Jason

Is Desiree shackled by society or is she shackled by Armand's dependence on society?
 * __Desiree's Baby__**

I believe that Desiree is shackled by society itself. Black people are considered the lowest part of her society, so having a child that is partially black lowers her position in society. Because she has to try and keep her child's ethnicity a secret, she eventually ends up committing suicide. This shows how much pressure is put on her by the beliefs in her town.

What do you think of Tom's rebellion at the end of the play? Is he justified in what he does? Explain.
 * __The Glass Menagerie__**

I see nothing wrong with Tom's rebellious act at the end of the play. He was fed up with his mother always nagging at everything he did, such as the way that he ate and telling him that he needed to stop smoking so much, and I think that he felt under appreciated. When Tom says "The more you shout about my selfishness to me the quicker I'll go, and I won't go to the movies!" (1,7), this is demonstrating how Amanda, his mother, is constantly exploiting his actions and driving him farther away from their family. When Tom tells Jim, his co-worker, that he didn't pay the electric bill, this foreshadows his intentions to move out and explore life on his own. All Tom really wants to do is get away from his mother, and I think that his rebellion is justified by the fact that Amanda is always pointing out the negative aspects of his life. However, in leaving his mother, he is also leaving his sister behind too. Tom tries to justify this by saying "Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be," (1,7) but deep down inside I believe he regrets leaving Laura behind.


 * Jason: We know he really was unable to leave her behind because of the last line that you used. So, in reality (if I can use that word to describe a work of fiction) he was not like his father. His father left and seemingly had no regrets; however... Why was his mother nagging?**

Nick Smart n**ot a good response** Your response to this is very strong, I agree with your take on this question. Tom has all the right to do what he did. GOOD JOB DUDE!

KB I think that Tom regrets but then doesn't regret leaving Laura at the same time. In opinion he gets tired of Laura just like he gets tire of Amanda.I agree with the fact that he does want to get farther away form their family to move and explore life on his own. **//When you say he "regrets but then doesn't regret, you seem to be overlooking the last scene in the play. Your opinion is always right as long as you can support it with facts from the play. However, the play seems to contradict this. Mrs. S//**

Good read man, but in our perspective of course we would agree with him, because his mom IS constantly nagging him. But if u look at it from an adult standpoint, you have to say that Tom did do the wrong, irresponsible, and selfish thing by leaving his mother and sister behind. When he was all they had, it was way too selfish of him to just run away, leaving them with no one to support them. -Fil Avilez **Excellent answer Fil. It's good that you realize you are looking at it from a young man's perspective Mrs. S**

Jason- I have to disagree with what you said, although it was a very strong and respectable response. I believe that Tom was very wrong to leave his family. Tom acted in the same despicable way his father did by leaving his family. He abandoned all his responsibilities. This shows a weak character, externally and internally. It shows that he is emotionally unstable. It is never “ok” to abandon responsibilities. He should regret leaving Laura and his mother behind because it is wrong and he knows he is taking on his father when he does this. Tom does attempt to justify himself, but his justifications are for all the wrong reasons. He does not except any responsibilities he has, which is why he cannot justify himself. – Julia White **Excellent response, Julia -- Mrs. S**

Tom is a young man who is confused. He works a lot and then comes home to nagging and drama, which he doesn't need. He escapes from his problems by leaving, going out on the town, and smoking tobacco. He is just like every other American, he just deals with his problems slightly different. **chad** 1. I believe that the African Americans are saying these words, because they are not treated as Americans but they are treated as slaves and lesser then the Americans. They were brought into America to do work that Americans did not desire. 2. This one is about imigrants who came to America for a new chance and did not get the opportunity. They were treated unfairly and worked much like lawn maintenance people do in America these days.

Jason Fosbenner Nick Smart

Statements || “I Hear America Singing” (words or phrases) || Let America Be America Again || Evidence || Not in either poem – put a check only ||
 * Evidence
 * The poem relates a personal experience.  || No ||  || Yes || He talks of his experiences as a black person ||  ||
 * The poem relates common experiences. || No || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yes || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">He talks about the hard times that most Americans were having || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> ||
 * <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The poem explicitly states the message of the poem again. || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yes || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">He kept talking about how each person does his work. || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">yes || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">He talks about him wanting the American dream to return <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> ||
 * <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The poem describes a variety of events, many of which could be happening at the same time. || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Yes || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">He talked about how he heard all of the different trades people talking at the same time || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">yes || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">He was talking about all of the problems going on in American <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> ||
 * <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The poet uses elevated language. || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">No || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">No || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">X ||
 * <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The poem uses the language of the poem’s subjects. || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">No || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">No || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">X ||
 * <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The poem’s tone is optimistic and joyful. || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">No || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">He talks about melodious songs and carols. || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">No || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> ||
 * <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The poem’s tone begins in a pessimistic way but ends in a positive note. || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">yes || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">yes || <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">First he talks of the problems and how things were taking toll and how people had to live through them and then he talked about how the American dream returned <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> || <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> ||