What makes a novel "a classic"? Discuss.

In school I have read many books that are novels and are read every year because they are considered classic. I do not agree with some of the books that we have read are classic, but I understand why they would be. Even though this is somewhat of a true story, when we read Malcolm X I absolutely hated reading it and thought that it was a horrible book. On the other hand, I understand how Malcolm had helped to change the lives of the black people for the better. An example of a novel that I love is Harry Potter. Harry Potter, even though we do not live in a life with magic, is an excellent book that many people are addicted to. I think for a book to become classic, the book has to be interesting and has to relate to what the reader thinks. 

To JJ:

Hey Hoogs! I agree with everything that you say. I believe that those who work harder for a living know the value of a dollar more than those who throw it away on stupid things. I do think that some people who are rich are not as selfish and snobby as everyone thinks. Take some celebrities for example, they do have a lot of money, but with that money they donate to charities and help others who are less fortunate then they are. Unfortunately, those who are selfish and spoiled don't think of anyone but themselves, which makes them think they can get anything they want by using the money that they have. Love you HOOGSS!<3>

 

To Kimberly:

Hey Kimberly, I completely agree with you and I do not think that your childhood friends are the most loyal to you. I have had many different best friends while I grow up and it seems such a long time ago that I have even talked to some of them. People change and so do different lives. For example, when I was in first grade I was really good friends with this one girl, but she moved down the shore and to this day I have never seen her. How am I supposed to be friendly and loyal to someone who I haven't spoken to in over 10 years? I also do believe that some childhood friends are amazing, loyal, and role models for others and myself. In kindergarten, I met Sarah Dennis and as soon as we met we were best friends. I will never forget in first grade when she moved and i was devastated that I was losing one of my best friends. In 3rd grade when she moved back I was ecstatic. Since kindergarten we have been best friends and this is a girl who I would trust with my entire life. I think that since Sarah was from my childhood, she left a great impact on my life since we have a background together. So in a way, I believe that your childhood friends are the most loyal to you as you get older, but those who leave your side obviously are not loyal enough to be your friend. 
Good Job!!<3

 

To Yuma:

Hey Yuma, I agree that children cannot possibly be the fault in a parent’s mistake. Speaking out of the point of view of a child I do say that I would not take the blame for something that my parents did wrong. My parents are adults who can take the consequences of their own actions and no one else should be the blame. I also asked my mom what she thought of this and she said that she wouldn't expect me to take the blame for something that she did. She said she would be the mature adult that she is and pay the consequences. I also do agree with you when you say that it is the parent’s fault for a child's wrongdoing. Children do not know any better unless someone who is more educated teaches them then they are, which would be their parents. It is understandable when a child grows up without two parents or with parents who simply do not care. Situations like that break my heart because then children are left alone and grow up not as educated as they could have been with the help and support of both of their parents.

Wuthering Heights (Anticipation Guide)

In response to the first question on the anticipation guide "an adopted or foster child will never be accepted as a 'real' member of a family", I think it is completely horrible to think that a foster child is not part of a family. First of all, if a foster child lives in a foster home without an actually family such as brothers and sisters, it doesn't mean that they do not have a family. The people that surround them, like their fellow foster brothers and sisters, are all part of one family together. Even if you are in a foster home, you will always have a family. The definition of a family is having people who support you and who love you through every good and bad time throughout your life. Why need a "real" family when you are happy with those who care about you the most? Also, if a child is adopted, they are welcomed into a new family and a new life for them to branch off of. The family who adopts these children accept them for who they are and that is part of being in a family, accepting those who you love and who you are loved by. 

The other question that really stood out in my mind was "women prefer rich men over poor men when it comes to getting married." For me, I do not understand how a woman can honestly be that selfish to marry someone rich instead of someone that she loves. I believe that love is a great gift and to waste that on someone who is rich is selfish and needy. If you really loved someone money wouldn't even be an issue. 

Blog Comments

(JJ’s Blog) I also believe that the education level of Malcolm's knowledge greatly impacted his life many years later. I think that knowledge is an amazing aspect of life because one gets to learn many new subjects and grow in any way that they wish. Even though knowledge can be a good thing, I also think that an overload of work can cause a downfall. Many people I know work so hard for a living, suddenly getting stressed with the life they are living and give up. I think support is one of the main aspects that one needs to succeed. Malcolm used the help of Muhammad to get through his life in prison and Muhammad began supporting him, turning Malcolm into a very successful preacher.

(Jillian’s Blog) I am also a Christian as well and there are definitely a lot of rules that you need to follow and traditions that are made throughout the years. I do not believe in the Islamic religion at all because then I honestly wouldn't have a life. My life is surrounded with many things, such as dancing, that I could never in my entire life give up because it is just so much fun! Really, how does one live their life like that? To me it would just be torture. The quote that Muhammad made is definitely one that I believe in. I too and big on telling what is right from wrong and if something turns out wrong then it was wrong from the beginning. I also don't think that God punishes you from your sins. I believe that God is making you face your mistakes so that the mistakes are not made again.

 

(Kimberly’s Blog) I agree with you when you say that Malcolm started off with a horrible life. I think most of the reason for his illegal times was the death of his father and when his mother went crazy. I think he felt that he didn't belong because whites treated him horribly and he really didn't have anyone to look up to. Malcolm picked himself back up when he started reading and I think reading can change anyone. You reminded me of when I was reading the Twilight series and I just couldn't put the books down. Every trip that I went on with my family I would bring my books. The good thing about books that you had mentioned was that it lets you escape reality. Books are great because it can tell different stories about pretty much anything.

 

(Jamie’s Blog) Malcolm has learned to be a part of the Islamic religion so willingly while he was in prison because that is basically all he could do while he was there. As he took interest in this, he became attached and relied on everything that "Allah" believed in. I remember in class someone said that they do not believe in the Muslim religion, which I don't either. But, the fact that Malcolm can now rely on someone to help him, other than himself, shows that he is now willing to become a better person. I also think that people who want to accomplish something can easily do it as long as they put their minds to it.

POST #3! (REVISED)

I am really bothered by the fact that Malcolm always talks about the "blue-eyed devil white man". I understand that back then the whites had treated the blacks which much disrespect. This disrespect was beyond anything I have ever heard of, and it is absolutely horrible to even think of it. Every time Malcolm says something about what whites did to blacks in the past, it makes me feel guilty that I am white. Malcolm says while lecturing," I want you, when you leave this room, to start to see all this whenever you see his devil white man. Oh, yes, he's a devil! I just want you to start watching him, in his places where he doesn't want you around; watch him reveling in his preciousness, and his exclusiveness, and his vanity, while he continues to subjugate you and me"  (217). Malcolm takes a stand about these white men and think that they are all devils. I completely disagree with what he says. What he feels toward the white men is beyond hatred. I feel that every black man was against every white man. The "devil white man" has definitely acted horribly to people of different races, including blacks. But, some white men were actually good and did help the black people get away from their slave-masters. For example, during the times of slavery, some white men did help their slaves escape to the under ground railroad. This shows that some whites were sympathetic towards how blacks were treated. So when Malcolm says "the devil white man" I get so mad because not everyone feels the same way and everyone has different opinions on certain things. I know that I am speaking from a white persons point of view but if one black person did something horrible to me I wouldn't take it out on the entire race. It just seems to me that Malcolm is making the racism movement worse when at times in the 50's and 60's they were just getting better. And what also bothers me is that Malcolm openly says it to the media and public that he white man is the devil. That takes a great amount of courage because the way that the white men acted towards the blacks, I feel that Malcolm could have gotten killed for expressing his feelings. 

Even though I disagree with what Malcolm says and feels, I do understand the way he thinks. One time, someone called me weird right to my face and it wasn't even anyone who I talked to. This made me mad because this random kid had no right saying this to me because he doesn't even know who I am. Till this day, I still do not like the person who called me weird and I don't like his friends either because I think they are all obnoxious. This relates to Malcolm X because the white people would hurt the black people and the black people would hold grudges. The only difference in the situation with Malcolm X is that Malcolm is telling the black people not to forgive the white people after the white people are trying to apologize. If the kid that called me weird apologized, then I probably would not have as much disrespect for him as I do now. 

http://actingwhite.blogspot.com/2008/03/acting-white-black-racism-white-racism.html

This article tells stories of racism and reverse racism. It tells how whites treated blacks and how the blacks retaliated. 

Post #5

I had another blot post about now I basically hate Malcolm X. But continuing this book for me is complete torture. I do not agree with anything that Malcolm says and everything he does I believe makes the racism issue 10 times worse. Malcolm says, "Four hundred years the white man has had his foot-long knife in the black man's back- and now the white man starts to wiggle the knife out, maybe six inches! The black man's supposed to be grateful? Why, if the white man jerked the knife out, it's still going to leave a scar!" (275). This quote really pisses me off because not all white people are as horrible as Malcolm thinks. If Malcolm refuses the help that is given to him, then how is any racist movement going to be improved? He is encouraging black people to not believe that the white people can help. I don't understand what he is trying to prove. The white people are trying to take action so that the black people can have equal rights, but the white people are clearly wasting their time if the black people don't want to compromise. Malcolm also says," They [blacks] want to live in an open, free society where they can walk with their heads up, like men, and women!" (278). Again, the white people try to help with the racist movement, but all Malcolm is trying to do is prove the white people wrong. 

Another example of this is when Malcolm says," One thing the white man never can give the black man is self-respect!" (281). He says this while he is telling black people that they should start a society on their own because they don't have the self-respect from the whites. Again to prove my point, he complains about the way they are being treated and yet he still tries to fight the racist movement. He basically says that he doesn't want to be helped and that they can do it on their own. What really also bothered me was when he was talking to a white girl from a college that he lectured at when she said, "What can I do" and Malcolm told her "nothing" (292). Malcolm says he believes in actions not words but when action are made he doesn't think its enough. 

I believe that Malcolm is impatient. He wants things done fast and he doesn't want to wait around for the help of white people to fix the racism problem. Instead, he says that all black people should come together so that they can become separated from the whites. This relates to me because I am so impatient and whenever I want to get things done, I get them done fast. Right now, for example, obviously I am on crutches and it bothers me greatly because it is so much easier when you have two legs to get done what you need to get done. At my house, my bedroom is upstairs so normally when I want something from downstairs, my mom will just bring it up. This makes me feel so helpless because I can't do anything for myself. 

http://www.raptureready.com/rr-hypocrite.html

I was looking at this article and I thought it was really interesting because it tells stories of how different hypocrites have used their hypocritical ways to get away with their shame. 

Post #4

Yesterday when we went to Harlem it made me feel grateful for what I have. The tour guide kept saying how Harlem is such a beautiful city with no garbage and a very clean place to live. In my opinion, it was not a very clean place at all. This shows how different life styles people have and how they change when you go to different locations. Another interesting thing that I thought was when the tour guide kept saying that we were his family. That enlightened me because even though he was black he was able to share that we were all equal. It was such a great experience to be in a place where the black people don't always hold grudges on the white people. It made me feel great because now we can finally say that racism is not becoming such a big issue in the world. 

Another thing that really shocked me was Neal Shoemaker. He said that the black people received their names after the jobs that they did when working for their white slave-master. I thought it was interesting how he still carried the name "Shoemaker" after one of his relatives who was a shoemaker. 

My favorite part of the trip was the Apollo Theater. I thought it was absolutely incredible to be in a place of so much history and where many famous artists have performed. The tour guide at the Apollo, Billy, was an amazing singer and to be that is just amazing. He was full of energy and loved being around us, which made me love being around him too. 

The Apollo Theatre and Billy reminded me of a place that I go on vacation to, Woodloch Pines. I go there every year with my family and we absolutely love it. It reminded me of the Apollo Theatre because every year when we go there, there is a fancy night where everyone dresses up in their best clothes. In addition to this, there is a performance of singers that we get to watch and be entertained by. The signers are amazing as well as the dance moves and songs. 

http://www.woodlochedge.com/magazine/content/magazine.htm

This is the link to one of the pages of Woodloch Pines. This website gives you a preview on what activities will be available, which makes the vacation even more fun. 

Post #3

I am really bothered by the fact that Malcolm always talks about the "blue-eyed devil white man". I understand that back then the whites had treated the blacks which much disrespect. This disrespect was beyond anything I have ever heard of, and it is absolutely horrible to even think of it. Every time Malcolm says something about what whites did to blacks in the past, it makes me feel guilty that I am white. Malcolm says while lecturing," I want you, when you leave this room, to start to see all this whenever you see his devil white man. Oh, yes, he's a devil! I just want you to start watching him, in his places where he doesn't want you around; watch him reveling in his preciousness, and his exclusiveness, and his vanity, while he continues to subjugate you and me"  (217). Malcolm takes a stand about these white men and think that they are all devils. I completely disagree with what he says. What he feels toward the white men is beyond hatred. I feel that every black man was against every white man. The "devil white man" has definitely acted horribly to people of different races, including blacks. But, some white men were actually good and did help the black people get away from their slave-masters. For example, during the times of slavery, some white men did help their slaves escape to the under ground railroad. This shows that some whites were sympathetic towards how blacks were treated. So when Malcolm says "the devil white man" I get so mad because not everyone feels the same way and everyone has different opinions on certain things. I know that I am speaking from a white persons point of view but if one black person did something horrible to me I wouldn't take it out on the entire race. It just seems to me that Malcolm is making the racism movement worse when at times in the 50's and 60's they were just getting better. And what also bothers me is that Malcolm openly says it to the media and public that he white man is the devil. That takes a great amount of courage because the way that the white men acted towards the blacks, I feel that Malcolm could have gotten killed for expressing his feelings. 

http://actingwhite.blogspot.com/2008/03/acting-white-black-racism-white-racism.html

This article tells stories of racism and reverse racism. It tells how whites treated blacks and how the blacks retaliated. 

Post #2

After Malcolm was put in jail, he began to follow Elijah Muhammad and the Islamic religion. Mr. Muhammad wanted Malcolm to become a recruiter and recruit black people into the Islamic religion so that their religion could be spread and well-known throughout the black societies. This was a trouble that Malcolm had to overcome because whenever he tried to recruit people, they would not listen to him. Malcolm said, "It angered me that only now and then would one display even a little curiosity about the teachings that would resurrect the black man (203)." This troubled Malcolm in the first place because he felt so strongly about Mr. Muhammad's teachings and he wanted others to share the experience with him.  Most of them would not follow because they were followers of the Christian religion. Malcolm said at a lecture," ... this blue-eyed devil has twisted his Christianity, to keep his foot on our backs... to keep our eyes fixed on the pie in the sky and heaven in the hereafter... while he enjoys his heaven right here... on this earth... in this life (205)." Malcolm tried to convince those that followed the Christian religion that they were followers of the white mans teachings when they should be staying faithful to the black man and follow the Islamic religion. 

I understand how Malcolm felt when he was trying to recruit people into his religion. I have never tried to recruit someone into a religion, but I have tried many times to recruit people into running cross country.  Our cross country team doesn't consist much of a girls team. I believe that this is because many girls are scared to run.  If you have two legs, you can run. It doesn't matter if you are slow or if you are the fastest girl in the world, just come to a practice and see if you like it. But what bothers me is that no one will even try to run and they think its too hard. Running is running, it is never too hard once you get used to it. You can even ask Christa, we always try to recruit people and they don't take the time at all to even show up and see what we are all about. 

http://www.temeculalipstick.com/Join_my_Team_.html

This is just an example of how this woman, Kelly, tried to recruit people into using her products. 

Post #1

Reading chapter 11 while Malcolm is learning about the Islamic religion, it makes me think of how people learn today. Malcolm studies in a way that people who have a good education today would not quite understand. Malcolm questions," Where else but in prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day" (183). I disagree with what Malcolm says here because Malcolm is using his studying method out of boredom. It seems to me that if he had never went to prison, he would have never even thought to pick up a book and read about certain topics. He also would have been satisfied with living his life robbing houses and selling drugs because he received money in return. People today, study of out achievement. They want to study to accomplish a certain goal that they have, which takes hard work and dedication. I'm not saying that people who have a poor education can't study and accomplish goals, I am just pointing out that Malcolm doesn't use his methods of studying the right way. 

In addition to Malcolm's studying, this reminded me of one of my friends. She is extremely into her social life and cares more about her friends than she does her school work. The day she found out she was failing some of her classes she decided to be a diligent worker. She studied all the time and found her grades suddenly approving. 

This relates to Malcolm X because my friend picked herself up from a bad situation because she felt that it would be better for herself. Malcolm, on the other hand, only decided to start his studying because he had no other choice in prison and would keep him occupied.

http://www.edquest.ca/content/view/57/

I found this website about studying tips that can improve the way you study. This also reminded me of Malcolm X because Malcolm wanted to learn new vocabulary so he read the dictionary and some of the methods he used are in the article above.

In response to the video that we watched in class, I felt extremely emotional. For me, I did not realize how much racism was incorporated into the daily lives of blacks and whites. It made me feel sorry for the black people that they had to go through such hard times. I think that blacks should be treated just like the whites. I think this because if everyone treated each other equally, we would live in a society where everyone would get along. In addition, I think that it is unjust how the white people treated the blacks. Beating and killing black people for their own pleasure or even if they didn't follow a certain order was inevitable during those days. Today, I think white people still feel racist against black people, but it has improved greatly. I am glad that today we do not treat others, including black people, with such disrespect like the whites used to do towards the black people. 

Another significant event in Malcolm's life was when his friend, Shorty, conked his hair. The black people did this because they wanted to be just like the white people so this straightened their hair to look like the white peoples hair. After Shorty was finished with Malcolm's hair, Malcolm said,"How ridiculous I was! Stupid enough to stand here simply lost in admiration of my hair now looking 'white,' reflected in the mirror in Shorty's room. I vowed that I'd never again be without a conk, and i never was for many years" (56). This expresses how at first, Malcolm was ashamed with himself because he was just like every other black man who was trying to look white. But after this, Malcolm liked the way that he looked and didn't care if he tried to look white.

I believe that one of the turning points in Malcolm's life was when he was sent to the detention home to live with Mr. and Mrs. Swerlin. Even though he was the only black kid in the school and thought of himself as a "pink poodle", he still was able to achieve success. He was his class president and was in the top of his class. Mrs. Swerlin said one day,"Malcolm, we're just so proud of you! (33). Malcolm was treated as a "good Negro". Back in those days, African-Americans were sometimes not even allowed to be the class president or even go to the same school as the white people. Even though Malcolm knew he was misplaced, he still felt that he was treated with respect compared to others.