823-824+Discussion+on+Babe+and+I


 * Please have a discussion about the read aloud in class. If you can do some research about the questions you have, you should post what you find. Each response should be a paragraph long and should include something from the post before yours.**

** Samir Saweras class 824 ** **    Well the story about this little boy was great to hear. You see in the begining of the story you would describle him as a jerk for spending that dime his dad gave him for his birthday on 2 apples for him and his friend.(This happend during the great depression) The little boy wanted a bike but after he found out how his dad got his dime well the little boy felt sick that he spent it on apples. You the boy's father was an apple seller. That was where the transformation started. Next him and his friend started selling newspapers and whatever was made in profit he would use to pay the bills. One night his dad found out and they went for a walk and talked. This selfish little boy went from only caring about himself to worring about others.

I agree with Samir that the character changed greatly but I don't think that the boy went from selfish to unselfish. I think that the boy was always caring and he was just being a jerk for one day. Something I don't understand is why the boy decided to spend all five dollars on the game. If I were him, I would have lied to the newspaper store and give them only a couple of cents and give the money to the family. ($5.00/ $0.02 = 250) that means that he earned the price of 250 newspapers. ($5.00/ $0.05 =100) He could have bought 100 apples with that! If you forgot what the story was about, you can look at http://www.davidaadler.com/the_babe_and_i_45164.htm. -William Guiracoche. 823. ** **I also agree with Will and Samir that the boy changed but I agree with Samir that the boy changed from selfish to unselfish. I thought this because he went from only thinking about getting a bike for himself to helping his family. I also think that the boy should have kept the five dollar for his family because it could have really helped them out. Five dollars was equivelent to $125 because a newspaper cost $1.25 now and $0.05 before. Now a newspaper is 25 times the amount before and $5 times 25 is $125. I think that was selfish because he only thought about himself and not his family.** **-Alex Wong

Many would've thought that the boy changed from selfish to unselfish from the very beginning, but I disagree that he is and I agree with William. You can't be 100% sure that he was actually selfish or inconsiderate just because he was upset that he didn't get the bike. I can't blame him for being upset because he didn't know that his father didn't really have a job, the father gave the boy the wrong idea. Why wouldn't he be disappointed if he didn't know about his father's situation. The boy is after all still young; it's understandable how he would expect to recieve that present even though it was during the great depression. Given the fact that his dad still had a job, I find it understandable how the boy would still want something, aren't many children like that? I think the boy was a thoughtful person from the start. Sure he could've been a little angry that he didn't get what he wanted, but it's not like he would've changed right after he saw his dad, I believe that that change would've drastic. After he found out about his dad, he immediately regretted and wanted to help his dad right away. So I don't think he changed from selfish to unselfish, I think he was like this all along, it was just that the caring side of him wasn't revealed yet until later on. So........ ~Lulin =) 823 rocks**

I agree with Lulin that you can't be sure that the boy in the story was selfish. He didn't know that his father didn't have a job, and it WAS his birthday. Just like Lulin said, he immediately regreted that he had spent the 5 cents on two apples. He was even about to begin crying. Anyway, he even helped sell newpapers for the family and help feed them. As you can see in the story, even though he was being a jerk when he first discovered that he didn't get a bike for his birthday, he still become greedy when he statred working. He could have easily hoarded the money that he earned by selling newspapers and used it to buy a bike. But instead, he helped sare his father's burden and provided for the family. Even though this was the great depression, I still feel like the people living in it's lives were too varied. Some kids even have to work everyday just to have a plate of food everynight, but those big celeberties like Babe Ruth were just handing out 5 dollar bills like it was nothing. Even many might take this as a act of kindness, I think that it was really mean. If he had enough money to waste and pay 250 times the cost of a regular newspaper, he should've started a fund or something. It's just like those signs on the streets in New York say, "Give the homeless (even though the character in the story wasn't homeless, you know what I mean) the change that they really need!" -Ben Zang, 823

//Same here. I don't think he was selfish. He did realize that he should have kept the dime and he regretted it.// //Also he did say that he was glad to get rid of the dime only because it reminded him of reality, which it the Great Depression where no one or barely anyone has money to spend. As for the bike, he was disappointed when he couldn't get one but he did know why and the reason. It don't prove that he was selfish, unless he begged for one threw a tantrum, which of course did not happen. And before he even saw his father, he bought two apples and gave one to his friend. He wouldn't have done that if he was selfish. As for the five dollars, I personally think he earned the money and he should have been able to use it however he wanted. he used it for tickets to the game and it was to see Babe Ruth. He wasn't selfish in the beginning and more caring towards the end. That's how I see it.

And as for Babe Ruth, I disagree with Ben. Babe is actually really caring himself if he's willing to give five dollars to a boy who is trying to work. I agree that if he could give five dollars to a boy, he could have started a fund, but even in the Great Depression, he needed to live too. He can't just give every person out on the streets five dollars. And what's worse? Giving a poor person five dollars and telling them to keep the change, or giving someone five dollars because he wanted to show off? Either way, he tried helped someone. ~Caroline Huang 823//

I agree with Lulin and Ben. The story didn’t really give any proof that the boy was selfish. It was his birthday and he was clueless that his dad did not have a job. The boy is young, he is only 9 years old. What can you expect from him? Also, I think that the boy developed from the story, but however, my thoughts are different to Will and Alex. I think he became closed-minded to open-minded. In the beginning, it seemed like he didn’t care of what happened in the world around him because his father had a job. Toward the end, he became more open-minded and helped support his family. Not only he was open-minded, he was thoughtful of others. He bought an apple for his friend with the dime he was given as a birthday present from his dad. From reading this historical fiction book, I can tell that in the Great Depression, it was a horrible time in America. Even, kids would steal and go to jail so that they will eat. When I finished hearing this book, I thought about today, when we are in economic crisis, I think about us being in the boy’s shoes, trying to get every cent possible so that there would be food on the table.

David Zhang 823 By the way…823 for the win! xD

 I also happen to agree that the boy wasn’t completely selfish. How many of us can say that we are unselfish? Who is there to judge him if we can’t say we are of the purest minds and hearts ourselves? As a child who merely knows much, cannot be blamed for being upset that for his Birthday he didn’t get what we wanted. He also recognized his fortune and regretted using his dime unwisely. I think that the boy is rather smart too; he is able to use what he has to earn the most. By realizing the surrounding and the news, he went to the proper places to tell the proper news and earned money.  -Julia

I agree with Julia that the boy wasn't completely selfish because of the whole working as a newsee thing. I also think that it was more at the beginning that he was selfish and then not anymore (or not AS much as before), which is one of the changes in the story. The other changes are how he was kind of naive at the beginning and then found out. -Dina Levy-Lambert

// Personally i agree with everyone; how the young boy felt about his father at first and at the end. I believe someone with that much care in him, should be rewarded with a psychological gift that pushes him to do more and more good things to cause other happiness. But as the story line changes, when the father finds out that his son is helping him, i think that, that was the most loving and caring part and i think everyone should agree with that statement.// //Antonio Almeda-Lopez(824 rulesz!!!!!)//

 Yes, it is a very emotional and loving scene that the boy and the father share this action of helping the family. They boy has matured and wants to take part in supporting his family like his father, despite the father’s job loss. However, I also happen to wonder what would happen if the father was the mother? Would the boy still have the tendency to help his father keep his secret? Would he mind to tell his family he is working too? Honestly, and personally I think that if the father was the mother the outcome might have varied. To me, men are kind of sensitive according to the time period that they should be working and supporting the family. I think that the males care about having face. They tend to hide their fears and insecurities and try to put on a brave face. -Julia I agree with Julia. Guys don't really show their scared or that they don't like something about themselves. I think even though his dad wanted to keep him pride, he still should not have lied because then maybe the boy would not be as disappointed he would have understood and tried to help. I also think it was very nice of the boy to try to help his family finacially, it's very mature thing to do. It showed his ability to grow.

~ Chelsey (824)

I agree with Julia about father and a kid are helping the family. I think they wanted to protect each other and they didn't want to make worry. They just wanted to be happy or maybe they wanted to divorce oneself from the reality. The huge difference between now and during the Great Depression is we must go to school and we cannot work. On the other hand, during the Great Depression children had to work to live. Acually every one is lucky because we don't live during the Great Depression. (Even though world economies are not that good right now) Noriyo Onishi 824