What does it mean when we say that books are windows and mirrors? Take a moment and share what you think this means and why it is important.
In your response, try to incorporate our recent read alouds and how they connect to this idea of books being windows and mirrors. Recent Read Alouds to consider: Home of the Brave, Fly Away Home, One Green Apple, Each Kindness, A Different Pond, The Proudest Blue, and Encounter.
After you have shared your thinking, comment on at least two friend’s posts – share if you agree/disagree or if their thinking pushes you to revise your own understanding- be specific in your response.
I believe that a window is when you read something that is different from what you often do.But I think mirrors is a story that you can relate to and is sort of like your own story.
In essence, a mirror is a story that reflects something about yourself? A story you see yourself in?
like in home of the brave and the proudest blue those are like looking through a window but each kindness is like a mirror
I think of Proudest Blue/Home of the Brave as windows because those are stories that I don’t personally relate to because I don’t know what it’s like to have people make fun of you for your religion/ beliefs.
I agree that a window is when you read something different.
Say more about that…
I agree, I feel that it is like looking at the story then trying to relate to it
I think that a window in reading means that you might be reading in a different stile then what you always read in, A mirror is what you always read. In home of the brave and proudest blue Kek and Asiya equals strong, because they both don’t care what other people say they just stand strong.
I think a window is when a character looks at something or realizes it
and a mirrior is when they reflect and relate to something.
I agree.
Why do you agree? Be specific.
I agree because when someone in a story reflects on something, that might change the persons thinking and make them relate or reflect on something that might have happened in the story before.
I agree with reflecting on a mirror.
I think a window is looking into different culture. I think that if I know it’s a different culture I won’t question or comment their choice.
And why is this so important?
I think it’s important so I don’t react rudely or be disrespectful.
I agree how if you know than later in life you won’t judge someone’s culture.
I agree because you always have to be respectful to what other people think.
I think windows and mirrors are important in reading because…
Windows: This is important because in my opinion it means that you are looking into the story, like another world.
Mirrors: I think this is important because we can reflect on the reading and ask yourself, “What is the meaning of this story?”
I think that a mirror means, what’s going on in the book is also going on in your life. I think that a window means, it’s not going on in your life but you can see/feel whats going on in the book.
YEAH I agree really agree.
with ava’s
Beautiful and insightful comment. How can we grow as individuals when we learn to use books as mirrors?
Windows and mirrors mean that you look at what you see like place and time and what is happening and then try to see your self in it to get a better understanding of the story. For example in home of the brave you could try to see your self inside of kek. And you could do the same for anther story’s try to read it like it was you in the story.
I think a window is looking outside, finding big ideas and, looking at how the thing your reading can connect. I think a mirror is like reflecting on you and revising your thinking and making you a more complez reader and person.
-OLIVIA!
I love this idea that you can become a more complete person! How does using your texts as windows and mirrors help you become ‘more complete’?
Olivia, I like yours a lot mostly when you said, and revising your thinking.
I think that a window is a is like a a view into someone else’s world. For example, Encounter is a window because we are seeing the world in the boy’s point of view.
I think a mirror is something to reflect on what you read
Book’s are like windows and mirrors because you can see into different worlds and cultures. I know that because, in the Proudest Blue it showed how important the hijab is. it also makes you a better person because you put yourself in other people’s shoes.
I agree that book’s are windows and mirrors to.
I agree that windows and mirrors help you see into different worlds
I think a mirror is something that is similar to you and what you are thinking.
I think that windows and mirrors means that you can see the truth or, you can see what you want to see, for example, if you look through the window, you can see what is happening in the world around you, or you can see only yourself and what you want to see by staring into a mirror.
A book as a window is where you can see into different cultures and different situation where you cant see your self in its like a window to see into different places.
I agree because a window is transparent, so you can see what it is outside, so outside could be a different situation than inside.
I agree but you can also add culture is really big and maybe you can hurt someone’s feelings by saying “your culture is weird.” So it is good to know not to make fun of other people’s culture.
windows mean that it is a gateway into another culture,because like in The Proudest Blue, How it was their first day of hijab I have never worn a hijab and I probaly wont wear one but at least i get what it feels like to wear a hijab
however with mirrors like each kindness i have been bullied before so i can relate to maya
I agree with you because every person see´s a book differently because, the reader may or may not have experienced what a character is going through. I also liked how you called it a gateway because that can make me imagine it.
To add on, I think looking into a window is to look at something from another characters view.
In “A Different Pond” the dad reflected his childhood and talked about the pond in his time.
Your comment made me think differently because I always thought about a window as looking over someones life, not seeing how they are thinking or what they are feeling about the experience.
Home of the Brave is a window because you are seeing what it is like to be in Kek’s
world, not something like what you would do.
The girl in The Green Apple “looks into the mirror” because she does not care that she is the only one that has a green apple.
The people in her class “looks into the window” beacause they see her with the green apple and are kind of confused.
Windows and mirrors are very important. Windows are important because they can show you how other people are living in other circumstances and other places. Mirrors are also important because they can show you someone similar to yourself so you can reflect and see yourself as if you are them. An example in is that for me Home Of The Brave is a window because I am looking into a different life, something I have never experienced. If a refuge who came to America or someone who lost their family read it they might see it as a mirror because they can see themselves going through a similar experience. Another example is in The Proudest Blue. I see this book as a window but someone who has been critiqued for their differences may call it a mirror.
I think that a window is when you can see a whole new point of view and your able to see a whole new world. This relates to Home Of The Brave because Kek was super confident that his mom would come home. This made the reader able to look through Kek and feel what he is feeling.
I think a mirror is when you can reflect the book that your reading into your life. Just like in Fly Away Home when Andrew saw the bird struggling to fly through the door and to be free, but since the bird kept trying, it finally made it through the door. Just seeing the bird not give up made Andrew not give up either on getting out of the airport and living in a apartment.
I agree with brookes Idea
i think a window is you looking at the book or out the window and a mirror is a reflection like looking at a mirror
I think windows are there for to step out for a new world and learn a new culture.
Windows are always in front of us. But it is up to us whether we are going to open them and step out into another beautiful world, or we are going to ignore it and keep it closed. Mirrors are not always in front of us. We have to make them. Then we see ourselves through them , and change ourselves. When we read Home of the Brave, we made our own windows and tried to be more grateful of what we have.
to me a window is like looking into there life,and what they see,and when I look through the mirror of my life,I apply what the characters feelings into my life,and I feel for the character like when Kek from Home Of The Brave when he was made fun of by the other boy in his class and doesn’t understand,I put that in my life by feeling for him but by also being happy because he doesn’t know what detention is and that its bad,looking through the window again he thinks its good.
I think the window is the way to let you step in other peoples shoe and see how they think and why they think like that for example in Home Of The Brave we see that it is not so possible that Kek will see his mom again but in keks thinking he think his mom will come back and no matter what he still have hope.
A book can be a mirror because you can read a story and think… wait a minute I have been in a situation like that but I have never thought of it like that so in some cases a mirror can be a second window.
I want to add on to what I said about the window I feel that it is looking in to a world that you may not have even knew was there. I also feel that it gives you a chance to see something you may not see with reading a story. It also gives you a chance to try to be in a world like the one in the story.
I agree but you can also add culture is really big and maybe you can hurt someone’s feelings by saying “your culture is weird.” So it is good to know not to make fun of other people’s culture.
That was to Max’s post.
a window for me is looking though to a new place so you can learn more about other peoples lives and how they are working together to make their community better and how they are working together for example, in home of the brave we got to learn about in Sudan how all the people work together in their community to make their lives better for them and their children
a mirror for me is looking back at my life and comparing it to the character in the book’s life and seeing how our lives connect or are different to each other in a way that makes sense to myself for example, in home of the brave kek had to move to a new country and I compare that to when you having to do something that you may not want to do
I think that windows and mirrors for book mean that the window is ‘a whole new world’ when you are reading a book and you see everything different in your life and for someone else too. When you see a mirror you have a reflection of your self, and when you read you reflect off of reading, and writing (from the book.)
Also I am thinking about it like the WINDOW is the book telling us about the story. The MIRROR is us reflecting and doing what we are suppose to, help if there is something we can do that is happening in the book.
—-livvy
The window is looking at the charaters in a way that will help you understand his motiavations and why he/she does something.Mirror is looking at the character and yourself and comparing.
I think “A different pond” is a good book with different windows. I think this because the dad is from Vietnam and fought in the war. I also think this because the dad sometimes talked about Vietnam while he was in America. This is why I think that “A different pond” is a good book with different windows.
I think mirrors helps us be less judgmental because we can feel what or why they did what they did or said what they said. like in a proudest blue if you read it like you were the girl you can learn not to judge them when they were the thing
I never thought that one story can be a mirror or a window according to the people who reads it