1) Write a response, choosing a line and explaining it's significance to you. Please remember: no plot re-cap! Share your analysis, make connections to the world, ask questions, discuss imagery, and deepen your thinking. Please make sure that your writing has depth to it. A 3-sentence blog post is not sufficient! 2) Don't forget to respond to someone else's post! Answer their questions, or pose a question of your own!
* If you are having problems with the blog, please email me. I read the blog every night and expect to see all of your comments!
“My friends became my family, and my family and my mother just became people I lived with.”
ReplyDeleteI found this quote very interesting, because it shows how James and his mother are like opposites. Ruth has a family that does not love her, where nobody is happy, and she desperately wants to have a loving family, but doesn’t, so she turns to her friend. James has a loving family, but yet he chooses to leave them, and spend most of his time with his friends. In the quote, you can see how James’ family is slowly falling apart due. His stepfather died, his mother is too sad to do anything, and he is the eldest in the house, leaving him to be in charge. Yet, he runs away, abandoning his family, and spends most of his time with his friends, and his family just “became people I lived with.” This is very significant, because Ruth was always about having a loving, happy family, which seems to be the opposite of what James wants.
In my opinion, it's not that James doesn't want a loving family. I think he does want a loving family. He wants his mother to show her love for him and his siblings, and after the death she has been doing the opposite. Because of this, he is acting out with drugs and alcohol, stealing, and dropping out of school.
DeleteWow we did the same quote and we have like the same response. I didn't make the connection that they both turned to their friends. nice job!
DeleteI also think that this quote is significant. If Ruth is always about having a loving and happy family then why would she "abandon" and ignore her kids? I think she is selfish for not thinking about how her kids must be feeling. She is the adult one in the family now and she should set an example for her kids.
DeletePunk that I was, I did feel sorry for them their screams echoing in my ears as I ran." -Pg. 141
ReplyDeleteI think this quote means and shows a lot about James as a person. It shows that while he is stealing people's purses he feels bad for them which shows that he feels remorse for what he's doing. It reminds me of two forces against each other, like dualism. It also reminds me of Mameh vs Tateh on situations for their daughter. It also connects back to the hardships that his mother faced. I think if he can recreate the scene that his mother's purse got snatched away and instead of losing from it; benefiting from it makes him feel better and that he thinks really has not as gone as low as he actually has.
I agree with you completely. While James was trying to be heartless and forget his pain, he still felt sorry for the women he robbed. He definitely is very conflicted, I never thought about it but there is a lot of dualism in his nad his mother's life. Black vs. white, Jewish vs. Christian, etc. Interesting response!
DeleteI agree, but I'm not really surprised a few blog posts ago I mentioned the connection with James, Holden and Frank. They all put out a tough front and they are sweet in the inside.
Delete"I did it alone, waiting in the dark doorway of a closed barbershop as the women got off the bus, ripping the purses out of their protesting hands as they cried out in fear and shock." (page 141)
ReplyDeleteThis really surprised me because when he was younger, he witnessed someone stealing his mother's purse and he was extremely scared and angry. I would've thought he would feel really bad after stealing the first woman's purse and stop, but he decided to keep doing it even after his partner refused to. This shows that he's rebelling against his family. He is angry at yet another death in the family and probably mad that his mother let everything fall apart after the death. Furthermore, James could also be mad that his mom either hasn't been paying attention to him, or doesn't care about his future, because when he dropped out of school she didn't do anything about it and she hasn't said anything about his change in behavior.
I agree, I also wrote something somewhat similar. I think he is lacking attention just like Ruth did when she was a child and he feels as though if he goes against her he will get a reaction out of her. Also I agree with your comment about how you thought he would stop, doesn't he feel guilty he's doing the same thing people did to his mom.
Delete“She whipped me mercilessly, tears in her eyes. It did not help. My friends became my family, and my family and mother just became people I lived with.”
ReplyDeleteThis section really stood out to me because like James, most of his siblings ran away or got into trouble. This is the opposite of Ruth wanted as a family. She spent years of running away from her own family, the thought of her own family who she had because of her lack of love and affection as a child, to run away must have hurt her. This also goes back to the idea of James not knowing who he is as a person. This is because he went through a stage where he completely changed. This is an effect of his stepfather who was like his father dying, but could also be interpreted in him trying to figure out who he is by hanging out with bad kids.
I couldn't has said it better myself, it like what Rith feared and hated is what she has become. She has become that person who pushes away her children because she wants to protect them, but she is actually hurting them and thats a problem. Sometimes parents make mistakes too when they think they are protecting you, but all humans make mistakes so you can;t really blame her.
DeleteI agree. The fact that Ruth was trying so hard to be unlike her father and raise her children to be the best they could be, actually turned her into her father, the one person she didn't want to be. She doesn't want to hurt her children but she ends up hurting them anyway, which affects them in the exact opposite way than what Ruth wanted.
Delete"'You think if you drop out of school somebody's gonna beg you to go back? Hell no! They won't beg your black ass to go back.[...] Who are you? You ain't nobody!" pg. 150
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because I think it affected James greatly. He didn't really think about the consequences of his actions after his step father died, but hearing these words from a kind old alcoholic who once might have been a similar boy must have been a shock. It stood out to me that Chicken Man got right at James' issue of identity, reminding him of something he was trying to escape, his identity conflict and racial confusion. He was echoing James' mother's words, without education, you will be nobody. At this time in his life James would have been fine with ending up just like Chicken Man, who was his favorite, spending his life on the streets. This chapter was named after Chicken Man, and I think his example, and especially these words, were a turning point for James. After Chicken Man was killed I think James took his words to heart, realizing he wanted more than guns and drink in his life, but it was his choice to go back to school.
Hi Francesca, I agree with you completely! It must have been a shock from James to hear such a thing from an old alcoholic man. Maybe this alcoholic man said that because he might have experienced the same situation as James and that's why he is in the situation he is in.
DeleteI agree with you a lot. In that moment, it was like a rude awakening, a set back to his crazy decisions. He would've ended up like Chicken Man, and if it wasn't for him, do you think he would've realized it on his own? Was he already in that dark path?
Delete"They were trying hard to be American, you know, not knowing what to keep and what to leave behind." -page 135.
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because I could hear Ruth's voice while she was saying this. She is looking back in the past and reflecting on it. This line reminds me of the Catcher in the Rye because everyone wants to fit in and they don't know who they are anymore. In some way, I think Ruth is talking about herself when she says that they didn't know "what to keep and what to leave behind". Just like her aunts, she once wanted to be an American with pretty clothes and carefree but she doesn't know how to be one. Ruth claims that all her aunts wanted to fit in and trying hard to be American and what about her mom? Did Ruth's mom want to to be an American as well or she was grateful for what she had?
Matthew Baldwin
ReplyDelete"They would always take care of you in a basic way but they never said a lot to you. I didn't feel loved by them."
This quote shows that the family of Ruth's mom up in New York, doesn't care much of Ruth's family that lives in the south, and that was also the last to arrive to America. I don't think Ruth's mom really cares what her family thinks of them, she doesn't usually think of what other people think about her anyway. In my own opinion the family of Ruth's up in New York are mean because they won't accept the style of life that her family is living down south. They think that the best way of life is in the city and I think that, that is spreading on to Ruth.
“For months after my stepfather died, mommy walked around the house as if she were blind, staggering through the motions of life.”
ReplyDeleteJames reaction to his stepfather’s death surprised me. Even though his reaction wasn’t emotion it definitely affected him. When he started to behave badly it really shocked me because I dint think he was that type of person. But death can change a person in so many ways. For example Ruth was an emotionless person but you could tell that she was deeply affected. I think she was in a phase of shock when he got sick and never really acknowledged the fact that he could died but when I happened it really hit her hard. As for James I think his behavior will get better and his bad behavior is just a phase, his way of expressing loss. I think he will realized that he is affecting his mother and he will change.
"I was numb. If let I was getting back at the world for injustices I had suffered, but if you sat me down and asked me which injustices I was talking about, I wouldn't have been able to name them if my life depended on it." Pg 141-142
ReplyDeleteThis quite stood out to me because James is talking about getting back at the world but he can't even name one injustice he has suffered. It means he doesn't really know why he is even robbing women in the first place. I was thinking maybe it was for all the injustice his mom had to go through or getting back at all the people who bullied him. I think he is angry at world and he takes it out on people because he feels the need to let anger out. But I'm really confused I mean why rob someone and not have a good enough reason behind it. What is he trying to prove and achieve? I think what he is doing is just dumb and he just needs something to do because he thinks he isn't good for anything else. But he also goes on to talk about how he was doing the same thing that happened to his mother when he was little but that what he did wasn't related to what happened to his mother. How is it not related ? He doing the same thing that happened to his mom wouldn't that be even more reason not to rob?
In my honest opinion I don't think that James' doesn't think he isn't good enough. Maybe that fact that he doesn't know who he truly is bothers him, since Ruth always avoided the question. The cycle is just repeating the same way Ruth rebelled against her parents.
Delete"If you throw water on the floor it will always find a hole, believe me." Page 135
ReplyDeleteBackground:
Basically, what happens is that she gets pregnant at the age of 15, and she goes to NYC. Then, her aunt finds out that she is pregnant,and Ruth makes an abortion.
Analysis:
This quote stands out to me in the Chapter 13 because Ruth explains as a metaphor that for every situation in life there will always be a way out or a way to solve it. So, that's what she did, she got pregnant and found a way out. But, even though it seemed very easy for her to say that there will always be a way out, sometimes to find that way "out" takes time or even to realize that there is a way out.
Question: If there is a way out, will there be a way out to her new problems to come?
I agree with you 100%. I think that that's also what the quote is suppose to be symbolic for. I also believe that Ruth was trying to point at the fact that there will always be a solution to every problem because otherwise it wouldn't have existed. In addition to this, I think that the quote can also represent the struggles she faced with her family and how they viewed her. I believe that she learned how to get out of that situation, which was an intensely difficult one, and thus she knows she can get out of any situation.
Delete"I took pains to keep my life as a punk a secret from my mother." page 109
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it demonstrates how James changed. After the death of James' stepfather James gave up on life. Although before that, James said that he was smart and did well in school. I am surprised because I thought James respected his mom before,and this quote shows that he was very defiant and confidential. It is a big transition for James and he really grew up and changed, but not matured. James' behavior is going to get better and his reactions to some events are just a phase. I can relate to James behavior because I have hidden stuff from my parents because I was scared and afraid of how they might react or what they might do. People in general conceal things, and keep secrets from others in anticipation that they never find out, yet the secrets never last. A question I have is, why did James become punk, and why did he keep it a secret.
I agree that James changed a lot, and almost rebels his mom because he is angry with her. I think secrets are kept because we want to protect others and ourselves. James protected his mother by letting her be happy by thinking he was an A student. He also protected himself, because as long as his mother didn't know he was failing, he wouldn't get beat.
DeleteKatya
"They were trying hard to be American, you know, not knowing what to keep and what to leave behind." (pg 135)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it reminded me a lot of fitting in and I kept being reminded of Holden saying "phony". This relates because the whole "trying to be American" is very common by foreigners in this country. It shows the theme of fitting in because people eventually become something they're not when they've been around it for so long. Trying to be American is trying to fit in and not stand out to much because they are not from America. Hearing Ruth say this makes me also think that Ruth tried to be American at times too. She had those little fantasies of being an American too, so of course the natural thing people do is try to be like people around them to fit where they are. Ruth also tried to fit in at times, but that is human nature.
Good connection to Catcher in the Rye. I didn't think about it but the points you make are valid arguments. I agree with your observation. Good job!
Delete“My friends became my family, and my family and mother just became people I lived with” (140).
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out because it shows the impact the death of James’ stepdad had on him. The reason this happened is because James is trying to escape the pain of his family and the memories of his stepdad. I feel bad for James because of his stepdad dying and his choice of how to live after his stepdad’s death. I also feel bad for Ruth because despite all of her efforts in trying to keep the family together and raise all of her kids right, her family is falling apart. I’m wondering what will finally James snap back into his former life. I’m predicting he causes something so bad to happen to his family that he realizes he has to stop the life of drugs and ditching school.
"My friends became my family, and my family and mother just became people I lived with." (page 140)
ReplyDeleteThis line really stood out to me because it seems that the cycle has repeated, does that mean Ruth wasn't a good mother? At this point James has rebelled the same way his mother had as a teenager. Where he feels his family doesn't understand him so who does he turn to? His friends. Teenagers in general tend to always turn to their friends because that's what they are there for, but sometimes the friends one chooses are a bad influence like James' friends. He doesn't realize it and even if he does they are the only people he has since he as drifted a part from his family, but is it too late for him to get his life back on track and build a relationship with his mother again?
I agree, I think Ruth eventually rebelled because of the lack of attention and affection from her family (especially her father). I think James rebelled for a similiar reason. James rebelled because his family wasn't there for him when his stepdad died. This is because there were many children in the house and the mom couldn't help James becuase she wasn't over the stepdad's death.
DeleteI agree with you when you say "teenagers in general tend to always turn to their friends because that's what they are there for, but sometimes the friends one chooses are a bad influence like James' friends." As teens you've reached a point in life where you are gradually becoming independent from your family. I think the difference between James and most teens is that James's search for self-suffiency was sudden and abrupt, not gradual. I think this led him to have friends that were bad influences, because he didn't really have the time to sort the good ones from the bad ones.
DeleteOops wrong person...sorry.
Delete"Ripping the purses out of their protesting hands as they cried out in fear" (141)
ReplyDeleteAlthough this quote is just stating factual evidence one can imagine the fear lurking inside everyone as they roam the streets that are filled with occurrences like this. Ruth and James live in fear that at any minute they could be attacked due to something about them. In this case they are jewish and black which are two types of people that were some of the worst treated at that time in that area.
"I could hide. No one knew my past, my white mother, my dead father, nothing. It was perfect. My problems seemed far, far away."
ReplyDeleteThis stood out to me because it really reminded me of Holden. Struggling with life and self seems to be a thing all teens have trouble with. I found it interesting how he wanted to hide, before he felt proud to be from two different heritages, now he just wants to hide. It reminded me of a question we on the sheet in class about how he keeps all his anger pent up and how we thought what he might do to get it all out. He's doing the same thing as HOlden, keeping it in and then running away from it. He seems glad to get rid of his problems (temporarily). I think that he feels conflicted, appreciative and yet not of his background but, maybe for him, when he starts anew, with new friends and people he hangs with, these are one of the many details he leaves out until they find out for themselves. I think that he is just very confused, ignoring the fact that it will come back and bite him in the butt when he leasts expects it.
“My friends became my family, and my family and my mother just became people I lived with.”
ReplyDeleteI found this quote to be a direct passageway into Ruth's feelings. I think that her friends served more as family and was her supporting factor. Her family, in contrary, were the one's who were sort of just there and served as minor characters in her play that was life. All her family did was critique her and abuse her, whereas her friends actually were there for her. They treated her how family should, and thus that's how she viewed them. Her family was just a group of people living with her, they didn't in anyway trigger positive emotions.
"...New York was an eyepopper for me. Plus everyone seemed too busy to care about what race or religion you were. I loved it." (p. 130)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because I agree with what she is saying, being from New York. Everybody is always in a rush and doesn't notice the ones around them. This must have been a very pleasant change for Ruth. Also, It is quite ironic because usually now, people want to be noticed and recognized by others for whatever it may be, and we desire to feel special or unique. Whereas Ruth likes not being noticed and blending in with the crowd. I think this is because her entire life she stood out and doesn't like it, like her son. It is nice for Ruth to finally 'fit in.'
I definitely agree with you! I also responded to this quote, but I didn't think about the differences between the culture in New York now and then, and how people nowadays want to stand out for their differences.
DeleteI agree, I think that the fact that Ruth wants to be just a face in the crowd is very interesting. This relates to how Holden wanted to be the opposite. He wanted people to see him and pay attention to him. to me this illustrates how differences in our background (culture, race, gender ect.) shape how we view the world.
DeleteI agree becuase in new york people dont care because we are so mixed and all their lives people have pointed out the fact that they are differet(which is nice. I agree with Shahob Holden liked is really different then james and one main difference is that he was white and rich but James was black and poor. But one thing they have in common is that tehy both were looking for the same thing: love, affection.
Delete"...not knowing what to keep and what to leave behind. But you know what happend, when you do that. If you throw away water in the floor, it will always find a hole, believe me."
ReplyDeleteI found this quote very interesting because it shows a new part of Ruth. She describes her family as that and that is something very different then you would expect. When she was in distress her aunt was there for her, but they never spoke of it and kind of hid it, but somehow, somewhere other people would be able to find out about this. She is trying to relate it to the world that it is not good to hide evrything and pile up everything because in one way or another it will be able to slip out. This happened to alot of people when the pile in alot of things when they aren't capable of protecting everything.
I agree. One way or another, someone is going to find out. It is too hard to keep something bottled up inside, especially emotions. This makes me wonder if James will ever talk about his issues rather than running from them through drugs and drinking. Will his problems cause him to do something drastic later on in the book? Or will he step up to his issues and actually deal with them?
DeleteKatya Bakal-Schlomann
ReplyDelete"I snatched old women's purses just as I had seen my mother's purse snatched when I was eight years old, but in my mind the two acts were not related." (p.142)
This stood out to me because it shows how much James has changed. When he was younger he never imagined himself stealing, especially after witnessing his mother get jumped, and seeing how that losing even more money worsened his life. I also think he may steal from women to get as much distance between him and his mother as possible. He want's to rebel against her. Stealing from the old women is a rebellious action towards his mother, and towards society because it is just wrong. In a way however, stealing from the women connects him with his mother. He says he didn't relate him stealing, and his mother being stolen from because he doesn't want to acknowledge he is committing a crime. Deep down he know the actions are the same, and reminds him of when his mother was jumped. He almost wants to feel the connection to have part of her, and also doesn't because he wishes he wasn't committing a crime.
"But I wanted to rush like them, and got with the program as soon as I could. Sometimes I'd just go out and walk with them so I could rush with the crowd. I had nowhere to go. Just going crazy, rushing with the rest!" (page 130).
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because this was a time when Ruth felt she fit in. Previously in chapter 13, she wrote how people in New York were too busy to care about race or religion, and so she felt she fit in. Where she grew up with her family, she didn't fit in, and she was discriminated against. She wanted to fit in, so she would rush with the crowd just because she felt she could fit in. She didn't have a purpose, she didn't know where she was going, or what her goal was, but she was finally excepted. This shows how much she was not accepted back home and as a child. This could have led her to be the way she is about raising her children. She wants her children to not care about race and religion because thats the way she wanted to be treated.
"I was numb. If let I was getting back at the world for injustices I had suffered, but if you sat me down and asked me which injustices I was talking about, I wouldn't have been able to name them if my life depended on it."( Pg 141-142)
ReplyDeleteI think this quote is important because it shows that although James thinks he is acting like a criminal due to what he deemed ill-treatment by his mother, he cannot think of any incidents he would've not done himself if he was in her place. He thinks he is getting revenge but for what, he does not know. The fact that he says that he couldn't think of an "injustice" that he had faced even in a life or death situation presents him as a "rebel without a cause" so to speak.
I agree with you and also I want to add in that James is hiding everything he's feeling inside. He is numb because he is in so much pain that he couldn't take it anymore, so he decided to just conceal it.
Delete"I snatched old women's purses just as I had seen my mother's purse snatched when I was eight years old, but in my mind the two acts were not related."PG:142
ReplyDeleteI think that James is doing these things because he feels that his they will fill the gap his stepfather left in his life. He assumes that he the things he steals will make him feel better and make those he;s stealing from feel more like he does. In fact, he is committing these crimes so that he can reach out to people. he wants to know that people feel more than just empathy for him, he wants them to experience those feelings of loss and help him cope with them. However misguided his efforts at connection are, they come from a place of loneliness.
"New York was an eyepopper for me. Plus everyone seemed too busy to care about what race or religion you were. I loved it."
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because I think it says a lot about New York City and the people who live here. It's so incredibly diverse and multi cultured, and that is shown in many different ways. As said in this quote, "everyone seems too busy to care about what race or religion you are". New York has a very fast-paced feel to it, but I've never really noticed how much that can affect the people of New York. After reading this part of the book, my views on New York City changed a little bit; maybe New York City wouldn't be so diverse if it wasn't as fast-paced. At the same time, I think that the diversity of New York helps it become more diverse-in many cases, NYC's mix of races, religions, and people are admired and looked up to. This causes more and more people to move here, which makes it even more diverse. It's kind of like an endless cycle- New York is diverse because its people are too busy to care about the differences in other people, and it's diversity helps add even more new people to its culture.
"My friends became my family, and my family and mother just became people I lived with."(140)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me becuase this really helps the reader understand that in his house the affection needed was never there and he turned to friends to help him and be there for him. A lot of kids in that time you would think were closer to their family but since Ruth doesn't really show emotion he considers he friends family. But on the same note when you are on the streets a lot the people around you tell you "we are you family and your only" and you begin to believe them, just because they are around when all the bad things occur.
"No one knew me. No one knew my past, my white mother, my dead father, nothing. It was perfect. My problems seemed far, far away. "This quote stood out to me because it showed the root of his problems. Being with his family and his mother caused him problems and when his stepfather died, he stopped caring about anything. When he got his freedom, he felt happier and worryfree because he's far from his mother, although his mom had no effect on him. It emphasizes the drastic change James went through. He had no feelings and care for his life or grades. Instead of making his mother sad, he was away from her and doing whatever he wanted. James dropped out of school and got kicked out of summer school, he had no hope and was going nowhere in life.
ReplyDelete"My friends became my family, and my family and mother just became people I lived with." pg 140
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it highlighted how his friends were always there for him whereas his family who should be there for him, aren't. Because his mom doesn't really show affection towards her kids James felt that there was no bond toward his mother and the rest of his family. He became closer to his friends and started looking at them as if they were his family because they were always around whereas his mother wasn't.
"They called us, Mameh's family, "greenhorns" in Yiddish, because we were the last to get to America and weren't Americanized, but still I liked to visit them because New York was an eyepopper for me. Plus everyone seemed too busy to care about what race or religion you were. I loved it."
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it showed a quieter side of Ruth. It seemed to me that she was "escaping" to New York to get away from all of the madness and judgement back home, where in America no one had time to pick on you and mess with you. She wanted independence, and freedom, which I liked a lot. I wondered why didn't she try to convince her mom to go to America and become a citizen, that way they can both be free, and she might even get better, might live londer without all the pain her "husband" gives her. Why was Ruth so shy? Why couldn't she speak her mind to her own mother?
"If you throw water on the floor it will always find a hole, believe me."
ReplyDeletePg 135
In this, Ruth explains that no matter what situation, there is always a way out. At the moment, Ruth was pregnant, at the age of 15. As we all already know, Ruth was raised in a very Jewish family, and it never made them happy. Ruth got over it, and had 11 more children, including James. Ruth's strength comes out in this quote, because Ruth got stronger, and ran away from her horrible family, and married 2 men that she loved. Ruth is trying to say that no matter what, there is always a way out.
"For months after my stepfather died, Mommy walked around the house as if she were blind, staggering through the motions of life."
ReplyDelete- This just breaks my heart. I've lost a relative in my life before, we all have. This quote to me, captures the feeling of losing someone very close to you, even not close to you, if they're still in your family, it feels odd. In this case, it just so happens to be Ruth's husband, and James's stepfather. Someone you've lived with for years, someone you've lived with at all. Someone who has some connection to your heart, it's hard to let go of them. Especially someone you vowed to love all your life, someone you committed to. And for James, someone whose been a father to you, someone whose taken care of you. To let them go, to realize they're gone forever, is shocking. This quote shows how losing someone like that can affect you. Ruth is lost right now. Lost without her husband. Even after months, she's still trying to digest it, trying to somehow process it in her mind that he's gone. So she just "walks around the house as if she were blind, staggering through the motions of life" it's beautiful, and achingly sad.