adds an interesting element that most books discussing similar issues tend to leave out. This author is making a stand for something, trying to encourage a movement, and writing is the truth. This novel is something I will cherish for life and always keep in the back of my mind as I continue my own life journey. This is one of the reasons why it receives a perfect score. I thought this would be the best first book to review.
I am also not the only person who feels this way. The Students News Source of Iowa City West High say that Dear Martin “is a brutally honest, captivating novel that expertly discuss and portrays racism in our society.”
Some other statements written in the website that portray the novels integrity are:
thoroughly impressed by the way she simultaneously skirted through themes of racism and ethnic profiling while also creating raw, believable characters
well-crafted dialogue
each character feels like a real person from society, and they are all reflective of the attitudes people of all walks of life contain today
the letters were able to draw parallels between what is going on today and how it is not that different than what happened while MLK was marching for rights
this book is a must-read for everyone because of its powerful messages and demonstrations; while the book specifically talks about racism in America, its themes can also apply to many other injustices in the world
“They need to believe you’re a bad guy who got what he deserved in order for their worlds to keep spinning the way it always has.”
Doc (151)
This quote is one of my favorites from the novels, also given by one of my favorite character. It helps explain so much when it comes to the real world. This simple statement shows why there was such a harsh contrast between the sides of the George Floyd murder and especially the trial. Even after the autopsy report, people made George Floyd out to be the worst man in the world versus noticing the racism evident in the whole murder. The quote given from Doc helps further the explanation why some people do not want to see the truth because it disrupts the normal patterns they have always lived with.
This book is an excellent read that feeds information even if it doesn’t feel like it. Dear Martin throws you into a different world that helps the readers understand how serious this issue is today. If you’re a teacher I would highly recommend adding this to your curriculum. I not only ask you to please check out the book, but to also take a stand!
Hi there and welcome to my first blog post! I hope you stick around to keep reading my updated posts each week. The purpose of this blog is to discuss books that correlate with issues happening in society today. I will also be passing my judgement and ratings, so stick around to see if there is a new book you can add to your summer reading list!
you can read more about literacy rates on this website: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/doc/us-piaac-skillsmap_summary.pdf
Literacy rates in America are vastly skewed and could lead to problems with education in the future. All the red states in the image above are the bottom 25% of literacy rates. It is very evident that most are in the south which poses questions about legislation and perhaps differences between the north and south in the education system. Reading is a great way to learn information to carry with you into adulthood.
Reading is not as popular today because of all the new technology that has come out. The enjoyment of reading has decreased greatly since adults and children stick to social media, televised news, and entertainment through the tv too. However, I have been in contact with several small business book stores when they were able to open back up. I asked them how their business is doing after the quarantine lightened enough for them to open. They said that the quarantine actually helped them profit. People were becoming bored with technology entertainment and were beginning to go back to old school. So how do we keep this trend ticking upwards?
People believe that fiction writing is used primarily for entertainment and never really holds a true meaning behind the words or story. Neil Gaiman, the author of several books including “The Wolves in the Walls,” “The Graveyard Book,” and “Coraline,” believes that libraries and readings need to stick around for future generations. He says that reading provides information in all forms, even if it is fun fiction, for people to educate themselves without feeling like they are doing so. He describes fiction as “a gateway drug to reading.”
Here are some points that Gaiman brings to light:
There is not a bad book for children.
Adults forcing children to read specific books will ultimately ruin the fun of reading. Hence, ruining their future reading enjoyment in adulthood as well.
Fiction builds empathy.
Fiction exposes the reader to different environments they might never have been able to experience without the use of that novel.
Reading fiction allows you to become content with the life you live.
You can read more about Neil Gaiman’s views on literature and libraries at the link down below.
My main purpose with this blog is to educate. Some of the books that I will breakdown and digest focus on heavy topics that some people want to hide under a rug. Censoring important novels is not something I condone since reading is a look into the universe. The books could revolve around gun control, Black Lives Matter, mental health, or sexual assault and violence. Sure there may be a book or two that I would like to discuss because of how they took off in the media world, but ultimately exposure will be the main thing for this blog.
The only stuffed animal that decorates my made up bed throughout the day is one of the most important objects for me growing up. Fairly small now that I have grown up, but at one point I thought this bulldog was bigger than me. It is a big jump I know, but when I first received this animal it was in the midst of a distraught time for a child. My dad was deployed for several months when we lived in Virginia and my mom told us kids that we had to go get dad from the airport. Of course we were jumping with joy because being away from your dad at such a young age, 4, was rather hard since you were always teased with him coming back at some point but never knowing exactly when that would be. As a four year old in an airport it was overwhelming, but when I saw my dad walking down the aisle connected to the flight I was jumping with joy and even more excitement filled my body when I saw a stuffed animal shoved between his arm and his body.
Stuffed animals can be overrated when you get older but this one never did. He’s a three inch long bulldog with a British flag tied around his neck. The bulldog not only symbolized my dad and how much he cared for me, but it was also the mascot of my dad’s career. That bulldog stood for the Marine Corps which tied me closer to my dad when he deployed again. Not only did this small but beefy animal represent a person, it also ignited my dream to visit England simply because of the flag around its neck. I failed to mention this flag has a small hole in it because I did not understand how scissors worked as a kid, fooling around with them and eventually leaving a mark in the flag. Back to the dream though, I always knew that my dad stopped in London on connecting flights but that was enough knowledge for me to know that I wanted to visit there too. Luckily I eventually did in 2018 and was able to take a picture with the flag that represented my best friend back home. This bulldog received so much love that some stitching had fallen out, stuffing is flat in some places, and the flag is worn and fading. Nonetheless this simple object was my best friend in the midst of all the military moves we made growing up and that it why it is the only stuffed animal that still holds a special place in my heart.
Outline:
history behind the stuffed animal – dad, deployment
what the bulldog represents – dad, love, dreams, best friend
what the bulldog looks like – then vs now
the bulldog leading to a lifelong dream – something minute but important still
First off, I did not understand that there was so much technical meaning behind public speaking. Even though I have given numerous speeches in the past, I never thought about all the breakdown information that goes along with them. The biggest thing I am taking away from this chapter is that if I can conquer my fear behind public speaking, then I can practically rule the world especially when being hired for a future career. The other thing I took note on was that public speaking can lead to me becoming a more engaged citizen which is something I value highly. I do not want to go through my life being silent about things that I do not think are right. That section practically gave me a boost of confidence towards public speaking. Finally, the last section that I believe will be helpful for the entirety of this class was the Classical Roots of Public Speaking. When writing speeches in the past, I failed to notice the components. Invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery were not all present in my brain. However, delivery and style I know I used, but I would say the others were lacking. I know that when it comes to arrangement in speeches, my organization aspect is lacking.
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