February 4, 2013
3:50-4:30
Water for Elephants
Pages: 49-63

Jacob is guarding the door where the dancer is entertaining men for $2 and has made a buck. It's almost 10 and some of the smaller tents are being taken down but the big top still stands. He catches up with camel who tells Jacob to go back to his life but Jacob says he doesn't have one to go back to. Filled with compassion, camel tries to talk to the boss, uncle al who is the ringmaster, in an attempt to get Jacob a job. Uncle Al doesn't listen as camel gets really mad. Determined to help Jacob, camel goes in a tent for an hour, gets smashed and arranges for a guy named earl to take care of Jacob. Earl puts camel on the train and takes Jacob to an overcrowded sleeping car where the guy let him sleep if Jacob gave him the buck. There is a voice over the train speaking in polish and one guy gets irratated. The next day Jacob meets uncle al and August. He tells them how he was studying to be a vet and gets a spot on the train in a room with a clown and a dog because the horses he saw yesterday and not doing so well according to marlena (the girl in the sequins). August leads him to the room where he will be staying and Jacob sleeps on the floor.

One part in particular that stood out to me was when he guy on the train was speaking polish. Another man yelled saying that he should speak English and called him a racist name and said how all these people are "fresh off the boat". It reminded me of how difficult it was for the early immigrants to come to the country.

This chapter was a little long but I got through if regardless and my reading was well.