A little bit about Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson was born on February 12, 1963 in Columbus, Ohio.

"I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories across sidewalks and penciled tiny tales in notebook margins. I loved and still love watching words flower into sentences and sentences blossom into stories. "

Jacqueline was raised and educated in Greenville, South Coralina and Brooklyn New York. Woodson guaduated with a G.A in English and worked in New York as a drama therapist. Now, she is a full time writer at New York City, writing multiple books about challenges the young people in the world are facing. She is well known as a young adult fiction writer.

Jacqueline wrote many books including Hush, If You Come Softly, Locomotion, and Show Way. She has accepted three Newbery honors, two National Book award, Coretta Schott King award, and many other awards including the Jane Addams Children's Book awards in 1995. Miracle Boys written by her was even created into a mini-series directed by Spike Lee.

She has written thirteen books and the list will keep going as she continues to write for the yound adults in America and possibly the world. Jacqueline will also continue to be a honored writer that moved the whole nation.

By: Michelle Xia

Links to check out

Title: If You Come Softly

Author: Jacqueline Woodson

This book is about a girl Ellie who is Jewish, and a boy Jeremiah who is black. They accidentally started to like each other. Will there love last? Read the BOOK !

Here are some links to check out:

To read and/or contribute to the discussion about this book, go to this website: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159903.If_You_Come_Softly

To read a reading review to get more persuasion to read this book, check this out:

http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/07/18/if-you-come-softly-by-jacqueline-woodson/

If you wanted to buy the book to keep forever, click this:

http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/07/18/if-you-come-softly-by-jacqueline-woodson/

By: Michelle Xia

If You come Softly - Dialogue (Literary Device)

Dialogue is really important in the novel, If You Come Softly, by Jacqueline Woodson. It provides the reader a more descriptive visual and also it helps to conclude and figure out what type of people the characters in the story portrays.

Direct usage of dialogue is shown in the story.
"'Really?'
'No,' I said, growing annoyed. 'I'm lying.'
'Sorry, Ellie. I just thought PErcy Academy was so chichi and white.'
'Well, it isn't.' I wanted her to say something different. Something smart-the way she always did.
We were silent.
'You're mad, aren't you?'
'No.'
'Then what are you?'
I sighed. 'Nothing. I gotta go. I have to study-'
'Ellie. Don't be like this. I'm just suprised, that's all.'
'You were all excited before. Before I told you he was black.'
'Well, I'm still excited. I can be surprised and excited at the same time. Geez. I just never thought about it-you know.'" (If You Come Softly, page 56)

This was a conversation between Ellie, and her sister Anne over the phone. By the usage of dialogue, you can picture them talking, picture them pausing to find the right words to say, and you can see that Ellie is disapointted in Anne.

Another type of dialogue used in this story is monologues; when the characters speak to themselves.

"Now, staring out the window, I thought about my own apartment, how small and cramped it felt compared to this place. Yes, it was big-more space than the three of us needed, but it wasn't this. It was pretty, not beautiful. And my parents in it were aging and set in their ways, not elegant and creative like Miah's. Doctor's daughter. All my life I had heard how lucky I was to be so. I had never imagined anything different, until now, until I met Miah." (If You Come Softly, page 163, paragraph 1)

Monologues also help you understand how a character feels inside. Things that normally, she won't say out loud.

Dialogue helps the readers to understand how a character is feeling, how a character interacts with another character, and also, it keeps the reader well interested throughout the book.

By: Michelle Xia

If You come Softly - Theme (Literary Device)

The theme of the story, If You Come Softly, is best known as true love has no color. In this story, Jeremiah who is African American and Ellie who is Jewish began to like each other.

Many people throughout the story didn't approve the fact that they were dating because it's adnormal to see a white girl with a black guy. "No one at Percy said anything. It was strange the way the students seemed to turn away from it, from him and Ellie holding hands on the Percy stairs. From his arm around Ellie's shoulder as they walked through the halls. Turn away from them kissing outside their classrooms. Sometimes Miah imagined their turning away in slow motion-the eyes cast downward, the heads moving slowly above the collars of Percy uniforms. yeah, they looked, and once, Miah had caught two black girls staring at him and Ellie and whispering. When he looked up, the girls turned away. They didn't seem angry or suprised or hurt. Nothing like that. Just two girls talking-saying something about him and Ellie, then getting caught. And slowly, turning away." (If You Come Softly, page 123, paragraph 1-2)

Although the people they were surrounded by was unsupportive, their love for each other made all the problems go away. They didn't care who saw, they just wanted to be together. As they liked each other for WHO they were, people looked at them for how they LOOKED.

After I read this book, this is what I got from the book. The color of the skin, the culture, or the gender should not ever get into the way of love. Love is determined by the feeling the person has for another.

By: Joseph Ebiotu (edited by Michelle xia)

If You Come Softly - Characterization (Literary Device)

Jacqueline Woodson creates an interesting story by the way she made the characters in the book, If You Come Softly to be. The two main characters that were described in the story were Jeremiah (Miah) and Ellie.

Ellie is Jewish 15 year old girl who lives in Manhattan. She began to attend Percy Academy for high school. Ellie grew up with her mom who is a doctor and a sister who was getting married with her girlfriend. Living in a family with her mom and her sister impacted on how she looked at life. Her sister portrayed that love isn't about a person's color, race, or gender, it's about what you feel towards that person, it's the connection. Her mom left Ellie without telling her in the past which made Ellie a bit more dependent and reluctant to her mom realizing that she might leave again.

Ellie is basically an outgoing girl throughout the story who at times can get nervous. However, she is a type of girl who speaks out from her heart.

Ellie is the girl who fell in love with Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is a black 15 year old boy who is also attending Percy Academy. He came from a family where he is the only child, he's father is a famous actor and he's mother is a famous author. Because of his parents, many people treat him differently but, he doesn't want to be known as the son of a famous author or the son of a well known actor; he wanted to be known as Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is a great basketball player who leaves in Brooklyn. He is kind and modest to all his friends and family. But, he hates when his parents fight for him to stay at their houses because his parents are divorced. "'Guess I'm spending the week here then.' Jeremiah glanced out the kitchen window. There was no light on in his father's apartment. He was glad he didn't have to make a decision. Every night it was the same thing. You gonna stay here? You gonna stay here? His mama and daddy's voices beating against the side of his head, begging him as if they were really saying, Choose me. No, choose me. For the hundredth time, no, maybe the thousandth time, he wished he has a brother or sister-somebody to go up against them with. Someone to help relieve some of the stuff they put him through. How long would it have to be like this anyway? Two address. Two phone numbers. Two bedrooms." (If You Come Softly, page 33, paragraph 3)

Jeremiah was the guy who fell in love with Ellie.

Jeremiah and Ellie didn't change much throughout the story. Unlike the people they were around, they didn't care about the nationality, becuause they genuinely liked each other. I believe that the characters changed at the end of the book.


************SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT.**************


When Jeremiah was told to stop by the police, he didn't. He was completely surrounded of thoughts about Ellie. Jeremiah probably never felt that way before in his life. Real happiness. But, tragically, he was shot when the polica mistaken Jeremiah for the guy he was looking for. When Ellie found out and went to his funeral. I'm predicting that after that day, she will never truly be the same again. Her first love had been killed especially, considering how it happened when she was only 15 years old. I think that from that day, she understood better of reality.

By: Michelle xia

If You come Softly - Works Cited

1. Engram, "Short Story Elements". April 7,2009 http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/elements.html.

2. Woodson, Jacqueline. If You Come Softly. Toronto: Penguin Group, 1998.

3. "Constructing Plot". Annenberg Media. April 17, 2009 http://www.learner.org/interactives/literature/read/plot2.html.

4. CliffsNotes.com. What exactly is a theme of a story, and how can I recognize it? 17 Apr 2009 http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-305408,articleId-8034.html.

5. "How to Analyze Short Story Characterization". eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor . April 17, 2009 http://www.ehow.com/how_2063745_analyze-short-story-characterization.html.

6. Woodson, Jacqueline. "Jacqueline Woodson". April 17, 2009 http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/bio.shtml.

By: Michelle Xia

If You come Softly - Plot (Literary Device)

The Plot of the story, If you come softly, by Jacqueline Woodson starts when Ellie and Miah(Jeremiah) bumped into each other in the beginning of the story. "I had been staring at my program card, trying to figure out where room 301 or something was - looking from the program card to the numbers on the doors and I had run right into him, my math and science textbooks crashing on the floor. Then he was apologizing and I was apologizing and we were both bending at the same time to retrieve them. And then-we just stopped and burst out laughing." (If You Come Softly, page 13, paragraph 10)

Then, the book continues as Ellie daydreams about Miah, and wondering if he is the next boy that she will kiss. "Lying across my bed, I wondered where he was now. Good old Sam, who grew scared of me suddenly, scared of kissing. I wondered when I'd kiss someone again. Wondered if it would be Jeremiah." (If You Come Softly, page 17, paragraph 4)

They became closer when Miah transferred into Ellie's social studies class, sitting next to her. " 'Excuse me.' I felt the room change. Felt the air around me grow warn suddenly-and still. 'I've been transferred over from Ms. Trousseau's class. My name is Jeremiah.' I lifted my head slowly, afraid I had heard wrong. He was standing there-in front of the room-beautiful-the way I had remembered him. Mr. Hazelton frowned as he studied Jeremiah's program card. 'This late into the semester, Mr. Roselind?' 'Yes, sir.' Jeremiah took a quick look around the room. His eyes flicked past me then back again. He smiled." (If You Come Softly, page 74, paragraphs 1-6)

Miah and Ellie then cut class together. " 'I don't know what's better,' Miah said. 'What's gonna happen is gonna happen. I mean, the feeling's still there even if you're covering it up. You feel like walking? Getting out of here for a bit?' 'What's the penalty for cutting?' I asked, even though I knew I'd follow him-anywhere. When Anne used to talk about being in love, she said it felt like someone wrapping you inside of them. And that's what I felt like now, like slowly I was being wrapped inside of Miah-inside his eyes, inside his voice, inside the way he talked about things." (If You Come Softly, page 105, paragraph 4-5)

They started to date; holding hands in public, kissing, and always being together. "No one at Percy said anything. It was strange the way the students seemed to turn away from it, from him and Ellie holding hands on the Percy stairs. From his arm around Ellie's shoulder as they walked through the halls. Turn away from them kissing outside their classrooms. Sometimes Miah imagined their turning away slow motion-the eyes cast downward, the heads moving slowly above the collars of Percy uniforms." (If You Come Softly, page 123, paragraph 1)

At the library, they realized that their feelings for each other grew deeper. "Ellie looked away from him. 'I would have still come-still tried to find you that day in the hallway. Isn't that crazy? Because that stuff, that junk-the looks and words-I would...if someone told me that's what I had to go though...'She smiled and put the end of her braid into her mouth. 'To get to you. I would've still kept coming.'" (If You Come Softly, page 133, paragraph 2)

************SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT.***********


Later on, Ellie went with Miah to Brooklyn to meet Miah's family. "As Jeremiah and I walked through the gate, I felt my stomach dip at the idea of returning to Brookyln again-a different Brooklyn. Jeremiah's Brooklyn. Ellie went and saw Miah's mother and the lifestyle for Miah.

At day, Miah was playing basketball in the white neighborhood, while a cop was looking for a dark skinned man. "'Stop.' But he couldn't stop. He was too close. He was going for that layup again. This time he'd make it. Two points was all the team needed and he'd make those two points and be a hero, and Ellie would rush to the floor and throw her arms around him. Not caring who saw. Jeremiah grins. And in another moment he felt his breath catch deep in the back of his throat. He felt a slow burn of something-something hot and hard against his side. And then he was falling, grabbing for the ball but falling, falling and losing control. And in the yellow-gold light of the fading afternoon, Jeremiah remembered Ellis smiling up at him, and he remembered his father's grin and his mother's laughter. Already he was missing them. Like that afternoon alone in his mother's room. Again, just like that day Jeremiah felt a sudden, terrible sadness. And then nothing at all." (If You Come Softly, page 171-172, paragraph 1-5) That's when Miah was shot by the police and that the end.

By: Bianca Denaro (edited by Michelle Xia)

If You Come Softly- Setting (Literary Device)

The setting in the story If You Come Softly is located in Manhattan, New York. The settings switch places in Ellie's house, Percy Academy and Jeremiah's house. These settings impacts on the characters mood and dialogue throughout the story.

Percy Academy is a private school which creates a high class, and well-mannered atmosphere while reading. If they attended a different school, it may change the way I look at the settings. Ellie's house and Jeremiah's house are so different for one lives in the city and the other live in Brooklyn. From the information shown on the text, you imagine that this is happening recently. Maybe this year, or the last few years.

Weather contributes to the story as well. "It rained again on Friday, a warm, steady rain that turned the whole city gray. I sat in Mr. Hazelton's history class watching it. There was something sad about the rain. Marion had left on a rainy day. And Anna. The day she moved out it rained and rained. I turned back to my textback. Jeremiah must have left Precy. It was already October and still I had only seen him once since that first day." (If you come softy, pg 73, paragraph 1) Explaining the atmosphere helps bring the mood at a certain part of the book. Because of the raining weather, you feel gloomy more than happy when your reading this. You can also conclude from this part of the story, that it's the beginning of the school year as well. This helps to imagine how it's like when all the students and teachers are new and the beginning of learning.

Sights and Sounds affect the setting also and is used a lot during this book. "Miah sighed and turned toward the window. He would hear his father and Lois Ann laughing with their friends. He could hear girls outside chanting, Ten, twently, thirty, forty, one, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, two. And in the distance, he heard the vague sound of a basketball, someone bouncing it slowly, some young kid somewhere, learning how to handle the ball, hot to keep it near him. How to keep control." (If you come softy, pg 118, paragraph 2)

The sights and sounds create the atmosphere the main characters are in. This quote from the story explains that Miah's daily environment; explaining how children in his neighborhood would play ball. This atmosphere may also intertwine with his emotions. When I am reading this part of the story, I can image the little boy dribbling the basketball, and I can image friends playing with each other.

By: Bianca Johnson (edited by Michelle)