About Me
Friday, March 27, 2009
disdain thing
The jocks strut through the hallways like they own them. They laugh and talk about the big game on Friday, not realizing that no one, well at least me, cares. The girl flock to them likes wild animals in search of food. These jocks may win and be strong but they don’t have the brains to make it in life after high school. These guys are big time now but in the end they’ll be nothing.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Their Eyes...God Quote
“A man is up against a hard game when he must die to beat it.”(pg 187)
Hurston’s book mainly focuses on the theme of a black woman finding her voice, but she also points out other issues that all blacks face even black men. This quote is in reference to Tea Cakes death, but one can use this quote to emphasize the struggles of a black man. Throughout the story, men treat the protagonist, Janie, awful, but at the same time these men are also dealing with their own issues, and the biggest one they have is being a black man in a white man’s world. All the men Janie gets involved with play only supporting roles, their struggles are overlooked due to Janie’s issue of finding her voice. This quote is can be connected to everyman in the story, and even to all black males in general.
The game that Hurston refers to is the game of life: black men edition. Black men have it hard and sometimes the only way to truly be free from struggle is to die. Tea Cakes had to deal with being black before he had rabies, Jody had to deal with it before his kidney’s failed him, and Logan was dealing with it before Janie ran out on him. These men may have treated Janie the way they did because they had other issues to deal with. Logan, Janie’s first husband, had to works twice as hard to get everything he had; he had to be the successful Negro of the town. He wanted a wife to please, and ease his struggle not create a burden like Janie did. His real struggle will never end until death frees him of it. Jody, Janie’s second husband, probably had the hardest game to play and Death truly eased his strife with being a black man in a white world. He never truly loved Janie as a person, but he needed her to help him accomplish a larger goal. Jody was a man with determination and a plan, so he really had it bad. Jody had a different state of mind from other blacks; Jody was smarter and stronger than the blacks in Eatonville. In order for Jody to be the mayor he had to be demanding and controlling, he had to make himself believe that he was god, better yet; he had to act like a white man. In order for Jody to become a leader he had to act like a white man, and look down upon his fellow black folk. This means that in order for a town to operate successfully, the leader must look down upon the black people like a white slave owner. It’s sad how a true black man can’t even run a black town. Jody’s struggle with being a black male ultimately ended with his death. Janie’s last husband, Tea Cakes, also faced he struggle of being a black man but he didn’t fight back and try to better himself. Tea cakes took up a life of loose activity and wild behavior. He didn’t try to fight for the betterment of his people and race like Jody and Logan, he spent his time enjoying life with other black folk who lived the same way he did. Problems only occurred for Tea Cake when Mrs. Turner was present or when white people were around. Tea Cake wasted precious time, ultimately wasting his life, and living as a lowly nigger, yes nigger but he faced the same fate as Jody, death.
Death seems to ease the pain of everything; it eases the pains of life. Life is a game, it’s a game that everyone plays differently, but it’s always going to be difficult for a black male. Hurston even said it in her novel, “Well u know whut dey say ‘uh white man and uh nigger woman is de freest thing on earth.’ Dey do as they please.” A black man will never have complete freedom while he is alive. The only real way for a black man to beat this game of life is to die.
(to all black males reading this.. dont kill urselves cause i really dont want that weight on yo momma's shoulders... ill b otay about it though.... and yes i said otay)
Hurston’s book mainly focuses on the theme of a black woman finding her voice, but she also points out other issues that all blacks face even black men. This quote is in reference to Tea Cakes death, but one can use this quote to emphasize the struggles of a black man. Throughout the story, men treat the protagonist, Janie, awful, but at the same time these men are also dealing with their own issues, and the biggest one they have is being a black man in a white man’s world. All the men Janie gets involved with play only supporting roles, their struggles are overlooked due to Janie’s issue of finding her voice. This quote is can be connected to everyman in the story, and even to all black males in general.
The game that Hurston refers to is the game of life: black men edition. Black men have it hard and sometimes the only way to truly be free from struggle is to die. Tea Cakes had to deal with being black before he had rabies, Jody had to deal with it before his kidney’s failed him, and Logan was dealing with it before Janie ran out on him. These men may have treated Janie the way they did because they had other issues to deal with. Logan, Janie’s first husband, had to works twice as hard to get everything he had; he had to be the successful Negro of the town. He wanted a wife to please, and ease his struggle not create a burden like Janie did. His real struggle will never end until death frees him of it. Jody, Janie’s second husband, probably had the hardest game to play and Death truly eased his strife with being a black man in a white world. He never truly loved Janie as a person, but he needed her to help him accomplish a larger goal. Jody was a man with determination and a plan, so he really had it bad. Jody had a different state of mind from other blacks; Jody was smarter and stronger than the blacks in Eatonville. In order for Jody to be the mayor he had to be demanding and controlling, he had to make himself believe that he was god, better yet; he had to act like a white man. In order for Jody to become a leader he had to act like a white man, and look down upon his fellow black folk. This means that in order for a town to operate successfully, the leader must look down upon the black people like a white slave owner. It’s sad how a true black man can’t even run a black town. Jody’s struggle with being a black male ultimately ended with his death. Janie’s last husband, Tea Cakes, also faced he struggle of being a black man but he didn’t fight back and try to better himself. Tea cakes took up a life of loose activity and wild behavior. He didn’t try to fight for the betterment of his people and race like Jody and Logan, he spent his time enjoying life with other black folk who lived the same way he did. Problems only occurred for Tea Cake when Mrs. Turner was present or when white people were around. Tea Cake wasted precious time, ultimately wasting his life, and living as a lowly nigger, yes nigger but he faced the same fate as Jody, death.
Death seems to ease the pain of everything; it eases the pains of life. Life is a game, it’s a game that everyone plays differently, but it’s always going to be difficult for a black male. Hurston even said it in her novel, “Well u know whut dey say ‘uh white man and uh nigger woman is de freest thing on earth.’ Dey do as they please.” A black man will never have complete freedom while he is alive. The only real way for a black man to beat this game of life is to die.
(to all black males reading this.. dont kill urselves cause i really dont want that weight on yo momma's shoulders... ill b otay about it though.... and yes i said otay)
Monday, January 26, 2009
My Trip
Eric Hayes
January 25, 2009
AP English III
Narrative
Topic #3
“I’m aint trying to go to freaking Orlando, I just want to stay at home and chill!” This is what I told my mother back in May of 2007, when she informed the family that she had planned a week and a half trip to Orlando, FL for the family. When my mother uses the words trip and family in the same sentence it means two things; one, everyone but my father would attend, meaning my mommy would have to tend to my sisters Kc and Kelsey, the one year old Twins, Eva and Evan, and me. And two, there would be a lot of screaming and yelling and I knew I wouldn’t enjoy any minute of this family vacation. This trip was supposedly planned for my sister as a graduation trip; it later turned into a conjoined graduation trip with one of my mother friends, who child was also graduating from the 8th grade with my sister Kc. I didn’t want to go but as soon as I found out that we were leaving the day before football camp started, I really didn’t want go. When I told my mother all I wanted to do was chill at home for the summer, I really meant it. Most people like to travel and do real fun, exciting things for summer, don’t get me wrong I enjoy doing stuff like that too, I just don’t like doing it a lot or when it interferes with something feel is more important. This trip and I were not going to get along, it was going to cause me to miss out on making money and playing football, the two most precious things to me, sports and cash money.
I tried everything to get out of this trip, I started cutting up at school, staying out late doing stupid stuff, I wanted to get in trouble so I didn’t have to go. Three days before we were supposed to leave I sat down with my parents and tried to convince them to let me stay home, but my mother came right out the blocks with a “No, you’re going.” That’s when she thought she could change my mind with a surprise trip to Disney World. Did she think I was 5 or something? I asked her did she really think Disney world was going to change my mind, of all things it only made me think of how agonizing this trip was going to be. I seemed there was no way I was going to get out of this gay trip, shoot I even spoiled the Disney world surprise but it was no use acting crazy anymore because on June 7, 2007 I would be on a 8:45 am trip to Orlando, Fl.
As my father drove us to Midway I fell asleep, and as I rested I dreamt of myself working at the golf course that morning making $200 off caddying just one round, then I imagined myself going to the first day of summer camp, with everyone applauding the arrival of Eric Hayes, then coach screamed, “Hooray Eric is Here, Thunderbirds Draw Near, As Our Opponents Quiver With Fear”. My marvelous dream quickly ended with, “Wake up son it’s time to go and get on your flight, come on get up!” a violent shake to wake me up accompanied the voice of my father. Hugs and “I love you”s were exchanged as we exited the car, luggage in hand and entered the airport at 6:20 am. The pilgrimage to gate B16 was dreadful as I had to go through the metal detectors about 6 times and was on the verge of being strip searched for narcotics because the dog seemed to act funny when I walked passed. Little did I know things were only going to get worse in the Air?
I recommend that no one but bums ever fly Air Tran Airways, the prices are cheap for a reason. I knew the airline was crap when I saw the flight attendants. I’m not saying that they were ugly or anything because they weren’t, it’s just that their posture and extremely fake smiles basically said, “Oh my god I hate this, I hate this, I freaking hate this, wish I would have applied for Southwest.” Then the look she made when she saw me holding my twin baby brother and sister yelled, “Coons with children, oh my god I don’t know if I can do this today, I hope I don’t have to serve them.” This same chick had the nerve to run up to me smiling and say with her Southern accent, “Well it’s just lovely to see a young male with two darlin’ little babies.” When I told her they were my siblings and my mom and sisters were coming behind me she looked as though she had just smelt the fart of a lactose intolerant person who just ate ice cream with a glass of milk on the side. This was the crappiest airplane I’ve ever flown on. The floor wasn’t vacuumed, the seats felt like they were made from cardboard and stuffed with toilet tissue, and to make matters worse they had no peanuts. The whole flight I held babies while everyone got to fall asleep, so when we got off the plane I couldn’t feel my arms. I was ready to go home, bump Disney World.
I was looking forward to lying down in bed but this would also be delayed. Instead of staying at a hotel my mother booked a town home so that we feel nice and comfortable in Orlando. My mother kept saying that the place was close but some stuff happened and my hope of lying down in a bed would be delayed for 3 hours. After we got the rental car and began driving to our temporary home, my mother turned on her phone and she saw that she had a new voicemail. The message was from my mother’s friend, Mrs. Allen. Now my mother had been trying to call Mrs. Allen from my sisters phone to see if she, her daughter, and two grand children, had made it safely, but it turned out that Mrs. Allen and crew had missed their flight. So we had to drive around for forty minutes to wait for Mrs. Allen to land and I had to go back in the airport and retrieve them. We wasted another 2 hours driving to get the key to the houses, Mrs. Allen had also rented a home in the same area we had, and getting lost. By the time we got to the houses everyone was crying for food, I still wanted to sleep so I stayed behind and rested. About 6 hours had passed before I saw anyone else again. I woke up around 5 pm and was starving. I thought my mother came back and left me some food but I was wrong, they hadn’t returned yet. I eventually got up and walked this foreign land to find the nearest restaurant or store so I could feast. This walk would last me a hour and a half and by the time I returned to the house they still weren’t back yet, so I chilled. They returned around 11:30 pm with store bags in hand. They didn’t get me anything, I was devastated.
The next two days consisted of me doing absolutely nothing but babysitting, sleeping, and swimming at a local pool. I was sick of Orlando; it was hot, sticky, funky, and the people there have staring problems. Everyone was enjoying themselves but me, and then my mother brought up Disney world again. The agonizing pain I felt in my head when DW was brought up. My mom had a friend who worked there so she got free tickets when she needed some, so she and Mrs. Allen planned on going the next day. I decided to go to Disney World just to see some new scenery. The next day was my first time ever going to Disney World; I didn’t really want to be there because I felt I was too old and mature for such a child like places. Once we arrived I noticed that there seemed to be thousands of people there, and these where all kinds of people not just families with their children. Once we were inside the park we greeted by Goofy. It was strange because I felt a little excited to see him and take photos. I began to ease up a bit but I still felt that DW was gay. Technically it was gay, because when I saw Chip n Dale, my inner child jumped for joy. I loved watching the Rescue Rangers, so I whisper to my mother if we could go in that direction. She knew why I wanted to go in that direction so she laughed and said sure. Photos were taken and I was feeling kind of excited to be here but I didn’t want anyone to know that so I put on a front and kept acting grumpy. Then Cinderella asked all of us to take a group photo at the photo shop. I was in awe, I knew that this really wasn’t Cinderella but deep down I wanted to believe. The magic of Disney World was creeping up behind me.
Originally we walked the park in one large group viewing all the activities going on all around us. At one point I had to go to the bathroom, and I went, but on my way out I saw a Mr. Donald Duck walking somewhere, I had this itch to follow him and venture out on my own. I scratched this itched and began to room the vast land know as Magic Kingdom on my own. About 30 seconds later my mother called me on my cell phone asking where was I, I told her I was gone and she and everyone else could continue without me. At every attraction I stopped and got in line, I eventually cut lines pretending that my family was up ahead and I just went to the bathroom, no one questioned me. I took pictures of everything and with every Disney character I every loved, even some I didn’t love. Magic Kingdom was my kingdom, and I came out to play. With everyone else gone I had complete freedom, but limited funds. In my first day at Disney World I got on just about everything at Magic Kingdom. When I met with the group back at the front gate, ran to them with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Disney World was the best thing I had ever experienced. Over the next 3 days I went to Disney World, two of those days I had my mother and Mrs. Allen drop me off by myself and I spent the whole day there. I went to every attraction at MGM Studios and Magic Kingdom, but only some of the stuff at Epcot. I did other stuff while in Orlando, like attend Universal Studios and stuff, but nothing could touch Disney World. When I was there I felt the magic transform me into a little kid again. Disney World was the best place in America at least on the East Coast.
The family vacation changed my life, Disney World changed my life. I felt pretty stupid because I acted so crazy to try and get out of the trip, but in the end I think I enjoyed it the most. My sister and her friend were happy to graduate but they didn’t seem to enjoy Florida like I did, and my mom and Mrs. Allen had to spend money and watch people so I don’t suspect they really had any time to enjoy everything. I felt kind of sad my dad didn’t come, but I quickly forgot about that as I put on my Mickey Mouse ears as we walked in the airport to fly back on that crappy plane to go back to home sweet home. I hope I can take another trip like that.
January 25, 2009
AP English III
Narrative
Topic #3
“I’m aint trying to go to freaking Orlando, I just want to stay at home and chill!” This is what I told my mother back in May of 2007, when she informed the family that she had planned a week and a half trip to Orlando, FL for the family. When my mother uses the words trip and family in the same sentence it means two things; one, everyone but my father would attend, meaning my mommy would have to tend to my sisters Kc and Kelsey, the one year old Twins, Eva and Evan, and me. And two, there would be a lot of screaming and yelling and I knew I wouldn’t enjoy any minute of this family vacation. This trip was supposedly planned for my sister as a graduation trip; it later turned into a conjoined graduation trip with one of my mother friends, who child was also graduating from the 8th grade with my sister Kc. I didn’t want to go but as soon as I found out that we were leaving the day before football camp started, I really didn’t want go. When I told my mother all I wanted to do was chill at home for the summer, I really meant it. Most people like to travel and do real fun, exciting things for summer, don’t get me wrong I enjoy doing stuff like that too, I just don’t like doing it a lot or when it interferes with something feel is more important. This trip and I were not going to get along, it was going to cause me to miss out on making money and playing football, the two most precious things to me, sports and cash money.
I tried everything to get out of this trip, I started cutting up at school, staying out late doing stupid stuff, I wanted to get in trouble so I didn’t have to go. Three days before we were supposed to leave I sat down with my parents and tried to convince them to let me stay home, but my mother came right out the blocks with a “No, you’re going.” That’s when she thought she could change my mind with a surprise trip to Disney World. Did she think I was 5 or something? I asked her did she really think Disney world was going to change my mind, of all things it only made me think of how agonizing this trip was going to be. I seemed there was no way I was going to get out of this gay trip, shoot I even spoiled the Disney world surprise but it was no use acting crazy anymore because on June 7, 2007 I would be on a 8:45 am trip to Orlando, Fl.
As my father drove us to Midway I fell asleep, and as I rested I dreamt of myself working at the golf course that morning making $200 off caddying just one round, then I imagined myself going to the first day of summer camp, with everyone applauding the arrival of Eric Hayes, then coach screamed, “Hooray Eric is Here, Thunderbirds Draw Near, As Our Opponents Quiver With Fear”. My marvelous dream quickly ended with, “Wake up son it’s time to go and get on your flight, come on get up!” a violent shake to wake me up accompanied the voice of my father. Hugs and “I love you”s were exchanged as we exited the car, luggage in hand and entered the airport at 6:20 am. The pilgrimage to gate B16 was dreadful as I had to go through the metal detectors about 6 times and was on the verge of being strip searched for narcotics because the dog seemed to act funny when I walked passed. Little did I know things were only going to get worse in the Air?
I recommend that no one but bums ever fly Air Tran Airways, the prices are cheap for a reason. I knew the airline was crap when I saw the flight attendants. I’m not saying that they were ugly or anything because they weren’t, it’s just that their posture and extremely fake smiles basically said, “Oh my god I hate this, I hate this, I freaking hate this, wish I would have applied for Southwest.” Then the look she made when she saw me holding my twin baby brother and sister yelled, “Coons with children, oh my god I don’t know if I can do this today, I hope I don’t have to serve them.” This same chick had the nerve to run up to me smiling and say with her Southern accent, “Well it’s just lovely to see a young male with two darlin’ little babies.” When I told her they were my siblings and my mom and sisters were coming behind me she looked as though she had just smelt the fart of a lactose intolerant person who just ate ice cream with a glass of milk on the side. This was the crappiest airplane I’ve ever flown on. The floor wasn’t vacuumed, the seats felt like they were made from cardboard and stuffed with toilet tissue, and to make matters worse they had no peanuts. The whole flight I held babies while everyone got to fall asleep, so when we got off the plane I couldn’t feel my arms. I was ready to go home, bump Disney World.
I was looking forward to lying down in bed but this would also be delayed. Instead of staying at a hotel my mother booked a town home so that we feel nice and comfortable in Orlando. My mother kept saying that the place was close but some stuff happened and my hope of lying down in a bed would be delayed for 3 hours. After we got the rental car and began driving to our temporary home, my mother turned on her phone and she saw that she had a new voicemail. The message was from my mother’s friend, Mrs. Allen. Now my mother had been trying to call Mrs. Allen from my sisters phone to see if she, her daughter, and two grand children, had made it safely, but it turned out that Mrs. Allen and crew had missed their flight. So we had to drive around for forty minutes to wait for Mrs. Allen to land and I had to go back in the airport and retrieve them. We wasted another 2 hours driving to get the key to the houses, Mrs. Allen had also rented a home in the same area we had, and getting lost. By the time we got to the houses everyone was crying for food, I still wanted to sleep so I stayed behind and rested. About 6 hours had passed before I saw anyone else again. I woke up around 5 pm and was starving. I thought my mother came back and left me some food but I was wrong, they hadn’t returned yet. I eventually got up and walked this foreign land to find the nearest restaurant or store so I could feast. This walk would last me a hour and a half and by the time I returned to the house they still weren’t back yet, so I chilled. They returned around 11:30 pm with store bags in hand. They didn’t get me anything, I was devastated.
The next two days consisted of me doing absolutely nothing but babysitting, sleeping, and swimming at a local pool. I was sick of Orlando; it was hot, sticky, funky, and the people there have staring problems. Everyone was enjoying themselves but me, and then my mother brought up Disney world again. The agonizing pain I felt in my head when DW was brought up. My mom had a friend who worked there so she got free tickets when she needed some, so she and Mrs. Allen planned on going the next day. I decided to go to Disney World just to see some new scenery. The next day was my first time ever going to Disney World; I didn’t really want to be there because I felt I was too old and mature for such a child like places. Once we arrived I noticed that there seemed to be thousands of people there, and these where all kinds of people not just families with their children. Once we were inside the park we greeted by Goofy. It was strange because I felt a little excited to see him and take photos. I began to ease up a bit but I still felt that DW was gay. Technically it was gay, because when I saw Chip n Dale, my inner child jumped for joy. I loved watching the Rescue Rangers, so I whisper to my mother if we could go in that direction. She knew why I wanted to go in that direction so she laughed and said sure. Photos were taken and I was feeling kind of excited to be here but I didn’t want anyone to know that so I put on a front and kept acting grumpy. Then Cinderella asked all of us to take a group photo at the photo shop. I was in awe, I knew that this really wasn’t Cinderella but deep down I wanted to believe. The magic of Disney World was creeping up behind me.
Originally we walked the park in one large group viewing all the activities going on all around us. At one point I had to go to the bathroom, and I went, but on my way out I saw a Mr. Donald Duck walking somewhere, I had this itch to follow him and venture out on my own. I scratched this itched and began to room the vast land know as Magic Kingdom on my own. About 30 seconds later my mother called me on my cell phone asking where was I, I told her I was gone and she and everyone else could continue without me. At every attraction I stopped and got in line, I eventually cut lines pretending that my family was up ahead and I just went to the bathroom, no one questioned me. I took pictures of everything and with every Disney character I every loved, even some I didn’t love. Magic Kingdom was my kingdom, and I came out to play. With everyone else gone I had complete freedom, but limited funds. In my first day at Disney World I got on just about everything at Magic Kingdom. When I met with the group back at the front gate, ran to them with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Disney World was the best thing I had ever experienced. Over the next 3 days I went to Disney World, two of those days I had my mother and Mrs. Allen drop me off by myself and I spent the whole day there. I went to every attraction at MGM Studios and Magic Kingdom, but only some of the stuff at Epcot. I did other stuff while in Orlando, like attend Universal Studios and stuff, but nothing could touch Disney World. When I was there I felt the magic transform me into a little kid again. Disney World was the best place in America at least on the East Coast.
The family vacation changed my life, Disney World changed my life. I felt pretty stupid because I acted so crazy to try and get out of the trip, but in the end I think I enjoyed it the most. My sister and her friend were happy to graduate but they didn’t seem to enjoy Florida like I did, and my mom and Mrs. Allen had to spend money and watch people so I don’t suspect they really had any time to enjoy everything. I felt kind of sad my dad didn’t come, but I quickly forgot about that as I put on my Mickey Mouse ears as we walked in the airport to fly back on that crappy plane to go back to home sweet home. I hope I can take another trip like that.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
i had a gay time reading Bernice Bobs Her Hair
What was going on in America during the 1920’s? First off, World War I had just ended prior to the beginning of the 1920s, and usually war brought a change to society. The Jazz Age describes the period from 1918-1929; the years after the end of World War I, continuing through the Roaring Twenties and ending with the rise of the Great Depression. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald’s short story, Bernice Bobs Her Hair, showed how he depicted society during this period. Two literary devices that can be determined from the story are Irony and Symbolism. Both are key in showing how women and social trends have changed and how moral values are becoming lost.
Irony is clearly present in this story. It is most evident when the characters seem to swap their behavior. One minute Bernice is dull and everyone dislikes her, then all of a sudden she becomes the center of attention and all the guys want to see what she’s all about. The same thing somewhat occurs with Marjorie; first she was having a good time and enjoying the high life, then she’s concocting harsh and evil schemes to destroy her cousin. These role reversals also occur with some of the young stags in the story. The fact that all of this change in the social pyramid was unexpected and that’s what makes it irony. Another source of irony is the fact that this is the summertime and everyone is supposed to be enjoying themselves and happily dating and partying, but this is not the case. Drama puts a wrinkle in the fun and this was unexpected. The ending of this story is also ironic, many not have expected the sweet and pleasant Bernice to commit an act of revenge such as she did, but then again maybe it was considering Marjorie’s cut throat actions. Fitzgerald use of irony is makes this story quite funny and entertaining, but he relates it to the current times by his use of symbolism.
Bernice Bobs Her Hair contains much symbolism. Fitzgerald uses this story to create an image of the women in the 1920s. Bernice represents an older, classier group of women, while Marjorie represents the modern women of the 1920s. Fitzgerald feels that it is a difficult transition for the Bernices of America to become the Marjories of the modern era. The hair is also very symbolic. The hair represents the differences between the old and new societies; between the rigid social rules of the older generation, and the desire to make their own decisions from the younger one. Bernice and Marjorie are like to rams clashing, this is Fitzgerald’s view of women and society during the Jazz Age.
B.B.H. gives people a view on how times were changing during that time period. Fitzgerald wrote about how he felt towards the way society was interacting. Women are his main focus and they seem to be going through a rough time during the 1920s.
Irony is clearly present in this story. It is most evident when the characters seem to swap their behavior. One minute Bernice is dull and everyone dislikes her, then all of a sudden she becomes the center of attention and all the guys want to see what she’s all about. The same thing somewhat occurs with Marjorie; first she was having a good time and enjoying the high life, then she’s concocting harsh and evil schemes to destroy her cousin. These role reversals also occur with some of the young stags in the story. The fact that all of this change in the social pyramid was unexpected and that’s what makes it irony. Another source of irony is the fact that this is the summertime and everyone is supposed to be enjoying themselves and happily dating and partying, but this is not the case. Drama puts a wrinkle in the fun and this was unexpected. The ending of this story is also ironic, many not have expected the sweet and pleasant Bernice to commit an act of revenge such as she did, but then again maybe it was considering Marjorie’s cut throat actions. Fitzgerald use of irony is makes this story quite funny and entertaining, but he relates it to the current times by his use of symbolism.
Bernice Bobs Her Hair contains much symbolism. Fitzgerald uses this story to create an image of the women in the 1920s. Bernice represents an older, classier group of women, while Marjorie represents the modern women of the 1920s. Fitzgerald feels that it is a difficult transition for the Bernices of America to become the Marjories of the modern era. The hair is also very symbolic. The hair represents the differences between the old and new societies; between the rigid social rules of the older generation, and the desire to make their own decisions from the younger one. Bernice and Marjorie are like to rams clashing, this is Fitzgerald’s view of women and society during the Jazz Age.
B.B.H. gives people a view on how times were changing during that time period. Fitzgerald wrote about how he felt towards the way society was interacting. Women are his main focus and they seem to be going through a rough time during the 1920s.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Booker T Washington Lit Response " i didnt do it right :^[ "
Booker T. Washington did a very good job in representing free blacks in the United States after the Civil War. Washington’s ability to give great speeches and write excellent articles and narratives were what made him such a great man. It can be determined that there were hints of rhetoric in his papers. Upon reading “The Awakening of the Negro” one could see the hints of rhetoric. If one read “The Awakening of the Negro”, they would be able to establish Washington’s use of logos, and one would also be able to identify the audience Washington was trying to appeal to.
In “The Awakening of the Negro”, Washington talks about how educated Blacks, return to the Black Belt of the South and help out the areas that are in need of assistance. Washington explains how these leaders, or educated Blacks are trained at various Universities. Washington’s logos, logic , or sense of reasoning, help him realize that by training these young, black, students correctly, they can uplift the Blacks in the South, therefore causing the south to prosper from this sudden change from the Blacks of the South. Washington gives examples of how Blacks have traveled where the need is great and change things around. He even talks about his own personal experiences involving a change in the Negro. In describing his own experiences, he talks about two Black schools, Tuskegee and Hampton University. Once the reader establishes Washington’s logos, they can understand who this article was aimed to appeal to.
Washington’s tries to appeal to young, Southern, Blacks who are eager to learn and want to help or uplift the struggling black communities in the South. Washington starts the article off by giving examples of how blacks were being educated when Washington was a mere boy. He then tells the story of how his eagerness to learn and work lead him to Hampton. This may have been an attempt to promote or advertise Hampton University, and if this was the case, it would support the claim that this article was intended for young, southern, blacks who were interested in education and change. Later on in the article, Washington states how Tuskegee, helps students. He points out that the school teaches students and prepares them for the world of work by giving them hands-on experience in about 25 industries. This would appeal to, young, southern, blacks who were interested in education, work, and a change for southern blacks. It is clear that Washington’s article is aimed for southern blacks, but some may question whether it is aimed for young blacks interested in education, work, or change. Well in the article Washington talks a lot about guiding, or training and about how years or time must pass in order to see a dramatic change in the South. He even gives examples of how change occurred in just couple of months. Most of the changes occurred when schools were built, but it wasn’t a sudden change. Months had to pass in order for people to see how things had changed for blacks in school. One last and most obvious thing that helped establish who the audience was, was Washington’s constant praise of Southern Blacks who wanted education, work and change.
Rhetoric is evident in all types of literature. A great man like Booker T. Washington, couldn’t hide from rhetoric. His article, “The Awakening of the Negro” contained rhetoric, and Logos and his Audience were discussed in this Lit response.
In “The Awakening of the Negro”, Washington talks about how educated Blacks, return to the Black Belt of the South and help out the areas that are in need of assistance. Washington explains how these leaders, or educated Blacks are trained at various Universities. Washington’s logos, logic , or sense of reasoning, help him realize that by training these young, black, students correctly, they can uplift the Blacks in the South, therefore causing the south to prosper from this sudden change from the Blacks of the South. Washington gives examples of how Blacks have traveled where the need is great and change things around. He even talks about his own personal experiences involving a change in the Negro. In describing his own experiences, he talks about two Black schools, Tuskegee and Hampton University. Once the reader establishes Washington’s logos, they can understand who this article was aimed to appeal to.
Washington’s tries to appeal to young, Southern, Blacks who are eager to learn and want to help or uplift the struggling black communities in the South. Washington starts the article off by giving examples of how blacks were being educated when Washington was a mere boy. He then tells the story of how his eagerness to learn and work lead him to Hampton. This may have been an attempt to promote or advertise Hampton University, and if this was the case, it would support the claim that this article was intended for young, southern, blacks who were interested in education and change. Later on in the article, Washington states how Tuskegee, helps students. He points out that the school teaches students and prepares them for the world of work by giving them hands-on experience in about 25 industries. This would appeal to, young, southern, blacks who were interested in education, work, and a change for southern blacks. It is clear that Washington’s article is aimed for southern blacks, but some may question whether it is aimed for young blacks interested in education, work, or change. Well in the article Washington talks a lot about guiding, or training and about how years or time must pass in order to see a dramatic change in the South. He even gives examples of how change occurred in just couple of months. Most of the changes occurred when schools were built, but it wasn’t a sudden change. Months had to pass in order for people to see how things had changed for blacks in school. One last and most obvious thing that helped establish who the audience was, was Washington’s constant praise of Southern Blacks who wanted education, work and change.
Rhetoric is evident in all types of literature. A great man like Booker T. Washington, couldn’t hide from rhetoric. His article, “The Awakening of the Negro” contained rhetoric, and Logos and his Audience were discussed in this Lit response.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Mello Yello Wallpapa
Realism is a style in literature that attempts to show the world as it really is. Charlotte Perkins Gilman tries to create a sense of realism in her story called, The Yellow Wall Paper. This story deals with the narrator and her husband, John, who rent a mansion so that the narrator can recuperate from her sickness or depression. The takes place after the civil war, in late 1800s. Gilman uses realism to show how women are still being held back and how they still do not have full equality.
Gilman appeals to female reader because her story, for one involves, a woman, and two, women at this time have been suffering from an illness similar to the one that the narrator suffered from in the story. This story does seem like a real story. It is written like a journal or diary, in which the narrator expresses her feelings and gives vivid details of her surroundings. Because this story seems real, it is determined that the author uses realism as the writing style for her story.
Now the question is, how Gilman uses realism to show how women are still being held back and how they still do not have full equality. Well for starters the fact that the narrator isn’t able to leave the room wit out her husband shows that she is basically being imprisoned. She cannot do anything without the consent of her husband. It seems as though everything in society has changed except the rights of women. John doesn’t even listen to his wife. Sometimes it seems as though he doesn’t even care. In the story the narrator says, “John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I’m glad my case is not serious.” How is her case not serious? That’s his wife. The narrator even says, “John does not know how much I really suffer.” This is sad but it just shows how women were treated like crap. Writing is the only way a woman can fully express herself. This is the case for the narrator, she must write in secret, not letting anyone see it. This show how a woman’s voice is not equal to a man’s, a woman must write in secret and contain her true feeling on a “dead piece of paper”, while a man is able to speak freely.
Gilman uses realism to point the unjust treatment of women, and how they are imprisoned. Towards the end of the story the Narrator rips up the yellow wall paper which has stimulated her mind for past 3 months. By the narrator ripping up the horrid yellow wallpaper and escaping from prison which John has imprisoned her, Gilman symbolizes how woman must break free from the barriers that hold woman back, and fight for their rights.
Gilman appeals to female reader because her story, for one involves, a woman, and two, women at this time have been suffering from an illness similar to the one that the narrator suffered from in the story. This story does seem like a real story. It is written like a journal or diary, in which the narrator expresses her feelings and gives vivid details of her surroundings. Because this story seems real, it is determined that the author uses realism as the writing style for her story.
Now the question is, how Gilman uses realism to show how women are still being held back and how they still do not have full equality. Well for starters the fact that the narrator isn’t able to leave the room wit out her husband shows that she is basically being imprisoned. She cannot do anything without the consent of her husband. It seems as though everything in society has changed except the rights of women. John doesn’t even listen to his wife. Sometimes it seems as though he doesn’t even care. In the story the narrator says, “John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I’m glad my case is not serious.” How is her case not serious? That’s his wife. The narrator even says, “John does not know how much I really suffer.” This is sad but it just shows how women were treated like crap. Writing is the only way a woman can fully express herself. This is the case for the narrator, she must write in secret, not letting anyone see it. This show how a woman’s voice is not equal to a man’s, a woman must write in secret and contain her true feeling on a “dead piece of paper”, while a man is able to speak freely.
Gilman uses realism to point the unjust treatment of women, and how they are imprisoned. Towards the end of the story the Narrator rips up the yellow wall paper which has stimulated her mind for past 3 months. By the narrator ripping up the horrid yellow wallpaper and escaping from prison which John has imprisoned her, Gilman symbolizes how woman must break free from the barriers that hold woman back, and fight for their rights.
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