Word Wizard- Post #3

Gabrielle Rosado

"On the morning of the ceremony, my father wore his other uniform-- a dark jacket with a leather belt, brass buttons and gold epaulets at the shoulders." page 32

epaulets- an ornamental shoulder piece worn on uniforms, chiefly by military officers.

This passage shows how her dad changed and transformed into a different uniform. Almost into the man he used to be before they had to abruptly leave their home. Toswiah and her sister had never seen him dress this way, and to them he looked like the tallest, proudest, most beautiful man that ever lived. They felt he had a new persona to him, as if someone that would protect them from anything in the world. The description and the words the author used of his uniform, really stood out to show the different characterization of him.

Word Wizard- Post #2

Gabrielle Rosado

"And later, Cameron with her braces on, sneaking looks in the mirror when she thinks no one is watching--at eleven, twelve, and then thirteen, and the braces pliered off, her teeth, cleaned, her lips spreading across her face to grin every time she could think to." pg 18

pliered- to peel off or plied off.

This word wasn't in the dictionary, but I used context clues to assume what it meant. This passage is talking about how her sister, real name Cameron, was before they had to move. Throughout the book there are little excerpts that flash black to way her life used to be, before coming Evie. Her sister growing up always had braces and she would always look at them in the mirror. Once she got them off, she would then whisper to herself every night " I am beautiful".

Word Wizard- Post #1

Gabrielle Rosado

"We left Denver in the midddle of the night, with some clothes, and some famil pictures, toothbrushes and combs, all in plastic bags since out suitcases were monogrammed."

monogrammed pg 20- a design consisting of two or more alphabetic letters combined or interlaced, commonly one's initials, often printed on stationery, embroidered on clothing, etc.

This word, stood out because one I didn't know the definition and two, it should their lifestyle before Toswiah and her family had to go into witness protection. They had suitcases and towles, with their intials and names etched into them. This was the way of claiming their belongs. Now that they had to leaver Denver to a new town, they had to leave all this stuff behind. They couldn't bring anything with them that represented their old life.

Lit. Lum. Post#6-MEAGAN B.

3/15/2010

page#91 passage#1

It's Saturday. Outside it's cloudy and cold. The sky's still that weird silver-gray, the way it never got in Denver. I am fourteen today. [.....] When the corner guys hanging out say Hey Neckbone to me, their voices have something else to them. Sometimes they even whisper C'mon over here in a way that makes me walk faster past them.

Compared to the nice views she had back in Denver, with the mountains and lakes/ponds (I think there are those things ... right???), the area where Toswiah lives now is a bit depressing actually if you think of it. Now what she has to see everyday is dark skies. I am sure if she had been moved to a nicer place with her family she might now be so home sick. Also the guys on the corner of the block seem to be getting more troublesome it seems. You can see that Toswiah is having more to worry about. The atmosphere is tense and the vibe being given off is very negative.

Do you think it will be getting any better for Toswiah or it will just be getting worse?

Lit Lum Post#5-MEAGAN B.

3/12/2010

page#59 paragraph#5

The men were quiet, tall. One black. One white. When Cameron asked where the next place was, the men said it was too unsafe too tell us. We climbed into a van with blacked-out windows. Matt Cat had gone to live with grandma two days before. But as the van rumbled off, I swore I could hear him howling.

You can totally imagine Toswiah and her family getting taken away. Her and her sister totally oblivious on what in the world is going on and their parents not even saying a thing. Their past life getting cut off so quick with out even a moment to remember it. They had to get a new home with new names. It had to be difficult since the thoughts and memories of her grandmother and Matt Cat was still fresh in her head. 

How do you think you would feel in this situation that Toswiah is in at this moment?

Meagan Betances

Lit Lum Post#4-MEAGAN B.

3/11/2010

page#21 paragraph#4 

"Look at these hands," she said, holding out her hands to show us the way the veins pushed up against her dark skin. "These hands belong to an old lady. At night, my teeth go in a glass and the arthritis feels like it wants to get the best of me. Denver's the only place I've ever lived. And I never planned on not dying here."

Reading this makes me picture the old wrinkly saggy skinned hands of the elderly people I see. And when she talked about butting her teeth in a cup I pictured my grandfathers dentures (way back when he was alive) in the bathroom in a glass cup of water. I truly think the author put this in because it makes the reader think of there own grandparent(s) and what emotions they would get if they where in this situation. What emotions they would see in there grandmothers/grandfathers face.

Did you picture your grandparent(s) while reading this paragraph?

literary Something Post#3-MEAGAN B.

3/10/2010

Page#13 paragraph#3

Imagine your best friend's smile, how you remember it from its front-teeth-missing days till this moment. A year after the braces have come off and she finally learned how to comb that mass of hair. The boys falling over themselves for her. Her name is Lulu.

I totally understand what Toswiah meant with this paragraph. How you can see a friend grow but at the same time not change. You still love them and understand them the same way you always have. You can see them standing in front of you. The present version and the one that is still in your memories.

What did you think when you saw this passage? Did you think of a friend of yours?