Theme Notebook

September 13, 2010
Theme Notebook Entry #2

Showing belief in someone can make them feel valued.

The theme showing belief in someone can help a person to feel valued was conveyed in Langston Hughes’ “Thank you Ma’am”.  Roger, the protagonist, showed that he valued the lesson learned  when he sat  on the bed. It indicated how Roger’s belief in Mrs Luella    led him to the point where he sat in a position where she could see him, so he was not mistrusted and taught him a valuable  and practical lesson of life.Also at the resolution of this story  when Roger wanted to say more than thankyou.It also indicated that he wanted to retrieve the lesson he had learnt by  wanting to say more than thankyou  and adding in more regards in his reply to Mrs Jones.The second piece which stated  was Mrs. Luella, truly believed in Roger much  that she thought that he would change with a little help and guidance along the way.She brought him  to  her house and made him feel valued by doing and saying things like I wish you would behave yourself,I have done things too,which I would not tell you son-neither tell God,if he didn’t already know  like helping him in away and language he can understand and realise by giving the story of the inside. It was how Mrs Luella unexpectedly brought Roger home that  an encounter changed him so much, made  him feel valued in her house, and showing him she believed and trusted him enough that he would change and the words she used ,so plain and simple to understand by giving him  some present examples which she was one and linking herself to other things in the world.
The video that represented the claim “Showing belief in someone can help a person feel valued” is the make a difference movie .  It portrayed the same  story and problem  with a twist. This video showed us how a small little boy,must have been very calm and  happy once with his whole family.But after  a while his mother died  and  that  he couldn’t overcome the sadness ,this showed us how  he coped and  survived with this much  happening to him in life .The way he  everyday received crossed out papers and wrong answers.This showed us that even with his mother’s death ,he felt lonely and kicked out  that nothing in this world was important to him than his mother and nobody really cared . In the end when the teacher found out  she was ashamed  and thought she can make things better for the poor boy .  So,when it is Christmas time she helped him by valuing his gifts and believing that she could make the difference and give the time that no one has up until that point  time  given it to him. So it showed how the teacher believed in Teddy and how Teddy felt so happy and pleased that his mother’s memory comes back to him and he was in a pleasant state of mind.  Similar to the case of Roger except he has no one and then suddenly Luella comes and changes him. So this shows how an individual changes, if believed and valued. It explains to us that  Roger also had no one and then suddenly someone came and made him feel special.
The movie and the story  were connected because  there  were many similarities between the boys.The boys were shown sad,the boys  had nowhere to go and then last unexpectedly help came out from the teacher or a complete stranger, which made the boys to reach  their  true potential and bring joy and happiness. Basically shows us how an individual changes because  of their surroundings and the people who influence them. It also shows how literature is similar to real life based on the role the characters play in the story and how it is shown in a normal relation between a student and teacher in real life. 

August 16, 2010

Theme Notebook Entry #1

                  

One's Identity Is Formed By Societal Expectations

One's identity is formed by societal expectations which was what Roald Dahl represented in Lamb to The Slaughter.  The author  conveyed  the message through the character Mary Maloney  a perfect   house wife  who kept the house tidy and she believed that his  pain was her pain and his happiness was her happiness.   In the end,she  has to change  herself and her out look on life  for the society and her safety. After a while of tension and  commands from her  husband  and from what the society had formed her into , she finds her true value and meaning  while dealing with the  reality that she killed her husband. In the midst of all,she also has to make the decision of  dealing with the truth or living  like the society because  her husband died and  it shouldn't have  made sense to live with the truth because now she was the only person  alive since she killed her husband and she also had a child  which she could not risk.

The picture above shows  the theme that identities are formed and overlooked by the society.The picture connects with  Mary Maloney because the lady, has a two sided face one bright and other very dark that is also what Mary is but for her the bright side is her marriage and maybe  her bubbly style   which is one side and the other is the dark side of her  in which she has secrets and her guilt and loneliness of killing her  husband.The other aspect is the  open mirror  which is the society  and the  judgement of the society that  Mary Maloney  made was not guilty because nobody knows the  truth, that's why the other side of the mirror  is dark.   The colors  in the picture kind of relate with the story's scenario    because it's very bright  and dark for  Mary Maloney in a second ,for others  the contrast is bright because squares  on the wall are the people connected to Mary Maloney and their contrast is bright  because  they are positive  that it was a leg of lamb and they know Mary didn't kill him.Lastly the hands and the stomach  represent that  Mary is pregnant ,looks in the mirror sees the child that should she go to jail and the hands are used  to show that she is hiding reality and protecting herself  from the society in this picture.


Identities are formed and lead by societies   which both of these sources  state,because no matter what we do or we are it just all depends on the stage we come  in and the order to  get and survive the society.