A Journey Into the Harlem Renaissance

• The Harlem Renaissance movement happened in the 1920's and early 1930's. 
• It was a cultural movement of African American art, literature, theater, politics, and music.
• It was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
• It is also known as the New Negro Movement, the New Negro Renaissance, and the Negro Renaissance.
• It was the first time that publishers and critics took African American literature and art seriously.
• There was no common literary style or political ideology--this movement was held together by commitment to getting African American art recognized.
• Also, racial pride and desire for social and political equality bound them.
• During this movement about 16 writers published over 50 volumes.
• The literature from this period was read not only by the African American middle class, but the white book-buying public too.
• The successful black entertainers even moved downtown so that more white people could come visit. 

Josephine Baker

• She was a singer and dancer.
• She moved to Paris, France.
• There she introduced many Europeans to African American culture.
• She became famous for a dance called the banana dance.
• She was the first African American to star in a major motion picture.

Claude McKay

• Claude was a poet and writer.
• He was one of the first black authors to be popular among white people.
• His poems that told of injustice towards African Americans were sonnets.
• He traveled to Russia and France.
• His work was mostly at the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance--inspiring others and setting the tone for it.

Zora Neale Hurston

• She was a writer, anthropologist, and folklorist.
• Zora was the more significant and successful black woman writer for the first half of the 1900's. 
• She grew up in the African American society in Eatonville, where she experienced a lot of culture that would want her to give that to the rest of the world.
• She did not go to school as a teenager, but went back at age 26 and pretended to be 16 and born in 1901. She pretended this was her real birth date for the rest of her life.
• She wrote the famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, which my English class will soon start reading.

Sources:

http://www.zoranealehurston.com/biography.html

http://www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/index.php

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/25

http://www.literaryhistory.com/20thC/Hurston.htm

https://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/human-rights-poem-48-the-white-house/

http://thesavvysistah.com/savvy-sistahs-soar/savvy-sistahs-soar-josephine-baker/

Wintz, Cary DeCordova. "Harlem Renaissance." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

Into the Wild Final Project

Chris McCandless Characterization chart

Chris was quite something. He was very genuine and sincere in his love for nature and he wishes for peace and happiness. He was not perfect--he could get very angry and upset at times. While at the beginning of his journey I thought that he was sane, I'm not so sure more towards the end of the book. As a reader I see his mind deteriorating as he goes on his journey. It was not necessarily a bad thing, but I do not believe that he was of a right mind when he died. If he was sane he would have come to the conclusion that he could focus his efforts on something that would help others and through that he could find spiritual awakening. I feel that his character at the beginning of the book would have done this, yet the effects of a few mistakes he made slowly, but surely wore on his mind. He was not a worse, or less amazing person at the end of the book--the sincere and caring thoughts were still there, he just could not realize what he really had to do.

A Trip to Change My Life

I think backpacking around Narnia would  be fun and would change my life. I would experience many medieval customs and see a lot of magic. I would meet Aslan and become best friends with Lucy and Susan. Peter and me would  be in love at first sight and get married to have little princes and princesses. I would go on trips to Aslan's  land and Archenland. I would meet many talking animals including: Bree, Hwin, Mr. Tumnus, and Reepicheep.  I would never leave. This would   make me disappear from our world, even though it would take people here a while to notice I was gone.

ITW First Half Questions

 1.What is the personal history of Chris McCandless? He came from a well-off family that lived in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. He was a good student and athlete graduating from Emory University. (Author’s Note)

2.       2.What themes does Jon Krakauer introduce in the “Author’s Note”? The themes are how Americans love the wilderness and want to explore it, the high-risk adventures that appeal to teenage boys, and the bond between father and son. (Author’s Note)

3.    3.   What is the purpose of the quoted material at the start of Chapter One? The purpose of that material is to give some background and foreshadow his death. (p. 3)

4.     4.  Who is Alex? Alex is Chris McCandless’ alias. (p. 4)

5.    5.   Who is Jim Gallien, and how did he meet McCandless? Jim is a union electrician who picks up McCandless, when Chris is hitchhiking and happens to pick him up. (p. 4)

6.      6. What was Gallien’s assessment of McCandless? Gallien thinks Chris is young and unprepared. (p. 4)

7.      7. What kind of advice did Gallien give McCandless? Gallien told Chris that he is not ready to go into the wilderness and that he should become better prepared before he tries to do something so dangerous. (p. 6)

8.    8.What was McCandless’s response to Gallien’s offer?  Also, what gift did Gallien give to McCandless? McCandless turns down Gallien’s offer to take him to get better gear and to drive him wherever. Then Gallien gives Chris some rubber work boots. (p. 6-7)

9.   9.Why did Gallien decide not to alert the authorities about McCandless? Gallien did not alert the authorities because he figured that McCandless would run out of food and give up and go home. (p.7)

1010.   Gallien’s statement that McCandless would “probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway.  That’s what any normal person would do,” is an example of the literary device of irony of situation.  What is ironic about the statement? It is ironic because he did not do the ‘normal’ thing and give up. He did exactly what Gallien had not expected. (page 8)

1111.  Why would Krakauer include a quote from another author such as Jack London as the heading for this chapter? Krakauer used a quote from Jack London at the beginning of the chapter to set the scene. Also, it foreshadowed the mood of the chapter. (p. 9)

1212.  What is the purpose of the detailed descriptions of Mt. McKinley, Denali, and the Stampede Trail? The purpose of detailed descriptions in this chapter is to tell a bit about where Chris had traveled and how harsh these places were. (page 10-11)

1313.What was considered to be the cause of Chris McCandless’s death? The cause of his death was said to be starvation because there were no major injuries and Chris was only 67 lbs. (page 12)

1414. Who is Wayne Westerberg and how do Wayne and Chris get along? Wayne is a grain elevator owner, a farmer, welder, businessman, machinist, mechanic, and much more. He is like a father to Chris and they get along very well. (page 19)

1515.  Local color is introduced when a writer uses regional or colorful terms to present an image of a distinct area or culture.  The terms “leather tramp” and “rubber tramp” qualify as examples of local color.  What culture do they describe, and what is the difference between rubber tramps and leather tramps? They describe the nomadic culture. Leather tramps are hitchhikers and rubber tramps are bums with cars, sometimes in need of gas money. (page 17)

1616. Why did the author say that McCandless found a “surrogate family in Westerberg and his employees”? Krakauer said this because he did not come from a home with a stable family life. He got so close (page 18)

1717.  Why did McCandless leave Carthage? There was no more work so Chris left Carthage. (page 19)

1818.  How does the reader know that War and Peace was important to McCandless? He keeps talking about it. Furthermore he gives a copy to Wayne. (page 19)

1919.  Describe McCandless’s early years and family life. Chris was very smart and did well in school, as well as being a good athlete. He came from a big family, but they were well off. (page19 and 20)

2020.  What clues did McCandless give that he was out of step with the commercialism of contemporary society? He didn’t want a nice car nor any gifts. He did not think that titles were important. Also he was a loner. (page 20)

2121.  What change did McCandless make that symbolized the new life he expected to build after he left Athens? He makes up a new name.  (page 23)

2222.  The head note to this chapter concludes that people go to the desert “not to escape but to find reality.” How does this statement apply to Chris? He travels away from his hometown and off across the country and eventually to the barren land of Alaska in hope of finding out how to make his life more realistic. (page 25)

2323.  Who is Jan Burres, and how did she figure into Chris’s travels? Jan is a rubber tramp who selling trinkets. She figured into Chris’s travels when she saw him on the side of the road and offered him a ride. (page 30)

2424.  Describe the trip that Chris took in the old metal canoe that Chris bought in Topock, Arizona. Chris bought a canoe in Topock, Arizona and traveled from there to the Gulf of California on the Colorado River. (page 32)

2525.  This chapter contains numerous excepts from the journal Chris kept.  What is noticeable about the writing in his account of his Mexican adventure? He talks in third person. Also he writes of his emotions along with what happens to him. (page 34 and 35)

2626.  Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the individual’s responsibility and free will to direct the course of his/her life.  What existential conclusion does Chris reach when leaving Las Vegas?  (Look at end of chapter 4 for ideas.) He realizes that that you must live your life to the fullest in order for it to be worthwhile. (page 37)

2727.  What kind of life did Chris lead in Bullhead City? Chris led a non-nomadic life of normality and convention in Bullhead City. (page 39)

2828.  Describe the conditions and the residents of the Slab.  Note some of the local color that makes this community memorable.  The Slab was an abandoned navy air base. (page 43)

2929.  What character traits and skills does Jan Burres recount about Chris in chapter 5?   Jan talked about Chris as helpful, a bibliophile, social, playful, good with animals, and entertaining. (page 44 and 45)

3030.  What was Jan Burres’s assessment of Chris’s ability to survive in Alaska? (end of chapter 5) Jan thought that even if he was well equipped, Chris was smart enough to survive Alaska. (page 46)

3131.  Who was Ron Franz, and how did he enter the story?  What does Krakauer think about the relationship between Franz and McCandless? Ron Franz was a widower and a eighty year old. He enters the story with a letter to the magazine that published the story about Chris. Krakauer thinks that the relationship between Franz and McCandless was strong and Franz got very attached to Chris. (page 47-49)

3232.  What is Anza-Borrego? Anza-Borrego is “desiccated, phantasmal badlands”. (page 49)

3333.  What was the tragedy of Ron Franz’s life? Ron Franz lost his wife and son in a car accident. (page 50)

3434.  How did he feel about Chris and what request did he make of Chris? He became very fond of Chris and asked if he could adopt him as a grandson. (page 55)

3535.  What role did leathermaking take in their relationship? Ron taught chris everything he knew about leathermaking. (page 51 and 52)

3636.  The author gives a brief character analysis of McCandless after recounting that Franz dropped him off in Colorado.  What does the author say about McCandless? Krakauer says that Chris had succeeded in keeping everyone at an arm’s length and had escaped to Alaska without any deep emotional ties. (page 55)

3737.  When Chris sent Franz a letter from Carthage, what advice did Chris give to Franz and how did Franz respond to this letter? Chris told Franz that he needed to reject his stable life and sell his possessions to live abroad in his letter. Surprisingly Franz followed the advice and got out of Salton City. (page 56-58)

3838.  How did Ron Franz learn that McCandless had died and how did this death change Franz’s life? Ron learned that McCandless died when an Indian hitchhiker told him. His death made Ron resort to drinking and it eliminated his belief that there was a God. (page 60)

3939.  Why was Wayne Westerberg annoyed at the beginning of chapter Seven? Wayne was annoyed because there was a lot of work to do and because he is missing Chris. (page 62)

4040.  What is the author’s analysis of the relationship between McCandless and his father?  How did Chris feel about his sister Carine? McCandless and his father do not get along very well because his father was always trying to insert his power over Chris who was very independent-minded. Chris was close to his sister Carine. (page 63 and 64)

4141.  What is the purpose of including the full story of Gene Rossellini? The purpose of including Gene Rossellini’s whole story was to give an example of another man who is similar and yet different from McCandless. (page 73-75).

4242.  What motivated Krakauer to include the story of John Waterman? Krakauer was motivated to include the story of John Waterman because he wanted to show us that McCandless while somewhat similar to John, was not crazy. (page 80)

4343.  Finally, what is the purpose of including the story of Chris McCunn in the narrative? The purpose of adding McCunn’s story to the narrative is to show the reader that McCandless was not expecting anyone to save him. (page 85)

4444.  Summarize the story of Everett Ruess and his fascination with the American West and natural beauty. Everett Ruess was kicked out of college and wandered the American West. He lived out of his backpack and often went hungry. One day he disappeared on an expedition. He had been entranced with the beauty of the American West and felt that it became part of him. (page 90-91)

4545.  What Ken Sleight’s conclusion about Ruess and McCandless? Ken concludes that Ruess and McCandless will need human contact even though they like to be alone often. He says they keep leaving only to come back when they are lonely. He also says that they are some of the few people who actually tried to follow their dreams (page 96)

Those Famous Words

The quote from Jack London on page 9, is from his book White Fang. My favorite line from this excerpt is, "There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness..." this captures how mockingly beautiful the wild can be. It shows that nature is amazing and pretty, but it has a much harsher side that can take over. Chris sees this side of nature more than most people and even is attracted to it.


The excerpt from Walden, or Life in the Woods by Henry Thoreau shown on page 47, is also interesting. The best part of it is the end when Thoreau says, " It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched." It is saying that he has tasted what it is like to live beyond conformity and our ideas of happiness. He has seen what it was like to live spontaneously off of nature and he always has that feeling in him. Now he has experienced something so wonderful he is not happy with a life that fits into society today. Chris encounters this same feeling, but instead of turning around before it is too late he dies holding onto such a thing.


Theodore Roszak wrote In Search of the Miraculous which is quoted on page 70. "It may, after all, be the bad habit of creative talents to invent themselves in pathological extremes that yield remarkable insights but no durable way of life for those who cannot translate their psychic wounds into significant art or thought." This quote states that we can change the way we think and we can make ourselves close to insane in order to achieve the insight we are seeking. Yet, if there is no outlet for these thoughts it will turn into a real mental illness. this was shown with the story of Carl McCunn.


My favorite quote is probably, "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." from Maya Angelou. I like it because I believe it tells us to live our lives for the wonderment of living, not for someone else or even for ourselves. Chris would probably like this quote also because he likes controlling his own life and living independently. 

Concerto by Sandra Miller

Rating: 8 out of 10

Pages: 281

First Line: “The dream was always the same.”

Summary: Everything was going for Chrispen. She was fresh out of Julliard and is now the assistant concertmaster at the Newton Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under her idol, Alexis Brooks. Then she starts getting creepy messages from a violent stalker. The police can’t seem to help her other than telling her to stay away from Alexis, who was accused, but not proven to be the murderer of his first wife. She must guard herself and her friends from the stalker while solving the mystery behind the murder. The farther she finds herself in this mess the more it seems that these two problems are closely related and that history may be repeating itself. And if it is, then Chrispen is in the same situation as Madeleine, Alexis’ late wife.

Review: To tell you the truth, I was not expecting such a good storyline and characters from this book. I won it online and I had entered the giveaway because the cover looked interesting (yes, I do judge books by their covers, but I’ll discuss that another time). Yet when I received the book, the synopsis on the back cover did not promise much. After finally starting the book, I read it in a few hours I was so engrossed. I had not been prepared for the raw emotion I encountered so quickly in the book.

It had a very good plot with a few twists that added a lot to the mystery. I thought it was well planned out and was intricate enough to remain interesting. The duel conflicts kept me guessing and eliminated many of the lulls you might find in a book with a single struggle.

My trouble with the story was the predictability of the culprit(s) of the crimes. Maybe I have read so many mysteries (especially Nancy Drew novels) that I am extremely perceptive with these sorts of things, but I doubt it. Almost immediately after the background details and introductions I knew who killed Madeleine and who the stalker was. Luckily there were enough other tidbits and unfinished pieces I kept reading to see how everything played out. But when I got to the end of the book I found that I had been exactly right on both accounts.

*SPOILER ALERT* Also, I thought the bit about Madeleine the violin could have been better explained and that it kind of came out of nowhere. I understand that it was Chris’ grandmother’s violin and I liked how that came back up, but why did Dwight have it? Did he see Madeleine’s name on it in the window of a pawn shop? Furthermore why did he buy it? Was he that obsessed with Madeleine to such an extent that he bought a violin for the singular reason that her name was inscribed on it? I would be a bit more satisfied if these questions were somehow answered in the epilogue.

Overall, this novel was a very exciting and partially nerve-racking mystery. I was happily surprised with the development the relationship between Alexis and Chrispen. I appreciated how Ms. Miller described music and how it affected Chrispen. The story was entrancing and it kept me on edge, yet there was enough comic relief that I wasn’t stressed out by the intensity of it all.

Recommended: Yes, especially to those who are interested in music, though you do not need to know your way around classical music if you want to read this.

Similar: Blue is for Nightmares, White is for Magic, Silver is for Secrets, Red is for Remembrance by Laurie Faria Stolarz