Journal #3 Reading Response from Kayla

My active reading is going well. It helps me become prepared for class discussions. I have a lot I want to say, and I am able to add information to other points when necessary. I feel that it helps me digest the information I am receiving from the book. It seems that I am having a conversation with the author. I haven’t had any problems with active reading because I built an habit of it during my junior year of high school in AP English class. The teacher wanted us to read actively because it will prepare us for the in class essays I wrote. At the end of the year, when I read stories there will always be marks in a book. 

The books that I read so far is the House of Mango Street and A Long Way Gone. They all have strengths and weaknesses. In A Long Way Gone, I like how Ishmael Beah writes in first person. It makes me feel like I am in his shoes. He does a nice job explaining the events of his life, and the language he uses to convey the deep meanings of the themes we witness in the book. The only downfall of the book is there are no titles. I feel that titles are a necessary aspect in any book because it shows what we will be reading about.  The title also points out the major themes or plots in a story. In the House of Mango Street, I like how Sandra Cisneros use of metaphors. The metaphors she uses helps describe a plot twist in her life or how she feels. I also like the short chapters . I hate reading long drawn out chapters especially if I find it boring. Sandra writes short snapshots of the character’s life, and it is really interesting. The downfall of the book is that Sandra only tells the story through Esperanza’s point of view, and wants Sandra starts to add more characters to the story it might get a little confusing on who were talking about, and who said what in the story. I like both of the books because this is the first time I actually enjoy reading for class. 

The theme that is most prominent in A Long Way Gone is trust. In chapter six it talked about how no one trust each other especially young boys. We find out that people fear boys because they have been forced to join the rebels. The rebels had made the young boys become savages by burning villages, and killing innocent people. One day Ishmael and his friends were ambushed by a group of village guards. “Pushed us to the ground in front of them and tied our feet with strong ropes”(Beah 38). This shows that no one can be trusted, and strangers becomes your enemy.