Melissa+Vargas

Expository Essay The question, in a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us, how do we make decisions for ourselves, means that people are coming and criticizing the decisions that we make that are best for ourselves. When it says bombarded with other people trying to define us it is saying that people are trying to tell us the decisions that are right for us. Then, when it says how do we make decisions for ourselves it is explaining that we shouldn’t worry about what other people think and do what is best for us. The story //__Out Of the Dust__// relates well with this question. Most people preferred to move west to get away from the dust. Billie Jo thought it was the right thing by staying right where she was. People probably thought she was crazy but that didn’t matter because it wasn’t affecting them and it wasn’t their choice. A quote said from Billie Jo “you can’t run away from something that is inside you.” Which means you can’t run away from something that is in your life and a part of you. If Billie Jo did leave she would leave her dad who has skin cancer alone by himself. In our school the rules try to define us. There are certain things at our school that allows and prevents us to wear. We should be able to define ourselves and not worry about getting in trouble. Some of these rules are taking away our individuality and our style. Even though our school is trying to define us with these rules we still can make decisions for ourselves and what we want. __Out of the Dust Comprehension Questions __

__How did Ma get burned? __

Ma got burned because Billie Jo threw a pail of kerosene at her by accident.

__What did Billie Jo’s dad do when he found the money Ma had hidden? __

Billie Jo’s dad used the money to go drink.

__Who did Billie Jo think people blamed for her mother’s death? __

Billie Jo thinks people blame her for her mother’s death.

__How did the fire start? __

The fire started because Billie Jo’s mom poured a pail of kerosene to make coffee; she thought it was water.

__What new job did Billie Jo’s dad get? __

Billie Jo’s dad got a job at Wireless Power digging.

__What happened to Billie Jo’s hands? __

Billie Jo’s hands got burned.

__What did it cost to get into the art exhibit? __

It cost $.10 the first time, but the second and third time, they let Billie Jo get in for free.

__Who does Billie Jo blame for her mother’s death? __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Billie Jo blames herself and her dad for her mother’s death.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Why does Billie Jo think her father is digging a hole? __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Billie Jo thinks her father is digging a hole because her mom wanted him to.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What did Arley want Billie Jo to do with her hands? __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Arley wanted Billie Jo to try to play piano.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What happened to Billie Jo’s brother? __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Billie Jo’s brother died.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">What name did Billie Jo give her brother? Who was he named after? __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Billie Jo named her brother Franklin after the president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">How did Ma die? __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Ma died when she gave birth to Billie Jo’s brother.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">How did Mad Dog get his name? __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Mad Dog got his nickname because when he was little, he bit people like a crazy dog.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Why did Billie Jo decide to play in the dance revue? __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Billie Jo decide to play because she thought it meant a lot to Arley.

Melissa Vargas L.A.L. p.d. 4/5 November 2nd, 2010 What would you do if you were one of Peg's parents? What do you think are going through Peg's parents' minds?

If I was one of Peg's parents, I would be so scared. I'd be pacing up and down all around the house. Yes, I know that if anyone comes near someone with polio, they are in great danger of catching it. But polio patients should be allowed to at least see their family through a glass door or something of the like. If a parent isn't allowed to see their daughter, how they are supposed to know how she is, what’s she’s doing? If I was her mom for example, I could think she’s alive and trying to do therapy for her muscles, when really she could have died and I wouldn't find out for at least a day. I would be scared out of my mind if I was one of Peg's parents. ** In Chapter 3 of //Small Steps//, Peg has a problem with a nurse who refuses to turn her, even though she is in pain. ** =__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">11/22/10 __= =In Chapter 9, "Sunday Visitors," Peg gets a visit from her parents. At first, she is annoyed by her roommates involvement in their conversation, and Alice's reaction to her parents. Reread page 83-84.= =Now consider the following quote from page 84: "A window of understanding opened in my mind, and the breeze of compassion blew in. From that moment on, I was glad to share my visiting family with my roommates."=
 * **What reasons does Peg have for being angry with the nurse?**
 * **Do you think Peg does the right thing by telling her parents about this incident?**
 * In the story __Small Steps,__ Peg is diagnosed with the disease polio. At one point in the story when her whole body ached, she badly needed to turn onto her side. When she asked the nurse, the nurse wouldn't do it for her. Peg was very frustrated. Peg has every right to be mad at that nurse. Peg has been paralyzed. Peg is very vunerable now and needs help. The only reason she is asking to be turned is because she can't do it herself due to her condition. That nurse should have helped was because it is a nurse's duty to help all patients, no matter what. Did that nurse help Peg? No! She went against the vow she had made when she became a nurse. Shame on you nurse, shame on you!**
 * Peg did the right thing by telling her parents about the incident. Any child that had someone else bother them in anyway, should tell their parents right away. That is what my teachers have always told me. By following this rule, Peg told her parents about what happened and then she never had to deal with that person again. Everything turns out all right when you seek help about a situation. Peg did the right thing by telling her parents what happened between her and the nurse.**

=Respond in a paragraph: What does this quote mean? How does Peg use figurative language to get her point across? Also, what does it reveal about Peg's character?= In the book, __//Small Steps//__ by Peg Kehret, Peg gets a visit from her parents for the first time at Sheltering Arms. Her new roomates take part in the conversation between Peg and her parents.She doesn't like sharing her parents with them.After a while, Peg understood what her roomates were going through. She said herself, "A window of understanding opened in my mind, and the breeze of compassion blew in. From that moment on, I was glad to share my visiting family with my roomates." This quote means that Peg finally understood what her roomates were feeling, even if they didn't show it, and she has empathy for them. After she realized that, she wasn't that selfish any more. She would share her visitors with her roomates. Peg used figurative language to tell how she was feeling. It is a good way to fit the figurative language in the story because it varies the writing, tells what the emotions that she feels are, and explains that at first, she wanted more attention from her parents.Then she realized her roomates don't get any visitiors and she is willing to share her parents with them if it will make them happy. Also, this tells that Peg is a compassionate person. She has empathy for others around her. She has changed since the beggining of the book. Now she realizes how lucky she is and is giving up/sharing things with people less fortunate. If sharing her parents with her roomates will make them happy while their stay at Sheltering Arms, then, by all means, Peg will do it. That shows how compassionate Peg is.

12/2/10 Comprehension Questions Chapters 13-15 2. Sister Kenny learned how to treat polio syptoms from treating her borther's weak muscles. She has developed her treatments by accident. 4.Peg worked really hard in school because her principal told her she had to take a test at the end of the year to go to 8th grade with her old friends. 8.Mrs. Ballard compared Peg to learning how to walk over again to a baby learning to walk for the first time, when Peg complained it was hard. 11. Peg had to learn how to walk again because she was being transferred to walking sticks, to help her legs muscles stronger. 19. It was different at Peg's school than at the hospital becauase you only have to go for 2 hours and at the hospital, they didn't have any textbooks like the ones at her school. media type="custom" key="7975846"