Sutherland Final

Whilst reminiscing on the older writings of mine I came to enlightenment about how I have grown, and how I have changed over the year. I realized that I started off at a little bit of a rough start, and frankly I found myself disagreeing with some of the things I said. I am pleased with my growth, and hope to continue growing.
On my very first post “Just Kidding and Ganging Up” I told a story about a time when I was in a conflict with another student. I handled it in a very peculiar way that I would have definitely done differently. Here is what I said,
“Some of my options were to try to tell a teacher, get in a fight, and get a group of your friends to confront them with myself, or simply just ignore them. Trying to tell the teacher didn’t work because like I said, they would be ‘just kidding’. Getting in a fight didn’t make sense either because violence wasn’t the answer to this problem. Getting a group of my friends together made sense at first so I talked to a couple of them and we decided to do that. Later that day I realized that that would probably lead to violence to, so that choice was out. The last choice was to ignore them. That always works the best in a situation like that, but it is hard to do for me. I always just wanted to say something back, and a lot of the times I did. But I realized that it wouldn’t. Soon everybody else started to ignore them and they stopped. I think the reason that they stopped was because they always had someone react to it. Once they saw that everyone just ignored them they just felt stupid. I think that was the best ways to make anything like that stop.”
In my honest opinion I would have done things completely different, which isn’t always bad because it shows personal growth for me. If this same situation were to happen to me today I probably would deal with it myself. I feel confident in myself enough that I feel that I could just simply stop all of the drama. This surprises me because I want to go back and ask myself, “What are you thinking? Why don’t you just be strong and deal with it yourself”. I wish I could take it all back and do it over again, because my relationship with that kid might be a whole lot better and civilized. When you are domestic and kind about your argument, you will more often than not come out on top.
My favorite blog post that I wrote this year was my “Basic Book Review” that I wrote on April 30th. I simply liked this one the most because of the length and content that it included. I had some very strong points, and I feel that my word choices were great. The main thing that I utilized to write this post was a thesaurus. A thesaurus can be helpful in all ways because if I am ever at a loss for words I can easily just pull up an online thesaurus to get a better word to use. This can also convince your reader that you are more educated on you subject. My secondary utilization to write my essay was actually the peer review comments that I was left on that post. Getting a peer review of you writings is always important because it can show you many ways to improve on your writing and really lock down your thoughts. When I went back to check on by post I saw that I had 3 comments from my table mates Yen, Kathy, and Luis. They very politely left me comments that really helped me for new ideas. Here is some of the things they said.

“In the first question, address why this book would be better for young adults to read than younger kids. Why shouldn't younger kids read this book? etc. Also you need another CD/CM, but I think it still is good without another one. You should talk more about the plot because it is confusing of what you are talking about like "unwound." I thought you did well on the second question, pretty solid part of book review. Solid post overall, keep it up. – Luis

i like how you used a rare question, but make sure that you make you’re feeling about the books overall ranking. if you liked it overall, if it was overrated, and why did it make you feel that way. – Kathy
as you can see these comments helped tremendously. I always love getting constructive criticism, as it is a way to learn from your mistakes and problems. Whenever you are feeling like you are helpless is it very beneficial to just reach out and have someone read you work.

The final tool that I used was rest. Sometimes you simply just need to take a break to clear your mind. This can help you refocus on your topic, and get your ideas to help you. If you need to take a hour long break, take it because in the end you will come out with a better final and better quality work.
Over the whole year I have grown tremendously. I have writing that I agree with, and then I have some writing that I hate. I also have writing that I am just okay with, and that drives me to go back and fix it. I plan on keeping blogging during the years, and I hope all of my friends do too.

Book review final

In my story Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a genre fiction about kids who are being sold for their body parts. They have to find a way to solve their problems and just simply survive until they reach the age of eighteen, where they will not be eligible to be ‘unwound’. when you are unwound you are basically captured by the government, and then disassembled and have their organs donated to injured or sick people. The three questions that I have chosen to respond to are as followed: which audience did the author aim this book towards, and what are the weaknesses of this book?

Question: For what audience is this book, and how can you tell (in other words for whom would you recommend this book?

If I had to choose a main audience for this book I would choose the audience as young adults. The reason that I chose young adults and not young kids is because there seems to be a couple of little jokes that kids of a younger age wouldn’t really connect to. For example the joke about the two birds, kids of today would have trouble understanding this because they didn’t really grow up in the right era to even understand. The three reasons why this is true are because of the language that the kids use, the secret little joke that Shusterman added, and the sort of trouble that the runaways are faced with in their journey to escape.

The reason that I chose language as one of my reasons is because it seems like Shusterman uses slang and urban vernacular all around the book. Some of the words and phrases that he uses that he used are ones that us kids use in our everyday conversations such as ‘totally’ and ‘it was a piece of crap’. I predict that he uses word and phrases like this to draw young adults into his book and make us feel that he is sort of like us. One example of this is here

“How much is ransom?” Lev asks. “Ransom? There’s no ransom”, says the crazy kid. “I took you to save you, Idiot!”

This quotes explains how when Connor captures Lev and their journey starts. Lev thinks that he has been kidnapped by some psycho and is being held hostage. Notice that Shusterman uses the word idiot. If this book were directed towards and older audience such as adults he probably would have used the word idiot because it is a more youth friendly word. With the use of more words like these it appeals to the audience because it makes them think that this book might be worth reading and not be boring.

The second technique that Shusterman uses is adding situations that the young adults of today can relate to. This is exemplified when the group finds that abandoned baby, and Connor explains why they can’t just leave it. He then goes on to tell a story about how this is how he got two of his brothers and sisters. Connor was not treated as well as his brother and sister who were both ‘storked’ (which means they were left on another person’s door step at birth to have the other people have to take care of them). They then decide to take in the newborn as if it is their own for a while. I think that the young adults of America can relate to this because as time goes on it seems like the age for teenage pregnancy and parenthood is dropping like crazy. Even today there is a show on MTV called Sixteen and Pregnant, which I think is wrong on so many levels, that shows how your life will be if you have a baby at this age. Having the reader be able to relate to your story is crucial if you are looking for a certain type of audience.

Language and situations are a very important part of appealing to the right audience, and if you get them wrong the whole age target switches to a whole different age group. Since Shusterman is trying to target the audience of young people his language had to be correct, and I think he did a very nice job on making the reader feel relatable.

The second question that I chose to respond to was the one of the weaknesses of the book. I think that the main three are the attention that it demands, the character development, and the whole plot. I think that all of these parts were ok, but I think they could have easily been improved upon.

This book demands a lot of attention because it makes you really keep on reading. I have noticed that some parts of the book seem rushed or like they are just they there to fill in the story. The main example of this is when the kids first arrive at the graveyard. The author seems to just go on and on about how they have to do all of this labor intensive work and how they awkwardly always run into one of the main characters, Lev. In my personal opinion he could have left these parts out because they didn’t really supply and background to the story. Instead I would have made up some other little mini story within the story to help keep the reader wondering what would happen next.

My second problem was the seemingly lack of backstories to help develop the main character’s personalities. Instead of putting in all of these random little fill-ins he could have added these. I predict that if Shusterman had actually done this I would feel a stronger connection to the main characters. As of now I feel like they are all pretty bland and boring. Maybe one of them could have had some sort of disease that makes them physically inferior, which could reveal a whole new plot twist, or one of them could have some sort of dark secret that nobody knows about. For me character developing is a very important part of a story.

The final weakness was the whole plot. I wasn’t very weak; I just think that he could have easily expanded on the whole thing. By taking the steps I added above the whole plot could have thickened and made it a much more enjoyable book for me, the young reader, to read. All in all it was good, but it just felt like it was lacking in the plot department.

Unwind was a great book and I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for an easy summer reader, or just a book to read in their spare time. Like I said earlier his language was very catering to a younger audience, but it felt a little forced, and there were many things I think Shusterman should have added and taken out. If you are looking for a semi-sci-fi novel to read, this is the one for you.

"Peer review comments" or something like that.

Questions for Yen:

I agree with Luis. If you forget to write your question at the top it can be confusing for people to understand what exactly you are talking about. I think that you should expand on the actual questions, not just stating the plot. You also forgot a conclusion!! Overall it was a good post that can use a little work.

Questions for Luis

Some of you sentences just seem like they are there just to be fillers, so make sure that you actually make your sentences out. If you are stuck trying to find words that will make your writing for a little more formal you can use a thesaurus. I think you should talk a little more about how much of an effect the book had on you, and why you would recommend it so much,

Questions for Kathy:

Formality seems to be a reoccurring theme with this group, and like I told Luis, using a thesaurus can really help. Also like I told Luis, don't summarize so much. The goal is to answer the questions, not tell what you book it about. PS you background gave me a head ache.

Basic Book Review

In my story Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a genre fiction about kids who are being sold for their body parts. They have to find a way to solve their problems and just simply survive until they reach the age of eighteen, where they will not be eligible to be ‘unwound’. The three questions that I have chosen to respond to are as followed: which audience did the author aim this book towards, and what are the weaknesses of this book?

Question: For what audience is this book, and how can you tell (in other words for whom would you recommend this book?

If I had to choose a main audience for this book I would choose the audience as young adults. The two reasons why this is true are because of the language that the kids use and the sort of trouble that the runaways are faced with in their journey to escape.

The reason that I chose language as one of my reasons is because it seems like Shusterman uses slang and urban vernacular all around the book. Some of the words and phrases that he uses that he used are ones that us kids use in our everyday conversations such as ‘totally’ and ‘it was a piece of crap’. I predict that he uses word and phrases like this to draw young adults into his book and make us feel that he is sort of like us. One example of this is here

“How much is ransom?” Lev asks. “Ransom? There’s no ransom”, says the crazy kid. “I took you to save you, Idiot!”

This quotes explains how when Connor captures Lev and their journey starts. Lev thinks that he has been kidnapped by some psycho and is being held hostage. Notice that Shusterman uses the word idiot. If this book were directed towards and older audience such as adults he probably would have used the word idiot because it is a more youth friendly word. With the use of more words like these it appeals to the audience because it makes them think that this book might be worth reading and not be boring.

The second technique that Shusterman uses is adding situations that the young adults of today can relate to. This is exemplified when the group finds that abandoned baby, and Connor explains why they can’t just leave it. He then goes on to tell a story about how this is how he got two of his brothers and sisters. Connor was not treated as well as his brother and sister who were both ‘storked’ (which means they were left on another person’s door step at birth to have the other people have to take care of them). They then decide to take in the newborn as if it is their own for a while. I think that the young adults of America can relate to this because as time goes on it seems like the age for teenage pregnancy and parenthood is dropping like crazy. Even today there is a show on MTV called Sixteen and Pregnant, which I think is wrong on so many levels, that shows how your life will be if you have a baby at this age. Having the reader be able to relate to your story is crucial if you are looking for a certain type of audience.

Language and situations are a very important part of appealing to the right audience, and if you get them wrong the whole age target switches to a whole different age group. Since Shusterman is trying to target the audience of young people his language had to be correct, and I think he did a very nice job on making the reader feel relatable.

The second question that I chose to respond to was the one of the weaknesses of the book. I think that the main three are the attention that it demands, the character development, and the whole plot. I think that all of these parts were ok, but I think they could have easily been improved upon.

This book demands a lot of attention because it makes you really keep on reading. I have noticed that some parts of the book seem rushed or like they are just they there to fill in the story. The main example of this is when the kids first arrive at the graveyard. The author seems to just go on and on about how they have to do all of this labor intensive work and how they awkwardly always run into one of the main characters, Lev. In my personal opinion he could have left these parts out because they didn’t really supply and background to the story. Instead I would have made up some other little mini story within the story to help keep the reader wondering what would happen next.

My second problem was the seemingly lack of backstories to help develop the main character’s personalities. Instead of putting in all of these random little fill-ins he could have added these. I predict that if Shusterman had actually done this I would feel a stronger connection to the main characters. As of now I feel like they are all pretty bland and boring. Maybe one of them could have had some sort of disease that makes them physically inferior, which could reveal a whole new plot twist, or one of them could have some sort of dark secret that nobody knows about. For me character developing is a very important part of a story.

The final weakness was the whole plot. I wasn’t very weak; I just think that he could have easily expanded on the whole thing. By taking the steps I added above the whole plot could have thickened and made it a much more enjoyable book for me, the young reader, to read. All in all it was good, but it just felt like it was lacking in the plot department.

Unwind was a great book and I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for an easy summer reader, or just a book to read in their spare time. Like I said earlier his language was very catering to a younger audience, but it felt a little forced, and there were many things I think Shusterman should have added and taken out. If you are looking for a semi-sci-fi novel to read, this is the one for you.

book resonse

Question: For what audience is this book, and how can you tell (in other words for whom would you recommend this book)?)

My book, Unwind, by Neal Shusterman is a Science Fiction story about kids on the run from the government in order to escape from being unwound. If I had to choose a main audience for this book I would choose the audience as young adults. The two reasons why this is true are because of the language that the kids use and the sort of trouble that the runaways are faced with in their journey to escape.

The reason that I chose language as one of my reasons is because it seems like Shusterman uses slang and urban vernacular all around the book. Some of the words and phrases that he uses that he used are ones that us kids use in our everyday conversations such as ‘totally’ and ‘it was a piece of crap’. I predict that he uses word and phrases like this to draw young adults into his book and make us feel that he is sort of like us. One example of this is here

“How much is ransom?” Lev asks. “Ransom? There’s no ransom”, says the crazy kid. “I took you to save you, Idiot!”

This quotes explains how when Connor captures Lev and their journey starts. Lev thinks that he has been kidnapped by some psycho and is being held hostage. Notice that Shusterman uses the word idiot. If this book were directed towards and older audience such as adults he probably would have used the word idiot because it is a more youth friendly word. With the use of more words like these it appeals to the audience because it makes them think that this book might be worth reading and not be boring.

The second technique that Shusterman uses is adding situations that the young adults of today can relate to. This is exemplified when the group finds that abandoned baby, and Connor explains why they can’t just leave it. He then goes on to tell a story about how this is how he got two of his brothers and sisters. Connor was not treated as well as his brother and sister who were both ‘storked’ (which means they were left on another person’s door step at birth to have the other people have to take care of them). They then decide to take in the newborn as if it is their own for a while. I think that the young adults of America can relate to this because as time goes on it seems like the age for teenage pregnancy and parenthood is dropping like crazy. Even today there is a show on MTV called Sixteen and Pregnant, which I think is wrong on so many levels, that shows how your life will be if you have a baby at this age. Having the reader be able to relate to your story is crucial if you are looking for a certain type of audience.

Language and situations are a very important part of appealing to the right audience, and if you get them wrong the whole age target switches to a whole different age group. Since Shusterman is trying to target the audience of young people his language had to be correct, and I think he did a very nice job on making the reader feel relatable.

Vignette Responses

So far I have been reading everyone’s vignettes, and some of them really stuck out to me. The main three were The Curious Case of the Panda by Christian Cortez, Talent by Christy Nghe, and Regret by Melissa Ma. Theyall stood out to me for different reasons, but they were all tied together because they made me think. The first one that I chose was The Curious Case of the Panda. I remember when Christian stood up in front of the class and read this vignette to us, and it was one hell of a performance. At first I thought I was going to be kind of a funny story with its title, but then it started to get serious. When he started saying make it stop, make it stop, I started to freak out inside. Here is what he said.

“Whaaaat? Who…said……who said…..that? POUND POUND POUND. AHHHHHHHH! Aaron screamed for his head to stop pounding.
“Look, now he is awake. Just be quiet.”
AHHHHHHHHH MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT…stop…
“Hahahahahahah”, says the baby giraffe, “you will never make it out of this hospital. You’ll be stuck in here forever!”

I started to think that something was seriously wrong when this started happening. When he told us that it was when his brother was in the hospital it made me think, “How did this happen to him, yet he is still happy and uplifting every day?”. This vignette made me see that maybe life can get you down, but there are still greater things to look forward to.

The next vignette that I chose was Christy’s Talent. I saw how she never had a real talent and I could relate. She says:

“I despise people when they ask me what my talent is. I seem to never have one but other people do. Don’t worry you’ll find your talent. I don’t think I will, I have been waiting for 14 years to find out what my talent was but it never happened”

I have never really had a talent that I could be proud of. All my life I have felt like my friends have such great hobbies and passions while I didn’t have everything. I feel like I am still trying to find out what mine is. She didn’t just start playing music which is smart because she wanted to make sure this is what she wanted to do. This doesn’t always work for me, but it worked for her, which is good. I hope one day I can find my talent.

The final vignette that I chose was Regret by Melissa. This story stuck out the most for me because I felt like this was a very personal subject. When she was young her mother and her father separated, and the same thing happened to me. My situation wasn’t nearly as worse as hers because I still got to see my parents evenly. The main sentencez that stood out to me were these:

At the end of the game she is stunned. In her head I can tell that she regrets missing out on watching me play. She regrets passively watching my other game five years ago because now I play at a different level. Rose regrets not being able to experience the growth I had made since the last time she watched me.

This made me feel bad because she never really had her mother around to support her as much as another kid might have. I wish that it was possible for everyone to have the chance to have a fair, nice childhood and maybe I can help change that in the world. Sometimes you have to struggle in life and you will have hard times, but as they say you just have to 'keep on trucking'.

What's Next?

I think that Esperanza has a very bright and great future coming for her because she deserves it. After all that she has been through I think she deserves a break. After she was forcibly kissed in Red Clowns and after being crept on by a homeless person I think she deserves it. Another reason that I think she will have a peaceful life is because of the vignette title Bums in the Attic. She writes

“One day I’ll have my own house, but I won’t forget who I am, or where I came from. Passing bums will ask can I come in? I’ll offer them the attic; ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be without a house. Some days after dinner guests and I will sit in front of a fire. Floorboards will squeak upstairs. The attic grumble. Rats? They’ll ask. Bums, I’ll say, and I’ll be happy.”

I think that this quote shows that she is truly a caring, nice spirited person. Because of her care and attentiveness I think it will give her the strength to move forward. I definitely think that she will come back for the ones that she left behind because it is just in her character. Her conscious will tell her to come back because they need her. She even says her in the last vignette.

“They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot out.”

This quote shows that she will most likely come back to help the ones who cannot escape Mango Street. When somebody lives in a certain place for a long time they will feel like they owe something to that place before they leave. This is exactly what Esperanza is doing. She is repaying Mango Street by helping those in need, for example the bums in the Attic.

The Raising of the Children

In the House on Mango Street the girls and the boys are raised differently. All of the boys are worked a little harder, and raised to be a little tougher. I think that t is good to raise your children to be tough because if they ever get into a situation where they have to defend themselves they will be less likely to be injured. The girls in this story are raised to be very women like, which is good to a certain extent. Women are seen as more vulnerable in our society which means they are expected to be weaker, when really they don’t have to be. In the vignette entitled Red Clowns Cisneros writes:

“The one who grabbed my arm, he wouldn’t let me go. He said I love you Spanish girl, I love you, and pressed his sour mouth to mine.

At this part of the story Cisneros is waiting for her friend Sally by the red clowns. She is approached by a bum and held against her will. If Cisneros would have been raised to be able to defend herself this would have never happened. All she would have to have done is to know the right place to hit him, and then run as fast as she could. This is why I think she should have been raised differently. In my own life I kind of see the same things. There will be a boy who is raised with tough love and his sister who is pampered every day. I predict that in the future the boy will grow to be more rugged and be able to take care of himself. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the sister. Since she is so used to having things handed her when she gets out into the real world she will be lost with no hope. This is sad because if the kid‘s parent raised them both equally with the same amount of work they would most likely be fine in the future. Raising you kids equally will benefit them in the long run, so it is better to start early.

Vignette project

The Devil’s Spike

All of the men on my dad’s side of the family have a little spike on their eyebrow. Some say that it’s just a random trait, but I call it the devils spike. It makes me feel like I’m part of the family. To me the ‘devil’s spike’ is kind of cool. It makes me unique and different than other people. It reminds me of where I’ve come from and what I have descended from. Nobody can take it away. The other day I noticed that my brother didn’t have one and I was confused. Why didn’t he have it? Was he not one of us? I thought about it for a long time, and decided he just didn’t inherit it. It all has to do with science or something like that. All of the men have done great thing and have all been individuals and different personalities. It mainly reminds me of my dad and everything he has done for me. It almost brings is closer, but we still manage to keep our distance. If I ever lost my ‘devil’s spike’ I would feel like I lost a part of myself.

Different

Why are you so different? You always act weird and you always dress weird. I don’t know, it’s just who I am. Today my friend asked me this, and that’s all I could say, I don’t know. Should I be normal I asked? Yeah because if you aren’t normal what are you. That’s why I always try to fit in and be friends with everybody so I’m not an outcast. I sometimes sit in my bed staring at the ceiling wondering how I can act to be normal. It normally takes a while, but I usually think of about one or two ways before I go to bed. The next day I will try to be quiet and not say something that would make me sound weird, but it never happens. So I’ll just go back to being my normal self weird and all, and it just annoys people. What can I do? I’ve tried everything, but it never works. I hope one day I will just find somebody who gets me and knows what I’m talking about. It’s not bad, but it’s just not good.

Happy New Years

It was New Year’s Eve, and I just had to go. My mom thought oh it’s too dangerous, and there’s drunk drivers everywhere, but I knew I would be fine. It’s just for a couple of hours I pleaded, but it seemed like her iron wall of defense was just not letting down. Stuck in her ways she repeatedly told me I wasn’t going to do anything that night and I was just going to sit at home with her all night and do nothing. I refused to come out of my room as I was mad at her. I think she saw the sadness of not being able to do what I wanted and took that into consideration. She appeared at my doorstep after I told her that I hated her and did the one thing I had never seen her do. She actually listened to me and let me be free. To me this was the greatest gift of all. I knew I would be fine because I know I could take care of myself. After all aren’t I the one she called the wonder boy? The boy who could do anything and still manage to be safe while doing it? I left for the bus stop and took one look back and just started on my way. The party wasn’t as good as I had hoped, but it felt like a milestone for me. I was finally able to stay out past midnight. When I got home around 2:30 in the morning my mom looked tired and relieved at the same time. I saw that look in her face that showed happiness and calmness. All was well.

Good Morning.

It’s so early that raccoons are still scurrying around. But they make no noise the only noise I hear is the voice in my head telling me to do what’s right. I keep putting it off for a while saying I’ll do it in a little while. Time passes and suddenly it’s about a half an hour later. Oh crap! Time to make it work. I start kind of slow at first, but the time is flying by so I start to speed up and do what I have to do. I feel like it took to long for the amount that I produced, but it was just enough to get me by. And that’s all that I ever do, is get by. I want to make a change to where I can commit to doing something regularly, but I can’t find the strength to do so. I need to look deep down and find a spark to ignite the fire of my brain. They say we only use the percent of our brain, but I want to use it all and make the most of it. So here it is.

the Color Red

In The House on Mango Street the color red and pink seem to show up quite a bit. To me the red symbolizes something that she has to do, but doesn’t necessarily want to do. On page 41 Cisneros tells about the time with her red high heels and her kissing a bum. She says

You are a pretty girl, Bum Man continues. What’s your name, pretty girl? And Rachel says Rachel just like that.

This is right before they kiss bum man, and it is obviously something that they don’t want to do. The bum man offers them money for it, and the girls don’t know any better. After this is all over they run home and put those shoes away and never look at them again. The second piece of red symbolism is on page four. This is where they are just moving into the house on Mango Street.

But the House on Mago Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath. Brick crumbling in places and front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in.

You can tell that Esperanza doesn’t want to move into the house because of the details that she uses. All the problems with house aren’t that big alone, but together they add up. Once again this is just one of those things she has to do whether she likes it or not. I can relate to this because I remember not wanting to go tutoring for my essay, but it was just something I had to do. These points in life happen to everyone at some time, and you will have to face it then. The final symbolism I found was when Esperanza was waiting for sally by the red Clowns. While she was waiting she was approached by a man and was forced to kiss him. I don’t think that it was a coincidence that the clowns just happened to be red. It seems like every time she is around red it is almost like a warning.

Windows

In the House on Mango Street windows are a big part of the story. To me they represent freedom and what they could be doing if they didn’t live on Mango Street. For example on page 11 it says,

And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out her window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got. or was she sorry she couldn’t be all the things she wanted to be.

This shows that she is almost depressed about her life, so she goes to the window. When she gets there she looks out and thinks of all the things that she could be if she wasn’t herself. It is almost like a place of revelation to her. This theme of a window appears a lot in the book. In many if the vignettes a women is seen sitting at a window looking out just thinking about how things can be different. When this happens later on page 77 it is Mamacita who is at her house alone. She only speaks 8 words of English, yet she still doesn’t let it hold her back. She says,

She sits by the window all day and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull.

This quote shows that Mamacita is very sad about leaving her home in Mexico and how it is better that she is here. That right there is a revelation in itself. She says that she sits there all day doing this, so it must be something very important to her. I can tell this because when someone is devoted to something they will spend a lot of time doing it. Windows are sort of like a gateway for people to escape their real lives and just think to themselves and imagine all of their dreams coming through. If you are ever feeling down and want to escape just go to a window and all of you problems will go away.

The Color Purple Response

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker, is a very spiritual novel that shows the lives of two sisters, Celie and Nettie. Celie sees god as somebody to talk to whereas Nettie thinks god can help people and make their lives better. Celie doesn’t really like men, while Nettie thinks marriage is sacred. They might have different views on important subjects, but they are still so close together.
When it comes to spirituality the sisters are two different people. Celie uses god as just a person to talk to because she feels nobody else will listen. She asks god for help on page 3 which is significant because she doesn’t really believe in god. She even says so later in the book. On page 192 she tells Nettie how she doesn’t write to god any more, and how she writes to her first. She writes to Nettie now because she has tried to get help from god before, but nothing ever helped her. Also on page 192 she says “What god do for me?” This proves she doesn’t believe any more because if she did she would still pray to god. Because Celie doesn’t believe in god she sort of feels bad about it. When she goes out in public she acts like she still believes and is faithful, but deep down she is scared to tell anyone. I know where she is coming from because when I was in third grade I said I didn’t believe in god. All of the kids in my class would say things like ‘you’re going to hell’ or ‘what is wrong with you. Of course he is real’. Overall I was sort of an outcast the rest of that year because I had different beliefs. Celie has every right to tell people what she believes in, and she shouldn’t be shunned for it.

Nettie definitely will always believe in god because she is a very faithful character. She even lived in Africa to help build schools and teach kids religion. Nettie is a missionary in Africa which means she has a strong belief in god. On page 133 she says “And now god send me to watch over them”. This shows that she will listen to god and believe. Since Nettie is a missionary in Africa she feels as if it is her duty to help convert people to a higher power. Nettie seems to be open to all ideas and except them, but she will always stay true to hers. Nettie is a very free spirit, but manages to stay grounded. The two sisters are two very different people when it comes to religion, but they still manage to get along.
Gender equality is a very big problem between them two. When it comes to Celie she hates men and doesn’t like them. Celie just listens to her husband and does everything he says, and just tries to get it out of the way. This happens during many pages of the book, but mainly in the beginning. When Albert tells her to clean the dishes or wash the dishes she just says okay and goes to work. It is almost like she is a slave to her husband. Nettie doesn’t like to deal with the problems of men. On page 5 Celie says, ‘I may have got something in my eye but I didn’t wink. I don’t even look at mens. That’s the truth. I look at women. Celie is a very sheltered person and doesn’t let anybody in, unless they are really close to her. Because she is so introverted she is more likely to listen to people who are bigger and stronger than her. Sometimes during the story it feels like she almost likes doing work for Albert. This really comes out in the movie when she is helping Albert get ready to go out. He is struggling to find his clothing and all of his necessities, and she knows where everything is. As she gets his stuff she has a little smirk on her face that shows that she finds the whole situation funny.

Nettie is an almost exact opposite of Celie because she likes men and believes that they should be equal. This is shown very brightly when she marries Samuel. Even though Nettie believes in equality the women in her village are not able to do all of the things men can. For example the village women are not allowed to go to school. This is weird to me because if she is so pro women’s rights, why does she not fight to get equal. If she started a group with the other women of the tribe I’m sure that she would be able to make some sort of difference. Nettie is a very confident person and I’m sure her brightness would shine through.

Nettie and Celie are two completely different people, and it amazes me that they are so close. Celie doesn’t believe in god, and Nettie does. Nettie likes men, and Celie doesn’t. it seems as if they barely ever argue with each other. I feel like the same thing happens with my brother, except we don’t always get along. I hope that one day everyone will get along despite their differences.

Response to Yen's Opening Statement

I decided to respond to Yen’s opening statement. As I was reading I saw we had the same viewpoint, so instead of rebutting to him I am going to respond to him by giving him tips about what he should add to his statement. The first thing that I noticed was that he had linked the sources in the statement, but they didn’t have anything to do with what he was talking about. For instance one thing he talked about was a baby who was cured of cancer by genetic mutation, but the link didn’t say anything about a baby being cured of cancer. I’m not sure if he put the wrong link or did it on purpose, but next time he should look over what he has done so far. Another thing I noticed was that he didn’t have a list of his sources at the end. He really needs to make sure he does that, or he could be caught for plagiarizing other peoples work. I don’t think he did it on purpose this time, and I was probably an accident.

I was reading the rest of his piece when I came across this. “First of all, it is the parent’s decision on how they raise their child, whether being hard on them school wise, or letting them decide their future, etc. In the same way, they should have all the right to mutate their children’s genetics. If the family is ready to put their child through genetic customizations, then they should. The same should be held for such actions on the physical appearance of the child (but I think this is completely unethical. Children should be born the way they were meant to, not the way they are artificially made. Their appearance is one of the factors what shapes their life, and changes of that may result in a completely different person.)” I don’t think that this could have been written any better because I agree with everything he said. All of his points were on target, from children being born naturally, to ‘changes may result in a completely different person’. All he needs to work on is his citation and he should have a solid statement.

Opening Statement

I think that parents should definitely be able to modify their child’s DNA because it is their choice. Right now people are allowed to change the DNA to avoid mental illness and birth defects. If they already have the technology I see no reason why it shouldn’t be used. I was reading the news when I came across a couple from Australia who had a miscarriage. They saw the baby’s face and instantly fell in love. They wanted to have another girl who looked just like her, so they tried again. This time they got twin boys. Since they wanted a girl the aborted the twins. I am against abortion, but I understand their view point. They want to use a program called IVF which will basically make sure they get a girl. However in their state IVF is illegal. This is why I think that modifying DNA should be legal. If they really want a girl this bad I think they should be able to. People might say that altering DNA is wrong because birth and perception should be natural. I say that it is the parent’s choice, but they need to have some sort of license that signifies that they are capable to make the right decision. I also think it should be up to the parents because it’s not like the fetus can choose for itself. In the case of the Australian couple I think they should be able to use IVF because the wife says she will become depressed if she doesn’t have a girl. If this is causing so much trouble in their lives there is no reason that they shouldn’t be able to use it. Expanding our scientific knowledge is a good thing. One day we might even be able to manipulate our DNA while we are middle aged to just switch up our lives because to be honest sometimes I get bored of being myself. We need to embrace the new world that we are living in and things are just going to keep changing.

Sources:

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/01/08/couple-aborts-twin-boys-because-they-want-a-girl-using-ivf/

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7222

Response to Billy's Post

When I was looking for something to respond to this week I stumbled upon Billy’s post about global warming. I thought the point he gave were very valid and made sense. Here is what he said:

“So is global warming caused by humans or is it natural? I think that global warming is caused by humans. In the past there have been cold and warm weather periods and some scientists believe that it’s natural, but most scientists say that humans are the main cause. In recent graphs and scales CO2 levels seem to be rising up off the charts and the temperature seems to follow along meaning the more Co2 in the air the higher the temperature. We Americans live in a place were industries and companies are big in money and in pollution. For years, scientists have been arguing about this but no one can find the correct answer. I say we don’t take any chances that whether it is natural or not and we should stop polluting the air and drive more eco-friendly cars to save this planet.”

All of his points were great. For example when he says he thinks global warming is caused by humans it immediately made sense to me. If human never existed or they used fewer resources from the earth, the earth wouldn’t be as bad as it is now. Two scientist, Raymond Bradley, Michael Mann, and Malcolm Hughes, did a study that proven over the last 1000 years temperatures have raised a large amount compared to all of the years before that. They also saw that the greenhouse gases were the main problem. I believe there are ways to stop global warming, but we have to start doing it now if it is going to work. The first step we have to do is produce less garbage. If we all produced less garbage that would be more space that isn’t a landfill and that is less gas that goes into the air from garbage trucks. Just doing that could help grandly. Another thing you can do is turn off lights or appliances when you aren’t using them. I remember reading somewhere that if you turn of lights enough power is saved to power a small town for a day or something like that. The point is if we treat the world right it will be here for many years to come.

free topic

I couldn’t think of what to write of for the longest time and then it hit me. So I have decided to write about the atom bombs that were dropped on two cities in Japan. I want to talk about if they were necessary. In my own beliefs I believe dropping an atom bomb on a whole city of innocent people is ridiculous. After seeing picture of what those things do to people it just make you think how horrible it is. Instead of dropping an atomic bomb they could have used regular bombs which are much more humane. In my opinion dropping something that devastating on such a small place is kind of like putting firecrackers in an ant hill. It is just overkill.

Some people might try to counter this argument in a couple of ways. First they might say,” look what they did to Pearl Harbor. They deserved it.” I disagree with this because yes, they did attack us first, but as Gandhi said,” an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind”. This is basically saying that if people are in a conflict they will both encounter pain and they both would have better if they just left the conflict in the first place. The second argument would be,” they deserve it because of what they did in Nanking”. Yes what they did in Nanking was horrible and disgusting, but if we do what we did are we any better? The answer is no. There are better ways to solve problems than through violence, but they don’t always work. My point is that it is not okay to do what we did.

I know many people might disagree with me and others will be behind me. I hope this has made you at least think differently than you have before.