Jornal response #5

Journal #5: Write from the perspective of an insider in your information. Be that person. Who are you, and how are you related to your book's content? What is your point of view related to some aspect of content information? Support your point of view with specifics that fit your insider participation. It means role playing this persuasion. 250-300 words. Shutting out the sky By: Deborah Hopkinson Page: 95 of 114 I have been here for less than a year and the progress I have made is not what I expected. When I first heard of America, I thought that it would be easy for me and my family to gain wealth and success and hopefully make a name for ourselves; instead, we are struggling to make ends meet and our children are working very hard to help us out. I am an immigrant from the poverty-stricken Italy alongside my family of five: my husband, my two daughters, and my father-in-law. In Italy, my husband worked as a farmer but because we owned no land, he lost his job and our family began to struggle. The economy started to fail and the world market started changing. No longer could we feed our children and ourselves; therefore, we decided to save as much money as we could over time, and come to America as a family. When we first arrived here, it was strange. Exciting, but strange. Then, after a few months, reality hit us and we realized that our lives did not get any better. We just moved to another country where hardship was already evident. From my point of view, I do not think America is he place where one can make their fortune without needed help. The tenements provided for immigrant families are of the worst kind. They were mass produces to create wealth for the already well-off men in this country. We try really hard. Our two daughters; eight and twelve, are working daily in sweatshops and bringing home their wages to us. My husband works in a local store selling cloaks and suits. My father-in-law stays home and helps me cook and clean every day. In this book, I am the main focus and character. This book focuses on the life in the tenements of New York city in the late 1800s and I am a proud example of what it is trying to demonstrate. Page 95 of 114

Non-Fiction Journal response #4

Journal #4: From your reading, DESCRIBE ONE important example of an event, conflict, characteristic of a major character, perception (yours as the reader of what's going on so far), passion (character), mistake (character), or success (character), etc. THEN explain what this example shows AND why it's important. Support your answer. FINALLY, list your book title AND what page you're on out of how many total. 250-300 words. Shutting out the sky By: Deborah Hopkinson Page: 75 of 114 Soon after arriving in the United States,twelve-year old Rose Cohen had to begin working to help out her family. Her first job was at a garment shop which she worked in for a while until her father found her another job at a sweatshop. At first, she faced discouragement as many of the older females thought that she was too young to do the job. Rose continued working and tried to make the best of her situation though she lacked proper clothing and a good meal every day. She worked hard helping her parents who were trying to make ends meet in their new home. What is most important about this event is the harrific reality of the life of children in that time period. Times were so haorrible that twelve-year olds had to work in sweatshops, without meals, to help out their families. Most importantly, is the issue of education. Rose Cohen couldn't even bring up the idea of going to school because her family was barely getting by. This was the harsh reality for children living in New York in the late 1800s. Today, we are priviledged because unlike the children in the late 19th century, we can goto school everyday without working under harsh conditions to help with the bills. This event is a great example of the great shift and development that took place to get America to where it is today. page 75 of 114

Non fiction Jounal response #3

Shutting out the sky
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Page: 60 of 114

         I strongly believe that the reason behind this book's publication is because of the need to be informed and educated about things that took place in the past and how they affected the lives of people back then. The book is based on past historical events that is mainly focused on the lives of immigrants; but, it is necessary for people today to become familiar with the struggles faced back then and how the problems they faced in the past influenced our lives today.  Especially those people who reside in New York. The book's setting takes place in the City of New York and tells of the tenements which were built to house immigrants. Therefore, it is essential that residents of New York today know about how the place they live in came into formation.
       The title of the book, Shutting out the Sky, represents the structure of the buildings in New York in the mid 1800s. The building were so tall and in great abundance that they shut out the sky. Immigrants could not see the beauty of the sky as much as they should have been able to because these tenements were built to house a lot of people with no regards to the basic needs and wants of the people. It wasn't about building a decent home for immigrants to grow and  live in, it was about the money that could be made from renting out these buildings to them. Therefore, the buildings were built very high and in a huge quantity. 
       The author, Deborah Hopkinson, was most likely trying to convey the description of how these immigrants were living and to show people today where their ancestor are coming from and how far this nation has come. I strongly believe that she is very successful at trying to convey this message becasue as I read this book, I get a sense of the misery and pain that these immigrants went through. The pictures in this book also assist in my understanding of how these people lived for a very long time. (60/114)