This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Bear That Wasn't - PERIOD 1
Today you read The Bear That Wasn't by Frank Tashlin. Please share with the class your thoughts about the story and be sure to post at least one comment on another classmate's reflective post.
Mr. Gallagher
38 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Monicca Jones I enjoyed reading the book. it shows how the bear got stereotyped because he wasn’t living in the zoo or a circus
i agree with monicca jones, the bear was being stereotyped because he was in a factory which clearly means that hes a silly hairy man, but just because he wasnt in a circus or a zoo it doesnt mean hes not a bear... if a fish was out of water does that mean its not a fish?
I liked reading The Bear That Wasn't. The story was about staying true to yourself. The other characters tried to box the bear into their own view of reality, saying he couldn't be a bear because he was in a factory or not living in a zoo or circus. However, the bear ended up staying true to himself and not trying to fit other people's opinions on what he should be.
I like what erin said, "if a fish was out of water does that mean its not a fish." I think that's exactly what the whole story was about. It doesn't matter where you are or who you are with, you are still you.
I agree with both Monicca and the "if it walks like a duck...then it is a duck" person. Because you can't deny something for what it is, or try to change it for that matter.
I liked reading the book because it related to todays society in a couple of ways like stereotypes. Stereotypes being a generalization, are soon believed to be true. As for the bear he was constantly told that he was "a silly hairy man in a fur coat that needed a shave" that soon after he began to believe it and start to loose a sense of his identity, that is untill he went against what he had been told at the end of the book. It's sort of similiar in high schools were kids are constantly tol by others this is what you should be like and eventually you start to believe it and forget who you are.
I thought the book was really successful in trying to send a message that you are who you are. (as Chris said) The kid-friendly storybook format made it seem so simple - don't let people tell you who you are. It's defining the difference between an individual impacting a society rather than the opposite, a society impacting an individual.
I defintely agree with what Chris is saying about you being you.
i pretty much agree with what everyone has said so far.
i liked that the book got its message across very clearly about staying true to your identity and i also like the fact that the book also shows how vulnerable a person can be when he is the one that has to go against a group of people, which is what happens all the time in our society, and high school.
i agree also, the story was about a bear who was being stereotyped because he was in a factory and not in a zoo or circus. it has a good message, you are still you, no matter where you are or what other people may say.
I really enjoyed The Bear That Wasn't. It was a good story that was able to illustrate a very good point about the relationship between society and an individual's identity: society and other people try to dictate who they want you to be. If you lose sight of who you really are, it is very easy to listen to what they have to say and act like they want you to act. The nice part about the story was that in the end, the bear was able to see through all of the phony stuff that society was trying to tell him and was true to himself.
Erin has a good point about the fish out of water. A fish is a fish no matter what environment it's in, just like a person's true character should be a person's true character, no matter what social situation they are in.
this story shows how if you are continually told something, you will eventually grow to believe that it's true. The bear was told over and over that he was a silly man, therefore he eventually believed that he was nothing more than a silly man who worked in a factory. However in reality he knew that he was a bear, he was just persuaded to believe otherwise.
I agree with what Chris was saying about staying true to your own identity. The story really stressed that point.
I personally enjoyed reading the book "The Bear That Wasn't" The book conveys powerful messages about stereotyping and staying true to yourself. The bear was persuaded into thinking that he was not a bear, even though he most definitely was. After always being denied of who he really was, he gave in but in the end he knew who that he was a bear and he went back to his original lifestyle.
I definitely agree with the comment made by Monicca Jones. The bear was being stereotyped. The factorie workers, and other bears, did not consider him a bear because the bear was not in a typical bear habitat such as a zoo or circus, he was found wandering a factory.
Just because the bear was not found in a place often associated with bears, does not mean that he is not a bear.
I think that "The Bear That Wasn't" was a good book because it shows how people of higher power influenced the bear to think that he was a human. The bear was convinced he wasn't a bear solely because he had no where to go where they wouldn't call him a man who needed to shave and wore a fur coat. It wasn't until the bear was finally left alone to reflect on what everyone had convinced him that he realized he actually was a bear and no one could tell him he wasn't because that is what he was. He realized when he was alone that regardless of what the people said all that mattered was what he thought of himself and what he knew was right.
I love this book. I just feel sad because he was looking like a silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat, so they think he was. They don't see what he is but what they think.
I agree with Katie Garbani about how she says "The kid-friendly storybook format made it seem so simple - don't let people tell you who you are." Having it be such a simple read makes the message of the story come out a lot easier than a story more advanced. For the purpose of the class I think it was a good choice because it was such a simple read but got such a big message out. We were able to spend less time on actually reading the material, leaving more time to reflect on the bigger meaning.
I think that the story translates into the real world more often than people may think. You can see it all of the time, people that are told they arent something or cant do something even when they know they are or can do something. I also think the opposite can happen, where someone will do anything to prove that they are something to someone when they know that they are not.
I agree with what Sam said. However, unlike the book I believe many people are influenced like the bear was but many people arent able to see past what society has made them believe. I think it is a shame some people are ignorant to their own feelings because other people suppress them.
I think this book was a very good read becuase it was able to portray such a big message in such a simple format. It showed someone who was repeatedly denied their identity by the society that they were placed.After being told time and time again that he was just a silly man with a beard and a fur coat the bear started to believe it was true. What i liked about this story was that even though the bear did lose himself for a while he finds his identity at the end.The message that i took from this book was dont let the sterytypes in the society dictate who you are or who your gonna be becuase at the end of the day only you know who you are
I agree alot with what sam said becuase the bear was able find who he was at the end and sort through all the bull that the people around him wur giving him
I think this book sent a really good message about how you need to create your own identity instead of letting society determine who you are. By the end of the book the bears identity was questioned so many times that he lost sight of who he was and became what society wanted him to be. However, in the end the bear remembered who he really was.
I think Rebecca is right. I think the story was a little bit about stereotyping but was more about not forgetting who you are and thinking you are something that you know you're not just because of what people tell you, and how people generally feel pressured to be what they're told.
Although this was a short story, it contributes to how our modern day society "clumps" and changes itself to fit in with certain crowds. The author uses the story of the bear as a reflection on how us as individuals should come to the same realization that the bear did at the end of the story, and that would be that fitting in doesn't make us happy, only being who we really are makes us happy.
sometimes it's difficult to go against the group, especially if that group is significantly powerful and influential. i think this book did a good job illustrating how important it is to not be afraid of keeping your own identity, even if it means not following what everyone else tells you to do/be.
i think what justin said is very true, about both the people being told what to do/be, and those braking that mold. however i think the people being told what to do/be dont always realize or know that they can be something else. i feel like the faux-reality created by those in power gets shoved down the throats of the weaker so much that it completely replaces what they knew before, to the extent that they no longer even think that their previous existence could be possible.
I agree with Chris. I think this story was just about staying true to yourself and knowing who you are. Also not letting others try to convince you that you are something your not.
MG I agree with the message of the story. Society does change people and sometimes transforms each individual to something they're not. People usually allow themselves into being changed due to fact that they would like to fit in into some place or into some group. Sometimes people do it just for the comfort of empathy with other individuals.
MG I disagree with Chris because soemtimes what it seems to be isnt exactly what in all its truth actually is. People may appear to be something they're not, and that's usually how everyone is.
Max Kruse I thought that "The Bear That Wasn't" was a good story based on the fact that it shows the importance of knowing your true identity. In modern day society there is constant pressure from peers, the media, parents, etc. to be a certain way. In the story the bear is convinced that he was just a silly man who needed to shave and wears a fur coat; in the end he follows his instincts and finds that his true identity is that of a bear. He is happiest hibernating in his cave. With this point the story criticises those who allow themselves to be shaped into something they are not by outside pressures, and suggests that we should all be true to who we are.
Max Kruse I liked Rondel's comment because it pointed out the significance in how such a simple story can make such a strong statement about one's individuality.
I thought the book was too childish. I mean there is racism everywhere and will be here forever. I guess i just dont see a point to this book. I can understand why somebody would try to make a difference, but racism has been here forever, a silly, childish book isnt going to change the way of the world. racism is everywhere.
i thought that reading the book made feel like the impression short story but it has a big meaning behind it thats what the thing the bear felt like. i think i agree with monica that the bear got stereotyped.
38 comments:
Monicca Jones
I enjoyed reading the book. it shows how the bear got stereotyped because he wasn’t living in the zoo or a circus
i agree with monicca jones, the bear was being stereotyped because he was in a factory which clearly means that hes a silly hairy man, but just because he wasnt in a circus or a zoo it doesnt mean hes not a bear... if a fish was out of water does that mean its not a fish?
erin is right
if it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, looks like a duck... its a duck
I liked reading The Bear That Wasn't. The story was about staying true to yourself. The other characters tried to box the bear into their own view of reality, saying he couldn't be a bear because he was in a factory or not living in a zoo or circus. However, the bear ended up staying true to himself and not trying to fit other people's opinions on what he should be.
I like what erin said, "if a fish was out of water does that mean its not a fish." I think that's exactly what the whole story was about. It doesn't matter where you are or who you are with, you are still you.
I agree with both Monicca and the "if it walks
like a duck...then it is a duck" person. Because you can't deny something for what it is, or try to change it for that matter.
I liked reading the book because it related to todays society in a couple of ways like stereotypes. Stereotypes being a generalization, are soon believed to be true. As for the bear he was constantly told that he was "a silly hairy man in a fur coat that needed a shave" that soon after he began to believe it and start to loose a sense of his identity, that is untill he went against what he had been told at the end of the book. It's sort of similiar in high schools were kids are constantly tol by others this is what you should be like and eventually you start to believe it and forget who you are.
I thought the book was really successful in trying to send a message that you are who you are. (as Chris said) The kid-friendly storybook format made it seem so simple - don't let people tell you who you are. It's defining the difference between an individual impacting a society rather than the opposite, a society impacting an individual.
I defintely agree with what Chris is saying about you being you.
i pretty much agree with what everyone has said so far.
i liked that the book got its message across very clearly about staying true to your identity and i also like the fact that the book also shows how vulnerable a person can be when he is the one that has to go against a group of people, which is what happens all the time in our society, and high school.
And i strongly agree with erin's fish arguement
i agree also, the story was about a bear who was being stereotyped because he was in a factory and not in a zoo or circus. it has a good message, you are still you, no matter where you are or what other people may say.
I really enjoyed The Bear That Wasn't. It was a good story that was able to illustrate a very good point about the relationship between society and an individual's identity: society and other people try to dictate who they want you to be. If you lose sight of who you really are, it is very easy to listen to what they have to say and act like they want you to act. The nice part about the story was that in the end, the bear was able to see through all of the phony stuff that society was trying to tell him and was true to himself.
Erin has a good point about the fish out of water. A fish is a fish no matter what environment it's in, just like a person's true character should be a person's true character, no matter what social situation they are in.
this story shows how if you are continually told something, you will eventually grow to believe that it's true. The bear was told over and over that he was a silly man, therefore he eventually believed that he was nothing more than a silly man who worked in a factory. However in reality he knew that he was a bear, he was just persuaded to believe otherwise.
I agree with what Chris was saying about staying true to your own identity. The story really stressed that point.
I personally enjoyed reading the book "The Bear That Wasn't" The book conveys powerful messages about stereotyping and staying true to yourself. The bear was persuaded into thinking that he was not a bear, even though he most definitely was. After always being denied of who he really was, he gave in but in the end he knew who that he was a bear and he went back to his original lifestyle.
I definitely agree with the comment made by Monicca Jones. The bear was being stereotyped. The factorie workers, and other bears, did not consider him a bear because the bear was not in a typical bear habitat such as a zoo or circus, he was found wandering a factory.
Just because the bear was not found in a place often associated with bears, does not mean that he is not a bear.
I think that "The Bear That Wasn't" was a good book because it shows how people of higher power influenced the bear to think that he was a human. The bear was convinced he wasn't a bear solely because he had no where to go where they wouldn't call him a man who needed to shave and wore a fur coat. It wasn't until the bear was finally left alone to reflect on what everyone had convinced him that he realized he actually was a bear and no one could tell him he wasn't because that is what he was. He realized when he was alone that regardless of what the people said all that mattered was what he thought of himself and what he knew was right.
I love this book. I just feel sad because he was looking like a silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat, so they think he was. They don't see what he is but what they think.
i agree with monicca jones too, the bear got stereotyped because he wasn't living in the zoo or a circus
I agree with Katie Garbani about how she says "The kid-friendly storybook format made it seem so simple - don't let people tell you who you are." Having it be such a simple read makes the message of the story come out a lot easier than a story more advanced. For the purpose of the class I think it was a good choice because it was such a simple read but got such a big message out. We were able to spend less time on actually reading the material, leaving more time to reflect on the bigger meaning.
I think that the story translates into the real world more often than people may think. You can see it all of the time, people that are told they arent something or cant do something even when they know they are or can do something. I also think the opposite can happen, where someone will do anything to prove that they are something to someone when they know that they are not.
I agree with what Sam said. However, unlike the book I believe many people are influenced like the bear was but many people arent able to see past what society has made them believe. I think it is a shame some people are ignorant to their own feelings because other people suppress them.
I think this book was a very good read becuase it was able to portray such a big message in such a simple format. It showed someone who was repeatedly denied their identity by the society that they were placed.After being told time and time again that he was just a silly man with a beard and a fur coat the bear started to believe it was true. What i liked about this story was that even though the bear did lose himself for a while he finds his identity at the end.The message that i took from this book was dont let the sterytypes in the society dictate who you are or who your gonna be becuase at the end of the day only you know who you are
I agree alot with what sam said becuase the bear was able find who he was at the end and sort through all the bull that the people around him wur giving him
I think this book sent a really good message about how you need to create your own identity instead of letting society determine who you are. By the end of the book the bears identity was questioned so many times that he lost sight of who he was and became what society wanted him to be. However, in the end the bear remembered who he really was.
I think Rebecca is right. I think the story was a little bit about stereotyping but was more about not forgetting who you are and thinking you are something that you know you're not just because of what people tell you, and how people generally feel pressured to be what they're told.
I agree with Sam because it is hard not to lose sight of your own identity when society tries to convince you to be someone else.
Although this was a short story, it contributes to how our modern day society "clumps" and changes itself to fit in with certain crowds. The author uses the story of the bear as a reflection on how us as individuals should come to the same realization that the bear did at the end of the story, and that would be that fitting in doesn't make us happy, only being who we really are makes us happy.
sometimes it's difficult to go against the group, especially if that group is significantly powerful and influential. i think this book did a good job illustrating how important it is to not be afraid of keeping your own identity, even if it means not following what everyone else tells you to do/be.
i think what justin said is very true, about both the people being told what to do/be, and those braking that mold. however i think the people being told what to do/be dont always realize or know that they can be something else. i feel like the faux-reality created by those in power gets shoved down the throats of the weaker so much that it completely replaces what they knew before, to the extent that they no longer even think that their previous existence could be possible.
I agree with Chris. I think this story was just about staying true to yourself and knowing who you are. Also not letting others try to convince you that you are something your not.
MG
I agree with the message of the story.
Society does change people and sometimes transforms each individual to something they're not. People usually allow themselves into being changed due to fact that they would like to fit in into some place or into some group. Sometimes people do it just for the comfort of empathy with other individuals.
Chris Armand
Replying
MG
I disagree with Chris because soemtimes what it seems to be isnt exactly what in all its truth actually is.
People may appear to be something they're not, and that's usually how everyone is.
Max Kruse
I thought that "The Bear That Wasn't" was a good story based on the fact that it shows the importance of knowing your true identity. In modern day society there is constant pressure from peers, the media, parents, etc. to be a certain way. In the story the bear is convinced that he was just a silly man who needed to shave and wears a fur coat; in the end he follows his instincts and finds that his true identity is that of a bear. He is happiest hibernating in his cave. With this point the story criticises those who allow themselves to be shaped into something they are not by outside pressures, and suggests that we should all be true to who we are.
Max Kruse
I liked Rondel's comment because it pointed out the significance in how such a simple story can make such a strong statement about one's individuality.
I thought the book was too childish. I mean there is racism everywhere and will be here forever. I guess i just dont see a point to this book. I can understand why somebody would try to make a difference, but racism has been here forever, a silly, childish book isnt going to change the way of the world. racism is everywhere.
i agree with both monicca and erin, and by the way erin, a fish out of water is a dead fish, haha.
Nimish Sahani
i thought that reading the book made feel like the impression short story but it has a big meaning behind it thats what the thing the bear felt like. i think i agree with monica that the bear got stereotyped.
i enjoyed this book, it was a good way to teach young children about stereotypes and racism without getting into contraversial topics
a bear is still a bear, no matter what they wear, or where they fare.
the bear isn't not a bear because he is out of his normal surroundings, he is still a bear
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