Author Archives: n.durakovic

10/18/15

Early American Post

The story of Casabianca highlighted the author’s views of moral and immoral. The teenager, Casabianca, accompanied his father on a ship. His father was commander of the war ship and they engaged in a terrible battle upon the Nile River. During the bloodshed, his father placed young Casabianca in a particular place of the ship and ordered him not to move till his father addressed him to. His father then walked away to conduct his duties and in the mist of it all, he passed. Casabianca did not move from that spot. He cried out many times, “Father May I go?” and with no response, Casabianca stood there and obeyed his father’s orders.

 

In a way this short story reminded me of the 1994 Disney movie, The Lion King. In The Lion King, there is also a strong father/son bond. There is one scene in particular which highlights this. The scene where Mufasa dies is a heartbreaking and heroic part of the movie, just as the short story Casabianca. Both Mufasa and Casablanca’s father did whatever was necessary to protect their sons. They put their selves at risk and in the end, ended up dying. Both fathers share similar characteristics yet the children, Casabianca and Simba differ, Casabianca was obedient where as Simba was not. Simba would have never endangered himself or his father, if he had never wondered off into the canyons. Yet one thing that is not questionable is their love for their children, and that is what kept Casabianca and Simba alive.

 

Abbot, Messrs. “Casabianca.” Mount Vernon Reader: A Course of Reading Lessons. 1841. 139. Print.”Forgotten Chapters of Boston’s Literary History: Casabianca.” MESSRS. ABBOTT, Mount Vernon Reader, a Course of Reading Lessons, New York: Collins, Keese & Co., 1841. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

 

“The Death of Mufasa – The Lion King.” YouTube. YouTube. Web. 19 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iloXUw6B4RM>.

 

 

09/15/15

Mary Had A Little Lamb

What a reader is asked to KNOW:

About Life

  • What is a lamb?
  • Distinguish that white is a color and how the color white relates to snow.
  • How unlikely it would be for a lamb to follow a child (Mary) to school in reality.
  • The significance of rules at an institution.
  • How a companionship may be formed between child and animal.

About Language

  • Basic understanding of the English Language
  • Why “Mary” is capitalized within the poem.
  • The significance of punctuation within the poem.

About Literature

  • How admiration and embarrassment can be expressed through words.
  • The importance of repetition within the poem.
  • The key differences between a poem and another form of literature.

 

What a reader is asked to DO:

  • Have an understanding of how the words come together to create a story.
  • Understand that the text is imaginative
  • Understand that this is a poem, and the characteristics that make this text a poem, (Rhyme scheme, stanzas, etc.)

 

Who is the implied reader?

The implied reader of the nursery rhyme, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, is a child. Based off of the simplicity of the poem, the implied reader will have a common understanding of the importance of companionship and that there are times and places suitable for one. The nursery rhyme highlights the different emotions we face. Excitement, admiration and embarrassment are all clearly felt in certain stanzas of the poem. The implied reader will be able to correlate the emotion with the action and vice versa, (cause and effect).

 

Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, and Bruce McMillan. Mary Had a Little Lamb. New York: Scholastic, 1990. Print.

09/15/15

Child As A Site Of Adult Desires

Goodnight Moon is a children’s bedtime story written by Margaret Wise Brown. The book illustrates a bunny rabbit getting ready for bed and during his routine he starts by saying goodnight to each thing in the room. It is told as a poem and starts out with a description of all of the things in the bunny’s green room, such as a telephone, a picture of a cow jumping over the moon, a pair of mittens, and a little toy house. The bunny then begins saying goodnight to all of the inanimate objects and slowly but surely, the little bunny rabbit falls asleep.

The story is addressing the children to always say goodnight and to acknowledge all that is around them. Being conscious is definitely an adult desire; all adults seek perseverance and recognition as a trait in there children. Possessing such traits early on, can lead to a very vigilant being in and out of school, making them more focused on there own desires. The book also teaches us the value of “a day”, and how meaningful it is. In a way saying goodnight is symbolic of the present transitioning into the past, and for children, or any other reader, it can set a viewpoint for a new day. “New day” can be translated as new goals, new objectives or even a fresh start.

 

Brown, Margaret Wise, and Clement Hurd. Goodnight Moon;. New York: Harper, 1947. Print.