final. blog.

* What have you learned throughout this course? What do you know now that you didn't know before? What have you gained?


What have I learned throughout this course? Hmm.. I think that's kind of a loaded question. I think that I was lucky enough to learn a lot throughout this course, at least a lot more than I thought I would. For one this course definitely made me open my eyes to different kinds of books. When I first took a look at the reading list for the semester I was a bit intrigued, I recognized some of the titles so that immediately made me a little more excited about the course.  Push, Yo, and The Vagina Monologues were the first books that caught my eye because they are some of the more well known books on the list. I hadn't heard of any of the other books.  I found the first two books, 19 Varieties of Gazelle, and Krik Krak, to be extremely boring, after we finished with those I was kind of like, "ugh here we go again, another boring english class," but as we got into The Vagina Monologues that's when I really started to get into the course.  After reading one book that I liked I found the other books to be not as bad.  So I think that played a big role in keeping me open to the other books in this course.  This course also kept me open to different writing styles.  Fun Home was by far the most interesting book in terms of it's style.  I had never read a graphic novel before so that was very different for me.  I found that I am not a big fan of graphic novels, I found it a little difficult to pay attention with all of the pictures and words everywhere.  19 Varieties of Gazelle was a poem book which I also found unappealing.  For me it was difficult to connect the poems because it wasn't really a story. Well it was but not in a normal sense. Each poem told a different story but they all didn't directly connect which made it unappealing for me.  Something that I found out throughout this course that I didn't know before was that I enjoy the writing style of vignettes.  The Vagina Monologues, I am an Emotional Creature, and 2 or 3 Things I Know for Sure, were some of my favorite books during this course and they were all vignettes. I'm not exactly sure what it is about this style that's so appealing to me. But I like how each story is its own.  It's longer than a poem so I can start to get lost in it, but it's not so long that it starts to get boring.  With each of those books I found myself able to related to many of the stories which made reading them all the more fun.  Something I also found out was that I really dislike books that I can't find any way to connect to.  Some of my least favorite books were 19 Varieties of Gazelle, Krik Krak, and When the Emperor Was Divine, and I think that the reason I wasn't able to really give those books a chance was that I couldn't find any connection, so immediately I was standoffish to those books.  What I have gained the most from this course is an appreciation for different styles, authors, and topics.  I have a favorite woman author, Jodi Picoult, but Eve Ensler has shoved her way into my heart with these two books and the movie that we were fortunate enough to see.  She has opened up a new way of looking at things for me and it something that I will keep with me forever. 

Two or Three Things I Know for Sure 2

With Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, I still find myself stuck on the family dynamic of the book.  I just don't get why Dorothy's mom and aunt were so secretive when it came to the family tree, I'm not sure what they were trying to hide from here. Like what could have been so bad, or what did they have to be ashamed of? I come from an open family so it just makes me wonder why they are so against sharing things with Dorothy.  I was also not a fan of the way the men is Dorothy's family treated the women.  The fact that it was an autobiography made that worse.  I hate to think of women being abused in any way and verbal abuse is definitely a no-no.  I guess what made me dislike that so much is that obviously I'm a woman so I wouldn't want to be treated like that. But I have grown up in a family where the women are cherished and almost put up on a pedestal.  If a man in my family were to refer to any woman as an 'ugly bitch' or anything else along those lines there would be repercussions.  It's appalling to refer to a woman like that, any woman: daughter, wife, sister, mom, niece, grand child. It's disgusting so I was almost offended reading those words.  I think the men in Dorothy's family need to have more respect because women do a lot for them. Women did much more for men back when this story was set than they do now. So it's shameful for them not to appreciate it.  I'm still a bit hung up on those things and can't really get passed them at the moment.

Two or Three Things I Know For Sure 1

The latest book we are reading in class, Two or Three Things I Know For Sure, caught my attention really quickly.  It's probably one of my favorite books we have read in this class so far.  Dorothy Allison jumps in immediately and it catches my attention nicely.  One of the first things DA said that caught my attention was the mention of her big family.  Immediately it made me think of my own family, my mother is one of 9 and my father is one of 14 so I plenty of aunts, uncles, and cousins.  The story about the family tree also brought back another friendly memory.  I can remember a few times where I was given this assignment in class and I had to make a condensed version of my family.  Unlike DA's mother, my mom always welcomed this project.  I'm still not sure why her family was so opposed to helping Dorothy fill out her family tree, but I guess I'm happy my family always helped me fill out mine.  "All through the funeral rituals, we acted as if we had become careful strangers." DA's story about her mother passing away ended up being sort of a tear jerker for me.  While I have luckily not had the misfortune of having a parent pass away, I have had plenty of relatives pass away and I can relate to taking myself as out of the moment as possible and pretending I was somewhere or someone else. As I got further into the story I still couldn't really find a reason why DA's mother keeps so much hidden, or is so reluctant to share information with Dorothy.  I'm not sure if it's a lack of trust, or a fear of sharing. I don't know and it's kind of bugging me.  Perhaps it's because I can relate to looking at photos and asking tons of questions and wanting to learn more, and being told stories upon stories of the people in the photos.

The Shawl 3

Rosa's reaction outside the hotel was extremely intense.  In class we kind of agreed that she was probably a little crazy or insane when she bugged out at the manager, but I believe it was a little more than that.  I really believe that Rosa felt her independence and freedom were being put in jeopardy by the fence blocking the beach.  It brought back some not so fond memories of the camps.  Her rant about Dr. Tree was very random and I do think she had a few screws loose in her head.  The barbed wire signifies to Rosa being trapped or even kind of captured, and obviously she was traumatized by the Nazi's in the concentration camp she was detained in and she doesn't enjoy the feeling of being trapped or not allowed to go somewhere.  Although Rosa lives a life where she kind of puts herself back into her past by depriving herself of luxuries and things she doesn't feel she deserves, it is all her choice. And I think she freaked out at the manager of the hotel because he was denying her of a freedom or a liberty and she didn't like that feeling. Since Rosa's rant about Dr. Tree was so random and brought on by nothing it did appear out of place and strange.  I don't think the manager knew what was going on I think he was ambushed a bit by a semi-crazy woman.  Rosa lives her life in the past so she thinks that the world is out to get her, which is also partially part of the reason she has such a strong reaction to the hotel manager. I think she is just an extremely confused woman trying to get through the misfortunes she has gone through in life.

The Shawl 2

The character Rosa takes quite the emotional journey throughout the book.  She is traumatized in the concentration camps by the brutal Nazi's and she is devastated by the murder of her young daughter Magda. Her daughter's murder was truly a tragedy, Rosa was doing such a good job of hiding her and then Stella ruined it by taking the shawl.  Although I don't really know what Rosa was like before being in the concentration camps I do believe that experience changed her.  It is impossible to watch your child get murdered and not be affected.  After Rosa is out of the concentration camps she moves to the States with Stella and she builds a successful life, she owns an antique store and does well for herself.  Rosa doesn't believe that she deserves the life that she has built for herself so she smashes everything she has worked for and it all crumbles in front of her eyes.  Rosa is very much in a victim mindset.  Her experiences in the concentration camps have left her almost living in the past.  She doesn't believe her present or her future deserve to be bright.  She wants to live in the dark, dark, dark.  In Florida, Rosa lives in a grimy hotel, which resembles more of a black hole than a hotel.  She deprives herself of everything she truly deserves. After her traumatic experiences she deserves to live the best life possible but she continues to tell herself that she is a victim, and shouldn't.  She writes letters to an imaginary Magda trying to keep her memory alive but I really think it is more harmful than helpful to her.  By writing letters to Magda she lives in the past, a past that has hurt her immensely. She doesn't know how to take those experiences and grow from them. All she lets herself know is how to be a victim.

The Shawl 1

The opening of this story makes me believe that the shawl is some sort of symbol of protection or safety.  The little baby girl Magda is wrapped in the shawl and as long as she's in the shawl nothing can hurt her. Not the weather or the lack of food. Rosa and Stella even go as far as saying it is magic because it manages to keep Magda alive for three days without food.  Even though Magda is extremely malnourished but she still manages to live for some time and learn how to walk.  The shawl also has some sort of magic mystique because it manages to hide Magda.  Magda helps out her cause by staying quiet.  "Then Stella took away the shawl and made Magda die. When Stella steals Magda's shawl she runs or hobbles in search of it and manages to get taken by a Nazi soldier when Rosa goes to get the shawl for her.  The shawl's magic runs out when it's not with Magda and Magda dies.  While I really don't think the shawl was 'magic' I do believe there was some mystique to it.  It was a little safety blanket that made Rosa feel better about Magda. Stella was definitely jealous of Magda and her magic shawl.  I think Stella was extremely jealous of the love and care that Rosa gave to Magda and she just wanted to feel some of that affection.  I don't think that Stella went about things the right way and I don't think she caused the death of Magda it was definitely just a bad coincidence.  She was just searching for a bit of protection and safety for herself.  In the concentration camps you never know when your time is going to be up, so I think Stella was just looking for something to make herself feel better about everything.

Emperor 2

I really liked the in-class writing question that we had on Friday so I would like to continue my blog post on that.  To me the clear answer to the question about the horses was that they represented freedom and they kind of represented the Japanese as well.  The horses were brought over by the Spaniards and freed, but they aren't free forever. At least not all of the horses some of the horses are captured by cowboys, according to the daughter.  When I read that line I immediately began to think of the horses as the Japanese and the cowboys represented the American government.  The cowboys think they can do whatever they want and capture the horses whenever they feel like it just like Americans and the American government think that they are entitled to everything and can do whatever they want as well. The horses are just kind of innocent creatures that have been freed and allowed to run wild, similar to the Japanese.  They have made the trip over to the United States they want to work towards the best life possible and the Americans are intruding on their freedom.  They come in and take, take, take. Just as the cowboys do. The horses represent freedom because they are everything that the boy and girl aren't right now.  They are allowed to run free and do as they please. But these poor children have been uprooted from their lives because of the choices of a few of their kind.  A large group of Japanese people ruined it for everyone and it is very unfair. So I believe that the horses represent the freedom that these kids wish they had again.  The horses are also kind of a representation of the American dream for immigrants.  They were brought over by people and set free and allowed to make what they could out of the world.  The mother came over from Japan and had 2 children and has tried to make the best out of this great opportunity she was given but there's people intruding on her dream just like there are people intruding on the lives of the horses.

When the Emperor was Divine 1

I think the mother in When the Emperor was Divine is an extremely vital character.  She plays a very strong role. She is the sole provider for her children, she is the emotional, physical, and mental soldier for her family.  She provides for her two children while her husband is off in jail, because the government fears he may be some sort of traitor or spy.  She has tried to give her children the best life possible by allowing them to grow up very American.  They are English speaking kids, they do not speak Japanese they participate in normal children activities such as baseball and piano.  The mother is very much the emotional leader or rock of the family.  It is her job to help the children cope with the fact that their father is no longer around.  She has to play both mom and dad.  She puts up a facade for her children.  She never allows them to know when things are not going as well as they could be going.  The mother knows all along that she and the children are going to be taken into the internment camps but she still goes on with life as everything is okay for her children.  She is the physical leader for her family, she brings home the bacon, makes sure everything is all set for her kids, looks after the home and their pets.  She is a wonder woman for her children.  I believe that so far in this book the mother is the most important character.  She is everything to her kids. She wants to give them the best life possible and she wants to shelter them from any heartache.

Push 2

In class today my group wondered why it took Precious so long to start doing something about her situation.  For many years she was abused sexually, physically, emotionally, and mentally, and teachers just passed her through the system, but why didn't she stand up for herself? I came to two conclusions: Precious must have been afraid of any possible consequences that come with 'snitching' or 'squealing', or she didn't have the faith or trust in anyone around her to say anything.  I think Precious was deathly afraid of what would have happened if she had actually told the school what was going on at home, or gone to the local police, or someone else she could have helped.  Her mother was an extremely violent person and I have no doubt that there would have been serious repercussions if Precious would have told someone with authority what was going on.  If Precious would have told anyone that she was being sexually abused by her father I think her mother would have killed her because she was so worried about keeping him in her life.  I also believe that Precious kept quiet because she didn't trust anyone.  She didn't believe that anyone would help her and I think that's what kept her shut for so long.  No one did anything to prove to Precious that they cared or wanted to help.  All teachers did was pass her along for so long and the school system punished her for things that she didn't really have control over so I think she was scared to go to them because all they had provided were bad times in her life.  I think she didn't go to police because of the time period and the type of community she lived in. I'm sure that she had only had bad experiences with cops before so she didn't think that they were capable of doing any good for someone like her.

Push 1

The book Push highlights the flaws of many institutions.  While these flaws may not be the case in every community they are the case in too many communities.  Precious is passed along from grade to grade because no one wants to step in and take the initiative the set her on the right track.  Teachers, administrators, social workers, counselors, principles,...everyone passes her along. Everyone knows there is a problem but none of them want to put in the effort to contribute to the solution. To go along with what we discussed a bit in class Precious is failed by just about everyone.  She is failed by the school system, her family, the community, social services, the police,  and the hospital. The school system allows her to go from grade to grade without making her earn it.  Precious could have very well graduated as an illiterate 18 year old because the school didn't want to have to put in the effort to actually help her learn.  It's sad, because someone her age should not be unable to read and write. These are basic skills taken for granted but no one wanted to help Precious.  Precious is failed by her mother, her father, and her grandmother.  Her mother abuses her in ways no child should be abused and tells Precious she is to blame for the bad things that happen to her. Her father is a no good scum bag who forces Precious to do things she doesn't want to do and he forces her to face lifelong battles.  Kids don't disappear Precious is responsible for her kids for her whole life.  Her grandmother fails her because she doesn't do anything about Precious' situation at home.  She allows all her daughter to hurt Precious. She has the choice to pull her out just like she took Precious' first child but she just sits back and watches.  Precious is failed by social services, the hospital, and the police because they don't do anything about her situation.  They know who the father of her child is and that it's not an acceptable situation and they allow it to happen.  Precious is failed by her community because they know what is going on.  Her neighbors hear the abuse but they don't do anything about it.  It is amazing how Precious perseveres because she was given a formula to fail and she eventually finds a way to make the most of it.

Fun Home 3

The mother and father in Fun Home have an interesting relationship.  In my opinion I think that they are together just for the sake of their children.  I do not believe that they love each other. At least not in a romantic sense.  The father is gay, so obviously he have no attraction to the mother, and she just kind of goes through the motions of life.  Also, another thing I've noticed about their relationship is that they don't seem to respect each other.  The way they talk to each other in their arguments shows a lack of respect The father says, "get back in here!" and he also calls her a 'crazy bitch.' It's just not the way you would expect a husband and wife to communicate with one another.  Another thing that shows the father's lack of respect towards the mother are his affairs.  Not only is it wrong to have sexual relationships with others while you are married, he also deceives her and doesn't tell her that he is really attracted to men.  I think that's a double fault.  He has lied to her throughout the course of their marriage and that is a huge wrong.  The lack of affection shown by the mother and father towards each other affects the children greatly.  They don't really have a sense for what a relationship is supposed to be like.  They know that moms and dads are supposed to love each other and show affection but they do not get to witness it.  They also have weird relationships with their parents, more so with their dad than with their mom.  One of the kids mentions trying to give their dad a kiss goodnight and failing awkwardly and it's because growing up they didn't experience these things and I think that is going to hurt their future relationships.  I think that kids will be unable to show affection in their own relationships when they grow.

Fun Home 2

 After finishing my last post a bit confused I continued to read a bit more of the book to try and become less confused, but as I should have expected this book keeps me guessing.  At the end of the first chapter the father dies/commits suicide, but at the beginning of chapter two we see that it's not so clear cut.  People are unsure as to if it was an accident or a suicide gone wrong/right depending on how you look at it.  Some of the people at the funeral were raving about how good a man the father was but they were only going off what they saw on the outside.  The man who restored houses and had a perfect family.  They didn't get to see the hard times the children went through, dealing with his need for perfection, his lack of affection, and his abuse.  In chapter two it is mentioned that they refer to the funeral home that the family owns as the 'fun home,' I think that the funeral home got it's name because that was the only place where the children were allowed to be children.  The father was so structured and fun sucking that the kids could only have fun at the 'fun home,' there they could escape the grasp of their father and let their imaginations run free. I truly believe the father comes off as coldhearted because that's all he knows from growing up, and a line in chapter two confirms my thoughts, 'maybe this was the same his own notoriously cold father had shown him his first cadaver.' The father is so cold because he was probably treated the same way when he was growing up.  

Fun Home 1

I wasn't too sure what to expect when I bought the book, when I opened the book I was surprised to see a comic book like format. I wasn't sure if it would stay that way throughout the whole book so I flipped through the pages to see that I should expect this style throughout the whole book.  I found the book a little difficult to read at times.  I forgot my dictionary at school (joke) so I had a little trouble understanding some of the words.  I also found the book to be kind of funny. I liked the little box when the son and the dad talk about the curtains for his room.  So far I'm not a fan of the father in this story.  He is too anal for my liking, I also don't like the tone he uses with his children. It seems to always be his way or the highway.  I'm not sure if I am reading it the right way but he seems physically abusive as well so that was a big turnoff in regards to his character. 'I grew to resent the way my father treated his furniture like children, and his children like furniture,' I think that the father has some serious issues. Growing up something must have gone terribly wrong for him to be such a perfectionist in one aspect of his life and not others.  All he cares about is his house being perfect but he doesn't care about being perfect for his children.  He seems to be all about the material. What I've managed to read of this book so far has me quite confused.  There is mention of the father having sex with young boys but it was only mentioned once and not again, so it makes me wonder if it really happened or not or it the kids are just being overdramatic about things.  I look forward to reading more and decoding this mysterious but interesting book.

Timeline: Minerva

1938

- smack's her pet rabbit to leave her pen (Symbolizes desire for freedom and stubbornness)

-goes to boarding school at Immaculada Concepcion (after she convinces her dad)

-becomes close friends with Sinita at school who tells her about Trujillo and the bad things he has done

1941

-schoolmate Lina, also her role model, becomes pregnant with Trujillo's baby, and is sent away as one of his many mistresses

1944

-performs a skit for Trujillo at his celebration where Sinita points a bow and arrow at Trujillo and gets them in trouble

-Minerva starts to believe in the movement and resistance against Trujillo

1949

-Graduated from boarding school and wants to go to law school but family wants her at home

-Meets Lio and finds letters he has written her in her father's pocket

-discovered that her father has been cheating on her mother and has a separate family (very, very angry and hurt)

-At the Discovery Day Dance, she dances with Trujillo who asks her about Lio which she denies and also is inappropriate, so she slaps him and leaves without her purse containing Lio's letters (scared of becoming one of his many mistresses)

-her father is arrested because of her actions and Minerva goes in for questioning

-makes a bet with Trujillo, wins, and Trujillo allows her to attend law school

1954-57

-her father dies as a result of being tortured while in prison

-gets married to Manolo

-finishes law school but Trujillo denies her license to practice

1960

-Minerva is on house arrest from recently being in prison for the past 7 months (prison changes her and she is no longer the same strong independent woman she once was)

-sisters want to write a letter to Trujillo and show the public of his wrongdoings but Minerva says no 

-her and her sisters (except for Dede who is against it) go to try and save the men but die trying

EC 2

I chose to do my blog on the monologue hunger. The first thing that drew me to it was the title. I knew it was going to be about someone who struggled with eating. Before I began reading I wasn't sure if it would be about an over eater or someone who doesn't eat.  Something else that also caught my attention was the way it was written. I enjoyed the blog style. It reminded me of journal entries.  The main character in Hunger struggles with body image, and even though these monologues may not be based off of one person's story they are things that really happen in our world.  Many, many teenage girls and teenage boys struggle with body image and go through similar things that this character goes through.  The character in this story continues to tell herself that she will look beautiful 'soon'. She's almost there but she's gotta see all of the bones in her body to be happy. She talks about how she tries to model herself after a cow, because they graze.  All of these things sound completely insane to me, but to her they make sense and they're her vision of perfect.  It's really sad how some people really live their life like this. "can't stop crying. disgust myself. family forced me to eat a meal 'cause it's christmas eve. now i'm gross. putrid. foul." The holidays are supposed to be a time of celebration, happiness, and just overall family time. Instead of this young lady enjoying the fact that she has a happy, healthy family, she's too worried about being forced to eat. It's disgusting no one should feel gross 24/7, everyone should be able to see some sort of beauty in themselves. There isn't a perfect image, and no one should ever go after a goal so hard that they hurt themselves.

i am an emotional creature 1

I chose to write my analysis on the monologue "Let Me In."  Although these monologues may be fiction I believe this one embodies some of the middle/high school world that is real.  Many girls are truly as fake and as vicious as the girls in this monologue and it is a sad sad thing to see.  I think this book would be a great read for middle schoolers.  A lot of it focuses on young women but I think even boys can relate to monologues like this one.  I think almost every student has gone through the range of emotions that the main character in this  monologue goes through.  She creeps into the 'in crowd' and then quickly finds out that one false mood gets you kicked out.  This monologue is a great way to show young girls that clicks are vicious, the main character manages to find herself passed out and waking up in the room of a friend, but it could have really ended up worse.  These kind of monologues could be used for role play situations, which is a great way to learn how to deal with bad situations in a safe environment.  Let me in is a great title for this monologue because at one point or another most kids find themselves on the outside looking in and willing to do anything they can just to fit in or be let into the 'cool' crowd.  The main character wants a pair of boots that her mother cannot afford. "She's constantly jeopardizing my position," she doesn't even think of all her mother would have to sacrifice for the boots she just thinks about what people at school will think.  What she needs to realize is that material things don't define a person someone's personality and the things they do in life matter.

The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could

I chose to do my analysis on the monologue, "The Coochi Snorcher That Could," I chose this monologue because it reminded me a lot of my psych class.  In my class we learned from one of Freud's theories that children's outlook on sexual things come directly from their parent's reactions.  In the monologue that mother reacted harshly when the main character touched her 'coochi snorcher' so from then on out the girl was scared of her vagina.  She was also unfortunate enough to have a few other bad experiences where her mother overreacted so she has a skewed view of her vagina.  The girl in this monologue is extremely naive, "I put Band-Aids over my coochi snorcher to cover the hole, but they fall off in the water," she believes that water will enter her vagina and make her explode.  She wasn't educated about her vagina, her mother seems like the type of woman who believes if you decided not to talk about something it doesn't exist, or that avoidance is the best method.  But as most people know avoidance or ignorance is not bliss, things will happen and things exist whether or not people decide to acknowledge them.  I believe her mother fears that the girl will become overly sexual if her vagina is talked about and that maybe she will go out and do promiscuous things. I also believe the girl is taken advantage of in the future by the older woman because she is naive and was not educated about her sexuality. If the woman was a man then I think everyone would have agreed that she took advantage of the younger girl. But because she was a woman, the line was kind of blurred. The girl didn't know what she was getting herself into so I truly believe she was taken advantage of, and I believe it happened because she wasn't educated and she was so naive about her 'coochi snorcher'.

Vagina Post #2

I think the monologue, 'My Angry Vagina' is extremely powerful.  We were lucky enough to have *enter student's name* read it for us in class, and she was absolutely phenomenal, she made that monologue come to life right before our eyes. This monologue really brought the vagina to life.  It gave the vagina feelings.  It voiced the vaginas and told everyone how it felt.  It questioned why things are the way they are, and told everyone how they should be. I found this monologue to be extremely humorous, the image of a vagina speaking out is just really funny to me. I think Ensler does a good job of using humor to make it less awkward to read the book. Instead of thinking, "oh i'm reading a book about vaginas" I find myself thinking, "oh this paints a really funny picture." Ensler personifies the vagina, she almost makes it a someone instead of just a something.

The Vagina Monologues Question 4

4)Emotion plays a huge role in what Ensler is trying to accomplish. Why is this? How does she use emotions like humor as a strategy? How does she move us from laughter to embarrassment to sadness to other emotional reactions and why do you think she is doing this?


I'm choosing to write my blog on the monologue I Was Twelve. My Mother Slapped Me.  I found this monologue to be humorous, sad, and embarrassing, all at the same time.  Obviously, as a female, I can relate on some level to the emotional and physical pain these women endured.  Getting your period is a right of passage, and many of the women who shared their experiences did not have pleasant ones.  My guess is that most of the women who shared their stories are well into their lives.  I found it funny to read the women's stories. It stunk for them but it made for a good read for others.  At the same time I found the stories a little sad, many of the stories mention women looking down and seeing blood on the floor, to me that's a traumatizing thought. I can not imagine being a young girl/woman and experiencing something so traumatizing, so I felt a bit of remorse for them.  I also felt a great deal of embarrassment for these women. "Eleven years old, wearing white pants. Blood started to come out," what that woman felt has got to be the worst thing in the world. I think the author chooses to go the route of taking us through so many emotional reactions because everyone can find one emotion to relate to.  Everyone may not always relate it back to their first period experience but they can all find life experiences to tie those emotions to.  

New York Day Women

This story struck my interest because Suzette has always believed certain things about her mother, but in this one outing her Suzette's mother kind of changes her whole perspective.  Suzette has this whole image of her mother and in one day it's shattered.  Suzette's mother does nothing wrong, this double life that she may live is by no means a shady one, but it seems to go against a few of the things Suzette grew up believing about her mom.  The last line of the passage really stuck out to me, "Shame is heavier than a hundred bags of salt," to me it sounds like the reason Suzette's mother may not have gone out with her as much as she may have wanted was because her mother did not feel good enough.  Suzette's mother may have felt like an outcast in America, like she did not belong, or may just like she brought Suzette down in the public image, and she did not want to do that to her daughter.  I think that Suzette's mother's "protection"/lack of being there, may have hurt Suzette more than her mother thinks or knows.  I don't think that Suzette's mother fears Suzette shaming herself but just that she will bring shame to Suzette.  Speaking from personal experience, growing up an immigrant or the child of immigrant parents is extremely difficult, as a child you just want to fit in and your parents want what is best for you, and I strongly believe Suzette's mother just wanted Suzette to fit in and that is why she refused to go out in public or to her school meetings.  Now that Suzette sees her mother out in public eating things she shouldn't, or contradicting some of the things she has said in the past I think she may want to question her, but I'm not sure if she will. If she does end up questioning her mother I hope she understands her reasoning for being the way she is.

2nd Response to 19 Varieties of Gazelle

Different Ways to Pray

BY NAOMI SHIHAB NYE

There was the method of kneeling,

a fine method, if you lived in a country

where stones were smooth.

The women dreamed wistfully of bleached courtyards,   

hidden corners where knee fit rock.

Their prayers were weathered rib bones,

small calcium words uttered in sequence,

as if this shedding of syllables could somehow   

fuse them to the sky.

There were the men who had been shepherds so long   

they walked like sheep.

Under the olive trees, they raised their arms—

Hear us! We have pain on earth!

We have so much pain there is no place to store it!

But the olives bobbed peacefully

in fragrant buckets of vinegar and thyme.

At night the men ate heartily, flat bread and white cheese,   

and were happy in spite of the pain,   

because there was also happiness.

Some prized the pilgrimage,

wrapping themselves in new white linen   

to ride buses across miles of vacant sand.   

When they arrived at Mecca   

they would circle the holy places,   

on foot, many times,

they would bend to kiss the earth

and return, their lean faces housing mystery.

While for certain cousins and grandmothers

the pilgrimage occurred daily,   

lugging water from the spring

or balancing the baskets of grapes.

These were the ones present at births,

humming quietly to perspiring mothers.

The ones stitching intricate needlework into children’s dresses,   

forgetting how easily children soil clothes.

There were those who didn’t care about praying.

The young ones. The ones who had been to America.   

They told the old ones, you are wasting your time.

      Time?—The old ones prayed for the young ones.   

They prayed for Allah to mend their brains,

for the twig, the round moon,

to speak suddenly in a commanding tone.

And occasionally there would be one

who did none of this,

the old man Fowzi, for example, Fowzi the fool,   

who beat everyone at dominoes,

insisted he spoke with God as he spoke with goats,   

and was famous for his laugh.

I chose Different Ways to Pray for my second literary analysis.  I chose this poem because I felt like everyone can find a way to relate to one of the stanzas. Each stanza gives the reader an idea of how some people like to worship, or ask God/whoever they believe in to listen.  I think that the poem mostly talks about people in Palestine, but it also makes references to America.  The stanzas do not really follow any pattern in terms of rhyming.  "There were those who didn't care about praying. The young ones. The ones who had been to America." I think this line shows how some people just take for granted what they are given, or where they manage to get in life.  The line after that talks about how the young tell the old that they are wasting their time by praying.  It's almost a slap to the face of the elderly/people still in Palestine.  Going to America is the ultimate dream for many, they spend day and night wishing, hoping, and praying that they can find there way to America. So for the young people to tell the old ones to "stop wasting time praying" it's a huge slap in the face, because praying might be all they have.  "The old ones prayed for the young ones." This line to me represents the differences in culture.  In America praying is not typically a daily routine for many who were born here.  Many Americans only seek God when they are in need.  But in a country like Palestine, children learn from a young age to always seek out Allah. So for the old to pray for the young is kind of like the elderly hoping and praying that their loved ones who find their way to America do not lose everything that they were taught.  

 

first analysis

Two Countries

Skin remembers how long the years grow when skin is not touched, a gray tunnel of singleness, feather lost from the tail of a bird, swirling onto a step, swept away by someone who never saw it was a feather. Skin ate, walked, slept by itself, knew how to raise a see-you-later hand. But skin felt it was never seen, never known as a land on the map, nose like a city, hip like a city, gleaming dome of the mosque and the hundred corridors of cinnamon and rope. Skin had hope, that's what skin does. Heals over the scarred place, makes a road. Love means you breathe in two countries. And skin remembers--silk, spiny grass, deep in the pocket that is skin's secret own. Even now, when skin is not alone, it remembers being alone and thanks something larger that there are travelers, that people go places larger than themselves. Naomi Shihab Nye I chose to do my analysis on the Two Countries poem.  My interpretation of the poem was the skin represents someone's heart.  The poem kind of describes the wear and tear of life on the heart. How someone's experiences leave marks on their hearts, and how it effects their mindsets. "Skin remembers how long the years grow when skin is not touched, a gray tunnel of singleness" Skin remembers how long the years grow, just as someone's heart remembers all of the pain, sorrow, happiness, and joy they have ever experienced. If someone cannot feel then their heart is going to become a black hole of nothing. They will be disjointed fro the world because they will not be able to make connections with anyone. A heart is what makes people human.

"Skin had hope, that's what skin does."
The heart is the holder of every wish and dream someone has. It is the keeper of all secrets and that is what I think this line is saying.  I think this is a very beautiful poem and I truly think that she is relating the skin to the heart.  The heart has wounds that have been scarred over, healed but never forgotten. It is a road map of everyone's journey, something that can always be traced.  

Alone

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

-Maya Angelou

I chose to look at this poem very literally. I picked because of the repeating lines 'Alone, all alone Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone.' It stuck out because I think it's a frequent thought in many peoples minds.  No one wants to live their lives all alone. Society portrays that everyone should have a spouse and many, many friends, and people shouldn't be loners forever.