Share your literary essay with the rest of the students that chose this short story. Take some time to read 2 or 3 other essays. Comment on them. Your comment should be about something you noticed them doing well from our lessons. For example, "You did a really good job explaining your evidence
Shay is moving away. Dante and her grew up together and have always been close. They’ve gotten to the point to where they’re in a relationship now. They’ve always been able to see each other but now that Shay is moving away that won’t be able to happen. Their relationship becoming long distance could potentially cause some problems.
ReplyDeleteBefore Shay left, Dante and her were sitting outside just talking spending the last few minutes she had together. Shay made Dante let her give him an eraser tattoo of an “S” so that he always had some sort of memory of her when she’s gone, but she wouldn’t let him give her one of a “D”. At first the eraser tattoo wasn’t hurting very bad but then it started to. Dante tried to pull it off like it didn’t hurt, but it did. Shay wouldn’t stop though.
The long distance in their relationship and how it might affect the way they act could get a little messy. It seems as though Shay is already being a little controlling and not being very mindful of how it’s making Dante feel. Shay mentioned that she didn’t think a “D” could be turned into something and so having an eraser tattoo of that would be pointless if they broke up. She thought her initial could be turned into a snake though. Shay making those excuses or even thinking about them breaking up makes it seem as if she doesn’t think it’s going to work out or she doesn't really want it to. Her thinking about them possibly breaking up isn’t a good way to start off the mindset of this new distance they’re going to have. If she was really committed and wanted to make their long distance relationship work she wouldn’t have made an excuse talking about them breaking up.
Dante seems like he really does want to make it work. Him letting her give him the eraser tattoo that is really hurting already shows that he’s willing to make sacrifices for her. He also didn’t complain about not being able to give Shay one.Dante seems like a very nice boy and even though Shay is moving away from him he is still going to try his hardest for their relationship. Even though the long distance will be hard Dante wants do things to try and make it work the bets it can.
Dante and Shay grew up together and have always been close and are now in a relationship. Shay is moving away which could potentially change some things for them. Difficult things might come up in life, but you have to try and make the best out of it. Sometimes that means uncertain change.
The story “Eraser tattoo” shows that long love is scary but love still should be equal. When I say long love is scary I mean two things, one is long distance and two is time because they have known eachother since they were young.Shay is giving Dante an eraser tattoo which is burning your skin with an eraser into a person's skin. Shay is moving away and she is giving Dante the tattoo so he doesn’t forget her.
ReplyDeleteDante is getting this painful eraser tattoo thinking that they both are going to get one of each others initials, but when Dante said something Shay freaked out. Shay is refusing to let Dante gives her one because she is afraid if they break up she will “have that ugly D on my arm forever” according to Shay.I think that quote is important because it shows that she doesn’t want his initials on her arm.
Shay is forcing Dante to go through this terrible pain for her. Shay is giving this tattoo to Dante so he doesn’t forget her even though she knows he would never forget her, considering they have known eachother since forever. Dante and Shay have loved each other for a long time not just as ‘lovers’ but as family as well. What if Shay is seeing if Dante would do anything for her because she is afraid that he will just brush her off?
While Shay is burning Dante they are telling stories of when they were younger. The stories how they have loved each other. They have always taken care of each other since the beginning, even if it was scrapings or what they call ‘boo-boos’. If they do break up they still will love each other like family.
We all have are own way of showing love and it can be hard to have a long distance relationship. Some people have just the memories and some people have marks but long love is hard but still should be equal.
This story talks about getting a tattoo. A painful tattoo. Only one of them is getting the tattoo.
ReplyDeleteDante is the one who ends up getting the tattoo. After the tattoo, they reminisce about their childhood under the stars.
The story starts off with two young adults arguing about a tattoo that one of them is going to get.
Shay is telling Dante to get one but won’t get one herself.
Dante had confessed his love to her a while ago when they were little.
Dante fell in love with Shay because when they were little Shay always helped him when he got hurt or just in general.
In the beginning, Shay says to him. “Don’t try to get out of this.” in a kind of a threatening tone.
Dante asks why Shay won’t get the tattoo with him. She says that she can't risk getting an “Eraser Infection.” because she is too cute.
They had planned for this tattoo since they got the news that she was moving away.
Shay moved so far that the busses couldn’t reach.
Shay loves the fact that she is going to be near water, she likes to help with the animals.
Shay is moving to North Carolina with her parents.
The tattoo hurt Dante very badly.
Dante started saying stuff about how he would buy her plane so he could see her.
Shay didn’t really seem to care about the fact that she was moving and that made Dante upset.
When the tattoo part was over they talked under the stars about when Dante said “I love you for the first time.
Dante felt hurt, not only because of the tattoo but because she was moving far away and acted like it wasn’t a big deal. (Even though the text may suggest that it’s about a long-distance relationship It’s really not, multiple texts suggest how toxic she is and how she blackmails him to get what she wants. There are many cases throughout the story that suggest my theme but not so much for this theme.)
Dante and Shay talked about when they were younger and the stuff they did for each other.
They talked for hours and hours until it got dark and continued to talk even when it was dark.
They talk about Dante’s first confession when they were younger.
They talked on the grass in a field, kind of romantic.
Shay didn’t really seem to care about Dante’s feelings throughout the story.
She told him how it was going to be no matter what he said or did.
They had a heartwarming conversation in a field under the stars.
They talk about their feelings like it's the last time they will see each other.
ReplyDeletePart 1
In the short story “Tattoo Eraser”, the pain of loving someone more than they love you is the theme for this short story. To prove this dialogue, setting, and figurative language is brought in to prove that Shay does not love Dante as much as Dante loves Shay.
In the short story Tattoo Eraser, the dialogue plays a major key in the theme, the pain of loving someone more than they love you. On page 4, Shay says, “ Oh, simple. Two reasons. The first is that I can’t risk getting some kind of nasty eraser infection. I’m too cute for that. And the second is that my dad will come back, find you, and kill you for marking me.” I feel like when Shay says this to Dante it’s because she doesn’t want to remember him. After all, she doesn’t love him, so she’s making up excuses not to get one.
“Whatever Shay. Ain’t like you getting my initial. So don’t give me that.” “Come on Dante, let’s be real-” . . .” What if we break up?” . . . “ Not that we will or that I want that because I don’t. But. . . what if we do? Then I gotta have that ugly D on my arm forever”, “And I’m gonna have this S, so. . .” This conversation between Shay and Dante is important to the theme because while Dante feels that the S on his arm is sentimental and important, Shay thinks that it will just be a burden to her future life, in case they ever do break up. I feel that Shay might be worried about her future because she most likely plans on breaking up with Dante, so she knows that she doesn’t want to get the tattoo, whereas Dante doesn’t plan on breaking up with her and plans to treasure the S on his arm.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteAnother important key to the theme of the Tattoo Eraser is the setting. The setting plays a major role in proving that Shay does not love Dante as much as Dante loves Shay. This piece of the text shows that Shay seems rushed and she seems to only want to reminiscence on the past instead of focusing on the problem at hand, Shay leaving. “Just then she was interrupted, not by Dante, or by any sound. Just by the other new tenant-the white man from the truck, cradling a big box, waddling up the stoop. Dante scooted a little more to the left, this time to let the guy pass before he was bowled over.” After this moment things get a little tense between Dante and Shay with their dialogue and they almost seem to be rushed and Shay’s and Dante’s last moments which are supposed to be the most important are rushed. But Shay seems okay with it and supports the setting that their in and supports them getting rushed almost as if she just wants to get it all over with.
With the setting and dialogue being an important part of my story, I also believe that the figurative language is also just as important if not more for proving the theme of the pain of loving someone more than they love you. For example, when Shay uses imagery to describe her house and her childhood, she doesn’t involve Dante though which you think she would because when they were children seems to be a pretty important part of their relationship. “This small, two-bedroom, third-floor walk up with good sunlight and hardwood floors. A sho fireplace and ornate molding.”. . .”Where she scribbled her name on the wall in her room under the window, before slinking into her parents’ bed to snuggle.”
Dante also uses repetition to show that he loves Shay, but Shay seems to avoid responding every time. “I love you.” It slipped easily from his lips. Like breathing. Like usual. “No doubt Homie,” she replied, her whisper bookend by sniffles.” An when some might argue that this could be mistaken for the pain of leaving, Shay could have responded with “I love you”, but she went with her traditional “No doubt Homie,”. But maybe by doing this she was trying to be sentimental.
The theme of loving someone more than they love you is proven in the short story “The Tattoo Eraser” provided with evidence from the dialogue, the setting, and the figurative language used in the story. And while there can arguably be other themes, I feel that this one is the most important. The claim being that Shay does not love Dante as much as Dante loves shay is proven also at the very end, “ He knew the sting wouldn’t last forever. But the scar would.”
part 1- “Eraser tattoo” by Jason Reynolds is a short story about two teens that are deeply in love but one of them has to move for her dad’s job and for a new life. Shay is the one who is moving and she wants Dante to remember her while she is gone. She decides to give him an eraser tattoo which is a carving in his arm with an eraser. The theme of this story is to not take things for granted and to try and let go.
ReplyDeleteWhen Shay and Dante first got together and met they clicked right away. Ever since they started dating they were inseparable. Shay and Dante grew up right next to each other and now Shay is moving. In the short story Shay was having flashbacks while she was doing the tattoo, flashbooks about her house and her childhood growing up. “This is where she took her first steps.” This house was her place where she belonged and it meant a lot for her being at her childhood house, now she must leave it behind. This shows that moving on is going to be hard for both of the teens even though it is really only affecting one the most, and only one is moving.
There are parts of the book Eraser Tattoo where it gives some very detailed description of the place, time, or thing that is happening. One part of the story that sticks out to me is, “ This was where she left trails of stickiness across the floor whenever coming inside with a popsicle from the ice-cream truck.” The sentence shows that the floor was sticky and it gives a sense of texture. In the story there is a part where it says the floors were like “chess boards” that also stuck out to me because it states how the floors were so when she made the trail of stickiness we now have a good picture of the checkered floor and the popsicle spills.
The dialogue between the two teens has an impact on the story and the way you look at it. If I read the story Eraser Tattoo and it didn’t have some of the talking scenes I would be lost, maybe thinking they didn’t have such a strong bond, why would they be sad to move to a cool city. In one part of the story they were talking about their childhood and that's when I found out they had a great bond since they were young. “He’d told Shay that he love her a long time ago, back when they were five years old and she taught him how to tie his shoes.” They truly loved each other when they were young, although Shay had never said she loved him right away. “ or you could just buy me a plane ticket.” These examples contribute to the theme of the story because they are not taking these moments they have right now for granted and someday they will have to find a way to move on and continue their lives.
part 2- Finally the last thing I thought had a pig part in the theme is the setting. The author was describing how the city was buzzing with cars and the crisp air of Brooklyn. The two were sitting on the steps and Shay was giving Dante the tattoo and as she lifted the eraser off his arm the cool air helped the burning pain. The theme of learning to let go is important in this part because while the cars were driving, Shay’s father pulled out of the driveway and started off to their new home. All of a sudden a new truck pulled in and started unpacking into her old home. While Shay was seeing her house being taken away from her she had to think about the new home and not get her mind off of it. That's why the setting has an impact on the theme of this story. Certainly the theme could be to be grateful for what you have while you have it but with all the parts with the flashbacks and detail I think the better theme could be to learn to move on and focus on what's ahead.
ReplyDeleteShay’s mother gave the teens a grin while she was tearing up and asked Shay to come to the car. Dante and Shay said their goodbyes and they both kept dreaming about the day they would meet up again. Jason Reynolds left the story by Shay and her mother driving off while Dante keeps reminding himself about what Shay said, “I’m going to buy you a plane ticket. Shoot, I might just buy you a whole plane. And this house so we can live in it.” That's when she nodded and left him there. In conclusion I believe the author was trying to help us learn to move on and focus on what's ahead, if you keep thinking in the past and not focusing on the important it will be harder to succeed in life.