145 Comments
Justin Walker
10/30/2013 09:24:22 am
“The little fellow was now really the one delight that Jurgis had in the world- his one hope, his one victory. Thank God, he was a boy! And he was tough as a pine knot, and with the appetite of a wolf. Nothing had hurt him, and nothing could hurt him; he had come through all the suffering and deprivation unscathed- only shriller-voiced and more determined in his grip on life.”
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Sophia C.
10/30/2013 11:59:16 am
I agree with your last line especially, that Jurgis isn't allowed to have nice things, or rather, not allowed to keep them. Like with Antanas he is allowed to have him, but only for a time. This just makes the fact that he doesn't get to keep him (that he dies) all the worse. I mean, isn't it better for those around you to never be born than to die young and horribly? I certainly think it would be.
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Katie
10/30/2013 12:01:34 pm
Thats a really cool view on the matter that I didn't see before. I can tell you put a lot of thought into this.
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Sarah Hardin
10/30/2013 12:10:26 pm
I love your metaphor! I definitely see where you're coming from, Antanas' death was not just to make the audience cry. You definitely found the deeper meaning! A+ analysis in my book!:)
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Cole Sargent
10/30/2013 12:16:21 pm
Great analysis. I also worry about Jurgis' (jerr-gess hue) future because pretty much everything seems to go wrong with him and the people around him... But, I agree, without little Antanas, Jurgis would probably be out on the streets without a care in the world anymore.
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Brianna Barboza
10/30/2013 12:50:26 pm
I agree with Sophia on this. It does seem that Jurgis hasn't lost everyone he loves...yet that is. As of far, these unfortunate events perhaps are foreshadowing what's to greet him in future chapters.
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Sarah Olson
10/30/2013 01:27:40 pm
I thought Supposition was an excellent HOHAM to choose. Nice analysis.
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Sabrina
10/31/2013 04:18:52 pm
Nice quote choice! I enjoyed your analogy of Antanas being like the light the Jurgis strives towards. Great connection with the HOHAM unlimited potential.
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Anthony Williams
10/30/2013 10:42:37 am
“Finally, he got up and walked on again. It was about sunset, and he went on and on until it was dark, when he was stopped by a railroad crossing. The gates were down, and a long train of freight cars was thundering by. He stood and watched it; and all at once a wild impulse seized him.”
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Xochitl Aguinaga
10/30/2013 11:33:03 am
It's interesting to read everyone's different opinions on the blog. In this instance I saw Jurgis' actions as selfish, but you were able to interpret it as self-advocacy.
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Carly
10/30/2013 12:30:32 pm
I agree that this was a statement of self-advocacy, because Jurgis took his situation into his own hands. However, I do also believe that it was selfish of him, and disrespectful to the memory of his wife and child to abandon the rest of the family on a whim.
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Jessica Pollock
10/30/2013 04:14:07 pm
I feel like when he left his family he was being selfish but I can see where you are coming from. Maybe he felt like they would do better without him and he should just get out of there.
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Malia M.
10/30/2013 04:18:07 pm
I can understand seeing that Jurgis' actions were self-advocacy but I think he was being selfish. If he were truly self advocating I think he would protect what is most important to him, his family.
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Tyler Felix
10/30/2013 10:56:22 am
"Three doors away was a saloon. "Whisky," he said, as he entered, and as the man pushed him some, he tore at the rag with his teeth and pulled out half a dollar. "How much is the bottle?" he said. "I want to get drunk."
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Xochitl Aguinaga
10/30/2013 11:38:46 am
I like the deep personal connection you made to the reading, you put yourself in Jurgis's shoes and rationalized what you would have done in his situation.
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Andrew Ledezma
10/30/2013 12:18:25 pm
I like the emotion that your analysis brings forth. Many of the characters because of the broken connections. Awesome paragraph!
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Brianna Barboza
10/30/2013 12:47:42 pm
I actually chose a similar quote to yours and it was interesting reading your personal connection. I'm terribly sorry for your loss and it must've been difficult for you to go through. But back onto your analysis, your thoughts on what Jurgis's decisions should be are intriguing. I have mixed opinions about the choices he's making but it's good to see another reader's point of view. :)
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Max Klein
10/30/2013 02:36:22 pm
I really like how you connected on a personal level, I was thinking about choosing a quote similar to this because I have a similar connection.
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Malia M
10/30/2013 03:20:50 pm
Great post and personal connection! I agree that people can't just move on and get over grief. They need something to move on to and refocus their positive energy on.
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Jessica Pollock
10/30/2013 04:16:28 pm
I like how you made a deep, personal connection to this quote. I think you advice to Jurgis to focus on his son is a good way to get his mind off of everything and have something he is proud of. Other than this what else do you think is a good idea to get rid of depression?
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Lance S.
10/30/2013 11:23:29 am
"and she was gone forever, she was dead! He could have screamed aloud with horror and despair of it; a sweat of agony beaded his forehead, yet he dared not make a sound-he scarcely dared to breathe, because of his shame and loathing of himself." Ch. 20
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Sophia C.
10/30/2013 12:02:15 pm
I love how instead of saying how jurgis is being a self advocate, you say you would be and you hope he chooses to be one. That, to me, makes your analysis more powerful and interesting!
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Sophia C.
10/30/2013 11:55:48 am
"One more bandage had been torn from his eyes, one more pitfall was revealed to him!"
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Gage Gamboa
10/30/2013 01:13:52 pm
Great post! Your descriptive and imaginative analysis of the quote is wonderful. Very nice word choice.
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Sarah Hardin
10/30/2013 12:05:23 pm
"So he went on, tearing up all the flowers from the garden of his soul, and setting his heel upon them."
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Cole Sargent
10/30/2013 12:14:02 pm
Great analysis. Also, I'm pretty sure anyone who didn't cry when Ona died is heartless.
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Sarah Olson
10/30/2013 01:28:20 pm
This was a great analysis. You really poured your feelings about the book into it. Good job :)
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Abby Thompson
10/30/2013 02:50:26 pm
I really liked the quote you chose! Really sad part of the book =( Good analysis too!
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Shannon Carlson
10/30/2013 03:04:43 pm
I loved that you picked this quote and really explained what you felt. And I liked that you posed a question.
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Cole Sargent
10/30/2013 12:11:09 pm
“He stretched out his arms to her, he called her in wild despair; a fearful yearning surged up in him, hunger for her that was agony, desire that was a new being born within him, tearing his heartstrings, torturing him. But it was all in vain—she faded from him, she slipped back and was gone,” (Sinclair 205). I connected supposition to this quote, because Jurgis never really realized how much he loved Ona until she was truly and utterly gone. Working at the yards day in and day out, he had turned his focus from his family and friends, the work consuming him and making him forget why he worked in the first place. I think that if he took the time to stop and realize just how much he loved his family, he would have saved up a bunch of money and escaped the wretched town of Chicago with her, instead of by himself, and be able to work average hours while at the same time being able to support his family. He would have saved himself from alcoholism, his children suffering, his wife being raped, and he himself being broken by the meat-packing industry.
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Andrew Ledezma
10/30/2013 12:16:58 pm
I think that the connection HOHAM is more than skin deep. I like how you analyzed the emotions and longings of the characters in the book. I think that the downward spiral brings the entire family crashing down once the family connections are broken. Great work!
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Sarah Hardin
10/30/2013 12:31:33 pm
Wonderful analysis! You definitely brought all of the contributing factors' to Jurgis' internal demise to light. (honestly this book is so distressing, ahhh.)
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Carly
10/30/2013 12:34:43 pm
Intersting theory, that if he focused on his family again they would have made it. I comepletely agree that their situation might be very different if he had handled things better, and that he is definitely suffering with "You don't know what you've got, 'til its gone."
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Gage Gamboa
10/30/2013 01:11:00 pm
Very nice post! There are lots of interesting ideas presented. I think that your point of Jurgis not realizing his love for Ona until her passing (and the sentences that followed it) was valid and very thought provoking.
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Andrew Ledezma
10/30/2013 12:14:45 pm
“What a hellish mockery it was, anyway, that a man should slave to make harvesting machines for the country, only to be turned out to starve for doing his duty too well!”
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Erik Salazar
10/30/2013 12:45:47 pm
I think it is a very significant moment in the book when Jurgis discovers that the grass is not really greener on the other side. He acknowledges that life is not what he believed it to be in the states.
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Salina
10/30/2013 02:00:11 pm
I like how you talk about no matter what he will loose his job, how this is how it is, and how its not what Jurgis first thought. I feel the same way with what you said.
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Hayes Sherr
10/30/2013 05:42:41 pm
I agree much with this quote and analysis because it does show how Jurgis isn't getting treated any better if he were to work hard then to work slow.
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Hank Sherr
10/30/2013 06:18:21 pm
Yep, you can work everyday of your life, give it 100% every time and when you need your job back they'll just say leave we don't need you anymore. I wonder how bad it could get here in America?
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Katie C
10/30/2013 12:15:59 pm
“Yes, he said, he would try, for the sake of Antanas. He would give the little fellow his chance—would get to work at once, yes, tomorrow”
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Erik Salazar
10/30/2013 12:41:31 pm
I like the connection of a fathers love to other books. How far do you think Jurgis will go to protect his son?
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Meilani
10/30/2013 01:19:58 pm
I like that you connect a parent's love for their child, I think its something that a lot of people can connect to.
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Hank Sherr
10/30/2013 06:20:29 pm
It's amazing how he can still go on after what he is going through in the chapter.
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Carly
10/30/2013 12:28:02 pm
"It was a working-man's home, and the owner was a Slav like himself, a new emigrant from White Russia; he bade Jurgis welcome in his home language, and told him to come to the kitchen-fire and dry himself."
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Crystal
10/30/2013 12:52:08 pm
You made an extremely good connection and I agree with your view points on the differences in acceptance.
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Ysabella Dawson
10/30/2013 02:37:23 pm
I think that you prove a very good point here, about the levels of kindness towards strangers between then and today. I certainly would not welcome some random stranger into my house and give them dinner, even if they said they'd give me some money. In society today I guess we're trained to be overly paranoid and avoid beggars and the homeless. I remember in Oregon when a strange hobo slunk out of the darkness and asked my group for socks, we all just murmured "no" and walked in the other direction. It's actually kind of sad to think about how our society has been conditioned to be like that.
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Justin Walker
10/30/2013 05:00:40 pm
Excellent connection! The points made in this post were well crafted.
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Brianna Barboza
10/30/2013 12:44:11 pm
"How much is the bottle?" he said. "I want to get drunk."
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Crystal
10/30/2013 12:53:36 pm
Tha is a very great connection you made. There was a lot leading up to this point and I think Jurgis felt so weighted down, I think we all wondered when exactly his breaking point would be.
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Crystal Delgado
10/30/2013 12:46:52 pm
"Ah what agony is that, what despair, when the tomb of memory is rent open and the ghosts of his old life comes forth to scourge him!"
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Grady Gumner
10/30/2013 03:14:09 pm
I agree with your point that losing a loved one is an extremely tragic point, however I don't think it is fair to say that if Jurgis had a life before meeting Ona, then he could move on with his life without having the person he loved most. Although turning to alcohol definitely wasn't the right course, he lost the biggest part of his life, and that isn't something that can be moved right past without some assistance (alcohol for Jurgis).
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Gage Gamboa
10/30/2013 01:07:22 pm
“That was his answer, and it showed his mood; from now on he was fighting, and the man who hit him would get all that he gave, every time.” Page 223 (Barnes & Noble Classics Edition), a little bit less than halfway through Chapter 22.
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Trevin Kraus
10/30/2013 01:15:59 pm
I agree with you 100%. I think that by gaining a new perspective on life and by living in the countryside he can stop and think about what he wants to do long-term in his future.
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Sophia Kormanik
10/30/2013 01:07:33 pm
“Elzbieta was glad to have somebody to listen, and she told all their woes-what had happened to Ona, and the jail, and the loss of their home, and Marija’s accident, and how Ona had died, and how Jurgis could not get work. As she listened the pretty young lady’s eyes filled with tears, and in the midst of it she burst into weeping and hid her face on Elizbieta’s shoulder, quite regardless of the fact that the woman had on a dirty old wrapper and that the garret was full of fleas. Poor Elzbeita was ashamed of herself for having told so woeful a tale and the other had to beg and plead with her to get her to go on. The end of it was that the young lady sent them a basket of things to eat, and left a letter that Jurgis was to take to a gentleman who was superintendent in one of the mills of the great steelworkers in South Chicago.”
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Trevin Kraus
10/30/2013 01:13:45 pm
I am glad you chose the quote you did. I think we always look at the negative affects of certain events. However, you highlighted a positive aspect of the story. It's important not to forget that despite all the corruption taking place there were still good people.
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Meranda Knowles
10/30/2013 01:39:59 pm
I think it's great that instead of concentrating on the overall depressing book, you chose a positive aspect of it and reflected on integrity.
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Trevin Kraus
10/30/2013 01:09:40 pm
Quote: "Excepting for that one walk when he left jail, when he was too much worried to notice anything, and for a few times that he had rested in the city parks in the winter time when he was out of work, he had literally never seen a tree! And now he felt like a bird lifted up and borne away upon a gale; he stopped and stared at each new sight of wonder—at a herd of cows, and a meadow full of daisies, at hedgerows set thick with June roses, at little birds singing in the trees."
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Trevin Kraus
10/30/2013 01:10:49 pm
*Significance
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Meilani
10/30/2013 01:17:36 pm
I agree with you that this had been his breaking point into a better life for him.
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Meilani
10/30/2013 01:15:21 pm
"[she]thought of a cynical remark that had been made to her, that she was standing upon the brink of the pit of hell and throwing snowballs to lower the temperature."
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Rachel Maristela
10/30/2013 03:49:39 pm
Great connection! I completely agree with your point. Many people today reach out and helps those who are struggling and not living a good life. But what do you think would happen if the people like today actually did care about Jurgis back then? How do you think it will affect him? Just wondering..
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Tess Herzog
10/30/2013 08:49:00 pm
Really great connection. I think it is very true, and the situation is very similar to what still happens today.
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Ryan Martinez
10/30/2013 01:19:27 pm
"Only think that he had been a countryman all his life; and for three long years he had never seen a country sight nor heard a country sound!" Chapter 22, pg. 254
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Rilind
10/30/2013 01:20:18 pm
"All day long this man would toil thus, his whole being centered upon the purpose of making twenty-three instead of twenty-two and a half cents an hour; and then his product would be reckoned up by the census taker, and jubilant captains of industry would boast of it in their banquet halls, telling how our workers are nearly twice as efficient as those of any other country. If we are the greatest nation the sun ever shone upon, it would seem to be mainly because we have been able to goad our wage-earners to this pitch of frenzy; though there are a few other things that are great among us including our drink-bill, which is a billion and a quarter of dollars a year, and doubling itself every decade"
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Paris Gramann
10/30/2013 02:03:54 pm
Rilind, you touched on so many great topics! First, I totally agree that this exposed the government. It reminds me of today's occurrences, where you hear about the government taking our tax dollars as bonuses or using our tax dollars in ways that are not beneficial or moral. Also, you made a great connection to today's world -- wonderful!
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Vivian Mason
10/30/2013 02:18:34 pm
Great quote and paragraph! I like that your pushed your self to write more and go into detail. Next time try to focus less on summarizing the story and try harder to stick to a HOHAM. Overall very nice improvement.
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Erik Salazar
10/30/2013 01:22:01 pm
"Then Jurgis stood a few seconds, wavering. He did not shed a tear. He took one glance more at the blanket with the little form beneath it, and then turned suddenly to the ladder and climbed down again. A silence fell once more in the room as he entered. He went straight to the door, passed out, and started down the street."
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Rachel Maristela
10/30/2013 03:43:44 pm
I agree with your point. Losing your whole family is really the hardest thing a one would have to go through and its really heartbreaking to see Jurgis in that position. Very depressing part in this book so far.
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Jake Little
10/30/2013 04:20:19 pm
I agree, that Jurgis must feel so devastated that emotion couldn't even show how much pain he had. I also think that Jurgis must have felt betrayed by Marija because she knew how much Jurgis loved his son and she should have taken better care for him. Really Good.
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Sarah Olson
10/30/2013 01:26:25 pm
"Ah, what agony was that, what despair, when the tomb of memory was rent open and the ghosts of his old life came forth to scourge him! What terror to see what he had been and now could never be - to see Ona and his child and his own dead self stretching out their arms to him, calling him across a bottomless abyss - and to know that they were gone from him forever, and he writhing and suffocating in the mire of his own vileness!"
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Meranda Knowles
10/30/2013 01:36:57 pm
I completely agree with what you are saying about enjoying the book, but its a painful experience to read it. It's one of the most depressing books I've read in a long time.
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Ysabella Dawson
10/30/2013 02:26:40 pm
I think that you have a point here, how Jurgis is just pushed farther and farther down into despair and agony as the book progresses, and just when things start to look up, the unthinkable happens and he has to start all over again. It's very depressing to read about.
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Alura Polese
10/30/2013 01:27:19 pm
"So he went on, tearing up all the flowers from the garden of his soul, and setting his heel upon them."
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Paris Gramann
10/30/2013 01:52:53 pm
Wow, this was a beautiful quote. To me, it sounds like he is wanting to ruin all of the good and beautiful things in life -- stomp out all of the beauty. Then he runs from them, leaving them behind in the dust. 'If he has to feel this pain, no one else should be happy.' Kind like, "If I can't have it, you can't have it."
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Karen
10/30/2013 02:23:32 pm
I agree with Paris, It was a very good quote! Nice choice! I really liked how you really portrayed how Jurgis must've felt in that moment.
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Grady Gumner
10/30/2013 03:18:35 pm
I believe that the "flowers from the garden of his soul" could represent everything beautiful and precious in his life. With the death of Ona, he had lost what little things he cherished in the world.
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Jake L
10/30/2013 04:14:57 pm
I like how you go really deep and connect with the meaning of the quote and I agree that Jurgis' life is now going to dramatically change after this.
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Hayes Sherr
10/30/2013 05:47:43 pm
This brings a really good point. Jurgis doesn't need this in his life especially because he is barely living his own and this shows how strong he truly is.
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Meranda Knowles
10/30/2013 01:31:01 pm
"Jurgis took the news in a peculiar way. He turned deadly pale, but he caught himself, and for half a minute stood in the middle of the room, clenching his hands tightly and setting his teeth"
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Karye
10/30/2013 04:38:47 pm
It was cool that you put two quotes to reflect with. It was nice to see that you connected them to each other. You took it to a personal level which made it more meaningful.
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Jackson Walker
10/30/2013 01:35:26 pm
"When his wife had died, Jurgis made for the nearest saloon, but he did not do that now, though he had his week’s wages in his pocket."
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Karen
10/30/2013 02:19:57 pm
The quote you chose was very relevant, and I loved how you incorporated it into a deeper level with Jurgis.
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Jessica
10/30/2013 02:56:40 pm
I love how you vaguely bring up past events to connect them to what is currently happening in the book. It really shows how Jurgis has been changed by America personally in one paragraph which makes this a beautiful and interesting analysis.
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Paris Gramann
10/30/2013 01:43:48 pm
"It was the ghost that would not down. It would come upon him in the most unexpected places..." Ch. 22
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Salina
10/30/2013 01:56:46 pm
Wonderful writing, you first part is very powerful.
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Vivian Mason
10/30/2013 02:16:23 pm
Both your quote and paragraphs are very powerful. I liked how you added questions at the end as if to ponder what will happen next. Next time try to expand more and make connection to either the real world or even your self. Over all great job :)
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Jessica
10/30/2013 02:52:47 pm
Your quote is the best out of every quote I've seen in any reading analysis! It is so deep and not only do I love the quote but how you analyzed it! Keep being perfect!
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Lisa Valtierra
10/30/2013 05:02:19 pm
I really liked you post! It was great. I especially liked how you start to ask questions and get curious about where the books direction will go next.
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Salina
10/30/2013 01:54:45 pm
“He did not shed a tear. He took one glance more at the blanket with the little form beneath it, and then turned suddenly to the ladder and climbed down again. A silence fell once more in the room as he entered. He went straight to the door, passed out, and started down the street.”-Chapter 22
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Halee Robinson
10/31/2013 12:41:54 am
I find it interesting that you said Jurgis had no integrity left. I found that he had more integrity with his son's death than with Ona. When Ona died, he went to the saloon to drink away his pain. This time however, he kept his integrity, not shedding a single tear.
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Karen
10/30/2013 02:18:21 pm
"He had made a fool of himself, but he could not help it now--all he could do was to see that it did not happen again."
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Alex Demos
10/30/2013 02:45:51 pm
I agree with what you had to say within the text. Because he had hit the lowest possible point in life, all that was left was either complete failure, or to start something new, which is the role he brought to himself.
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Ysabella Dawson
10/30/2013 02:22:43 pm
“Here he sat, and when the train started again, he fought a battle with his soul. He gripped his hands and set his teeth together-he had not wept, and he would not-not a tear! It was past an over, and he was done with it-he would fling it off his shoulders, be free of it, the whole business, that night. It should go like a black, hateful nightmare, and in the morning he would be a new man. And every time that a thought of it assailed him-a tender memory, a trace of a tear-he rose up, cursing with rage, and pounded it down.”
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Vivian Mason
10/30/2013 02:35:58 pm
Quote: "He did not shed a tear."
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Preston Royal
10/30/2013 02:39:03 pm
“And then, up in the garret, he heard sounds of wailing, in Marija's voice. He started for the ladder—and Aniele seized him by the arm. "No, no!" she exclaimed. "Don't go up there!"
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Adrian Schnepp
10/30/2013 03:29:04 pm
Completely agree. This is the point in the book that something inside Jurgis just snaps. This point when he just can't handle the horrors of Packingtown any more. The story adds a sick twist to the plot by murdering the most innocent and harmless character it contained. I liked the little guy too...
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Alex Demos
10/30/2013 02:43:09 pm
"He was fighting for his life; he gnashed his teeth together in his depression. He had been a fool, a fool! He had wasted his life, he had wrecked himself, with his accursed weakness; and now he was done with it -- he would tear it out of him, root and branch!"
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Rachel Deaton
10/30/2013 04:13:13 pm
Fantastic post Alex! I completely agree with you on your point. Jurgis began a blank slate. Great way to narrow it down to a few words!
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Casper Norrman Rasmussen
10/30/2013 02:47:13 pm
Jurgis went straight to the bar, "i´ve been in jail," he said, "and i just got out. I walked home all the way, and I have not a ken, and had nothing to eat since this morning. and I lost my home, my wife´s ill and i´m done up"
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Abby Thompson
10/30/2013 02:47:16 pm
"Then Jurgis stood a few seconds, wavering. He did not shed a tear. He took one glance more at the blanket with the little form beneath it, and then turned suddenly to the ladder and climbed down again. A silence fell once more in the room as he entered. He went straight to the door, passed out, and started down the street."
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Jessica Boensch
10/30/2013 02:50:56 pm
"He was taken to the Bessemer furnace, where they made billets of steel. ... He saw three giant caldrons, big enough for all the devils of hell to brew their broth in..."
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Rachel Deaton
10/30/2013 04:10:12 pm
I agree with you Jessica! After I read it I had that moment like hey! You had a really great post. I loved how you made the perfect connection!
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Lisa Valtierra
10/30/2013 05:00:35 pm
I agree with Rachel and I liked that you used both connection and perspective to understand the reading better.
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Max Klein
10/30/2013 02:56:53 pm
"So he went on, tearing up all the flowers from the garden of his soul, and setting his heel upon them."
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Julz Valencia
10/30/2013 03:33:14 pm
I agree with you, there is a lot of loss and tragedy going on in his life at the moment.
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Shannon Carlson
10/30/2013 03:02:21 pm
"He stayed up in the garret, however, and sulked---what was the use of a man's hunting a job when it was taken from him before he had time to learn the work?"
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Julz Valencia
10/30/2013 03:30:34 pm
I think is a great connection. It is very true that several people in current modern times seem to have difficulties getting and maintaining a job. However I do not think it is quite to the extreme that it is in the book.
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Grady Gumner
10/30/2013 03:05:35 pm
Quote: "How much this accident meant to Jurgis he realized only by stages; for he found that the harvester-works were the sort of place to which philanthropists and reformers pointed with pride. It had some thought for its employees... things never expected nor dreamed of by him [Jurgis]- until this new place came to seem a kind of heaven to him." (Sinclair 236)
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Jake Little
10/30/2013 04:12:09 pm
I really like how you connected this scene to modern day. Really good.
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Jake Little
10/30/2013 04:23:43 pm
Also I agree that employees should be treated like humans instead of inanimate objects.
Ryan Novak
10/30/2013 03:12:03 pm
" ...he had literally never seen a tree! And now he felt like a bird lifted up and borne away upon a gale; he stopped and stared at each new sight of wonder—at a herd of cows, and a meadow full of daisies, at hedgerows set thick with June roses, at little birds singing in the trees."
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Adrian Schnepp
10/30/2013 03:17:14 pm
He can see the beauty again in life, yes, but at the cost of his family literally being torn to bits. Everything he held dear in the world, everything he loved or cared about has been stolen from him by this cruel land. He's once again seeing the beauty in life, yes, because he's stopped caring about life as a whole. People live, and people die, he sees, but nature is eternal. And what is more beautiful than that?
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Adrian Schnepp
10/30/2013 03:12:55 pm
"Nothing had hurt him, and nothing could hurt him; he had come through all the suffering and deprivation unscathed--only shriller-voiced and more determined in his grip upon life. He was a terrible child to manage, was Antanas, but his father did not mind that--he would watch him and smile to himself with satisfaction. The more of a fighter he was the better--he would need to fight before he got through."
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Adrian Schnepp
10/30/2013 03:14:26 pm
UNTIL ANTANAS DIES. PLOT TWISSSSSST.
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Jordan Garcia
10/30/2013 03:17:17 pm
" She and Marija could care for them somehow, but there was Antanas, his own son. Ona had given Antanas to him--the little fellow was the only remembrance of her that he had; he must treasure it and protect it, he must show himself a man. He knew what Ona would have had him do, what she would ask of him at this moment, if she could speak to him."
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Jordan Garcia
10/30/2013 03:50:39 pm
I am not sure what is going to happen at this point now that baby Antanas is gone. All these experiences are surely weakening Jurgis but will possibly make him stronger in the future.
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Julz Valencia
10/30/2013 03:19:40 pm
"On the contrary, try as he would, Jurgis could not help being made miserable by his conscience. It was the ghost that would not down. It would come upon him in the most unexpected places--sometimes it fairly drove him to drink." Chapter 22
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Tess Herzog
10/30/2013 08:47:19 pm
Really great ideas. I think a lot of what you are saying would probably be true.
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Chris Bargman
10/30/2013 03:29:15 pm
The HOHAM that I used for this quote is Significance. This is significant becuase Jurgis had finally been able to leave behind the sadness and the poverty that was living in the city and finally think and do things for himself. He was finally able to let go of his lost loved ones and was able to free himself from the burdens that their passing had left upon him. He was finally beginning his new life as a "tramp" and he was doing it for himself, for the first time since he had come to America he had finally become a free man.
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Chris Bargman
10/30/2013 03:30:06 pm
"Then, too, his health came back to him, all his lost youthful vigor, his joy and power that he had mourned and forgotten! It came with a sudden rush, bewildering him, startling him; it was as if his dead childhood had come back to him, laughing and calling!"
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Trey Lewis
10/30/2013 03:35:16 pm
"And the old woman answered him weakly: "It's Antanas. He's dead. He was drowned out in the street!""
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Rachel Maristela
10/30/2013 03:40:05 pm
"He was fighting for his life; he gnashed his teeth together in his desperation. He had been a fool, a fool! He had wasted his life, he had wrecked himself, with his accursed weakness; and now he was done with it- he would tear it out of him root and branch! There should be no more tears, and no more tenderness he had enough of them-Now he was going to be free, to tear off his shackles, to rise up and fight." Chapter 22
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John
10/30/2013 03:54:40 pm
"Every angry word that he had ever spoken came back to him and cut him like a knife; every selfish act that he had done--with what torments he paid for them now! And such devotion and awe as welled up in his soul--now that it could never be spoken, now that it was too late, too late!"
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Jake Little
10/30/2013 04:05:17 pm
"Then suddenly her eyes opened one instant. One instant she looked at him—there was a flash of recognition between them, he saw her afar off, as through a dim vista, standing forlorn. He stretched out his arms to her, he called her in wild despair; a fearful yearning surged up in him, hunger for her that was agony, desire that was a new being born within him, tearing his heartstrings, torturing him. But it was all in vain—she faded from him, she slipped back and was gone."
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Rachel Deaton
10/30/2013 04:07:50 pm
"He went straight to the door, passed out, and started down the street." Chapter 22
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Jessica Pollock
10/30/2013 04:12:30 pm
"So he went on, tearing up all the flowers from the garden of his soul, and setting his heel upon them." Ch. 22
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Malia M.
10/30/2013 04:26:07 pm
"There should be no more tears and no more tenderness; he had had enough of them--they had sold him into slavery! Now he was going to be free, to tear off his shackles, to rise up and fight."
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Karye
10/30/2013 04:35:32 pm
You really analyzed this and thought about it thoroughly. Good job connecting the quote and the story.
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Karye
10/30/2013 04:32:40 pm
“Jurgis was not the mighty man he had once been, but his arms were still good, and there were few farm dogs he needed to hit more than once.” Ch. 22
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Chelsea Flores
10/30/2013 04:44:31 pm
"The little fellow was now really the one delight that Jurgis had in the world--his one hope, his one victory. Thank God, Antanas was a boy!"
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Xochitl Aguinaga
10/30/2013 04:50:29 pm
“...but he thought only of Ona, he gave himself up again to the luxury of grief. He shed no tears, being ashamed to make a sound; he sat motionless and shuddering with his anguish. He had never dreamed how much he loved Ona…”
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Lisa Valtierra
10/30/2013 04:58:23 pm
"When his wide had died, Jurgis made for the nearest saloon, but he did not do that now..."
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John Laine
10/30/2013 05:24:16 pm
“When his wife had died, Jurgis made for the nearest saloon, but he did not do that now, though he had his week's wages in his pocket.”
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Hayes Sherr
10/30/2013 05:37:31 pm
"What a hellish mockery it was, anyway, that a man should slave to make harvesting machines for the country, only to be turned out to starve for doing his duty too well!"
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Hank Sherr
10/30/2013 06:10:05 pm
Quote: "Every angry word that he had ever spoken came back to him and cut him like a knife; every selfish act that he had done—with what torments he paid for them now!"
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Tess Herzog
10/30/2013 08:45:22 pm
“That Jurgis did not starve was due solely to the pittance the children brought him. And even this was never certain.”
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Hannah O'Connell
10/31/2013 12:25:25 am
Quote/Phrase: " He had never dreamed how much he loved Ona, until now that she was gone; until now that he sat here, knowing that on the morrow they would take her away, and that he would never lay eyes upon her again--never all the days of his life. His old love, which had been starved to death, beaten to death, awoke in him again; the floodgates of memory were lifted--he saw all their life together, saw her as he had seen her in Lithuania, the first day at the fair, beautiful as the flowers, singing like a bird. He saw her as he had married her, with all her tenderness, with her heart of wonder; the very words she had spoken seemed to ring now in his ears, the tears she had shed to be wet upon his cheek." Ch 20
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Halee Robinson
10/31/2013 12:38:04 am
This really is a beautiful quote. I loved your breakdown of it, and i really think that you understood and captured it in its entirety.
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Hannah O
10/31/2013 12:33:45 am
*I loved that quote and wanted to journal about it, and those were my thoughts at the time. I have now, however, become highly upset that his family is practically gone and Jurgis is becoming something of a frustration in my head. I'm irritated with his actions, and how he took advantage of others.*
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Halee Robinson
10/31/2013 12:34:25 am
"'I see,' said the other, 'that's what I thought. When you get through working your horses this fall, will you turn them out in the snow?' (Jurgis was beginning to think for himself nowadays.)"
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Parmida Zolfaghari
10/31/2013 02:24:38 am
"He gripped his hands and set his teeth together; he had not wept, and he would not-not a tear! It was past and over, and he was done with it; he would fling it off his shoulders, be free of it, the whole business, that night. It should go like a black, hateful nightmare, and in the morning he would be a new man."
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Chris dang
10/31/2013 05:09:56 am
“I see,” said the other, “that’s what I thought. When you get through working your horses this fall, will you turn them out in the snow?” (Jurgis was beginning to think for himself nowadays.)
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Sabrina
10/31/2013 04:23:41 pm
"So he went on, tearing up all the flowers from the garden of his soul, and setting his heel upon them"
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Andrew Ledezma
11/1/2013 02:00:11 pm
“On Sundays the churches were open--but where was there a church in which an ill-smelling workingman, with vermin crawling upon his neck, could sit without seeing people edge away and look annoyed?”
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Quentin Jackson
11/16/2013 02:03:52 pm
What a hellish mockery it was, anyway, that a man should slave to make harvesting machines for the country, only to be turned out to starve for doing his duty too well!
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