Wednesday, November 18, 2015

pre reading- the orphan train

Read the attached article titled "Orphan Trains."  Orphan trains brought orphans to the United States and stopped periodically for individuals to "adopt" the children.  After reading the article, write a blog describing what it would be like to be an orphan on an orphan train.


“Orphan trains” is an article that tells you how life was like for the orphans and the process they had to go through if they didn’t have a loving family to care for them and provide a child’s basic necessities.
As I was reading the “Orphan train” I imagined myself as an orphan and on that train. I would’ve been scared, nervous, upset, and tired. If you were on a orphan train they would stop at all these towns so that every orphan would have the opportunity to be adopted. Being on that train and knowing you're leaving your family for a new one would make me feel scared and upset, because you don't have a choice of who you get to live with anymore. So what if you end up with a family that makes you work and abuses you? The children's aid society (an organization that provided a new home and families for orphans) had one job after all the kids were adopted, and that was to check up on them once a year to see if they were doing alright and remove children from bad situations. “This system failed sometimes” the article said, so if you were in a abusive family you had the options of running away or hopefully being saved by the society. Another feeling I would express is to be extremely upset because I would miss my old family, even if they weren't around enough, and it still takes time to adapt and cope with your new family to where you can at least say comfortable in your new environment. It says in the article that the train rides transport you to new families would last around a day to a week. The reason it would last that long is if you weren't picked by a family along the towns it stops at. It stated that in the article a child would stay on the train until it got picked by the right family. Now think what if you didn’t get by a family in a week, all that time you’re seeing people get picked except you? With this happening would you develop ideas or feelings that no one wants to adopt you?
    These are the effects that I think I would have if I was in an orphans position and went through that process of being adopted.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

borderline - post reading

"For better or worse you'll find out everything you want (or don't want) to know about this world."

This quote means that regardless how shut out or open you are to this world, your always going to find the truth.
In the book "Borderline" Sami wanted to know the truth about who his father really was. Sami's father was described as a very strict, religious, and uptight man. He was also very organized and determined in his work. In the book Sami's father was accused of being apart of a terrorist attack that was going to take place. With evidence ,his father had no explanation to he was handcuffed and put on the news to give a warning to others. All Sami's life his father never acted like what the news made him out to be, until Sammi started noticing the little things about his dad that seemed off, like pouring coffee not caringly. His father always took everything with care. If your dad was accused of being a terrorist would your trust be affected?
  All our lives our parents raised us to be prepared for all the troubles and hardships in our lives and to come face to face with the real world. An example of facing the truth about this world is as a kid your parents may have told you about Santa clause and how he goes around the world on Christmas eve giving presents to every child. I to was told the story of old saint nick and believed in him till I was 10 years old. On Christmas eve I saw my parents putting down the presents that they said were from "Santa clause". Whether I wanted to find the truth if he was real or not I found out anyway and it took the fun out of Christmas! 
From both of the examples I have given you they were to prove that your always going to find out the truth regardless of what you to keep yourself from it. And with finding out the truth, you may be affected in various ways. For Sami and me it was to limit who we trusted with our secrets or beliefs.