Upon Arrival

The poem "Upon Arrival" is written by Tala Abu Rahmeh.
The speaker is someone creatd by Tala Abu Rahmeh that because of some words which the poet used in her poem such as: "I used to say take me home," this sentance show us that Tala Abo Rahmeh doesn't force to leave her mother country (Palestine) so the speaker was forced and she doesn't make the speaker clear if it is a woman or man.

In the first stanza "I don't know any more," the speaker has an enternal coflict, "when if I love it more,over there?" if the speaker love to live there in her/his real country, or "over here" in the new country.

In the second staza... her/his mother always says home is everything, because his/her family in that home, everyone take care about other, they love each other, therefor, they imposed and asked about them to be sure that all they love are OK and in good condition.

In stanza three. The speaker strongly wants to return back to her/his home, because everybody in her/his country can pronounce and spell her/his name easily without any difficulty like the sugar melting, because the name is a part of her/himself or idintity, "when everybody can pronounce my name, roll it off the tongue like suger,"

Home, the fourth verse, the poeter confirms that the speaker has a desire to back to her/his place where she/he feels comfortable, safe and quietism.

In the fifth stanza the speaker hopes to come back to her/his home and be with relatives, even though she/he doesn't like them "I never liked."

In the next stanza the speaker is educated, and she/he has a big responsiblity to back home, because the society needs to the educated people to build thier country by knowledge, and as the poeter said: "if we, the educated, don't come back, who will?"

Finally, Tala Abo Rahmeh tell in her poem about difficulties in home country and she wants to scream why there are so many difficulties in her country, and why she does not feel comfortable over there, people do not have a dignity, also they suffer from checkpoints, moreover they usually fear, so the poeter prefer to stay out without all fears. And the writer is more comfortable in USA.




If Tala Abu Rahmeh were to add lines to the poem at the end, I belive she would say:

The life is hard.
There is nothing like land.
The time will come to back to our land.

HONOR by Elsa Marston

The values which Uncle Nabeel was talking about, religious values. But he was fanatic, he didn't understand the Koran correctly and thinking deeply of it. Also in this story, honor of the girl destroyed honor of the family, because she just talked and smiled with someone. As Uncle Nabeel said," My honor has been stained-dirtieted!" So he wanted to restore family's honor by killing.


Yasmine and her family carrying values , for example having freedom, justice and democracy. They were doing what they want to do without skipping the red line, and questioning them.
So that, they did not accept about what Uncle Nabeel wants to do and his decision about honor killing. Moreover, they wanted help Wafa's family to stop Sawsan's father to make a crime.


The auther absolutely disagree with Uncle Nabeel, first of all, because of the events and characters. No one wants to kill Sawsan, no one wants to be killer. In addition, the end of the story the writer chose Sawsan being saved which sent a message to her cousin Wafa. So the auther was against Uncle Nabeel's ideas.


Honor is one of the core values of Arab culture. In my opinion, kill someone is terrible thing, how it will be kill his daughter for the honor issue. I belive the man is not the GOD, God will punish the guilty.

'' Summary ''Santa Cluas in Baghdad

Mr. Kareem, who is a good teacher in Arabic literature, wants to leave his country Al Iraq because he has a chance to work in one of Gulf states. Amal, she is the main character, becomes so sad because of all good people always go. Hala, she is in Amal's class, when she hears about Mr. Kareem's news, she likes it, becuase she wants handsome teacher.

Amal suggests, she and her classmate should give Mr. Kareem a gift, it is surprise to them, but they agree and decide to collect money to buy the present, thinking about what they will bring, after discussion Amal and her friends will buy a good book.

After that, Uncle Omar, a famous relative from America, came back to home and visiting Amal's family. Bilaal, Amal's brother, thinks Uncle Omar is Santa Claus, actually he is not. Uncle Omar gives some presents to Amal's family, and money for children. Bilaal isn't happy about money, he wants a red car. he starts crying and crying, then going to sleep. Then his father decided to sell some of his family book to have some money, that because Amal's family is poor, can not buy toys for his child.

Bilaal's father buys the red car, Bilaal becomes very happy. After that, Amal goes to buy a beautiful book for Mr. Kareem, Amal likes the book which was written by Abu Nawwas, it is so expensive, as a result, she uses the money that Uncle Omar gave her to buy this book.

Amal and her friends make a party for Mr. Kareem, and in the party they give their lovely teacher the Arabic book. Mr. Kareem begins to read the first page; surprisingly, he finds that the book belongs to his professor at the university, Amal reads her grandfather's name in the first page, she knows, this book for her grandfather, in addition, the book equald a little car. Mr. Kareem hopes if he can return this book to great professor's family. Beside he is honored to keep it.

Finally, the book becomes with Mr. Kareem fingers, the red car clutched in Bilaal's small hand.

My Favorite Story

My favourite story is Number One Son, which was written by Monfoon Leong.
It talks about Chinese culture which is close to Palestenian culture, so the story is easy to understand; in addition, it was interesting, especially; at the beginning of the story I thought that Ming's father hate his son who is the oldest son, because he left him alone without any help. In fact, his father loves him so much, and Ming knows that when he wore his father's watch and read what was written in the cover of it; therefore, Ming becomes the head of the family.

My Favourite Story

My favourite story is Number One Son, which was written by Monfoon Leong. I like the second story because it is easy to understnad it, moreover, it is very interesting specially at the begining of the story I thought that Ming's father hate him and he left his son alone without any help. But actually, he loved him so much, Ming knew that when he wore his father's gold watch and read what was written in the cover of it. Finally, Ming will be the head of his family.

First Impressions of "Incident in a Rose Garden"

1. Both poems leaves me with some feeling that is death is an unwelcome.
In "Incident in a Rose Garden," Death is a character who speaks and comes to take people away; in "Annabel Lee," death is a circumstance of illness.


Second Thoughts on "Incident in a Rose Garden"

2. The missunderstanding occurs in the poem that the gardener thinks death will come soon to take him away, because he was an old man so he becomes so scare. In fact, death was coming to take the master who thought about the death when he speaks with gardener and he don't care about gardener's words. Actually, death takes young and old people.


3. The gardener was afraid from death, he ran and ran to see his son before he die.
In contrast, the master was not afraid, he knows the death couldn't reach him because of his age and power.

4. These techniques are affected on me. This poem is written in a special way I mean it is attractive and interesting. Moreover, I can imagine or describe the picture which is made in my mind about the poem of death.


Boarder Connections

When people missed someone loved him they couldn't do anything except cring, don't eat and drink. They want to back him, everythings become black nothing white, unhappy life, life with tears, that because the death, it looks like monoster.

Homework about (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty)

First Impressions

1. Do you feel sorry for Walter Mitty? Why or why not?


I feel sorry for Walter Mitty. Because he was all the time imagine and fantasize, he felt sadness about the fact that his dream are the only way which his life holds meaning.
Moreover, I think his life puncturing his dream and making them crashing.


Second Thoughts

2. What differences do you see between the kind of person Mitty is in his fantasies and the kind of person he is in real life?

There are differences between the kind of person Mitty is in his fantasies and the kind of person he is in real life. For example, in the story Mitty becomes pilot, hero, good doctor and lawyer, in fact, he suffers from failure of his real life, he can not do anything what he wants to be.
In real life, he has little success because he always tries to be good challenger in his life, in addition his wife make him weak.

3. How would you characterize the way that Mitty's wife and other people in the story treat him?

I think that Mitty's wife and other people treated him so bad, they did not recpect him, and treated him as a child who did not know how to deal with other. For example. he was escaped from her wife's voice, it was so noisy.


4. Why do you think Mitty's fantasies are so important to him?

I think Mitty's fantasies are so important to him because this is the only way he can feel in his life in his self-confidence. In addition, he didn't have anything to feel strong and happy so he always daydreams.


5. Why do you think Mitty has the fantasy of the firing squad at the end?

Walter Mitty's daydreams are inspired by what is happening in his real life, for example, when he is driving his wife to appointment, he daydreams he is commanding a crew fling through damage storm. In addition, there are more example confirms that he thoght he is front of firing squad, I guess he will never stop his daydream because it becomes habit.

6. Are Mitty's daydreams a help or a hindrance to him, or both? Explain your opinion.

I think mitty's daydream are both help and hindrance to him, I mean he helped him to live in happy life, did whatever he want to do, like become a commander, doctor and so on. on the other hand, Mitty's daydream is hindrance because when he came back to real life he becomes depressed, could'nt do anything important.


Conflict

What internal conflict is revealed in the story? Which conflict- external or internal Do you think is more important in the story?

Internal conflict in the story is Walter Mitty and himself, he wants to be hero in any advanture, do somehting important in his simple life to be famous.
But external conflict between Mitty and his wife and other people, his wife is controlling at him and he is so weak to do anything.
I think the internal conflict is more important in the story, that because conflict starts from himself then move to other people to make external conflict.


Decide whether the boldfaced words are used correctly in the sentences below. Write correct or incorrect.

1-Haggard: Incorrect

2-Cur: Incorrect

3-Derisive: correct

4-Distraught: Incorrect

5-Inscrutable: correct

6-Insolent: Incorrect

7-Insinuatingly: correct

8-pandemonium: correct

9-Intimate: Incorrect

10-Disdainful:Incorrect