Reading Response Journal: Diary of a Young Girl

Sebastian Wu is a tall, young man with a boyish face. He always looks well-scrubbed, enthusiastic, happy, and eager to learn. An accountancy major in his final year, his genuine interest in children’s literature has been infectious.

During our first session, we had a simple acquaintance game in which Sebastian was the only one who was able to recite all 23 names of his classmates. They gladly voted for him as the Class Rep. And he has gladly and cheerfully performed his duties as the servant-leader of his classmates.

Here’s his reading response journal about Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl.

Difficult Times:

A Test of Character

by Sebastian Wu

rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com

I. Introduction

It is in difficult times that a person grows stronger mentally and emotionally. This is really true. I do realize that this book is a war diary about how World War II had affected Anne Frank’s life.

Anne Frank was a thirteen-year old pretty little girl then and war caused her life to change drastically. In order to adapt to such extreme changes, she had to become stronger. She managed to do it and people around her grew stronger as well.

They learned how to care for and share with one another. Together they endured and showed many great qualities in their character during the war. This is very encouraging and interesting.

II. Body

This was my first attempt at reading a book about war. My knowledge about war had come mostly from history textbooks in secondary school, movies, and documentaries. Thus, this was a great experience for me getting to see, hear and feel the war just as if I was there during that time.

It was totally fascinating yet frustrating and sad as well. For war is never a good thing. The book stirred up my emotions and got me pondering about how things would be like if I were in Anne’s shoes. Sometimes I felt confused; sometimes I felt sad. But I really liked the vicarious experience that this book has provided me with.

Below is one of the entries that expressed my anger at discrimination.

A. 1st Entry

‘So the Germans are of a higher class compared to the Jews? How could the Jews be willing to bear this kind of insult and humiliation? I would have protested strongly if I were in their shoes.’

Analysis/comment

I can see that when I was doing the journal entry, I was very angry. I was angry because I felt that it is very unfair and that no one should be discriminated against like that.

Personally I do not have any relevant experience regarding this issue yet. But I have always believed that people should not let others determine their life.

As I look back, it seemed that I failed to fully appreciate the situation of the Jews during the Second World War. They were trapped. Any reckless action could put their loved ones in trouble. Should they be captured or killed, what would their loved ones do?

So I was wrong to ask them to protest against the oppressive treatment they endured. The only way they could have coped was to become very strong-willed and determined to survive the suffering.

But that was just discrimination, war itself was worse.

B. 2nd Entry
‘But yet I really cannot imagine myself in their shoes. The only quiet respite they had was when the war alarm would stop sounding and the planes would stop bombing and the people would stop shouting.

But when you have a quiet moment and you thought at last you get to have some moments of peace, the whole cycle would begin again. Living in such stressful and traumatizing environment, how could anyone be able to take it?

But how about those who have been caught and have been thrown into the concentration camps?’

Analysis/comment

The effects of war are indeed very dreadful. When I was making the comments, I was trying to imagine myself living in that time, having to hear war alarms, planes flying overhead and bombs detonating everywhere. It was totally chaotic.

I felt confused and scared when I thought of it. I would go crazy living such a stressful life. For you would not know when a bomb would drop on your roof. Trying to sleep while worrying about that would be totally insane.

Moreover, the war had destroyed the lifestyles of the people as well. All the artists, musicians, engineers and many more professionals were captured and thrown into the concentration camp where they were tortured and mistreated like animals. Such physical pain and mental torture were unimaginable. That’s why I really respect those who persevered and endured.

C. 3rd Entry

‘Who else can they depend on other than those who are staying right under the same roof? There were plenty of incidents that the Franks encountered problems with Mrs Van Daan, yet she is always willing to step in and offer a helping hand. So we can see that there’s always a good side in everyone.’

Analysis/comment

I really feel that when something bad happens, the people closest to you are always the people who will offer a helping hand. It is true that extreme conditions or difficult times cause people to become selfish and care only about themselves.

But we have to agree that there is always a good side to everyone. And war, perhaps not the most ideal situation, can bring out this goodness in people. It is very heart-warming to see how people are willing to care for and share with others when they do not even have enough for themselves.

III. Conclusion

We should give a round of applause to those people who have overcome difficult times and have emerged with stronger characters. They stood tall and strong against such odds. It is very admirable.

This book has taught me a lot about compassion, kindness, and strength of character. I will definitely share what I have learned with the people closest to me. Or perhaps, a stranger in need.

Reading Response Journal: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Quek Hsu Imm is a quiet, unassuming young lady. She speaks up when spoken to, but she never shows an eagerness to be in the limelight. She seems to enjoy listening as the others engage in animated discussions.

Teachers never really discover a student’s true worth until that student writes a paper, in this case, a reading response journal. Suddenly, Quek Hsu Imm is a head taller than most of her classmates.

When I told her that her paper was one of the outstanding ones, she was surprised and delighted. It boosted her confidence, but she still remained relatively quiet in class. Nevertheless, it made her realize that my door is wide open for her, and she and I spent little moments every so often talking about elements of literature, ingredients of fantasy, and her dream of becoming a writer. Intriguingly, she’s an accountancy major.

Becoming a Better Reader and Writer

by Quek Hsu Imm

http://www.randombuzzers.com/

I love reading storybooks, especially if they are fantasy stories written for children. I would turn each page eagerly to find out what happens next. Fantasy stories are bound only by the limits of imagination, and that is one of the reasons why I love reading them.

In fact, I have been writing my own stories, though more often than not, they lie unfinished somewhere in my bedroom.

All these while, my description of stories that I liked reading had been limited to a few adjectives that hardly did justice to those books. However, after taking up this module, I grew in the aspect of understanding children’s literature and I also learned various ways of analyzing stories and constructing their many meanings.

Hence, this reading response journal will illustrate that I was better able to appreciate the finer details of stories, as seen from my increased ability to express my thoughts and feelings which resulted from a deeper appreciation of the elements of literature.

I journeyed with a children’s novel in a span of eight weeks and I chose to do so with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis (1950). I wrote down my personal response in a journal after each week’s reading, and so there were eight entries in total. Looking at my weekly entries, I found that the way I described and analyzed the story changed over time.

First Entry
I knew that I would really like this book as I simply love books of the fantasy genre, especially when it involves talking animals. The book made use of an omniscient narrator’s point of view and it is really interesting. I like the idea about Lucy exploring the wardrobe and finding a way into Narnia. When I was young, I used to think that wardrobes are mysterious, especially those with an exceptionally intimidating exterior. I remember spending hours exploring my parents’ wardrobe, though I did not find my way into any magical worlds.

Based on my first entry, I can see that I was really a greenhorn in spotting details worth noting and appreciating the story on the whole. I could only write about how much I liked the book, but I could not really say why. It was all gut feel.

I can see that my comments were rather general and lacked depth. In addition, I also realized that I particularly liked books that had in them familiar scenes from my own childhood with an added touch of imagination, such as exploring a wardrobe and finding the way into a magical world.

Second Entry
Once again, Narnia was described in great detail which helped readers to visualize the land transforming from winter to spring. With the setting moving into spring, it also sets the mood and hints to the readers that better times are coming for Narnia and reinforces the idea that good triumphs over evil.

I like the way Peter had to fight his first battle and save Susan before he was knighted by Aslan. It showed that Peter proved himself and earned his way into knighthood which was much better than if he was just bestowed the title without any effort on his part. It also further builds Peter’s personality and character as knights are often associated with qualities such as valor.

I have come a long way from my first entry, and I can see the difference between the two. I was starting to read deeper into the meanings of the events happening in the book and to go in-depth when discussing certain elements of literature, such as the setting and themes used in modern fantasy stories to help suspend disbelief.

I was also able to support my views with evidence from the book and link my thoughts together coherently to form logical conclusions regarding them; hence, better expressing my opinion. I could better appreciate the parts that I liked best in the story too, as seen from my views on how Peter was knighted.

Third Entry
I feel that the transition from reality into the fantasy world of Narnia and back was nicely done. In addition, Edmund matured from being a mean little boy at the start of the story and proved himself otherwise at the end, making him a dynamic character.

The part about mice biting away the ropes that held Aslan captive reminded me of the story, “Lion and the Mouse” from Aesop’s Fables. Perhaps the author drew inspiration from it. I loved the conversational style adopted in the book as well, for it made the reading interesting and gave me the feeling that I was hearing the story from the narrator himself.

In this final entry, I can see myself combining all the knowledge I have learnt in class and using it while writing my response. I have more profound thoughts while reading than before and I am no longer frustrated over the lack of terms to describe the parts of the story that I liked as I now understand many elements of literature.

Knowing how to read deeper into a text has become familiar to me and a whole new level of experience in reading has opened up for me. I was able to note little details that help enhance the entire story and to seek out implicit themes woven into the plot. Equipped with an increasing level of knowledge I learnt from class as each week passed, I was able to better appreciate this book, especially towards the end.

In conclusion, as seen from the above, I have learned how to better appreciate the finer details of a story, and the magical way a story weaves itself together. I am really glad because I will be able to enjoy reading even more and at the same time, write better stories too!