Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Discussion Question 2 (Week 3)

Discussion Question 2

In Chapter 15, Mr. Lanski fills Hazel in on Sogoji's parents and how he grew up. There is a saying that states, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Hazel finds out this information after she has upset Sogoji. Now that she has a better understanding of his past, how does it change her feelings towards Sogoji? Does she feel bad about what she has said and how she has judged him? Mr. Lanski also says to her that, " Sogoji is sort of in between. He's not American, he's not Japanese. May need a little help figuring out what he is." What does Mr. Lanski mean by this? How can Hazel help Sogoji figure out 'what he is?' 
Make sure to answer all THREE questions and use evidence from the text to support your thinking!

Make sure to answer the question with a RAD response and use details from the text to support your answer. Please check your grammar, spelling, and capitalization, and conventions before submitting your response. Type it in your blogging doc first so you can edit if necessary.

14 comments:

  1. Hazel’s feelings are changed towards Sogoji because when she finds out that Sogoji’s mom committed suicide it was very hard on him. Hazel does feel bad and she makes something for Sogoji as a way to say sorry because of the way she had treated him. By saying that Sogoji is in between, Mr. Lanski means that Sogoji is not wanting the Americans to win but he also doesn’t want the Japanese will win.

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    1. Nice response Joshie! I like your thinking and the way you explained it well.

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    2. Wow good job I love how you used such big words like "suicide"

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    3. Good job Joshie. I like how you pointed out that Sogoji could be thinking about the outcome of the war and feel pulled in two different directions. He doesn't really know what life as a teenager in Japan would be like. I am sure there are days where he feels very alone and scared. He needs a friend like Hazel now more than ever.

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  2. Now that Hazel has a better understanding of Sogoji’s past it changes her feelings towards him because… Now that Hazel knows how hard of a past Sogoji had when his mother killed herself and his dad ruined his liver by drinking too much and died on a cot in the Lansky’s house, it made her feel like she needs to be there for Sogoji and stand up for him. On page 143 Hazel stands up for him, “ Mr. Lanski dug for at least a minute in silence. It was hard to keep still and wait, but I did. “Mitsumi was… a real disappointed man. Things didn’t turn out like he’d hoped. Loses his farm, wife goes around the bend, boy don’t seem too smart-” “He is smart! He just needed some time.” I think that Hazel feels bad about what she said because... She made the origami bird for him and hoped that they would be friends again and it worked so that means she felt bad and tried to fix it.

    “Sogoji is sort of in between. He’s not American, he’s not Japanese. May need a little help figuring out what he is.” Mr. Lanski means Sogoji needs someone by his side to help him figure out who he is. Hazel can help sogoji figure out who he is by being there for him in through those tough times and stand up for him.

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    1. Nice response Annika!

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    2. Great job using quotes from the text Annika. It will be interesting to see how their friendship develops as we keep reading. I think it is a hard time for both Sogoji and Hazel as they are both not sure who they can trust.

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  3. After Mr. Lanski filled Hazel in on Sogoji's background, I think Hazel had affection for Sogoji. I think she understood how hard it was on him. After his mom froze to death, it was hard. Then, after his dad died of drinking to much, Sogoji didn't have parents or family. Hazel changed her feelings because she knew what had happened in his past. Hazel gets that it is very hard to live without family.Hazel realizes soon after she judged Sogoji that it wasn't right. She feels bad about how she talked and judged him.

    Mr. Lanski meant that he's not really both.This is because, only his parents are Japanese,but they lived in America and had Sogoji. So Sogoji has lived in America for his 15 years of life. Going back to what Mr. Lanski said his parents are Japanese, meaning he is but isn't.

    Hazel can tell him he is one or the other. Or she could help Sogoji decide for himself. They also could combine the two, American and Japanese. They could do "Americanese" or " Japanerica".

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    1. Hi Carly,
      Nice post. I would love to see where in the book you can show that Hazel "feels about how she talked and judged him".


      I like where you say in the third paragraph. "Or she could help Sogoji decide for himself" This really is the heart of it. A person must decide for themselves who they are and not listen the people around them defining who they are.

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    2. Great Job Carly. You are right, only Sogoji can decide who he is . It makes me think about what the definition of an American really is. Outside of Native American Indians, all of us were immigrants at one time. That is what makes the USA so unique and special. I think that in time Sogoji will come to call the Pacific Northwest home as well.

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  4. Hazel’s feelings toward Sogoji have changed because in the beginning, she thought he would get over how Hazel had told him to start thinking like an American and she did not know his background or anything about what has happened to him. So that hurt his feelings very bad. And so now that Hazel knows his background she is treating him with more kindness. What Mr Lanski means by this is Sogoji is a mix and he is also something else in that mix so then Mr Lanski is asking Hazel to help figure out what he is. And what MR Lanski means by this is he is not an American or a Japanese person and they want to know what he is.
    Hazel can help figure out what Sogoji is by her learning about what he likes the stories he told and what he grew up learning and how he talked. Those are some ways that Hazel could figure out what Sogoji is.

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    1. Nice response Emily. I like how you gave specific examples of how you think Hazel could get to know Sogoji better. I can't imagine how lonely and scared Sogoji must feel at times. He is so young to have already lost so much.

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  5. Now that Hazel has a better understanding on Sogoji’s past, how it changes her feelings towards Sogoji is she starts to feel a little bad because his whole family has died. And now he does chores for the Lanskis because early on in the book Hazel refers to Sogoji as a maid. Hazel also didn’t know about Sogoji’s backround. And that kind of hurt his feelings. What Mr. Lanski meant about Sogoji is he is in the middle is just kind of lost and Mr. Lanski meant he is not just anything and he is lost. Hazel can try to help him figure out who he is by hanging out with him or by talking about it.

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    1. Nice job Carson. Sogoji certainly needs Hazel's friendship but it seems like she could use a friend during this uncertain wartime as well.

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