4a Group #2

"4a Group #2”

1. Write the story title and author name.

“Montalvo, Myths, and Dreams of Home,” by Thomas Steinbeck

2. Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph; be specific in your summary. Remember that your classmates will rely on you for this information. 2 percent

This short story was basically a piece about the history of the world’s love affair with California. He writes about how the Spaniard’s originally fell in love with the myth of California and that as time went on, the mystery and mythology associated with that infatuation carried on to modern times. He talks about how the myth has evolved and is different things to different people.

3. Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph (include entire quote; use quote marks and page number)? 1 percent

My favorite quote from this story is,“In my youth and in the company of reverent comrades of like mind, I have ridden horse and mule over its rocky passes, and camped by mountain streams rich in cress and evening doves. And the, struggling over that last scrabble buttress of the western mountains, I have been abundantly rewarded by the sight of the great Pacific, beating foam-crested fists against every rocky intrusion into its realm. There is nothing I know that compares with the magnificence of a sunset seen from high in The Big Sur, and nothing as mysterious and enchanting as riding through the fingerlings of fog as they trace through the scrub oak up the canyons. If it can truly be said that one’s spirit may be stimulated to accept the sublime by one location as opposed to another, then for me that place exists high on the crests and along the rugged cliffs of The Big Sur. Even though I cannot now call those secluded canyons and cliffs home, my abiding memories of this lonely span of California coastline holds my should in thrall and delights the imagination beyond all else I know.” pg67

4. What did the reading make you think of? .75 percent

This reading made me think of many different things. One of the things that it most reminded me of was the discussion that we had in my Religious Studies class regarding sacrifice. We talked about how one of the reasons that people perform sacrifices is to show gratitude and another is to try to gain some kind of favor with the gods. The reason this story reminded me of that class is because it seems that this story personifies California by comparing the state to muses and by personifying the area of Big Sur with metaphor. The grandmother leaves offerings to the Dark Watchers and gets gifts in return. It seems that we all do sacrifice some, as the author suggests for the chance to enjoy the myth of California.

5. What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know (again, be specific using concrete examples)? 1 percent

On pages 67 and 68, the author describes the myth of the Dark Watchers. I wasn’t aware that such mythical beings were described in the lore of the Rumsen. It was interesting to learn about their mysterious nature.

1. Write the story title and author name.

“Ode to Caltrans,” by Hector Tobar

2. Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph; be specific in your summary. Remember that your classmates will rely on you for this information. 2 percent

This story was about the relationship that this author has with the freeway systems of Southern California. He talks about how the freeway represnts different parts of his life and how it seems to reflect how his views about the world have changed.

3. Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph (include entire quote; use quote marks and page number)? 1 percent

My favorite quote is, “When you live far away from California, as I have for the past three years, you begin to appreciate the freeway for the essential idea behind its construction-that automobiles should inhabit their own universe, segregated from the slower forms of locomotion.” pg 52

4. What did the reading make you think of? .75 percent

This reading reminded me of the first time I went with my husband to Sacramento to go check out potential apartments. We were going down the 5 and the traffic was going 80-90 mph. I was thrilled. We of course don't see a lot of that in Sonoma County. While the mega freeways remind us of the pollution and degredation and the overcrowding of California, they are a symbol as well. They're a symbol of the freedom and promise of the new adventures that you find while travelling them. That first day in Sacramento, the freeways looked beautiful and pristine to me.

5. What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know (again, be specific using concrete examples)? 1 percent

I learned that Iraq has a super highway system. I didn't know that. My bias about Iraq has been that it was underdeveloped.
1. Write the story title and author name.
“The Last Little Beach Town,” by Edward Humes
2. Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph; be specific in your summary. Remember that your classmates will rely on you for this information. 2 percent
This story is about the evolution of Seal Beach. It has remained last small town beach in the greater Los Angeles area. The author, after having moved out to California had started to become disappointed in the towns of California. They weren’t at all what he had imagined….until he reached Seal Beach. The town has maintained its integrity and is still struggling to hang on to that despite changing times.
3. Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph (include entire quote; use quote marks and page number)? 1 percent
My favorite sentence from the story is, “I can’t help but remember, Crystal Cove and its vanished paradise, and just how fragile our dreams and myths truly are, at least the ones that count.” pg78
4. What did the reading make you think of? .75 percent
The reading made me think of the first time I saw the ocean. We had just driven into town. We were moving to California from Arizona. I rode all the way in the back of a cab over camper with my sister and our two dogs in the back and my parents in the front. At the very end of our long trip, we got to the beach. For the first time, I saw the Pacific Ocean. I was four years old and I was so excited. I had heard so much about California and I thought about all the time I would get to play at the beach in the sand it was one of the happiest days of my life. That first experience was at Bodega Bay and it is really nice to be able to say that to this day, it’s stayed pretty much exactly the same. The world around it is changing, but it has stayed the same.
5. What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know (again, be specific using concrete examples)? 1 percent
I did Seal Beach as one of my beaches, so a lot of the information in the story is the same. What I didn’t know though is that that’s where the filming of the parting of the Red Sea took place in The Ten Commandments.
1. Write the story title and author name.
“Surfacing,” by Matt Warsaw
2. Summarize the reading in one brief paragraph; be specific in your summary. Remember that your classmates will rely on you for this information. 2 percent
The story talks about the surf culture of Half Moon Bay. It’s a story about a sixteen year old boy named Jay Moriarity who went out to ride some of the biggest waves in history and wiped out. He got back on the boat, grabbed his reserve board, and went back out to ride more waves.
3. Which was your favorite sentence or paragraph (include entire quote; use quote marks and page number)? 1 percent
My favorite sentence is, “After tossing the pieces of his broken board onto the deck of Lizzie-lynn, he took a short breather, grabbed his reserve board, ran a bar of sticky wax across the top for traction, and paddled back into the lineup.” pg 88
4. What did the reading make you think of? .75 percent
The reading reminded me of my friend Kirk that I worked with when I worked for Marin County Parks. Kirk was a student at UC Santa Cruz. He went surfing all the time and he told me that because he was a skinny young kid and nobody knew who he was, he would get chased out of surf “territories” in Santa Cruz, so when he would get the time to do so, he would go up to Half Moon Bay to surf because it wasn’t as well know for its surfing.
5. What is one thing you did not know before you started the reading that you now know (again, be specific using concrete examples)? 1 percent
I didn’t know that Half Moon Bay was a whaling town. My parents will sometimes go there for their summer vacation, but they never really told me about the history of it. I’ve always thought of Half Moon Bay as the place with the giant pumpkins.