Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Week 4 Discussion Question

What are some of the big challenges the family are facing on their journeys from the boat, to the 'tent cities,' and finally at their new home in Alabama? Use specific examples from the story to show how these problems are impacting the family. In the section " Out the Too-High Window" Ha describes the new city and says it is "clean, quiet, loneliness." Why does Ha feel so lonely? Explain your thinking. 

Make sure to write in complete sentences and use details from the story to support your answers. Type this in your 'blogging doc' first so you can make corrections if necessary. Make sure to edit and revise your answer before you post it.

9 comments:

  1. 1. The big challenges the family is facing on the boat are not having enough food, this is hard because everybody needs food to live, in the story the family is scared if they don’t have enough food they could die. One of the problems they faced in the Tent Cities is they were scared they might not get a sponsor family and have to live in the Tent City for ever. In the story it says “the tent to the right got a sponsor, the tent to the left got a sponsor, we haven’t yet.” Right now in their home in Alabama they are scared they might be kicked out because the sponsor wife does not like them and they're afraid they might be kicked out. In the story the wife does this “one look at our cowboys wife arms, lips, eyes contorted into knots, we repack” .

    2. I think Ha feels so lonely even though she has her family because she has no one to talk to her Mom doesn’t say nearly a word to her and her brothers, they tease her and are mean to her. She doesn’t have a friend, she has nothing to play with, and worst of all she has no happiness in her life everything is sad.

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    1. Great post!!!!! I agree that it would be a huge challenge to have to save food. If you were hungry you wouldn't be able to eat more food because you would have to save it. I also agree that it would be hard to have no friends and your mom who doesn't even talk to you that much. I really like your post!! Nice job. :) :) :) :)

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    2. Olivia I like your post and agree I think food would be a very hard part of moving. also I agree with how hard would be to leave your friend and extended family.

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  2. I think that one of challenges since they have gotten off the boat is that only Brother Quang is the only person in Ha’s family that can speak English. I think this is a challenge because their cowboy speaks English and Brother Quang has to translate what their cowboy is saying and he is tired of translating. Another challenge is getting used to everything, the food, the language, making new friends, learning where everything is, and many more things. I think that a challenge on the boat would be being in danger of communists coming onto the boat. I think this because the text says," The commander has ordered everyone below deck even though he has chosen a safe route to connect to the sea, avoiding the obvious escape path through Vung Tau, where the communists are dropping the bombs they have left.

    I think that Ha feels lonely because she never sees anybody walking around. I think this because the text says,” Green mats of grass in front of every house. Vast windows in front of sealed curtains. Cement lanes where no one walks. Big cars pass not often. Not a noise. Clean, quiet loneliness.

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    1. @Mackenzie great thinking!!!! I like how you added text evidence it really does make you post a whole lot different. I would of never thought of having to learn English would be a challenge, good idea. But I have one question what is a problem they faced in the Tent Cities? Great job!!!

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  3. In the book Inside Out and Back Again the family has lots of problems going on on the trip from there house all the way to Alabama. One of the problems the family is facing on the boat is the food and water. In the book it says that they only get one glass of water a day, they had to bring their own food and none of the other families would offered to share. I think that would be hard for me to do that. Another problem they have is stuff they have to bring. In the book it says they can only pack one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, three pairs of underwear, two shirts, sandals, toothbrush and paste, soap, ten palms of rice grains, three clumps of cooked rice, and one choice. She chose her doll.
    Ha is also having a hard time in Alabama. One thing that I think is hard for Ha is she has to learn how to speak English. It took me so long to learn all the words I know now and I am still learning so I think I know how hard it is for her to learn and say all these words. Another thing that is hard for her in Alabama is she has to eat the food that their cowboy gives them. That is not food she has eaten before so I bet it does not taste very well.
    Ha seems to feel lonely in Alabama. I think she feels this way because she was use to everything where she lived and now she is in “Alabama with its coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, and the strange shape of its landscape”. I think she also feels this way because she left her life behind and everything with it. The only people she knows or even can talk to is her family. I think that would be hard. Even though it is hard for her I bet it will get better.


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    1. Great post! I agree that even though things are hard now they will get better when Ha starts to get framiilier with her new life. Awesome job!!! :) :) :) :)

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  4. Some of the big challenges the family are facing on their journeys from the boat are that they each get a clump according to their height. Their Mom feels sea sick. Ha smells seafood. And that Brother Quang is the only one who can speak English.
    Another journey is at the ‘tent cities.’ The ‘tent cities’ are people who live in green tents and sleep on cots. Their family eats inside a giant tent and Brother Vu becomes head chef and heating up cans of beef and potatoes and it tasted like salty vomit. (gross!!) They eat canned fruit with the thick syrup.
    I think Ha’s family kind of likes their new home in Alabama because they have a cowboy that is helping them while they stay there at their new home and the cowboy is very caring but the wife is not. Also, the cowboy is very generous because Ha and her family got a lot of money from the cowboy and he gave them meals like chicken and meat and stuff like that.
    Ha feels so lonely because she knows that her family is in tent city and she just probably wants to play or something like that or maybe she just wants to be lonely from her brothers and her Mom and not really want to eat the food that Brother Vu makes or maybe she just wants to be quiet. So, I basically think thats why she feels lonely.

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  5. Some big challenges Ha’s family are taking on are things like new food. When the farmer gave them kentucky fried chicken they all hated it, but they need to get used to it. And on the island they eat canned beef and potatoes and hated it. Another obstacle they take on is they are treated a little different. And they speak a different language. I think the hardest part for them would probably be leaving their house, family and friends.

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