April 30th 2018

In class we went over again what happened in the last few pages of A Raisin in The Sun and went over good and bad fortunes. We found out that Mama split the 10,000 between the house, Walter and Beneatha. We then made a chart of the bad fortune that could happen with the money and good fortune that could occur from everyone getting a piece of the money. We said that the good fortune walter could get from the money is he could invest in the liquor store and gain even more money and he could quit drinking. However the bad fortune was he would lose all his money and would go into debt, he would worsen his drinking and his health would go bad. For Beneatha the good fortune that she would become a doctor and find her identity. The bad fortune however was that she was a black female in that time period and she also might drop out of college and let all that money go to waste. Finally for the house the good fortune was it was a safe neighborhood and the family lives happily ever after in the house. On the other hand, they could be harassed by the KKK and they don't have enough money for the house. We then went on to read a couple pages but did not read a lot since we had a lock down. We find out that Lindner  was racist and did not have the Young family's safety in mind.  This shows how most people don't have your best interest in mid and that people are usually selfish. It also shows that if you make an investment it has to be realistic and fool-proof. If the Young family lose these three investments they do not have a back up plan which is very dangerous. Black people back then did not have as good of a chance of succeeding in the world as much as white people had, especially men.

4/30/18

Today in class we started out by talking about good fortune and bad fortune of Walter, Beanetha, and the house.  Good fortune for Walter would be investment, money for his family, and success.  While his bad fortune would be going into debt, getting a greater addiction to alcohol or something worse, or even losing his son.  Good fortune for Beanetha would be becoming a doctor, making money, succeeding as a black woman in the 1950's.  While her bad fortune would be dropping out of school, not wanting to be a doctor after finishing school, and the fact that she is a black women in the 1950's.  Finally the good fortune for the house would be less stress on the family, Walter's son has his own room, and a place to raise a new child.  Some bad fortune would be the KKK, an all white neighborhood, and unable to pay house payments causing debt in the future. We then continued to read the play however didn't get very far because their was a lock down.

Thursday, April 26th

Today in class we continued reading A Raisin in the Sun. In the reading, we saw tensions rise between Walter, Beneatha, and Mama. Mama used the insurance money to buy a house in an all-white neighborhood, causing Walter to feel betrayed and start going down a "bad path".  We also saw a major conflict between Ruth, Mama, and Walter about the baby. We know that Ruth is pregnant, and yesterday we learned she is planning on getting an abortion. We were able to make connections to Ruth and the baby being her dream deferred. Walter now knows Ruth is pregnant, and after hearing she wants an abortion, he goes out to get drunk and talk to his friends. We also got to see more of Beneatha and George, and we learn more about Beneatha as a character. We know she is torn between her African roots and her Americanized ways, but this chapter we see her start to really connect with her African roots. This causes a strain in her relationship with George, because he is looking for an Americanized black woman. Now that Mama has bought a house in a completely white neighborhood, she is able to make her dream come true. But her children's dreams (that relied on the insurance check) are now deferred.

4/26/18

Today in class we reviewed and analyzed again what we read yesterday in A Raisin In The Sun. We started to correlate some of the things from the play to the original poem, A Dream Deffered.  We analyzed that a line in the poem "fester like a sore" could relate to Walters want for the liquor store and how stubborn he is about it. The line "does it stink like rotten meat" can also relate to Walter and Ruth's relationship with Mama because there is non stop fighting in the house. We went over what deffered means and what it means in this context which is a dream put aside. Another big thing we went over is the word explode in the poem. This could relate to the tearing of the family, the risk of wasting the whole $10,000, if there really is anything good that is going to come out of the money, and Ruth's abortion. Relating to Ruth she is also carrying a very heavy load because she is currently working while taking care of an entire family, being pregnant and dealing with Walter and Ruth. We then went on to read a couple pages and found out that Mama spent the money on a new house and that there is even more tension building in the family with Walter.  This could be an inside view in a very struggling family that has many obstacles in their way of "happiness". One could be race because at the time segregation was still a very big thing and they had just moved into an all white neighborhood; They were afraid of racism and hate crimes, and groups such as the KKK.  This also shows how hard of a decision a woman has to make when they are thinking about abortion and how it's only her choice to make and no one else's. They are also very much struggling with money and it shows it's not easy to start with nothing and rise up just by working. Many things get in the way such a family. 

Wednesday, April 18

Today we used a paper to analyze our reading for A Raisin in the Sun. This paper was a chart that we used to create character profiles. The paper had sections labelled for the character's wants and needs, interactions with other characters, the section from the poem Harlem, by Langston Hughes, and a section symbolism present in the book. We used this chart to map the progression of the story, our character's motivations, actions, and growth as a person, and the interactions they have with other characters. By analyzing these character traits, we are able to make the charts reflect our characters more accurately. We read the part where Walter and Beneatha were arguing about what they want to do with their lives, as well as the money that would be coming for Mama, the insurance check from Big Walter when he passed away.

A way this can be applied to the real world is to analyze a person's wants and needs, compared to others in their environment. By examining how a person acts, using what they want to help them achieve their goals, we can form our own goals and interests as motivation for achieving our dreams. This allows us to do what we want in a way that benefits ourselves. If we help others with achieving their goals, we can collectively move forward. Goals are something we examine based on our standing in society. Since we live in an age where anyone can do anything they want, we have the ability to work hard until we get what we want. This allows us to achieve our goals and dreams. Working together makes us stronger, and if we have similar dreams, then we have the ability to work together and complete any task we put in place. Working hard to achieve our goals are what allow us to succeed as human beings.

4/25/18

Today in class we first started out by reviewing what we read in "A raisin in the sun". We went over how Beneatha was being a little bit selfish by going to medical school and trying out all these different clubs and, she expects to be given money and that she will 100% succeed in this world; which is very slim in that time period for a black woman. We also went over how Beneatha is going through an identity crisis and doesn't know who to believe out of her two boyfriends. She either dresses and acts american for George Murchison or goes back to her African heritage for Asagai. Walter is also being selfish by wanting all of Mama's insurance money so he can invest in a liquor store, which he thinks can make them rich but it is very risky. We also found out yesterday that Ruth is pregnant and Walter learns about it today. Walter learns that Ruth wants to abort it, which was illegal at the time, but Mama is very against that. Mama had lost a child in poverty years earlier and is very christian, so she believes all life should be given a chance. When Walter learns about this he first freezes and says nothing and then abandons his family in a time of crisis. This relates to the world at large as it discusses problems of racism and arguments over abortion. In the 1950's Black women had a very slim chance of succeeding in the world and there is still a lot of racism going on to this day everywhere around the world.  Abortion was illegal back in the 1950's so first of all it was bound to be dangerous because a professional doctor would not be able to do it and it was frowned upon by people like mama.

Tuesday, April 17

Today we read more of a raisin in the sun, beginning to go over act 1. We continued to analyze using the T chart. By using this, we were able to develop relationships between characters, allowing us to understand the family dynamic and how they interact with the environment around them.

Literal	Figurative
Worn out house and furniture. House is small, old and unkempt. Mama is alone, no male head of the household. Furniture is worn. Time is destroying the house. Only one window, little light. In a poor area.	Don't have a lot of money. The family is problematic. Time is removing the love from the home. Nostalgia is reflected through the time when the house was new. Don't know what's coming for the future. Little light makes the family depressed. The hope is hard to find.

In the sections we read today, we began to go over how Ruth and Walter interact as husband and wife, living in the poor conditions they currently inhabit. They talked about what they should do with the life insurance check for Mama, because of her late husband. Walter wants to invest in a liquor store or some similar endeavor, while Ruth thinks that Mama should decide how the money should be spent. This leads to conflict and an argument about how the family should be involved in deciding how the funds should be distributed and spent, with Ruth siding with the family, while Walter sides with his own investments and how he thinks he can make money. Although a small character, Travis leads into this argument by asking for money for a school related event.

By using these resources in a daily interaction or conversation, we are able to analyze how people communicate with the environments around them. By observing how the people interact in the book, we are able to extrapolate how people would interact in a similar environment. By observing behaviors exhibited in a pattern, we are able to make conversation and form new attachments to people, places, or things.

Monday April 16

Today we talked about the themes we came up with on Friday, and chose which one we thought was the
best. We analyzed the symbols in the American Dream, and the things we found in the poems.
We talked about the “dream deferred” bit from Harlem, by Langston Hughes, examining the word
choices and symbolism. We also began “A Raisin in the Sun”, reading the opening section. We also used
this T chart to mark the literal and figurative aspects.

Literal	Figurative
Worn out house and furniture.	Don't have a lot of money.

In the first part of the book, we read a scene setting and are introduced to our characters through an opening scene, where Ruth wakes up Walter and Travis and begins to prepare breakfast. We read and analyzed the scene in order to get information about our characters. By doing this, we were shown how the family goes about their morning in a daily fashion. This gave us insight into the relationships between characters.

The way we can apply this into our daily lives and interactions is to analyze symbolism on a deeper level. By looking at the subtext of something and the deeper meaning behind it, we can elaborate and determine things about people we could not glean without deeper analysis. If we can utilize this information in basic conversation, we can make reasonable assumptions and correctly make statements about a person.Being able to do so would create opportunities for deeper understanding and creating a stronger connection with a person, environment, or item. The meaning behind it can be discovered by taking into consideration where it has been, what it has done, or things it has interacted with, giving context. This was shown in the play when they talked about how the house was furnished in a way that made it seem drab and old.

4-19-18

Today in class we started off the class with talking about the relationship between Ruth and Walter. We talked about how the setting of the story affects the character, and how the time period did too. Another thing we talked about is how money affects the characters attitude. After we finished talking about that we choose people to read, than we picked up where we left off yesterday. All of this can be linked back to real life because we talked about how money can affect a persons attitude and how they live can too.

April 18 2018

Today in class we have started to read our book. For roles someone in our group picked a note card and it had a characters name on it. Once we chose those the groups were given a poster board that had a bunch of different things on it from your characters feelings about others to literal and figurative meanings in the book. We than had to choose someone from our group to be the actor, we went on to read the book, we didn't get to far into the book before the bell rang. All of this can be brought back to real life by how we are looking at the characters feelings about others and literal meanings behind what they are doing.

4/13/18

In today's class, we did the same thing yesterday with symbols and themes, but applied it to a new poem called I, Too by Langston Hughes. The difference between yesterday's poem and today was that this poem had no positivity. The author had an implicit message with a darker meaning. We deciphered the poem into having a message about only few Americans achieve this American Dream, while others like African Americans are denied this dream, yet still work hard to make the dream a reality. We found in the poem that the author used phrases like "They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed— I, too, am America." This phrase supports the theme of how African Americans struggle to live in America, but one day things will change and all the struggles will end. This can apply to our lives outside because it is very important to know how a message can be interpreted literally or figuratively. One can read this poem and can get two different messages, but it's important to know how to identify which the author is actually saying by analyzing the poem, finding background information on the author, and the date that the poem was published to know which message was truly meant for the reader.

4/12/18

The objectives of today's class were to analyze tone and symbols in poetry that create themes about a common topic and understand how to navigate PARCC. We started class with a brief explanation of how to navigate PARCC. Mr. Rivers discussed the many tools that can be utilized to making the test easier. There are tools like answer eliminator, identifying glass, line reader, etc. After talking about PARCC, we learned about poetry and how it is about imagery with rhetorical devices, stanzas instead of paragraph, a specific form, how it expresses feelings, and how implicit a poem can be. We then talked about Symbols that have meaning and how there are two types which are literal (concrete) and figurative (abstract). We then read a poem, I Hear America Singing, by Walt Whitman. We thoroughly dissected the poem, identifying the symbols from specific words to developing a theme or message within the poem. One example would be "American citizens have a niche to fill, which compels them to be happy. Through Unity and togetherness, Americans are happy." Within the phrase, we took the words unity, happy, and togetherness and came up with theme of Americans are free to be happy. This one one of the examples that supported this theme in the poem. This can be used outside of today's class because it is important to know these skills of how to interpret a poem so that later on in life we can easily read a poem and understand the true message it is trying to portray to the readers. It is also important to know which specific tone words contribute to the theme, knowing the difference between positive and negative connotation words that emphasize an author's point.

April 17th 2018

Today in class we started off by rereading the introduction we read yesterday (Act 1 Scene 1). We read through this and talked about the literal and figurative meanings behind the described items. We talked about how the house was extremely small for housing two families and that the house was very old, it was very obvious that everything was worn down and was over used and cleaned. We also started to read the actual play. People volunteered for parts, there were only 4 parts this scene. This could all be related to real life through the families problems, they most likely have a low income and are forced to live with another family so they can actually have a house. This may not be very common for most people to relate to but it's something that happens a lot in real life, people don't have enough money to support themselves or their families so they are forced to live with others or even don't have a house/apartment.

March 29th

On this day in class we were working on out research papers.

march 26

On march 26th in class we we read a poem called ¨Harlem¨ and we were asked to describe what claims the author made about america. And then about what it claims bout dreams. A claim about it would be ¨Langstons Hughes describes how dreams succeed in America.¨ Our class came up with themes that ¨In the american dream everyone does what they want and they´re happy about it.¨ And ¨American citizens have a niche to fill which compels them to be happy.¨ And ¨Through unity and togetherness Americans are happy.¨
This helps in real life when you´re trying to pick out the themes of authors and what they are claiming and people who are reading a speech or doing public speaking or reading and article.

march 16

On March 16 we started to evaluate how expert arguers provide context when they integrate evidence. And then use that evidence to structure a counterclaim by combining descriptive and argumentative writing. We also defined integrate  as combining and context as background take make things more clear.
This relates to the real world because you should be able to back up your argument in a real world situation and by doing so comes with research. If you were to argue about why our government should ban plastic and Styrofoam since its harmful to our Earth is the main reason being money. A counterclaim could be ¨Although plastic is harmful to our planet, it gives people jobs and food on the table for their family´s.¨

March 23, 2018

In class we talked about the poem that talks about what happens to a dream that is left to fester. It talks about how if it is not followed by the person hows dream it is then it because something demented. The dream could become something twisted and evil in that it is not what it originally was. It could fester and rot like the poem said. It could be referring to the fact that the people in Harlem could not follow there dreams and this causes sadness and unrest. The people in Harlem didn't have the money or resources to be successful and weren't able to follow there dreams. The poem also gives a voice to the people in Harlem so that people realize  the situation they are in and how it needs to change. The poem also talks in a negative tone about how the black people in Harlem are oppressed. It could also be seen as referring to the fact that time is up and the dreams might explode.

April 13, 2018

In class today we talked about how symbols, tones, and theme all work towards explaining a topic. The topic we talked about was america in different poems. The poem we looked at was I, too, am America.  In the poem it uses a lot of implicit symbols and meanings in the text. In the text it says "But i laugh" and it shows how this poem in negative and how the "black man" is trying to make the best of his situation. It also says that "I am your darker brother" which talks about how black people are our brothers too. In the poem it talks about "The table" which refers to a higher place that is currently whites only. This table could refer too the government, society, country clubs and restaurants. In this time most of the poor people and workers were black people so that they were catering to white rich people when they ate at restaurants and clubs. In the poem it also says tomorrow which foreshadows the civil rights movement in the future. This relates to real life as it is US history and is was a huge change to social culture. It change the whole landscape in that it brought equal right to all or at least brought people closer to having equal rights. It also shows the darker side of history in that fact that people were treated as less and it was legal. 

March 29, 2018

In class today, Mr. Rivers had reviewed what the audience and argument of an essay should be and what it should be comprised of.

- An audience should not only address who the people are and what they believe in but what occasion is for writing the speech (Why now).

- An argument consist of the claim and how that claim is backed up by evidence. An argument should also incorporate specific tactics such as rhetorical devices in order to better persuade the reader.

After we went over the lesson, we had spent the rest of class working on our essay' s which will be due on April 11, 2018 by 11:59 pm. If you had any more question Mr. Rivers and Mrs. Carroll was available for help for they were walking around the classroom accessing the classes' progress.

Learning how to debate and argue is an important skill to master in the world today making today' s lesson relate to the real world.

April 12th, 2018

Today's class was an introductory to poetry. The lesson started with Mr. Rivers going over the meaning of tone and symbols, and how articles are different from  poetry. We were given two poems, but we only analyzed one. That one poem being "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, written in 1855.
We found specific tonal words and symbols throughout the poem and used them to decipher the meaning of the poem. For example, we searched for key words that showed the happiness of the poem, such as "The delicious singing of the mother," and "...blithe and strong,". `We were able to conclude that Walt Whitman was trying to show unity and happiness through his words. We also mentioned the American dream, since everyone described in the poem is doing a job they love to do, and we also spoke about the time period this was written in. 1855 was just before the civil war, and Walt Whitman's idea of unity and the American dream that is displayed in this poem would not apply to people of color nor women. This complicated the poem and allowed the class (or maybe just me) to see a different perspective on the meaning of this poem. The following are the notes I took during today's class:

, Thursday, April 12th

Obj: Analyze tone and symbols in poetry that create themes about a common topic; understand how to navigate PARCC

How is poetry different from articles?

• Poetry is focused on feelings/articles focus on facts
• More imagery, rhetorical devices in poetry
• Poetry--stanzas instead of paragraphs
• Poetry has a specific structure or form
• Some can be very free-form, some can be very strict and structured
• Articles are more straightforward, IMPLICIT

Tone & Symbols: How are they used

• Tone: created by the writer, attitude toward topic (positive or negative), has a range
• Symbols: have a greater/abstract/figurative meaning, also has literal meaning, concrete

Practice with Poems:

I Hear America Singing

Walt Whitman, 1855

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
    and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
    work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the
    deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing
    as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the
    morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at
    work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
    fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

April 11 - Amanda DiFino

April 11, 2018
Today in class Mr. Rivers gave us time in class to work on our research speeches. The speech is due at 11:59 tonight on classroom and on turnitin.com. The class ID is 17863957 and the enrollment key is documentary. Don't forget:

Documentary Research Paper: The Final Stage

(Audience Analysis (50) + Argumentative Speech (100))

Using specific research from your articles, documentary, and outline, craft an argumentative speech designed to persuade a specific audience.

PART I: Audience Analysis (50 points)

Use 300-500 words to describe your audience to us as the context to your speech below. Your description should justify why you have selected this audience by describing who they are and how they would/do feel about your particular topic. You should also supply a fictional or real-world occasion for your speech (why now?). In your analysis, you must explain at least three rhetorical choices that you make in your speech that would be effective for this particular audience. YOU have full control over the circumstances of the assignment-- I don’t care if Donald Trump/the head of the NCAA/Michael Moore would never ACTUALLY sit down and listen to you, but you have full control of the when, where, and why of your speech.

Rubric: Describes audience in detail  and provides context for the speech (10) Rhetorical Choice 1 (10) Rhetorical Choice 2 (10) Rhetorical Choice 3 (10) Grammar, Mechanics, and Organization (10)

PART II: Argumentative Speech (100 points)

Your argumentative speech should be a logical organization of 1000-1200 words. Use these words to craft an introduction, substantial body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your paper should adhere to all standards of MLA formatting, but should have all of the voice and style of a speech! Trade your neutral tone for something that will be persuasive. We expect to see effective literary devices that help you to develop ethos, logos, and pathos to prove your point in each body paragraph. Your speech must also effectively integrate research into each body paragraph. Consider how you can revise your outline to develop claims that best fit your audience.

Grading: This paper will be scored with the holistic writing rubric (attached). Consider some of these questions to help guide you into mastery!

Content Are you describing or arguing? How can you CLARIFY and SPECIFY your thesis statement? How can your analysis show support for your claims? How have you refuted the counterclaim (or those who might oppose you)? Have you satisfied the 1000-1200 word count? Organization Do your claims connect to your thesis statement? Have you SPECIFIED transitions beyond words like “secondly,” or “in conclusion?” What order makes the most logical sense for your claims? How does your introduction provide NECESSARY CONTEXT for your audience? How does your conclusion call for action and motivate your audience? Evidence How can you ensure that you are using a variety of reliable sources? What sort of CONTEXT is helping you to smoothly integrate evidence? How are you trimming evidence and paraphrasing to include the most important details? Does every quote (and paraphrase) have an in-text citation? Does that citation match the works cited page? Voice & Style Does your tone fit with the intended audience? How do your rhetorical devices/choices help you prove your point(s)? How are you balancing clarity with specificity? How do you avoid sounding repetitive? Presentation Is EVERYTHING (including your works cited) double spaced? 12-point? Times New Roman? Black font with no background? Do you have your last name and page number at the top right of the page? Is your MLA header correct? How does your TITLE help you to begin your argument? (do this last!)

NOTE: All students will also submit their work to www.turnitin.com. Failing to do so will result in a 0 (and all other punishments explained in the Sparta High School plagiarism policy)

April 11, due date of argumentative speech

Research essay/speech is due tonight @ 11:59. To get credit for this argumentative speech you must post the speech to classroom and turnitin.com. The turnitin Class Id is 17863957 and the Enrollment key is documentary. Plagiarism is not tolerated and will be marked as a zero for the speech. Make sure the paper is at least 1000 words and the audience part of the speech is 300-500 words.

Rubric for PART I: Audience Analysis (50 points)

Rubric:

Describes audience in detail  and provides context for the speech (10)

Rhetorical Choice 1 (10)

Rhetorical Choice 2 (10)

Rhetorical Choice 3 (10)

Grammar, Mechanics, and Organization (10)

Also for Part one remember "In your analysis, you must explain at least three rhetorical choices that you make in your speech that would be effective for this particular audience. ".

"PART II: Argumentative Speech (100 points)

Your argumentative speech should be a logical organization of 1000-1200 words. Use these words to craft an introduction, substantial body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your paper should adhere to all standards of MLA formatting, but should have all of the voice and style of a speech! Trade your neutral tone for something that will be persuasive. We expect to see effective literary devices that help you to develop ethos, logos, and pathos to prove your point in each body paragraph. Your speech must also effectively integrate research into each body paragraph. Consider how you can revise your outline to develop claims that best fit your audience.

Grading: This paper will be scored with the holistic writing rubric (attached). Consider some of these questions to help guide you into mastery!"

February 21, 2018

On this day we had the treat of watching a short scene of a great movie named Independence Day. While watching this movie we had to pick out some literary devices we noticed in the film. The scene that we analyzed was the famous scene where ¨president Whitmore¨ was giving a speech to the so-called army that was scrapped together by just about anyone they could find. During his speech, the president used multiple different literary devices which helped deliver the epic and dramatic effect that he was looking for. The main literary devices that I found while listening to his speech was alliteration. I find this literary device to be the most useful because when you give a speech people tend to doze off or let their mind wander. When using alliteration even if you forgot there was a speech going on you would recognize the repetition and it would almost automatically bring your attention back to the speaker. After we discussed literary devices we took a sentence out of the speech and change it to be more specific and add more detail to it. ¨united we stand but separate we will fall.¨ this was the sentence we took out of the speech. After our short discussion, we decided to make some changes and we came up with this as our new sentence ¨united, mankind will live, but separated our world will be destroyed by the aliens.¨ We added more detail to the sentence to make it sound better for the occasion.

March 19, 2018

On this day we started class by talking about the difference between implicit and explicit. The difference between the two is that implicit is when the author decides to make the readers work to see how he feels about the topic. This is when the author will not come right out and say he or she is for or against a certain topic. Explicit is when the author makes it very clear about how he or she feels about the topic. These are two polar opposite style of writings and each is used in different writings. For example, if a writer wanted to imply something about their topic than they would use implicit but if they wanted their audience to know exactly how they felt about the topic they would use explicitly. After this refresher, we started to talk about how we can use these two different writing styles to help strengthen our arguments when we are writing a counterclaim. We also discussed something that was I had known of but did not know it had a name. Ad hominem fallacy this is when you directly attack someone with your speech and or writing. As a class, we talked about this and we came to the conclusion that this can be useful but for the most part you should stay clear of it.

March 26, 2018

On this day in class, we had the pleasure of listening to a great poem about Harlem. This poem was very eye-opening towards how people in Harlem live. From the outside looking in the topics mentioned in the poem are topics that we are not used to hearing about. The main topic of this poem was about a dream. The poet writes about this dream using multiple different word choices, mostly cacophony. He talks about this dream and all of the different possibilities. Most of them had to involve the dream either dying off or just withering away. At a first look one might think he may have just been talking about a regular dream but when we came together as a class we started discussing the dream the author talks about in the poem as the and seeing if he could be talking about the American dream. After Mr. Rivers telling us to think about it in this perspective, we broke back up into groups and discussed the argument the author was making. My group came up with two different claims, one against America and another against dreams. I will put my group's points below.

• Claim about Dreams: dream with ambitions are irrelevant in Harlem
• Group claim: ¨Although some would say that coming from a disadvantaged background can make a person strive for their dreams even harder, Langston Hughes argues that Harlem is a place where dreams and ambitions are irrelevant.¨