THIS IS THE BLOG TO COMMENT ON. ( :
(sorry it's a little bit late!)
The sentence that I found interesting from Chapters 3 & 4 was:
"They tell one story, yet no matter where people draw the borders, the land tells another. And I like putting the two parts together, figuring out the bigger story." Nadira from 'Ask Me No Questions' on page 20, about maps.
Nadira's view of maps is very interesting. I never thought about putting together the pieces of a map, the way she does. I just look at it, and see that there are lines and lines and lines. That's about it for me. I guess I've grown up accepting borders, borders between states, and countries and things like oceans that separate us from other places. I've never lived somewhere like hwere Nadira's ancestors lived, where the water and the land don't have any borders between them. I think that would be very cool, personally.
The strange thing is, I haven't noticed Aisha say anything NEAR as deep or meaningful. I believe that Nadira is actually smarter, more perceptive, call it what you will, but I think that Aisha is good at memorizing things, which is fine, but she's not the same as Nadira. Obviously!
What I mean is, while Aisha might ace her exams, I think it's more of a robot/memorization thing, and Nadira is better at reading people and the situation. I wonder, if the book had been narrated from Aisha's point of view, would it have been as well-described as it is from Nadira's point of view?
I feel sad for Nadira because nobody is recognizing her abilities, and I'm sure that if she were given a chance, she would be a very smart person; it's just that no one ever has given her the chance to really shine, in the classroom or outside of it. She's always been backseat to her sister and probably never gotten to do some of the things that she would have, had she been more recognized by her family.
DiaBlog#13
15 years ago
I love this part of what you said Ari:
ReplyDelete"I never thought about putting together the pieces of a map, the way she does. I just look at it, and see that there are lines and lines and lines. That's about it for me. I guess I've grown up accepting borders, borders between states, and countries and things like oceans that separate us from other places."
It is certainly true that borders are something that we think of as being 'natural'-- none of us spends any time wondering about whether or not borders are good or bad, they just are. We also don't think much about borders as things that change-- even though we can think about a time not that long ago when the borders of the United States are different than what they are now. I wonder if our thinking about borders will change over time-- if being 'digital citizens' will change our experience of the political and historical borders in the world.
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ReplyDeleteWOW! Great post Ari! I really liked what you said about the way that Nadira is more internally smart in a way that is less recognizable than acing a test. "What I mean is, while Aisha might ace her exams, I think it's more of a robot/memorization thing, and Nadira is better at reading people and the situation. I wonder, if the book had been narrated from Aisha's point of view, would it have been as well-described as it is from Nadira's point of view?" After reading i was also thinking about how different the book would've been if it was narrated from the point of view of Aisha. Personally I think the book would've been more like a textbook; more like Aisha telling the story of what people think when they see her and how it relates to what's going on in the world. When Nadira tells the story it is all about perception and how she sees the world, and how she doesn't see the world.
ReplyDeleteOnce again,
Great post!
Great Job!
ReplyDeleteYour attention to detail was great! I also liked your sentence choice too. I think its interusting that you think that Aisha is smarter but I think you should expand more on that idea, add some more facts from the story than just opinion.
-jena
Great job ari! i agree i nevr really thought of maps that way either and i find it interesting. I like your opinion on the difference between aisha and nadira and i think the same nadira really does seem more complex than aisha does.
ReplyDeleteVery nice blog Ari! I love the way you wrote that you never look deeply into what maps really show, that you never piece it together like Nadira does. I have to agree with you, when I see a map, I just see lines! I think it is because we are so used to just accepting borders where they are, and we have never had to question their being.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you noticed that Nadira seems more complex than Aisha. I have to agree with you on that as well, Nadira seems intellectually smarter whereas Aisha knows more facts than anything. When it comes down to it all, it's a nicer ability to really go deep in what you read and understand things better. Nadira has a lot to offer, but her family hasn't giver her the chance to show it all. I like the point you brought up about whether the story would be different if written in Aisha's perspective-I have a feeling that it would be.
Overall, great facts and ideas! You definitely explained your thoughts and reasonings very well! Nice work!
Great blog-log Ari!
ReplyDeleteI really liked the relation to maps in your log. I liked the fact that you related the experience that Nadira had to experiences that you've had. I found it interesting that you thought Nadira was more complex then Aisha even though Aisha is the smarter of the two sisters. Then again Nadira apears to be smarter then her sister in different ways besides math and science. I agree that Nadira's family seems to not really care about her. They seem to ignore her all the time and not really take notice to how that affects Nadira. Again, great job. Lots of opinions and lots of ideas. good job.
Wow! I also found that Nadira might be more intelligent than Aisha. I think that Nadira is definately more complex than Aisha and Aisha just is book-smart. I also think that Nadira's family puts down her opinions and that she is really a smart girl on the inside.
ReplyDeleteYou made some really great points and I thought your blog-log was really interesting to read...
You brought up a very important point: “I guess I've grown up accepting borders, borders between states, and countries and things like oceans that separate us from other places. I've never lived somewhere like where Nadira's ancestors lived, where the water and the land don't have any borders between them. I think that would be very cool, personally.”
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very important point because I too, have grown up accepting borders, and never questioned them. This book gives me a new perspective on borders. (How come you think it would be cool to live in a village where water and land is the same? I think she described it in a way that’s cool, and it may be cool sometimes, but realistically it would be horrible having flooding season and wading through the village. ) I also love your question about Aisha narrating the book. I think it would be extremely different. I agree with you at times Nadira says very deep, thoughtful things while on the other hand Aisha is like a robot stating facts. I don’t think Aisha is a people person because she is rude to Nadira and didn’t notice that her mom was sad leaving her country, but Nadira did… I also hope Nadira shines soon.
You have a lot of information, thoughts, ideas, and questions in your blog post. I loved the sentence you chose. Awesome work-Falcon.
Great job Ari! I loved how you showed your observations and mixed them with your thoughts. I really understood your log. I liked the part where you talked about Nadira being more perceptive.
ReplyDelete"The strange thing is, I haven't noticed Aisha say anything NEAR as deep or meaningful. I believe that Nadira is actually smarter, more perceptive, call it what you will, but I think that Aisha is good at memorizing things, which is fine, but she's not the same as Nadira."
That's really true, if you read the chapters over. Nadira observes tiny things that most people wouldn't see. Great job!
~ Neeli
I absolutely don't know where to start. This log completely blew me away. I had an epiphany of some sort when you said "I never thought about putting together the pieces of a map, the way she does. I just look at it, and see that there are lines and lines and lines. That's about it for me. I guess I've grown up accepting borders, borders between states, and countries and things like oceans that separate us from other places. I've never lived somewhere like hwere Nadira's ancestors lived, where the water and the land don't have any borders between them."
ReplyDeleteLike you said. I don't think many of us can say that they've known the position that Nadira's in. The realization in my brain started ticking. I like how you put together your point of view in order to make things clearer. You compared your thoughts with Nadiras, and I'll have to agree that I do think that Nadira is smarter than Aisha. She just needs to learn to discover that for herself. This log really shows that you took the time to observe the relationships in between the different characters. Overall, this is very well written and its easy to understand. Fantastic job, Ari. It's really great.
Great Job!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated you paying close attention to the detail she wrote about in the reading. I do agree that Nadira is a little smarter then Aisha. Or just as smart in different ways. I think thats the fact. I do also hope that her parents start to realize that they are equally smart and or talented and that they start paying more attention to the both of them. If he did that I think that they would both be happy. Again fantastic job stating all of your opinions.
~DaVaughn
I really agree with this. Kayla is right- you really took your time with the your conclusion and this post Ari, and it shows. Nadira has a different kind of smarts then Aisha does. It does not mean Nadira is dumb. In fact, i think that Nadira's kind will be more useful.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post Ari,
ReplyDeleteSorry this comment is a little late I was having internet troubles.
I love the quote. It surprised me the way she looked at the map too, I mean when i look at a map I just see lines and figure out where I'm supposed to go. I agree with you on the whole boarders thing. I agree with Katy, you did take your time on this. :D
GOOD JOB! KEEP IT UP!
<3,
Celeste