The Reservation

            It is not fair to not be able to pursue our dreams and futures in the place we call home. It is a daily struggle when our fears and talents are tossed into a mixture of discrimination and segregation that never ends. These statements are fairly similar to the ideals Junior, from "The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian," had to say about his Indian reservation home. In this reservation, the people were very well known to each other, no one ever left and it was common to have many people die from a form of alcoholism.
            And yet, after finishing reading the book, there seems to be a parallel between my community and Junior's rez. The parallel would be the closeness in my community. Having very talkative parents myself, they are the ones always have the greeting welcome to anyone who walks by. I have lived in my neighborhood since I was two years old and I find  it fascinating how familiar I am with the neighbors. Sometimes, in the summer, my mom even gives some of her lovely plants to the neighbors just so they can start and grow some flowers in their garden.
            In the end, I guess an Indian reservation is such an extreme from the place I live today since the parallel that joins these two worlds could easily be seen around the globe. It feels nice to have a common element to share with everyone despite all of the cultural and regional differences going on in today's society.

Native Sons

     The segregation and racial discrimination that is currently going on in the American society is overwhelming, especially due to the dark times that were suffered in our nation's past during the Civil War. All of these feelings and emotions are well encompassed in the book Native Son, even though it was written during the 1930s. 

      One of the most special and touching moments in which the reader truly gets a sense of an African American's life during these times was during Max's speech in Bigger's trial. Max is a Communist who is in charge of shedding light and spreading the truth about Bigger's decisions and actions. Ultimately, Max wants the white community to see the injustice and criticism Bigger has had to live with since his very birth. Max calls Bigger a test symbol since Bigger is representing the African American community and everything in correlation to it. The poverty and unreliable leaders these people have had to live and grow up with are all caused by the over-protected white community. Max in its totality is trying to make the white people feel guilty and ashamed since they were the ones who caused the under-privileged to have this mentality and stereotype as a murder. 

The Principle to Live By

Considering all of the diversity that exists in society today, it seems quite hard to pick a single principle to live by. Yet, I have chosen to pick the principle of treat others as you would treat yourself. Although, at first it might seem as a bit of a cliche, most of the most efficient and reasonable principles are found to be cliches since they can be part of our everyday life. And so, the reason why I have decided to choose the following way of life is because it can easily cover every aspect of living. What I mean by this idea is that it can mean to love each other, respect each other, take care of each other, and so on as we would for ourselves. If together, as a society, can learn to treat each other with dignity and respect, much of the tensions and struggles that are faced could be dissolved. To also contribute with this principle, showing compassion and patience with others could lessen the stress and tensions among family, friends, a community and even a nation.

Janie

     In the story, "Their Eyes Were Watching God, " the main character is Janie, and as being a current reader of the book, I have some mixed feelings about her. To share my ideas and thoughts about her, I must establish some points about her life first.
     The first thing that I want to discuss is her goal of finding love. Janie, in the first half of the book, has already gone through two marriages. Her first marriage with Logan Killicks was something that I found quite strange. The fact that she chose to leave him and run towards an uncertain future seems extreme to me because I could never dream of doing such thing. Another thing about this action is that she married someone who is of such age difference of her. I know, as being a teenager in the twenty first century, I must keep the time period of the story in mind, yet it seems a big gap. In addition to this, I personally think that she was being childish and immature when she claimed that she couldn't stand him anymore. I felt bad for Logan because the details of the story portrayed him to be a nice man that did everything for her. Most importantly, he loved her as well because her rejecting him ever so often hurt him every time. I could see her being impatient with him but I think that she should have stayed in the marriage and tried to fix the marriage in a more adult-like way.
     Despite her marriages in the story, I agree with Janie's desire to find true love. I do believe that there is someone out there in the world that will make you the most happiest person in the world. Yet, I know this person is someone who will not only have the joys of marriage but as well as disagreements and maybe tough times. The part of this dream that I disagree with Janie is the way she decides to find or meet him. Personally, I would get to know the person first and spend a few moments together. The way that Janie approaches love is by rushing in immediately. If the person gives her some type of confidence or momentarily happiness, she believes it's love and decides to act dramatically. An example of this is Janie running away with Joe or deciding to marry Tea Cake and to sell the store. These actions seem desperate and extreme because they could turn out to be a mistake. As with her running away with Joe, she never imagined her to be sad and lonely when being married to him. She also disapproves of things that men do that don't satisfy her dreams. These actions make her seem childish and someone who doesn't really know what she is truly looking for.
      Another part of Janie that I would like to discuss is her grandmother's perspective on life. When I was reading the beginning chapters of the book, I knew that it was not the grandmother's intention to be ruining Janie's life. From the grandmother's perspective it seems reasonable to desire someone worthy of Janie's hand who has a stable life already established. Another reason why I can understand her perspective is because their family's history is full of heartbreaks and abandonment. Yet I also understand Janie's desire to have the chance to meet someone who she likes instead of pressuring a marriage.
      In conclusion, I like Janie's character. Her unique background history and development of a character creates a sense  of women empowerment that I thoroughly enjoy despite some actions that she might have committed.  

Thanks!

       To begin, I want to thank everyone in our class for being open-minded, humble, nice, and above all, welcoming. The first day of school, I was nervous once I stepped inside the room. I remember that I immediately looked around and saw some familiar faces sprinkled with new ones in the class. This new found fact gave me peace inside because it gave me a sense of home. And thankfully , I was not wrong. This class has given me the confidence to express my ideas and learn many things despite my shy personality. English class is one that I enjoy the pleasure and ease of learning.
       In our class, I personally would like to thank two amazing people, Genevieve and Veronica! Genevieve, thank you for being there and sharing the noon struggles everyday. Thanks for the extra help when my brain is tired and always sharing your eternal wisdom with me. I also enjoy our personal commentary with the clips and movies we see in class.
      Next, I would like to thank Veronica!! Veronica, you are an extraordinary and one of a kind person. I would never have imagined meeting you at the beginning of the year during lunch, but thankfully we did. Your uniqueness and quirkiness sometimes, brightens my day. During class, your ideas and thoughts help me organize mine and help me get through questions on tiring days. I am so glad that we have become close friends throughout the days and can't wait until track season starts!
     Last but not least, despite her not being in my period, I want to thank Michelle! :) Michelle, you and I have been great friends since last year in Tejano's, and I am glad we have stayed that way. I am grateful for the moments in which we share deep stuff and we quickly start laughing hysterically in class. Thanks for the laughs, candy, food, and advice that you have shared with me. Thanks, as well, for the English homework reminders you give me at the end of the day.
     Above all, thank you everyone for the amazing and entertaining year so far! Mr. McCarthy; thank you for opening my mind to new ideas and further understandings of things. I am so grateful of being in your class and having a great time. To all, Happy Thanksgiving and be happy surrounded by family and friends who you love dearly. Eat well!!

Hemingway

    Ernest Hemingway was an incredible writer that throughout his life battled with the fears of loneliness and stardom.
    At the early years of Hemingway's life, he had to deal with the trouble hoods of his parents. His mother was an opera singer that kept reminding her family that she was the big star that still could have had a life if it weren't for her. His father on the other had, was cruel and unhappy living with a woman he had nothing in common with him and had the upper hand in the household. This type of relationship between his parents caused the young writer to develop emotions and characteristics that reflected the absence of his parents.
   When Hemingway met his first of four wives, he knew that he was destined to be great. Yet the problem that Hemingway often encountered was the idea of being a man. His strive to being the most manly figure in society caused him to lost the interest of those around him. With the birth of his two sons, he tried to fill in the void of his father, yet he turned away his sons when it came to writing. Hemingway put writing above everything and everyone else, causing him to become a lonely man among his family and friends. As the years passed, Hemingway grew up to the title of a celebrity. With the new works that he published, he became a sensation among the famous, introducing him to the life of the party and drinks. This moment of his life ended with losing himself in the opinions of others. He saw that he finally had an effect in society and he was not going to let that go. People saw him as a man, and Hemingway finally got what he wanted.
   Despite the life that Hemingway dealt with, the emotions of loneliness, manliness, and stardom was reflected through his work. These real emotions of life were easily perceived through his works that later became famous in the literary world.

6 Stories: 6 Words

• Missing: Teenage Girl, Town's Shining Future.
• Mother of the Bride: Unworn Dress.
• Came out hero, ended up lying.
• Planned for one, finished with more.
• He found hope within tiny hole.
• Traveled through time: true or not?