Immigration Project Reflection

I was really happy with the LC book I chose because it was my first choice and because I thought it was a really interesting book that helped me understand a little more about the ways people from all over the world immigrated to America ad what challenges they faced as they arrive. I was given the book Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch. The book was about a sixteen-year-old Irish girl named Rose Nolan that came with her family to America but their happiness was shattered when part of the family was forced to return to Ireland. Margaret Rose wanted to succeed and stayed in New York with her younger sister Maureen. The sisters struggle to survive and barely do so by working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Then, just as Rose was forming friendships and settling in, a devastating fire forces her, Maureen, and their friends to fight for their lives. Surrounded by pain, tragedy, and ashes Rose wonders if there is anything left for her in America. From my LC book I learned that a long time ago immigrants had to go through Ellis Island before coming to America. In Ellis Island immigrants were asked questions and had a health check, where officials would check immigrants for lies or any disease or sickness, and if an immigrant had a disease or sickness then he would have to stay in Ellis Island until he got better or he would have to go back to his home country. I also learned that immigrants couldn’t get out of Ellis Island until a family or friend of them would come for them. I learned that a big fire happened in New York called the Triangle fire. I thought blogging was interesting because as you read your group’s blog posts you would see their opinion about the book and what they thought a part of the book meant and how they could connect to it. I also thought it was interesting because I would write a question and would see the different answers my group had and how they were similar or different. One thing that I didn’t like about blogging was that sometimes my group members wouldn’t do their blog posts or they wouldn’t comment on my blog posts.


For my art piece I decided to do a famous painting redone to incorporate the novel. First I had decided to do a new book cover but then I thought it would be more interesting to do a famous painting redone to incorporate the novel. I decided to do for the famous painting the Mona Lisa. I decided to put the Mona Lisa with the face of the main character on top of the water. In my painting instead of putting the background of the painting of Mona Lisa I decided to put the Statue of Liberty with colorful buildings in the back and a boat in the side. I think the connection between my art piece and the LC book I read was that the background of my art piece represented immigrants coming to America and seeing the Statue of Liberty and seeing it as their liberty and freedom. From my painting I wanted the people to know a little about the book Ashes of Roses and how Margaret Rose (the main character in the book) arrived in America. From my painting I wanted people to see how it was for immigrants to arrive in America and how all immigrants would come in a boat and arrive in Ellis Island to be able to get to America. I thought my final product turned out really good because I spend a lot of time in it and I put a lot of effort into it. I think I could improve on it if I would have had more time. I learned from my experience of reflection on my LC novel with art that there are a lot of ways to express feelings, thoughts or scenes through a painting. For example, through my painting I showed the scene where Margaret Rose was first arriving in Ellis Island. I showed that by doing a boat with the Statue of Liberty and buildings.


The interview process went really good because the person I interviewed was a really nice person and answered all of my questions. At first I thought it was going to be hard to interview my participant 3 times in 3 different ways but later on it wasn’t that hard and I just had to do the 3 interviews in 2 different ways because the person I interviewed didn’t have an email so I did 2 phone interviews and one in-person interview. Interviewing an individual that immigrated to this country help me know more about the experiences that immigrants had when they would immigrate to America and how a lot of them would have to leave their entire family to come to America. Interviewing an individual that immigrated to this country also helped me to understand that immigrants all had a different reason for coming to America and that their reasons were not only because they wanted to make a better life. I decided to make the person that I interviewed a scrapbook. When I asked the person that I interviewed what they wanted they said I could make something that was easy for me to do but I decided to make something a little bit hard that would take me more time to do because I wanted to give the person that I interviewed a really good and nice gift. I wanted to make a really good and nice gift to the person I interviewed because I thought they deserved it for taking their time to talk about their experience of coming to America. I decided to name my scrapbook the culture scrapbook because in the scrapbook I talk about the different cultures in the places the person that interviewed lived in. In the scrapbook I made I decided to mostly talk about the culture of the places Fernando Balo (the person I interviewed) lived in, which were in Angola, Portugal and San Diego. In my scrapbook I put a lot of images that would relate to what I was talking about. My scrapbook was 10 pages front and back. I decided to do the first page the title page and I decided to make about 6 pages after that about Angola and different things about Angola like its food, landscapes, flag and many other things. I decided to make about 6 pages about Portugal and different things about Portugal like its language, religion, landscapes, weather, transportation and many more. I decide to do about 5 pages after that about San Diego like its history, sports and many more. I decided to do the page before the last page saying thank you to Fernando Balo.

I thought the immigration project was a really interesting project that helped me learn a lot more about things I didn’t know about immigration. I thought this project was fun in some ways and I really enjoyed doing this project and learning.

Post #6

Quote #1 “I looked to see what was wrong and saw flames outside the glass. At first it seemed like a picture show, only in color. Then I realized what was happenin’. The building was on fire!” Margaret Rose, Pg. 204

Significance: I choose this quote because it talks about the challenges the characters face upon their arrival. In this quote Margaret Rose has just finished her work and was barely going to go to the dressing room to wait for Klein and Bellini to go to the nickelodeon when a girl screamed and Margaret Rose saw that a fire had just started in the Triangle. In this quote Margaret rose compares the fire to a picture show, only in color.

Personal Connection: I don’t have any connection to this quote and I don’t wish this happens to me but I think this fire can kind off connect to what happen in September 11, the twin towers. I think the fire that happen in the Triangle can connect a lot to what happen in September 11 but I think what happen in September 11 was one hundred times worst. In both of these disasters many people died and suffer for the death of their loved ones.

Question: Did this fire happen in real life?




Quote #2 “I remembered somethin’ terrible. I remembered Maureen.” Margaret Rose, Pg. 212

Significance: I choose this quote because in this quote it kind off talks about the challenges the characters face upon their arrival. In this quote Margaret Rose is still trying to escape the fire but when she has finally escaped the fire, Margaret Rose remembers that Maureen was suppose to wait for her in the dressing room. Margaret Rose starts worrying about Maureen and tries to go back to the ninth floor to see if Maureen is all right but the policeman doesn’t let her go back.

Character Judgment: I think Maureen is really strong. I also think that Maureen is sometimes a trouble maker for example when she went and pull Hildegarde’s braids. I think Maureen is sometimes a sweet little girl. I think Maureen always does what she wants and gets what she wants. For example when she convince her mom to let her stay with Margaret Rose and when she convince Margaret Rose to work at the Triangle.

Question: How was Maureen able to escape the fire?

Post #5

Quote #1 “After all, wasn’t this why I had wanted to come to America in the first place, so I could make my way on my own instead of bein’ taken care of, first by my parents, then by a husband? Would Da and Ma be proud of me if they could see me now?” Margaret Rose, Pg.154

Significance: I chose this quote because it talks about why the characters in the book come to America. In this quote it talks about why Margaret Rose wanted to come to America. Margaret Rose wanted to come to America so she could make her way on her own instead of being taken care of, first by her parents and then by a husband.

Personal Connection: I don’t have any connection to this quote but my oldest step sister does have a connection to this quote. She came to the United States as the same as Margaret Rose and she wanted to come to America mostly so she could make her own way instead of being taken care of her parents.

Question: What do you think will happen next in the story now that Maureen will start working at the Triangle?


Quote #2 “We are just going back to get your coat, Rose. And the pay that Mr. Mosvovitz owes you” Gussie, Pg. 142.

Significance: I choose this quote because it talks about what challenges the characters face upon their arrival. In this quote Gussie and Margaret Rose are going to go to Mr. Moscovitz’s flower making sweatshop to go ask him for Margaret Rose’s coat and money. Margaret Rose had worked a day at Mr. Moscovitz’s flower making sweatshop and made three thousand stems for Mr. Moscovitz at home but now Mr. Moscovitz didn’t want to pay Margaret Rose for her work.

Character Judgment: I think Mr. Moscovitz is really unfair because he didn’t want to pay Margaret Rose for her work. I think he’s a dirty man because he wanted to kiss a sixteen year old girl.

Question: Why do you think Mr. Moscovitz didn’t want to pay Margaret Rose for her work?

Post #4

Quote “I tried to remember back when Da first started talkin’ about comin’ to America. It was mostly about work.” Margaret Rose, Pg. 106

Significance: I choose this quote because it talks about why Margaret Rose’s dad mainly wanted to come to America. Margaret Rose’s dad mainly wanted to come to America for work. At the beginning of the book Margaret Rose said that her dad wanted to come to America for a better life but now she says that her dad wanted to come to America for work.

Personal Connection: I think I can connect to this because when my family and I first came to the United States there were many reasons why my dad wanted to come to the United States. He wanted to come for a better life. Also, he wanted to come so that I and my brothers and sisters could have a better education.

Question: Why do you think Margaret Rose’s dad wanted to come for work?



Quote “Da was a coal man, fillin’ his bags at Sutton’s coal yard on the docks and deliverin’ them to his customers by horse cart.” Margaret Rose, Pg. 106

Significance: I choose this quote because it talks about what was the life/role of the characters in their home country. Margaret Rose’s dad was a coal man back in their home country. Margaret Rose’s mom was a seamstress back in Limerick.

Character Judgment: From what Margaret Rose talks about her dad I think Margaret Rose’s dad is responsible. I also think that Margaret Rose’s dad is a hard worker because he used to be a coal man back in Limerick. I think Margaret Rose’s dad cares a lot about his family and that is why he brought them to America so that they could have a better life with more opportunities and to have an education.

Question: Did Margaret Rose used to work back in Limerick or where Margaret Rose’s mom and dad the only ones that worked back in Limerick?

Post #3

Quote #1 “You’re in for it now. When Papa comes home, he’s going to throw you out on the street, where you belong”, Hildegarde, Pg.100

Significance: I chose this quote from the book because in this quote Hildegarde is talking to Margaret Rose’s family and treating them as if they were nothing. I choose this quote because it talks about how Americans treated the characters in this book. Hildegarde was born and raised in the US. Hildegarde, Elsa and Trudy were all against Margaret Rose’s family living at their house.

Character Judgment: I think Hildegarde is really mean and unwelcoming. In the beginning of the book Hildegarde wasn’t really mean and she seemed shy. Now she is as mean as Elsa and Trudy and she is not shy anymore. She almost acts and says the same things as Trudy.

Question: Why did Hildegarde suddenly became so mean as her mom and sister?




Quote #2 “I just want to die! Walter saw these…these…immigrants running a sweatshop in our home. I’m so humiliated,” Trudy, Pg.99

Significance: I chose this quote because in this quote it talks about how Americans treated the characters in the book. In this quote Trudy is talking to else about feeling humiliated because Walter saw Margaret Rose’s family doing the paper roses. She said that just because Walter saw Margaret Rose’s family he would not want to marry her. In this quote Trudy refers to Margaret Rose’s family as “these immigrants.”

Character Judgment: I think Trudy is like her mom, Elsa, and her sister, Hildegarde. She probably is a lot meaner than Elsa and Hildegarde. She thinks she is better than Margaret Rose’s family just because they are immigrants and she is not. Also because she was probably born in America and Margaret Rose’s family was born in Ireland.

Question: Was Walter Trudy’s boyfriend?

Post #2

Quote #1 “But the rest of the family at least Elsa and Trudy, weren’t as friendly”, Margaret Rose, Pg.50

Significance: I chose this quote from the book because in this quote Margaret Rose talks about how Elsa and Trudy were to her family. I choose this quote because it talks about how Americans treated the characters in this book. Trudy was born and raised in the US so that is why I think she was really mean to Margaret Rose’s family unlike Uncle Patrick who was warm and welcoming.

Character Judgment: I think Elsa is really mean and unwelcoming. I think Elsa is a lit bit nice in front of Uncle Patrick but she is mean when she talks to Trudy bad things about Margaret Rose’s family.

Question: Was Trudy the oldest sister?


Quote #2 “Ma had made it for me just a few months before we left. In Limerick she was a seamstress for a fancy shop on O’Connell Street, and they had paid her only a small fraction of what they sold the dresses for” Margaret Rose, Pg.52

Significance: I chose this quote because it says what Margaret Rose’s mom use to do in her home country. She was a seamstress. I thought it wasn’t fair that the owners of the fancy shop paid Margaret Rose’s mom only a small fraction of what they sold the dresses for.

Character Judgment: I think Margaret Rose’s mom is really responsible. I think she is a hard worker because she always is cleaning and washing the dishes in Elsa’s house. I think she is really nice because even though she knows that Elsa talks bad things about them she still acts friendly and with good manners.

Question: Was being a seamstress the only thing that Margaret Rose’s mom did back in Limerick?

Field Trip Reflection

Part I: From Haven to Home

The purpose of the From Haven to Home exhibit was to examine 350 Years of Jewish Life in America. The exhibition examines the Jewish experience in the United States through the prisms of "Haven" and "Home." "Haven” expresses the ideals of freedom that have come to represent the promise of America. This section also explores the formative experiences of Jewish immigrants as they struggled to become American. "Home" section focuses on the opportunities and challenges essential in a free society and the uniquely American Jewish religious movements, institutions, and associations created in response. In the From Haven to Home exhibit I learn a lot of things. For example, I learned that the Underground Railroad was meant for Jews. I also learned that the Touro Synagogue opened in 1763. The Jeshat Israel Synagogue renamed Touro Synagogue in the nineteenth century. The Touro Synagogue is the nation’s oldest standing synagogue and national monument. Also, I learn that in the 1930 American Jews idolized Hank Greenberg, the first Jewish baseball superstar. I learned that in early America, Jews lived in “Synagogue Communities” one congregation in each community that provided for each Jewish Community member’s spiritual and ritual requirements and provided charity in the time of need. I learned that much of American Jewish culture derives from the Yiddish play wrights, actors, poets, and writers who came to America between 1887 and 1924. I found interesting that Judah Benjamin became a secretary of state for the Confederacy. He was the first Jew in a presidential cabinet. I also found interesting that American Jewry divided over the issue of slavery. Those in the North generally opposed it. In the South Jews sided with their fellow white citizens. When the Civil War came in 1861 approximately 9,000 Jews fought for the Union and 3,000 for the Confederacy. Another thing that I found sad and interesting was that about 6 million Jews died at Nazi hands in the Holocaust. I learned a lot in the From Haven to Home exhibit.

Part II: Children of Immigrants

1. Photograph: The photograph that stroke me was the Walt Disney Magnet School Chicago 1998. This picture had a lot of kids that had different races and that where from different places, cultures and had different ages. I chose this photograph because it was stroke me seeing all those kids together even though they were different in many ways.

2. Quote: The quote that I chose was “America has anything we need: technology, goods. At least one person from every nation lives here. People immigrate to America because they know it’s a land of freedom and a better life. I see America as a land of opportunities.” I chose this quote because it strokes me how Tamara Farnick talked about America and what she thought about America. I think what she says about America is really true because I also think America is a land of opportunities and I do think there is at least one person from every nation that lives here. Something that really interests me from this quote was when Tamara said that America is a land of freedom because in the first amendment it talks about freedom and I think we probably have more freedom than other countries.

3. Personal Essay: The personal essay that interest me and that I could relate to was the Living in this New World personal essay by Giovanna Diaz. At the beginning of Giovanna’s personal essay she says that when she came to America for her parents it meant coming to the land of opportunity I can relate to that because when I came to America for my parents it also meant coming to the land of opportunity. Also Giovanna says that her parents have always worked very hard for her family and I can relate to that because my parents have also always worked very hard for our family. Something that interested me was when Giovanna said in her personal essay “Our skins, countries and language differences makes us a great country. We live in a country where people have many hopes in the future and are all learning to live together, accepting the differences of skin, countries and language.” I was interested by these sentences because she says that our differences makes us a great country and that every day we learn to put our differences aside. I think an immigrant’s life is hard because in Giovanna’s personal essay she says the many difficulties her family and her had when they first came to America.