Prompt 1
The world from which I come is a very lonely one, it was like wearing an invisibility cloak. Ever since I had the ability to think I was left to fend for myself. I had to; it was the only way to live. The only person who took care of me was my brother until he had to go to college, then it was just my dog left to keep me company. On my first day of sophomore year my father decided that it was more important to go to a divorce lawyer than pick up my cousin and me from school. This changed everything. That year, I had to struggle through dance, school, a horrible home life, death, and driving, it was like everything was happening at once and there was nothing I could do to make it better. Because of this, I am a changed person. Every day I fight for my rights and strive for my freedom-I was being watched from every angle and all I wanted was to leave and finally be free from my family. All this freedom was stripped away due to a divorce. What most people don’t understand in a divorce is that the child has no say, they have nothing to do with the divorce yet they have to suffer the consequences.
The remarkable thing is that marriage is made a fool of time and time again through divorce, cheating, abuse, and a serious lack of love yet homosexuality is said to do exactly this if it were made legal. I come from a heterosexual couple that had a planned child, on paper this sounds like an amazing family to be brought in to. Only on paper would it sounds good. This is because the people who read it would know nothing about this family other than a heterosexual couple who had a planned child. There are no reports of neglect or abuse. Just a heterosexual couple who decided to have a planned child, and that’s all it ever will be. If this is what a marriage is today, there should be no marriage at all.
My father raised me to think that homosexual marriage wasn’t wrong, it was just unnatural. Because of this upbringing I believed that bisexuality, homosexuality, and pansexuality were all odd and I shouldn’t participate in that community. Partially spiting my dad and partly due to the fact most of my friends are gay, I have become an activist for gay rights.
Prompt 2
One accomplishment that is most dear to me is getting on pointe in ballet. This is a term used for ballerinas-pointe are the shoe that enables you to stand on your toes. In my first year of dance I was always jealous of the other girls already could do. They were so graceful, so beautiful, and so strong. So I bought a pair of pointe shoes. I practiced every night. My feet weren’t strong enough and it hurt so much, but I continued to practice because I felt so strong and capable when I was dancing. The pain was excruciating, I could literally feel my arches tear. I was born with feet that easily mold to my shoes, this means I have fallen arches most of the time, because of this it made my experience of getting on pointe that much harder. I had to work twice as hard just to do the simple things. Once I was on pointe I felt my toes scream, having all your weight placed on your big toes is the most foreign feeling I have ever experienced, but after some time passed my toes would either get used to the pressure or simply go numb, whatever it took to finish the dance. Some days I would have to bandage my calves and knees because the tearing of muscles and formation of stronger ones would make it nearly impossible to move, but I had to continue my days normally. When I finally brought my pointe shoes to class, my teacher just looked at me but she let me show her what I could do. She was extremely surprised because of how I could actually get straight on my toes. I still needed a lot of fine tuning and work, and I did. I always pushed myself harder than I could. Every night I would have to massage the knots of muscle out of my feet and legs. But it was still worth it.
I went over board that year with all the dance class I took, I took six classes and was in nine dances-I was supposed to be in more but I couldn’t remember some and preferred to dance well in fewer dances than have many dances and not be able to dance to my full potential. I took one class called Lyrical. This is the hardest dance class I have ever taken. One of my proudest accomplishments is sticking with that class until the end. No one supported my dancing and everyone told me just to quit, but I never did. I dealt with the physical pain and when I was strong enough I would dance as hard as I could. I was never as strong as the other girls but I didn’t stand out anymore. I could dance just like them, I stayed in sync and pushed through. At the end of that year I had earned the respect of everyone, I had become a dancer.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Responces
My response to:
Marco:This is a very interesting blog post, can you elaborate on how you chose the book?
Wendy:Like Marco said, it was kind of confusing when your question was the answer. I like your draft though :)
and to Kim:I agree with Kaila and Wendy when they say that there is not that much analysis happening and it was more of a summary but if that was what you were writing about then it's fine
Marco:This is a very interesting blog post, can you elaborate on how you chose the book?
Wendy:Like Marco said, it was kind of confusing when your question was the answer. I like your draft though :)
and to Kim:I agree with Kaila and Wendy when they say that there is not that much analysis happening and it was more of a summary but if that was what you were writing about then it's fine
Friday, April 29, 2011
Very Rough Draft
Angela’s Ashes
I believe that the author's purpose in writing this book, Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt is trying to get the story about his family out. It probably was nice to get the stories off his chest and be able to show the world about his family. It also probably made him more comfortable with his life because in writing the stories he is able to have a hard copy of his family's history so it wont get lost in time-like what happened with my family. I believe this because the entire book is essentially about his family and how they were in the United States and Ireland. I think that his purpose for writing the book because it contains his family history and it gives an emotional appeal that only he could have given.
I did some research on what the author thinks about his book and I found, "As a "memoirist," I've had three different ranges of experience: Angela's Ashes; 'Tis; Teacher Man. Most of the people in Ashes were dead (still are). I didn't have to worry too much about consulting anyone, though I once—only once—mentioned what I was writing to my brother, Malachy. When the book was published in Ireland, I was denounced from hill, pulpit, and barstool. Certain citizens claimed I had disgraced the fair name of the city of Limerick, that I had attacked the church, that I had despoiled my mother's name, and that if I returned to Limerick, I would surely be found hanging from a lamppost." It seems as though he wasn't too confident his audience liked the book. I believe that the audience is Irish people as a whole-mainly because of how easily I was able to relate to the book and I am Irish-but I guess that his family wasn't the audience intended.Reading this story actually makes me more interested in finding my roots. Having another family with a relatively close history to my own makes it actually have meaning. As silly as it sounds having another family show me that there is history that could be found makes me extremely curious to find my own history. With all the new technology it should be a lot easier than it was when I tired to find my family before. I'm going to go do that right now.
I think that the books major weakness is how it gets slightly boring in the middle. The surprising thing is that I have talked about this book to other people and I seem to be the only on uninterested in the section I found boring. So, it could just be me. I'm not sure. Other than that section-the first half od the middle section-I really like this book. I continue to find similarities between the book and my childhood and family history. The part I found the closest to my own history is in the very beginning where Frank McCourt gives a very brief history of his family coming from Ireland during the early 1920's-which I believe is when my family came but as said in previous blog posts no one really knows. I believe that we came around the same time because even though there are no solid dates in my family history the stories seem to go hand in hand.
I believe that the author's purpose in writing this book, Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt is trying to get the story about his family out. It probably was nice to get the stories off his chest and be able to show the world about his family. It also probably made him more comfortable with his life because in writing the stories he is able to have a hard copy of his family's history so it wont get lost in time-like what happened with my family. I believe this because the entire book is essentially about his family and how they were in the United States and Ireland. I think that his purpose for writing the book because it contains his family history and it gives an emotional appeal that only he could have given.
I did some research on what the author thinks about his book and I found, "As a "memoirist," I've had three different ranges of experience: Angela's Ashes; 'Tis; Teacher Man. Most of the people in Ashes were dead (still are). I didn't have to worry too much about consulting anyone, though I once—only once—mentioned what I was writing to my brother, Malachy. When the book was published in Ireland, I was denounced from hill, pulpit, and barstool. Certain citizens claimed I had disgraced the fair name of the city of Limerick, that I had attacked the church, that I had despoiled my mother's name, and that if I returned to Limerick, I would surely be found hanging from a lamppost." It seems as though he wasn't too confident his audience liked the book. I believe that the audience is Irish people as a whole-mainly because of how easily I was able to relate to the book and I am Irish-but I guess that his family wasn't the audience intended.Reading this story actually makes me more interested in finding my roots. Having another family with a relatively close history to my own makes it actually have meaning. As silly as it sounds having another family show me that there is history that could be found makes me extremely curious to find my own history. With all the new technology it should be a lot easier than it was when I tired to find my family before. I'm going to go do that right now.
I think that the books major weakness is how it gets slightly boring in the middle. The surprising thing is that I have talked about this book to other people and I seem to be the only on uninterested in the section I found boring. So, it could just be me. I'm not sure. Other than that section-the first half od the middle section-I really like this book. I continue to find similarities between the book and my childhood and family history. The part I found the closest to my own history is in the very beginning where Frank McCourt gives a very brief history of his family coming from Ireland during the early 1920's-which I believe is when my family came but as said in previous blog posts no one really knows. I believe that we came around the same time because even though there are no solid dates in my family history the stories seem to go hand in hand.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Angela's Ashes 2
What are the weaknesses of this book, in your opinion?
I think that the books major weakness is how it gets slightly boring in the middle. The surprising thing is that I have talked about this book to other people and I seem to be the only on uninterested in the section I found boring. So, it could just be me. I'm not sure. Other than that section-the first half od the middle section-I really like this book. I continue to find similarities between the book and my childhood and family history. The part I found the closest to my own history is in the very beginning where Frank McCourt gives a very brief history of his family coming from Ireland during the early 1920's-which I believe is when my family came but as said in previous blog posts no one really knows. I believe that we came around the same time because even though there are no solid dates in my family history the stories seem to go hand in hand.
Reading this story actually makes me more interested in finding my roots. Having another family with a relatively close history to my own makes it actually have meaning. As silly as it sounds having another family show me that there is history that could be found makes me extremely curious to find my own history. With all the new technology it should be a lot easier than it was when I tired to find my family before. I'm going to go do that right now.
I think that the books major weakness is how it gets slightly boring in the middle. The surprising thing is that I have talked about this book to other people and I seem to be the only on uninterested in the section I found boring. So, it could just be me. I'm not sure. Other than that section-the first half od the middle section-I really like this book. I continue to find similarities between the book and my childhood and family history. The part I found the closest to my own history is in the very beginning where Frank McCourt gives a very brief history of his family coming from Ireland during the early 1920's-which I believe is when my family came but as said in previous blog posts no one really knows. I believe that we came around the same time because even though there are no solid dates in my family history the stories seem to go hand in hand.
Reading this story actually makes me more interested in finding my roots. Having another family with a relatively close history to my own makes it actually have meaning. As silly as it sounds having another family show me that there is history that could be found makes me extremely curious to find my own history. With all the new technology it should be a lot easier than it was when I tired to find my family before. I'm going to go do that right now.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Angelas Ashes First Response
I believe that the author's purpose in writing this book, Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt is trying to get the story about his family out. It probably was nice to get the stories off his chest and be able to show the world about his family. It also probably made him more comfortable with his life because in writing the stories he is able to have a hard copy of his family's history so it wont get lost in time-like what happened with my family. I believe this because the entire book is essentially about his family and how they were in the United States and Ireland. I think that his purpose for writing the book because it contins his family history and it gives an emotional appeal that only he could have given.
I did some research on what the author thinks about his book and I found, "As a "memoirist," I've had three different ranges of experience: Angela's Ashes; 'Tis; Teacher Man. Most of the people in Ashes were dead (still are). I didn't have to worry too much about consulting anyone, though I once—only once—mentioned what I was writing to my brother, Malachy. When the book was published in Ireland, I was denounced from hill, pulpit, and barstool. Certain citizens claimed I had disgraced the fair name of the city of Limerick, that I had attacked the church, that I had despoiled my mother's name, and that if I returned to Limerick, I would surely be found hanging from a lamppost." It seems as though he wasn't too confident his audience liked the book. I believe that the audience is Irish people as a whole-mainly because of how easily I was able to relate to the book and I am Irish-but I guess that his family wasn't the audience intended.
I did some research on what the author thinks about his book and I found, "As a "memoirist," I've had three different ranges of experience: Angela's Ashes; 'Tis; Teacher Man. Most of the people in Ashes were dead (still are). I didn't have to worry too much about consulting anyone, though I once—only once—mentioned what I was writing to my brother, Malachy. When the book was published in Ireland, I was denounced from hill, pulpit, and barstool. Certain citizens claimed I had disgraced the fair name of the city of Limerick, that I had attacked the church, that I had despoiled my mother's name, and that if I returned to Limerick, I would surely be found hanging from a lamppost." It seems as though he wasn't too confident his audience liked the book. I believe that the audience is Irish people as a whole-mainly because of how easily I was able to relate to the book and I am Irish-but I guess that his family wasn't the audience intended.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Similar Stories-Stories that weren't Written
The stories where I have found a few similarities were the blogs A Heart of a Student by Shiyun Yang, New Era by Nawara Ahemed, and Ianna has a Blog Now by me. The similarities that I found between the three of us is that all of our families don't share stories. With Shiyun she discusses how unless prompted to tell stories her family doesn't discuss them. An example of this is when Shiyun states, "This story hasn't really survived in my family. My parents don't tell much stories and I don't think that they heard much stories from their parents either. Its sad to think that the family history kind of broken down and didn't get passed from generations to generations. I believe that there is a great story out there to tell, and it just never really got passed on. My only guess is that they don't want to tell the life of their sad living styles." I found this interesting because it relates to all three of us. We all know that we have a story to tell but we don't always have the resources to learn what the are.
One quote of Nawara's broke my heart, when she said "I have realized that connecting with Family history is also an essential quality and esteem to acquire because of the how sealed a household family can renovate into. For instance, many of my identifiable acquaintances inform their parents about their everyday existence- boys, school, faults, to broken-hearts- this demonstrates the kinship between the parents and the children. They are amid a great amount of comfort and wellbeing that they have they the strength to orally communicate their thoughts without a borderline.
Not having the capability to empathize and value my parent’s history is sad. To obtain family history is remarkable, and the aftermath always goes on- which is humbling.
When my parents reveal their history to us, I will cherish the stories and forever adore their adventures (mishaps and fortune). By doing so, the connections between my parents, siblings, and I will improve." I thought that this was a really good way of expressing how she feels about not having the stories of her family be present. Because of Nawara I have found a new appreciation to what I do know. Like Shiyun I do know a few stories, and though mine are not very accurate it's nice to know they are there. I really hope that soon Nawara will find her stories and achieve the emotions that she wants to portray with her parents and other family members.
One quote of Nawara's broke my heart, when she said "I have realized that connecting with Family history is also an essential quality and esteem to acquire because of the how sealed a household family can renovate into. For instance, many of my identifiable acquaintances inform their parents about their everyday existence- boys, school, faults, to broken-hearts- this demonstrates the kinship between the parents and the children. They are amid a great amount of comfort and wellbeing that they have they the strength to orally communicate their thoughts without a borderline.
Not having the capability to empathize and value my parent’s history is sad. To obtain family history is remarkable, and the aftermath always goes on- which is humbling.
When my parents reveal their history to us, I will cherish the stories and forever adore their adventures (mishaps and fortune). By doing so, the connections between my parents, siblings, and I will improve." I thought that this was a really good way of expressing how she feels about not having the stories of her family be present. Because of Nawara I have found a new appreciation to what I do know. Like Shiyun I do know a few stories, and though mine are not very accurate it's nice to know they are there. I really hope that soon Nawara will find her stories and achieve the emotions that she wants to portray with her parents and other family members.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Beta Reading
1.Does dialogue contribute to or take away from the story?
The dialogue is fine. If anything it helps the reader have more insight to who the characters and what their relationships are to other characters. When this history was incorporated during the lake side scene it added a lot to Adrians motivations, but was somewhat unclear. One criticism I have is that it seems that you-the autor is trying extremely hard to incorporate pop culture into your story. Write about what you feel is right, not what you expect your audience to want.
2.Is Adrian's explanation of Filipino folklore interesting? Why or why not?
I found that Adrian's explanation was very interesting. I wasn't clear if he was talking about his family history, Filipino history, or a combination. If all of what was incorporated into the story was true then Filipino folklore is very interesting and it would be nice to have random tidbits of Filipino history and folklore thrown in.
3.Is Dorothy's reaction realistic?
Dorothy originally seemed to be kind of a strange high schooler with very limited social skill so the fact she responded "normally" to Adrian's stories made her character complex. It also made it unclear what her social experience was, the fact that she had such limited interactions with males-especially with men she was attracted to-so her being able to flirt and act as if she were a socialite was confusing to her character.
4. Do the cultural elements seem forced in the storyline?
The Filipino cultural elements seem fine. The pop cultural elements seem forced. Making references to Vampire Diaries seems as if the author is just trying to entertain the reader by expressing his knowledge on pop culture. Teenagers are smarter than you think, and they are the experts on pop culture. Possibly having a teenager to reference phrases or tv shows might be a good idea.
5.Is Dorothy a relatable female protagonist? Do you think it's cool she's Filipino? Or do you think she should be of another ethnicity who finds Filipino culture interesting?
Dorothy and I have different social experiences and skills so I personally find her difficult to relate to, but she does have some relatable qualities. It's fine that she's Filipino, maybe adding some diversity would make the text more relatable.
6.Is Adrian compelling?
He used to seem very sexy, but when he turned into a mystic being and tried to get at Dorothy he lost some of his sex appeal.
The dialogue is fine. If anything it helps the reader have more insight to who the characters and what their relationships are to other characters. When this history was incorporated during the lake side scene it added a lot to Adrians motivations, but was somewhat unclear. One criticism I have is that it seems that you-the autor is trying extremely hard to incorporate pop culture into your story. Write about what you feel is right, not what you expect your audience to want.
2.Is Adrian's explanation of Filipino folklore interesting? Why or why not?
I found that Adrian's explanation was very interesting. I wasn't clear if he was talking about his family history, Filipino history, or a combination. If all of what was incorporated into the story was true then Filipino folklore is very interesting and it would be nice to have random tidbits of Filipino history and folklore thrown in.
3.Is Dorothy's reaction realistic?
Dorothy originally seemed to be kind of a strange high schooler with very limited social skill so the fact she responded "normally" to Adrian's stories made her character complex. It also made it unclear what her social experience was, the fact that she had such limited interactions with males-especially with men she was attracted to-so her being able to flirt and act as if she were a socialite was confusing to her character.
4. Do the cultural elements seem forced in the storyline?
The Filipino cultural elements seem fine. The pop cultural elements seem forced. Making references to Vampire Diaries seems as if the author is just trying to entertain the reader by expressing his knowledge on pop culture. Teenagers are smarter than you think, and they are the experts on pop culture. Possibly having a teenager to reference phrases or tv shows might be a good idea.
5.Is Dorothy a relatable female protagonist? Do you think it's cool she's Filipino? Or do you think she should be of another ethnicity who finds Filipino culture interesting?
Dorothy and I have different social experiences and skills so I personally find her difficult to relate to, but she does have some relatable qualities. It's fine that she's Filipino, maybe adding some diversity would make the text more relatable.
6.Is Adrian compelling?
He used to seem very sexy, but when he turned into a mystic being and tried to get at Dorothy he lost some of his sex appeal.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Cyclical Stories
In The Joy Luck Club there are many repeating stories. I believe this is because they are all the daughters of their mothers. They were raised a certain way and though they retaliated it was still how they were brought up, those ways are ingrained into their beings and there is nothing they can do to change it.
In every story of The Joy Luck Club there is a point where each woman breaks away from tradition. Whether it was getting out of an arrange marriage or not wanting to play the piano. The cycles actually go back further than just the generations told, in Scar An-Mei Hsu's mother went to live with a man as his concubine. This was clearly not tradition because she was disowned from her family leaving her daughter to be raised by her Grandmother. Another example is in Half and Half Rose Hsu Jordan is at UC Berkeley and has fallen in love with Ted, and is an American. Like her Grandmother, (An-Mei's mother) she fell in love with a man that wasn't respected in their society.
Marrying men who are not very good individuals seems to be another trend through out this book. In almost every marriage the man has either been a bad man, really annoying, or the woman is not attracted to him. In Red Candle Lindo Jong is forced to marry a man that is a horrible husband, not only because of the family he came from, how spoiled he was, or the fact he was just ugly, they also did not have any attraction to each other. Same with Rice Husband where Lena St. Clair marries a man who she thought she loved but in the end he was a because he was a nuisance and had be completely fair with money and make sure it was even down to the penny. Overall none of the women expressed happy marriages through out the book.
Everywhere you go there are traditions and cycles of some sort. Whether it is a family tradition or a woman's menstruation cycle, The Joy Luck Club just shows more of the everyday cycles that most look over.
In every story of The Joy Luck Club there is a point where each woman breaks away from tradition. Whether it was getting out of an arrange marriage or not wanting to play the piano. The cycles actually go back further than just the generations told, in Scar An-Mei Hsu's mother went to live with a man as his concubine. This was clearly not tradition because she was disowned from her family leaving her daughter to be raised by her Grandmother. Another example is in Half and Half Rose Hsu Jordan is at UC Berkeley and has fallen in love with Ted, and is an American. Like her Grandmother, (An-Mei's mother) she fell in love with a man that wasn't respected in their society.
Marrying men who are not very good individuals seems to be another trend through out this book. In almost every marriage the man has either been a bad man, really annoying, or the woman is not attracted to him. In Red Candle Lindo Jong is forced to marry a man that is a horrible husband, not only because of the family he came from, how spoiled he was, or the fact he was just ugly, they also did not have any attraction to each other. Same with Rice Husband where Lena St. Clair marries a man who she thought she loved but in the end he was a because he was a nuisance and had be completely fair with money and make sure it was even down to the penny. Overall none of the women expressed happy marriages through out the book.
Everywhere you go there are traditions and cycles of some sort. Whether it is a family tradition or a woman's menstruation cycle, The Joy Luck Club just shows more of the everyday cycles that most look over.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Family Project
My family came from Ireland, either my great-great grandparents came with their children or they came after they were born, no one knows for sure. After they were finally in New York and settled there were thirteen children. One of my great grandparent’s came from this family, which one is currently unknown. One of the children met their spouse and moved to Jackson Heights in New York. Mammi and Paul (Pow) Carriage had a child named Cecelia (Sheila) Dunne Carriage. Sheila lived in New York for most of her life. She was very fortunate Pow was a banker therefore they were financially secure during the depression. One story my Granny (Sheila) remembers is one night during a air raid her dog, Blackout-named after the constant blackouts-got scared and hid in Pow’s closet and gave birth all over his good business shoes. She also remembers that she would always go to church with her aunties and uncles (nuns and priests) and never know any of the prayers because she wasn’t raised to be religious.
Sheila met a man named George (Grumps) Dunn in a church choir. For some reason my Granny felt it was necessary to tell me that the first time they got intimate is when my Unlce-Geoffrey Scott Dunn was conceived. Before my Granny was showing they got married. Quickly after Grumps joined the military then my mom was conceived, Laurie Susan Dunn. He quickly became the Lieutenant Colonel of the Marines, my mom would always tell me stories about how she would always be scared about how she never knew if her father would come back from war or not. My mom was also unhappy with all the moving around due to her fathers job. My mom always told me stories about her misadventures with her brother, Geoff. One of them was running around Central Park and jumping over various objects, this is how my mom messed up her knee. Another old favorite (not from the material but from how crazy it was) is when Geoff climbed a flag pole and slid down and got his leg caught on the bottom part. Since it was literally inside his leg it ripped and mutilated most of the muscle so the doctors had to take muscle from his arm and implant it into his leg. Nasty stuff huh?
Later my Granny and Grumps got a divorce. He married a horrid woman named Joan who had two prior children, Greg and Cherri-who is completely crazy-later Grumps and Joan had a daughter named Jenny. My Granny remarried a few times, first to Dr. Darby-a misogynist, then to a guy named Ed Baltimore, so Sheila became Sheila Baltimore and stayed that way ever since.
All I know about Grump’s childhood is that he loved his mother dearly, but she married a horrible man. He had three sisters, Susan-who my mom is named after, and two others. I know that they are from Omaha, Nebraska and my Auntie Jenny tried to find them, once she did she got rejected.
I already knew all this about my Mom’s side. It’s not like it was any such mystery-except for the literal mystery of not knowing most of the facts of my roots. It just made me realize how much I did not want to find out about my Dad’s side. Granted I am half of him and his family is my family, but none of them have ever welcomed me. There are some individuals who are not playing with a full deck but not only do they not acknowledge the fact there is something wrong with them but they make the person who said anything about there being a problem the crazy one, and of course I am that person. One memory I have is when my Dad took me to a party at a family friends house and I was the only one with brown eyes. Most of them made fun of me because of it, not even my cousin who was supposed to be my best friend stood up for me. I really do not like her. She never had my back and told me to my face she does not like me, but now that I am older and “cooler” I’m alright. What kind of person says that? I do not trust anyone on that side of my family, and if I don’t trust them why would I want to write about them?
I am very confused on where I come from and where my roots begin. I know that I’m Irish, but when I did research on my middle name, Dunn, I discovered Panamanian ancestry, I have no idea where that came from. I’m also Norwegian (surprise!), but due to the fact that is the ethnicity on my Dad’s side I don’t relate myself to it what so ever. I’m actually scared of blue eyes because of that side of my family. If eye’s are a certain shade of blue I automatically don’t trust them, I wont let it effect it who I do or do not talk to, it just is that much harder for me to trust just because of a superficial feature such as eye color.
Another thing that confuses me is that I look nothing like anyone but my cousin, Elizabeth-that’s the only reason I know I’m not adopted. We look identical except she’s tall with green eyes and I’m on the smaller side with auburn eyes. It’s interesting what people see when they look at me. The closer I am to a person the less they see of my parents in me, but the less they know the more they see. Go figure.
Sheila met a man named George (Grumps) Dunn in a church choir. For some reason my Granny felt it was necessary to tell me that the first time they got intimate is when my Unlce-Geoffrey Scott Dunn was conceived. Before my Granny was showing they got married. Quickly after Grumps joined the military then my mom was conceived, Laurie Susan Dunn. He quickly became the Lieutenant Colonel of the Marines, my mom would always tell me stories about how she would always be scared about how she never knew if her father would come back from war or not. My mom was also unhappy with all the moving around due to her fathers job. My mom always told me stories about her misadventures with her brother, Geoff. One of them was running around Central Park and jumping over various objects, this is how my mom messed up her knee. Another old favorite (not from the material but from how crazy it was) is when Geoff climbed a flag pole and slid down and got his leg caught on the bottom part. Since it was literally inside his leg it ripped and mutilated most of the muscle so the doctors had to take muscle from his arm and implant it into his leg. Nasty stuff huh?
Later my Granny and Grumps got a divorce. He married a horrid woman named Joan who had two prior children, Greg and Cherri-who is completely crazy-later Grumps and Joan had a daughter named Jenny. My Granny remarried a few times, first to Dr. Darby-a misogynist, then to a guy named Ed Baltimore, so Sheila became Sheila Baltimore and stayed that way ever since.
All I know about Grump’s childhood is that he loved his mother dearly, but she married a horrible man. He had three sisters, Susan-who my mom is named after, and two others. I know that they are from Omaha, Nebraska and my Auntie Jenny tried to find them, once she did she got rejected.
I already knew all this about my Mom’s side. It’s not like it was any such mystery-except for the literal mystery of not knowing most of the facts of my roots. It just made me realize how much I did not want to find out about my Dad’s side. Granted I am half of him and his family is my family, but none of them have ever welcomed me. There are some individuals who are not playing with a full deck but not only do they not acknowledge the fact there is something wrong with them but they make the person who said anything about there being a problem the crazy one, and of course I am that person. One memory I have is when my Dad took me to a party at a family friends house and I was the only one with brown eyes. Most of them made fun of me because of it, not even my cousin who was supposed to be my best friend stood up for me. I really do not like her. She never had my back and told me to my face she does not like me, but now that I am older and “cooler” I’m alright. What kind of person says that? I do not trust anyone on that side of my family, and if I don’t trust them why would I want to write about them?
I am very confused on where I come from and where my roots begin. I know that I’m Irish, but when I did research on my middle name, Dunn, I discovered Panamanian ancestry, I have no idea where that came from. I’m also Norwegian (surprise!), but due to the fact that is the ethnicity on my Dad’s side I don’t relate myself to it what so ever. I’m actually scared of blue eyes because of that side of my family. If eye’s are a certain shade of blue I automatically don’t trust them, I wont let it effect it who I do or do not talk to, it just is that much harder for me to trust just because of a superficial feature such as eye color.
Another thing that confuses me is that I look nothing like anyone but my cousin, Elizabeth-that’s the only reason I know I’m not adopted. We look identical except she’s tall with green eyes and I’m on the smaller side with auburn eyes. It’s interesting what people see when they look at me. The closer I am to a person the less they see of my parents in me, but the less they know the more they see. Go figure.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Chinese Mothers and Daughters
All throughout the Joy Luck Club Amy Tan gives examples that corrispond with the Tiger Mom Article. One prime example of this is Rules of the Game Waverly Jong's mother pushes her extremely hard to be a chess champion. Even though Waverly loved the game she didn't love getting pushed, watched, and criticized until she could no longer handle the stress. The Tiger Mom article states,
"What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more."
Which is exactly what Waverly's mom was doing to her. Waverly loved the game and wanted to always play, but anything she did was never good enough, it was good enough for her mother to brag about but behind closed doors she always had to push herself harder.
Another example of the Tiger Mom article being accurate is the Two Kinds chapter. Jing-Mei was forced into playing the piano. She hated it and wasn't very good but she was still forced to see a piano teacher she nicknamed Old Chong once a week. In the Tiger Mom article it literally states that their child has toplay any instrument other than the piano or violin and is not allowed to not play the piano or violin. Making the two stories match.
"What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more."
Which is exactly what Waverly's mom was doing to her. Waverly loved the game and wanted to always play, but anything she did was never good enough, it was good enough for her mother to brag about but behind closed doors she always had to push herself harder.
Another example of the Tiger Mom article being accurate is the Two Kinds chapter. Jing-Mei was forced into playing the piano. She hated it and wasn't very good but she was still forced to see a piano teacher she nicknamed Old Chong once a week. In the Tiger Mom article it literally states that their child has toplay any instrument other than the piano or violin and is not allowed to not play the piano or violin. Making the two stories match.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates Response
The purpose of this story is to show how parents try their very hardest to keep their children safe. In the story before The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates ten the mother said, "It is in a book, The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates, all bad things that can happen to you outside the protection of your own home." she was probably lying. Parent's, mother's in this case, tend to lie or be not so great when they think it is for the best for their child.
In the chapter Rules of The Game the mother forces the daughter to play chess and is obnoxious in the ways she does so. An example of this is, But I found it difficult to concentrate at home. My mother had a habit of standing over me while I plotted my games. I think she thought of herself as my protective ally. Her lips would be sealed tight, and after each move I made, a soft 'Hmmmmmph' would escape from her nose."(pg. 98) Even thought this was insanely annoying to have someone hover while attempting to do something better, it showed her mother cared deeply for her. Later in the chapter it discussed how her mother held up a magazine showing off that she was the mother of a chess champion, this was probably out of vanity but she was still proud to call her her daughter.
In the next chapter the mother and her daughter were walking through town when they saw a crazy lady. Out of curiosity the daughter asked what was wrong with her."'What did she do to herself?' I whispered to my mother. 'She met a bad man,' said my mother. 'She had a baby she didn't want.' And I knew that was not true. I knew my mother made up anything to warn me, to help me avioud some unknown danger."(pg. 105). This is another example of her mother going to great extents to keep her safe. If it is actually keeping her safe is questionable but it ties into the story leading into, The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates.
In the chapter Rules of The Game the mother forces the daughter to play chess and is obnoxious in the ways she does so. An example of this is, But I found it difficult to concentrate at home. My mother had a habit of standing over me while I plotted my games. I think she thought of herself as my protective ally. Her lips would be sealed tight, and after each move I made, a soft 'Hmmmmmph' would escape from her nose."(pg. 98) Even thought this was insanely annoying to have someone hover while attempting to do something better, it showed her mother cared deeply for her. Later in the chapter it discussed how her mother held up a magazine showing off that she was the mother of a chess champion, this was probably out of vanity but she was still proud to call her her daughter.
In the next chapter the mother and her daughter were walking through town when they saw a crazy lady. Out of curiosity the daughter asked what was wrong with her."'What did she do to herself?' I whispered to my mother. 'She met a bad man,' said my mother. 'She had a baby she didn't want.' And I knew that was not true. I knew my mother made up anything to warn me, to help me avioud some unknown danger."(pg. 105). This is another example of her mother going to great extents to keep her safe. If it is actually keeping her safe is questionable but it ties into the story leading into, The Twenty-Six Malignant Gates.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Alternate Endings
In the first section of The Joy Luck Club the main character's mother told a story all through out the main character's childhood, but the story was constantly changing. It had evolved from using a worthless thousand-yuan to by herself a cup or rice, the it turned into a por of porridge, then later into two pigs feet, then to six eggs, then the six eggs turned into six chicken.
After and argument between the main character and her mother over a radio transmitter she told the "real" story. This version was darker than the main character had ever heard before and it was completely different than anything she had ever come to know. The mother told her how the Japanese had come, but before they reached the area where she was staying she escaped with a wheel-barrow, two bags-one with clothes and the other with food-, and her children, twin girls. She told her daughter how the journey took many months and and her hands grew so wary that the bags left deep grooves in her palms, making them bleed and become so slippery that she could no longer hold the bags. The wheel-barrow had also broken so she had to rely solely on herself to carry everything. Slowly she started to let things go, first one bag, then the next, then her children. She arrived with only the three silk dresses she carried on her body. She also informed her daughter that the man she was going to see was not her father and the children she left behind were not her.
I think that the reason she changes the story so often was because she was so traumatized by the experience that she kept fantasizing that what she faced was different than it was. She could have also been lying and trying to make her daughter feel bad about wanting a radio transmitter and missing something that she had never had, especially when she had lost so much already.
After and argument between the main character and her mother over a radio transmitter she told the "real" story. This version was darker than the main character had ever heard before and it was completely different than anything she had ever come to know. The mother told her how the Japanese had come, but before they reached the area where she was staying she escaped with a wheel-barrow, two bags-one with clothes and the other with food-, and her children, twin girls. She told her daughter how the journey took many months and and her hands grew so wary that the bags left deep grooves in her palms, making them bleed and become so slippery that she could no longer hold the bags. The wheel-barrow had also broken so she had to rely solely on herself to carry everything. Slowly she started to let things go, first one bag, then the next, then her children. She arrived with only the three silk dresses she carried on her body. She also informed her daughter that the man she was going to see was not her father and the children she left behind were not her.
I think that the reason she changes the story so often was because she was so traumatized by the experience that she kept fantasizing that what she faced was different than it was. She could have also been lying and trying to make her daughter feel bad about wanting a radio transmitter and missing something that she had never had, especially when she had lost so much already.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Chapter 11
After many years of torture, poverty, neglect and abuse, Clover became a bipolar schizophrenic. In a very angry episode Clover saw Napoleon standing alone next to a pair of sheers. Projecting her anger onto him for making her the monster she thought herself to be, she decided to take away the thing that made him a man, his testicles. She forgot even the slightest good in this political tyrant, so she crept up behind him and completed her mission. She did exactly what she set out to do, she castrated Napoleon. He died ten days later due to infection, he was not missed.
Many months after this occurrence Moses the raven came back to animal farm. He was a changed bird. He brought a new religion to animal farm, Judaism. He was the reincarnation of the original Moses. It was his time to start a revolution, to free his people. He had to make the pigs, dogs, and humans see what they were doing. Moses’ first attempt of making peace was through verbal conduct. He sat the pigs, dogs, and humans down to discuss what they were doing wrong. This didn’t work, not at all. All it did was create more suffering for the animals of animal farm. So Moses began the ten plagues The first plague was the plague of blood. Moses said, “With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.”- Exodus 7:17–18. By saying this he meant that all the water of animal farm would turn to blood so no one could drink it. After the first plague not many died, due to the fact they consumed water through their normal dietary habits. A few dog’s died, but not enough for the plagues to be worth the trouble. The next plague to come was the plague of frogs. Then Moses said, “This is what the great LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.”- Exodus 7:1–4. Meaning that frogs with take over animal farm and be nasty.
Many plagues hit. The plague of gnats, the plague of wild beasts, the plague of pestilence, the plague of boils, the plague of hail, the plague of locusts, and the plague of darkness. The plague of the death of the first born didn’t happen because most of the big animals were first born, the only ones who were not first born were the ones that were rape victims children.
Anyway, everyone died to create a new generation that would make the world better.
Many months after this occurrence Moses the raven came back to animal farm. He was a changed bird. He brought a new religion to animal farm, Judaism. He was the reincarnation of the original Moses. It was his time to start a revolution, to free his people. He had to make the pigs, dogs, and humans see what they were doing. Moses’ first attempt of making peace was through verbal conduct. He sat the pigs, dogs, and humans down to discuss what they were doing wrong. This didn’t work, not at all. All it did was create more suffering for the animals of animal farm. So Moses began the ten plagues The first plague was the plague of blood. Moses said, “With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.”- Exodus 7:17–18. By saying this he meant that all the water of animal farm would turn to blood so no one could drink it. After the first plague not many died, due to the fact they consumed water through their normal dietary habits. A few dog’s died, but not enough for the plagues to be worth the trouble. The next plague to come was the plague of frogs. Then Moses said, “This is what the great LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.”- Exodus 7:1–4. Meaning that frogs with take over animal farm and be nasty.
Many plagues hit. The plague of gnats, the plague of wild beasts, the plague of pestilence, the plague of boils, the plague of hail, the plague of locusts, and the plague of darkness. The plague of the death of the first born didn’t happen because most of the big animals were first born, the only ones who were not first born were the ones that were rape victims children.
Anyway, everyone died to create a new generation that would make the world better.
Egypt vs. Animal Farm
One similarity that I have noticed between Animal Farm and Egypt is how they replaced one corrupt leader with one that ended up being worse.
In Animal Farm Mr. Jones, the caretaker, died in his sleep then he was replaced by Napoleon who became a political tyrant. The reason the animals did not like Mr. Jones was because he had control over the entire farm just because he could walk on two legs. As soon as Mr. Jones died the animals decided that they needed a leader, they did not know who because their leader in mind was Old Major who had also died. So the leader elected himself, the new leader of Animal Farm was Napoleon. Napoleon destroyed Animal Farm, he changed all the rules into rules that benefited him and killed anyone who crossed him path. This also happened with Egypt.
In Egypt the President was Anwar El Sadat. A brief history on him is: "Muhammad Anwar El Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981. He was a senior member of the Free Officers group that overthrew the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and a close confidant of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, whom he succeeded as President in 1970.
In his eleven years as president he changed Egypt's direction, departing from some of the economic and political principles of Nasserism by re-instituting the multi-party system and launching the Infitah.
He led the Yom Kippur War of 1973 against Israel, making him a hero in Egypt and, for a time, throughout the Arab World. Afterwards he engaged in negotiations with Israel, culminating in the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. This won him the Nobel Peace Prize but also made him unpopular among some Arabs, resulting in a temporary suspension of Egypt's membership in the Arab League, and eventually his assassination." (Wikipedia)
After he was assassinated he was replaced by Hosni Mubarak who rained for thirty years causing pain and devastation to all his people.
My conclusion of these similar phenomenon's is that when a corrupt leader is needed to be replaced, the choosing of a new one needs to be carefully thought out. Just because one seems bad doesn't seem the next one could be worse.
In Animal Farm Mr. Jones, the caretaker, died in his sleep then he was replaced by Napoleon who became a political tyrant. The reason the animals did not like Mr. Jones was because he had control over the entire farm just because he could walk on two legs. As soon as Mr. Jones died the animals decided that they needed a leader, they did not know who because their leader in mind was Old Major who had also died. So the leader elected himself, the new leader of Animal Farm was Napoleon. Napoleon destroyed Animal Farm, he changed all the rules into rules that benefited him and killed anyone who crossed him path. This also happened with Egypt.
In Egypt the President was Anwar El Sadat. A brief history on him is: "Muhammad Anwar El Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981. He was a senior member of the Free Officers group that overthrew the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and a close confidant of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, whom he succeeded as President in 1970.
In his eleven years as president he changed Egypt's direction, departing from some of the economic and political principles of Nasserism by re-instituting the multi-party system and launching the Infitah.
He led the Yom Kippur War of 1973 against Israel, making him a hero in Egypt and, for a time, throughout the Arab World. Afterwards he engaged in negotiations with Israel, culminating in the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. This won him the Nobel Peace Prize but also made him unpopular among some Arabs, resulting in a temporary suspension of Egypt's membership in the Arab League, and eventually his assassination." (Wikipedia)
After he was assassinated he was replaced by Hosni Mubarak who rained for thirty years causing pain and devastation to all his people.
My conclusion of these similar phenomenon's is that when a corrupt leader is needed to be replaced, the choosing of a new one needs to be carefully thought out. Just because one seems bad doesn't seem the next one could be worse.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Why Chinese Mothers Are Suprerior
Here is the list of things that Chinese mothers do and do not allow their children to do:
• attend a sleepover
• have a playdate
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama=
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin.
All of these suck a lot. How could someone be so controlling over their child and how could their child not go completely crazy. What the hell. I think that all of these rules would heavily impair a child's social life.
(This is not finished, I will finish later tonight)
• attend a sleepover
• have a playdate
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama=
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin.
All of these suck a lot. How could someone be so controlling over their child and how could their child not go completely crazy. What the hell. I think that all of these rules would heavily impair a child's social life.
(This is not finished, I will finish later tonight)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Response to Cindy
Responding to Cindy's blog about social networking Cindy's Blog
I agree and disagree with Cindy. Her thesis is that she believes that social networking is more harmful than beneficial. I agree with this statement when individuals are on facebook for an extended amount of time a day. An example of this extreme is a person Cindy talked to who said, "On a regular school day, I typically spend around two or three hours on Facebook. On the days I do not have school, which include Saturday and Sunday, I would estimate that you can find me online for at least four hours of the day." I feel like this is way too much. Cindy talks about how this could effect grades and start drama. I think that being on the computer so much impares social behaviors. It is commonly seen in younger generations. An example of this is my Aunties second grade class has hardly any social skills because they are on the computer all day and not interacting with other living beings. Some children-another extreme-do not even know how to apologize. It could be due to the fact they do not know what they did wrong or they could just not know how to make their wrong actions right. With social networking there is also a lack of emotion because of the little tone involved in writing in current day mannerisms. So, interpretations can be completely different than the intention.
The reasons that I think social networking is good is it creates heightened communications. If it wasn't for facebook I wouldn't talk to many relatives that I seldom see and love dearly. It is also good for rebellion-as discussed in Fargher's class. In this sense social networking is actually bettering lives and keeping communication strong.
I feel that using social networking is only beneficial in mediation. Being on facebook for two to three hours on a regular day is too much but having the option of communicating is good and useful.
I agree and disagree with Cindy. Her thesis is that she believes that social networking is more harmful than beneficial. I agree with this statement when individuals are on facebook for an extended amount of time a day. An example of this extreme is a person Cindy talked to who said, "On a regular school day, I typically spend around two or three hours on Facebook. On the days I do not have school, which include Saturday and Sunday, I would estimate that you can find me online for at least four hours of the day." I feel like this is way too much. Cindy talks about how this could effect grades and start drama. I think that being on the computer so much impares social behaviors. It is commonly seen in younger generations. An example of this is my Aunties second grade class has hardly any social skills because they are on the computer all day and not interacting with other living beings. Some children-another extreme-do not even know how to apologize. It could be due to the fact they do not know what they did wrong or they could just not know how to make their wrong actions right. With social networking there is also a lack of emotion because of the little tone involved in writing in current day mannerisms. So, interpretations can be completely different than the intention.
The reasons that I think social networking is good is it creates heightened communications. If it wasn't for facebook I wouldn't talk to many relatives that I seldom see and love dearly. It is also good for rebellion-as discussed in Fargher's class. In this sense social networking is actually bettering lives and keeping communication strong.
I feel that using social networking is only beneficial in mediation. Being on facebook for two to three hours on a regular day is too much but having the option of communicating is good and useful.
Major Vs. Napoleon
Major Vs. Napoleon
I believe that Major gained so much support from his peers is because of a few variables: his age, his wisdom, his ability to make an audience sway to what he wants and how he is such an idolized figure in their community. Major, serves as the source of the ideals that the animals continue to uphold even after their pig leaders have betrayed them. Though his portrayal of Old Major is largely positive, Orwell does include a few small ironies that allow the reader to question the venerable pig’s motives. For instance, in the midst of his long litany of complaints about how the animals have been treated by human beings, Old Major is forced to concede that his own life has been long, full, and free from the terrors he has vividly sketched for his rapt audience. He seems to have claimed a false brotherhood with the other animals in order to garner their support for his vision.
From the very beginning Napoleon emerges as an utterly corrupt pig (figuratively and literally. In the beginning he is acknowledged, though only toughed on, he also didn't make any contribution to the rebellion. As soon as Old Major dies he takes over the farm and makes it how he wants it and what is good for him. It seems that he has to convince everyone, including himself, that he is best for the community. An example of this is when he "trains" the litter of puppies. By "training" them he doesn't educate them, for their own good, they become minions of his new founded army. Napoleon fits the description of a political tyrant-A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power. Doing minor research on Napoleon's name, he is named after the early-eighteenth-century French general Napoleon, who betrayed the democratic principles on which he rode to power. Such leaders Orwell related him to are: Josip Tito, Mao Tse-tung, Pol Pot, Augusto Pinochet, and Slobodan Milosevic.
Major seems to have a very strong voice that is easy to understand. His first speech, "Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night.....I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on you such wisdom as I acquired. I have had a long life...What is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short..." He goes on to talk of his rebellion ideas and a song, "Beasts of England" which is a combination of Clementine and La Cucaracha. I think that the reason this is such an impactful speech is because of his pre-established reputation of leader in their community. Though he used "big" words he still used a context easily able to understand by the "lower" animals.
Napoleon on the other hand just does as he feels and contradicts the Seven Commandments in the end-which he helped create. Originally they were:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
Later they were: no animal shall sleep in a beds with sheets, no animal shall dirnk alochol with excess, no animal shall kill any other animal without reason, all animals are eqaul but some are more equal than others, and four legs good, two legs better!
I think that Napoleon only does this because he has power and he can so he will.
I believe that Major gained so much support from his peers is because of a few variables: his age, his wisdom, his ability to make an audience sway to what he wants and how he is such an idolized figure in their community. Major, serves as the source of the ideals that the animals continue to uphold even after their pig leaders have betrayed them. Though his portrayal of Old Major is largely positive, Orwell does include a few small ironies that allow the reader to question the venerable pig’s motives. For instance, in the midst of his long litany of complaints about how the animals have been treated by human beings, Old Major is forced to concede that his own life has been long, full, and free from the terrors he has vividly sketched for his rapt audience. He seems to have claimed a false brotherhood with the other animals in order to garner their support for his vision.
From the very beginning Napoleon emerges as an utterly corrupt pig (figuratively and literally. In the beginning he is acknowledged, though only toughed on, he also didn't make any contribution to the rebellion. As soon as Old Major dies he takes over the farm and makes it how he wants it and what is good for him. It seems that he has to convince everyone, including himself, that he is best for the community. An example of this is when he "trains" the litter of puppies. By "training" them he doesn't educate them, for their own good, they become minions of his new founded army. Napoleon fits the description of a political tyrant-A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power. Doing minor research on Napoleon's name, he is named after the early-eighteenth-century French general Napoleon, who betrayed the democratic principles on which he rode to power. Such leaders Orwell related him to are: Josip Tito, Mao Tse-tung, Pol Pot, Augusto Pinochet, and Slobodan Milosevic.
Major seems to have a very strong voice that is easy to understand. His first speech, "Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night.....I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on you such wisdom as I acquired. I have had a long life...What is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short..." He goes on to talk of his rebellion ideas and a song, "Beasts of England" which is a combination of Clementine and La Cucaracha. I think that the reason this is such an impactful speech is because of his pre-established reputation of leader in their community. Though he used "big" words he still used a context easily able to understand by the "lower" animals.
Napoleon on the other hand just does as he feels and contradicts the Seven Commandments in the end-which he helped create. Originally they were:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
Later they were: no animal shall sleep in a beds with sheets, no animal shall dirnk alochol with excess, no animal shall kill any other animal without reason, all animals are eqaul but some are more equal than others, and four legs good, two legs better!
I think that Napoleon only does this because he has power and he can so he will.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
How to Reduce the Population
The population is constantly climbing and nothing is being done to stop it. This topic is especially touchy because it is about killing people or not conceiving them in the first place. The most important step we can take to help control human overpopulation is by controlling conception.
Instead of going on a rant killing millions of people it would be better to invest in something that would be placed in the body during infancy that would keep the individual from obtaining an accidental pregnancy, like the IUD used for women. This would still allow the individual to have sex they just couldn't get/get someone else pregnant. Which brings up the question that if only physical females can hold a child would men really need this device? I think not, but if the device can prevent STD's or STI's everyone should have one. If the product does prevent STD's and STI's then it would help people live, so it counteracts the purpose of lowering the population-if this is product is used as a drastic measure if not then it would be better to help people live without the hard ship of getting a disease or infection due to sex.
Another approach is making assisted suisde legal. Instead of wasting resources on an individual who would prefer not to have them, it makes sense to grant them their wish. The down side to this is that most likely there will be a lot of murder cases that will be cleared because the victim "wanted it". With that draw back there would probably be heavy laws around it to protect people, so even if they wanted it, it might take awhile to grant their wish.
I now understand why this topic is so hard to write about, there are so many variables and it is impossible to please everyone.
Instead of going on a rant killing millions of people it would be better to invest in something that would be placed in the body during infancy that would keep the individual from obtaining an accidental pregnancy, like the IUD used for women. This would still allow the individual to have sex they just couldn't get/get someone else pregnant. Which brings up the question that if only physical females can hold a child would men really need this device? I think not, but if the device can prevent STD's or STI's everyone should have one. If the product does prevent STD's and STI's then it would help people live, so it counteracts the purpose of lowering the population-if this is product is used as a drastic measure if not then it would be better to help people live without the hard ship of getting a disease or infection due to sex.
Another approach is making assisted suisde legal. Instead of wasting resources on an individual who would prefer not to have them, it makes sense to grant them their wish. The down side to this is that most likely there will be a lot of murder cases that will be cleared because the victim "wanted it". With that draw back there would probably be heavy laws around it to protect people, so even if they wanted it, it might take awhile to grant their wish.
I now understand why this topic is so hard to write about, there are so many variables and it is impossible to please everyone.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Orwell Response
I believe that any form of political power would corrupt anyone because it enables one to have power over another. Having this amount of control and not having to suffer the consequences of hurting another living being, such power would make anyone go crazy. The first person I thought of was Dr. Joseph Mengele.
"The 1999 New York Post survey (in which Mengele ranked as the third most evil person of the millenium)..." I personally believe that Dr. Mengele wasn't born evil, reading in other sources
"Josef Mengele was born the eldest of three children... Mengele's father was a founder of the Karl Mengele & Sons company...In 1935, Mengele earned a Ph.D in Anthropology from the University of Munich...at the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene in Frankfurt, he became the assistant to Dr. Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer who was a leading scientist mostly known for his research in genetics with a particular interest with twins. From this association, Mengele probably developed his life-long fascination with the study of twins. In addition Mengele studied under Theodor Mollison and Eugen Fischer, who had been involved in medical experiments on the Herero tribe in (what is now) Namibia.."
This makes me think that he wasn't entirely horrible all the way around, he had power that went to his head (which in NO way makes anything he did okay in any way).
I think that George Orwell would probably feel slightly as I do-but I cannot say because I don't know him or his work very well. I feel this way because the animals he attempts to personify are abuse victims of a higher power, that turns into communism.
"The 1999 New York Post survey (in which Mengele ranked as the third most evil person of the millenium)..." I personally believe that Dr. Mengele wasn't born evil, reading in other sources
"Josef Mengele was born the eldest of three children... Mengele's father was a founder of the Karl Mengele & Sons company...In 1935, Mengele earned a Ph.D in Anthropology from the University of Munich...at the Institute for Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene in Frankfurt, he became the assistant to Dr. Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer who was a leading scientist mostly known for his research in genetics with a particular interest with twins. From this association, Mengele probably developed his life-long fascination with the study of twins. In addition Mengele studied under Theodor Mollison and Eugen Fischer, who had been involved in medical experiments on the Herero tribe in (what is now) Namibia.."
This makes me think that he wasn't entirely horrible all the way around, he had power that went to his head (which in NO way makes anything he did okay in any way).
I think that George Orwell would probably feel slightly as I do-but I cannot say because I don't know him or his work very well. I feel this way because the animals he attempts to personify are abuse victims of a higher power, that turns into communism.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Response to Max
In Max's article My Cousin which was of interest to me because one of my cousin's, Beth, who is also my best friend. Although she's over ten years older than me, we look almost identiticle (I know, I can't spell) and we are just super close.
After my uncle's death we got a lot closer. Her mom, my mom, her and I are all that we had left. She used to live in Chico, CA and I would spend a lot of time up there. Every time I would always have a feeling of relief that I would be able to get away from all my problems and be with a person who was able to make me feel more like myself than most anyone ever has.
My cousin shops a lot and that how I end up having so many clothes, it's amazing, I completely and totally love it. Even though she is almost seven inches taller than me, we still fit the same size. I miss her. Now she lives in Magalia having someone drive four hours to the middle of no where has gotten a lot harder. Magalia is so beautiful though. It's like the perfect place, it has all four seasons, it's on a big property, it lets you be alone and just think, granted the people can be complete assholes due to their under-educated ignorance and just annoying attitudes. Thankfully one hardly comes across people such as this, clamper's and tea partier's, so being alone and not having to deal with them is easy.
After my uncle's death we got a lot closer. Her mom, my mom, her and I are all that we had left. She used to live in Chico, CA and I would spend a lot of time up there. Every time I would always have a feeling of relief that I would be able to get away from all my problems and be with a person who was able to make me feel more like myself than most anyone ever has.
My cousin shops a lot and that how I end up having so many clothes, it's amazing, I completely and totally love it. Even though she is almost seven inches taller than me, we still fit the same size. I miss her. Now she lives in Magalia having someone drive four hours to the middle of no where has gotten a lot harder. Magalia is so beautiful though. It's like the perfect place, it has all four seasons, it's on a big property, it lets you be alone and just think, granted the people can be complete assholes due to their under-educated ignorance and just annoying attitudes. Thankfully one hardly comes across people such as this, clamper's and tea partier's, so being alone and not having to deal with them is easy.
Dance
Ballet is a bitch. Being completely frank and honest, it is just a bitch. There is nothing natural about it, not sitting on your head, not standing on your toes, not having your groin forced to the ground, none of it. I must admit, even with all the pain from random exercising, leaping, dancing, spinning, I still love it. I know that when I'm older I'm probably going to be immobilized (or however you spell it) due to pain and completely crazy due to genetics, not a pretty future. On the other hand being able to jump around and not look like a douface is pretty remarkable and entertaining but when I get home all I can think about is how much my feet hurt and how nasty they are going to be when I'm older.
Lyrical. I always get dropped. Almost every time. This is because the only person smaller than me is a twelve year old and if they were throwing her every where it would just be all bad. The strange this is that I love falling (like with snowboarding I love it) but the only thing I don't like is being dropped, it's just rude and painful. I can't help but laugh at lyrical sometimes, just the emotions trying to be expressed through body movement hilarious. It's fun though, it involves a lot more jumps and to-the-floor work.
Tap. I don't do that.
Jazz. That is just fun all the way around, sometimes. some of the dancing is dorky but thats okay.
Technique. I'm not even getting into that...
Lyrical. I always get dropped. Almost every time. This is because the only person smaller than me is a twelve year old and if they were throwing her every where it would just be all bad. The strange this is that I love falling (like with snowboarding I love it) but the only thing I don't like is being dropped, it's just rude and painful. I can't help but laugh at lyrical sometimes, just the emotions trying to be expressed through body movement hilarious. It's fun though, it involves a lot more jumps and to-the-floor work.
Tap. I don't do that.
Jazz. That is just fun all the way around, sometimes. some of the dancing is dorky but thats okay.
Technique. I'm not even getting into that...
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