Cover Letter
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to thank you for taking time to read my selected works for my portfolio first.
The papers that I have chosen for my portfolio are the best ones of the papers I have written this semester in the English writing class, taught by Mr. Ron Corio.
The papers I have chosen are: the three drafts of the essay, which can show the improvement of my English writing; the final timed-writing, which can show the result of my improvement after taking this course; and the best reading log out of the four I wrote, which can show my ability of writing. The papers are arranged in chronological order from the latest one to the one written in early semester.
The three essay drafts are based on the short story Dead Men's Path, written by Chinua Achebe. My essay mainly discusses about a symbol used in the story. The final timed-writing, written under the direction that Mr. Corio gave us, talks about creating a trailer for the film based on The Grass-Eaters. The last paper, the reading log, tells about my feelings after I read The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen.
While reading these papers, you can see how I improved my writing skills. You can see that I have learned how to come up with a clear thesis, how to choose evidences to support a focal point, how to paraphrase and quote, how to write an essay about symbolism, etc. I am very proud of the improvements I have made while taking this course. And I hope that you can note these progresses I have made while reading my papers.
Lastly, I would thank you for taking your precious time to read my papers. I hope that you can enjoy yourself reading them.
Sincerely
Jessie Wang
Jessie Wang on
24.5.07 11:07
Essay Draft Three
Jessie Wang
June 14, 2007
Trial Draft Three
Garden & Hope
Born and raised in the Igbo village of Ogidi, Chinua Achebe was fascinated by the folktales and rituals of tribal life. After the British gained control of Nigeria, the conflicts between Igbo people and Christians caught Chinua's attention. Thus, he wrote the story "Dead Men's Path" to reveal the fact that the British governors thought Christianity was superior to Igbo culture, causing the conflict between the two sides. (52) In the story, Michael Obi, a symbol of British governors, took charge of a school in a tribal area. He closed down the only path that connected the village shrine with their place of burial, which was across the school. This act aroused the local people's dissatisfaction to him, which led to serious results. The school garden was mentioned several times in the story, which aroused the readers' curiosity: what is the school garden a symbol for?
Do you have the picture in mind what the gardens look like after a thin drizzle? The raindrops tap the trees on their shoulders. The leaves start to wave and sing. The buds begin to nod and grin. Everything in the garden looks so fresh. Along with the flowers in the school garden starting to wake up, Michael Obi was one step closer to realize his dream, becoming a marvelous headmaster and educator: he was given a grand opportunity, being appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School. His hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he expected and he was confident that he would make a good job of it with his wife Nancy Obi, whose dreams of owning a beautiful garden came to life at the same time. (52) He thought that it was his chance to show the older and less-educated headmasters in the mission field how a school should be run. (53) The seeded hopes start to bud.
The flowers in the garden grow and blossom very fast after the spring rain, showing off their bright colors and charming shapes. Michael Obi put his whole life to insisting upon a high standard of teaching and turning the school compound into a place of beauty, which achieved a small success. (53) Nancy Obi's dream-gardens came to life and blossomed: the marigold flowerbed, the hibiscus and allamanda in the school garden hedged in brilliant red and yellow. (53) Everything was becoming modern and delightful. The budded hopes begin to bloom.
It's many people's nightmare when they wake up in the morning to see their carefully planted gardens ruined after a heavy shower in the previous night. That's how the Obis felt when they woke up to find that the beautiful hedges were torn up, the flowers were trampled to death and one of the school buildings was pulled down. The cause of the damage was Michael Obi's disrespect for the local tradition and culture. He closed down a path in the school that the local people believed to be the footpath by which their dead relatives depart, their ancestors call at and their children coming in to be born. His reason was simply that it was "against regulations" and that the school compound was not a thoroughfare. During the negotiation with the village priest of Anni, he showed no understanding of the local residents' feelings and decided to take his own course. This infuriated the local people. To show their anger, the local people destroyed Obi's garden and damaged his important "school compound". Obi's rudeness not only caused the damage of Obi's school compound, but also led to a poor report by the Supervisor. The hard-earned opportunity was lost immediately. The blossomed hopes failed in one night.
Now, readers can tell that the school garden is a symbol for Michael Obi's hope. Moreover, the Obis' fate was closely related to the destiny of the school garden. The Obis' decisions determined the fate of the school garden, while at the same time what the garden went through interacted on the Obis' destiny. They went through all the ups and downs together with the garden. The ruined school garden can be redecorated, but so precious an opportunity would not be given to Michael Obi at least for a very long time. Once the flower fades, it will never be back.
Work Cited
Achebe, Chinua. "Dead Men's Path." 1953. Rpt. in The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Ruth Spack. New York: St. Martin's, 1994. 6-8.
Jessie Wang on
24.5.07 11:06
Essay Draft Two
Jessie Wang
May 9, 2007
Draft Two
Title
Born and raised in the Igbo village of Ogidi, Chinua Achebe was fascinated by the folktales and rituals of tribal life. After the British gained control of Nigeria, the conflicts between Igbo people and Christians caught Chinua’s attention. Thus, he wrote the story “Dead Men’s Path” to reveal the fact that the British governors thought Christianity was superior to Igbo culture, causing the conflict between the two sides. In the story, Michael Obi, a symbol of British governors, took charge of a school in a tribal area. He closed down the only path that connected the village shrine with their place of burial, which was across the school. This act aroused the local people’s dissatisfaction to him, which caused a serious result. The school garden was mentioned several times in the story, which aroused my curiosity: what is the school garden a symbol for?
Do you have the picture in mind what the gardens look like after a thin drizzle? The raindrops tap the trees on their shoulders. The leaves start to wave and sing. The buds begin to nod and grin. Everything in the garden looks so fresh. Along with the flowers in the school garden, also Nancy Obi’s dream-garden, starting to wake up, Michael Obi was one step closer to realize his dream, becoming a marvelous headmaster and educator: he was given a grand opportunity, being appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School. His hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he expected and he was confident that he would make a good job of it. (52) He thought that it was his chance to show the older and less-educated headmasters in the mission field how a school should be run. (53) The seeded hopes start to bud.
The flowers in the garden grow and blossom very fast after the spring rain, showing off their bright colors and wonderful shapes. Michael Obi put his whole life to insisting upon a high standard of teaching and turning the school compound into a place of beauty, which achieved a small success. (53) Nancy Obi’s dream-gardens came to life and blossomed: the marigold flowerbed, the hibiscus and allamanda in the school garden hedged in brilliant red and yellow. (53) Everything was becoming modern and delightful. The budded hopes begin to grow.
It’s many people’s nightmare that they wake up in the morning to see their carefully planted gardens ruined after a heavy shower in the previous night. That’s how the Obis felt when they woke up to find that the beautiful hedges were torn up, the flowers were trampled to death and one of the school buildings was pulled down. The cause of the damage was Michael Obi’s disrespect for the local tradition and culture, closing down a path in the school that the local people believed to be the footpath by which their dead relatives depart, their ancestors visit them and their children coming in to be born. His reason was that it was “against regulations” and that the school compound was not a thoroughfare. During the negotiation with the village priest of Anni, he showed no understanding of the local residents’ feelings and decided to take his own course. This infuriated the local people. To show their anger, the local people destroyed Obi’s garden and damaged his important “school compound”. Obi’s rudeness not only caused the damage of Obi’s school compound, but also lead to a poor report by the Supervisor. The hard-earned opportunity was lost immediately. The flowered hopes failed in one night.
Thus, as I see it, the school garden is a symbol for Michael Obi’s hope and his fate.
kklittleghost on
24.5.07 11:05
Essay Draft One
Jessie Wang
May 9, 2007
Draft One
Title
Born and raised in the Igbo village of Ogidi, Chinua Achebe was fascinated by the folktales and rituals of tribal life. After the British gained control of Nigeria, the conflicts between Igbo people and Christians caught Chinua’s attention. Thus, he wrote the story “Dead Men’s Path” to reveal the fact that the British governors thought Christianity was superior to Igbo culture, causing the conflict between the two sides. In the story, Michael Obi, a symbol of British governors, took charge of a school in a tribal area. The school garden was mentioned several times in the story, which aroused my curiosity: what is the school garden a symbol for?
Do you have the picture in mind what the gardens look like after a thin drizzle? The raindrops tap the trees on their shoulders. The leaves start to wave and sing. The buds begin to nod and grin. Everything in the garden looks so fresh. Along with the flowers in the school garden, also Nancy Obi’s dream-garden, starting to wake up, Michael Obi was one step closer to realize his dream, becoming a marvelous headmaster and educator: he was given a grand opportunity, being appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School. His hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he expected and he was confident that he would make a good job of it. (52) He thought that it was his chance to show the older and less-educated headmasters in the mission field how a school should be run. (53) The seeded hopes start to bud. The flowers in the garden grow and blossom very fast after the spring rain, showing off their bright colors and wonderful shapes. Michael Obi put his whole life to insisting upon a high standard of teaching and turning the school compound into a place of beauty, which achieved a small success. (53) Nancy Obi’s dream-gardens came to life and blossomed: the marigold flowerbed, the hibiscus and allamanda in the school garden hedged in brilliant red and yellow. (53) Everything was becoming modern and delightful. The budded hopes begin to grow.
It’s many people’s nightmare that they wake up in the morning to see their carefully planted gardens ruined after a heavy shower in the previous night. That’s how the Obis felt when they woke up to find that the beautiful hedges were torn up, the flowers were trampled to death and one of the school buildings was pulled down. The cause of the damage was Michael Obi’s disrespect for the local tradition and culture, closing down the only path that connected the village shrine with their place of burial, which was across the school. His reason was that it was “against regulations” and that the school compound was not a thoroughfare. During the negotiation with the village priest of Anni, he showed no understanding of the local residents’ feelings and decided to take his own course. This infuriated the local people, not only causing the damage of Obi’s school compound, but also leading to a poor report by the Supervisor. The hard-earned opportunity was lost immediately. The flowered hopes failed in one night.
Thus, as I see it, the school garden is a symbol for Michael Obi’s hope and his fate.
Jessie Wang on
24.5.07 11:04
Final Timed-writing
06300180068
Jessie Wang
June 21, 2007
Timed-Writing 3
Directions: If you were to create a filmed advertisement (a "trailer" for a movie based on The Grass-Eaters, which scene would you select? Why? Discuss ways in which you might film the scene. (100%)
If I were the editor of a trailer for a movie based on The Grass-Eaters, I would pick three scenes: the scene that Ajit Babu, lying on an open ground with a great many refugees, woke up in the morning and astonished to find that the one lying beside him was not his wife but "a bag of bones"; the scene that Ajit Babu and his wife were so cheerful to find a carriage to live in that they kept opening and closing the door of the carriage; and the scene that they were hopping excitedly on the top of a building, cheering for the "perfect" place for them to live on.
The reason I pick these ones is that these three scenes can not only best indicate the theme of the story The Grass-Eaters, but also make a deep impression and a huge impact on people. Living in big cities, we can hardly imagine that there are such poor people like the Babus in the world, not to mention that they were so rejoicing and grateful to find places like a carriage or top of a building to live in. It's way beyond our imagination. Thus, these three scenes would make people realize the fact that there are still a great many refugees in the world and have a strong will to take actions to help them.
About the first scene, I would like to shoot it from the overview of the poor city first, letting audiences see the crowded refugees sleeping on the open square. The camera then gets closer and closer to feature Ajit Babu, who just wakes up and takes a stretched yawn, astonished to find that he was lying by a female stranger, confused about where his wife is.
About the second one, I would like to take the shot from the station platform. A train starts to leave the station, moving faster and faster. After the train is gone, people can see a couple playing the door of a carriage on a remote rail, laughing loudly. Then, take a large feature at the couple's expression on their faces, showing that they are having a marvelous time playing.
About the last scene of the three, I would like it to be taken from the bottom of the building first. The camera moves quickly to the top of the building. While the camera is moving, the audiences can see the residents in the building and their apartments. The residents' living standard is rather high: they have telephones, fireplaces, pianos, etc. But the expressions on their faces are cold and frosty. When the camera reached the top of the building, people can see the scene of the Babus hopping, hugging and cheering, with happy tears on their faces but little clothing on their bodies.
Jessie Wang on
24.5.07 11:02
Reaing Log
When I read the story for the first time, I didn't understand why the title of the story was "The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen". Because in the last several paragraphs, we can see that he didn't wear his beard shorter or trimmed differently; he didn't change his style of clothes; and he didn't omit the prayer after meals.
Having read the story for several times, I realized that "Americanization" doesn't mean wearing short beard, being dressed in neat clothes, or skipping the prayer after meals. These are simply appearances. True "Americanization" means broader mind, more tolerance, more flexibility, and more adaptability. It means the ability of making money, of doing things whole-heartedly, of learning latest things quickly. It is an affect upon people's minds and thoughts rather than the way they precede their daily life.
Obviously, Shadrach was "Americanized". He not only was affected but also affected people around him, his sons and even Native Americans, making them more "Americanized".
Throughout the story, I like the way Shadrach guided his two sons most. He fired all the other employees, letting his two sons handle the work on their own. This part reminds me of how my father guided me. Whenever I did something wrong or dealt with things like I was born yesterday, he never scolded me. He always explains to me what I should do the next time I meet with such kind of things. He also takes me to visit his friends frequently. Through listening to their chat, I learn a lot about him, and more importantly, learn a lot from him. That’s how the relationship between parents and children should be. And that’s the reason I like Shadrach Cohen.
Jessie Wang on
24.5.07 08:09
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Cover Letter
To Whom It May Concern: I would like to thank you for taking time to read my selected works for my portfolio first. The papers that I have chosen for my portfolio are the best ones of the papers I have written this semester in the English writing class, taught by Mr. Ron Corio. The papers I have chosen are: the three drafts of the essay, which can show the improvement of my English writing; the final timed-writing, which can show the result of my improvement after taking this course; and the best reading log out of the four I wrote, which can show my ability of writing. The papers are arranged in chronological order from the latest one to the one written in early semester. The three essay drafts are based on the short story Dead Men's Path, written by Chinua Achebe. My essay mainly discusses about a symbol used in the story. The final timed-writing, written under the direction that Mr. Corio gave us, talks about creating a trailer for the film based on The Grass-Eaters. The last paper, the reading log, tells about my feelings after I read The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen. While reading these papers, you can see how I improved my writing skills. You can see that I have learned how to come up with a clear thesis, how to choose evidences to support a focal point, how to paraphrase and quote, how to write an essay about symbolism, etc. I am very proud of the improvements I have made while taking this course. And I hope that you can note these progresses I have made while reading my papers. Lastly, I would thank you for taking your precious time to read my papers. I hope that you can enjoy yourself reading them. Sincerely Jessie Wang |
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Essay Draft Three
Jessie Wang June 14, 2007 Trial Draft Three Garden & Hope Born and raised in the Igbo village of Ogidi, Chinua Achebe was fascinated by the folktales and rituals of tribal life. After the British gained control of Nigeria, the conflicts between Igbo people and Christians caught Chinua's attention. Thus, he wrote the story "Dead Men's Path" to reveal the fact that the British governors thought Christianity was superior to Igbo culture, causing the conflict between the two sides. (52) In the story, Michael Obi, a symbol of British governors, took charge of a school in a tribal area. He closed down the only path that connected the village shrine with their place of burial, which was across the school. This act aroused the local people's dissatisfaction to him, which led to serious results. The school garden was mentioned several times in the story, which aroused the readers' curiosity: what is the school garden a symbol for? Do you have the picture in mind what the gardens look like after a thin drizzle? The raindrops tap the trees on their shoulders. The leaves start to wave and sing. The buds begin to nod and grin. Everything in the garden looks so fresh. Along with the flowers in the school garden starting to wake up, Michael Obi was one step closer to realize his dream, becoming a marvelous headmaster and educator: he was given a grand opportunity, being appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School. His hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he expected and he was confident that he would make a good job of it with his wife Nancy Obi, whose dreams of owning a beautiful garden came to life at the same time. (52) He thought that it was his chance to show the older and less-educated headmasters in the mission field how a school should be run. (53) The seeded hopes start to bud. The flowers in the garden grow and blossom very fast after the spring rain, showing off their bright colors and charming shapes. Michael Obi put his whole life to insisting upon a high standard of teaching and turning the school compound into a place of beauty, which achieved a small success. (53) Nancy Obi's dream-gardens came to life and blossomed: the marigold flowerbed, the hibiscus and allamanda in the school garden hedged in brilliant red and yellow. (53) Everything was becoming modern and delightful. The budded hopes begin to bloom. It's many people's nightmare when they wake up in the morning to see their carefully planted gardens ruined after a heavy shower in the previous night. That's how the Obis felt when they woke up to find that the beautiful hedges were torn up, the flowers were trampled to death and one of the school buildings was pulled down. The cause of the damage was Michael Obi's disrespect for the local tradition and culture. He closed down a path in the school that the local people believed to be the footpath by which their dead relatives depart, their ancestors call at and their children coming in to be born. His reason was simply that it was "against regulations" and that the school compound was not a thoroughfare. During the negotiation with the village priest of Anni, he showed no understanding of the local residents' feelings and decided to take his own course. This infuriated the local people. To show their anger, the local people destroyed Obi's garden and damaged his important "school compound". Obi's rudeness not only caused the damage of Obi's school compound, but also led to a poor report by the Supervisor. The hard-earned opportunity was lost immediately. The blossomed hopes failed in one night. Now, readers can tell that the school garden is a symbol for Michael Obi's hope. Moreover, the Obis' fate was closely related to the destiny of the school garden. The Obis' decisions determined the fate of the school garden, while at the same time what the garden went through interacted on the Obis' destiny. They went through all the ups and downs together with the garden. The ruined school garden can be redecorated, but so precious an opportunity would not be given to Michael Obi at least for a very long time. Once the flower fades, it will never be back. Work Cited Achebe, Chinua. "Dead Men's Path." 1953. Rpt. in The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Ruth Spack. New York: St. Martin's, 1994. 6-8. |
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Essay Draft Two
Jessie Wang May 9, 2007 Draft Two Title Born and raised in the Igbo village of Ogidi, Chinua Achebe was fascinated by the folktales and rituals of tribal life. After the British gained control of Nigeria, the conflicts between Igbo people and Christians caught Chinua’s attention. Thus, he wrote the story “Dead Men’s Path” to reveal the fact that the British governors thought Christianity was superior to Igbo culture, causing the conflict between the two sides. In the story, Michael Obi, a symbol of British governors, took charge of a school in a tribal area. He closed down the only path that connected the village shrine with their place of burial, which was across the school. This act aroused the local people’s dissatisfaction to him, which caused a serious result. The school garden was mentioned several times in the story, which aroused my curiosity: what is the school garden a symbol for? Do you have the picture in mind what the gardens look like after a thin drizzle? The raindrops tap the trees on their shoulders. The leaves start to wave and sing. The buds begin to nod and grin. Everything in the garden looks so fresh. Along with the flowers in the school garden, also Nancy Obi’s dream-garden, starting to wake up, Michael Obi was one step closer to realize his dream, becoming a marvelous headmaster and educator: he was given a grand opportunity, being appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School. His hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he expected and he was confident that he would make a good job of it. (52) He thought that it was his chance to show the older and less-educated headmasters in the mission field how a school should be run. (53) The seeded hopes start to bud. The flowers in the garden grow and blossom very fast after the spring rain, showing off their bright colors and wonderful shapes. Michael Obi put his whole life to insisting upon a high standard of teaching and turning the school compound into a place of beauty, which achieved a small success. (53) Nancy Obi’s dream-gardens came to life and blossomed: the marigold flowerbed, the hibiscus and allamanda in the school garden hedged in brilliant red and yellow. (53) Everything was becoming modern and delightful. The budded hopes begin to grow. It’s many people’s nightmare that they wake up in the morning to see their carefully planted gardens ruined after a heavy shower in the previous night. That’s how the Obis felt when they woke up to find that the beautiful hedges were torn up, the flowers were trampled to death and one of the school buildings was pulled down. The cause of the damage was Michael Obi’s disrespect for the local tradition and culture, closing down a path in the school that the local people believed to be the footpath by which their dead relatives depart, their ancestors visit them and their children coming in to be born. His reason was that it was “against regulations” and that the school compound was not a thoroughfare. During the negotiation with the village priest of Anni, he showed no understanding of the local residents’ feelings and decided to take his own course. This infuriated the local people. To show their anger, the local people destroyed Obi’s garden and damaged his important “school compound”. Obi’s rudeness not only caused the damage of Obi’s school compound, but also lead to a poor report by the Supervisor. The hard-earned opportunity was lost immediately. The flowered hopes failed in one night. Thus, as I see it, the school garden is a symbol for Michael Obi’s hope and his fate. |
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Essay Draft One
Jessie Wang May 9, 2007 Draft One Title Born and raised in the Igbo village of Ogidi, Chinua Achebe was fascinated by the folktales and rituals of tribal life. After the British gained control of Nigeria, the conflicts between Igbo people and Christians caught Chinua’s attention. Thus, he wrote the story “Dead Men’s Path” to reveal the fact that the British governors thought Christianity was superior to Igbo culture, causing the conflict between the two sides. In the story, Michael Obi, a symbol of British governors, took charge of a school in a tribal area. The school garden was mentioned several times in the story, which aroused my curiosity: what is the school garden a symbol for? Do you have the picture in mind what the gardens look like after a thin drizzle? The raindrops tap the trees on their shoulders. The leaves start to wave and sing. The buds begin to nod and grin. Everything in the garden looks so fresh. Along with the flowers in the school garden, also Nancy Obi’s dream-garden, starting to wake up, Michael Obi was one step closer to realize his dream, becoming a marvelous headmaster and educator: he was given a grand opportunity, being appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School. His hopes were fulfilled much earlier than he expected and he was confident that he would make a good job of it. (52) He thought that it was his chance to show the older and less-educated headmasters in the mission field how a school should be run. (53) The seeded hopes start to bud. The flowers in the garden grow and blossom very fast after the spring rain, showing off their bright colors and wonderful shapes. Michael Obi put his whole life to insisting upon a high standard of teaching and turning the school compound into a place of beauty, which achieved a small success. (53) Nancy Obi’s dream-gardens came to life and blossomed: the marigold flowerbed, the hibiscus and allamanda in the school garden hedged in brilliant red and yellow. (53) Everything was becoming modern and delightful. The budded hopes begin to grow. It’s many people’s nightmare that they wake up in the morning to see their carefully planted gardens ruined after a heavy shower in the previous night. That’s how the Obis felt when they woke up to find that the beautiful hedges were torn up, the flowers were trampled to death and one of the school buildings was pulled down. The cause of the damage was Michael Obi’s disrespect for the local tradition and culture, closing down the only path that connected the village shrine with their place of burial, which was across the school. His reason was that it was “against regulations” and that the school compound was not a thoroughfare. During the negotiation with the village priest of Anni, he showed no understanding of the local residents’ feelings and decided to take his own course. This infuriated the local people, not only causing the damage of Obi’s school compound, but also leading to a poor report by the Supervisor. The hard-earned opportunity was lost immediately. The flowered hopes failed in one night. Thus, as I see it, the school garden is a symbol for Michael Obi’s hope and his fate. |
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Final Timed-writing
06300180068 Jessie Wang June 21, 2007 Timed-Writing 3 Directions: If you were to create a filmed advertisement (a "trailer" for a movie based on The Grass-Eaters, which scene would you select? Why? Discuss ways in which you might film the scene. (100%) If I were the editor of a trailer for a movie based on The Grass-Eaters, I would pick three scenes: the scene that Ajit Babu, lying on an open ground with a great many refugees, woke up in the morning and astonished to find that the one lying beside him was not his wife but "a bag of bones"; the scene that Ajit Babu and his wife were so cheerful to find a carriage to live in that they kept opening and closing the door of the carriage; and the scene that they were hopping excitedly on the top of a building, cheering for the "perfect" place for them to live on. The reason I pick these ones is that these three scenes can not only best indicate the theme of the story The Grass-Eaters, but also make a deep impression and a huge impact on people. Living in big cities, we can hardly imagine that there are such poor people like the Babus in the world, not to mention that they were so rejoicing and grateful to find places like a carriage or top of a building to live in. It's way beyond our imagination. Thus, these three scenes would make people realize the fact that there are still a great many refugees in the world and have a strong will to take actions to help them. About the first scene, I would like to shoot it from the overview of the poor city first, letting audiences see the crowded refugees sleeping on the open square. The camera then gets closer and closer to feature Ajit Babu, who just wakes up and takes a stretched yawn, astonished to find that he was lying by a female stranger, confused about where his wife is. About the second one, I would like to take the shot from the station platform. A train starts to leave the station, moving faster and faster. After the train is gone, people can see a couple playing the door of a carriage on a remote rail, laughing loudly. Then, take a large feature at the couple's expression on their faces, showing that they are having a marvelous time playing. About the last scene of the three, I would like it to be taken from the bottom of the building first. The camera moves quickly to the top of the building. While the camera is moving, the audiences can see the residents in the building and their apartments. The residents' living standard is rather high: they have telephones, fireplaces, pianos, etc. But the expressions on their faces are cold and frosty. When the camera reached the top of the building, people can see the scene of the Babus hopping, hugging and cheering, with happy tears on their faces but little clothing on their bodies. |
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Reaing Log
When I read the story for the first time, I didn't understand why the title of the story was "The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen". Because in the last several paragraphs, we can see that he didn't wear his beard shorter or trimmed differently; he didn't change his style of clothes; and he didn't omit the prayer after meals. Having read the story for several times, I realized that "Americanization" doesn't mean wearing short beard, being dressed in neat clothes, or skipping the prayer after meals. These are simply appearances. True "Americanization" means broader mind, more tolerance, more flexibility, and more adaptability. It means the ability of making money, of doing things whole-heartedly, of learning latest things quickly. It is an affect upon people's minds and thoughts rather than the way they precede their daily life. Obviously, Shadrach was "Americanized". He not only was affected but also affected people around him, his sons and even Native Americans, making them more "Americanized". Throughout the story, I like the way Shadrach guided his two sons most. He fired all the other employees, letting his two sons handle the work on their own. This part reminds me of how my father guided me. Whenever I did something wrong or dealt with things like I was born yesterday, he never scolded me. He always explains to me what I should do the next time I meet with such kind of things. He also takes me to visit his friends frequently. Through listening to their chat, I learn a lot about him, and more importantly, learn a lot from him. That’s how the relationship between parents and children should be. And that’s the reason I like Shadrach Cohen. |
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