Happy Halloween Friday, October 31, 2008

Today I was in a store and I overheard three girls talking about the Halloween costumes that they had just bought. They were digging through their bags comparing their different outfits. All of a sudden one of them looked at the other two girls and said: "My God, imagine how much money they are making off all this stuff!" My thoughts exactly. Happy Halloween everyone!

American high school students on blogging in English class Sunday, October 26, 2008

I searched the Internet for school blogs and came across an American high school where blogs are used in their English classes. These students are sophomore students which means that they are in their second year of high school. Most of them are 16 years of age. Check out the blog here. Here are two quotes from the students on their blogging experiences:


via Matt's Blog av Matt den 2007-05-31
Overall, the use of new belonging technology has greatly benefitted me this year. Essentially, educational belonging sites are virtual pools of opinion and information which you may give or take from as you please. They are sites which allow you to express your thoughts and rationalizations towards any given subject matter. Posting personal feelings and interpretations on these sites is not only beneficial to yourself, but to others as well. Considering how your posts can be found on a world-wide medium (the internet), any individual person from any individual region of the globe may respond to your thinking via commenting. In my opinion, commenting is the most important aspect of online belonging. This vital interaction is what allows you to view similar topics from very different opinions and perspectives.


via Nicole.P1.BHS av Nicole den 2007-06-07
As much as a pain these blogs were, it was helpful. Especially the blog were we had to read each others' blogs who read the same book as us. It was good for me. Because reading other peoples thoughts of the book and getting different points of views was good because it expanded my thinking range about the book and made me get an open mind while reading the book. It helped me. It's funny because no one is the same, but when you discuss something with a group of people you might find some people in that group are curious about the same thing you are. They may have the same questions, and they might interpret the book in the same way. It's interesting how it works when discussing topics with people, which goes back to reading other kids' blogs about Farenheit 451. It made me see things differently and look at the book in another way and make connections to maybe other things I've learned outside of English class. I liked the blogging because it was a way to make your opinions your own and read everyone's thoughts instead of in class discussing where only certain people who feel like it raise their hands.

Åsa on the Gilbert Grape movie Saturday, October 25, 2008

I have now read your posts and made a short comment on each post as well. I enjoyed reading them and you all have a lot of insight into life and into what it means to be human. You showed great understanding for the difficulties that Gilbert and the family have, but you also realized that having too many responsibilities and never putting yourself first can be mentally and emotionally draining.
You chose to interpret the ending in a positive way which I do too. The movie deals a lot with images of being stuck in a place or in a mental state you cannot escape from. Arnie represents both freedom of speech (he says what noone else dares to say) and the freedom of mobility (he tries to climb the water tower and he never stops moving about). The ending shows that both Gilbert and Arnie are "free to go" and that they are able to break free of what has been holding them back. That is a very liberating feeling, I think!
I hope you enjoyed writing in the blog. I think it adds a lot to share your experience with others and actually find out what other people think and feel is important for our learning process and our understanding of both ourselves and others.
I will work on the blog's design a bit to make it look more interesting. If you feel like checking out what the third-year-students at our school are blogging about go to: www.studenter09.blogspot.com

I am back

I am back from my concert. Told you I was going to be back around 1:00. It was a really good concert - well worth the trip! :) Looks like people go to Copenhagen to party on a Friday night. The train there was packed. However I managed to avoid them on my way back to Malmö since I caught the train that left at midnight.
Looks like you have managed to post in here. Perfect! I will take a closer look at what you have written tomorrow. Goodnight and have a nice week off.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape? by Maria

I thought the movie was good because it was realistisc,it can happend in real life and it was a very deep and sad story.
Gilbert has two sisters and a brother. His brother Arnie was born with a disability. The doctor said that Arnie just would live to ten years if he was lucky, but his tenth birthday passed and in a few days Arnie would turn eighteen.
.
Their father killed himself one day in the basement and nobody could understand why. After that, their mother went
in a depression, she started to eat a lot and she became obese. After a while she almost couldn’t move, she was just sitting in the living room sofa and watching TV.
The scene that i remember the most is when Arnie finds his mother dead in the bed. It was so heartbreaking to see the reaction of Arnie because he loved his mother so much, she was like his protector. It almost made me want to cry (and i never cry in movies).
Gilbert has a lot of responsibility, he has to take care of Arnie which could be hard on him because he can n´t have a personal life, and in the same time work in a grocery store. The parents should have the main responsibility of the family not the children, but you also have to have responsibility of yourself. Under the curcumstances Gilbert was in he had no choice.
Gilbert meets a girl named Becky they start to spend some time togheter, she notice that he thinks about everybody but himself so she trys different ways to make that happend. If you think about everyone the hole time you will forgett about yourself and what you want in life and in the end will feel unhappy, but i´m not saying you shouldn´t think of others becasuse that makes you to a caring person.
Gilbert is only a human and we can sometimes get tierd of doing the same things all the time, so i don´t think he means anything bad when he says "some days you want him to live and som days you don´t" I think it just means that he is tired of taking care of Arnie, i suppose it has to be tiring to allways have to think where Arnie could be, if he is hurt and to have a huge responsibility if anything happends to him but you can see in the movie that Gilbert really loves Arnie.
When Arnie says "I can go anytime" I don´t think he is fully aware of what he is saying. He probably allways heard it when he was younger, when they thought he was going to die.
I think that the most important message is that sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself for your loved once, because in the end life will pay you back.
I think Gilbert is going to spend the rest of his life together with Becky they will probably travel a lot at first but later they will settle down to have a family and Arnie will follow them where ever they will go. Gilbert´s sisters are going to study and have careers.

What´s Eating Gilbert

The movie I saw was about a family that consisted of a great mother two sisters and a little brother and the oldest brother Gilbert. It is often said that all those who are older than everyone else when it is on who will take care of the family, especially if the mother can take care of the family, no father seemed to. Therefore Gill Bert knew that he was obliged to take care of his family most of all take care of his little brother who was retarded who did not understand himself or what he used to do that could disrupt the whole.

Since Gillbert had not father, mother could barely move, he was the eldest and he first chose anything about his family he knew that he was not forced to choose for himself, he never thought of themselves or had no future plans and if he did, he would always feel cheating on his family in any way. They say if you're going to plant the crops so we must take care of the well so long as they live for if he leaves the halfway then they may die or can grow unusual and I think that Gillbert felt the same thing, I think he did it right and there was evidence that he was a good man and he said himself that he wanted to be a good person and he did, because he had a retarded brother who was so dependent on Gillbert, he was a very important person and part of Arnie life because without Gillbert so he would not be so old, because he always ended up in huge high point where if you had fallen, it will not be able to find their body parts and Gillbert could handle such a situation and save his life, he knew how to get him down. A scene of Arnie's most emotional scene and the best was when he finally took to the mother died while he was retarded and how could it be that he understood that the mother will no longer wake up again to life and was the first time could you see that he was an adult exactly the same day he celebrated eighteen years, the scene I will never forget. He used to always say I can go "I think he meant that he could do what he wants, and that he used to do what he wanted and he was aware that nobody would deny no to him.

Sometimes Gilbert could really be annoyed at him because he did evil things fixed Arnie could not help it and the last time when Gill Bert understood that he did not have more time to their little private life and he was scared in any way that he would remain there and he could be very aggressive against himself and against Arnie which just came out words from Gill Berts and mouth without knowing what he was talking about the same time did it hurt if he had not met Arnie a single day, both Gill Bert and Arnie were dependent on each other, it would do even more evil if he had not helped him and hugging.

After meeting with Becky changed the whole, Gilbert stopped and have affair, Becky made him think of himself little choice understand the difference between being responsible for his family and to his own life by deciding which way he would aim his arrow. Arnie to both Becky and Gillbert had the same personality, she was not only a change in Gillberts life but also Arnie life she got Arnie to dare to swim and had fun together every time they met. I think the movie house to tell us that we must take care of each other, but you should also think about themselves and decide what you like before you choose for others, choosing to others before himself ultimately forgets himself and its future. That stuff and dance can easily happen.

Since it began by Gillbert and Arnie to be alone and waited of caravans holiday and while he told about life with the whole family, and when it ended with the fact that only Gillbert and Arnie, and he finished with his speech that he is free and can go every he wants to, finally, he had his plans in his future.

What´s eating Gilbert Grape? Friday, October 24, 2008

What´s eating Gilbert Grape?

the scene i really remember in movie is when Gilbert hit his brother Arnie, Gilbert have not hit him before , Gilbert was the brother who don´t let someone hit Arnie if someone hit him Gilbert was screaming at the person , Gilbert really love his brother Arnie. When gilbert hit Arnie the booth was really sad. The day he hit Arnie he was in bad humor, Gilbert run out and he dont came back rest of the day.I felt so sorry when i watched this scene because Arnie and Gilbert was the brother who loves each other.

Gilbert have a lot of reponsibility in the family, he allways buy food and everything the family need, and he take a care of his brother Arnie, he helped the family with everything they want and he work to make a money for the family.The responsibilities of mine familj would be verry good and we should helped each other with everything.

Gilbert was falling in love, he leave the woman he was with , the woman with two child and he went to becky. I dont think he change so much after he had meeting Becky.

Gilbert don´t put himself first , but he put his family first and I think it´s good his family was the first in his life and that is good.

I think he mean Arnie is sometimes so nice and he dont do something and sometimes he is so strenuous. but Gilbert still love him what ever he do.

He mean he can leave the world anytime, I think he mean he can die.

The most impotant message from the movie, is to take a care of our family.

The ends of the movie, I think Gilbert had marrige with becky, Arnie and beckys mother was with them and I think they was going around the world with theirs car. Gilbert was keep talking with his two sisters and he visit them every summer.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

I will start by saying that i liked the movie alot because it was really sad and also full of love.

The scene that i rememeber the best in the movie is the scene were Gilbert introduces Becky to his mum. I remember that scene the best because it really touched me. He had never introduced his mother to anybody and I think Becky felt really honored when he did it for her. I think his mum was happy about it too, since she thought that all her kids were ashamed of her because she was so fat. Gilbert was luckily able to prove to her that it wasn't like that before she past away.

Gilbert had alot of responsibility in the family. You could tell that by how hard he had work to support the family, and how he took care of everybody in the best way, especially his little brother Arnie who was disabled. He barely had time to think about himself. But it was very good of him to do what he did, to understand his mum as much as he did. She had become really sick since his dad died, so she couldn't take care of the family, so he felt like it was his responsibility to do it instead. Gilberts oldest sister helped out as much as she could too. In a family like that I think the whole family has to try to help eachother as much as they can and stick together, cause it really is not easy if they don't do that.

After Gilbert met Becky I don't think he changed that much. He started to think a bit more about him self and about how he wanted to live. But other than that he was the regular Gilbert, taking care of his family and loving them as much as he had always done.

I think that it is both a good thing and a bad thing of Gilbert to put everybody else first and never think about himself. The good thing, is that if he had only thought of himself and never cared about the family they hadn't sticked together as good as they did in the end. I think that it was very strong of him to be able to do that. But the bad thing is that never thinking about yourself would make him feel bad in the end, and he wouldn't even know who he is.

I can understand that Gilbert felt that way, it was a really big responsibility to be like a parent to Arnie and take care of him as much as he did. It was like a full-time job to him, and everybody needs a brake from work sometimes, but he couldn't get that, ever. I think everybody would have felt like he did if they would have been in his situation. But despite that, he loved his brother more than anything and I don't think he really meant what he said when he said that he sometimes didn't want him to live.

I think Arnie meant that he could die anytime, and he knew about it. I also think he understood much more than they thought he did, and that is why he said that.

The most important message in the movie is to me, that family is more important than anything, and that you need to stick together no matter what happens and how tough it gets. I also think that a part of this message is about realizing that nobody loves you and will take care of you as much as your family will, just like Gilbert took care of Arnie.

I think that after the movie ends Gilberts sisters will continue on going to school and working, and later on even get married and live a good life. Gilbert and Arnie will continue on traveling and discovering the world with Becky and her grandmother. Eventually, Arnie will die, and so will Beckys grandmother. And Gilbert will have a very happy life with the love of his life, as he also diserves after all the hard work he did.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

1) The scene that I remember well in the movie is when Gilbert hits Arnie in the bathroom. It felt horrible watching it because he was such an innocent boy even though he was about to turn 18.

2) I could understand that it got too much for Gilbert after a while but still, it was not the right thing to do.

3) Because he helps the family a lot. He has the responsibility for Arnie and it is tough for him.
I think everone in a family should help each other out a cooperate together as a family.

4) He stops seeing thWhatat woman who is married and moves on with his life. He is more warm as a person. Especially to Arnie and his family.

5) It's both good and bad to not put yourself first. Why is it bad? Well, because you forget about yourself. Everybody needs to take care of themselves and even spoil themselves sometimes.
Why is it good? Because you pay attention to others as well and you don't become an ego loving yourself more than others. It's not wrong to love yourself, in fact you have to, but even that has a limit.

6) I don't remember hearing him say that. It's my fault so I can't actually say what he means by that sentence.

7) What I think is the important message in this movie is to always love your family no matter who has a disease or illness because they will always be there for you no matter what happens and they will support you like nobody else.

8) I think Gilbert still lives in Endora after the movie ends. And their lives, will still go on just like before even though their mother is dead. Gilbert takes care of Arnie just like he always did and he still sees Becky every summer.

what's eating gilbert grape?

this scene that i remember from the movie is when they burn down the house and theirs mother is inside the house. the scene let hurt my feelings because its difficult and hard to lose theirs mother and could not to do anything because they cant take her outside the house to dont let the people see her.its very hard gilbert take responsibility on his own family. he dont havve a father and he have a sick mother who cant move to much. he have 2 sisters and one sick brother that need help. he want to let his family live a good life. he do every think just to get money. gelbirt starts to change after he meet becky she learn him to begin take care of him self and to think what he want to do. she learn him to anderstand and to have better contact with his brother. its a bad and god think . the good think was when he taked care about his family and thinked about them and there future. he want them to live a happy life. and the good with it are that you dont meet so many people that want to take care about their familys and the bad think is that he dont think about his own life and what he love and want to do. he dont even think what he can do more than just work and take care of his family. gilbert love his brother and he is with him all the time and its why he want him to live his hole life. but sometimes does arnie thinks that gillbert dont like but he cant do anythink to him to let him stopp to do it. because arnie know that he was sick and he could die anytime and he feeld every time that he is different . and he know that he dont live for a long time more .. we can see in the movie that love is every where and in every person and we can found it. and we can respect every one no matter who they are or live. and that the family is one of the important think in our lives. but not every one is a good person and love the others and want to help them and its not every time we found the one who is taking care about us. i think that gillbert containe his life with becky and they live together. and they want to take care about arnie and he keep in touch with his sisters

Hi
I remember the scene when Gilbert forced Arnie to take a bath. Arnie was so afraid that he ran away all the time until Gilbert gaps Arnie and hits him several times think that Gilbert didn’t mend to hit Arnie but he got confused and his anger took over. And the next day when Gilbert saw Arnies bruised face he felt so sorry and it looked like he wanted to take it back but he couldn’t. When I saw this scene my eyes got filled with tears. It felt like I knew what Gilbert felt.
And the scene when Arnie goes to his mom and finds her dead was so sad. Than Gilbert decided that he didn`t want to let his mom become a joke so he burned the house with his mom. I felt so sad that I was so close to cry. I remember those scenes best because it brought up many emotions. And thats two things that i dont want to get through I not sure that i can handle those situations in a good way likke Gilbert. He took big decision and responsibility.

Gilbert supports his family. He is the one working, taking care af his mentally handicaped brother and the whole house. First of all i think that his mom should take more responsibility and not get so fat and so helpless. She should at least take care of her mentally handikaped son. And Ellen should help her sister Amy a bit more.

I dont think Gilbert changes at all when he meets Becky.
Putting yourself first its good when comes to people you love and as long as they dont use you.
When Gilbert says "somedays you want him to live and somedays you dont" about Arnie.
I think he means that for all the love and respect he wants him to live but it is very hard to take care of him because he is very provoking.
When Arnie says " I can go anytime". I think he means that he can die anytime or that he dosent have so much longer to live.
I think that the most inportand messenge in the movie is that there are young people that takes responsibility for a whole family and has a hard live.
Amy gets hired at a bakery, Allan moves near her school and contunies studing , Gilbert and Arnie stays together and travels around with Becky.

By Gjulsha op1b

What´s eating Gilbert grape?

My of my favorite scens, that left a mark, is when Arnie climbes up the latter the first time. Gilbert is making a delvery to his "lover" so he lives Arnie alone in the car. When it´s time for Gilbert to go he can´t finde Arnie. He rushes in to town and when he gets there he catches a glimpse of Arnie half way up the "water tower". Everyone is there. The police force, the fire department and almoste every citicent of then smal town. After a while Gilbert convinses Arnie to climbe down. It was the first scen in thee movie that woke me up. I´m really afraid of hights so that was a scary moment for me. I almoste stoped breathing when he droped his shoe. I expected him to fall. I woulde have gotten scared to see anyone up there. But when I saw Arnie, I got really scared. A lot of people depends on Gilbert. His mom depends on him to take care of Arnie, his sisters depends on him to do all the things theire father isn´t around to do, and Arnie needs him every minute of every day. So you can deffinetly say that Gilbert has alot of responsibility. I belive in a fair system. I think that every member of the family shoude have the same amount of responsibility. The children shound be depending on there mom and not the other way around. I think that Gilbert turns in to a more loving person after meeting Becky. He seemes happier and more alive. It´s importent to put people that you love first. But sometimes you need to do something for your self. A normal person wouldn´t survive a lifetime of never putting them selves first. So I think that what Gilbert is doing is both good and bad. I belive that Gilbert meens that he loves Arnie but sometimes they woulde all be better of if he was dead. Everything woulde bee so much easier. I don´t think that I can fully understand him. I don´t think that anyone that isn´t in his situation can understand him. I´m not really shoure aboute what Arnie meens by that. It coulde bee that he is aware of his mentel state and that he knows that he coulde die when ever. The most importent message in the movie. I think it wants to tell you that everyone should bee respected no matter how tallented they are or how they look. And that everyone can be happy. You just have to make the best of the good moments in life. I hope that Arnie will live to see the world and that he gets the most out of living. I want Becky and Gilbert to live happily ever after and that the whole Grape family will be united once again.

What's eating Gilbert Grape?

That scene I special remember is when Gilbert hits Arnie and I thought it was horrible, because I don't think that you should hit a person who doesn't understand why (you should never hit somebody).

Gilbert had a very big responsibility in the family because, it was he that took care of Arnie of the most.
In my opinion you can share up all the days at how many persons who can take care of him so everyone can gets one free day at least.

He had got the chance to realized that he should think at what he wants to do with his life and not just think at anybody else.

Sometimes I think that it can be good to put somebody in front of yourself and sometimes not.

I understand why Gilbert thinks that he sometimes wants Arnie to live, but I also understand why he doesn't want it, because some days it feels better and some days it feels worse (Gilbert).

When Arnie is saying "I can go anytime" I get the opinion that he means that he can die anytime, because he actually would died when he was ten.

I think that the most important message is to help and take care of each other in the family.

After the end of the movie I think that Becky, Arnie and Gilbert still have a good relation, the other two girls in the family searching for a new house for them and I think they helping each other with Arnie.

What´s Eating Gildbert Grape?

1. Answer: when Arnie was great against his older brother and he was beaten by him, it was very sad when saw it, so that's why I remember it, I like most of when there is something sad in that movie I see.


2. Answer :because he was the oldest of all his siblings he tried to be like a father to them and he did his best to take care on his little brother Arnie. The responsibility of a family should not be as Gilbert's family since it was he who had a lot of responsibility and the responsibility was not shared in Gildberts family, it should be shared with everyone in your family regardless of whether there is a big brother who can take care of all, in my view.


3. Answer: He became more mature and started thinking about his future since he fell in love with Becky.


4. Answer:It is good because he may be thinking first and then choose himself first, but in a way that is bad, I think, because it might slow if he will think before he takes a decision.


5. Answer: yes I can understand what Gilbert feel and mean, I think he means that he wants to Arnie to live but in a way not because he has it tough.


6. Anwer: That he could die anytime, I think


7. Answer: to process and ensure all people equal in my opinion, because they show Arnie how he is and he is also a mother she was very heavy and people laughed about her when she went out, and she would never go out.

Whats Eating Gilbert Grape

The movie is about a family that doesnt have it very easy. And the man named Gilbert Grape is the man the story is about.

Gilbert has a big family, 2 sisters, one brother and his mother. His younger brother Arnie has a disability, The mother is overweight and he have to take care of his brother alot. He also work to get money for food and those things that is important in an household.

Gilbert says in the begining of the movie that "Some days you want him to live and some days you don´t." And i think that it´s beacause he has to take care of Arnie all the time. And arnie does very stupid things sometimes. And Gilbert doesnt stand out. He needs to rest him to.

Then He meets a girl namned Becky. She respects Arnie and Gilbert for who they are and she learn Gilbert to think more of himself and take care of himself. Becky is taking care of Arnie also. She helps Gilbert to "comunicare" with his brother and helps him to learn Arnie not to be afraid of water. And i also noticed that He falls inlove with her, and she falls inlove with Gilbert.

Whrn Arnie was born the doctor told his mother that Arnie doesnt gonna survive more than 10 Years of his life. And soon he´s gonna be 18 and he if "healthy". But when he was younger i think he heard the doctor talk to his mom and said that it wont be any longer for Arnie to live. And thats why he told Becky that. But you´ll never know, He maybe doesnt mean that.

Gilbert Doesnt think of himself. It´s always his family before him. I think that´s very thoughtful of him. And on that way his family knows that he loves them even if they doesnt show it. But Becky tried to learn him to think more of himself, but he will always put Arnie on the firstplace.

In this movie you learn that no matter what can we always love eachother. we can always respect eachother. i think that´s the message with the movie. Even if you had an disability, you will get respected. And even if you are fat, the one that loves you will respect you for that. I think that the thing we all need to learn is to respect eachother. And when they burned down the house with their mother in it, it was a thing they did just beacause they loved her and they respected her. They knew that she didnt felt good beacause everyone laught at her. And they wanted her to go away with the house.

My favourite scene were when Arnie climbed up at almost the top when Gilbert came and all the policemen were calling and calling but he didnt came down. But when Gilbert started to sing and talk to him, he climbed down. Gilbert did everything for his brother, just to save his life. It was something that i really thought was a wonderful thing to do.

The future for the kids? Actually i dont know. i just hope for the best for Gilbert and Arnie. We heard that the other 2 sisters had a job and went to school. But Gilbert and Arnie went With Becky and her Grandmother. I hope That Arnie got that life he deserved. He needs to be happy. And Gilbert got the woman he wanted so i think i go for " lived happily ever after".

What´s Eating Gilbert Grape?

This movie has a good story and I like it.

The movie show people how hard it is to raise a mentally retarded brother and having the responsibility for his whole family. There are five members in the family wich is the mother, her children Amy, Gilbert, Arnie and Ellen. Their mother is very big and can't walk. If she strain herself she can have an heartattack and the hildren does everything for her because of that. The people in the village are talking about her and they want to take a look at her. She haven't left the house since her husbands funeral. Her husband hung himself in the basement and she has been inside of the house for 17 years. After her husbands funeral she gain weight and just sat in her couch all the time.

The oldest sister is Amy, she is working home, bake cakes and she is like a mother. Then comes Gilbert, he is works in a food shop and is always takeing Arnie with him to his work. Arnie is his brother who is mentally retarded. Gilbert loves him very much and bathe him when he needs. Arnie loves to play but he can be very strenuous sometimes and it is difficult for the people around him to know how to behave. The youngest one is Ellen, she is 15 years old and works in an icecream bar.

Now I will tell about a scene that I remember from this movie. The scene that I have choosen is when Gilbert left Arnie in the bathtub. I felt sorry for Arnie to be lefted alone like that, he is a helpless boy and he can't bath or dry himself. I got tears in my eyes. I could imagine myself in that bathtub lefted alone freezing and helpless.
Gilbert left Arnie alone because he wanted to meet a woman whos name is Becky.

In the begining of the movie Gilbert just cared about his family but when he met Becky everything changed. He fell in love with her and she fell in love with him. I don't think that it was wrong but it was not right either, everything has to parts. He changed very much, he started to think about himself and it's good but at the same time it isn't. There is just one family but there are many girls to find. He intends more about his life and he can't just think about his family at all the time, he has his own life too. So I don't think that it was totaly wrong.

Gilbert has the whole responsibility for the family because he is the man in the house. We can see that very clearly. He takes care of Arnie, that isn't easy. It is very difficult to take care of an mentally retarded boy because one have to behave and have patience for him. I don't have the experience but I can imagine how hard it could be. I think that the responsibility is not shared good enough because it is just Gilbert that takes care of Arnie.
I think that it would be better if everybody plays with Arnie or cares about him.

Gilbert says about Arnie that: Some days you want him to live and some days you don't. Yes, I understand him and his feelings. The doctors said that Arnie could just live to his tenth birthday but he is now 17 years old and going for 18 years. I think that it is very hard to look at him and know that he will never heal and be a normal boy, the fact that you don't know how long he will stay in this world, or to look at him and see him laugh and think, he isn't a normal boy but he is happy and if you look at other people they don't laugh and they are normal. Every time when Arnie laugh in the movie I think how could a mentally retarded boy laugh so much, how happy a person can be with this problem and a normaly people aren't happy and they don't have this problem.


I don't remember when Arnie says I can go anytime so I don't know what he mean with that.

This movie shows how a mentally retarded boy can laugh and be happy. How a family can help each other to go through that their dad hang himself, the mother is to big and Arnie as he needs very much attention. The last thing is, you have only one family and take care of them.

Arnie and Gilbert followed Becky and her mother in their caravan. I think that Gilbert and Becky got kids together. Beckys mother died and Arnie got older than 20 years and he got a girlfriend. Then everybody livs happy ever after.

I see that...

...some of you have done your homework already which is great. I am reading your posts with great interest and will comment on them later. Do not forget to comment on each others' posts as well.
Here is a link to a video by the band I am going to see play at Vega in Copenhagen tonight. The band is called Calexico. They are from the US but they mix a lot of English and Spanish/Mexican influences both in their music and lyrics. I have seen them play before and they are always great live. I will be back later tonight to check your posts and will comment on them this weekend for sure. Check back here soon!

What's eating Gilbert Grape.

I'll be starting with saying that the movie made me cry because it really reminds me of my own mother and how my life is in the real world. I've chose too write about the ending of the movie. There were 4 in the family. One older sister Amy that always took care of cooking the food and cleaning. Then after her comes Gilbert and he was the only one who worked in the family and took cared of them financially. He worked at a food store in the village and always took Arnie with him everywhere. Arnie was 17 years old and becoming 18 years old and was mentally retarded and he wasn't supposed too live that long. Acourding to the doctor he was only going to live at age 10.But he lived longer up til 18 as you probably see. After him was there younger sister Ellen. She was at age 15 and wasn't taking anything serious and was ashamed of the family. Their father hanged him self at the basement’s ceiling for 17 years ago and after the funeral she got up many kilos. She never left the sofa and children would always come to see if it was true about the urban legend they talk about her in the village. She was a joke to a lot of people. She never even left the house for 17 years and had a stick to hold on when if she was going to walk some where. They also had a brother and his name was Larry and i think he past away due to cancer. It's good that everyone is taking charges of the house by my opinion but I feel sorry for their mother. He was very kind to his family because he took care of his own charges but wrong of him to treat his family on that way. But you all can have another opinion than mine. Gilbert was seeing a girl named Becky and she was a tourist in the village, beside her there was a women. She was a married women and had 2 young kids. Gilbert was really in love with Becky and she was also, when they always met each other on the street or the store they looked at each other secretly. The women that liked Gilbert were seeing that and hated it. Her man suspected that she was unfaithful with Gilbert and said that he wanted to talk to him and he avoided her husband. But one day the women wanted a delivery to her house from the store, when he got there she told him to dial a number because she had on her hands chocolate and he did it and said it's ringing you better take the phone now. She said hold it for me for a second. Her husband answered the phone and he started to talk at the same time the women unzipped his fly and stocked in his penis. He moaned as the same time he was talking on the phone and hanged up after he finished his meaning and walked away from her. When he was at the doorstep. He saw her lying on the floor and crying. One day her husband died and every one suspected her to killed him but Gilbert didn't thought so. She moved to Alaska after the funeral and took with her sons. He started get odd and didn't care about his family. He thought only about Becky wherever he went on his mind. Arnie bugged him by doing stuff that was fun for him and got caught by the police several times. It's good for him but he has to think of himself or else he will regret it later on his life. That’s my opinion of this question. Yes, I really feel for him because he doesn't have any spare time and has to take care of Arnie twenty-four seven. That’s just sad but they also didn't have so money they lived in a very poor environment. I think he means by that he can die anytime or any day that comes along and his aware of that. You shouldn't take your life or family for granted and spend as much time you can with the one you loves. Amy and Ellen moved to a bigger town and Ellen goes by now in college, Amy works in a cheap bakery. Arnie and Gilbert got along with Becky and her grandmother travelling away. So they can see other countries and towns. After a while Becky's grandmother dies. Becky and Gilbert got married and she was pregnant with their first child. While she was giving birth Arnie died at the hospital and no one could help him. As so can see in the movie their mother died and burned her with the house, so the people wouldn't take her as a joke. A think that's a sweet thought but I rather bury her next to her husband as the traditional way. They lived happily after ever.

What’s eating Gilbert Grape?

By Jennifer

The movie it’s about a man his name is Gilbert Grape and his family.
They lived in a poor environment. Gilbert hade an older sister and a younger sister and he had a special younger brother he was mentally retarded and his name was Arnie. The doctor said that he was only going to be only 10 years old but he didn’t die he was now 18 years old. The doctor said that he could die any day. Gilbert’s father hanged himself in the basement so Gilbert’s mother was very sad so she started eat and se didn’t move allot and she didn’t do anything. She always sat in her sofa. Gilbert was very ashamed of his mother and called her a
big fat whale and he didn’t want anybody to see her. His older sister was like the mother instead she cooked and cleaned the house that there father hade built Gilbert responsibility was the if the house hade a leak and stuff. The youngest sister still went to school and after school she worked in a ice-cream bar. Gilbert worked in a grocery shop.
He took Arnie with him to work every day. And one Gilbert met the girl that he liked and her name was Becky.

The scenes that I remember most were when Gilbert beaded up Arnie because he didn’t want to take a bath. And one day Gilbert was out with Becky and they watched the sunset then Gilbert realized that he hade to bath Arnie. But he said to Becky that he was coming back to her so he hurried home and put Arnie in the bathtub and Gilbert said to Arnie that you are a big boy and you can wash and dry yourself. Gilbert only said that because he wanted to go back to Becky. After the sunset Gilbert went home and went to sleep. The next morning when
Gilbert was going in to the bathroom Arnie was still in the bathtub almost freezing to death.

I think when Gilbert met Becky she was the only thing in his mind and he stopped caring about his family.

I thought that it was good of Gilbert that he took his family before himself but it was stupid of him also because he have to think of himself a little bit because he didn’t seem to have a lot of spare time.

When Arnie jus to say that “ I can go anytime” I think he meant that he knew that he could die anytime.

The most important message in this movie is to show people that family is very important and should stick together because you never know what could happen.

I think that Amy opened her own bakery. Ellen is still in school and Gilbert married Becky and moved to the country and they hade some children. Gilbert and Becky still took care of Arnie and he lived a more happier live in the country. Amy and Ellen didn’t contact Gilbert and Arnie.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

I like the movie it shows how much Gilbert cared about his younger brother Arnie, which was mentally retarded. And the way he take care of Arnie, it was like Arnie is the only one he has after his father took his life. Arnie is seventeen years old and his birthday is coming up soon, the doctors said when he was dorn that he only will live to teen. Now hi is nearly eighteen.

The scene I remember the most is when arnie climes up gas tank and he doesn’t want to come down, he wants to go higher than the last time. But Gilbert sings a song to him that stops him from claming higher, so he clime down. And promise the sheriff that he is not going to clime up there again. But he doesn’t understand his promise that hi made and wants to clime up the ladder again. The look on Arnies face when Gilbert sang that song was so cute.

I don't think that Gilbert changes when he meets Becky. He cares about Arnie the same way, but sometimes he leaves him at home whit the family and meet Becky. Maybe he is more sloppy then before. Like the time he forgot Arnie in the bathtub a hole night and goes to meet Becky instead. Its wrong what Gilbert dose to Arnie because he dependence on Gilbert to take care of him. And the sisters don’t care about Arnie the way Gilbert do, they don’t take care of Arnie. And it’s too much for one person to do.
Gilbert doses everything to make everybody happy. He sort of forgets himself to take care of everybody else. I think that’s way he dose those things when he meets Becky.

Gilbert said: "Some days you want him to live and some days you don't" I think he meant that some days he is so tired of him and don’t want him do die and some days he loves him and dose everything Arnie wants. Or maybe he means that some days he wants to be more like other people to do want he wants to do whiteout to drag along Arnie everywhere he goes.

Arnie says: “I can go anytime” I think he says it because he maybe knows that he’s supposed to die. And he is like threatens him.

I think the most imported message in this move is that a family always should stay together. I think that the most important thing in life is family. And maybe the messenger in this movie is to show people how it is to have a retarded brother and a hopeless mother.

Amy got a job offer in bakery, and opened her own bakery and started her own family. And didn’t contact her brothers or sister again.
Ellen went to school and took her diploma and works as a dentist, she didn’t get married. And visit Arnie and Gilbert owns then never again.
Gilbert and Becky travel the world, Arnie came along but he did 4 years later.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

I especially remember the scene where Gilbert is trying to get Arnie to wash himself. Gilbert wants him to wash himself because he has a hurry and Becky is waiting for him. Arnie agrees to wash himself because he's "a big boy". But Arnie is still in the bathtub when Gilbert comes home in the morning. He's frozen and is shaking of cold. To leave Arnie alone in the bathtub was wrong and irresponsible. Gilbert knows that Arnie can't take care of himself, but he did this despite his awareness. I think that he should have helped Arnie first of all, Becky wouldn't leave anyway. This scene were really sensitive.

Gilbert has a lot of responsibility in the family. He takes good care of the family, and helps Arnie with his needs. You can see clearly in the movie that he really cares about his family. But he takes too much responsibility and sometimes he even forgets to think about himself. But in my opinion the family should cooperate more with each other and stay together as a real family. I don't think they should fight as often as they do. They arguing a lot about unimportant things. There's not so much joy and laughter inside the house and it seems like the joy of life has ended there years ago. Everyone in the family should take more responsibility. They become stronger together.

I don't think that Gilbert changed his personality after he met Becky. He still cares as much about the family that he use too and his dream is still the same as before. He wishes his family the best. But in some way Becky change Gilberts thoughts and Gilbert knew that Becky was going to make a change in his life. At last, it happened something beyond the ordinary. Gilbert's self-esteem grows up more and more and he takes himself out of his shell.

Gilbert is a good person who cares a lot about the people in his immediate surroundings. He thinks of other people before he thinks of himself. Gilbert is a very unselfish person. He cares so much about other people that he even forgets about himself. He wishes the people that he loves to having the best. If the people around him are feeling good, he's feeling good too. In some way I can see this behavior as positive, to have a such of humanvision is fantastic. But this behavior is negative as long as he forget about himself. If he doesn't think about himself and his needs, it's easy that he will forget who he really is. In the end, he wouldn't feel so good about himself.

In the movie Gilbert says: " Some days you want him to live and some days you don't ". I don't think that Gilbert means anything bad about this. In some way, I can understand how Gilbert feels about this. Arnie can't take care of himself, so he needs a lots of help. This takes much of the familys time. Arnie isn't completely healthy mentally, so he lacks the ability to know what's right or wrong. He doesn't know how to act in some situations. It's difficult to ask him to be quiet when he screams and when someone asks him to stop, he continues and makes it worse. I think that Gilbert is a little bit tired of looking after Arnie all the time. But despite everything, Arnie is his brother, and he loves him with all his heart.

In the movie, says Arnie: "I can go anytime." I think that Arnie means that he wants to leave. That he has a strong desire to discover the world. We can see clearly in the movie that he like heights. He climbs in the trees and on the water tower. In this way, he gets a view of the world.

I think the movie's message is to show that all people are equal. We shouldn't look down on each other and we should treat each other with respect, no matter what! I also believe that one other part of the message is about to stand by each other. To stay together and become stronger, both as a family and as individuals. People like Arnie really need to know that they are loved. By knowing love you became stronger as a person.

After the movie ends, I think that Gilbert and Arnie finally get the chance to discover the world. Together with Becky and her grandmother they are broaden their views. I'm not sure about what Elly and Emy are doing when the movie ends.

I would just like to say that I thought this movie was really good. It had a nice message.

What's eating Gilbert Grape.

I'll be starting with saying that the movie made me cry because it really reminds me of my own mother and how my life is in the real world.

I've chosed too write about the ending of the movie.

There were 4 in the family.One older sister Amy that always took care of cooking the food and cleaning.Then after her comes Gilbert and he was the only one who worked in the family and took cared of them financially.He worked at a food store in the village and always took Arnie with him everywhere.Arnie was 17 years old and becoming 18 years old and was mentally retarded and he wasn't supposed too live that long.Acourding to the doctor he was only going to live at age 10.But he lived longer up til 18 as you probably see.After him was there younger sister Ellen.She was at age 15 and wasn't taking anything serious and was ashamed of the family.Their father hanged him self at the basment's ceiling for 17 years ago and after the funeral she got up many kilos.She never left the sofa and children would always come to see if it was true about the urban legend they talk about her in the village.She was a joke to a lot of people.
She never even left the house for 17 years and had a stick to hold on when if she was going to walk some where.They also had a brother and his name was Larry and i think he past away due to cancer.

It's good that everyone is taking charges of the house by my opinion but I feel sorry for their mother.He was very kind to his family because he took care of his own charges but wrong of him to treat his famliy on that way.But you all can have another opinion than mine.

Gilbert was seeing a girl named Becky and she was a tourist in the village,beside her there was a women.She was a married women and had 2 young kids.
Gilbert was really in love with Becky and she was also,when they always met each other on the street or the store they looked at each other secretly.The women that liked Gilbert was seeing that and hated it.Her man suspected that she was unfaithful with Gilbert and said that he wanted to talk to him and he avoided her husband.But one day the women wanted a delivery to her house from the store,when he got there she told him to dial a number because she had on her hands choclate and he did it and said it's ringing you better take the phone now.She said hold it for me for a second.Her husband answered the phone and he started to talk at the same time the women unzipped his fly and stocked in his penis.He moaned as the same time he was talking on the phone and hunged up after he finished his meaning and walked away from her.When he was at the door step.He saw her lieing on the floor and crying.One day her husband died and every one suspected her to killed him but Gilbert didn't thought so.She moved to Alaska after the funeral and took with her sons.

He started get odd and didn't care about his family.He thought only about Becky where ever he went on his mind.Arnie bugged him by doing stuff that was fun for him and got cought by the police several times.

It's good for him but he has to think of himself or else he will regrat it later on his life.That's my opinion of this question.

Yes,I really feel for him because he doesn't have any spare time and has to take care of Arnie twentyfour seven.That's just sad but they also didn't have so money they lived in a very poor enviorment.

I think he means by that he can die anytime or any day that comes along and his awear of that.

You shouldn't take your life or family for granted and spend as much time you can with the one you loves.

Amy and Ellen moved to a bigger town and Ellen goes by now in college,Amy works in a cheap bakery.Arnie and Gilbert got along with Becky and her grandmother traveling away.So they can see other countries and towns.After a while Becky's grandmother dies.Becky and Gilbert got married and she was pregnat with their first child.While she was giving birth Arnie died at the hopital and no one could help him.As so can see in the movie their mother died and burned her with the house,so the people wouldn't take her as a joke.
A think that's a sweet thought but I rather bury her next to her husband as the traditional way.
They lived happily after ever.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape? Thursday, October 23, 2008

I will start to say that I like the movie because it have a meaning.
I think that the movie want to show us how it can be to have a mentally retarded brother.

I specially remember the scene when Gilbert left Arnie in the bathtub because he wanted to meet Becky. Last day when Gilbert went to the bathroom he found Arnie there, he was still in the bathtub. I think it were sad to see and I think Gilbert did a big mistake when he left Arnie.

Gilbert is like a father becuse he take care of his family and he care about Arnie. He do what he can to make a good family and give Arnie the love he need. I think that the family should have a homehelper who can take care of Arnie and the mother becauce she has a sickness which do that she can't run the household.

I don't think that Gilbert change after meeting Becky. He cares about Arnie the same as ever, but sometimes he left his family and meet Becky instead.

Gilbert Grape is a good person. He cares about his intimate and do his best to make them happy, but sometimes he cares too much. I think that he has to thinks about himself sometimes, so he also can feel happy. It is bad when people never take themselves first because they forget themselves and feel sad.

When Gilbert said: "Some days you want him to live and some days you don't" I think he mean that Arnie is a trying person because he never listen to him and obey when he tell him to stop. Despite all that Arnie do, Gilbert love his brother so much.

I think that Arnie wish that he was like other people and that he could take care of himself. I think he wants to make his mother proud of him.

The most important message in this movie are to show people how it can be to have a mentally retarded brother and a mother who can't take care of her children because her sickness.

I think that the characters will be lauded by the movieviewer because it were a good film which had a good meaning.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

The movie made me cry even though I have seen it at least 20 times.. I hope you were all able to access the blog, if not please send me an e-mail to report the problem. My address is at the bottom of the sheet I handed out today. Click on this link to get a summary of the movie's plot. Good luck!

Well prepared, huh? Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Today I thought I was really well prepared for class by organizing to use an empty classroom to watch the movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape. It turned out that the classroom had been double booked and we had to use the computer room instead. However, that worked out alright with the help of some computer savvy girls in the class ;)
We watched a little more than half of the movie and tomorrow we will watch the end of it. Your homework is going to be to write about the movie here in the blog and I will provide further details about the homework tomorrow. See you then!

Bright Eyes Thursday, October 9, 2008

Here is a link to the song "Lua" by Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst) that I played in class last week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YK7jfooEWM&feature=related He performs at an American music festival called Coachella and he talks in this video too.

Good results

Most of you did well on your first English test and some did exceptionally well. Congrats! Always aim for the stars, girls! ;) Today we had our picture taken for the year book. I could not help making references to what they keep saying in America's Next Top Model: "work it, work it girl", "work your angles". I guess it means you need to be focused and active and really know your assets = your strengths. That goes for life in general, not only the modelling business. Next week you will be off doing some "field work". When you come back we will watch a movie in English class and the task is going to be to write about the movie in here.