Theme and Summary

Theme and Summary #1

I believe that the theme of A Coal Miner's Bride, is to never give up even if you really want to because Anetka never gave up in life when she went through many hard struggles.
The first struggle that Anetka endoured was having to move to America beacuse it was safer there than it was in her hometown in Poland. She was reluctant because she had grown up in Poland for her whole life and all of her friends lived there, but a Czar had taken over Poland and she had no choice but to move.
The second struggle is Anetka losing Stanley. When Stanley was working in the mines, the roof had collapsed and an immense amount of workers had died that day. Anetka relizes that without Stanley, she will have to be a more mature, motherly figure for all of his girls. She also knows that it will be harder to pay for things because they no longer have Stanley to help pay for the things they need.
The third struggle she had faced was learning how to cope with being a mother. Anetka had no experience with raising children since she had none of her own until she married Stanley, a coal miner who works with her father. However, Anetka did know how to discipline children because she taught students Polish (they were forced to know Russian by the Czar). Stanley's daughters are Violet, Rose, and Lily. Violet tends to give Anetka a hard time with everything. Rose and Lily have automatically accepted her as their mother, I believe they have done this to fill the void in the family and to make Anetka feel more welcome.
The last struggle is one that has been going on for the whole book until the epilogue. Anetka has yet to discover if her feelings for Leon are true. In the beginning, Leon is a Russian soldier and he protects Anetka from a really bad soldier that knew about Anetka's Polish classes to the children. In the middle of the book, Leon helps Anetka with her problems on the boat and makes her feel as if she is still back at home with her grandmother, who refused to go to America because she said that she was born in Poland and will die in Poland. Leon then kisses Anetka on the boat to confirm his feelings towards her, and she was completely surprised. She had lost the feeling in her entire body and her feet had "stuck to the floor". When Stanley had died in the mining accident, Leon had stepped up to the plate of protecting the girls like a father would. In the epilogue, it tells us that Leon and Anetka do get married and they grew old together. It also says that the kisses that Leon gives her, still makes her feet stick to the ground just like they always had.
 Throughout the book, Anetka has proved to us, the readers, that she is a strong-willed woman and she is ready to take on any obstacle. Even if that means that she needs to work a little bit harder.

Analysis #2

Analysis #2

When I had analyzed the book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, I thought it was quite interesting. Throughout the book so far, I had the privilege of learning about the lives of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. I read what theirs relationships were like with one another and how they act around other people when they are together. I have learned that family is the most important thing for someone to keep. 

I infer, based upon what has happened so far in the book, that when they girls are all grown up, they will laugh at some of the things that they had done. We have learned that one of the sisters, Beth, has gotten a fever. The sisters took this matter very seriously and cared for Beth as often as they could. We have also learned that Beth had taken a liking to Laurie, a neighbor to the girls. But she had quickly learned that Laurie had a soft spot for Jo (until he marries someone else later on). It is stated when Jo hears crying coming from Beth's room and decided to investigate. Here is a short excerpt from the book. 

"Jo lay awake long that night and was just dropping to sleep when she heard stifled sobs. She flew to Beth's side. 'What is it der? Is it the old pain?' 

'No it's a new one. But you can't cure it. There is no cure.' Beth clung to her sister and cried and then laid her head in Jo's lap" (Alcott, 166)

This quote was what happened after Beth had relized Laurie fancied her sister instead of her. She was very sad but I infer that she will let go of the pain and focus on getting better. 

Book Recommendations #2

Book Recommendations #2

I have finished reading my Dear America book, A Coal Miner's Bride, and I would like to recommend it to everyone who likes reading about other people lives and for people who like to read book about history. I really enjoyed this book because it not only had action, which I'm sure will interest boys, but it also has a romantic twist, which surely appeal to girls. The main characters go through very important struggles in their lives, but they would always be there for one another. The town of the main character was often being attacked by a Czar, which is exactly where the action comes in. The main character, Anetka, loves to write to her father but it she was not happy when he toldher that he wanted her to move to America. She said to her grandmother that she did not wanted to move to America because her life was in Poland and she had so many friends that she was not willing to leave behind. Her grandmother began to tell her that she was acting very selfish because she was putting her needs before the needs of others. She continued to tell Anetka that Anetka was being very stubborn just like Anetka's mother. Her grandmother told her that she will send Leon in her place. Leon is a Russian soldier who actually believes the opposite of what the Czar thinks. Anetka moves to America and fails at being a mother at first and goes through many hard times, but Leon is always there when she needs his help. 

Analysis #1

Analysis #1

I have begun reading one of the Dear America books, A Coal Miner's Bride by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Throughout the story, Anetka Kaminska, a Polish girl, has faced many struggles such as losing her mother, her father moving to America so he can work and earn them money for bills and food, and having to leave her Babcia (Grandmother) behind so she can see her father. Before Anetka has to leave, she witnesses horrible things going on in her village. Her father decides that it would be safer if she moves to America to marry Stanley, a man that is willing to pay for her ticket on the way over. She wants to bring her little brother Josef and her babcia, but her babcia wants her to bring one of the soldiers that she met earlier on in the story. His name is Leon. When she goes to America, her marriage to Stanley isn't what she had hoped it would be. He had three little girls from a previous marriage. The oldest girl, Violet, did not like her at all. Throughout the book, Anetka tries to build her bond with a few neighbors and the girls. In the book, the workers at the coal mine are not being treated well. They are being paid wages that can pay for the necessities in life and are "being treated like dogs" as the book tells us. When the ceiling in the coal mines collapses and kills Stanley, Anetka realized that she needs help to raise his children. She relies on Leon to help her and they fall deeper in love. In the epilogue, Leon and Anetka are married with children of their own.

Theme & Summary #1

Since I have finished reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I went back into the text and read the story again to find a statement of theme. I relized the theme of this book is to treasure something once you have it, because you never know if it will last forever. I have gathered research when I read the book that Augustus should enjoy spending time with Hazel because her doctors are unsure of how long she has left in her life, and they are unsure as to when she is going to parish. The time that Hazel and Augustus spent together was worth it because they had a relationship that couldn't bwe broken no matter what they went through. In Amsterdam, Augustus mentions how Hazel looks like a person from his past. At first, he told her that this freightened him because she was very nasty towards him, but then he learned that Hazel was a good person and wouldn't hurt him like the other girl did.

Characters #1

So far, throughout The Fault in Our Stars, Hazel has started to become more social over time since she had met Augustus Waters also known as "Gus". In the beginnning of the story, Hazel didnt want to make any friends because she believed that the less friends that she had, then less people would miss her if she died. When she goes to her support meeting at the church one day, she meets Gus and they instantly hit it off. Gus introduces her to Isaac, which happens to be Gus' best friend. She then begins to let her walls down and starts to trust people more.

Hazel interacts with other characters in the book with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She uses well thought out diction words to explain situations and her friends/ family respond with good diction words too. She can be very kind towards people but when she is trying to cheer someone up she will tell them a tip of advice to help them feel better.

Throughtout the story, Hazel has built up the theme around other people helping her. She has made it a daily routine to put in her nubbins to help her lungs breathe and she sometimes has her mother help her. Since she doesn't drive, Hazel depends on her mother to drive her places along with Augustus, who only got his driver's permit as a "cancer perk". The help she recieves from everyone is not just physically, its emotional too. Whenever she feels down, she has her mother to give her confidence, and Augustus to bestow her with lavish complements.

Book Recommendations #1

          I recommend the book, The Fault in Our Stars, because it provides excellent vocabulary words and builds our understanding as to what it would be like if we, or someone we know, had cancer.

 In my opinion, this book is filled with plenty of emotion from the main character, Hazel, and the friends that she has made at the Cancer Support Meetings. Hazel goes through many obstacles with her new friend Augustus and together they are taking it one step at a time.

It is obvious to anyone who reads this book that Augutus has taken quite a liking to Hazel and being around Hazel. He even verbally tells her that he likes her. She pushes it off as if it is nothing to make sure that if cancer makes her bite the dust, then he won't be as emotionally affected. She knows that her feelings would be hard to deny, but she pushes them away.

Theme of Swimming Contest

  In war, one must not lose their individuality and humanity because you could end up losing something that is important to you. In the end, the war was not worth losing the valuable thing. 

  In the story , The Interlopers, both men almost lost their lives. 

  In the story, The Swimming Race, the author had lost a man that was from his past. The man had only been shot since he was on "the wrong team".

Reading Skills #1

Reading Skills #1

    I predict that in the book The Fault in Our Stars, the main character, Hazel, is going to fall in love with a boy she met at her cancer support group, Augustus. I also predict that Hazel will have a few insecurities around Augustus because she had told us how she felt uncomfortable around him during the support meeting.

 In the first chapter, Augustus explains that he had "a touch of osteosarcoma, I was wondering if the disease was how he lost his leg. Does it hurt him to walk around? Was his daily routine changed in a signifcant way? Is he sad about losing his leg? Is Hazel concerned about Augustus' leg? Do they take caution with certain activities that they do together? How will the main characters confess to one another that the love one another? Does Hazel receive the cure that she wants? Why did Augustus act so calm when he and Hazel were around the author that was acting rude towards them?

Text to Text -  In a book that I had read a few years ago, there was a teenage girl that had a disease too that made her feel as if she was ugly too. Hazel explains that she doent think that she is pretty due to her disease which gave her features such as "fat chipmunked cheeks" and "a balloon for a head". The two girls both believed that they werent very pretty to other people when in fact they are quite the opposite in other people's minds. 

Text to Self - Just like Hazel in the book, I have insecurities when I'm around certain people. I believe that during a first impression, someone should dress in clothes that are slightly more formal than their regular ones. When I am around a person that I want to impress, such as a teacher on the first day of school, I like to present myself as someone who is willing to do anything. Hazel has shown that she was uncaring at first with what she was wearing, but she had changed her thoughts when she met Augustus. She seems as if she wants to change when she sees him staring at her and begins to feel uncomfortable or underdressed.

Text to World - Hazel had been pulled out of school three years back when she first found out that she had thyroid cancer and had been watching television episodes non-stop with little interest in making friends. Her mother had started to urge her to open up to people and make some new acquaintances. Much to real life, children around the world today are still be urged to make new friends but they still enjoying watching television. In both situations, the mothers want their children to find new people to talk to.

 

Practice Post

             On a scale of 1-10, I would give my summer reading novel a six. My novel is how a teenage girl (whose name is not stated throughout the book) is trying to make it through high school with the least amount of drama as possible. She goes through many life changing events that describe her personality and leadership perfectly. Without her best friend, Felicia, and her mother, she wouldn't make  it through her high school career. Friendship is the leading theme in this book because the main character and Felicia had been through a lot of dramatic moments together, but they still maintain their very important friendship.