Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Brother, I'm Dying: Assignments for Monday, January 10th

For Monday, we'll begin our reading of Brother I'm Dying. We'll start by continuing our work with summary and vocabulary - this time you'll complete the task we didn't last time. We'll look at two different chapters. So if you're writing a summary, keep in mind that you'd want someone who hasn't read the chapter to understand it.

Group I: Read the first chapter of the book, "Have You Enjoyed Your Life?" (pages 3-26). In the comments, list at least 5 vocabulary words from the chapter. Quote the sentence it comes from and give the page number on which it appears. Begin by giving your best sense of the word's meaning from your knowledge and context. After looking it up in a dictionary, write a complete sentence that gives the meaning of the sentence it comes from.

Group II: Read the first chapter of the book, "Have You Enjoyed Your Life?" (pages 3-26). In the comments, summarize the chapter. Describe the most important idea(s) in the article in a paragraph of about one hundred words.

Group III: Read the second chapter of the book, "Brother, I'm Dying" (pages 27-42). In the comments, list at least 5 vocabulary words from the chapter. Quote the sentence it comes from and give the page number on which it appears. Begin by giving your best sense of the word's meaning from your knowledge and context. After looking it up in a dictionary, write a complete sentence that gives the meaning of the sentence it comes from.

Group IV: Read the second chapter of the book, "Brother, I'm Dying" (pages 27-42). In the comments, summarize the chapter. Describe the most important idea(s) in the article in a paragraph of about one hundred words.

18 comments:

  1. Jennie Cervius
    ENG099
    Group 1

    1-Tuging: To pull something suddenly and hard.(page 5)
    Edwidge so happy to see her father, she tugg his hand.

    2-Squinted: to look at something with your eyes partly closed in order to see better.(page 11)

    3-Buoyant: happy and confident. (page 18)
    Edwidge was an a buoyant mood when she saw her father.

    4-Contortion:to twist your face or body so
    that it does not have its normal shape.(page20)
    Edwidge father's contortion his face everytime he feel pain.

    Sparsely: small in number or amout and usually scattered over a large area.(page22)

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  2. Navindra Hoolas
    Eng 099
    Prof.Tanenbaum
    Jan 9 2011

    Chapter 1 " Brother I"m Dying" Summary

    According To chapter 1 "Have You Enjoyed Your Life"? In The Book "Brother I'M Dying" By Edwidge Danticat.This Chapter She talks Mostly About Her Father and His Illness that he have and her Pregancy with her husband.Danticat was living with her parents in New york when she married in 2002 and moved to Miami to live with her husband.Her father needed medication but his body was not taking in none of the medication that the doctors give him. He suffered from Pulmonary Fibrosis which made him cough a lot.The doctor told Danticat that her father cannot be cured and she needs to let his family know.She was scared to tell her father the situation. The Family gather around at the table and they talk about the problem and plan the future.Danticat father was really proud of all his children accomplishment.The ending of the chapter deals with issue in Haiti that Danticat uncle Joseph was facing.Her father was worried about his brother and the situation that he was facing in haiti because he was dying and wanted his oldest brother to be safe.

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  3. Elaine Mèndez
    ENG099
    Group 1

    1. Eczema (pg 5)
    Quote: "he'd been embarrassed about his arms over the many years he'd battled chronic psoriasis and eczema"

    Definition: A noncontagious inflammation of the skin, characterized chiefly by redness, itching, and the outbreak of lesions that may discharge serous matter and become encrusted and scaly.

    Sentence- Edwidge's father tries very much to conceal his skin condition with symptoms such as inflammation and outbreak. as well as covering up his weight loss by wearing over sized clothing. (i assume this because overall he just doesn't want to seem ill to others regardless of him knowing that they are aware.)

    2. Mantra (pg 15)-
    Quote: "I closed my eyes and held my breath, forcing myself to recite it as a mantra"

    Definition: A commonly repeated word or phrase.

    Sentence- She recites "My father is dying, and I am pregnant" as a way of pushing/reminding herself of the reality before her eyes.

    3. Buoyant (pg 18)-
    Quote: "Dragging his gaunt frame between the tables to greet dozens of longtime friends, he seemed buoyant and jovial..."

    Definition: cheerful or resilient

    Sentence: Edwinge's father seemed to be in a very cheerful mood while he was greeting his friends.

    4. Deciphering (pg 22)-
    Quote: "my fathers handwriting was as clear to me as my own, so I eventually acquired the job of deciphering his letters"

    Definition: To read or interpret

    Sentence: Edwinge wanted to do more for her father as much as she can. so she was given the job to interpret the letter for her father.

    5. Staccato (pg 23):
    Quote: "Did commas split his streamlined phrases, or were they staccato..."

    Definition: characterized by short abrupt sounds, as in speech

    Sentence: Edwinge noticed her father's form of writing has differed from month to month. his sentences seemed broken up into pieces; just scattered.

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  4. Nazim Alie
    Eng 099

    Brother i`m dying chapter 1 summary:

    In chapter 1 of BROTHER I`M DYING it talks about Danticat`s dad and his illness that her dad is suffering from called Pulmonary Fibrosis which makes him cough a lot even though he has this disease he refuses to take his medicine. The chapter also talks about how her and her husband are going to have a baby. In this chapter she talk about how she is living with her mom in New york until she married in 2002 and moved to Miami to live with her husband.

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  5. Calabash:
    Old World climbing plant with hard-shelled bottle-shaped gourds as fruits
    bottle made from the dried shell of a bottle gourd

    Emigre:
    someone who leaves one country to settle in another

    Disciple:
    someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another

    Sinewy:
    (of meat) full of sinews; especially impossible to chew a hefty athlete; a muscular boxer; powerful arms consisting of tendons or resembling a tendon(of a person) possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful;

    Cassava:
    a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics
    1.cassava root eaten as a staple food after drying and leaching; source of tapioca
    2.any of several plants of the genus Manihot having fleshy roots yielding a nutritious starch

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  6. Jennie - Good job. On number 4, how would you change the WORD FORM of the vocabulary word to fit your sentence?

    Navindra - Good overview - look at fragments and tenses, and use regular capitalization even in informal posts like these.

    Elaine - Good job.

    Nazim - Good start - try to go beyond listing these facts to the overall IDEAS of the chapter.

    Hind - Good job - remember to also add the meaning in the context of the passage.

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  7. Gabriel Lang
    Group 2
    ENG099
    In the first chapter of Edwige Danticat's autobiography "Brother, I'm Dying", we are Immediately thrown into a dramatic time in Danticat's life. Dealing with her fathers incurable disease of pulmonary fibrosis , while simultaneously juggling an unexpected pregnancy Danticat is forced to cope with her emotions With no air to spare as Danticat had put it, her father lacked the lung capacity to pass a simple pulmonary function test, and to worsen matters had been resisting treatment. Throughout the first chapter Danticat shifts from past to present reveling that she had been separated from her father, having to stay with her uncle in Haiti. In another section a hesitant Danticat tells her father of her plans to leave New York to be with her husband in Miami.
    sorry for the delay I had originally posted this yesterday and it looks like it didn't publish.

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  8. Gabriel - *Great* clear overview of both details of the chapter and its overall structure.

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  9. ENG099
    Group 3

    abolitionists: A movement to end slavery. pg 29


    shrieked:A sound suggestion of a cry.


    radical laryngectomy: Neck Surgery


    Evoked: actions to involve mistrust


    precarious:depening on the will or pleasure of another.

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  10. Michelle - Be sure to describe the meaning of the words in the context of the passages.

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  13. Gitika Rishi
    chapter-2



    We all have some dreams and desires in our life and when we see those dreams turning into truth the happiness and peace we get is undescribable. It is important to know and do what gives us a satisfaction as author’s uncle joseph did in this chapter from BROTHER, I’M DYING by Edwidge Danticat this chapter is about author’s uncle, therefore the name of the chapter 2 and the title of the book is same,this chapter have some strong connection and some important information's about the journey we doing with this book.

    This chapter tell us how author’s uncle joseph met his wife Tante Denise on the way,when he was farming and selling vegetables to the market that time Political condition were not good in Haiti. Slaves imported from africa and mulatoes joined together to drive the french out ; On Jan 1,1804 formed the republic of Haiti.Uncle joesph’s life took a turning point when he met politician Daniel Fignole. He was his hero in 1950s and he joined him in Laborers and peasants parties. He gave many motivational speeches,In his speeches he always mention about his father who joined the guerrilla resistance against U.S invasion.

    In 1957 Daniel Fignole was deposed by the army and forces in to exile after this author’s uncle realized how politics is problematic and risky and he joined a Baptist congregation and he found a new dimension for his life.

    Author’s uncle bought a plot in Bel Air as he wants to build his own church and school.he spent his all evenings in designing and building a church he “invested more than his heart and mind” this dream was his satisfaction and motto of his life.Dantica remembers her uncle’s all expressions as she was very close to him and she love his preachings she said his preachings was always about love,god’s love and “he knew all the verses for love”.

    One day while preaching his voice grew fainter and his throat continues to ache and then after test from a medical camp where he faced such a hardship as there was hundreds of people waiting in sun didn’t eat and thirsty it shows how haiti’s condition was that time. He came to know that he have throat tumor and he might lost his voice after operation.Dr at medical camp reffed him new york city hospital for his operation because they didn’t have proper surgical arrangements and tools.He visited New york and he resides at his Son Maxo’s apartment just few miles far from author’s father place.

    One night maxo was not home and suddenly he felt he dying his throat was paining bad he cannot breath, somehow he made a call to his brother author’s father and the only sentence he said is “Brother I m dying”.
    Uncle’s tumor got operated but he never able to use his voice again and a month later he went back Bell Air even his brother want him to stay some more time to recover more but he was so concern about his church and wife and he went back He never wanted to leave his bell air for any reason.

    That’s how in our life’s journey, we not always do what is good for us we do what gives us a satisfaction.

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  14. Virginia Franco
    Jan 8, 2011
    Eng099. 7397
    Posting 2

    Brother I’m dying pages 27-42
    1. Exasperated: page 27. Uncle Joseph was growing exasperated when he spotted young women on the same path. I was irritate when this person was standing on the road while I was driving home
    2. Deacon: page 33 became a deacon in the church. Its means he be caused me a subordinate officer in a Christian church.
    3. Tuberculosis: A highly variable communicable disease of humans and some other vertebrates that is caused by the tubercle bacillus and rarely in the U.S. by a related mycobacterium
    4. Larynx: the modified upper part of the trachea of air breathing vertebrates that in humans most other mammals and contains the vocal cords
    5. Anesthesia: loss of sensation with or without loss of consciousness

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  15. Gitika - Great detailed overview. How would you describe the way these different stories are linked in the chapter?

    Virginia - Good definitions - think about how to describe what they mean in the context of the passages.

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  16. Edwidge Danticat talks mainly about her father’s illness and how he deals with it and how the whole family deals with it in the first chapter of her book “Brother, I’m Dying”. The book starts with Danticat flying from Miami to New York to accompany her father to a pulmonologist and finding out that he is on the end stage of pulmonary fibrosis. At the same time, Danticat also found out that she is pregnant. She also talked about how she grew up in Haiti with her brother Karl and had to live with her Uncle and Aunt because her parents are working in the US. Towards the end of the book, the family gathered around the table and her father asks what are there mother’s decision and the whole family after he passed away.

    Abagail
    (For Chapter 1)

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  17. Abagail - Good overview - I'm a little confused by your last sentence - think about how you'd rework it for clarity and how you can give the overall idea of the chapter as well as the events.

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