Friday, November 11, 2011
Post #6
Students are required to spend some time reading and reflecting on peer's comments toNana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs. Please comment on at least two peer's comments . Please begin your comments/reflections with, " My response to this story written by (name of student) is..." and " My response to this story written by (name of student) is..."
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My response to Post #5 written by Connie Nanfara
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post I was happy to see that you included the quote said by Tommy's mother "perhaps it was a kiss from Nana upstairs." This quote played a key part in the conclusion of the story because it made Tommy realize that his grandmother will always be looking over him even though she wasn't around anymore. Like you, I also can relate to the story because I'm close with my grandparents. Although they do not live very close to me, I still go to visit them every opportunity I have.
My Response to Post #5 written by Sebastian Walenciej
ReplyDeleteIn your post you state that both of Tommy's grandmothers had a great influence on his life. I think most people would agree with you when you say that because he looked up to both of them and treated them as role models. You could tell that he cared for his grandmother when he defends her from his brothers insult and when he experiences a time of sorrow when she passes away. You also wrote that the story makes you wish that you knew your great grandmother. I wish I did too because I never got to meet mine; she passed away before I was born. I'm sure I would have treated her the same way Tommy treated his because value all the time spent with my grandmother and other elderly people in my life.
My Response to Post #5 written by Michael Yousif is:
ReplyDeleteI love that in your post you show how much you understand about the story “Nana upstairs and Nana downstairs.” The one part of your post which I thought was extremely important was when you talked about generations. You explain each person and what generation they belong with, Eg: the Great Grandmother is a 1st generation. I also like how you give an example for their relationship. You show this when you say, “Tommy and his mother both love her by taking good care of her.” What you could have added was how Tommy felt after the death of his great grandmother. This would have further explained his love for her.
My Response to Post #5 written by Matthew Kiru is:
ReplyDeleteI like how you say, “It was a great story about the Irish American or any culture.” You are absolutely correct when you say this because it doesn’t matter what your culture is, what matters is your relationship with your grandparents. I also like how you say that Tommy needed his parents when his great grandmother died. Since Tommy is at a young age it must have been difficult for him to understand what was happening. To make your post sound better, I would have added a few more examples about Tonny’s relationship with both his great grandmother and his grandmother.
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ReplyDeleteMy response to post #5 written by Amanda Sinapi
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement, “Be grateful for what you have, because in a matter of a second you can lose it”. I feel that we never take the time to appreciate what we have and we just assume that we’ll always have it forever. Usually, people become grateful when everything is gone, and regret the things they weren’t thankful for! Continue to be thankful for what you have!
My response to post #5 written by Cinzia Moscatiello
ReplyDeleteIt’s amazing how much connection you have with this story. It’s important to spend as much time as we can with our family. I too feel that the strongest bond a child has is with their grandparents because they teach us so many life lessons, traditions, and they are always giving us their unconditional love and support.
My Response to post # 5 written by Mario Zuliani
ReplyDeleteMario after reading your comment I could tell that you really have a close connection with this book. Your personal story is almost like the book, how you would visit your great grandmother and grandmother just like Tommie. I thought it is so cool that your great grandmother is still alive, and she is ninety nine years old which is amazing.
My Response to post # 5 written by Cinzia
ReplyDeleteCinzia I like how you can really relate to this story because you also live with your great grandmother and grandmother. I think that you’re so lucky to have the privilege to live and know both because I personally have never met my great grandparents. I liked how you said, “I personally don't think there is a stronger bond than a bond a child has with they're grandparents because we learn so many things about traditions and cultures from them”, I think that I so true because they have lived for a long time and they are much more wise than we are.
My response this story written by Sonia Petrozza is:
ReplyDeleteSonia, it seems that you have found a very nice connection and related it to your life. You are right when you said that one should cherish their moments with their family because you never know what could happen, and by that you meant that a tragic death can occur anytime, and can be unexpected and very sad. It is very good that you were close with both your grandmothers from both your mother and father’s side. Very good reflection and it touched my heart. Very deep!
My response to this story written by Francesca Lanza is:
ReplyDeleteFrancesca, you pointed out a very good point. Many people who read this story would assume that Tommy had the same relationship with both his great grandmother and his grandmother. Although his relationship with both has similarities, they are not the exact same type of relationships and you helped me realize that. Good job analyzing the story!
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ReplyDeleteMy Response to Post #5 written by Elisa Loschiavo
ReplyDeleteElisa I 100% agreed with you when you explained the main theme of the story, being family orientated. It was great how you related yourself to the novel. I too have a great grandmother in Italy that recently passed away but I was fortunate to have my other great grandmother close by. She taught me many things that I know I can take with me as my life goes on. I understand the way you feel when you talk about how the only way you can contact your grandparents was over the phone, I too had to do that for a long period of time until she came back to Canada for visits. I know in my culture when someone passes away we try our best to comfort the ones that were the closest to them. The Italian culture comes together to help one another get through their sorrow.
My response to this story written by Connie Nanfara is:
ReplyDeleteConnie what stood out to me the most about your post was when you brought the quote that Tommy’s mother said during the last few pages of the book “perhaps it was a kiss from Nana upstairs." The reason why it stood out to me so much was because Tommy would always see these shooting stars but there was never really a meaning behind them. It took Tommy’s mother to explain to him that his grandmother was sending a message. It is also great that you have a tight relationship with your grandparents. I am also fortunate to have one also. They do not live that close to me but when I get the opportunity to see them I jump at it quickly. They taught me so many values in life that I hope will last through many generations.
My response to Post #6 written by Mario Zuliani is:
ReplyDeleteWow, you're very lucky to have your great grandmother alive. And she is very lucky that she 's ninety-nine years old! It's very generous for you to spend your time by taking care of her. Many people wouldn't consider that and would take her for granted.
My response to Post #6 written by Connie Nanfara is:
This book does bring memories to me too. It is a touching story and its very inspirational. Any child would love it, especially those who lost a grandparent they truly loved. I wonder if it was difficult for the author to write this book.
My response to Post #6 written by Connie Nanfara is:
ReplyDeleteI can relate to you because reading this story,it brought back many different memories for me as well. I live very close to my grandparents as well. I agree this was a very inspirational and moving.
My response to post #5 written by Alyssia Pascuzzi
ReplyDeleteAlyssia i love that you said “It was great to listen to because it explained that age does not matter when it comes to a relationship with a loved one”, I agree 100%. For a child to have a close relationship with a grandparent you must be able to rely on them as you would your own parents. This story shows the public eye that even though you have a totally different culture as someone you share the same qualities when it comes down to it all.
My response to post #5 written by Connie Nanfara
ReplyDeleteI can relate to you because I live around the corner from my grandparents too and I also visit them alot. This story also brings back memories from when I was small which made the story even more inspirational and moving. The story makes me wish that when my grandparents do pass, I will have the opportunity to see that even though they are not physically there, they are still there watching over me.
My response to post #5 written by Mario Zuliani
ReplyDeleteThat is truly amazing to still have your great grandmother around with you and your family. You should be very thankful to have the opportunity to spend so much time with her and I'm sure she will be there for her 100th birthday. I wish I could of at least met my great grandmother but like alot of things in life, somethings just aren't meant to be. God bless.
My response to post #5 written by Amanda Sinapi
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for your loss, you are one hundred percent right people often don't realize what they have until it's gone, because they no longer have that person there to be doing those little things. I can relate to you because I to know what it's like to loose someone and it is very hard , but you'll get through it.
My response to post #5 written by Alyssia
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you said " age does not matter when it comes to a relationship with a loved one" I could completely relate to it because I think your right. If you love someone unconditionally it doesn't matter how old you are, nothing matters because you love and care about the person. I could relate to what you said about Tommy being so young , and able to understand why his grandmothers passed away. I was also very young when someone in my family passed away so I could relate. Overall I think your comment on this story is great , in your comment it shows how you could really relate to this book.
My response to post #5 written by Connie Nanfara
ReplyDeleteConnie, I also felt that the book was very moving. It took an emotional toll on me. Tommy was so young , and him being able to understand why his grandmothers passed away is just amazing. I really liked how you quoted " perhaps it was a kiss from nana upstairs ". I liked it because it shows no matter how far you are from a loved one or if they passed away, they will always and forever be in your heart.
My response to post #5 written by Elisa Loschiavo
ReplyDeleteYour 100 percent right. It is an inspiring book. I am sorry for your lost, I know how it feels, be strong. Yes we do need to appreciate what others can’t have, because at some point we might not have that either. Other cultures have their own way of comforting each other, and my way is through my family, they help me go through hard times.
My response to post #5 written by Connie Nanfara
ReplyDeleteI can relate to you because I visit my grandparents a lot to. This book has brought back some memories for me to. That was very nice for mother to say to Tommy. I’m sure that Tommy’s Grandmother is looking over him and that was a kiss from Nana upstairs. Nana was sending Tommy a message from heaven because she can’t talk to him face to face right now.
My Response to Post #5 written by Matthew Kiru is:
ReplyDeleteI personally like that you said it illustrates how important family really is especially in the early parts of or lives. I agree with that because when we are children it is like stage one in our lives. We absorb all of the stories and learn from them. We learn from mistakes and appreciate them. I also agree with the fact that you sad the little boy really needed his parents because he’s never been though a loss before. When my grandmother I died I felt like I became closer with my parents because we were going through the same loss and we were feeling the same things. It was a connection between us that brought us together. You are very lucky to not have been through any losses of close family members and I think you should really cherish that and not take it for granted like I did.
My Response to Post #5 written by Francesca Lanza is:
ReplyDeleteI like that you said it shows two different relationships. I can relate to that because I had two different types of relationships with my grandmothers. Just like we have certain memories to remind of us of our lost ones, he has the shooting star. The shooting star will always remind him of his grandmother and the times they shared. As we get older we become more aware of the fact that they can be taken away from us. Grandparents are a special part of us and we should never take them for granted.
My response to Post #5 written by Connie Nanfara is:
ReplyDeleteI agree that the story is very moving. You are very lucky that you live close to your grandparents. Sometimes I wish they lived close to me as well. Tommy was close to his grandparents and when his grandmother died I'm sure after a while he felt safe because she was watching over him.
My response to Post #5 written by Amanda Sinapi is:
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for your loss. I remember when this happened and I remember you always telling me what you do for your grandmother. I am also close with my grandparents but not as close as Tommy was. I like how you said at the end "Be grateful for what you have, because in a matter of a second you can lose it." This is true but sometimes we don't realize it.
My response to post # 6 written by Connie
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your response. I too am really close with my grandparents. It’s nice that you can visit them every week. Both my grandparents live in Poland and I have to use Skype to connect with them. It isn’t a big problem but I would rather visit them in person rather than Skype. I also think that the quote is awesome and it shows that the grandma is still there with them. Good job.
My response to post # 6 written by Joseph
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to hear that you never visited your grandfathers but at least you had your grandmother there. I agree that you should cherish every moment you have with the elderly because they know what they are talking about and what to do. Your grandmother seems like a nice person and that I also had my grandparents away and I too didn’t know why.
My response to post #5 written by Francesca Lanza
ReplyDeleteI like how you talk about the different relationships we can have with different family members because it’s true. I and my grandmothers had a great relationship, but since I never met my grandfathers we could never have a relationship like it. Even though I cannot relate to the story physically, I can emotionally. I understand how it may feel to lose someone you love. Also, when you say they both had something different to share made me think of what my grandmother has taught me over the years and how she helped shape my life for how it is today.
My response to post #5 written by Matthew Kiru
ReplyDeleteI like how you specify “it was a great story about the Irish American culture or any culture” because its correct. I am Portuguese and Italian and in both cultures I experience different things. But the once thing that never changes is loving and respecting your family. Tommie loved both his grandparents and so did I, on both sides no matter what cultural barrier there was. I also want to say how lucky you are to be able to meet your grandparents, I personally never had the opportunity to do so with both my grandfathers which wasn’t easy.
My response to post #5 written by Mario Zuliani
ReplyDeleteIts awesome that your great grandmother is still alive and it is amazing how closely you can relate with the story, with the visiting her once a week and hoe close you are.
My response to post #5 written by Alex Molella
I completely agree that when Tommie defended his great grandmother it really showed how much he cared about her and its sad how you didn't get to meet any of your great grandparents as many of us often don't.