Notes November 3, 2008
Three Poles of a Thistle by Naoimi Shihab What are the three sections about and how do they fit together? Are the contrasting? Cumulative?
The teacher said that she had the devil inside her. In the very beginning of the essay, we realize that she is much smarter than the other kids in her class because she prefers Charlotte’s web instead of Dick and Jane. She also seems to have a lower income than everyone else. She’s eating dried apricots instead of bacon. She definitely feels different. She seems to be a private person.
Around the fourth paragraph , she describes the situation instead of just telling flat out how she felt.
What is this writing about? It means coming into oneself through pain. What does a poke of a thistle do?
• A life changing point, slightly painful
• It’s small yet sharp and sticks to you- made an impression. Momentous event
MEANINGS OF THE THREE SECTIONS
1. Guilt, she felt like it was her fault. If she didn’t get a stomach ache, the crash wouldn’t have happened. It connects the guilt to the pain. “BE GOOD AND YOU WILL BE LONESOME” basically sums it up. Here we have the narrator with knowledge that the over people do not have. When she read this, she finally felt as if she had some knowledge that other people didn’t have. It’s also more about shame.
2. Cultural difference. She doesn’t have the experience to connect to the language. It was also because of her innocence. In the three stories she told us it’s all about the same thing written in different ways. She doesn’t make the connection.
3.
Posted in: on Monday, November 3, 2008 at at 12:22 PM
