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Baylee and the gang have a new home.

Baylee, a rescue dog, and her pack of humans and other dogs have moved. Their new home has a big yard for the pack to play. Stop by each week for updates on their adventures exploring their new home!

Twelve Angry Men Changing Elements

In the play Twelve Angry Men it was written so an nineteen year old young African American man, is on trial for the murder of his father. The play is about the jurors and how one person can change everyone else's decision. This play is taking place in the 1950's and the judges are white and racist, and a young black mans life is in their hands. In the beginning of the story all of the jurors but one believed that he was guilty just based on the color of his skin. Juror ten says in the play,

"You're not gonna' tell me we're supposed to believe this kid, knowing what he is."

This quote shows how racist juror ten is that he won't believe the young man just because of the color of his skin. This quote is showing that he isn't even looking at any of the evidence, he is just assuming that he is lying.  Juror ten also says again about how he thinks the young man is lying by saying,

 "I've lived among them all my life. You can't believe a word they say. You know that. I mean, they're born liars."

Juror ten is so racist that he said that the young man was born a liar because of the color of his skin. He was so blinded by the color of his skin that he would not even listen to his story.
But what if the young man was white, do you think that the jury would have gave him a fair shot from the beginning rather then having to have one juror change everyone's mind. Or what if all of the jurors were racist, then an innocent life would have been lost because of the ignorance of others.

Twelve Angry Men Untold Story

Twelve Angry Men is an untold story about juries and how their choices decide what happens to another persons life. This play is about a nineteen year old young man on trial for his fathers murder. In the beginning of the play the judge explains to all of the jurors that this is not a game and that they are about to determine someones life. The judge does this by saying,

"Murder in the first degree—premeditated homicide—is the most serious charge in our criminal courts."

Towards the beginning of the play all of the jurors believed that the young man was guilty but one. The consequences of the young man being found guilty are very extreme. He would be put to death with the electric chair. Juror number eight understands these consequences and does not want to give up on the young man just yet. He realizes that the young man can very possibly be not guilty so he wants to give him a chance. Juror eight decides to vote not guilty so the nineteen year old still has a chance. Juror eight then talks to all of the other jurors to try to convince them. Juror eight says,

 "Here's what I think. And I have no personal feelings about this. I just wanna talk about facts." 

What juror eight is doing by saying this is telling all of the other jurors to look at the evidence and to not make any irrational decisions, because there is an eighteen year old's life at risk.
What juror eight is doing by saying this is telling all of the other jurors to look at the evidence and to not make any irrational decisions, because there is an eighteen year old's life at risk. Eventually the minds of the other jurors switched and the eighteen year old was found not guilty. This is the untold story of juror eight and how he saved an eighteen year old kids life.

Twelve Angry Men Theme

The play Twelve Angry Men is about a murder trial, which a nineteen year old young man is accused of murdering his father, with a knife. This trial depends on the eighteen year old's life because if he does get convicted he will be sent to the electric chair, so it is up to the jury to decide if a young man lives or dies. Right before the jurors go and decide how the young mans life is going to turn out the judge said to them,

 "It's now your duty to sit down and try and separate the facts from the fancy."

The judge wanted to remind them how important it is that they make the right decision, because there is a young mans life at stake. There is many important themes in this play.
The main theme that stands out to me is that every vote counts. In the play it begins with every person thinking the young man is guilty but one. He then talks and persuades the other jurors to actually listen to the evidence and tried to persuade them that the eighteen year old is not guilty. 
In the play Juror number 3 stated,

 "Here's what I think. And I have no personal feelings about this. I just wanna talk about facts." 

This quote shows that juror number three is not with or against the nineteen year old because he does not know the nineteen year old but all he does know is the facts, and if they are going to decide about someones life they should look at the facts very carefully.
One by one the jurors that believed that he is guilty stared to change their mind when they actually looked at the evidence and talked about it.
Eventually they all decided that the young man would be not guilty.

Kaffir Boy

Kaffir Boy, and Stolen Party relate to each other in multiple different ways. They both show a type of stereotype and racism plays a big part of Kaffir Boy and in Stolen Party. In Kaffir Boy it shows both stereotypes and racism in multiple ways. The main character was not named in this story so we will just call him the narrator. The narrator faced racism when he and his granny went to    Mrs. Smith's house in many different ways. Granny and the narrator had to eat breakfast in the garage instead of having it in the kitchen like normal people would have kitchen. It says on lines 77-78,

"Ellen, your breakfast is near the washing machine in the garage." 

This quote shows that Mrs. Smith did not feel comfortable having granny and the narrator in her kitchen eating breakfast. Later on in the story when Clyde Mrs. Smiths son came home from school he was very mean and racist to the narrator. Clyde thought he was better and smarter than the narrator because Clyde was white and the narrator was not. It says on lines 160-161,

"'I doubt if you can read any of my books. Here, read," he ordered, pulling one out of the shelves. The book was thick, looked formidable."

This quotes shows that the narrator was discriminated against because of his color of skin, and that Clyde did not think the narrator was smart because he is black.
Stereotypes is also a big part of Kaffir Boy. Granny is a maid for Mrs. Smith, she does her yard work for her. It says on lines 80-83,

"... Granny took out her gardening tools from the shed, and we started working. As the two of us went about the large yard, I raked leaves and watered the flowers; Granny weeded the lawn."

This quote shows that Granny is doing yard work, kind of like a slave would do back when America had slaves.
This relates to Stolen Party because in Stolen Party the monkey related to a slave and the magician related to the slave owner. It also relates because Rosaura's mother is a maid and she is Hispanic so it is a stereotype that all Hispanics are maids. Do you guys see the racism in these stories or is it just me?

The Stolen Party

In the story The Stolen Party by Liliana Heker there are many symbols. The symbol that pop out the most to me are the monkey, the magician. The monkey symbolizes a slave, and the magician symbolizes a slave. The monkey is kept in a cage and is trapped, Like a slave with shackles and they couldn't go anywhere. Then when the monkey is released from the cage he goes out and performs to get the magician money. The slave would be woken up early in the morning to go to work. The slave would work extremely hard either in the fields, or in the slave owners house. The slave owner would have cotton picked to either sell or trade or to make shirts or cloths. When the magician told the monkey to do something he had to listen or he would get in trouble. The monkey did what he was told to do, he would get bossed around some might say. It says in the story on lines 80-85,

"He could guess what cards were pulled out from a pack, and the monkey was his assistant. He called the monkey "partner." " Let's see here, partner," he would say, "turn over a card." And, "Don't run away, partner: time to work now." The final trick was wonderful. One of the children had to hold the monkey in his arms and the magician said he would make him disappear." 

This quote from the story shows that the monkey was just brought out of the cage to perform his tricks, and he was told to not run away. Like a slave owner would tell a slave to not run away. Also they made the pet in this story a monkey, instead of the rabbit that we are used to seeing as the magicians animal. Also the word can be a racist term against black people, because they used to get called monkeys. Is it just me that sees this symbol or is it obvious to you too?

Girl Blog Post 1

Society creates stereotypes in which we are all forced to live. They create labels and fit people into specific boxes in an attempt to better understand the world we live in. In the story Girl by Jamaica Kincaid it is a mother telling the daughter how she should live her life to be in societies eyes "a good woman". Women should not have to be told what to do and when to do it to be seen as a good woman. A woman should do what they want, and if they have goals they should be able to chase their goals and not be trapped in societies boxes. If the woman wants to go out, and make money to support her and her family there should be nothing wrong with that, or if she wants to go out and go to school to chase her dream to be successful and do what she wants to do she should be able to do that and be known as a good women because she is chasing her dreams.
It says on lines 23-25

"...and this way they won't recognize immediately the slut i have warned against becoming; be sure to wash everyday, even if it is with your own spit, don't squat down to play marbles..."

This quote shows that the mother is telling the daughter what to do because she does not want the daughter to turn out like a "slut". She is also trying to make sure the daughter does not do what she wants with her life. It shows that by telling her to not play marbles.
Men also have to keep this image of being "the great guy". Men are supposed to go out and make all of the money to support the family with. If something is bothering them they are frowned apon by trying to share their feelings and are told to "man up".  A man or woman should not have to be criticized by society, and should not have to worry what others think about them and what they should do and act. How did the story girl make you guys feel after you read it?