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.
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