Coming Home Again
Chang-rae Lee
"Eventually, she would clear her throat or call out to say she was fine, then begin to move again, starting her rhythmic ka-jug; and only then could I go on with my cooking."
I liked this quote because I think it gives readers an early look into the narrator's relationship with his mother. There he is, hard at work, cooking and in one instant he goes from hearing his mother moving around to not hearing anything. He stops and can only go back to what he was doing once he is certain his mother is okay.
It made me think about if I were in that situation and I thought my mother was not okay. My heart would drop, as I'm sure is did too. When he turned back to what he was doing Im sure that included breathing.
It made me think about fight or flight. When he was scared for his mother's safety he didn't do either. He froze, which is what i think is a more realistic example of what people do in stressful situation.
This part reminded me about a clip from The Big Bang Theory. One of the characters lives with his mother and they take care of each other. In this scene is mother falls in a room and he breaks down the door to get in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpyjp0eeP3g
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Edison, New Jersey
Edison, New Jersey
Junot Diaz
"If I were to park the truck and get out nobody would take me for a deliveryman; I could be the guy who's on the street corner selling Dominican flags. i could be on my way home to my girl. Everybody's on the street."
I think this line is very powerful when discussing status. The status of wealth plays a big role through out the the story. The narrator can tell a lot about a person by what kind of table they order, their name, and what town they live in before they even get to the house and meet the person. You get the sense that he is very insecure about his status, his job and how he is. He steels things because he feels he is entitled to do so. He somehow blames the wealthy for his lack of wealth. He just isn't relaxed.
You can tell that in this line when gets to New York he suddenly has this feeling of comfortability where all of that goes away. He doesn't feel judged by the truck. No one is looking down on him because they assume he is a delivery boy or a scoundrel.
Junot Diaz
"If I were to park the truck and get out nobody would take me for a deliveryman; I could be the guy who's on the street corner selling Dominican flags. i could be on my way home to my girl. Everybody's on the street."
I think this line is very powerful when discussing status. The status of wealth plays a big role through out the the story. The narrator can tell a lot about a person by what kind of table they order, their name, and what town they live in before they even get to the house and meet the person. You get the sense that he is very insecure about his status, his job and how he is. He steels things because he feels he is entitled to do so. He somehow blames the wealthy for his lack of wealth. He just isn't relaxed.
You can tell that in this line when gets to New York he suddenly has this feeling of comfortability where all of that goes away. He doesn't feel judged by the truck. No one is looking down on him because they assume he is a delivery boy or a scoundrel.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
The Cariboo Cafe
The Cariboo Cafe
Helena Viramontes
"Rule one: never talk to strangers, not even the neighbor who paced up ad down the hallway talking to himself. Rule two: the police, or 'polie' as Sonya's popi pronounced the word, was La Migra in disguise and thus should always be avoided. Rule three: Keep your key with you at all times- the four walls of the apartment were the only protection against the streets until Popi returned home.
I chose this quote because I think it really demonstrates the fear that this family lives in. When I read the first rule, I thought this was going to be the standard kind of rules you give to a child when they go out into the world. All parents, whether they are an immigrant or not tell their children not to talk to strangers. It is something we drill into our children's mind. We don't want them to get kidnapped or anything to happen to them with people we don't know.
The second rule is what makes me the most upset. They tell their children to never trust the police. This upsets me because when you think about the things we tell out children, after we warn them of strangers, we then tell them about the police. We tell them that policemen, teacher, firemen, and other adults of authority don't count as strangers and that if they need help that they can trust the police. I think this shows how hard it was for this family to be here. Here they were risking their lives to live in a country to the point where they have to tell their young children that they cannot trust the police.
The third rule I had mixed feelings about. The beginning of it (don't lose your key) seems like another one that every family no matter of origin or status would tell their kids. You don't want them to lose their key because you want them to be able to get in the house if no adult is home and you don;t want a stranger to end up with a key to your home. I understand giving this piece of advice. it is the explanation given that I have the problem with. This family doesn't want their kids to lose their key because there isn't another place that is safe if the father isn;t there. If you are distrusting of the police, there aren't many places you can go to feel safe. This family only has their apartment, and even that is not completely safe until the father is there. I can't imagine living in such fear that there was only one place I could go to be completely safe and have that place only be that safe when a certain person was there. That is a lot of pressure to put on anyone, especially a child.
Helena Viramontes
"Rule one: never talk to strangers, not even the neighbor who paced up ad down the hallway talking to himself. Rule two: the police, or 'polie' as Sonya's popi pronounced the word, was La Migra in disguise and thus should always be avoided. Rule three: Keep your key with you at all times- the four walls of the apartment were the only protection against the streets until Popi returned home.
I chose this quote because I think it really demonstrates the fear that this family lives in. When I read the first rule, I thought this was going to be the standard kind of rules you give to a child when they go out into the world. All parents, whether they are an immigrant or not tell their children not to talk to strangers. It is something we drill into our children's mind. We don't want them to get kidnapped or anything to happen to them with people we don't know.
The second rule is what makes me the most upset. They tell their children to never trust the police. This upsets me because when you think about the things we tell out children, after we warn them of strangers, we then tell them about the police. We tell them that policemen, teacher, firemen, and other adults of authority don't count as strangers and that if they need help that they can trust the police. I think this shows how hard it was for this family to be here. Here they were risking their lives to live in a country to the point where they have to tell their young children that they cannot trust the police.
The third rule I had mixed feelings about. The beginning of it (don't lose your key) seems like another one that every family no matter of origin or status would tell their kids. You don't want them to lose their key because you want them to be able to get in the house if no adult is home and you don;t want a stranger to end up with a key to your home. I understand giving this piece of advice. it is the explanation given that I have the problem with. This family doesn't want their kids to lose their key because there isn't another place that is safe if the father isn;t there. If you are distrusting of the police, there aren't many places you can go to feel safe. This family only has their apartment, and even that is not completely safe until the father is there. I can't imagine living in such fear that there was only one place I could go to be completely safe and have that place only be that safe when a certain person was there. That is a lot of pressure to put on anyone, especially a child.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Seventeen Syllables
Seventeen Syllables
Hisaye Yamamoto
"The truth was that Rose was lazy; English lay ready on the tongue but Japanese had to be searched for and examined, and even then put forth tentatively."
I really like this quote because I could relate to it on a personal level. I am applying to the MAT program fro elementary education. In order to gain experience through out high school, I taught Hebrew School. I taught children who either had a learning disability, enrolled late, or had another reason for being behind in the curriculum. I learned very quickly that there are huge differences in being able to understand a language and being able to speak it. There is also a huge difference in being able to read and write in a language and being able to speak it. You would think that all of these things go hand in hand but it is very easy to be able to do one of these things and not the others because they are all different skills.
I always admire foreign writers for that reason. To be fully literate in 2 languages is incredible. It takes true genius to be able to sort thought two languages of vocabulary to find the words, like it said about Rosie.
I can read and write Hebrew. I taught it, but my parents never spoke it at home. I can read anything you give me, but my conversational skills are limited. I know basic vocabulary very well. For example, I know that good morning is, "Boker Tov." If I were to walk in someplace (even if it was hebrew school, or a place I knew people spoke Hebrew, and wanted to say good morning, I would probably say it in English because it is my first language. I know how to say it in Hebrew but it takes less brain power to say it in English.
I think it is interesting that the author describes Rose as being lazy for this reason. I think it is human nature to use your first language first. I think that it is because that is the reaction, that it is so incredible when authors are able to write such extraordinary pieces in their second languages.
Hisaye Yamamoto
"The truth was that Rose was lazy; English lay ready on the tongue but Japanese had to be searched for and examined, and even then put forth tentatively."
I really like this quote because I could relate to it on a personal level. I am applying to the MAT program fro elementary education. In order to gain experience through out high school, I taught Hebrew School. I taught children who either had a learning disability, enrolled late, or had another reason for being behind in the curriculum. I learned very quickly that there are huge differences in being able to understand a language and being able to speak it. There is also a huge difference in being able to read and write in a language and being able to speak it. You would think that all of these things go hand in hand but it is very easy to be able to do one of these things and not the others because they are all different skills.
I always admire foreign writers for that reason. To be fully literate in 2 languages is incredible. It takes true genius to be able to sort thought two languages of vocabulary to find the words, like it said about Rosie.
I can read and write Hebrew. I taught it, but my parents never spoke it at home. I can read anything you give me, but my conversational skills are limited. I know basic vocabulary very well. For example, I know that good morning is, "Boker Tov." If I were to walk in someplace (even if it was hebrew school, or a place I knew people spoke Hebrew, and wanted to say good morning, I would probably say it in English because it is my first language. I know how to say it in Hebrew but it takes less brain power to say it in English.
I think it is interesting that the author describes Rose as being lazy for this reason. I think it is human nature to use your first language first. I think that it is because that is the reaction, that it is so incredible when authors are able to write such extraordinary pieces in their second languages.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Saboter
Saboteur
Ha Jin
"Comrade policemen, your duty is to keep order, but you purposely tortured us common citizens. Why violate the law you are supposed to enforce?
Thus quote, along with the rest of the story made me think of the American judicial system and the other freedoms we have. I know this story is set in China so their rules are different but it made me think about all of the things we take for granted. The biggest one being Freedom of Speech. While we are taught not to talk back to adults, especially those who are of a higher status than ourselves, we are allowed to raise our own opinions and ask questions. It is called freedom of speech and we take in for granted.
Before I start, I would like to clarify that I am not a communist, and am not anti-american in any way, but I wold like to argue a different perspective than I would usually take. I don't know that I believe all of what I am about to say, but I certainly think it would be interesting to entertain these ideas.
When I read this story, initially I was appalled by how their justice system worked. I thought ti was terrible, until I started thinking. What exactly was so bad? Is it possible I was just shocked because it is different than how we do things here? Maybe its a good thing that its different. We are certainly not perfect. In this story, nothing horrible was done to Mr. Chiu. He was arrested for talking back to a police officer. Now, he wouldn't have been arrested for something like that here, however that is the law where he lives. He, as a professor especially should know that is the law. You don't have to agree with every law, but you should certainly abide by them. He should know that he cannot talk back to a police officer. Then, he was put in jail and was told that he couldn't leave until he apologized. Is that such a horrible punishment? Yes he was stuck in jail when he thought his hepatitis was acting up, but all he had to do was apologize and he would have been set free. I think it was his own stubbornness that was the real problem here.
No obviously, this system is not perfect. What they did to the man who cam to rescue Mr. Chiu was horrible and should not be allowed. Also, in a perfect world Mr. Chiu should not have been arrested for asking a question. Their system is not perfect, but neither is ours. People talk about how amazing America is because of our freedoms, but once you get passed the freedom (something a lot of countries now have) we still have a lot of flaws in out system.
This debate is discussed a lot thorough out the HBO show The Newsroom. (My favorite Show) IN this clip a TV News Anchor is asked What makes America the greatest country in the world. People in the show get very mad at him for his answer here. He tells people America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. He lists all of the reasons why it isn'. However, then he makes what he later calls, "A Rising Call to Actin, " in which he talks about how America used to be the greatest country in the world and how if we can get back to these things, we could be the greatest once again. A lot of what he says in this clip directly applies to Mr. Chiu's experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBIMb5ZAY3g
In another scene in the same show, a reporter goes to cover an Occupy Wall street protest where people are being arrested for no reason. Even though the reporter identifies himself as reporter, he is still arrested for the same thing Mr. Chiu is arrested for. WHen the head anchor goes to bail his reporter out of jail he discusses the judicial system in different parts of the world and how every system has a flaw, but that we should start by fixing ours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlInwQ9aFn4
Ha Jin
"Comrade policemen, your duty is to keep order, but you purposely tortured us common citizens. Why violate the law you are supposed to enforce?
Thus quote, along with the rest of the story made me think of the American judicial system and the other freedoms we have. I know this story is set in China so their rules are different but it made me think about all of the things we take for granted. The biggest one being Freedom of Speech. While we are taught not to talk back to adults, especially those who are of a higher status than ourselves, we are allowed to raise our own opinions and ask questions. It is called freedom of speech and we take in for granted.
Before I start, I would like to clarify that I am not a communist, and am not anti-american in any way, but I wold like to argue a different perspective than I would usually take. I don't know that I believe all of what I am about to say, but I certainly think it would be interesting to entertain these ideas.
When I read this story, initially I was appalled by how their justice system worked. I thought ti was terrible, until I started thinking. What exactly was so bad? Is it possible I was just shocked because it is different than how we do things here? Maybe its a good thing that its different. We are certainly not perfect. In this story, nothing horrible was done to Mr. Chiu. He was arrested for talking back to a police officer. Now, he wouldn't have been arrested for something like that here, however that is the law where he lives. He, as a professor especially should know that is the law. You don't have to agree with every law, but you should certainly abide by them. He should know that he cannot talk back to a police officer. Then, he was put in jail and was told that he couldn't leave until he apologized. Is that such a horrible punishment? Yes he was stuck in jail when he thought his hepatitis was acting up, but all he had to do was apologize and he would have been set free. I think it was his own stubbornness that was the real problem here.
No obviously, this system is not perfect. What they did to the man who cam to rescue Mr. Chiu was horrible and should not be allowed. Also, in a perfect world Mr. Chiu should not have been arrested for asking a question. Their system is not perfect, but neither is ours. People talk about how amazing America is because of our freedoms, but once you get passed the freedom (something a lot of countries now have) we still have a lot of flaws in out system.
This debate is discussed a lot thorough out the HBO show The Newsroom. (My favorite Show) IN this clip a TV News Anchor is asked What makes America the greatest country in the world. People in the show get very mad at him for his answer here. He tells people America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. He lists all of the reasons why it isn'. However, then he makes what he later calls, "A Rising Call to Actin, " in which he talks about how America used to be the greatest country in the world and how if we can get back to these things, we could be the greatest once again. A lot of what he says in this clip directly applies to Mr. Chiu's experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBIMb5ZAY3g
In another scene in the same show, a reporter goes to cover an Occupy Wall street protest where people are being arrested for no reason. Even though the reporter identifies himself as reporter, he is still arrested for the same thing Mr. Chiu is arrested for. WHen the head anchor goes to bail his reporter out of jail he discusses the judicial system in different parts of the world and how every system has a flaw, but that we should start by fixing ours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlInwQ9aFn4
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Brokeback Mountain
Bokeback Mountain
Annie Proulx
"There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand."
This quote from Brokeback Mountain talks a lot about the characters struggle between knowledge and feelings. I think it is important to see how this quote relates to a couple of the stories we have read this far.
Immediately when I read this quote, I thought about Everything that Rises much Converge and hoe Julain was in a similar conundrum. He too was fighting with himself on how to hand people of other races. He doesn't know if he should handle things the way he grow up, the way his mother taught him, or what he was taught in school.
It also made me think about the Voorman Problem. The lawyer struggled between the space of what he knew and what he thought be believed. There was no way that Voorman was gd. Intellectually, he knew that. However once Belgium disappeared, he had to battle between what he thought he knew and what he was feeling.
Annie Proulx
"There was some open space between what he knew and what he tried to believe, but nothing could be done about it, and if you can't fix it you've got to stand."
This quote from Brokeback Mountain talks a lot about the characters struggle between knowledge and feelings. I think it is important to see how this quote relates to a couple of the stories we have read this far.
Immediately when I read this quote, I thought about Everything that Rises much Converge and hoe Julain was in a similar conundrum. He too was fighting with himself on how to hand people of other races. He doesn't know if he should handle things the way he grow up, the way his mother taught him, or what he was taught in school.
It also made me think about the Voorman Problem. The lawyer struggled between the space of what he knew and what he thought be believed. There was no way that Voorman was gd. Intellectually, he knew that. However once Belgium disappeared, he had to battle between what he thought he knew and what he was feeling.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Everything That Rises Must Converge
Everything That Rises Must Converge
Flannery O'Conner
"What she meant when she said she had won was that she had brought him up successfully and had sent him to college and that he had turned out so well—good looking (her teeth had gone unfilled so that his could be straightened), intelligent (he realized he was too intelligent to be a success), and with a future ahead of him (there was of course no future ahead of him). "
I love this quote because it says a lot about Julian's mother. While she is quite racist and is not the perfect, she really does try her best. Julian is less racist than his mother, and seems more okay with the new integration, but his moral compass doesn't exactly point due north. He is "okay," with the idea of sitting next to a black person on a bus, not because he sees the black man as his equal, but because he wants to prove to his mother and the other people around him that he has black friends. So while technically he is more accepting towards the people on the bus, it is not for the right reason.
His mother, on the other side, isn't the most accepting, but tries very hard to be the best person she can be. She does not believe she is hurting anyone around her. She tries really hard to be sweet to everyone. It is probably generational. She grew up segregated and doesn't know how to live somewhere that is integrated. Other than her ignorance of race, she is a very good mother and member of society. She gave up everything to encourage her son to follow his dreams and tries to make conversation with everyone on the bus.
Flannery O'Conner
"What she meant when she said she had won was that she had brought him up successfully and had sent him to college and that he had turned out so well—good looking (her teeth had gone unfilled so that his could be straightened), intelligent (he realized he was too intelligent to be a success), and with a future ahead of him (there was of course no future ahead of him). "
I love this quote because it says a lot about Julian's mother. While she is quite racist and is not the perfect, she really does try her best. Julian is less racist than his mother, and seems more okay with the new integration, but his moral compass doesn't exactly point due north. He is "okay," with the idea of sitting next to a black person on a bus, not because he sees the black man as his equal, but because he wants to prove to his mother and the other people around him that he has black friends. So while technically he is more accepting towards the people on the bus, it is not for the right reason.
His mother, on the other side, isn't the most accepting, but tries very hard to be the best person she can be. She does not believe she is hurting anyone around her. She tries really hard to be sweet to everyone. It is probably generational. She grew up segregated and doesn't know how to live somewhere that is integrated. Other than her ignorance of race, she is a very good mother and member of society. She gave up everything to encourage her son to follow his dreams and tries to make conversation with everyone on the bus.
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