Bienvenidos a Newport Beach by Firoozeh Dumas
2. Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph; be specific in your summary. Remember that your classmates will rely on you for this information. 2 percent
This story describes the authors move from a rental in Whittier that overlooked Kentucky Fried Chicken to a new rental in Newport Beach. This move was the eighth time she had moved and her family was originally from Iran, where she lived for six years. Most of the story revolved around all of the rules at the new house in Newport Beach. The house was maintained by an Association who mandated that each house must look the same on the outside. The were rules about many other things including the pool, trash, garage doors, cars, dogs and much more. The writing also told about how she didn't want to spend time in public with her Iranian cousins because they dressed weird and had so much body hair. She ended the story by saying that her parents still live in the same house in Newport Beach.
3. Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph (include entire quote; use quote marks and page number)? 1 percent
Page 93 - All the streets in our planned community had Spanish names starting with "Vista" meaning "view of" in Spanish. This was really wishful thinking since the homes mainly had views of the other houses that looked just like them.
4. What did the reading make you think of? (be specific eg "There is a bridge in SF that spans 4 miles from SF to Oakland and in the middle of the bridge it crosses an island called Treasure Island. This story makes me think of that specific little island where I can see the entire city and bay area. That city was also in the news recently where .... ) .75 percent
The story made me think of the "Homeowner's Association" that is in charge of the neighborhood right next to my own. Just like the rules in the story, some of their rules seem to be quite ridiculous. There is a field in this neighborhood where my family has spent a lot of time because it is perfect for football, ultimate frisbee or other games. However, when I was there with a group of friends for my birthday party a few years ago, one of the neighbors came out and said that no one is allowed to use the park unless they themselves live in the neighborhood. So, sadly, we had to leave.
5. What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know (again, be specific using concrete examples)? 1 percent
I didn't know that the word "Vista" means "view of" in Spanish.
1. Write the story title and author name. .25 point
Cotton Candy Mirrors by Devorah Major
2. Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph; be specific in your summary. Remember that your classmates will rely on you for this information. 2 percent
This story is about the author's experience in the Fun House, where she and her friends spent much of their summers when they were younger. It explains every aspect of the House starting with the hall of mirrors, and then moving on to the whirling cylinders, then the floor with air holes, the spinning silver disk, the barrel ride, the super slide, and finally the distorting mirrors. The author was extremely descriptive in recounting each of these experiences. In the end, she talks about the things that she learned from the Fun House. One of the major things that she learned was from the distorting mirrors. Even after the Fun House was taken down, she realized that society has distorted our image of ourselves just like those mirrors did in the Fun House. She came to the conclusion that we shouldn't let things like TV, billboards, and music videos determine that for us. All in all, she felt that the lessons like the ones learned in the Fun House were the ones that stuck with her the longest.
3. Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph (include entire quote; use quote marks and page number)? 1 percent
Page 98 - We were surrounded by ourselves in this hallway. The mirrors went on and on and on. You got smaller and smaller and smaller if you tried to count how many mirrors there were reflecting mirrors of yourself, reflecting mirrors of yourself, reflecting mirrors of yourself.
4. What did the reading make you think of? (be specific eg "There is a bridge in SF that spans 4 miles from SF to Oakland and in the middle of the bridge it crosses an island called Treasure Island. This story makes me think of that specific little island where I can see the entire city and bay area. That city was also in the news recently where .... ) .75 percent
I thought about my own experience in similar Fun Houses at the Sonoma County Fair. For me, they weren't quite as exciting or fun as they were for the author of the story. However, even though there were much bigger and better rides at the fair, I always enjoyed going through the Fun House. The author's description of the hall of mirrors was extremely accurate and very similar to what I've experienced.
5. What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know (again, be specific using concrete examples)? 1 percent
I enjoyed reading about the spinning "smooth silver disk" that spun so fast that kids would fly off. It sounded like a lot of fun and the Fun Houses I've been in didn't have those, probably for safety reason.
1. Write the story title and author name. .25 point
Berkeley by Michael Chabon
2. Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph; be specific in your summary. Remember that your classmates will rely on you for this information. 2 percent
Essentially, this writing is about the insanity, craziness, genius and ridiculousness of Berkley, California. The author wrote about the fact that while Berkeley is full of countless incredibly intelligent people, it is full of a large number neurotics as well. He explains how exactly genius, neurosis, madness and rapture are seen in the city. He also talks about how so many people in Berkeley feel obligated to point out the misdeeds, problems and bad judgements of those around them, even if they're perfect strangers. Furthermore, he notes that people in Berkeley are so consumed with themselves that they are mostly ignorant of the people around them. However, he does come around and admit that he loves Berkeley and wouldn't want to live somewhere else. Berkeley also has it's perks like its "spectacular weather, thrilling vistas and variety of terrain." Overall, he enjoys the city because it is interesting and intriguing and quirky.
3. Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph (include entire quote; use quote marks and page number)? 1 percent
Page 105 - Where passion is married to intelligence, you may find genius, neurosis, madness or rapture. None of these is really an unfamiliar presence in the tree-line streets of Berkeley, California.
4. What did the reading make you think of? (be specific eg "There is a bridge in SF that spans 4 miles from SF to Oakland and in the middle of the bridge it crosses an island called Treasure Island. This story makes me think of that specific little island where I can see the entire city and bay area. That city was also in the news recently where .... ) .75 percent
When I started reading about Berkeley, I was reminded of the college admissions catalog that I was reading recently. I was amazed at the average GPA and SAT score at Berkeley. I also was reminded of a really hard economics class that my friend took that was labeled "Berkeley-level."
5. What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know (again, be specific using concrete examples)? 1 percent
I learned that Berkeley's population of 100,000 is raised to about 130,000 when you take the University students into account. That's a pretty significant difference!
1. Write the story title and author name. .25 point
California Honky-tonk by Kathi Kamen Goldmark
2. Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph; be specific in your summary. Remember that your classmates will rely on you for this information. 2 percent
This story is about a band's first "real gig" that ended up being at a biker bar, something that they didn't know when they arranged it. It was their first gig, so they really didn't know what to expect. However, they definitely had no idea that a motorcycle gang would come rolling in. They had been planning for a much different crowd and realized their four-part harmonies and fancy guitar arrangements probably weren't going to do the trick. Finally, the bikers were won over by the popular song "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw?" After the author told the story of her first gig, she went on to talk about many other band experiences that she had and the things that she learned from them. The first one definitely made a good story though.
3. Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph (include entire quote; use quote marks and page number)? 1 percent
Page 117 - Move over Pasty, move over Dolly, Linda and Emmylous. I had glitter in my hair and I was ready to sing.
4. What did the reading make you think of? (be specific eg "There is a bridge in SF that spans 4 miles from SF to Oakland and in the middle of the bridge it crosses an island called Treasure Island. This story makes me think of that specific little island where I can see the entire city and bay area. That city was also in the news recently where .... ) .75 percent
This reading made me about an experience I had in which I also made the mistake of performing something that didn't fit the audience. When I competed in speech and debate, I gave one speech on how kids need to use less electronics like video games and TVs and get outside. Unfortunately, a lot of my judges happened to be college guys who loved their video games and really didn't like the ideas in my speech. I learned though, and I was sure to think about my audience when planning future speeches.
5. What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know (again, be specific using concrete examples)? 1 percent
I learned a little bit more about Honky-tonk, because I really didn't know much about that style of music.
