Your job today: Look at the clusters of questions about "The Rich Brother." (They're also shown on the screen.) Write your well-developed, thoughtful comments and post them to the blog. Then you can begin responding to other posts. You're to keep writing as long as the class is working on this assignment, so choose other questions and respond to them when you're done with your own post and with your original comments about other posts.
Table One: Answer Cluster Three
Table Two: Answer Cluster Four
Table Three: Answer Cluster Five
Table Four: Answer Cluster Six
When finished: Answer Cluster Seven
Cluster 4
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: I think that Pete really did go into Donald's room and hit him in the stitches. Mabey not as much as Donald leads us on to beleive, but it probably happend a few times. I think that Donald was trying to get rid of pete but not because he hated him. Sometimes little kids do things without thinking, I think that this is one of these cases. Had it actually killed Donald I think Pete would have been plauged by guilt. His reason for doing this is probably because he thinks all of his mothers attention was going ton his brother and he wanted attention.
Cluster Seven-
ReplyDeleteWhen I was around 13 I really enjoyed tricking my four year old brother. One time I had him convinced that I could talk to mermaids in my mind because I used to be a mermaid. He would get so excited and ask me a bunch of quetions about mermaids and their way of life. Oh I also convinced my little sister I was an alien and the earth was going to be destroyed and I could only bring 5 people back to my planet for safety...she bit me and started crying. I was a mean sister.
questions******
DeleteI am glad she bit you. You probably had that poor girl scared to death. You are a bully!!!!
DeleteIt's okay Jordan. My sister actually started to believe she was adopted or that we brought the wrong baby home from the hospital because I told her that so many times.
DeleteCluster 4--
ReplyDeleteI find it odd that Donald would bring that up during their car ride, but I think the story is true. I think that Pete was really trying to kill his brother, most likely because Donald was favorited. Their mother seemed to worry over Donald often, and that probably made Pete very jealous, enough to even punch his younger brother's stitches after he had just had an operation.
Do you think that Pete went into Donald's room and hit him as much as Donald said he did?
DeleteDonald probably did exaggerate the past occurences by a bit, but I still think that they are true. Donald makes it seem like Pete would sneak into his room or just stand outside his door almost every night. I highly doubt that's really the case, and Donald is just making it seem like Pete did it fairly often.
DeleteI agree with this. I think it definitely happened, but maybe not to the extent that Donald described. I can see how Pete could develop such animosity towards Donald, especially at such a young age. Jealousy is amplified due to the fact that they are siblings and because they are so young.
DeleteI personally think that Donald may have been overly sensitive to something that happened too often, but not as often as he says. I think at the time Pete wanted to kill Donald, but when you're a kid you don't really know what death is. It's different for Pete now that he understands death as much as any living person could, and that's why he kind of denies it.
DeleteWhat I find hard to believe is that if you were Donald just laying there and acting as if you were asleep while being hit would be very difficult. Donald's memory that he just layed there and took it I think is false. When I attempt to act as if I am asleep when my mom enters the room wanting to talk it is hard not to smile, let alone stay calm if she began hitting me.
DeleteI bet it happend a few times, but I think him standing outside his door and than going away was imigined.
DeleteCluster 4: Remembering the Past
ReplyDeleteI think the story about Pete hitting Donald's stitches is a classic case of jealousy and sibling rivalry. At such a young age, Pete most likely has a hard time understanding the possible consequences of this action. He only knows that Donald is getting more attention than he is because of his recent surgery. Pete feels jealous and resentful, most likely due to a lack of parental attention. He sees hitting the stitches as a way of stopping this unbalanced attention. If he removes Donald from the family, he will once again be loved and taken care of. Because he is so young, he can not fully understand the scope of death and that no amount of attention is worth killing his brother. It is likely that Pete has always felt some resentment toward Donald. He seems to consider him a thorn in his side, whether Donald is getting all of their parents attention or needing saved from the farm. Although Pete does not seem like a cold-blooded murderer, it seems very possible that his jealousy and resentment could have gotten the better of him when he was a young child.
I agree that it is Pete's jealousy that takes of his thoughts as a young child, and does not understand the concept of death. However, in the end of the story it does suggest that possibly Pete finally kills his brother when Donald insists on getting out. At this point in Pete's life he does understand death and jealousy, so Pete could be a killer disguised as a Real Estate agent.
DeleteKids are mean. When I was four by brother threw me into the pool in our backyard because he thought I was a witch and wanted to prove it.
DeleteObviously, Pete has some anger issues. He gets way too angry when orange soda spills onto his leather seats, and he leaves his brother on the side of the road in the middle of the night. So yes, I do think he is capable of trying to kill his brother. I would not put it past him.
DeleteCluster One
ReplyDeleteI'm not sympathetic to either Pete or Donald. They both have problems and cannot reslove them. Sure, Donald might be a little frivilous with his money and irresponsible, but Pete comes off as stingy when he gives Donald the $100 because he doesn't want to hold all the "nickles and dimes" and then gets upset when Donald gives the cash to Webster. They're immature.
Me? I guess I'm a little like Pete and a smidgen like Donald. If I want to blow my money on odds and ends (usually paint, canvas, or jewelry), then I will. If I want to save for a certain something or another, than I'll do that instead.
Out of the brothers, they both make kind of frustrated. Why would you give ALL the groceries, which you bought with communal money, to a group of migrant workers? That's just asking for trouble. As for Pete freaking out about the spilled orange soda on his precious leather seats, there was no reason to get so distraught. Once cleaned off with a damp paper towl, VIOLA! good as new.
I agree with "Everyone liks to hear how somone messed up." Hearing about who got arrested for robbing a bank or tried to kill another person is so much more exciting than gossiping about who worked at a homeless shelter for a weekend.
I don't think that Pete was talking about actual "nickels and dimes," but instead of the $100 on the grand scale that is his paycheck and his costly way of living
DeleteCluster Two:
ReplyDeleteYes, I do believe that Webster conned Donald. Donald is very naive and was easily manipulated by Webster. I would be very angry towards Donald for giving the money away. He was too easily persuaded, but in the same token common sense must come into play. An investment in "a gold mine in Peru" sounds ridiculous. Donald simply did not have any common sense. Webster's story was very sketchy from the get-go. I did not believe his story in the first place. Personally, I would never give a ride to someone I did not know. Yes, it may be rude and selfish, but I care for my life too much to allow some stranger into my car. Donald will believe just about anything. It is a good trait to have in some regards, but one needs common sense to go along with it. His ability to try to see the good is commendable, but it is over shadowed by his naiveness. No,Pete does not want him to look foolish because it is a reflection on Pete and since Pete is very self-conscious he does not want that. Yes, Donald is foolish. There is no doubt about that.
Well said my friend. I agree with your statements that Webster conned Donald and I would also be very angry towards Donald for giving away the money. Donald needs to get his act together and take some common sense classes. I'm in the same boat as you when you say you wouldn't pick up someone you didn't know. In today's world you never know what strangers will do so watch out buddy :o
DeleteThank you for agreeing Derrick. In today's society there are many corrupt people. I don't want to be one of the people that they corrupt.
DeleteCluster 7
ReplyDeleteMy brother has liked to pick on me since day one. The day I was brought home from the hospital my parents had the bright idea to let my two year old brother hold me. Well my aunt came over to see me and brought chocolate for my brother since it was his favorite. He was holding me in a wood rocking chair in our living room when she came inside. My aunt waved the chocolate in the air and said "look Colton candy." So he dropped me for the candy and my head bounced off the chair and I fell to the floor crying. He didn't even notice.
I told my sister to stick rocks in her nose so we would get out of daycare. She did it and my mum had to come pick us up so she could take her to the ER to get them out. :)
DeleteI can understand the younger sister mistreatment. My sister wasn't as cruel but was also very controlling of how I got my attention. When ever my parents would get out the camera to take a picture of me, my sister would jump infront of it to get more attention.
DeleteMurielle that is so mean, but pretty funny. I don't think we ever did anything that crazy.
DeleteWow! I too am the youngest of my siblings, and I also have older brothers that pick on me. However, my brothers never dropped me as a baby. One thing that my brothers used to do to me was simply be boys. They would trap me under a blanket and fart!
DeleteThat would be terrible. My brother wouldn't try anything like that because he knows i can take him. However my cousin did something similar. He shoved me in his closet and threw dirty underwear at me and try to put his cup from baseball on my face. It was not fun.
DeleteEven though I'm the older twin, my sister was always being mean to me. When we were two, I apparently did something to make her angry and she retaliated by hitting me with a trumpet shaped candle holder made of brass. I cried a lot. However, I made up for her constantly hitting me with my ingenious ideas. I convinced her to let me cut her hair, and then I would cut hers. Good times.
DeleteI can't really be empathetic, due to the fact that I am the older sister that is always picking on both of my kid brothers. Recently when we adopted my youngest brother, I told my middle brother he was adopted, too. I told him the dark freckle on his face was left over from when we painted him white. hahah He was very upset for a while and then my mom proved the truth when she showed him a picture of my dad as a child and they are identical. We aren't allowed to joke about adoption now that we actually adopted a boy. It was fun while it lasted.
DeleteCluster 7
ReplyDeleteAs the oldest I was obviously my parents first child. Like most first children i had tons of pictures taken and was extremely spoiled. They also were a lot more careful with my safety. When my brother came along they were a lot more relaxed about his care. He did not get all of his firsts domcumented, and his babybook is far from completed. Although him and I are nothing alike we do look alike because we look so much alike my mom has told him that some of my pictures are actually of him. She did this so that his feelings were not hurt.
My sister's babybook is way more completed than mine, and she's two years younger than me. My mum and dad are way more relaxed with letting her do as she wants and they're crazy protective of me.
DeleteThat is how it is in my family. Being the youngest of three girls I've noticed I don't have as many baby pictures of me as I do of them. I also have a younger brother being the only baby boy so there a lot of photos of him also.
DeleteI am the youngest of three and have received nothing in memory or baby terms. No babybook, blankets, pictures, or most extras. Although as a teen, it is better because you have more freedom with less restrictions by your parents. So it's a two way street. Would you rather be the first child have everything to look back upon as a baby with many pictures and such things, or would you like to be the last child and have more freedom less baby memories and a better life as a teen?
DeleteCluster 4 Question 1:
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is a vivid memory of Donald's that is extremely difficult for him to let go of. It is not something that Donald, being the young and worthless brother he is, could come up with simply on his own. The details are so exact that it is almost disturbing to picutre Pete beating on Donald's stiches when their parents leave. All of this leads me to believe that these events actually happened and that Pete does not want to visit the past.
Cluster 4 Question 2 & 3:
I think that Pete is trying to get rid of Donald because he is tired of always having to cover up for and take care of Donald when he makes a mistake. Pete acts in the story as if Donald is just a pain in his side and he would be better off without having to worry about Donald at all times.
I completely concur with your opinion. I think that deep down Pete hates Donald. Pete is often bailing Donald out of trouble and half the time Donald doesn't learn from it.
DeleteI agree, I don't think he could acutally come up with something like that. Plus, he is very religious and is probably against lying.
DeleteI agree with you that it seems unlikely that Donald could have made that story up. When he tells it, it is so realistic that you can picture it almost instantly. I feel like Pete would have talked about it and denied it more if he really felt that it was untrue. Instead, he tries to change the subject and dismiss it.
DeleteI still would like to believe that Pete did not attempt to murder him. I agree all the evidience says he tried to, but I want to think of Pete as a good person. Call me naive.
DeleteI agree with you, and Andi as well. I feel that Pete would have denied it more if he hadn't actually done anything to Donald.
DeleteI like the reference to Donald being a "thorn in Pete's side." I feel like that's very representative of their situation, both as children and today.
DeleteCluster 1
ReplyDeleteI'm not sympathetic to either of them. Donald is a pushover and Pete is a jerk. Donald doesn't know how to take thinks seriously and Pete doesn't know how to live without money. Neither of them deserve my sympathy.
I'm a combination of the two. I like money and all the joys that come with it like Pete, but I also want people to have what they need like Donald. So I'm going to say I'm a little bit of both.
Donald grinds my gears more than Pete does. He doesn't realize when people are messing with him and doesn't think about himself enough to pay back his brother. His way of thinking is what gets him kicked out of the camp and loses him $100 to Webster.
I'm more frustrated with Pete because he contradicts himself when he gives Donald the money and says it's just nickels and dimes but flips out on him when he gives it to Webster. If the money really didn't matter, he wouldn't have freaked out so much. All Pete is worried about is money and it gets annoying when most of his thoughts are about money and all the costly things in his life.
I agree that "Everyone likes to hear how someone messed up." I know I like to hear it. It always gives me a nice chuckle when somebody says they screwed up on something they thought they would do correctly. It's really funny when they get all flustered and yell about it.
Cluster 3
ReplyDeleteI think that being skeptical has its positives and negatives. Sometimes being too skeptical can end up turning out bad because you could miss out on something that could of been benificial. In other cases its good to have some skepticism because you don't want to be end up like Donald. If one could find the perfect balance of skepticism then they should end up in good shape. Believing in "some outrageous promise" to me is typically a bad thing to believe in. I think it is usually a bad thing because almost always "some outrageous promise" ends up not being true and doesn't work out.
Cluster 3
ReplyDeleteI believe that living life with a degree of skepticism is a good thing. People who tend to not be a skeptic miss out on certain things in life, in my opinion. Also, skepticism can have a negative affect if not "used" in a proper manner. Just like in the story, Donald should have been more skeptical of Webster, but instead he chooses to believe everything that Webster tells him. This lack of skepticism gets Donald in trouble. He ends up giving all his money away to a con. I think that believing in some outrageous promise has its positives and negatives. On one hand, believing in an outrageous promise can help people achieve higher goals they have set for themselves. However, it can be negative for people when this said promise deoesn't happen when they where truly expecting something fantastic.
Cluster six:
ReplyDeleteI believe that Pete would turn around to get Donald for the same reason most brothers would - simply because of the fact they're brothers. I feel like the average person would feel obligated to take care of a family member, despite of any relationship the two may have. However, Pete may have not turned around to get Donald because of their relationship. Donald's naive nature and selflessness to the point of stupidity hindered Donald and Pete from forming a close relationship, or that relationship staying close. Personally, I think I would have turned around and picked Donald back up. I feel considerably close to my sister, and I can't really imagine leaving her on the side of the road, so that probably influences my answer. With Donald though, I think I would try to talk some sense into him, do a tough love kind of a deal, to make him realize there are people in the world that will take advantage of the gullible. It's possible that I wouldn't be able to help him, or be able to change him for the better, but I would try, and I would feel more comfortable for that reason.
I think you are completely right with this answer. Family comes first, no matter what. They can annoy you and make you so angry, but you can never turn your back on family.
DeleteYea I agree, my older brother is very naive like pete and sometimes hes very annoying but I could never just leave him on the side of the road.
DeleteI actually think you can turn your back on your family. If something massive happens and everyone is divided, it's easy to get upset and leave, never resolving things and dying with the regret of not forgiving them.
DeleteJust for the sake of playing the devil's advocate; Do you really think it would be so easy to turn around and pick up a sibling such as Donald. I do realize that blood is blood and sibling-hoods can never be broken, but when is enough enough? At what point is it okay to break all ties and accept the fact that some people will always be worthless and irresponsible?
DeleteEven if he was worthless and irresponsible i couln't help but feel guilty if I didn't do everything I could to help him.
DeleteHe might give up on his brother and stop helping him...but leaving him in the middle of the country stranded with no money is a terrible thing to do to anybody.
Delete@ Taylor -
DeleteIt would be difficult to go back to get someone like Donald, especially for me as being naive is a pet peeve of mine, but I would like to think I'd at least try. But, if trying didn't do much, I do think I'd quit pretty quickly, even though I don't really want to admit that. If it were anyone else but family, I wouldn't even bother trying.
cluster 3
ReplyDeleteI think that being skeptical can keep you away from future problems that you might run into. But in another way it can keep your guard up around everyone. This won't help when you want people to be open to you but you already are skeptcal about it. In the story I think it was a good thing that Donald wasn't skeptical of Webster because Webster probably needs the money more than he knew. Donald has a good heart and I think that even if he knew that Webster was lying he would still give the money to him.
Cluster Two
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Donald gets conned by Webster. From the very beginning, Webster seemed to be a con artist. It seemed very convenient that his car broke down and he would just simply leave it there without even getting his luggage. I was a skeptical from the very start. If I were in that situation, I would have been very angry at Donald had that been my money that he gave away. He clearly doesn't know the value of a hard-earned dollar. He handed away someone else's money too easily for someone not to be uspet.
As a young, teenage girl, I probably would not have given Webster a ride. It's just not safe in today's world.
I don't agree with Pete when he says that Donald really will believe anything. From his point of view, "speaking in tonuges and swapping prophecies" may seem like unbelievable actions. But, as a pentecostal myself and having believed in these my whole life, I don't see Donald as irrational in taking part in this denomination.
I do think that Pete wasnts Donald to look foolish. Maybe by giving his tough-love, Donald may wake up and realize how his actions can be seen as foolish. I do agree with Pete. His actions are irresponsible and he's a very unreliable person.
My sister Reagan and I fight constantly. You wouldn't think we would with the 7 year age difference. She's 10 and I'm 17. Reagan was annoying at a young age but over the years she's perfected her tactics. She used to just be mean to the cat but she soon found out that wasn't working. Now she sticks her nose in my business constantly, argues with me over little things that she knows nothing about, and whines more than anyone else I know.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just hate that? I do not have a younger sibling but my best friends little brother Corey is practically like mine. We will be sitting in her room trying to talk about something and he comes in to nose around. Then he'll wine and we get in trouble.
DeleteMaybe it's a learned behavior...cough cough
Delete:D
Are you suggesting that I taught my sister such horrible things Courtney? Because I was and still am the perfect child in my family haha
DeletePete would go back and get Donald because he would realize that is not the way to treat your family. Pete would leave Donald because he is tired of dealing with all of Donalds problems. I would turn around to get him because I would feel guilty for leaving my sibling in the middle of no where.
ReplyDeleteCluster One
ReplyDeleteUpon reading the story, I find myself feeling more sympathetic to Donald's side although I identify more with Pete's. I believe that Donald is and always has been mistreated by Pete, (such as when he was younger and Pete would attack him), and this makes me feel sorry for him. Pete's self-proclaimed superiority over his brother is likely a contributing factor to all of Donald's failures and misfortunes; the way he is treated by Pete is directly correlated to his lack of success.
As I mentioned earlier, I identify more with Pete. I understand his frustration with Donald, and I have noticed how I can't help but feel superior to those who make bad life decisions. Pete still makes me angry, however, in that his sense of superiorty has existed since they were children. At that age, it was likely undeserved. Now, maltreatment towards Donald is more understandable. I see how all of Donald's mistakes and lack of ability to better himself would be annoying to Pete. Still, Pete's actions towards his brother, although justified, aren't exactly acceptable.
I agree that "Everyone likes to see how someone messed up." When Pete sees all of his brother's faults, it makes him feel better about himself. He feeds off of Donald's mistakes. However, at this point, the last thing Pete needs is an ego boost.
I have choosen to ignore the fact that Pete tried to kill Donald. I am team Pete! I identify more with Pete as well.
DeleteI totally agree with the first paragraph, that's exactly how I felt towards them when I read it.
DeleteCluster 5
ReplyDeleteI believe Pete doesn't tell Donald he was blind in his dream because blindness in a way represents a sign of weekness and he doesn't want to ever feel inferior to his younger brother.
My interpretation of the dream is Pete is hopeless and lost. He needs Donald's help but doesn't want to admit it. He doens't want to seem reliant on his brother and is blind in to the world. He only sees his own needs and not those of others.
I don't think their dispute is soley on "prosperity" but rather on sibling rivalry. They think in different ways and the fact that they are so different creates many conflicts. Their different views on life and what should be done in it are at the heart of their disputes.
Cluster 6
ReplyDeleteI believe that Pete does turn around to go get his brother. I do not feel as though Pete could live with just leaving his brother out on the road. He knows something could happen to him, and he would feel awful if something did. He is tempted to leave him though because he is always taking care of him. He is almost like another kid. Pete may also feel bad for hitting Donald in his stiches, and Pete may feel he owes Donald the support.
I would have to go get him. My brother and I do not get along at all, but there is no way I would ditch him. I sure would like to kick my brother out of car some mornings though.
Cluster three:
ReplyDeleteI think it is good and a bad thing to be skeptical. Being skeptical of bad people who are trying to con you will save your money and time. But being skeptical of things that may seem like a lie and turns out to be true makes you feel like an idoit. I think sometimes to be a good thing to believe in some outragous promise. It makes feel that part of a bigger picture. An example is that there are aliens. I want to be believe in aliens because then it would mean that we are not the only ones in universe. But scienceist have not found proof of life on planets yet or that we know of like area 51.
Cluster 4:In the end Donald is still family and Pete realizes this and that's why he turns around. A person can try to deny how they feel about their family all they want but it doesn't change that they are still family and are connected by a special bond. I think Pete would keep going because of all the trouble Donald has caused him over the years. Regardless of the way Reagan and I fight, I would turn back around and go get her every single time. We fight but she's still my sister and I still love her no matter how much I deny it to her face.
ReplyDeleteCluster Six-
ReplyDeletePete turns arould to get Donald because he feels responsible for him. I think he feels guilty for the terrible things he did to him when they were younger. The only reason he would keep going is because he is fed up with his brother screwing up wll the time. I would definitly turn around for my brother. Family is family.
Cluster Two
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1
I believe that Webster does con Donald. He uses this dramatic story and I think he realizes that Donald is a push-over.
Question 2
I would be mad at Donald because it isn't his money to give away to other people. I would also be mad at myself for giving him that much money when it isn't needed and knowing what kind of person Donald is.
Question 3
I am skeptical of Webster. He uses Pete and Donald as a ride and talks about the whole situation of his wife and daughter. He pushes the limits on Pete's "rules" of in the car and he also takes all of the money from Donald while Pete is sleeping.
Question 4
I wouldn't give Webster a ride because he could be dangerous. I probably wouldn't give any stranger a ride.
Question 5
I believe that Donald will believe anything that he wants to believe. I think the reason he does follow orders from other people because he doesn't want to fight and stand up against them.
Question 6
I don't think he wants Donald to look foolish, I think he wants Donald to be more like himself. With a successful job and money but he gets embarrased by some of the things he does which causes most of the fights between the two of them.
Question 7
I don't belive he is, he is trying to find something to believe in and make his way through life on his own. He seems pretty content with what he is doing.
Cluster Five: I feel like Pete doesn't tell Donald that he is blind in his dream because then he would be less superior to Donald. I think this dream is trying to show that that Pete is coming to the reality that he is to pround that to accept help from his little brother and he is affraid of feeling a lack of superiority. I think not only prosperity is the heart of their dispute but also Donald's carelessness because if he would be more careful then he might not be in the situation he is in at the moment
ReplyDeleteCluster 1
ReplyDeleteI am more sympathetic towards Donald. I feel bad that he is so clueless and Pete is mean to him for it. Personally I am more like Donald. I want to believe everyone is good and trustworthy. But that is not always the case. Pete definitely frustrates me. I do not see how you can be that mean to your own sibling. Even though they may frustrate us, we still need to care for them.
I guess everyone does like to know that someone messed up. It probably makes you feel better about the screw ups you make in your life.
Cluster Seven
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I would dress up my cat, Emmy, in doll clothes, put hair clips in her fur, tie ribbons around her paws, and push her around in our babydoll strollers. Emmy loved it, and so did we.
Cluster 6-
ReplyDeleteI believe that Pete would turn around because Donald is his little brother and he feels that he needs to be responsible for him. In some ways i think that Pete sees him as a child still and he is trying to teach him a lesson. If Pete were to keep going it would be because he feels that Donald needs to learn to make it on his own without depending on everyone around him. I would go back and get my brother even if I was mad at him I wouldn't be able to just leave him on the side of the road.
Cluster 7:
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child, my brother would put me into the dryer. Being a child, I automatically cried and became hysterical. Looking back on it, my brother was crazy. It was during his "I don't know my place" stage. Let me tell you, I took the brunt of what he did. In a way, I was his test dummy.
Cluster 6:
ReplyDeletePete would turn around to get Donald because he is his only brother, and Pete has taken care of Donald and all of his help and work would be wasted if he just left. However, Pete would keep going because leaving Donald would take a lot of weight off of his shoulders and relieve a big stress. WIthout Donald he has a lot more freedoms, money, and possibilities. If I were in the situation, I would turn around and get him because there is a special bond between two brothers that can't be found any other place. Even though Donald frustrates Pete, he helps him be a better person. Together they could help each other by seeing what the other is doing right.
Cluster six: Pete turns around to get Donald because he knows it is his responsibility to make sure Donald is taken care of. Pete has always been successful and knows he can support his family and take care of them, Donald has never been successful and struggles to support himself. Being they are brothers Pete also knows it's the right thing to do, they grew up together and their mom and dad would want it for the two boys.
ReplyDeletePete may keep going because he has saved his little brother so many times in the past as well as giving him money any time he struggles. Donald has never attempted to try to get a job to simply help himself. Pete knows that Donald will continue on this path, if Pete can get Donald to see that he is not always going to be their any more.
If this were my sibling I know I would try to help them to a certain point, I would encourage them to try to get on their feet and set up a system to help. Not freely handing my money out but not completely putting my back to my blood relative my parents taught me better and that is my sibling.
I agree that Pete made the decision to turn around and pick up Donald. I also like the fact that you mentioned Pete has been successful enough in his life that he knows how to support his family well, including his brother. Donald seems a little more stuck in the present, he only thinks about his actions now, whereas Donald seems to think and plan ahead. I think this is another reason why Donald "goofs" up all the time and Pete feels some responsibility toward him.
DeleteCluster 6:
ReplyDeleteIn the story "The Rich Brother" Pete gets fed up with Donald and his ways.Pete leaves him on the side of the road after a fight. Pete would turn around to get Donald because Donald is his only brother. He knows turning around to get Donald is the right thing. Even though Donald has messed up multiple times he is still the older brother and it is his job to look out for him. Pete also has the choice to keep going. Pete is to the point where he has to teach Donald that he isn't always going to be there for him to pick up his messes. He wants Donald to grow up and learn from his mistakes. If I were Pete I would wait a few minutes to let Donald think about what he did and maybe he would realize that he needs to change his ways and be more responsible. I love my sibling but you can only take so much responsibility for them because if you take too much you will be living both your life and theirs.
I think you statement can be well supported by the text. However, the situation is altered completely when one regards Donald as the rich brother. I feel that it is clear that if Pete does not turn around and pick up Donald then Donald will lose his only refuge. It is interesting to ponder what Pete will lose if he does not take his brother home with him. It is possible that Donald represents Pete's last saving grace, and will help him earse the looming blindness that Pete experiences in his dreams. If Pete does not turn around, I believe he will never learn the true meaning of living a rich life.
DeleteQuestion 2
ReplyDeleteI do think Mr. Keating was an effective teacher for all the boys. I do not think his approach was too personal everyone should be aloud to be there self. I think the school was to strict on all the boys. Keating was a great teacher and thats why the boys stood up for him as he left the classroom.
Cluster 6:
ReplyDeleteI think Pete turns around to pick up Donald. Throughout reading the story, I thought that Pete felt some responsibility for his younger brother, almost in a parental way. Pete wants to pretend like he is strong enough for leaving Donald on the road, he wants to be able to answer his wife's question when he returns home, but I don't believe he can find it within himself to do so. On the other hand, Pete could decide to leave Donald. Perhaps this is the last straw and he can take no more of his little brother's antics. Not to mention the fact that Donald gave away the rest money Pete had gave him to a stranger with an elaborate story. If Donald were my brother, I would turn around and pick him up. I would explain to him why I left in the first place, and tell him how annoying it is that he handed away money that him or I will probably never see again. Siblings have a unique bond, and I believe I would try to keep our relationship on good terms.