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Journal Entry, Week 9: I Sing the Body Electric by Walt Whilman

       This poem focuses on the exploration of the human bodies. He is very descriptive and picks out certain qualities of a woman or men’s body. In the fifth section of the poem it states “the gates of the body, and… the gates of the soul.” Woman are the gates of reproduction. They are very important because it is not just a child being born but another soul as well. While man is more of an “action” figure in this reproduction. “ A woman’s body at auction” (stanza 8) Not only are woman designed to reproduce but we are also used for slave auction. The poet actually states he has helped an auctioneer sell a slave. Men are also used to sell for slaves as well. Whitman designed this poem to demonstrate that he admires the way our human bodies are formed. That they are very valuable and designed in such an amazing way. Especially in the second section he starts to speak about how the bodies are perfect and “well-made” (stanza 21) He states all different kind of bodies and what is so great about them. His obsession to this leads to writing this poem.

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Journal Entry Week 9: Four poems for Robin by Gary Snyder

         I have to say that i find way easier to understand and really analyze a poem that has to deal with love or nature and this poem had to do with the following. This poem was basically about a man who write about his lost childhood loved named Robin. She was a great impact on his life. Nature is definitely a theme in this poem and is presented through out a lot of the paragraphs. It is even presented in the title of the poems which first starts with forest and then the other three seasons of the year. The poet explains many landscape areas and is very visual when he states he was taking a night stroll with his lover as they “ walked under cherry blossoms.” (Spring line 2) in the springtime. Also they spent alone time “ under thick autumn stars,” in the autumn. The poet wants the reader to imagine the scenes he spent with his lover. The poem itself was easy to understand because it used simple words. It is also set up in short lines. The poem is not very wordy and is short but very descriptive. In the third poem, “An autumn morning in Shokoku-ji,” Synder states “Last night watching the Pleiades,/ Breath smoking in the moonlight.” (1-2) This quote gives us a lot of imagery and the reader may picture a chilly autumn sky that night under a starry sky. Imagery presented like this in a story or poem gives us a more detailed look at what exactly is happening in the poem and what the reader is trying to make us understand. Rhyme is also present in this poem by Snyder. “Feel stuck in my past / Hands deep in my pockets/ Barely able to sleep.” (4-6) This was all rhymed in the poem. The speaker does demonstrate to us an emotional journey that he has been with about a failed relationship with his childhood lover. This poem does help some readers make a connection with it especially if the reader has been through the same experience in their life. I do like the fact that the poet uses less words which provides us his feelings more. Many people can relate to having a lost lover or a relationship that they enjoyed but has ended. I did enjoy this poem.

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Journal Entry, Week 9: The Trash Men by Charles Bukowski

           This poem was a little confusing to me at first. I was a little confused at first about what this poem really meant and who exactly was speaking in the poem. After rereading it a couple of times i had a feeling that the trash was the speaker in the poem. “They run out the trash bins roll them out to the forklift and then the truck grinds up with too much sound.” ( Bukowski line 9) I felt like this line demonstrated that the trash is the speaker because he is the one that knows the exact routine the trash men go through every day.  Nobody else spends the amount of time with these men unless its the trash because that is their job and they are working with it. “They get drunk on Saturday night.” (Bukowski line 17) Thee trash does indeed know what these men are doing and where they are going because it is all over the world and sees what people do in their life. The trash also shows that it is sad when it says “none of them know that i am alive.” (Bukowski line 25) The speaker feels that he has no value and nobody knows that he is alive. They just think it is worthless. The trash also feels sad in the poem because he knows exactly what these men are doing and they don’t think of the garbage as anything. “ They had to fill out application forms to get these jobs.” (Bukowski line 13) The speaker demonstrates to us that he is more than just their job because this job that they filled an application for is how they get to pay for homes and maintain things in life. The trash men don’t realize that this job has them in a lot of ways. That the garbage is what brings them many good things such as “late model cars.” (Bukowski line 14) In the poem we do sense that the garbage is a little depressed by the fact that he is not valued and known. That nobody cares about him even though he does provide a living to these trash men. It is true that many of us now a days to take granted the things we have. We don’t enjoy the little things and life and appreciate what those things are helping us with even if it is garbage.

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Journal Entry Week 8: “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg

           I did indeed enjoy this poem and truly like the style that it has. It is different then most poems that are written. But i do have to say it was a little confusing at first because the poet kept changing settings and it was a little hard to understand what was actually going on. But as i kept rereading the poem i understood the poem a lot more than what i did when i first read it. The main city that the poet speaks about in this poem is New York City. He speaks truly about the areas of NYC where people are struggling to survive and act like savages. Areas in which people are hurting others or selling drugs and are trying to not get caught by the police. He then speaks about other areas such as New Jersey, Mexico Morocco and their drug dealing. The setting varies depending on what he is speaking about. The thing that i liked the most about the poem is the style of writing. It definitely is almost like a free verse and he tries to get so much into one line. He is speaking to us about everything he has seen and is in a rush to get it all out in writing. “ Who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high.” (Ginsberg 3) He is spilling out everything and doesn’t really use proper english in his writing, especially in this line. This is what is different then most poems because most of them try to rhyme, make sense or even have proper english. The poem starts off with a tone of madness in which we see it continue at times within the other parts of the poem as well. “The poem begins with an image of the speaker’s “mad” friends as “starving hysterical naked.” (Ginsberg 1) When the audience reads this is seems that his friends or the people are going crazy and may even be sick. There could be a madness in their heads as he states in his poem. Another form of madness in the poem is the list of all the treatments for psychiatric disorders which is crazy. In the middle of the poem the poet starts basically talking about where this mad people can be found. These people that are crazy and are seen struggling to make ends meet. He describes the life of drug addicts and alcoholics, “they get arrested for trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico with marijuana strapped to their waist.” (Ginsberg 1) We meet with this situation every single day in some parts of our world. We find many crazy people who are handling drugs every single day. It was what is known now a days in our society. Marijuana has been the topic lately and many younger kids are starting to try it. The generation has becoming “mad” as the poet explains and it is basically all due to psychiatric problems that we don’t realize. The poet also does talk about a lot of sex in the poem whether gay, straight or even with objects. “An image of anonymous sex in public parks.” ( Ginsberg 2)  This is also something we know about that happens in every day life. Many people are being raped and killed afterwards especially young children. It is sad but this is basically what our world is coming too. We hear almost every day about this happening and Allen is trying to tell us that he has seen it first hand. All of these disasters are happening around us and we never know what our life can come too.

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Week 7 Journal Entry: “Touchscreen”

           This poetry video was also another video where majority of our population can truly connect to. Everyone now a days is glued to their phone and are missing out on all the little things in life that their is too enjoy. Back in the day “it used to be hard to connect when friends formed cliques but its even more difficult now when cliques form friends.” This is absolutely true because back in the day many people were afraid of the cliques that were formed by certain friends but now these cliques are what form friends. They are categorized in such levels that people pretend to be what they are not just to be involved in these cliques. People have been so sucked in to this addiction that what happens in social media is what reflects their lives but it shouldn’t be that way at all. “With 3,000 friends online only five i can count in real life, why wouldn’t i spend more time in a world where there are people that like me.” I feel like majority of our population feels this way. They would rather be online and so hip to everything that is going on because they have status of being “known” or are “popular” through social media. But what about real life? You shouldn’t just be someone online that every likes but you should be yourself in person and make connections with people who will truly like you for who you are and not a status of which you posted. Actors and singers have influenced so much of our generation. They make it seem to children that being famous on social media is what really matters in life. They get so carried away with all of it that they forget that, that is the wrong answer. One of my favorite quotes in the video was “ We use to sit in treetops till we swung down to stand upright until someone slipped a disk and now we are doubled over at desktops.” This quote is truly powerful because back in the days children would be very interactive with each other. They use to want to play outside and be with their friends. Many children had treetops and outdoor playgrounds that they would entertain themselves with but now a days they are spoiled and are bought desktops to double over at. They are so caught up in a fake life and don’t know what they are missing in their childhood. Children don’t know how great it is being outside with your friends and truly interacting with them and building relationships that social media hardly does. “I can’t hear the sound of mother nature over all the tweeting.” This is another quote i can connect too because whether being at a park or going out people don’t appreciate their surroundings or mother nature because they are so involved in their phones. I have to admit that I was a victim to this situation before. When i first got my phone, i was in love. The only thing i wanted to do was just be on it all day long. But as I've gotten older i understand now that connecting with people in real life and being present if far more important then just being behind a screen. This is something that we should teach our children to overcome. 

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Week 7 Journal Entry: “Spelling Absent Father

       This poetry video was very emotional and could be connected too many people around the world who view their father as their mother. This video was a very powerful video that was relatable to me. “Two jobs, two kids and a life.” Is a quote that Marshall Jones states in the video. Many woman are left by their husbands because they sometimes aren't ready for such a commitment or they might have their own reasons. But majority of their reasons are unreasonable and stupid. So they leave their woman behind with a child to be born. That mother will do anything in her power to take care of her son/daughter. Mothers sacrifice a lot in life to provide the world for their child. They might get themselves two jobs depending on their situation or sometimes even three just to support their children. “The sky is the limits, planting kisses on our cheeks, hugs on our backs, growing their love on us the best way they know how.” Marshall truly makes us understand that mothers are very compassionate and delicate. They provide us with warmth, love and life. Mothers will make sure their kids know whats important for life and “prepare them for the harvest.” They will do anything in their power to make sure we are strong enough and ready to face the world on our own. They will become a mother and father and teach everything to a child that a father should of taught. Many children don’t have a father but these children learn to be strong and independent in life without one. Some children like Marshall even considered their father as “dead beat.” Children face such a hard time when loosing a parent and will never forget that moment of pain. They look towards their mom as their hero for still being there and being a second parent. Many kids know what this feeling is like, especially Marshall Jones because he states “Where i am from, in my life, father is and always has been spelled MOTHER.” This how majority of children and adults feel now a days. I am a victim of this situation in which my mother is my father. She has done everything in her will to provide me with the best she can give. She has worked very hard day and night to provide me with food, shelter and love. It is very hard indeed to loose a second parent but like i said it helps you become independent in life and even strives you to reacher higher goals. 

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Week 3 Journal Entry: A Ride out of Phrao

        This story was a very interesting story to read. It filled with unexpected events that encourages you to keep reading. This woman named Shirin moved to Thailand to work with the Peace Corps in a village near Chiang Mai. She was once living with her daughter in America but ran away from events that were happening in her life. She has now moved to Thailand where everything is different from America. There is no air-conditioning, the “toilet is a hole in the floor,” (2) and she lives in a house that has lizards climbing up her walls. This story really focuses on catching the attention of the reader and encourages them to keep reading to find out what happens. I really admire Shirin because she is a brave woman who has lost everything and moved into a different city to change her life. Not only was the change hard but also adapting to the change of the new city was also hard for her. She also has her daughter who lives in NYC in which has changed from the girl she was back when mom lived with her. Shirin is so excited with every moment that is new to her in the story. For example with all the fruits that is presented in the story and her new jobs. People in the city call her Dr. Rin which she has gotten use to already. This story is very imaginative for readers and some can really relate to the life of Shirin. The author does really go into detail with the character of Dr. Rin’s past and present. She is also very clear and has beautiful smooth writing as she writes this story. “The rain blurs the lines of their faces and bodies, and their movements become dreamlike.” (4) Every phrase that has imagery in it is presented very well and smooth. So Dr. Rin ends up teaching English in a Thai school and comes to make friends with this young boy. There is a scene in the story in which she hugs the child and then later the child places his hand on her breast. Shirin doesn’t know whether this is very touching to her or disturbing. But later finds out that it is just a child who means no harm. Her daughter also comes to visit her in Chiang Mai in which she is very excited about but has lied to her daughter. But this life in the city just isn’t right for Leila (her daughter.) Leila hates the weather and the fact that they have no “flush toilets.” So she can’t take it anymore and wants to leave. They both go knocking at every neighbors door until finally the boy’s father gives the ladies a ride to their destination. The writing was very clear, so clear that you could imagine every moment of it. It was a great story in which the reader could feel like they were being a part of it.

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Week 3 Journal Entry: Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood

            This story is actually six stories wrapped into one. The author begins by introducing the two main characters which are John and Mary. The author goes through six different versions labeled A through F of who they are and what can happen to them. This story is an example of metafiction. It is basically a fiction story that discusses, describes and analyzes attention to itself. 
 Version A is the story that describes the “happy ending” of their relationship. In this version of a story, everything that happens goes right and the characters have wonderful lives and a happy ending. They aren't thinking that anything will go wrong for them because everything is just right. The author does indeed keep using the phrase “Stimulating and challenging” three times. The first time was to describe John and Mary’s jobs, the second for their sex life and the third one was to describe the hobbies in which they take when they retire. That phrase does not challenge us because these characters are basically viewed as stick figures when reading the story. They move through the stories in which they have challenging events and obstacles.

           Version B is different than the first version. It shows that Jon “merely uses her body for selfish pleasure and ego gratification of a tepid kind.” The character John is much deeper in this story than the first. After John has eaten the dinner that Mary has cooked for them, he has sex with her and falls asleep, Mary will stay awake and wash the dishes. There is no reason for her to be doing so but under the pressure she is in it is interesting. This version also uses second person point of view. For example, she mentions that “ you’ll notice that he doesn’t even consider her worth the price of a dinner out.” She then commits a suicide attempt with sleeping pills which is far more interesting because John doesn’t care. The use of the second person in this is interesting because it lets the reader actually act out the part.

          In Version C, “an older man” falls in love with Mary who is only 22. She doesn’t love him at all and is in love with a man named James who is her height as well. She doesn’t love John but sleeps with him because she “ feels sorry for him because he’s worried about his hair falling out.” Soon in the story it is known that John is having an affair with Mary to escape that “stimulating and challenging” life of the first version because John is living with his wife named Madge. It turns out that John and Mary don’t have their “happy ending” because John ends up killing all of them including himself which ends up leaving Madge behind. Madge marries Fred and continues the story of the version A.

         In Version D, Fred and Madge get along very well and have a lovely life together. But their house gets destroyed by a tidal wave and thousands of people are killed. Fred and Madge survive, and live the version of A in their story.

        Version A is complicated. If it’s not a tidal wave, than it’s a “bad heart.” In this story Fred dies of a bad heart and Madge dedicates herself to charity work. The author writes “If you like, it can be ‘Madge,’ ‘cancer,’ ‘guilty and confused,’ and ‘bird watching.’ Something will always interrupt the story version of A, regardless if its Fred’d bad heart or Madge’s cancer.

         Every version In this story will loop back to the same point of version A, which is the “happy ending.” Atwood does state “no matter what the details are, you’ll still end up with A. The writer has written many versions and series to let the writers imagine the different stories that can possibly occur. She has made it seem like we, as a reader can actually pick a version that we would like. But in the version of F, she explains that even if we went through the whole alphabet with different series we would still end up with the first version. So what she is trying to say is that version A doesn't necessarily need to have a marriage, kids or real estate to be a happy ending. It could really just be some tragic event and still come to a happy ending. Many people view their happy ending the way life is suppose to be. They follow steps or a set of rules as to how their life is suppose to go. They imagine such a perfect version but don’t know what life can provider for them. Life can turn instantly in one quick moment and your left with something you could never imagine. Many people wouldn’t envision kids at such a young age or a family death at such age but thinks happen in events that we can’t predict. We just have to live each day to the fullest and be prepared for anything in life because at the end of the day we don’t know what our happy ending is going to be like.

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Week 3 Journal Entry: “Orientation: A Short Story by Daniel Orozco

                                                                                                           Andre1

Mariana Andre      

Matthew Wedlock

ENG 102 102-B4N

13 February 2017

                                 Orientation: A Short Story by Daniel Orozco

             In the story “Orientation: A Short Story” by Daniel Orozco, the story is actually designed in a job orientation. The story makes you actually feel like you are in an orientation with your employer learning everything about the job. Within the story the author does stereotype many things about the employees. He also uses a sense of humor and repetition in the story. Basically we are reading about the employees orientation and what he can and shouldn’t do on the job and what he should and should not know.

             I absolutely loved this orientation because it did add some sense of humor. It was also very long in which orientations usually last about 10 to 15 minutes. The author Orozco writes so much in his story that it fees like the orientation is never ending. Now normally in an orientation one person does all the talking and the new employee just listens. But what makes this orientation strange and funny is what the person keeps talking about.

              He starts off talking about the simple things in the job such as the phone policy or the copy machine and supply closet policy. “This is a microwave oven. You are allowed to heat food in the microwave oven. You are not, however, allowed to cook food in the microwave oven.” (4) This quote is a simple policy that the employees must follow during the job. He does give off a lot of details when explaining the policy but that is because he is trying to make him/herself feel more important and be superior in the position. An orientation does not need to be this long and detailed but Orozco feels the need that he should explain it all in black and white. He feels that the more he talks, the more knowledgeable he seems to be so he continues on and on about the simple policy of work.

                                                                                                        Andre 2 

                One thing that truly caught my attention was the fact that Orozco was so open about the person life of all the employees. That would absolutely not happen during a real orientation because it is so unprofessional and wrong to do so. Though, wouldn’t it be  nice to exactly know about the lives of our co-workers before we even begin the first day on the job? Orozco stated during the orientation to “never talk to Anika Bloom.” (6) This is absolutely unfair and what ever goes on with her life is up to her not anyone else. Orozco did take it a little too far when he spoke about the life of all employees but it did add sense of humor to the story and thank god it is only a story. Can you actually imagine this happening in real life?

                Another sense of humor that is added to the orientation is “Kevin Howard sits in the cubicle over there. He is a serial killer, the one they call Carpet Cutter, responsible for the mutilations across town.” (5-6) Now no orientation employer would ever say or expose anything of anyone like this. An office would also not have hired a serial killer to work with them, that is awful! But then again it is a sense of humor that is shown in the story. It is what makes the piece of writing interesting and also what grabs the attention of readers.                  Orozco doesn’t only show sense of humor in the story but also the difference between reality and fiction when he keeps saying: “You may be let go.” (1) The leader usually states a topic and goes into detail, then he warns the employee that they will be fired for making the smallest mistake. If you ask too many questions, or make an emergency phone call without asking anyone, you may be let go. Now we know that someone wouldn’t get fired for not asking to make an emergency phone call. But again he feels like he is important and tries to scare off the new guy and make himself superior. The author does write an orientation that we feel we are in it. He adds some sense of humor, tells us some of the simple Do’s and Dont’s and even exaggerates a little when we talks about everyone’s personal life.   

                                                                                                         Andre 3

                I work at Texas Roadhouse and do management a few nights there. I have been an orientation leader in the past and have some experience on what to train a new employee on. I first never went into too much detail with the simple policy of work. The employee should have a basic knowledge of the simple policies and should know their right from wrongs. I have to say that i did feel a little superior and gave a lot of details when it came to other different aspects of my job but overall i know for sure there are a lot of things in the orientation of this story that i would not do in my orientation.

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Week 2 Journal Entry: Assimilation

        I found this story interesting and a little romantic as well. So the story starts off with a boy named Ramon, who was recently promoted from dishwasher to busboy. Though he was promoted there was a catch in the process. “The photograph was of a girl, a blonde with sunglasses propped in her hair… How much? Leon said.” (paragraph 8) The catch was that Ramon was being asked to marry a stranger so she would be able to get her citizenship. “ You sell yourself washing dishes, little bro. This is the country of selling yourself,” Leon tell hims.” (paragraph 17) This quote explains that Leon and Ramon had two different views and beliefs. Leon is very americanized and thinks money buys everything verses Ramon who knew that wasn’t right from the beginning. Ramon is entitled to family tradition and honesty. But Ramon does end up marrying the woman and bringing her to America. When Jelena his wife ends up coming to America, Ramon wants to learn about her just in case the government checks on their marriage. He also feels like he has the right to learn stuff about her because he is now her husband. As the story goes on Ramon does find himself attracted to her and slowly starts falling in love with her.  The husband and wife ended up going to Leon’s party and there was a question she had asked Ramon. “Let me ask you something that I don’t understand, she said. This is your brother, a very rich man, I guess, to have all this. I see his place with its paintings and big windows overlooking the river and all his friends of every color, who are what is called beautiful people, yes? But Ramon the brother waits tables in Brooklyn. How is this explained?” (paragraph 25) This quote explains that Jelena is wondering why both brothers have such a different lifestyle. Leon is shown in the story that he is rich and perhaps maybe he is a part of a gang to be having all these luxuries. Leon is living the American dream while his brother is working hard for the stuff that he wants. As the party is almost coming to an end both brothers were speaking to each other when Leon stated “It means that she observes you. I told her that she should give you something to smile about.” (paragraph 29) This quote explains that Jelena is observing Ramon which means she is interested in the man that he is. Leon can also see them falling in love but never says anything to Ramon. Leon knows that Ramon married Jelena for business but things it is unfair when Borislav now invites Ramon into their home. He knows what the family is up too and is not liking it. Towards the end of the movie Jelena starts asking Ramon why he doesn’t hit her, as if she is already used to the feeling of this. Or maybe it is in a way that she can press charges against him and be divorced. But we find that she is actually falling in love with Ramon and does indeed go away with him. When Leon notices this he then smiles at the fact that they are together and states “ Let the war begin.” This hints to use that they could be in two separate gangs who are in a warfare. All of this is happening while Jelena is getting use to America and it’s ways. Many people in the past use to marry for citizenship. Some couples would be be happy together and forget that it was only for the papers and others would just hate each other and couldn’t wait to run the divorce. In this case Jelena and Ramon did indeed marry for citizenship but she does end up falling in love with him because of the person that he is. She falls in love with his ways. Many woman who married for papers also went through situations like these. Some of them probably did marry because their parents wanted them to become citizens but end up finding happiness with their partner. In this case it was a good ending when they decided to love each other. So the true meaning of this story is never expect the unexpected.

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Week 2 Journal Entry: The Weirdos

          This story was a little confusing to me as well. I had to read it many times to understand what the true meaning of it was. I didn’t understand much of the humor that the narrator shows through out the story. But the story starts off with her mentioning her boyfriend and explaining the environment that she lives in. She states “ he was the manager of an apartment complex in a part of town where the palm trees were sick. They were infested by a parasite that made them soft like bendy straws, and so they arched over the roads.” (page 1) This quote explains that the palm trees in her environment are sick and a parasite is causing them to gently get sick and tired. I believe that she is comparing this to herself. I believe that she is starting the story explaining that she is being infected by a parasite and she is getting sick and tired of it. She then states in the story “I hate my boyfriend but i liked the neighborhood.” (page 1) This explains that she really dislikes her boyfriend and again i think he is the parasite that is making her sick. As the story continues her boyfriend becomes very conceded. I truly dislike her boyfriend in the story because it seems like it is all about him. “I’m a total stud,” he said. “But it creeps up on you. That’s why I’m good on TV. Nonthreatening.” (page 4). This is a quote that shows that he has a very high ego about himself and living with a person like that every day makes you miserable. I definitely feel like she is not in a happy relationship and she goes with the flow everyday. She does explain this in the quote “Nothing made me happy. I went out to the pool, skimmed the surface of the blue water with my hand, praying for one of us, my boyfriend or me, to die.” (page 4) This truly shows us that she is in a unhappy relationship just like the woman in The Yellow Wall-Paper. They both feel like they are stuck and trapped by their partners in their relationship. As she is living this kind of life with her boyfriend the new tenants show up with a bunch of cash to pay for a year’s worth rent. In the story she mentions that they were weird but the strangest thing was the tattoo on the woman’s forehead that looked like a third eye. The woman who’s name was Moon gave the narrator a feather in which she would place under her pillow and have a very specific dream. “ And then i want you to imagine your boyfriend. When you imagine him, imagine he’s on one side and everybody else is on the other side.” (page 9) I feel like maybe this is the reason she hasn’t left her boyfriend because it’s not a matter of having somewhere better to go but its about not having anything better to compare to. She thinks that maybe there is nothing better out there for her. Maybe it’s her fault and that she deserves it so she stays. She then later dreams of a monkey that is truly sad. I feel like she is the monkey in the story that is sad and unhappy about the position that she is in. In the end we read that her boyfriend is on drugs and is very moody with his girlfriend and yet she is still unsure whether she should leave or not. Just like “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” many women these days are also put in this same situation. Especially girls at such a young age who think it’s okay for their boyfriends to be doing drugs and mistreating them. They deserve to be happy in life and what they are experiencing with their partner is not what they should be going through. I have a friend who's involved in a situation like this and she thought it was okay to be happy and live with a someone who is addicted to heroine. But it’s not because at the end of the day he is hurting him self and you as well. He is causing so much pain and it is not worth it. At this point the best thing to do is get him some help and let him get better.

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Week 2 Journal Entry: The Yellow Wall-Paper

          At first, i found this story a little bit confusing. It was confusing to me because i didn’t  understand what the symbolism of the wallpaper meant and that is one thing that the narrator kept talking about. But as i read the story a few more times i then really understood what the narrator was trying to say and really made a connection with the meaning of the story.  In the beginning of the story she starts to speak about how beautiful the house is that she lives in, despite the yellow wallpaper in her room and she wonders how they were even able to afford it. She then explains how she is suffering from a “nervous depression.” “John is a physician, and perhaps - (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is a dead paper and a great relief to my mind—-) perhaps that is one reason i do not get well faster. You see he does not believe I am sick.” (Paragraph 7) John is the narrator’s wife and also her doctor and in this quote she complains that her husband doesn’t believe she is sick and really doesn’t care for any of her concerns or desires. Her husband has forbidden her from doing any physical activity, any freedom or anything that she is interested in doing so. The narrator feels strongly that she should be able to go out and enjoy freedom, and be able to do physical activities that she is interested in. She feels like this is the best way to improve her condition and she starts to write in a secret journal in order to help her mind. In her journal she begins to write about this yellow wall paper and its strange patterns. “There comes John, and I must put this away —- he hates to have me write a word.” (page 649) This quote indicates that she is afraid of her husband and has to hide it before he even sees her writing. She is in a controlling relationship with John and has no freedom at all. In my opinion her nervous depression is caused because of him not allowing her to do anything. She does try to speak to him about a few things in the story but he neglects what she has to say and states “that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies.” (page 649) He is basically telling her to not worry about the yellow wallpaper or other minor things because it isn’t important and could probably make her situation worse. The narrator is alone most of the time and she becomes very fond of the wallpaper and attempts to figure out the pattern. She soon becomes so obsessed with it that she doesn’t allow anyone to examine it but herself. The narrator states the wallpaper begins to resemble a woman who looks like she is behind bars of a cage and feels like she is that woman that is behind the bars. She feels like she is trapped inside and has no freedom to do anything because of her husband and his controlling ways. She suspects that her husband and Jennie are aware of her obsession with the wallpaper and the next day she destroys and tears all the paper from the wall freeing the woman who is struggling and trapped behind it. But she notices that she is going insane at this point. She notices that she has freed herself from being trapped behind this paper. The narrator is struggling and going crazy every day not doing anything and not living her life. She is stuck in a room all day until her husband comes back home and yet there is nothing to look forward too. There are many females out in the world who experience this same situation. The struggle being behind bars and not having any say in the relationship. Their man’s are so controlling and some yet abusive to their female partners. They sometimes are not allowed to do anything or even leave the houses. This causes them nervousness and anxiety just like the narrator in the story. The best cure for this is letting go and moving on.

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Week One, Journal Entry 2: The Skeleton Woman

           This tale was one of which i have never heard of so far. It was a mysterious one in which i felt like i had to reread a couple of times to really grasp a sense of what exactly was being told in the tale. Basically the moral of this tale was that the young girl had gotten a second chance at life after her father had thrown her into the seat because of something he disapproved of. It is said in the tale that “the fish ate her flesh away and plucked out her eyes. As she lay under the sea, her skeleton turned over and over in the currents.” (paragraph 1) This quote states that at this moment she is feeling very weak and vulnerable. She has just been pushed into the ocean by some one who brought her into life and is now being eaten and destroyed by the creatures of the sea. This shows that she is at a point of her life that she feels betrayed and neglected and she feels like their is no point of living. In the bay that she was pushed into is now know as a “haunted” area. One day a fisherman was lost in that haunted bay and his hook caught got into her rib cage. The fisherman here is demonstrated as a sign of hope for this woman because men knew to stay away from that area. Except for this lost fisherman. He ended up running and being chased by this Skeleton Woman until he had reached his snow house. When he reached inside and lit his whale oil lamp, he noticed that she was still there. He was in shock of the horror that he had been through but as he lit his lamp he noticed that the “firelight softened her features….but a feeling of kindness came into his breathing, and slowly he reached out his grimy hands and using words softly like a mother to a child, began to untangle her from the fishing line.” ( paragraph 8) This quote demonstrates that he then realized that this woman did indeed need his help to renew herself and have another chance in life. He also felt some kindness towards the girl and some compassion as well. As he had untangled her he dressed her up and after all was done, he fell asleep. At that moment the skeleton woman “saw the tear glisten in the firelight and she became so suddenly thirsty.” (paragraph 12) I feel like this quote means that she was thirsty for a new beginning and took the opportunity while the fisherman was weak in his dream. The Skeleton Woman has ripped his heart and added flesh and all physical features back into her body and “ that is how they awakened, wrapped one around the other, tangled from their night, in another way now, a good and lasting way.” (paragraph 15) This quote means that after being recreated from using the fisherman’s heart she is now giving a second chance in life. She went through hell in the beginning when she was tossed into the ocean by her father. But it only made her stronger when she had found hope in the kind fisherman that had saved her. From her past experience she will now give life a second chance and be a more strong independent woman along with her new lover. This story can relate to many woman who have been involved in the same situation. Many woman are mistreated and misused by a male figure in their life and they feel that they are stuck and useless to men. They wait for some miracle to happen to finally restart their life and make something better of it. I myself have been in a situation where i was held in an abusive relationship. Finally i waited until the right moment when i had my fisherman come and help me regain myself once again. He gave me hope that i could still have a fresh start and be the person i want to be. I could now be a strong independent woman from the past experience i had. 

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Week One, Journal Entry: The Voice of Silence

            I have to say i absolutely loved this story and the meaning of it as well. What first caught my attention was the quote that said “Life is a play that does not allow testing. So, sing, cry, dance, laugh and live intensely, before the curtain closes and the piece ends with no applause.” (paragraph 4) This quote says it all. It means that life is just to short and that we should experience it as much as we can. We should live it to the fullest and complete all of our desires and wishes. We should love intensely, before it all ends and you have not done with you have desired to do. This story basically explains a woman that watched a couple being present in the moment and enjoying life. “ I could see that they were oblivious to everything happening around them, lost to a lively unspoken conversation that was being conducted by means of signs and facial expressions. From the looks that they were exchanging, they seemed to be sharing intimacies that could not be revealed to any other person, safe in the knowledge that nobody would be capable of deciphering their language.” (paragraph 5) This quote really emphasis the fact that even though the couple had a speech barrier, they could still communicate and show affection towards one another without a single word being spoken. The part that really touched me the most was that they were able to focus on one another only and be present to what they had going on. They weren’t distracted by someone's else conversation near by or anything else in their ambience. They were able to truly appreciate the time that they were given during their meals. As desert arrived at the table the young man had spilled over the drink glasses which stained the tablecloth and his girlfriend’s blouse. But what i loved the most was that “she assumed an expression of fake annoyance and gave her boyfriend’s ear a tug, with a naughty little smile.” (paragraph 6) This quote demonstrates that even though he spilled juice all over the table cloth and her shirt it still did not ruin the moment that they were having. She knew that being with her boyfriend and enjoying the simple things in life was far more important then a dirty shirt. During the whole story, the author was so fascinated with her neighboring table that she had noticed the “Charlie Chaplin” movie that started when she had sat down was now coming to an end. The meaning of this was that she had wasted her time admiring the couple that sat near her and forgot to appreciate her own time with her husband. She was so caught up in their moment that she let her moment slip away. The moral of the story is that you should enjoy life at every moment and make the best of the time you are given. This story definitely relates to the world that we live in now. Many people get carried away with what others are doing or what others already have that they forget to appreciate what they have in life. They forgot to appreciate the little things that matter in life. Most people will walk into class, a restaurant, a store, and many other places and go immediately on their phones, avoiding time being spent by on stuff that doesn’t matter in life. I feel that we should put away that cellular device and try speaking to one another. We should live every moment to the fullest because you never know what tomorrow will bring. 

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Another wallpaper ready for winter break studying 💕

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There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain.

Georges Braque (via quotemadness)

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