New Opportunites- [The Soloist 23-31]

Chapters 23 through 31 was the best part of the book. Nathaniel Ayers has completely changed from how he was in the beginning of the book. Before, he was a homeless man living on the streets of Skid Row with a deep passion for music. Now, he lives in an apartment, has a studio of his own, and still has a wonderful passion for music. What helped Ayers change was the friendship he has with Steve Lopez. I believe that friendships can change a person a whole lot. Friendships build trust and that’s what Ayers had with Lopez. Friends want the best for each other and Lopez wanted Ayers to have a better life than what he had before.

In chapters 25 and 27, Ayers finally expressed himself in a yelling manner. He even threatened to kill Lopez if he ever came near his apartment. It must have hurt Lopez hearing that he would be killed by a close friend. I felt really bad and sorry for him because Ayers probably didn’t mean to say those hurtful statements to him.

The few chapters at the end were a wonderful closing for the book. Ayers could rebuild his musical life and he finally has a studio where he can practice as much as he wants without bothering others. He gets inspired more and more at every concert he attends and with meeting other Juilliard graduates like Yo-Yo Ma. The ending of the book was definitely a new beginning of Nathaniel Ayers life and a great ending for The Soloist. I’ve learned that we should appreciate people for who they are. Everyone is unique in their own ways and we should learn to accept it.



Focus Points

• Grammar

A Change- [The Soloist 13-22]

Part Two of The Soloist has really caught my attention. My point of view has changed dramatically since the first chapter of the book. It was first somewhat boring, then interesting, and now it's extremely excellent because every chapter has something new and important to read about. In chapter 13, the mayor of Los Angeles decided to take a tour of Skid Row with Lopez. Lately, he has been reading Lopez’s articles on Nathaniel Ayers and wanted to see how his living conditions are. When they went touring Skid Row, the mayor was completely stunned and shocked at the scenes that he saw. Because of this, he decided to dedicate $50 million to housing and other services to places like Skid Row. This scene is what really caught my eye as I was reading it. For the mayor to read the articles about a homeless man, visit his “homeland”, and do something about the poverty is something huge. It proves that one person can do something for the better.

Later in Part Two, the readers find out a lot about Nathaniel Ayers's past when he was still a kid and living with his father, mother, and sisters. He went through so much when his father left his family to start a new family with another woman. Then, his mother got remarried and more problems started rolling in. As Ayers was in school, he was discovered by William Moon. I thought it was nice that Ayers looked up to Mr. Moon as a father figure and wanted to make him proud. It was shocking to read that Mr. Ayers is still proud of his children after all these years.

What made me smile through these chapters was that Nathaniel finally sleeps in his room at the Lamp. What made it extra special was that he woke up in the room on his fifty-fifth birthday. At first, he was just a hard-headed man who refused to sleep in that room. He preferred to sleep on the streets of Skid Row since he claims that no one can steal his items in his cart when he sleeps on the streets. After receiving lessons with Pete Snyder in his room, Ayers slowly got used to being in his room. He agreed to sleep in his room for three nights per week. After spending time with Ayers, Lopez slowly realized that Ayers had a huge effect on him. He helped more people in need and volunteered more. One person does and can make a difference to another person or even the world. What's important is to keep up the effort needed to accomplish that difference.

These chapters had added a lot of information about Nathaniel Ayers and his past and present. I hope the rest of the book was just as good as Part Two.



Focus Points

• Grammar
• Ideas and opinions
  

A Deeper Connection- [The Soloist 7-12]

After reading chapters 7 through 12, my opinion on the book has shifted a bit. The story has gotten more interesting as the relationship between Lopez and Ayers gets deeper. As Lopez spent his night with Ayers, he saw how hard it was to survive on the streets of Skid Row. He didn't understand why Ayers preferred to live and sleep on the streets instead of a nice room in the Lamp. As the night carried on, Lopez realized that it takes a lot of skills to live and survive on the streets on Skid Row. By spending time with Ayers and seeing how part of his life was on the streets, Lopez became closer and more connected with him.

The pressure of being a student at Juilliard was worse than I thought it would be. Some students would even use drugs and smoke in the stairways during school hours. One male student even went further than abusing drugs. The young male, Rabin, committed suicide because of the pressure of being at Juilliard. This reminded me of the student who committed suicide in The Catcher In The Rye. James Castle committed suicide by jumping out his dorm window because he didn't want to give in to the peer pressure of others. Rabin and Castle both died because of a type of pressure on them; one was from the school while the other was from wanting to not be like his peers.

Throughout these chapters, Lopez has a hard time trying to find the right treatment for Ayers. Some doctors said that medication was the right path for treating mental illness but one doctor, Dr. Mark Ragins, believed that doctors should focus on the patients' lives instead of just treating their illness. The discussion about treatment was also brought up in class. Carol mentioned that if a patient doesn't want to get treatment and receives it forcefully, it won't help him/her at all. On the other hand, if the patient is willing to receive treatment, it will be helpful. I agree with her statements because if people enjoy the way they are, they shouldn't be forced to change it because it won't help them anyway.

In chapter 12, Beethoven seems to be the main idea going on in Ayers's mind. He loves Beethoven and every piece of music that he has created. At Disney Hall, Ayers mentions that being there is like a dream come true. He was simply amazed by the orchestra, Eroica, that played Beethoven's Third Symphony. It was nice to read that he finally had the chance to visit Disney Hall and hear a wonderful orchestra play a Beethoven piece, who is practically like a god to Ayers.



Focus Points

• Flow of ideas
• Proper verb tenses
  

Passionate for Music - [The Soloist]

Out of the books we have read this year, I find that The Soloist by Steve Lopez somewhat boring. Although, it was depressing to read that Nathaniel Ayers was a prodigy at Juilliard but his life was destroyed by schizophrenia. He has done his best throughout his life, especially playing the bass at Juilliard. Everything was taken away from him during the fall semester of his third year at Juilliard. Ayers was twenty-one when this all happened. He had received medication, counseling and shock therapy, but none of them help for long. Ayers lost his fiancée, his musical career, and he slowly drifted away from his family. It’s sad to read that an extremely talented person has lost everything because of a mental disorder. It reminded me of the story The Story of the Good Little Boy by Mark Twain of how a good boy did everything he was supposed to, but bad things ended up happening to him. Ironic, is it?

Even though Ayers was homeless, that didn’t stop him from continuing to play music. He still had a deep passion for classical music and a dream to succeed. He learned how to play the violin and the cello. Steve Lopez noticed that Ayers was playing a two-stringed violin at a professional level. He finds out that all Ayers wants to do is play music. Ever since then, Lopez and Ayers form a connection as Lopez tries to learn about Ayers’s life before he became homeless. From the reading, it’s easy to tell that Lopez has a great interest in helping Ayers get his life back and continue making beautiful music. Music companies even gave Ayers a violin and cello to play.

Reading about how Ayers has a deep passion for music reminded me of many people I know, including myself. I used to have a strong passion for the violin, but over the years, I developed a stronger passion for singing. Many passionate musicians chase after their dreams of becoming famous and expressing their love for music through their instruments or voice. I admire those people because they always give their best to become who they want to be and let nothing stop them.




Focus Points

• Grammar and Mechanical Errors

• Organization of ideas and how clear it is expressed

The Catcher In The Rye

The Catcher In The Rye was a very interesting book because of the way the book was written. The book was based on the thoughts of the main character, Holden Caulfield. His mind seemed to wander around and he reminisced about his past often, especially about his dead brother, Allie, and a girl he had feelings for, Jane. Holden had a hard time connecting with people, but he had many thoughts going on in his head. He could be considered “shallow” because of how judgmental his comments were about everything he saw. He called many people “phony” throughout the whole book. By the end of the book, Holden seemed to break out of his “childhood shell” and step into maturity. His little sister, Phoebe, helped him mature without even knowing that she did. As he watched her ride a carousel, he almost cried because he realized how much he loved her and many other people. After failing four schools, it was good to read that Holden felt optimistic about his new school that he would attend in the fall after he recovers from his mental breakdown.

This book was a decent book to read because the text wasn’t too hard to understand but I thought the plot was a little dull and boring. The parts that had my attention were when he was punched in the face by Stradlater and when he mentioned that a former student committed suicide. The ending was quite unclear about the rest of Holden’s life after he was put into a rest home to recover from his breakdown. Overall, the book was enjoyable, along with his crazy thoughts.



Focus Points

• Grammar

• Content and ideas

Death of a Salesman

After watching and reading The Death of a Salesman, I felt sympathy for Linda Loman. Her husband, Willy, had a mental issue and was caught cheating by his own son. Willy even bought things for his mistress that he couldn’t give to his own wife. Her two sons, Biff and Happy, had problems of their own. Biff was going from job to job, looking for himself and trying to please his father. Happy had a blown-up self-ego and loved hooking up with women, even if they were engaged. As a mother and wife, Linda must have suffered a lot. She realized that Willy was contemplating suicide and even attempted it several times.

Throughout his life, Willy has tried his best to get everyone to like him. He wanted to be respected and liked, but he was always doubtful about himself. Willy was even caught cheating by Biff. He lost respect for his father after that day. Willy also pursued the American dream of having a successful life of buying and selling. He had a traveling job with good pay, but his wife begged him to try to get a job in town. After talking and yelling at his boss, Willy ended up getting fired. Because of that, his life was destroyed and he was devastated. All Willy wanted was a job that required a phone and connections with other businesses. He recalled that a salesman named Dave Singleman had a wonderful job and was still working at the age of eighty-four. Dave had died the “death of a salesman” and many people from different cities showed up at his funeral. Willy wanted that kind of life.

Willy tried to get his sons to follow the footsteps of becoming a successful business man. He wanted Biff and Happy to live a life that he couldn’t get. Although most parents want their kids to be more successful than they are, Willy pushed his sons too far. They were stuck in a job they didn’t like, but Biff was the only one to take a step to realizing who he really was. He accepted the fact that he was a failure and wanted to find a job in the West. On the other hand, Happy was very similar to Willy. He loved women and enjoyed their company. After his father’s death, he made a promise to stay in the city and become a famous and successful businessman.

Willy went driving one night and got into a car accident. At Willy’s funeral, Charley, Bernard, and his wife and sons showed up. Linda was appalled at how little people showed up. She was devastated because they were close to paying off all their bills. I believe that if Willy had took the job offered by Charley, he would have been happy in the end.



Focus Points

• Content and ideas

• Grammar

• Style

Blogging

Being able to to blog and do assignments online has been a fun experience. We get to have two periods in class with the laptops and spend time doing the assignments. By blogging, we are able to see other people's work and comment on them. As a student, blogging is valuable because I get to have my work commented on and get other people's opinion about my work. I also like to read other people's blog and see what they have to say about certain topics. Commenting other blogs are fun and they get to see my point of view on what I think about their assignments.

I think continuing this type of blogging in school is fun for us to do. We are able to interact with each other based on school work. The only thing that I don't really like about blogging is the website itself. I think the site should have a tracker of what you have done on its site. This would really help on the comments because I usually forget if I comment on some one's blog or not. Just to be safe, I just comment on someone else's. Being able to blog, we can interact with the technology we have available at school too.

This type of work is definitely different than what I have done in other English classes. Every work or assignment was always hand-written or presented. I like this idea of having a laptop every Friday because it's a lot easier to type work out than to write it. I can fix mistakes easily and get other people's opinion through their words visually instead of verbally.

With blogging, this has enabled both 11th grade classes to read and comment on each other's work. We have never done this before for any of the classes we have had in high school. We can know how other students think and how they express themselves through words. I usually don't talk to the other students in 11-2, but now I can comment on their work. Within our own class, people who usually don't talk to each other are able to comment on each other's work.

Blogging has many pros that can benefit us. It expanded the amount of communication available for both classes. People can read and comment on each other's work easily. Plus, the idea of using laptops in school to do English work is fun and new compared to other previous years in school.

The Great Gatsby Connection

The Great Gatsby was a very interesting book that kept my attention unlike other books that I have read in high school. The plot included cheating, killing, and revenge, which really held my interest. F. Scott Fitzgerald gave each character in the book his/her own interesting personality. Gatsby’s and Nick’s personalities seem to be the strongest ones that were developed.

“Riches have never fascinated me, unless combined with the greatest charm or distinction.” –Letter, Aug. 1936, to Ernest Hemingway
I thought this quote was developed into how Gatsby’s personality is. Even though he is rich, he worked extra hard to gain the money. His love for Daisy Buchanan was his main purpose to becoming wealthy. The book introduced Gatsby as a crazy host who threw parties every week. Later, his personality is more developed into a loving, caring person who accomplished the goal of being rich and wealthy. Gatsby’s dreams and hopes became his reality.

"That was always my experience—a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boy's school; a poor boy in a rich man's club at Princeton…I have never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and it has colored my entire life and works." –F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters
This quote represented how Nick is like. Fitzgerald connected his life to his character, which gave Nick a stronger personality. Nick lived in West Egg with Gatsby as his neighbor. He went to Yale for college and fought in World War I. In the beginning of the book, the reader gets told that he’s open-minded and a good listener. Because his father taught him to be tolerant, many people can open up to him easily and tell him their secrets. While living in New York, he enjoyed the party life which was filled with fun, but by the end of the book, he realized that the New York life isn’t all that glamorous. After the death of Gatsby, Nick felt the shallowness of living a fun life.

These two characters’ personalities and lives add to what Fitzgerald’s personality and life was like. He fell in love with a woman named Zelda and tried his best to prove that he’s a success, just like Gatsby did. Fitzgerald later got caught into the thrilling party life, but ended up seeing the flaws and shallowness under having a life like that, just like Nick.

The Great Gatsby

"Civilization's going to pieces. I've gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things... The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be--will be utterly submerged. It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved ... It's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things."

This quote was said by Tom in chapter one. It was said when Daisy was talking about books that Tom has read. He believed that the book "The Rise of the Colored Empires" by Goddard was proof that minor races are going to rise up. Tom seems to be a white supremacist and would do pretty much anything to have the white race stay at the top. I thought his character represented a lot of the white people and their opinions towards other races during this time. Most of them didn't like African Americans and other minorities, therefore being racist. By including people like this in "The Great Gatsby", Fitzgerald makes his story seem more realistic to how the world is.


"I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby's house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited--they went there. They got into automobiles which bore them out to Long Island, and somehow they ended up at Gatsby's door. Once there they were introduced by somebody who knew Gatsby, and after that they conducted themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with an amusement park. Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission."

This scene was in the third chapter as Nick was describing how he felt about the people at Gatsby's party. He knew that he was the only few people who were invited while a lot of others just crashed the party for fun and enjoyment. Nick's thoughts really stuck out to me because it's still true today. Many people randomly go to parties that they weren't invited to and usually wreck the place up. These people usually have their "party attitudes" as they are doing whatever they do at parties and have bad manners. They do not clean after their messes and definitely do not conduct themselves properly. Some people do actually go to the person who made the party and introduce themselves, but it rarely happens. After this little section, I liked how Nick also described how he was invited. I guess it was a really big honor for him to be invited to a rich person's party. Is there another purpose or reason for Gatsby's parties or are they just created so people could socialize?


"It takes two to make an accident."

This quote was said by Jordan Baker in chapter three as she was arguing with Nick in the car. In this scene, they were talking about how bad her driving skills were because as she was driving, her car came so close to a man that it took off a button from his jacket. She said that as long as no one is in her way, she'll be fine. After all, it takes two things to cause an accident. I feel that this quote is very true because it does take two things to cause something like an accident. One could not happen without the other. Later on the page, it was interesting to see that Baker said that she hates careless people, while she is one. She did point out, however, that Nick isn't a careless person and she likes him for that.

Poetry Supermarket [Anne Bradstreet]

To My Dear and Loving Husband
Verses upon the Burning of our House


Anne Bradstreet was born as Anne Dudley in Northampton, England in 1612. When she was 16, she married Simon Bradstreet and moved to America in 1630 on the Arabella, which was one of the first ships to bring Puritans to New England. Anne had a hard time adapting to her new home because of the constant struggle for food and survival. During hard times, she reminisced about her life in England and let her belief in God help her get through the day. Anne and Simon had eight kids in ten years. They all survived and were healthy despite the diseases during the time. Because her husband was always busy with politics, Anne spent most of her time reading books and educating her children. Reading expanded her knowledge and even helped her cope with her new life. She soon fell in love with poetry and started writing some of her own. Most of her poems were based on her life experiences or her love for her husband and family. She didn’t share most of her works because Puritan women weren’t allowed to learn and express their views, so she only wrote for herself, close friends, and family members. Anne’s poems were secretly taken by her brother-in-law to England and published in a small book. The book was pretty popular but not as popular as her later works. She soon gotten tuberculosis and died at the age of 60 on September 16, 1672, in Andover, Massachusetts.
Anne’s poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband” is about her love for her husband, Simon. She admires and honors him while asking the heavens to reward him for his love. She wrote this poem to express how she felt toward Simon and how their love is eternal. Most of her poems were about affection for people she cared about the most. It showed me that she was a very passionate and faithful woman and I respect that.

Anne’s poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, has a two-line rhyme scheme. For example, the first two lines are “If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.” Another kind of rhetorical aspect she used is iambic pentameter. Anne also used anaphora in the first three lines. Anaphora is the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of the line. For example, the first three lines are “If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee; If ever wife was happy in a man”. By using these rhetorical aspects, it made the poem more fun to read and gave a deeper meaning to the poem with repeating the phrase “If ever”. Her tone was very intimate and passionate as she described her lasting love for her husband.

After reading “Verses upon the Burning of our House”, I realized that she doesn’t need materials to be happy. In the poem, everything she owned was burned in a fire. Her faith in God helped her get through this tough time. The basic message of the poem was that materials and wealth doesn’t matter in the end. People should be grateful for what they have such as friends and family.

Several ways contribute to show that Anne Bradstreet’s poems are distinctly American. Her writings were slightly feminist because she expressed herself during the time when women were only looked on as housewives. Puritans believed that women were inferior to men and were not allowed to express how they feel. Another way that demonstrate this are her religious experiences and views that she talks about in her poems. Anne talks about how God has played a major role in her life. She mentioned God as a punisher if you don’t follow the religious beliefs correctly. On the other hand, she mentioned God as a savior through hard times. The reader can easily tell that she is an American writer, as she was one of the first American women writers to have her works published.

Kate Chopin [Reading Journal]

Kate Chopin’s writings have a somewhat slight tie to the American Romanticism era. Romanticism writers create stories describing Nature and her beauty, expanding on individual feelings and emotions. In her story, “Lilacs”, Adrienne Farival visits the church every spring where she spent her childhood. At the first bloom of spring, lilacs bloom and remind her of her past. There were also many descriptive images described in the story that gives it a touch of romanticism such as “the sweet odor of lilac blossoms” and “the notes of birds, just as we hear them now, and the humming of insects”. The connection with nature and lilacs gives the story a slight bond to the romanticism writings. The rest of “Lilacs” and “A Pair of Silk Stockings” are pure American Realism writings. Both stories depict reality how it is. For “Lilacs”, Adrienne was kicked out and banished from the church in the end because she was impure compared to the other nuns. In “A Pair of Silk Stockings”, Mrs. Sommers spoils herself with the money she finds. It shows that people have fantasies and would like to try to live another life even if it’s only for a day.

A major theme in Chopin’s writings deals with feminism. Both of her stories revolved around a main female character that had slight issues with their individual life. In “Lilacs”, Adrienne lived a double life and that ended up conflicting with one another. In Paris, Adrienne is a lazy, immature woman who throws flowers at her maid when she gets irritated. When she goes to visit the church, she is a calm and happy lady. After Mother Superior found out about her Paris life, she banished Adrienne from ever coming back. The main idea in this short story was the strict boundary between being pure and impure in the Catholic religion. It states that you cannot be both sexually active and chaste at the same time. In “A Pair of Silk Stockings”, Mrs. Sommers is a poor mother but she does her best to keep her children happy. After encountering fifteen dollars on the ground, she ended up spoiling herself with the materials she could have never afforded before. Mrs. Sommers did think about her children at first, but she later fell under the spell of materialism. Chopin does use some humor in her stories to give a mini lesson about several situations in life.

I believe that Chopin’s audience could be anyone who is willing to read and learn from her stories. She included mini facts/lessons in both of her stories and probably more in other writings. In “Lilacs”, she was probably trying to say that living a double life would most likely not work out in the end. She also mentioned about religion and how strict it is when it comes down to being pure or impure. In “A Pair of Silk Stockings”, she was trying to say that anyone, rich or poor, has a fantasy to be someone they are not, even if it doesn’t last long. Her writings were probably written for the women in the 1890s. During that time, women couldn’t vote, own property, and had a low chance of finding a job. Chopin probably wrote it to expand on a woman’s life during her time.

As a reader, I liked her story “A Pair of Silk Stockings” the most. The lesson about how materialism can effect anyone is what stood out to me the most. This is true today because many people, especially teenagers, are constantly wanting new items and things. Some people are even greedy enough to steal, murder, and kill others to obtain it. Her writing style made this story appealing too. It included imagery, humor, and a bit of irony.

“She descended the steps with a nerveless and dragging tread. Once as she was walking away, she turned to look back at the imposing facade of the convent, hoping to see a familiar face, or a hand, even, giving a faint token that she was still cherished by some one faithful heart. But she saw only the polished windows looking down at her like so many cold and glittering and reproachful eyes... After a short while, a lay sister came out of the door with a broom, and swept away the lilac blossoms which Adrienne had let fall upon the portico.”
This scene happened after Mother Superior banished Adrienne from ever coming back to the church. She looked back to see if anyone felt pity for her, but no one was there for her. After she left, someone came out to sweep away the lilac blossoms that Adrienne dropped as she became heartbroken. This passage from “Lilacs” made me feel extremely sorry for Adrienne. She got turned down in a very cruel way and the lilac blossoms that were swept away was symbolic. Nothing of her remained at the church after she was exiled. The way Chopin chose to write this scene brought out many emotions that could be felt by the reader for Adrienne.

Words Speak Louder Than You Think

Almost everyone knows the quote “actions speak louder than words”, but does it really? Sure, actions can hurt people physically, but words mean and hurt more mentally. Words can do a lot of things that violence and actions can do but in a more mature way of expressing one’s opinion.

Words can definitely change the way people think and feel in an instant. There are many writings now and in the past that influenced people such as Gandhi and Dr. King’s speeches. They both mentioned the idea of nonviolence and how effective it is compared to the act of violence. They both got their point across and had many nonviolence followers who also helped spread the idea of resistance and nonviolence.

Many poets on the site “Poets Against War” including June Jordan have expressed their opinions about war and violence. My favorite poem that I have read so far on the site is called “Speak Out” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In his poem, he talks about the war with the third world countries that attacked America. Slowly, everyone is dying because no one is brave enough to speak out. Ferlinghetti is saying that if we don’t speak out with our words, the violence will continue. The majority needs to step up and express how they feel in a nonviolent way. If they do, then somehow a solution will arise and stop the war.

In brief, writing does have the power to enact social change. Writing involves thinking and expressing your opinions in a way that actions can’t do. Sure, brutality and bloodshed can be hard to forget, but words remain forever.

The Price of a Child

April 27, 1856

Dear Tyree,

How are you and everyone else? I hope you are alright especially with what happened around the time I left you and your family. I have never fully expressed the happiness I have experienced after being freed and spending time with your family, especially you. All my life, I have been mentally and physically tortured because of my status of being a slave. Tyree…you and the others have made me go through many upbeat feelings that I thought I would never get to feel while being Pryor’s. I appreciate everyone’s help.

Because of you and your family, I have been able to start my new life in New York with Mattie and Etta. Etta is getting better at playing the piano everyday and Mattie is getting better at writing. Now, I feel like an actual family with my children. They have learned so much, thanks to your help. All we’re missing is Bennie and a father figure. I want that father figure to be you. The time we spent together has been very memorable and I will cherish them. I hope the problems in your family get solved and you will come and live with us. I know I sound selfish and greedy, but throughout my life, I have never found someone like you. You can make me open up and express myself in different ways, the person I have kept locked up in my heart to protect myself.

As of right now, I am trying to come up with a plan to get Bennie back. He’s probably sleeping or playing near that cruel woman! Ugh, just the thought of Pryor’s wife disgusts me. I’m just scared that she has sold my baby to some other demented person who would use him as a slave. He’s only five and I don’t want him to suffer the horrific things that I went through as a slave.

I know it’s a lot to ask of you since you’re still probably upset with the death of your father, but can you help me this last time? I need you to help me get to Virginia. My plan is to bring Etta and Mattie to live with your family for a while until I can get Bennie back. It really hurts me knowing that he is somewhere else with someone I despise.

I can’t thank you enough for helping me since the moment my children and I were freed. You took care of us like one of your own, giving me gifts and money to start a new life. With the money you gave me, I hope I can get Bennie back. Once I start working, I hope I can earn enough to come and visit everyone once in a while and repay you.

I hope you get this letter soon because I want to see you again. Plus, these few months are the best time to travel to Virginia. I miss you as a friend and lover. Hopefully, you can reply back and tell me how everything is going with everyone.

Sincerely,

Mercer Gray