Friday, February 5, 2010

The Bean Trees

Post vocabulary sentences for the next 5 words.

Check out the videos with Barbara Kingsolver on this page.

With a small group of 3-4 people (be sure to list your names for credit), discuss and post answers to the study guide questions covering Ch. 1-3 in The Bean Trees.

Continue to design your Book of Qualities page for our first publication.

21 comments:

  1. 6. conniption; a fit of laughing
    7. ascendant; rising, moving upward
    8. reticent; keeping thoughts to oneself
    9. apoplectic; marked by extreme fury
    10. meager; poor in amount

    Everyone had a conniption when they saw the funny picture of Lauren.

    Her grades were ascendant after the midterms, something that doesn’t happen often.

    Harry was reticent when asked his opinion about his dead parents.

    The graffiti was apoplectic, with messages of hate towards other people.

    The bird ate the meager piece of bread that the old lady offered to it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hannah Klaver

    Conniption: a fit of hysterical excitement or anger
    Sentence: She had a conniption because she wasn’t the winner in the contest.

    Ascendant: a position of dominance or controlling influence, possession of power, superiority, or preeminence
    Sentence: His rivals were now in the ascendant, he was no longer in the position of authority. His power was forgotten.

    Reticent: disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved
    Sentence: I was reticent about revealing where I had gotten my information.

    Apoplectic: of, resembling, or produced by apoplexy
    Sentence: He had recently suffered an apoplectic seizure.

    Meager: deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness; scanty; inadequate
    Sentence: She had a meager salary resulting in her inability to pay all of her bills on time.

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  3. Mariah

    1.) Conniption-The movie that was made based off the book gave the fans as well as the author a conniption.

    2.) Ascendant- The mans career was in ascendance.

    3.) Reticent- Marissa was reticent when people asked her how she felt about her parent's divorce.

    4.) Apoplectic- The employee was apoplectic when he heard that the newest employee had won the award instead of him.

    5.) Meager- Trisha's meager earnings were not enough to pay the bills.

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  4. Dilapidated -reduced to or fallen into partial ruin or decay, as from age, wear, or neglect: “the car has dilapidated over the time I was gone.”

    Reverence- a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration: “I feel his reverence during the speech in the prep rally.

    Aptitude -capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; talent: She has a special aptitude for mathematics: “ I have an aptitude for knowledge of latitude, to fly while on the ground, you can determine my magnitude.”

    Pandemonium -wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos: “the city was struck with pandemonium as the president resigns his position.”

    Picayune -of little value or account; small; trifling: “ a picayune of happiness began to spread.”

    P.S. I THINK IM AHEAD OF THE VOCAB, I JUST FINISHED NO.15. LOL

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  5. Gabriela

    Conniption - a fit of hysterical excitement or anger
    The girl’s conniption caused the people around her to stare at her in embarrassment.

    Ascendant - a position of dominance or controlling influence
    With his rivals as the ascendants, he soon lost his position as store manger.

    Reticent- disposed to be silent or not to speak freely
    The teachers were getting impatient with the student’s reticent attitude in class.

    Apoplectic - a sudden, usually marked loss of bodily function due to rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel.
    The stress from the last exam caused her to have an apoplectic rage.

    Meager - deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness
    The wealthy girls looked down upon her because of her meager attire.

    ReplyDelete
  6. desia

    Conniption - a fit of hysterical excitement or anger
    The girl’s conniption caused the people around her to stare at her in embarrassment.

    Ascendant - a position of dominance or controlling influence
    With his rivals as the ascendants, he soon lost his position as store manger.

    Reticent- disposed to be silent or not to speak freely
    The teachers were getting impatient with the student’s reticent attitude in class.

    Apoplectic - a sudden, usually marked loss of bodily function due to rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel.
    The stress from the last exam caused her to have an apoplectic rage.

    Meager - deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness
    The wealthy girls looked down upon her because of her meager attire.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1.Conniption:a fit of rage, hysteria, or alarm.

    Maria was worried her mother would have a conniption if she ct her hair too short.

    2.Ascendant:a state or position of dominant power or importance

    Children often want to be ascendant over all other children.

    3.Reticent:inclined to be silent or uncommunicative in speech

    You feel reticent when you're in a movie theater.

    4.Apoplectic:of, relating to, or causing stroke

    Desires makes me apoplectic at times.

    5.Meager:lacking desirable qualities

    Alicia thinks she is meager, though in reality, she is anything but.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 6. conniption:
    a fit of rage, hysteria
    She slammed her body against the wall in conniption.

    7. ascendant:
    a state or position of dominant power or importance
    When you’re the president, you are ascendant over the rest of the American government.

    8. reticent
    restrained in expression, presentation, or appearance
    My friends reticent makes people wonder if she’s actually at the party.

    9. apoplectic
    of, relating to, or causing stroke
    My grandmother makes me go apoplectic whenever she calls me fat.

    10. meager
    lacking desirable qualities
    Teenage girls write a lot of poems about the fact that boys don’t want them because they’re meager.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mariah Gonzalez and Cassidy Rose Hammond

    1.) The voice or tone of the narrator is understanding and accepting. The narrator, Marietta (Missy/Taylor), seems like she’ll work with the way things are, but is willing to change them. In chapter one, she understands the way Kentucky is, but she wants to get away from it because it’s not how she wants to be. She knows that if she stays in Kentucky then that’s who she’ll become and she doesn’t want that. Marietta/Taylor also takes the Indian child when it’s given to her instead of fighting with the woman that is giving the child away. She accepts the child and takes charge.

    2.) Alice Greer compares to Mr. Hardbine by not doing much better than him in the way of having a better financial position and raising Marietta in the same environment that he’s raising Newt. Alice contrasts to Mr. Hardbine and Mr. Shanks by loving he daughter more than they love their children. Alice cares more about Marietta and is always proud of her no matter what she does. Even if she brings home something that’s not worth nothing Alice will act like it’s the biggest achievement anyone’s ever made, while Mr.Harbine and Mr. Shanks don’t care about a darn thing about what happens to their kids. They’re always putting them down, Mr. Shanks calling Jolene a slut and Mr.Hardbine beating up Newt and letting him drop out of school.

    3.) Taylor leaves Kentucky because she wants to do more with her life than get pregnant and marry someone. She doesn’t want to live the same life that almost every other girl lives in Kentucky. Taylor see’s herself doing bigger and better things, and she knows that the only way for that to happen is to leave.

    4.) Taylor’s reaction to the Cherokee nation is that it sucks and her momma was wrong about living there. She realizes that it’s not a good place to live, at least not if you have another choice.

    5.) A “home” is where you’re happy, comfortable, and loved. Usually it’s where your family is but that isn’t always the case. Taylor’s definition of “home” changes in chapter one by her finally beginning to feel like what she’s doing is right. When she mentions that she found her head rights and they’re coming with her she’s saying that she found where she should be at the moment and if that should change then they’ll be going with her because home can be anywhere and anyplace.

    6.) Woman (or girls) in chapter one or treated horribly. They don’t get much respect and are abused. Woman/girls in chapter one are looked down upon. They follow the pattern of getting pregnant, dropping out of school and getting married to the father of their child.

    7.) The story's point of view shifts to Lou Ann Reiz, who lives in Tucson.

    8.) She feels like she's far from her home there, and also because that's where Taylor/Missy is from.

    9.) Unlike Taylor, she is pregnant and accepting of it. She also was married and now divorced. She did move like Taylor did, but still feels like a Kentuckian. Taylor feels like the Kentucky lifestyle doesn't fit her like it fits everyone else.

    10.) Angel is Lou Ann's husband. He got into a car accident, leaving him with a prosthetic leg. Angel had already left Lou Ann, and she often got the feeling that he didn't like her or others. "He blamed people for things that were beyond their control."

    11.) She immediately liked it, and decided that she wanted to live there. She describes it when she enters the state, and states that it is the "best thing she's seen in years."

    12.) Because it reminds her of when she first got the baby. She saw a sign with the phone number 1-800-THE-LORD and was tempted to call it. She was also playing around, saying that she'd need to call the Lord' because she was in a situation at the time.

    ReplyDelete
  11. continued, Cassidy and Mariah's study guide questions:

    13.) It was extremely beautiful and had vibrant life and color to it, but Taylor mentions at the same time that it "looked like the place where old cars die and go to heaven." The garden was able to support late-blooming tomatoes, but the vines were supported by CB antennas, showing how she used junk to benefit her garden.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Angela Rollins
    Ashley Lawson
    Shannon Kalia
    Vocab:


    6. conniption- A fit of rage or hysteria.
    I thought I could handle being a foster mom, but as the child flung himself into conniption I could only freeze up and wait for him to tire out.

    7. ascendant- To have more power or influence.
    My older brother was more ascendant than I was when trying to get what we want from our mother.

    8. reticent- Not telling others about things.
    He was normally a talkative boy, but became reticent when speaking of his bad grades.

    9. apoplectic- Feeling very angry
    The cat was apoplectic when children came to visit and pulled at his fur.

    10. meager- small quantity or poor quality.
    He gave the poor women a meager slice of bread.

    SGQ

    1. Missy/Taylor is very informative and sarcastic.

    2. Alice Greer is a very supportive mother who makes Missy feel good about herself and her actions. In contrast, Mr.Hardbine is abusive and harsh on his child. Mr.Shanks also called his daughter a slut and never made her feel good about herself, so she eventually gave in to his words and went and got pregnant with Mr.Hardbine’s son.

    3. She bought a car and used the money she earned from her job. She wanted to get out of Kentucky because she had never left it before and had no way of knowing why or how any particular place might be better than another.

    4. She did not like the flat land and lack of trees. It made her uneasy.

    5. She first thought a home was a physical place you were living, but she gradually believes that a home is a place where you care about the people around you. This change in opinion is created from the compassion Taylor gets towards Turtle.

    6. Women were expected to drop out and get pregnant. Women who actually graduated were very rare.

    7. The novel went from first person to third. The perspective now comes from Lou Ann Ruiz.

    8. She can relate to Taylor’s history in Kentucky.

    9. She’s older and pregnant. She also seems to go more with the flow than Taylor does.

    10. Angel has a fake leg and a limp. He’s very insecure about his leg and ends up leaving his wife.

    11. Taylor laughed at the clouds in Arizona and instead of trees there was a forest of rocks. Then it started to hail and she didn’t like it so much. After her tires were flattened she met a kind women at “Jesus is Lord Used Tires,” which convinced her to stay.

    12. She finds Jesus is Lord Used Tires hilarious because the owner has a mug with rabbits having sex on it, and the number 1-800-THE-LORD was funny because it sounded like you were calling God.

    13. It was nice, peaceful, beautiful and secluded from the rest of the world, as was the Garden of Eden

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gracie Norah My

    1.The narrator’s voice sounds matter of fact. It sounds like she is telling her story very seriously and with purpose.
    2.Her parenting is unique compared to others in Kentucky. She always expected the best of Taylor. She was always encouraging and supportive. She respected her daughter and parented fairly taking her daughter’s input into consideration

    3.Taylor doesn’t want to become pregnant. She fears that if she stayed she would end up like the rest of the girls there. Barefoot and pregnant.

    4. She was disappointed. She thought that it was nothing like the description her mother gave her. She said it was “crap.”

    5. Home is where her mother is. In chapter one she always speaks fondly of her mother and often, but never much about the house itself. It changes in chapter one when she hits the road, because now she is apart from her mother and is looking for a home. At this point the car is the closest thing she has to a home. Or it could mean that Taylor’s home is now where the baby is, her “head rights.”

    6. They are treated like they are only useful of selfish and personal desires. They are treated, by men, like they are at their disposal and there to entertain. Everyone thought that they were only able to get pregnant.
    Also the Cherokee baby girl was sexually abused, further proving that the men only saw woman as toys, and that they were held in low esteem.

    7. Lou Ann Ruiz is the new narrator. The point of view the story is told in changes from first person to third person and now follows Lou Ann’s life.

    8. It is the same place that Taylor came from. The two have a connection that suggests to the reader that their paths might cross later in the story.
    9. Lou Ann is physically different from Taylor, she is pregnant and was married. She was much older and had a home and was settled.
    10. Angel was manly, headstrong and proud before his accident. After his accident when he received his artificial leg, he became depressed. Angel’s pride was wounded and he was incredibly unhappy.
    11. She loved the landscape scenery. She found it funny and surreal, unlike anything she had seen before.
    12. She wondered who would pick up if she called 1-800-THE-LORD and if it would be that shop.
    13. The Garden of Eden is thought of something that is pure and beautiful and desirable. Mattie’s garden is full of junk and trash that other people would consider impure but both gardens are equally beautiful to Taylor. Both gardens can be considered sacred.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Briyanna Brinkley, Samantae Hardaway
    Vocabulary

    6. Conniption- a fit of hysterical excitement or anger.

    7. Ascendant- a position of dominance or controlling influence: possession of power, superiority, or preeminence

    8.Reticent- disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved.

    9. Apoplectic- intense enough to threaten or cause apoplexy

    10. Meager- deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness; scanty


    When I told my mother I was expecting a child she had a huge conniption.

    His ascendant behavior caused him to lose his job.

    She was very reticent and never talked to anyone.

    She was very apoplectic and threaten store clerk.

    The little girl thought the food at the banquet was meager.

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  15. conniption;: a fit of laughing
    ascendant: rising, moving upward
    reticent: keeping thoughts to oneself
    apoplectic: marked by extreme fury
    meager: poor in amount





    1. I had a conniption when I witnessed my brother smoking.

    2. Her career ascended after she starred in the new movie.

    3. While Snape was repeatedly attacking Harry's cranium, Harry desperately tried to be reticent.

    4. The apoplectic notions from one brother to another have been duly noted by the court reporter.

    5. The meager grains of rice were a poor source of nutrition for the baby's developing cranium.

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  16. Erin Cotton
    Gamzon-Vocabulary

    6. Conniption-a fit of hysterical excitement or anger
    -My mother almost had a conniption because she found out that her friend died.
    7. Ascendant-a position of dominance or controlling; influence
    -Through the years, his job went through a total ascendant
    8. Reticent-disposed to be silent or not to speak freely
    -After my mother and father told me the were getting a divorce, I became very reticent
    9. Apoplectic-intense enough to threaten or cause apoplexy
    -When I went to the hospital and my father’s nurse told me that, he was apoplectic
    10. Meager-having little flesh
    -The little girl was very meager for her age

    ReplyDelete
  17. Gabriela Julia, Desia Griffin-Bradley


    The Bean Trees
    1.) The voice or tone of the narrator is the voice of a young respectful person. She speaks in a southern language and a slight sarcastic attitude. The narrator is also a very mature teen who seems to follow in what she believes and will not take on the behavior of the other girls in her hometown.

    2.) Alice Greer’s parenting skills are different from those of Mr. Hardbine and Mr. Shanks because Alice Greer believes parent’s behavior will persuade their child’s future. One difference shown in the parenting skills of these adults is the outcome of their children. Alice Greer believed Taylor was responsible and smart, and so she was. Mr. Hardbine’s constant abuse toward his son leads to his son committing suicide. Mr. Shank constantly called his daughter a “slut,” therefore she became pregnant.

    3.) Taylor leaves Kentucky to get away from the behavior in almost every young girl living there. She decides that it is time to follow after what she believes instead of following every other girl she knows and getting pregnant.

    4.) Taylor’s reaction to the Cherokee Nation is that she is disappointed. She writes in a postcard to her mother back home, “No offense, but the Cherokee Nation is crap.” She was exhausted from traveling and once she got onto their land, she felt that it was depressing and she didn’t receive what she was expecting.

    5.) A “home” is a place or region where something is most common. In the beginning of chapter one, Taylor believes home is more like a physical place, such as her hometown of Kentucky. Her definition of a home begins to change as she spends time with the baby. When she writes to her mother, “I found my head rights, Mama. They’re coming with me,” she realizes that a “home” may be the relationship with a certain person.

    6.) Women or girls are treated as inferiors. They are mistreated and looked down upon. This is relevant in both the Cherokee Nation and Kentucky. In the Cherokee Nation women are mistreated and abused. In Kentucky, girls are constantly getting pregnant which meant guys had no respect for these young girls since it was so common.

    7.) The shift in narration in chapter two is that the narrator is telling about the life of Lou Ann in third person point of view.

    8.) It is relevant that Lou Ann came from Kentucky because like Taylor, that is where she’s from. The author says, “Lou Ann Ruiz lived in Tucson but thought of herself as just an ordinary Kentuckian.” This shows the similarities between the two characters and their conflicts.

    9.) Lou Ann is different from Taylor because Lou Ann got pregnant early which was something Taylor wanted to avoid. There is also a difference in age because Lou Ann was already married, and Taylor received a child that was not her own.

    10.) Angel is a bitter man who often argues with Lou Ann. Ever since his accident with a pick up, Angel had to use an artificial leg. He expresses his embarrassment by not going to the prosthetic shop to get it adjusted when they discover a jingling sound with every step he takes. Angel was very needy during these times an even accused Lou Ann of cheating because of his disability

    11.) Taylor was fascinated with being in Arizona. She says, “ This is the best thing I’ve seen in years.” Once she and Turtle leave from staying at a hotel for New Year’s, she decides to stay because the scenery seems so surreal to her.

    12.) Taylor finds “Jesus is Lord Used Tires” so humorous because she remembers mocking the name in her early years. She says “ I remember wanting to call 1-800-THE LORD, just to see who you’d get.”

    13.) Mattie’s garden is filled with usual and amazing vegetables, flowers and car parts. Mattie even shows Taylor the purple bean seed that were given to her by a Chinese woman.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Donyel Jackson




    Conniption: a fit of hysterical excitement or anger.

    The man’s conniption scared people away.

    Ascendant: a position of dominance or controlling influence

    He lost the job to one of his ascendants

    Reticent: disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved.

    In the courtroom he was very reticent.


    Apoplectic: of, relating to, or causing stroke

    My mom was apoplectic when I told her the truth


    Meager: deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness; scanty; inadequate

    The man’s weekly check was very meager

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hannah Klaver

    1. Describing; matter-of-factly; monotonous.
    2. Alice contrasts with Mr. Harbine and Mr. Shanks with the fact that she loves her daughter more than they love their children. Alice is more caring and is always by Marietta’s side when dealing with any circumstance.
    3. The book states, “ In this car I planned to drive out of Pittman County one day and never look back, except maybe for Mama.”
    4. She described it as a place “you’d never go to live without some kind of lethal weapon aimed at your hind end.”
    5. A “home” is where the heart is. No meaning for the cliché but it is true. A home is where you are happy and loved. Your home is the best place in the world. Taylor found her home when she said, “I found my head rights, Mama.”
    6. They are treated like crap. The baby girl that she is given has bruises all over and when she took off her diaper, she had been sexually abused.
    7. There is a narrator now. In chapter one, Taylor was telling the story but now there is an outside person. An observer so to speak.
    8. It is relevant that Lou Ann came from Kentucky because Taylor was from Kentucky.
    9. She is accepting of her pregnancy. She was also married but then divorced. Lou Ann still feels like a Kentuckian.
    10. Angel had an accident and thus now has an artificial leg. Angel is what I call a blamer. He blames people for things beyond their control. He accused Lou Ann of thinking that he wasn’t good enough. And Lou Ann didn’t think he really liked her or anyone else really. I don’t think Angel is the best person in the world. He wouldn’t be my choice for a friend.
    11. As soon as she got there she immediately liked it. Instant approval.
    12. 1-800-THE-LORD was the phone number to a church. When she first got the baby, she was tempted to call. And now there is this tire place called Jesus Is Lord Used Tires.
    13. They are both beautiful places. Filled with color and life.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Cassidy Rose Hammond

    Conniption - a fit of rage, hysteria, or alarm.
    Ascendant - Inclining or moving upward; ascending or rising; dominant in position or influence; superior.
    Reticent - Tnclined to be silent or uncommunicative in speech, reserved; restrained in expression, presentation, or appearance.
    Apoplectic - Of a kind to cause or apparently cause stroke; greatly excited or angered.
    Meager - having little flesh, thin; lacking desirable qualities; deficient in quality or quantity.

    My brother's stupid decisions sent me into a conniption.
    I planned on ascending my career by working harder to earn promotions.
    I felt reticent at my co-worker's party, on account I was both shy and unfamiliar with the people there.
    She was nearly apoplectic herself with anger as she explained to me the dangers of strokes.
    The farmer's meals and dress were meager, but he had a heart of gold.

    ReplyDelete
  21. 6 Conniptions: a fit of hysterical excitement or anger.
    When I was watching the avatar I was Conniptions

    7 Ascendant: a position of dominance or controlling influence: possession of power, superiority, or preeminence.
    After many years of being ruler after his father passed his uncle had a child a boy. And his uncle tried to kill him for his ascendance.

    8 Reticent: disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved
    After talking to his friend for a hour he got reticent because he could not find anything else to talk about.

    9 Apoplectic: of or pertaining to apoplexy.
    One day reading apoplectically I could feel a cool breeze rush by from a window that had just broken.

    10 Meager: deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness; scanty; inadequate:
    Right now I have a meager salary because I am not old enough to work full time.

    ReplyDelete

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