Amanda's Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZP5wUZmxhU&feature=plcp

Columbia Bridge Program Presentation PT.1

Video

Bridge Video

Lost In Place

Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris Soul Caliber V

Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris (Way of the Dragon)

Chuck Norris (interview about Bruce Lee)

My song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzQj-pjY1JA&feature=player_embedded 

lyrics:
Half a Mile

You saw the end in your eyes

But now there just yellow

and i don't want to leave you behind

you are the rain in this sun

you took everyone by surprise 

why should you have to die?

This, this isn't happening god why

this little boy could be a man

and they knew (2x)

that you couldn't go all the way   

In the past i won't forget you

I'll tell your story to the world

nothing seems real anymore (2x) 

You died a half a mile from our home (3x)

Cesar and your bar scene!!!

Letter to Super Cesar,




Cesar, your final response was very very VERY graphic. Your paper didn't sound like you it was as if I was thinking the same thoughts as you, on the same wavelength as you, but more imporatantly it felt as if I walked your own shoes. As a child, I picked up on my early stages of developing higher levels of thinking. "Walk in someone's shoes for a day and experience what they experience in there everyday lives". I really felt I was in your shoes expereincing what you were feeling.


Sincerely, Larthel Henry Johnson

#Amari's paper...

Good narrative flow and connection to the book, good job elaborating on how your expirience made you feel and including how the charachters must have felt. interesting to read.

Dear Amanda

 

I truly enjoyed your paper. I enjoyed the introduction and how you connected with your reader. I’ve went through similar situations where people I’ve been friends with during childhood have changed.  The evolution of change is epic in life and it’s needed to help build us. I can connect with Sarah because I wasn’t popular in high school and our experience with being under dogs has helped motivate us to pursue what we love. You have connected me to your book and actually want to read it. You sold me on the book and your great writing has done that.

Letter to Aaron

I like your paper bro you had a strong intro and a good word choice. You have great idea’s in your paper I didn’t read the book but I wanted too. You should make more context from the book in some of your paragraphs. I like how you knew the authors aesthetics and understand what she is doing because most of the people that read my book couldn’t keep up.  I like how you went deep as fuck in the last paragraph. I wish you could did that during your whole paper but you ended it well.

Letter To Patrick

In reading your paper Patrick it was very insightful into what you were trying to get the reader to understand. In putting more emotion in it made the story very intriguing from the first start. I like how you relate the book They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky to your own life and related it to issues that go on today. This made me want to read your paper more, and to add on to my own thoughts of what I could do in the situation of the book and the world today. I get the poetic, public figure vibe in reading your paper and relating it to my own life. I like your stance of not fully knowing what you would do in the character’s position. Good paper.

Dear A

Dear Aaron

I enjoyed your paper and the outlook you gave.  Your introduction is strong and you word choice is good.  Your beliefs on Acknowledging where you come from, gives a strong message to your reader. We are connected to where we’re from it plays a role in our identity.  You also help me understand Sarah. I haven’t read the book, but from your paper I see that she is passionate about her creative writing. Her passion has influenced on how I should strive for my goals. She went to different places and still kept her love for writing alive which is difficult.

anDREW "Barrymore" Fridge (LETTER)

Dear, Drew

Well I would say that you writing skill had really change. You have become more of yourself by explaining about the book, your life, and the world. Plus, you have also when in deep in your writing, because after reading you paper I though I did my COMPLETELY wrong. But any who, keep up the good work and hopefully i would hearing your music in the future.

AMANDA!!!!

Amanda, your introduction was brilliant. Even your first sentence in the paper drew me in. I like the way you didn't bring the book up right away. You kind of set a scene that we all can relate to, because we are all just getting out of high school and becoming adults. I like how you kind of set the order of your paper, you didn't jump around at all. You start off your body of the paper like "the book starts off" I like how you did that.

A letter to Ceeser.

Ceesar you had a good narrative flow and gave plenty of reference to the book. I think you could have gave more connection of the book to yourself. Good job making those references and citing them correctly. only thing i would say be more concious of is your language/word choice. try not to write exactly how you would talk.

Letter to Kat

Kat I like your essay about the bitter sweet tough love and hear my thoughts of what I think about your paper. You need to show more contexts from the book. You talk about what happens in the book but I want to hear it from the Author said of the story.  You did a great job tying in the connections from your personal experience and the character personal experience. You should be a little bit more specific because I felt like you kind of like stop after your idea but didn’t keep exploring.  Also claim it because I felt like you were getting their but didn’t uncover some of those idea’s. On the 4 page first paragraph you should of put so context from the book to make that paragraph solid. The risk you took was putting a little bit of your experience more try to balance it out.

Mackenzie

Your paper was interesting! I felt like I was reading a book. It reminded me of nicks essay when he just gave a story rather than being blunt. Was it a true story? Who was the girl? What was going through your head when you made this. I had previewed your thesis before and it totally changed Why?

Letter to Mackenzie

This paper “A Hidden Life in Familiar Places,” was probably the most intriguing paper I read so far. I like in the paper how you discuss how everyone has culture, but what really makes their culture is their personal background and how a person comes of age, and in all actuality how now one really knows each other’s culture if they do not take the time to understand. I like your stance in how “They Poured Fire on Us from The Sky”, expresses how risk is the main element in how someone survives, and how our way of survival is just as much as survival in the book, but only on different terms and circumstances. In how you relate your favorite song to the book makes it more captivating in realizing the epiphany of being insightful, and how a little more passion will always outweigh previous mistakes or even an stuck up arrogant personality. Your storytelling made it feel like I was reading a novel, especially in the intro and conclusion. I think I can agree with you about how sometimes with people, including myself, are sometimes consumed in ourselves and cannot remember the important issues that help us understand culture to better situations. In understanding your paper I would say, even when people can or can’t figure out our culture, it’s important to open up then criticize. Good paper.

Scotty VS. DBZ?

Letter to Scotty



I really found it interesting to have a chance to read your paper because of the vivid images that you wrote in the book. First off how you made the clear connection to DBZ, do you remember the battle between Goku and Frieza? And remember when Goku went super sayian? Everyone at my school the next day was hyped over that episode on Toonami at around like 4pm. Those images painted a real vivid picture of when I was a kid. Trying to remember childhood memories gets harder slowly when you get older and older. Sticking to childhood events are somethiing to be treasured and I would love to read anymore comparsions that you woud come up with in the near future of your writing techniques. Scotty, in the near future, I hope your writing develops into an even stronger structure than this. Always fight for the top spot and never settle for second best. Capture the readers attention and never let them go and do the same exact thing with your music. Captivation is the key to your success in your music career.




Sincercely, Larthel Henry Johnson

To Cornell

I really liked your voice and strong stance throughout the entire paper, as well as your thread between yourself and the book with the use of good examples. I strongly enjoyed the questions in both the introduction and the conclusion. They both really got me, leaving me wanting more, which is something that I might try.  I truly think you did a really good job.

To Zane

I liked how you started off your paper with a question, I feel like not many people do that. You have a good relation to the book throughout the whole paper. I feel like you should have talked about yourself sooner on in the paper, yet it is still a well written paper. I like how you end the paper telling me to read this book; it actually makes me want to read it now. Overall the ending is strong, and I liked it.

HENRRYYYYY! this is for you...

Dear, Henry

In your paper, I was very impress that you have played another role on this assignment. I know you have took your time working on this, because it is tough to answer the questions that you ask. Or maybe it wasn't, but I don't know, and you really had but in your imagination towards your response. And I really like how you put it in an interview formation, because it really did seem like I was reading an actual article. Well, keep up the good work!

Letter to Katherine

I liked the topics that you choice to use on your essay. I understood what you were trying to say when you were explaining the tough love that your parents showed you when it came to school. I agree with you 100% on what you wrote about. In the beginning I thought that the topic of tough love would be hard to explain in writing, but with your developed narrative voice it was easily understood and more importantly relatable.  Your essay spoke to me because when I was a kid my parents would do the same thing. I thought they were just being mean but after reading your essay I now understand. I understand because you helped me step into my parents shoes with the power of empathy. You showed me that although tough love is hard to understand, it helps you out in the long run. You used empathy to allow me to understand where you were coming from. I find this funny because empathy was what my whole paper was about.

Letter to Amari..

Dear Amari, I like the way you add so much of your personal experience from high school to your paper.  You spoke about gaining confidence from your teacher throughout your senior year. I believe if you stick with that confidence in all of your papers you will do great. Never feel  like you can’t do something, and just give your all on each assignment .

Letter to (Nick) From Kat

Dear Nick you have a strong voice and strong transistion words. I encourage you to keep using your own emotions to make the paper send the message across. You gave good examples, but however I encourage you expand them a little more. You have an unique way of writing they is some what poetic and sets the content for your paper. Your vocabulary is very mature and shows that your engaged and knowledgable about what you write about. Keep up the good work and keep the same style.

Letter to Henry

DEEEAR Henry,

         I thought your interview was a great idea! It was funny, informative and it really worked out. I'm sure it made writing the paper much easier too. I love how you work all of your points and your thesis into the interview. It's very clever and I wish I thought of something like that. Great job!

To Cornell

I really liked how you started off the paper with asking a question, it worked in the paper. The introduction is well written with a relation to the book but it was missing a personal side.  Though, later on in the writing you do talk about yourself connecting to the story. The overall voice was very well written, it was a bit different and I liked it. I liked how the conclusion tied everything in. <3 Amanda

To Andrew

I really like your introduction, especially the connections you use between yourself and the book. The body was really strong with the points and examples, not only with your book, but globally as well. By far, my favorite part of the entire essay was, “A risk that can change the world can be as small as opening one’s mouth.” Over all, I think you did an excellent job.

letter to nick

                   Dude, the story at the beginning is so similar to experiences I've been through. One girl in my life did pretty much the same thing to me. But I made her lose all her friends and publicly embarrassed her. She regrets the day she ever fucked with me. I like how well that story connected with your thesis too. Your story is such a good example for your thesis. Your writing is amazing as always. Keep up the good work man.

Letter to (Patrick) From -Kat

Dear Patrick you have a strong introduction paragrah and a strong voice. You give clear examples, and exsplain your points clearly. However i would encourage you to use more metaphors and also make sure not to seperate your paragraphs when you give examples. I feel you should use more transition words. Good job on expanding your ideas and relating them to your own exsperience as well as others. You keep the writer intrested and wanting to know more. I feel you should share more emotion with your examples though other than that you did a fantastic job.

Dear Scotty

I enjoyed your second paragraph. It was filled with facts the background of Sudan. I had assumed your paper would relate to moments that you liked our that stuck with you. It not only made me aware but it was funny also! I liked how you spoke about the Dinka refusing to change relieigon. Although I think if Islamic people read it they would find it offensive :P

Letter to Zane

I really liked the message you displayed in your paper. The way you gave descriptions of the book and did not completely give the book away was also very good. I agree with you on the fact that everyone needs to go read this book because it gives you a different point of view on the world.  I agree with the message that you were trying to get across. I also feel like after reading this book there is nothing in the world that I can’t do. The conclusion truly captured the bulk of your whole paper and re-touched on everything you had previously explained. I thought your paper was inspirational and your conclusion was extremely well written. Good job bro

Andrew...

The things I view differently now because of reading my peers comments and questions and views of the book include how i look at my main charachter and how I look at the flow of the story. I anaylize the main charachter differently now because of reading the comments and questions made on here. there are more things i look at as far as how they handle their conflicts in the story, and even comparing the charachter to myself which opens my mind even more and hooks me into the story more because i am predicting their actions in the narrative because i am looking deeper into their personality because of what i have read in blogging.

New POV's on our books

What new perspectives do you have on your book after hearing parts of your classmates' papers? Speak directly to your classmates--what ideas do they put on the table? Explore new insights on your book from multiple perspectives.

The Journey Is Almost Over...

In my book They Poured Fire on Us form the Sky the Lost Boys journey through Sudan was rough, but at the end their life got better.
Throughout the Bridge Program we had lost some allies during out our journey, but now we are close to the finish line. Tell us how your journey was through the program? From Beginning to Now.

Compatibility (Aaron's Question)

In the books that we have been reading its easy to notice the personalities of the characters. Based on the personality of your character, do you think you could work with the characters from your book in real life? If you could work with them, in what ways do you see yourself being compatible? If you can't be compatible explain why.

Cornells Question

Is there any character in your book that you feel needs to mature or develope in some form?  Discuss how they act now and how the changes will afffect them

(Cesar) Questions ???

These are some of the questions that I could think of when I am reading my book "Lost In Place". Towards the end of my book Mark quit his kung-Fu class and started sloping around his house with nothing to do. Because he just quit his pursuit for kung-Fu I lost hope in him after that.
 At the end of the book, do you feel hope for your characters?
Are any of the events in the book relevant to your own life when you lose and gain hope?

Liking your book

Are you happy with the book that you have chosen to read in Bridge? If yes, please explain why. Is it the voice? Is it the diction?  Or is it the content? If you do not like the book please explain why. Do the other books sound more interesting? Also, if you could meet the author of your book, what would you ask or say to them and why? Would you consider reading another one of your authors books? Explain your answer. 

The Advise (Katherines Question)

Each character has a unique story with different ways of telling it. If you were there in the story with your character what advice would you give them to help them or just encourage them to do what is best for them? What advise has someone given you to make you want to keep fighting for what you believe in

Background

In the book I am reading, They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, the boys traveled from a third world country to America. In your book, how does where your character(s) grew up somewhat shape who he/she/they became? Is it written all over the character(s) face or is the character kind of a black sheep in where he/she/they came from?

Will You Survive?

In the book "They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky", the lost boys struggle each day to keep themselves alive. Now picture this, if you live in the Downtown area of Chicago and the city was infected by some kind of disease. You and your friend would be the only people not infected. What would you do to keep yourself alive? How? Where would y'all stay at?  And how would you find away to get help?

Body of a child but a mind of a man

In my book “They poured fire on us from the sky” the characters have to do allot of growing up mentally to be able to handle their long walk to Ethiopia. Do you see a change in the way your main character(s) think(s) in your book? If so, how is it different from how their state of mind in the beginning? What do you think caused this transition? 

The structrue

Good Afternoon everybody!!! So, every author writes differently right? Everybody don't have same views, am I correct?  So, I would like to know if the author of your book writing style? How does he/she structure the book? Mark Salzman author of "Lost in Place" writing style tends to jump around. There are sometimes that I feel like I'm playing hop-scotch while I'm reading. 

Help???

Think critically about what your character(s) been through so far in each of your books. What help do they need? What support do they need that they aren't receiving? Is the character(s) receiving the support or help they need but isn't realiving it? How can they recieve that support and why would they need help and or support through the situations that life has thrown at them.

Life Lesson (Zane's question)

In my book “They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky” these boys definitely go through a life changing experience. I think a life lesson was learned as they went thorough everything. What lesson in life has your main characters(s) learned in your book? Also how can you compare it to a life lesson you’ve learned in your life?

Scotty's question

In your book, who is your favorite character? Why? Who is your least favorite character? Give examples from the story about why you like or dislike them.

Andrew's question.

When we read stories, we tend to associate charachteristics, beliefs, values etc., with the main charachter(s). What does the main charachter represent to you? What vibe do you get from this characther as you read? It does not necessarily even have to be the main charachter. What charachter(s) stand(s) out to you?

House of Cards (Amari's Question)

They say that if you were to change an event or even a moment in your life like a house of cards it can all be rearranged. If you see a rich kid walking around your neighborhood and do something materealistic we will judge them as being 'spoiled'. If someone with less than yourself saw the things we do todoay they too would probably say the same. Everyone takes things for granted and sometimes we cannot truly appreciate them until worse happens. We do not really get a sense until in somene else's shoes. If you were in the shoes of your main character what would you do differently? How would you handle their issues? Are there any parts in the story you wish they would have did differently? Why or why not?

How do your beliefs contribute to your work? (Aaron's Question)

Sarah Vowell in my book discusses her beliefs that contribute to her work ethic in her art. How does the character in your book use their beliefs to contribute to their goals or work?

Life Comparison (Cornell's Question)

 Name one character in your book that you can relate to? Give detail on how you two are alike and what’s something you would take from them? Could be the way they speak or the personalty they have.

The Light Bulb (K.'s question)

When did the "light bulb" go off for you about your artistic passion? When and how did you realize you wanted to pursue film, illustration, theater, radio, etc? Who or what inspired you in that particular moment? Think about these questions and describe for us your moment of discovery and how your mind turned on an axis, opening up to your artistic path. Perhaps it was a series of moments, but discuss the process of a light bulb going off and how your own thinking changed about what you want to go after as a maker in this world.

"What drives you?" (Jenn's Question)

We talked yesterday in our post-lecture discussion about Ames Hawkin's question, "What drives you?". What drove you to apply to Columbia? More than likely it was your creative passion for music, art, dance, etc. In thinking about your creative goals, also think about your academic goals and how they relate. How do your creative goals line up with your academic goals and what are your goals for your time here in the Bridge program as well as for the time you spend at Columbia and when you start to pursue your post-college career path.

While thinking about your own goals, think about the books you are reading. What is "driving" the characters in your books (Sarah, Mark and the Lost Boys)? What are their goals so far? Can you make any connections to your own goals and their goals?

Hey y'all!

Welcome to K. and Jenn's Bridge class! We're excited to work with you this summer and are looking forward to the weeks ahead. Our class blog will be a place for you to pose thoughtful questions for your peers and to respond to their questions. You'll get tons of practice writing in a public space, and get to know K., Jenn and your classmates through reading daily posts and comments. Let's get started!