The Irish Americans #8

Comments

1. The Irish Still lived in predominately Irish neighborhoods.


2. Being Irsh Formed self-identy for most.


3. Many of them Stayed very religious.


4. St. Patrick's Day in the 20s was a big hit.


5. Today the Irish still love the parade.

Questions

1. Why is Saint Patrick's Day so big ?
2. What makes the Irish so religiouse?
3. What made them stick so closely together after so many years?
4. Was New York a big Irish populated area?

Vocabulary

1. proprietor
2. nominee
3. tragic

The Irish Americans #7

comments

1. A definning momment for the Iish Americans would have been in 1920s.


2. Al Smith had agined popularity and was a Catholic Irish American.


3. He was also a published author who started his autobiography with "my mother's father and mother."


4. The Irish after gererations were proud to be themselves


5. The Irish still stuck closely together.

Questions

1. What keeps the Irish so close together?
2. Did Catholic Irishmen become more common?
3. Why were the 1920s so important?
4. What makes us Irish so proud to be us?

Vocabulary

1. humiliating
2. predominantly
3. colleen

The Irish Americans #6

Comments

1. In 1877 Irsh railroad workers were informed of a potential pay cut.
2. It was a 10% pay cut and they suffered threw the hard times like the whole country was at the time.
3. 1877 was the year the Strike of 1877 occured (lol).
4. This strike awakened the country.
5. Later strikes occured between 1881 and 1905 as many as 36757.

Questions

1. What caused the strike?
2. What was the main racial group affected?
3. Was the WHOLE country affected?
4. How did the strikes affect the rich?

Vocabulary

1. tocsin
2. subsequent
3. strike

literary terms

The Irish Americans #5

comments
1. Canals were a big thing in the 1820s.
2. 40 majior cannals were built between 1785 and 1850
3. They stretched From Boston to Richmond all the way to Richmond.
4. Some Irish alos worked on the railroads.
5. 393 were irish

Questions
1. Why were Canals such a big thing?
2.why were rail roads not as big?
3. Who were the more unskilled population?
4. What would have happened if there were no Irish ditchdiggers?

Vocabulary
1. pick- a diggin tool
2. migrated workers- those who move from job to job
3. wages- pay

literary terms
1. "... like unskilled..." similie (Can't finish quote due to inappropriates language)
2. man vs. man

Over View
1. this chapter spoke about the jobs the Irsh preformed

The Irish Americans #4

Comments
1. The Irish Catholics percentage started to slowly climb.
2. New York was one of the main imigration areas.
3. Philadelphia was also an imigration area.
4. Balitimore was also an imigration area.
5. Charlestown was again an imigration area.

Questions
1. Why did the irsh pick these spots?
2. What was the Society of the United Irishmen?
3. When was it founded?
4. What was the radical immigration?

Vocabulary
1. Dublin- a place in Ireland
2. Exile- to be banished
3. temporary- no perminent

Over view
1. Spoke mainly about the places the Irish picked to settle

The Irish Americans #3

Comments
1. Many people call the period between 1700-1840 the Forgotten period.
2. The Irish went threw alot of transittion.
3. People from Ireland even Dreesed as women to leave the country.
4. Only about 20 percent of the Irsh that imigrated were Catholics.
5. Around 1790 most of the imigrants were political radicals.

Questions
1. Why were Catholics so few in nubers?
2. Who was Carey, Mathew?
3. What was the Volunteer's Journal?
4.

Vocablulary
1. Radicalism- the sate of being radical
2. sought- to find
3. revolutionary- new

Literary terms
1. "... like exiles." similie
2. "... independace as its a goal." similie

Over Veiw
1. This chapter started speakin about transions the irish face and there coming over to america.

The Irish Americans #2

comments

1. The main reason for the Irish emigrating from Ireland was the massive economic problems.
2. The Famine may have been at its worse in 1740-41.
3. Many of the people that sayed in Ireland wrote to those who went to American about the terrible times they were having.
4. The crash of the linnen industry in 1729 also caused a big flush of the Irsh to imigrate to Ireland.
5. Not only were the people leaving Ireland because of the terrible contitions that they were all living under, they were leavin because America was advrtising how great of a place it was.

Questions

1. Why did the crops fail?
2. Why did the linen indusrty fail?
3. What made america the place to go?
4. How would the Irish fit in?

Vocabulary

1. Gaelic- A Celtic language
2. provincialism- a narrow minded person
3. Puritan- a religion

Literary terms

1. "....they were more like sevants..." similie
2. "... an Irish Catholic was as rare as snow in july..." similie

Over view

1. This section of the book spoke mainly about how the Irsih came over and started speekin about how they were treated.

the irish american #1

comments
1. Religion was a majior part of the history of Ireland.
2. When Protestants won the Battle of Boyne River it sent Catholics into a religious upheaval.
3. After the Protestants took over Catholics where horribly mistreated.
4. It was so bad at one point Catholics were forbbiden to buy land or vote.
5. The law againts Catholics called the penal laws were to difficult to enforce so the church survived.

questions
1. Why did the Protestants hate the Catholics?
2. Why did the Penal Laws exist in the first place?
3. How much of a psychologicalimpact did the Catholic's inferior status have on the members of the clergy?
4. If the religious oppression wasn't the main reason for the Irish emigration what was?

vocabulary
1. officiating
2. catalyst
3. exodus

to be contiued.......

Rat Bastards #8

Rat Bastards #8

Comments

1. FCI Milan was a terrible place, even for a prison.
2. Even Danbury was better compared to FCI, and they were built the same year.
3. When Shea checked into his sentace he went in in all style.
4. thanks to his lawyer and a good exuse from Red's mother Shea was tranfered to Fort-Dixon.
5. Fort-dix was where Jonh wouls luckily spend most of his sentance.

Questions

1. How did you go about time in the right way?
2. Where the irish and the italians friendly out side of prison or was it just out of respect?
3. Why are some prisons better than others?
4. Was there as much homosexuality in For-Dix?

Vocabulary

1. FCI: Federal Correctional Institution
2. deck: to knock somebody down
3. jovial: happy

literary terms

1. moral: Shea lived by his moral of don't rat
2. Personificaton: when decribing the prisons Red gave it life alomost

Over view

1. Chapters 25-28 spoke about the daily ongoings of Shea's life in prision.

rat bastards #7

Rat Bastards #7

comments

1. When Shea was arrested for assult and battery it was just alittle of what was soon to come.
2. The whole police force of boston took pride in knowing that Shea and others like him were apprehended for some time.
3. Many of the Irish Mob made front page news
4. After a long time encarserated John manage to be aloud on house arrest.
5. For being a stand-up guy and refusinf to rat caused him alot of heat ache in the end but gave him alot of respect.

Questions

1. Why were they so tough on Red inparticular?
2. How long was Shea on house arrest?
3. How did Whitey respond to seeing his top guy go down?
4. Was Whitey in on everything the whole time?

Vocabulary

1. nicks: a cut
2. swarm: large masses
3. battering: repeated beating

Over view

1. Chapters 21-24 spoke about Shea's problems with the court systems and his sentance.

Rat Bastards#6

Rat Bastards#6

comments

1. The trips down to Florida became more frequent as the bussiness picked up.
2. Tom Cahill became a good friend of Shea's durning the trips down and back from Florida to Boston.
3. Anything can go wrong in the drug bessiness as Red found out in his own way.
4. Being in Whitey's inner circle was a great honnor.
5. Shea took his life style completely serious.
6. From what Jonh says in the book about Penelope you can realy tell he loved her alot.

Questions

1. How did the Cubans find out about Shea's drug run?
2. How many times did Shea and Cahill get stopped on I-95?
3. Why would Penelope stay around when she knew John was married to his job?
4. How did Whitey pick and chooses his inner circle when he knew some of them weren't ready to handle it?

Vocabulary

1. Grand: $1,000
2. Carat: weight used for gems
3. DEA: Drug Enforcement Administration

Literary terms

1. Dialouge: "A moron," Clarified Beers.
2. Conflict: There were many conflicts in this book, one of whitch was Shea's conlict for his love of Penelope and his job.

Over view

1. Chapters 18-20 let us know alittle bit more of Shea's life stlye, and his views, and his conflicted love interest.

Rat Bastards#5

Rat Bastards #5

Comments

1. Shea was working well on his own and his ability and smarts intrigued Whitey.
2. Being recruted by the Irsh Mob was the start of a new life that Shea would have to endure.
3. Penelope was a tough but very understanding woman.
4. Red went from being a stand-up guy to a stand-up guy and Whitey's Protege.
5. Being Whitey's protege gave Red aolt more respect than he already had.

Questions

1. How many people failed Whitey's TEST?
2. How much different would Red's life have been if he had failed the test?
3. Would Penelope stay around for Shea when things got rough?
4. What made Shea some much different from the others in the Mob to be considered Whitey's protege?

Vocabulary

1. Protege: Somebody under patronage of another.
2. Nine-millimeter: a type of gun
3. turf- Area of expertise

Literary terms

1. Metaphor: "He has his eye on the future."
2. Description: "... those liquid brown eyes, and her full lips..."

Over View

1. Chapters 13-17 were mainly about what transpired right after the Mobs recrutement of Red Shea

Rat Bastards #4

Rat Bastards #4

Comments

1. When Shea ended boxing in California and came back to Boston life kind of gave him a smack in the face.
2. Trippple O's was a main spot of action in Southie
   
3. When Shea couldn't make it as a boxer he made it as a drug dealer for awhile.


4. His bussiness gave him a kick start to his life.
   
5. Shea took a big chance with his life when he decided he was going to Work for himself.
   

Questions

1. How did Tripple O's become so popular?
2. How did Red decide he was going to go into bussiness for himself?
3. Lamberts, was it like a farmers market?
4. Why would the captain just disapear?
   

Vocabulary

1. Hustled: to engage in small time illegal deals
   
2. Coke: Another word for cocaine
   
3. Kilos: another way of sating kilograms
   

Literary terms

1. metaphore: " I could see the light."
   
2. Decription: was used when Shea was describing Cubans and Colombians "...firery, hotheaded, and loud."
   

OverView

1. Chapters 8-12 were mainly about how Shea got into the drug bussiness.
   

Rat Bastards #3

Rat Bastards #3 (under construction)

Comments

1. John Sea wasn't jst a fighter in the ring but in everyday life as well.
2. Bussing realy effected the lives of most of the childeren in boston, and as a result many kids didnt even finishhigh school.
3. Many of the places the author speakes about in the book I know where they are.
4. When Shea went to California he realy had the dream to become a sucessful boxer.
5. Dreams unfortunately don't commonly come true and thats what happend to "Red".

Questions

1. Was the car crash in chapter 5 an awakening call for the boys?
2. How big of a title was the New England title ( in boxing ).
3. Wat were "political" decisions in boxing.
4. Where Mexicans good stratgical fighters or did they just have a fast pace?

Vocabulary

1. GED- high-school equivalent
2. blustery- speakin or sayin a conversation loudly
3. breeding- upbringing

Literary terms

1. Dialoge: Tommy said, "you got to go to work."
2. Similie: The air smelled like burned rubber

Over view

1. The story at this part is giving alot of the background info and how everything began.

Rat Bastards #2

Rat Bastards #2 5/4/3/2/1

Comments

1. Whitey realy had alot of power over the on goings in Southie.
2. Everybody mainly respected Whitey.
3. Boxing was Jonh's way to relive stress.
4. He found some of his best friends through boxing.
5. Boxing was going to be Shea's way out of Southie life.

Questions

1. What made Whitey so dertermind to become the boss?
2. How did Whitey get so much power?
3. How young does the average boxer start?
4. Why did Shea find boxing to be sucha great sport?

Vocabulary

1. punk- was concidered a youth movement
2. Tough-luck - difficult
3. tailgating- to drive close behind

Literary terms

1. "... I couldn't do anything except drink it in." is metafor and the sentace was in reference to the information and the knowledge that trainers gave to the boxers.
2. "... who eventually took me under his wing."- is metafor

Overview

1. The book just keepes you wanting to find out how the next thing will turn out.

Rat Bastards #1

Rat Bastards #1 5/4/3/2/1

Comments

1. The first chapter gives some insight to the overal character of the book.
2. In the first chapter they tell the main virtue of "Red Shea".
3. In the second chapter they speek about the childhood of the main character.
4. The second chapter made me laugh because it made me think of the stories my grandmother told me about how she raised my dad growing up in Southie
5. From what the author tells you about his time growing up and how it was you can realy see how different this gereration realy is.

Questions

1. How hard was prison on John Shea?
2. How much did his friends life get affected when he went away?
3. Was childhood in southie as hard as some make it seem?
4. Did Shea's childhood build his character?

Vocabulary

1. Protege- a young person who recives help, guidance, and training from somebody older
2. Armani- a name brand of clothing
3. era-a distinctive period of history

Literary terms

1. the first chapter forshadowed later event that could occure in the storie
2. ...like a "gangster priest"- similie

Overview

1. the frist two chapter realy intreguied me and realy hooks you into reading more.