Blog 28: Interpreter of Maladies

The difficulty of communication is a major theme in the story Interpreter of Maladies. Communication appears repeatedly in Interpreter of Maladies, often with negative or painful consequences. Mr. Kapasi, who is the interpreter of maladies, has lost his ability to communicate with his wife. He also lost his ability to communicate in some of the languages he learned as a younger man, leaving him with only the English language. He realizes that his kids speak better English than him. Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das are unable to reach a level of friendship that they both may have had at one point. I wish they could speak with one another openly. When Mrs. Das loses Mr. Kapasi's address at the end of the story, it marks the end of the possibility that they could reach out to each other.

"The family looked Indian but dressed as foreigners did, the children in stiff, brightly colored clothing and caps with translucent visors" (Lahiri pg. 13) . This quotation explains the difficulty of communication between the Indians and Indian Americans. The author describes the Das family and explains ways in which they do not display Indian behaviors. To me, the family seems both Indian and American, which fools Mr. Kapasi into thinking that he can communicate closely with Mrs. Das. With his other tourists, who are foreign but not Indian, Mrs. Kapasi keeps a distance. He feels he does not feel any sort of connection. The similarities between Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi leads him to mistakenly think they will find something significant in common. Their idea that the cultural gap between Indian immigrants and those they leave behind in India can be huge. This gap between the second generation Indians and Indians they leave behind in India gets even bigger. She includes this theme in her work because she does not really adapt herself to either culture, and she admits that she feels neither Indian or American.

Blog 27: TBCC, The End

On some weeks, Torey posts some "awards" for fun. Some of the "awards" include Most Flattering Reply, Most Insulting Reply, Reply Most Likely to Be From Chris Creed In Disguise, and Reply That Makes Me Believe Totally That Creed Is Alive. Reply Most Likely to be from Chris Creed in Disguise sounds consistent with the way Chris would have responded to the website. For example Torey's friend Alex said "You guys, he actually spell-checked his suicide note." "He might have gotten malice right, but he would not have gotten accommodate-" (Ucci pg. 38). This was consistent with Christopher Creed's obsession with grammar, which annoyed people.

Blog 26: Dishonesty Breeds Dishonesty/ Ch. 17

I do sympathize with Mrs. Creed at this point of the story. Her son is missing. She received a phone call that only assuredly made it worse for her. She might not be a well liked person, she might not be a terrific mother, but she is in a horrifying predicament. She wants answers. I have sympathy for so many of the characters in this story except possibly Alex. Everyone else has some turmoil going on. Almost all of the characters in the story are trying to find answers to Chris' disappearance. However, not all are on the right track, including the police. At this point I feel Bo Richardson and Ali made the greatest headway in finding Chris by locating the diary and finding the name Isabella Karzden whom Chris was infatuated with. When Chief Bowen came to arrest Bo, Torey screamed out "You stupid people, you know he didn't kill anybody! You just have to find some way to keep your own screwed-up version of reality going-" (Ucci pgs. 222-223). Torey has had the opportunity to view the people and their situations very differently and begins to question so much of what he believed previously. He honestly wants to find Chris.

Blog 25: Chapter 6: Torey's Lyrics

Is he alive, or is he dead? Freight train running all thru my head means that Torey is worried about Christopher Creed's death and whether or not he is still alive. He is also thinking about Christopher Creed a lot and can't seem to get him out of his head.

Catch Me If You Can...

Is he alive, or is he dead?

Freight train running all thru my head.

I wonder if he sleeps

Beyond the woods oh so deep.

If only we were to hear a peep.

Then we'd hear this noisy creep.

No matter how hard we search

You will always be on the verge.

To look.

To look.

To look.

Once we're through, we will eventually find you.

The Body of Christopher Creed.

Blog 24: Chapter 1 in The Body of Christopher Creed

Christopher Creed was the class outcast and a geek no one understood or wanted to understand. Everyone victimized Christopher Creed at some point, including Torey. Once Christopher Creed is missing, Torey finds himself regretting his own behavior that he showed towards Christopher Creed and everyone else's behavior toward him. When Torey says "People can love their lies, tell their own lies, believe their own lies until hell pays a visit," he means that you can lie to yourself all you want, but at some point you will be faced with the truth. As hard as Torey tried to forget Christopher Creed, the memories would come back to him. He says this to convince the reader that the story he is about to tell is absolutely true; that he does not intend to lie about it no matter how difficult and that he will tell the whole story and the truth is the point to the story.

Blog 23: Issues in Our American Society

In the article Is Your Lunch Causing Global Warming, the author makes a very strong and solid argument that it is contributing greatly. After reading the statistics and the chain of events that take place to put the food on our table, any skeptic would be convinced that we need to make some appropriate changes to our diet. The biggest culprit of creating the most greenhouse gases we learn is beef . It is amazing to me that it creates 100 times more greenhouse gases throughout production than the same weight in carrots. We always hear about cars and factories creating the problem, but the author reveals how much more our food consumption is responsible. It is not good for us to eat so much red meat anyway, we have another reason to cut back. I will definitely think twice before ordering my meals.

In the article Driven to Distraction, the author discusses the toughest law to crackdown on texting behind the wheel that was passed by Utah. It basically treats texting while driving in the same manner as driving while intoxicated. Alaska is the only other state with such penalties, while 17 states ban texting while driving. The author makes a strong argument against texting and driving citing several accidents with convictions and quoting the Harvard study of 2600 deaths a year linked to the multitasking of texting and driving. I agree that they should be treated equally, my only problem is the need for proof that the person held responsible was definitely texting and driving. When there is a drunk driving accident, a blood alcohol level can confirm the link, but there is no such test or way to definitively link texting unless it was witnessed somehow, or possibly with confiscating the cellphone. In order to put someone in prison for fifteen years if a death occurred, I would need proof. In one case that was cited where two people were killed, the cellphone was used one minute before 911 was called. Does that prove it was the cause of the accident. Even the author expressed this issue. There is no doubt that texting and driving must be banned and punished, but each case and crime needs to be reviewed individually at this time.

Blog 22: The "Birds" & The Bees

1. What if Ms. Angelou was living in Stamps when she became pregnant? How would Momma have handled the pregnancy?

Since Momma was a deep religious person, she would probably welcome a new life even though she would be disappointed in how it came about.

2. Would Ms. Angelou have experimented with sex on her own if she hadn't been raped as a child?

I do not believe there is any relevance with her sexual experimentation and her childhood rape. I think the opposite could of happened. She might have been afraid to experiment with sex after such an experience. But generally speaking, teenagers experiment.

3. What is the likelihood of Ms. Angelou becoming pregnant if Momma or Vivian had discussed the subject with her earlier?

Probably Ms. Angelou would not have allowed herself to become pregnant if she was sexually educated. She was bright and wanted to do something with her life.

4. What if Ms. Angelou had never been sexually abused? Could her pregnancy have happened anyway? Why or why not?

Absolutely. Ms Angelou's pregnancy had nothing to do with the rape. She wanted to experiment sexually and she was uneducated about it, which led to her pregnancy.

5. What qualities has Ms. Angelou developed as she matures that will help raise a child alone?

Ms. Angelou has developed many good qualities and traits the novel, but her best trait is that she was headstrong. She becomes much more independent and levelheaded and she faces all of her fears of raising a child. She also learned the importance of accepting herself and fond of who she is.

Challenge:

1. What if Maya Angelou didn't write I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?

If Maya Angelou did not write I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, we as readers would not be able to hear or listen to what Maya Angelou went through most of her life. We as readers would also not be exposed to such an inspirational writer who can open her literature and life to the world.

2. What if there was no identity in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?

If there was no identity in the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, then there would be no "caged bird." In the course of the The "caged bird," Maya transforms from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex into a self-possessed, dignified young woman capable of responding to prejudice. The novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. If there was no identity, none of these important things would appear anywhere in the novel.

Blog 21: Making Connections

1. Q: How do you think Marguerite feels about being an African American?

A: I think she has an appreciation for her culture and race, but she still has to learn to deal with the experience of growing up as a black girl in the segregated American South which is not easy.

2. Q: Describe Bailey. Include how Bailey deals with racism.

A: Bailey is Maya's older brother. His is intelligent like Maya and mature beyond his age. While Bailey enjoys sports and handles himself well in social situations, he shows deep compassion for his isolated sister. Bailey senses the negative influences of racism, but to protect himself from hopelessness, he also shows deep compassion for his isolated sister. He senses the negative influences, but to protect himself from despair, he chooses to handle himself and overcome his soul until the negative moment passes.

3. Q: Why did Uncle Willie hide in the vegetable pin?

A: In the middle of the night "the used-to-be sheriff" comes up to the store to warn Momma, "to lay low" because "a crazy" black man "messed with a white lady today." He goes on to say that "some of the boys" will be riding by later, which means that the KKK will be riding around looking for black men to hold responsible for the "crime." Uncle Willie, a crippled man, must suffer the shame by hiding in a vegetable bin so that the KKK doesn't harass him and even possibly lynch him.

4. Q: How is opening the front door of the Store like “pulling the ribbon off the unexpected gift”?

A: The Store in Stamps Arkansas was Marguerite's favorite place to be when she was eighteen. The store symbolizes the rewards of hard work and loyalty and the importance of a strong and devoted community. A metaphor is said by Maya Angelou to describe that opening the front door was like "pulling the ribbon off the unexpected gift." Maya Angelou also uses a simile to describe the Store in the mornings. She writes that "it looks like an unopened present from a stranger."

5. Q: What is the guiding force in Momma’s life?

A. The guiding force in Momma's life is the Lord (God) and to search for faith. For example the scene in I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings when Momma does not react to the girls taunting her outside of the Store, she gives Marguerite advice. The advice that she gives Marguerite is that she should just put a smile on her face when the white people taunt her and make fun of her. She also tells Marguerite that she should know the Lord's words well.

Blog 20: Segregation Presented in Chapter 8

1. How did the Depression impact the black community of Stamps?

The Depression hit the black community of Stamps approximately two years after most of the country was already feeling it.

2. Did it change them much?

The Depression did not change things very drastically as they were already poor and understood sacrifice.

3. Did it alter their view of life?

No. It did not alter their view of life. At Marguerite's house, they were taught "waste not, want not" (Angelou pg. 50).

4. Were they better or worse off than the white community?

Marguerite's mother thought the Depression must have hit the white section of Stamps "with cyclonic impact" (Angelou pg. 50). The change in lifestyle for the white community was much greater.

5. Which would recover faster?

Marguerite states that Stamps was "as slow coming out of the Depression as it had been getting into it" (Angelou pg. 51). Most probably, the Black population recovered more quickly because it lost less.

According to this chapter, there was always generosity in the Black neighborhood. People gave to each other even when they couldn't afford to. This probably made it easier being Black as opposed to being white, which was probably more desperate during the change.

Blog 19: Angelou's Life, Times, & Message

1. Time Period: African-American Experience in U.S., 1930s & 1940s

- In the 1930s and 1940s, the Civil Rights Movements for African-Americans became more noticeable and more people helped in the push for rights.

2. Maya Angelou: Biography

- Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis in 1928.

- She was raised by her grandmother in Arkansas until she graduated from eighth grade. Then she joined her mother in San Francisco.

- In Arkansas, Maya Angelou experienced the brutality of racial discrimination and she absorbed the faith and values of traditional African-American families, communities, and culture.

- As a teenager, her love for arts won her a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco's Labor School.

- At 16, she gave birth to a son, Guy after which she toured Europe and Africa in the musical Porgy and Bess.

- In the 1960s when Maya Angelou returned to New York City, she joined the Harlem Writers Guild and became involved in black activism.

- She then spent several years in Ghana and editor of the African Review, where she began to take her life, her activism, and her writing more seriously.

3. Racism: What is it? How has it occurred in the U.S.?

-Racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief.

- Racism has been an issue in the United States since colonial times. There had been racism in this country against Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latin-Americans, American-Jews, and other immigrant groups.

4. Maya Angelou: Works & Publications

- By the late 1950s, she had become committed to writing and to working in the Civil Rights Movement.

- For her outstanding contributions to American literature, she has received many honorary degrees and the applause of the whole nation on January 20, 1993, when she delivered her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," at President Clinton's inauguration.

- Maya Angelou is best known for autobiographical books: All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), The Heart of a Woman (1981), Singin' and Swimin' and Getting Merry Like Christmas (1976), Gather Together in My Name (1974), and I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award.

5. Racism: Where does it still exist in the U.S.?

- Racism is not prevalent or acceptable as it once was, but it still exists. There's much more awareness now and better education.

- The Civil Rights Movement ended the Jim Crow Laws and basically made racism illegal.

Blog 18: Female Roles in Shakespeare's Macbeth

I agree with the opinions and critique expressed by Thacker of women's roles in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Shakespeare stayed true to what women's roles would be during his time and what could happens to women if they don't fulfill those roles. The female character Lady Macbeth is frustrated because she could not fulfill her duty to provide an heir. Thracker writes "Lady Macbeth is viewed as a tragic heroine because she has not had any children, and therefore feels alone" (Thacker 2). Because of this, she also resorts to 'acquiring power' Crump-Wright writes. Lady Macbeth's actions were "rather predictable for a person desiring power and unable to acquire it in her own right" (Thacker 1).

Blog 17: Act V Study Guide Questions

Act V, scene ii

1. What does Angus say about the men that Macbeth commands?

Angus says that the soldiers that Macbeth commands are only following orders and that they don't fight because they love Macbeth.

2. How is the "plant" metaphor started in Act I, sc. iv, by Duncan, continued in this scene?

At the end of Act V scene ii, Lennox says "However much blood we need to give to water the royal flower and drown the weeds." He says this because he wants to make Malcolm king and get rid of Macbeth.

Act V, scene iii

1. What are Macbeth's troops doing? Why does he remain so confident?

Macbeth's troops are fortifying the castle at Dunsinane. Macbeth remains so confident because he feels consoled and invincible by the witche's prophecy and he feels that he has nothing to fear until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. He also thinks that he will be victorious and he refuses to hear the reports from his generals.

2. How does Macbeth acknowledge that Scotland is suffering?

Macbeth asks the doctor if there is any way he can figure out what's wrong with his country. He also asks him if he can diagnose its disease by examining its urine and bring it back to health.

Act V, scene iv

1. Who is Siward? What is his opinion of the king?

Siward is the commander of the English forces. Siward thinks that Macbeth is overconfident and he informs Malcolm that Macbeth confidently holds Dunsinane and that he is just waiting for their arrival.

2. What tactical strategy does Malcom implement? What is its purpose and why is it significant to the play?

Malcolm wants every soldier to cut off branches and hold them up in order to disguise their numbers as they attack the castle. This will cause Macbeth's spies to give him inaccurate reports.

Act V, scene v

1. How does the sound of the woman's cry affect Macbeth?

Macbeth comments that he almost forgot what fear feels like. Macbeth said "Horrible things are so familiar that they can't startle me"

(Act V, scene v Lines 16-17 ).

2. Who dies in this scene? What are the main ideas of Macbeth's soliloquy after this event?

Lady Macbeth dies. After Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth says that she should have died later at a more appropriate time. He focuses his soliloquy on the meaning of life. He said "Life is nothing more than an illuison. It's more like a poor actor who struts and worries for his hour on the stage and then is never heard from again. Life is a story told by an imbecile, full of noise and emotional disturbance but deviod of meaning"

(Act V, scene v Lines 24-30).

3. What does Macbeth now recognize about the prophecies? How does his realization relate to the play's central theme?

A messenger tells Macbeth that as he was standing on a hill, he looked toward Birnam and saw that the forest began to move toward the castle. After Macbeth hears this, he is stunned and begins to fear that the witches words may come true after all. He also becomes fully aware that the witches raised his hopes by tricking him with their word games and then destroyed them. The theme Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair is Macbeth's mixup between good and evil and how that reflects his battle against himself. Kingship and Tyranny also plays a major role in Macbeth's realization.

Blog 16: Story Time Macbeth Style

A long time ago in a land far far away, there lived a noble and rich king named Franco. Franco seemed to be a nice king, but he had an evil side to him. He was mean because he had a secret plot on his hands that he was going to make this man named Benjamin and his son named Taran disappear. The reason Franco wanted them to disappear is because he was really afraid of them and that they might take his place. Franco put his plans in place and sent two fairies to sprinkle Benjamin and Taran with pixie dust when they return from their trip around the land. The two fairies and a third fairy that joins them meet at a small beautiful garden near the royal palace and they sprinkle them. Benjamin gets sprinkled and disappears; but his son Taran flees and escapes. When the news goes back to Franco, a luxurious party is held by Franco. Franco sits at the table with his guests when all of a sudden he sees a floating jack-o-lantern (which is really Benjamin in a new form) at the table. No one else at the table sees this floating jack-o-lantern besides Franco. Suddenly, Franco sees the floating jack-o-lantern a second time. The party ends suddenly and when his guests leave, Franco tells his wife, Tamalia that he needs to find the three fairies. He needs to learn about the threats that are against him. What we find out is that the fairies meet in an open place, and the biggest fairy Heather angrily tells the three fairies how she was not included in their plans for Franco. Heather tells the three fairies to make-up powerful spells to cast on Franco when they meet again with him. This story sums up all of the Acts in Scene III in Macbeth. I'm sure children in elementary school will read this captivating tale and they will truly enjoy this Act in Macbeth.

Blog 15: New Year's Premonitions

From these few lines, Banquo explains that the witches are trying to gain trust by telling little truths, but in actuality, they will be hurtful at the most vulnerable times.

In the year 2010, I will try not to set standards for my friends that I place on myself. I expect a lot from myself and set goals to achieve, but I shouldn't expect that others will do the same. I often get surprised and hurt by immature behaviors and I will try to be more forgiving and accepting. People change and grow, and in some cases don't grow, and that's okay. In 2010, I want to hold on to my clear vision of my dreams and goals.

Part of my vision for the future includes continuing to do well in school and keeping that a top priority. I will set time aside to practice more SAT questions and gather vocabulary words. I also hope to find a club in school and that I feel more connected to. I love to play tennis and will make more time for it.

At home, I will try to appreciate what my parents do for my brothers and I more. I now realize what everyday entails for them as I'm getting closer to making more and more decisions on my own. They make it look easy, but I know it's not. In addition, we got a new puppy this year and I will try to hold true to my promise of taking responsibility for him more.