Final journal

         This story is based on the author, Joseph Conrad`s experience when he was a sailor. He went to the Congo river as a sailor of England ship and saw the fact that the king of Belgium, Léopold II exploit everything from local people. This story seems ironical about that. The author expresses the scenery and expression in detail by using various words, so I could imagine the scenery and thinking of characters. I really recommend you to read because we can understand the dark side of Africa long time ago and words are refined, so we feel comfortable to read.

Summary of chapter2 Heart of darkness Booke report3 project6

Summary of chapter2

              Marlow heard that Kurtz who is in the upper reaches had disease from the manager of the center branch office. Also, he heard Kurtz was heading there with elephant tusks from the hinterland, but suddenly he left the elephant tusks to his assistant on the way and he went back to the hinterland by himself. Marlow wonder at that. When the ship which was broken was fixed, Marlow left for the hinterland with the manager, four employees, and local sailors. When they were around Kurtz`s place, all of a sudden, a lot of arrows came down into the ship. The steersman was countering with his gun, but a long arrow which came from somewhere stabbed at him and he died. When they arrived at the branch office in hinterland finally, there was a Russian man who was 25 years old. He worshipped Kurtz. They heard that Kurtz had controlled the residents in the hinterland and he had abused his power and he had collected the elephant tusks from people by violence. They carried Kurtz who was in sick to the ship, but soon he died with his word “The horror! The horror! ”

 

Summary of chapter1 Heart of darkness Book repor3 project6

Summary of first chapter

One day, in evening Marlow who is a seaman talks about his terrible experience he had it in Africa when he was young on the ship. There are his four friends and one of his friends is the narrator in this story. When Marlow was young, he decided to go to Africa because he had not been there. He entered a French trading company by his relative`s connection. Marlow got in the ship and left for Africa. More than thirty days later, he arrived at the branch office there. He saw black people bring elephant tusks there and exchange with cotton or glass. During his stay there for ten days he heard about Kurtz who was a representative staying in the hinterland. He was the excellent representative and sending a lot of elephant tusks to the office, so it was said that he would be the executive in his future. He left for the center branch office which was 200 miles far from there. He arrived there fifteen days later through jungle, grassy plains, and rocky mountains.

 

Summary and Response

KOHEI YKOMI

Amy Lee

Writing&Reading645

May 29, 2013

SUMMARY

              According to “Don`t Share Your Life with Me,” written by Ellen Goodman, the cell phone has negative effects.  First, people use cell phones in public and speak loudly without taking care of their private information. Second, they concentrate on cell phones while they are using them. They use their cell phones even when someone is serving them, for example, at a hair salon. According to Goodman, this behavior is like they are saying, “You’re invisible.” She further says that originally, we were afraid that someone would invade our privacy, but now someone invades our space with the personal details of their lives.

Response

              I agree with the author`s idea. I have also seen a person talking with someone on the cell phone in the train. She was talking about her boyfriend loudly, so everyone in the same car could hear everything she was saying。 People really don`t care about the fact they are revealing their privacy to public when they are calling. We should take care about that because someone may make bad use of our information. Goodman states that people made a way to avoid eye contact long ago, but now they have to avoid ear contact. This is interesting and right to the point.  Also, I think we should stop using the cell phone when someone is serving us because it`s rude and the server will feel awkward hearing about our privacy. As Goodman says, originally we were afraid that someone would invade our privacy and know the personal details of our lives, but now someone invades our privacy with the personal details of their lives. It`s ridiculous. We have to think again about how we should use the cell phone appropriately.

 

Book report2

KOHEI YOKOMI

Amy Lee

Writing&Reading645

May 17

Book Repot Opinion Paper (500)

The best guitarist, but the pitiful star, Jimi Hendrix

              I read "JIMI HENDRIX",the biography about Jimi Hendrix written by SHARON LAWRENCE. I have played the guitar since I was in middle school, so I knew Jimi Hendrix. But I didn`t know about his personality and his death. To summarize, the author was working as a musical journalist and she was a close friend of Jimi Hendrix. In this book, the author writes about him as his close friend. Jimi Hendrix is born in1942 in Seattle, Washington. When he is born , his mother Lucile Hendrix is 17 years old. She doesn`t take care about family so much because she is too young. She leaves from the house, and a couple of years later, she dies. Therefore, Jimi lives with his father, but their relationship is not so good and they are poor. As a lot of musician did, Hendrix also learns how to play the guitar by listening to records. He joins some amateur bands and gains experience. At first he is an unknown back musician, but in 1966, the bassist of the Animaus, Chas Chandler notices his talent as a musician and he lets Jimi go to the U.K. Hendrix forms the band, “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” with Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell. Their debut single, “ Hey Joe & Stone Free” is great hits, and Jimi becomes the star. His career looks going well, but the relationship between members or staff gets bad gradually because of the very tight schedule and mental pressure. He also depends on drugs, so gradually he becomes strange. The author met him a lot of time, and he confesses the author about what he worries. She tries to encourage him but he dies in 1970 because of the sleeping drug. It is unknown that he committed suicide, but he was distressed by a lot of things before his death.

              I think this book is really helpful to understand Jimi Hendrix because firstly I can know his personality deeply. In this book, there are a lot of story about him and his words. For example, through the talking between him and the author, we can understand he was really humorous, polite, and shy man. Secondly, we can know his music. For example, some of his songs were influenced by his experience when he was young. For example, Jimi is left with his grandmother. She lives is Indian Reservation, Jimi sees Indians who are poor. “I Don`t Live Today” was made from this experience. You also know his idea about music through his words. Thirdly, we can know what he was like before his death. He dies early like some famous rockers. Before he dies, Jimi calls the author, and it is painful. He says that he needs the brake because he is busy and tired from his tight schedule, but his father takes care only about money, how much he earns. His play is getting worse rapidly before his death. An promoter calls the author and says Hendrix really screwed up at his concert. He stumbled all over the stage and he was incapable of playing a whole show. The author tries to encourage him, but he dies suddenly by the influence of sleeping drugs. I really understand his hardship. He is a star and respected as a best guitarist, but he was also pitiful man. For that reasons, I recommend this book if you wants to know about Jimi Hendrix.(567)

The valuable lesson for Dream esssay about Theme

KOHEI YOKOMI

Amy Lee

Reading&Writing 645

May 10

The Valuable Lesson for Dream

             “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” These were the famous words of Walt Disney. This valuable message is also interwoven into the short story, “Keep your dream.” Actually, the author of this short story is unknown, but it is a famous short story, nonetheless. The story focuses on a child having a dream to own a horse ranch. The author is trying to convey the idea that it is important to having a dream no matter how impossible it looks to come true.

　          “Keep your dream” begins with a friend telling the story about a young son of an itinerant horse trainer. The storyteller can use his friend`s horse to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs because the friend owns a horse ranch. The friend begins to tell the story to explain why he let the storyteller use his horse.

             In the story, a young man is asked to write a paper about what he wants to be and do when he grows up. That night he writes a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He writes about his dream in great detail, and he even draws a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables, and the track. Then he draws a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that will sit on a 200-acre dream ranch. But he receives his paper back. On the front page is a large red F with a note that reads, “See me after class”. The boy with the dream goes to see the teacher after class and asks the reason of F. The teacher says, “This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money.” The teacher also says, “If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.” But the boy turns in the same paper, making no changes at all after thinking about his dream.

Then the friend says that he was the boy, and his dream has come true. At last the friend says, “Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.”

 “ Keep your dream” is an valuable story with a powerful theme. It reveals the importance of keeping your dream no matter what it is, no matter if someone says it`s impossible. We should keep our dream whether or not it is difficult. (454)

 

SUMMARY&RESPONSE “The Story of An Hour”, by Kate Chopin

KOHEI YOKOMI

Amy Lee

Reading Writing 645

4/20/2013

Summary-Response

“The Story of An Hour”, by Kate Chopin

Summary

  Kate Chopin, in “The Story of An Hour”, describes that feeling of freedom of Mrs. Mallard who is told of her husband`s death, and then, her own death upon seeing her husband who should have died. Mrs. Mallard is afflicted with a heart trouble, so her sister and her husband`s friend tell her as gently as possible that her husband had died in a railroad disaster. At first she can`t accept his death, but she cries at once and shuts herself up in her room. She is crying in her room, but gradually she begins to think that she won`t have to live for him from now and she is free. Although she had loved him at times, often she had not. Her sister worries about her and asks her to open the door. Mallard doesn`t want to open the door but she opens the door to her sister`s importunities. Then she descends the stairs with her sister. But suddenly her husband who should have died enters from the front door. Actually, he had been far the scene of accident, and did not even know there had been one. She sees him and dies with shock.  “When the doctors come, they say she has died of the heart disease—of the joy that kills”.

Response

  In sum, the author creates a picture of her confusing emotion by using description of scenery. With her story, she shows how people feel when their spouse dies. In this story, Mrs. Mallard feels freedom at last when her husband died. I generally agree with the author that people may feel freedom when their spouse dies. No matter how much you love your lover, I`m sure you sometimes feel tired because of him/her, especially wives have to do housework for him and I think it is sometimes an annoying work. So, a wife may feel that she won`t have to live for someone from now when her husband has died. But, some wives never feel like that. She just feels grief and wishes her husband was alive. I wish the author had described how Mrs. Mallard had loved her husband in more detail. Despite this, I generally agree with the author`s idea and this story has a really surprising ending. I didn`t expect this ending. I would recommend this story to others for that reason.