The First Day by Edward P Jones is about a girl who has struggles attending school while her mother is trying her best to get her in. The author’s description of her entrance into school can we shown with imagery and inferencing.From the beginning of the story it can be seen that her mom really cares and is serious about her daughter going to school. As stated “My mother has uncharacteristically spent nearly an hour on my hair that morning, plaiting and replaiting so that now my scalp tingles” (Jones 1). This quote shows her mother taking time doing her daughter’s hair until her scalp tingles. As we further read on, we realize that her mother probably didn’t have an education as she was growing up. Jones stated that “The woman still seems not to understand. i ”1 can’t read it. I don’t know how to read or write, and I’m askin you to help me.” (2) This quote explains the education of the mother of not knowing how to read and asking for other people to help her. To me education is very important for everyone and it impacted me heavily because I’m the only son in my family that has a higher education past high school.

“The First Day” by Edward P. Jones is a bittersweet short story written from a young girl’s perspective about her first day of school. It is a memorable day in every person’s life, and the girl seems to describe a lot of details. The one thing that she did not notice is how hard her mother has worked for that day to come.

In the first paragraph the narrator has mentioned that her father is not present in her life, and her mother is the one who takes care of everything. For the longest time, her mother had a plan of providing her with something she never got a chance to receive – education. In order to enroll her daughter into school, she had to ask for help to sign the documents due to the fact that she can not read and write.

Being an immigrant, sometimes I forget that I am receiving an education that my parents and grandparents could only dream of. It is always important to remind yourself to value your loved ones and everything they do for you.

“The First Day” by Edward. P Jones is a short story centered around a young girl and her mother registering for school. In this narrative told through the eyes of the young girl, Jones uses dialogue and imagery to immerse the readers in the story. Starting with the visual of the mother preparing the young girl for school, Jones makes it clear that the mother cares a lot about education. Readers will later find out that the mother had never received a formal education herself but dreams of one for her child. One of my favorite quotes from the mother goes, “You gonna go there and learn about the whole world” (Jones 1). The hope the mother has for the child is wonderfully depicted with this simple yet powerful quote. I personally found this idea to be the most relatable because my family also wishes the same for me. Many of my family members are not formally educated so I always remember that and take my education seriously and with gratitude.

In the short story, The First Day, Edward P. Jones demonstrates that mothers are willing to fight for their kid’s success through the eyes of a young girl starting Kindergarten using imagery and dialogue. Jones describes as they are making their way to the first school that she sees “none of” her friends “as my mother and I walk”, compared to her description that “Walker-Jones is a larger, newer school and I immediately like it because of that” (1). His use of sensory imagery through the girl’s eyesight proves what the girl wants: the social life and the new school. With her mother, she wants her into the smaller school. She was worried about her quality of education as her mother says “If I’da wanted her someplace else, I’da took her there” (1). Through this dialogue we better relate to the story through the dialect as this creates an image of a mother from New Jersey just wanting a better education for her daughter. This short story most importantly demonstrates our lack of appreciation as kids of our parents actions as Jones states “I learned to be ashamed of my mother” (1) in the first sentence.

• Create an introductory post on our class blog. In approximately 300-400 words, describe yourself.   It’s up to you to decide what you’d like to share; please also let us know what name you’d like us to use to address you in the classroom and on the blog and what pronouns you’d prefer.   Include an image that represents or captures you in some way, and explain why you chose it.  This could be a photograph of you, or it could be an image of something else that speak to you and reflects some aspect of your identity.  Please post your introduction by Friday, Sept. 2nd.
•  Using the information I provided on the syllabus, please purchase the electronic textbook we will be using this semester, Join the Conversation.  Once you have access to the book, please look through the table of contents, introduction, and any other part of the book that captures your interest.  In a comment on this post, please share one observation about Join the Conversation.  This could be a general observation about the text, or a specific article that caught your eye. Please do this by Monday, Sept. 5th.
•  Replace your “Bearcat” icon with a picture of yourself in your blogs@baruch account.
• Read Edward P. Jones, “The First Day”.  You can find the link to the short story under the “Texts” tab at the top of our blog.  In a short blog post (150-200 words), share your reactions and observations about the text.  What details from the text made a strong impression on you?  What do you make of the author’s description of her entrance into school? Could you identify with any elements of this narrative?  Please share your response before our class on Wed. Aug. 31st.  Bring a hard copy of the story with you to class..

Hello,

If you are reading these words, you have found your way to our course blog.  I can’t wait to welcome you to Baruch in person and to begin our work together.  Our first face-to-face class will take place on Monday, August 29th at 12:25 pm in VC 9-116 (room #116 on the 9th floor of the Vertical Campus).  Please leave yourself plenty of time to get to class; it may take a while as staff and students familiarize themselves with new routines and procedures. Our class on Monday should leave you with a good understanding of what you can expect from English 2100, but if you have any questions in the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out – either in the comments below or by emailing me at [email protected].  Bookmark this site.  This is where you will find your weekly assignments from me, where you can go for information about course resources and policies, and where you will be sharing some of your own writing over the course of the semester.

See you soon!

Professor Sylvor

Pronouns: she/her/hers