Carmen Wise
Professor Nancy Knowles
English 104
How are condoms, popularity and romance novels connected? In the following entry you will read my blog party assignment involving emotional connections that readers have with the romance novels that they read. What does this have to do with condoms you ask, read on and it will all make sense.
My inquiry question is “Are romantic novels, true or fiction, more popular with readers because they affect us emotionally?” Doing most of my research proved that romance novels are the most popular by the proof of highest profit genre. I did not find direct answers to my question. However, from my research I can assume that the popularity of romance novels is because of the emotional connection the reader gets from novel.
My first research was done on Business of Consumer Book Publishing 2009 showing the profit that romance novels have made this year. Everything that was shown about romance novels they were above every other genre. The following is the numbers I found on this website:
--Romance fiction generated $1.37 billion in sales in 2008.
-- 7,311 new romance titles were released in 2008.
--In 2008, romance was the top performing category on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists.
--Romance fiction sales are estimated at $1.36 billion for 2009.
--74.8 million people read at least one romance novel in 2008.
(Source: RWA Reader Survey)
I also found the following information on Writers Digest “Studying the Romance Novel” by Leigh Michaels. “Why are romances so popular? There are as many answers as there are readers. And there are a lot of readers—RWA’s 2005 study showed that 64.6 million Americans read at least one romance in the previous year. Half the readers are married; almost half are college graduates, and 15 percent hold graduate degrees. Women between the ages of twenty-five and fifty-four make up more than half the romance-reading audience, but readers range in age from their preteens to over age seventy-five. A fair number of men read romances, too—22 percent of all romance readers are male, according to RWA—but not many are willing to talk about it. (Some even subscribe to by-mail book clubs in their wives’ names to keep their secret from the mailman.)” Based on the above information I concluded that romance novels are popular due to the emotional connection they have with their readers. All the other genres (fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, cooking, etc.) don’t use emotional connections nearly as much as romantic novels do. Anyone who had read the average romance novel remembers wishing that things had worked as easily as they do in the book for them in their own lives.
Making crucial decisions in our lives are sometimes persuaded by the books that you read. When I discussed my question with our instructor for this class she told me that she had some papers on my topic she thought that I would enjoy. In reading one of the articles called Love Means Having to be Careful by Amanda Diekman, Mary McDonald, and Wendi Gardner. These three ladies decide to do a survey of student who read romance novels. They explain that the main concept of being “swept away” in a romance novel doesn’t always paint the right picture in the readers mind. By this they broke it down to explain that a lot of romance novels out there don’t promote the use of sexual protection (condoms). Diekman/McDonald/Gardner argues that romance novels that hint that condoms will affect being “swept away” actually will affect its reader’s ideas of using condoms in their own lives. They suggest that if romance novels showed how using condoms as a good thing its readers would be more likely to do the same in their own lives. They shows evidence of this by doing surveys of college students after they have read romance novels without promoting sexual protection and romance novels with sexual protection. They found that when surveyed the students who read the romance novels that promoted sexual protection said that they were more likely to use it themselves. They discovered that some novels made the readers afraid of the negative interpersonal consequences they would receive if they tried to use sexual protection. Diekman/McDonald/Gardner is trying to get the idea across that what we read even if it is purely for entertainment still affects us and our lives. The readers of romance novels have a connection with the characters so they will in some ways try to mold their lives into the way the novel went. (Psychology of Women Quarterly 2000) I found this article long but very interesting. I had a hard time following the mathematics of the survey papers but the main area of the paper was very interesting. I didn’t really think of this article having a connection to my question until reading this article over again. Diekman is showing the emotional connection the these people had to the romance novels and how that connection affect how they made choices in their own lives because of it. It really was a very moving paper that made me think back to my condom use and the choices that I have made in the past. I wonder now if the romance novels I was reading at those times affected the decisions that I made.
What really makes a romance novel a romance novel? While doing the research for this blog party I found out this distinction between a general novel and romance novels. I would have thought that any novel with a romance in it would be considered a romance novel, this is incorrect. It all depends on which elements of the story are emphasized. If there is a story with elements of a romance but it is not the main focus of the novel it is not considered a romance novel. It the main focus of the book is the romance then it would go into the romance genre. Just because the novel has a couple that fall in love does not make it a romance novel. Here is a quote from Leigh’s paper again “So let’s say you’re writing a story about a woman who’s being chased by the bad guys, and she falls in love with the bodyguard who’s protecting her. Is this a romance novel? Or is it general fiction? That depends on which elements of the story are emphasized. If the main focus of the story is the chase, what the bad guys are actually up to, and why they’re after the main character, the novel is general fiction. If the main focus of the story is the couple falling in love while they’re hiding out, it’s a romance novel.” I found all of this interesting; I wouldn’t have thought that there were such strict standards to qualify as a romance novel. Knowing what the definition of making a romance novel entails I can only conclude that a true romance novel connects emotionally with its reader.
In conclusion I have found sufficient evidence that the answer to my question is yes. When asking the question at first I thought that the answer would be yes. However, I am glad that I did the research that I did because I learned a lot about romance novels that I otherwise would not have learned. There is no way that I would have thought that the use of condoms could have any connection to a romance novel until I read their article. It was very much worth the read. I will be very interested to get feedback from all of you on your feelings on this subject. I hope you all enjoyed it, thanks for reading.
Works Cited:
Diekman, Amanda B.; McDonald, Mary; Gardner L.. “Love Means Never Having To Be Careful” Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24 (2000), 179-188. Cambridge University Press
Business of Consumer Book Publishing 2009. Romance Writers of America: http://www.rwanational.org/cs/the_romance_genre/romance_literature_statistics
Michaels, Leigh. “Studying the Romance Novel” Writers' Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/article/on-writing-romance-excerpt/
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Blog Entry 22: Freestyle
I have been having a lot of issues with connections with friends and family lately. After reading Othello and watching the movies O I noticed a lot about their connections with others. It is really hard to stand up for yourself alone. I have been having the world record for bad luck lately and it seems like I am all alone with this issue. I have looked to my significant other for comfort and have came up empty handed. I turned to my mother and when she was confronted with her opportunity to help me and stand up for me she buckled. Not only did she buckle but she even talked badly about me with this person. I have found it really hard to fight all these battles alone. The only thing that keeps my faith is that I have two little babies that depend on me and my sanity. I am not going to let the crap that is thrown at me effect my children’s lives. This has become a much harder task that I could have ever expected. When you feel so broken inside it is very hard to control how you are on the outside. I have a young son who feels everything that I am feeling. When I pick him up he begins to cry, which is what I am doing on the inside, it breaks my heart. I have gotten so that I can master deep breathing so that I am calm and he has no idea. There is nothing in this world that is more rewarding than seeing your child smile or does something amazing for their age. My daughter has turned into a little person and she amazes me daily. It is these little moments and things that help me make it through the day.
I started out this term with school as my sole focus. I was running myself ragged talking the kids to the babysitters and my parents house. I was stressed out to the point where I was losing my hair. I put a goal on myself that I had to have straight A’s in all my classes. I was able to do this for the last 2 terms why would this one be different? It is different because I am a mother of two small babies now. I have to put them first. 3 weeks ago I started focusing on them and my work has slacked a little but what does come out is so much better. Come to find out when I don’t focus so much my work is much better. Who would have figured that! So I guess the point is when life gives you lemons throw them away and get a large piece of chocolate cake out of the frig and enjoy every bite of it.
I started out this term with school as my sole focus. I was running myself ragged talking the kids to the babysitters and my parents house. I was stressed out to the point where I was losing my hair. I put a goal on myself that I had to have straight A’s in all my classes. I was able to do this for the last 2 terms why would this one be different? It is different because I am a mother of two small babies now. I have to put them first. 3 weeks ago I started focusing on them and my work has slacked a little but what does come out is so much better. Come to find out when I don’t focus so much my work is much better. Who would have figured that! So I guess the point is when life gives you lemons throw them away and get a large piece of chocolate cake out of the frig and enjoy every bite of it.
Blog Entry 21: Scene Response
Scene Response to Othello
I watched quite a few little clips from Othello movie made in 1995. I found that even though I recognized some of the actors they did a very good job making it seem old. The story is hard to understand due to the dialect but after reading it, then watching the movie clips it all comes together. After watching these clips I wish that I had not seen the movie O. It is a “bad” version of this play I think. It was changed to match this day and age but in doing so they lost very important parts of the story line. You would very rarely see the same happen today as it did in the slap scene. I found that having their old dialect and costumes made it much easier to understand and find entertaining than O. It was easier to connect with these film clips than O even though I feel like I should connect with the new age film easier. It is built on raw emotion, before any of our technology that changes our way of felling, pure raw emotions. I am going to have to go rent this movie now, it is not so hard to follow when you can see what they are doing. Viewing the video and following their dialect was not as hard as it was just reading the play. It is a very emotional and interesting play/movie. William Shakespeare was way ahead of his time, he is an amazing writer.
I watched quite a few little clips from Othello movie made in 1995. I found that even though I recognized some of the actors they did a very good job making it seem old. The story is hard to understand due to the dialect but after reading it, then watching the movie clips it all comes together. After watching these clips I wish that I had not seen the movie O. It is a “bad” version of this play I think. It was changed to match this day and age but in doing so they lost very important parts of the story line. You would very rarely see the same happen today as it did in the slap scene. I found that having their old dialect and costumes made it much easier to understand and find entertaining than O. It was easier to connect with these film clips than O even though I feel like I should connect with the new age film easier. It is built on raw emotion, before any of our technology that changes our way of felling, pure raw emotions. I am going to have to go rent this movie now, it is not so hard to follow when you can see what they are doing. Viewing the video and following their dialect was not as hard as it was just reading the play. It is a very emotional and interesting play/movie. William Shakespeare was way ahead of his time, he is an amazing writer.
Blog Entry 20: Quote-Response
Quote:
Othello: “Went he hence now?”
Desdemona: “Yes, faith, so humbled
That he hath left part of his grief with me
To suffer with him. Good love, call him back.”
Othello: “Not now, sweet Desdemon. Some other time.”
Desdemona: “But shall ‘t be shortly?”
Othello: “The sooner, sweet, for you.”
Desdemona: “Shall ‘t be tonight at supper?”
Othello: “No, not tonight.”
Desdemona: “Tomorrow dinner, then?”
Othello: “I shall not dine at home.
I meet the captains at the citadel.”
Desdemona: “Why, then, tomorrow night, or Tuesday morn,
On Tuesday noon, or night, on Wednesday morn.
I prithee, name the time, but let it not
Exceed three days. In faith, he’s penitent;
And yet his trespass, in our common reason—
Save that, they say, the wars must make example
Out of her best—is not almost a fault
T’ incur a private check. When shall he come?
Tell me Othello. I wonder in my soul
What you would ask me that I should deny,
Or stand so mammering on. What? Michael Cassio,
That came a-wooing with you, and so many a time,
When I have spoke of you dispraisingly,
Hath ta’en your part—to have so much to do
To bring him in. By’r Lady I could do much—
Othello: “Prithee, no more. Let him come when he will,
I will deny thee nothing.”
(Othello by: William Shakespeare Edited by: David Bevington, Pgs. 983-4)
Response:
This is where the manipulation where Iago’s plan goes into full effect. He is doing what he thinks that he need to do to get revenge on Cassio. I cannot even imagine being in Desdemona’s position here. In the time that this is based out of things were handled so differently. Due to the difference in their demeanor in this time it is hard for me not to feel really emotional about this story. I believe in women’s rights and that they should have a say in what happens to them. However, back when this was written women had nothing, she was to be seen and not heard. Othello’s commitment to her is also something that amazes me. Not that it is ok that he kills her over her supposed betray but the love that he has to have for her to do something of this nature. It is twisted I know but after watching the movie O I got a bigger perspective on how much he really did love her. It is a little construed in the movie however due to their young age (high school) but I cannot imagine the strength that it took Othello to kill her. It is one thing to kill an intruder entering your home, you know nothing about them. But, to love someone so much you kill them has to take a lot of strength. I think this is why in the movie he kills himself, he could never live with what he had done. To me this is an epic love story with a horrible ending…which is true to most of Shakespeare’s work.
Othello: “Went he hence now?”
Desdemona: “Yes, faith, so humbled
That he hath left part of his grief with me
To suffer with him. Good love, call him back.”
Othello: “Not now, sweet Desdemon. Some other time.”
Desdemona: “But shall ‘t be shortly?”
Othello: “The sooner, sweet, for you.”
Desdemona: “Shall ‘t be tonight at supper?”
Othello: “No, not tonight.”
Desdemona: “Tomorrow dinner, then?”
Othello: “I shall not dine at home.
I meet the captains at the citadel.”
Desdemona: “Why, then, tomorrow night, or Tuesday morn,
On Tuesday noon, or night, on Wednesday morn.
I prithee, name the time, but let it not
Exceed three days. In faith, he’s penitent;
And yet his trespass, in our common reason—
Save that, they say, the wars must make example
Out of her best—is not almost a fault
T’ incur a private check. When shall he come?
Tell me Othello. I wonder in my soul
What you would ask me that I should deny,
Or stand so mammering on. What? Michael Cassio,
That came a-wooing with you, and so many a time,
When I have spoke of you dispraisingly,
Hath ta’en your part—to have so much to do
To bring him in. By’r Lady I could do much—
Othello: “Prithee, no more. Let him come when he will,
I will deny thee nothing.”
(Othello by: William Shakespeare Edited by: David Bevington, Pgs. 983-4)
Response:
This is where the manipulation where Iago’s plan goes into full effect. He is doing what he thinks that he need to do to get revenge on Cassio. I cannot even imagine being in Desdemona’s position here. In the time that this is based out of things were handled so differently. Due to the difference in their demeanor in this time it is hard for me not to feel really emotional about this story. I believe in women’s rights and that they should have a say in what happens to them. However, back when this was written women had nothing, she was to be seen and not heard. Othello’s commitment to her is also something that amazes me. Not that it is ok that he kills her over her supposed betray but the love that he has to have for her to do something of this nature. It is twisted I know but after watching the movie O I got a bigger perspective on how much he really did love her. It is a little construed in the movie however due to their young age (high school) but I cannot imagine the strength that it took Othello to kill her. It is one thing to kill an intruder entering your home, you know nothing about them. But, to love someone so much you kill them has to take a lot of strength. I think this is why in the movie he kills himself, he could never live with what he had done. To me this is an epic love story with a horrible ending…which is true to most of Shakespeare’s work.
Blog Entry 19: Freestyle
In another class that I am taking we did a discussion board on Internet Dating. I thought that I would continue my thoughts and get the thoughts from this class on this matter. It is of no importance for the other class, that discussion is done and over with it, as you will read, is a touchy subject for me.
I believe that there is both good and bad that can come out of meeting someone off of the internet. The person you are talking to is a complete stranger and there is no way to protect yourself because there can be no research on them done if you don’t know who they really are. I don’t know from experience if those dating websites like eHarmony really work but if the commercials are true I am happy for those couples. I do know about meeting someone online and it ending badly.
I met my EX-husband online at a communications website. I did not talk to him with the intention on dating him but after meeting in person it seemed to be love at first sight. After 6 months of bliss we were wed. From the day after our wedding he went coo coo for cocoa cocoa puffs. He was abusive, rude and openly cheated on me. This was a big deal because we were both in the military at the time and that is a MAJOR problem. So not only did I have a really bad home life but because of the obvious abuse showing on my face at work, my chief got involved. To save from the lengthy version he left for Iraq 4 months after our wedding and I divorced his ass as fast as I could. A lot of judgment was put on me for my actions from my family and friends but I stuck to my guns because I knew the real information.
At the same time as I was dealing with my ex my best friend had met a guy on myspace and got married right after I did. She moved into his house with him after talking to him online for 3 days which scared me to death. Amazingly they are still married and completely happy to this day. So, I know that it is possible.
Anything any of you would like to share or comment would be great…if not that is fine too. I said what I wanted to say so thanks for reading.
I believe that there is both good and bad that can come out of meeting someone off of the internet. The person you are talking to is a complete stranger and there is no way to protect yourself because there can be no research on them done if you don’t know who they really are. I don’t know from experience if those dating websites like eHarmony really work but if the commercials are true I am happy for those couples. I do know about meeting someone online and it ending badly.
I met my EX-husband online at a communications website. I did not talk to him with the intention on dating him but after meeting in person it seemed to be love at first sight. After 6 months of bliss we were wed. From the day after our wedding he went coo coo for cocoa cocoa puffs. He was abusive, rude and openly cheated on me. This was a big deal because we were both in the military at the time and that is a MAJOR problem. So not only did I have a really bad home life but because of the obvious abuse showing on my face at work, my chief got involved. To save from the lengthy version he left for Iraq 4 months after our wedding and I divorced his ass as fast as I could. A lot of judgment was put on me for my actions from my family and friends but I stuck to my guns because I knew the real information.
At the same time as I was dealing with my ex my best friend had met a guy on myspace and got married right after I did. She moved into his house with him after talking to him online for 3 days which scared me to death. Amazingly they are still married and completely happy to this day. So, I know that it is possible.
Anything any of you would like to share or comment would be great…if not that is fine too. I said what I wanted to say so thanks for reading.
Blog Entry 18: Quote-Response
Quote:
Roderigo: “What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe
If he can carry ‘t this!”
Iago: “Call up her father.
Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight,
Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,
And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,
Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy,
Yet throw such changes of vexation on ‘t
As it may lose some color.”
Roderigo: “Here is her father’s house. I’ll call aloud.”
Iago: “Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell
As when, by night and negligence, the fire
Is spied in populous cities.”
Roderigo: “What ho, Brabantio! Signor Brabantio, ho!”
(Othello By: William Shakespeare Edited by: David Bevington, Pg. 941)
Response:
Um…yeah! Well as we have all discussed on the DB this is a very hard play to read. I liked this little quote though because it has a certain cruelty in it that was amusing to me. I found this play to me a lot more cruel than I expected. I think that is just seems harsher though because they are back in “the old days” where there really wasn’t such a thing as “sugar coating.” Even their candor in how they handle situations is different. When I first started reading this play I had a really hard time getting into the reading at all. I also noticed a closeness between these two characters that is different than it would be if it was based out of today. People are close today but due to their domineer there is a true closeness and connection between these character’s that you don’t really see today. I think it is the lack of manipulation in that time as there is a lot in our time today. I didn't think that I would enjoy this reading as much as I did. It was difficult at first but after just letting it flow it was actually enjoyable.
Roderigo: “What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe
If he can carry ‘t this!”
Iago: “Call up her father.
Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight,
Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,
And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,
Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy,
Yet throw such changes of vexation on ‘t
As it may lose some color.”
Roderigo: “Here is her father’s house. I’ll call aloud.”
Iago: “Do, with like timorous accent and dire yell
As when, by night and negligence, the fire
Is spied in populous cities.”
Roderigo: “What ho, Brabantio! Signor Brabantio, ho!”
(Othello By: William Shakespeare Edited by: David Bevington, Pg. 941)
Response:
Um…yeah! Well as we have all discussed on the DB this is a very hard play to read. I liked this little quote though because it has a certain cruelty in it that was amusing to me. I found this play to me a lot more cruel than I expected. I think that is just seems harsher though because they are back in “the old days” where there really wasn’t such a thing as “sugar coating.” Even their candor in how they handle situations is different. When I first started reading this play I had a really hard time getting into the reading at all. I also noticed a closeness between these two characters that is different than it would be if it was based out of today. People are close today but due to their domineer there is a true closeness and connection between these character’s that you don’t really see today. I think it is the lack of manipulation in that time as there is a lot in our time today. I didn't think that I would enjoy this reading as much as I did. It was difficult at first but after just letting it flow it was actually enjoyable.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Blog Entry 17: Quote-Response
Trifles by: Susan Glaspell
“
Country Attorney: Here’s a nice mess.
[The women draw nearer]
Mrs. Peters: [To the other women.] Oh, her fruit; it did freeze. [To the County Attorney] She worried about that when it turned cold. She said the fire’d go out and her jars would break.
Sheriff: Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin’ about her preserves.
County Attorney: I guess before we’re through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about.
Hale: Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.
[The two women move a little closer together.]” (Gaspell Pg.840)
It is not only the words that stand out to me in the section of the play but also the mannerisms that the author portrays with the actions of the women. It is pointed out that the wife was more worried about her preserves freezing and breaking rather than the fact that she was just arrested for her husband’s murder. To me that shows that she knows that she is innocent and is worried about her lifestyle and her things that she will need to survive now that her husband is gone. Obviously the word trifles stands out a lot in this section but also preserves and nice mess. The attorney says it is a nice mess, I assume with sarcasm, and the ladies respond by moving closer. I didn’t find there to be any fear from the women just that they were uncomfortable in this house. It is a house where someone they knew had just been found dead the day before so a little discomfort is understandable I think. The men seem to have the demeanor of guilt for the wife and the women seem more worried about her than anything else. Just by typing only the section of the play the reader is still able to get the feeling of the time period that this play is based in and that says a lot about how well the play was written. I found this reading very interesting.
“
Country Attorney: Here’s a nice mess.
[The women draw nearer]
Mrs. Peters: [To the other women.] Oh, her fruit; it did freeze. [To the County Attorney] She worried about that when it turned cold. She said the fire’d go out and her jars would break.
Sheriff: Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin’ about her preserves.
County Attorney: I guess before we’re through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about.
Hale: Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.
[The two women move a little closer together.]” (Gaspell Pg.840)
It is not only the words that stand out to me in the section of the play but also the mannerisms that the author portrays with the actions of the women. It is pointed out that the wife was more worried about her preserves freezing and breaking rather than the fact that she was just arrested for her husband’s murder. To me that shows that she knows that she is innocent and is worried about her lifestyle and her things that she will need to survive now that her husband is gone. Obviously the word trifles stands out a lot in this section but also preserves and nice mess. The attorney says it is a nice mess, I assume with sarcasm, and the ladies respond by moving closer. I didn’t find there to be any fear from the women just that they were uncomfortable in this house. It is a house where someone they knew had just been found dead the day before so a little discomfort is understandable I think. The men seem to have the demeanor of guilt for the wife and the women seem more worried about her than anything else. Just by typing only the section of the play the reader is still able to get the feeling of the time period that this play is based in and that says a lot about how well the play was written. I found this reading very interesting.
Blog Entry 16: Scene-Response
Scene:
Odin is sitting on the bed talking to Desi, crying a little. She is very worried, you can see it in her eyes, and she isn’t scared she is confused on his reaction to talking to her. They had been fighting and she thinks that they are making up. They kiss and in the process of “fooling around” Odin begins to strangle her. He is going to kill her as is the plan put together by Hugo. Just before she dies her roommate comes in and sees the whole thing. Seconds later Hugo comes into the room to tell Odin their plan had feel apart and has to figure out how to cover it all up. Her roommate tells Odin that Hugo has played him and that Desi was not cheating on him. Odin is angry because he knows that his life is over, he is the only black person at this prep school and he will get blames for all the chaos not just Desi’s death. And of course the fact that he just killed his girlfriend. He walks while yelling for everyone to remember him. When he reaches the front porch the police have arrived and he ends up shooting himself in the chest.
Response:
I hate dealing with this kind of issue. To me this whole movie was a spoiled and ignored boy playing a game for his amusement vs. the poverty stricken black kid. His plan was suppose to be for his friend to get Desi in the end but he kills his friend for no reason. I do not like to and avoid as much as possible this topic of racism and poverty. I think that this scene shows how easily a human mind can be manipulated to believe anything. Hugo had no reason for causing the issues that he did. In doing what he did, he wasted not only his life but killed and severely messed up all the lives at that school. It is a very harsh scene but I think it is reality. Every human alive today has been manipulated in some way. Shakespeare was able to capture this manipulation which was then turned into this film for all of us to see. It is a learning experience and we are all able to think back to what when we have been manipulated and relate to this scene. I think this scene purposely showed a black male being manipulated by a while male and it wasn’t necessary. It attracted more viewers I am sure but it wasn’t necessary to bring the racism card into this film.
Odin is sitting on the bed talking to Desi, crying a little. She is very worried, you can see it in her eyes, and she isn’t scared she is confused on his reaction to talking to her. They had been fighting and she thinks that they are making up. They kiss and in the process of “fooling around” Odin begins to strangle her. He is going to kill her as is the plan put together by Hugo. Just before she dies her roommate comes in and sees the whole thing. Seconds later Hugo comes into the room to tell Odin their plan had feel apart and has to figure out how to cover it all up. Her roommate tells Odin that Hugo has played him and that Desi was not cheating on him. Odin is angry because he knows that his life is over, he is the only black person at this prep school and he will get blames for all the chaos not just Desi’s death. And of course the fact that he just killed his girlfriend. He walks while yelling for everyone to remember him. When he reaches the front porch the police have arrived and he ends up shooting himself in the chest.
Response:
I hate dealing with this kind of issue. To me this whole movie was a spoiled and ignored boy playing a game for his amusement vs. the poverty stricken black kid. His plan was suppose to be for his friend to get Desi in the end but he kills his friend for no reason. I do not like to and avoid as much as possible this topic of racism and poverty. I think that this scene shows how easily a human mind can be manipulated to believe anything. Hugo had no reason for causing the issues that he did. In doing what he did, he wasted not only his life but killed and severely messed up all the lives at that school. It is a very harsh scene but I think it is reality. Every human alive today has been manipulated in some way. Shakespeare was able to capture this manipulation which was then turned into this film for all of us to see. It is a learning experience and we are all able to think back to what when we have been manipulated and relate to this scene. I think this scene purposely showed a black male being manipulated by a while male and it wasn’t necessary. It attracted more viewers I am sure but it wasn’t necessary to bring the racism card into this film.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Blog Entry 15:Freestyle
I am not sure what exactly we were suppose to write about on these freestyle blogs so I am going to kind of write about whatever is on my mind.
I know that everyone out there has some kind of stress in their lives. I am finding my life really hard to keep control of the stress. As I am sure you all have read before I have to small babies that live with me. I also have a 28 year old boyfriend who hasn’t worked since 2006. I am a maid, taxi, waitress, cook, cleaner, babysitter, and student. I am doing everything that I can not to pull my hair out but it isn’t working. I thought that I had a good babysitter set up to be able to do school work. I know you are all thinking that their father should be watching them but that does NOT happen. He stays up all night and sleeps all day unless he has an alcohol class to go to or court. Anyway, my babysitter keeps flaking out on me and I am getting more and more behind in all my classes. I don’t feel like I have enough time to get anything done. Oh to add to all the stress I am 60% disables from my military time.
This is my third term at EOU and this class is by far the most work I have ever been asked to do. It is not that any of the work is super hard it is just all over the place and a lot of the time I don’t find enough direction. I spend Mon-Fri on this class and try to keep up with my other 4 classes on the weekends. I have found college work to be super hard because I am use to having a lot of direction due to the military. When you start taking college classes they expect us to find our own directions and I second guess myself way too much to make that work. Even though being a mother keeps me from doing my school work they are the reason I haven’t dropped out yet. I know that they need a good role model to show them right from wrong and I am doing this for them. I will be able to support them with a better job when I have a degree.
Sorry if I rambled on forever, I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. Thanks to all who take the time to read this.
I know that everyone out there has some kind of stress in their lives. I am finding my life really hard to keep control of the stress. As I am sure you all have read before I have to small babies that live with me. I also have a 28 year old boyfriend who hasn’t worked since 2006. I am a maid, taxi, waitress, cook, cleaner, babysitter, and student. I am doing everything that I can not to pull my hair out but it isn’t working. I thought that I had a good babysitter set up to be able to do school work. I know you are all thinking that their father should be watching them but that does NOT happen. He stays up all night and sleeps all day unless he has an alcohol class to go to or court. Anyway, my babysitter keeps flaking out on me and I am getting more and more behind in all my classes. I don’t feel like I have enough time to get anything done. Oh to add to all the stress I am 60% disables from my military time.
This is my third term at EOU and this class is by far the most work I have ever been asked to do. It is not that any of the work is super hard it is just all over the place and a lot of the time I don’t find enough direction. I spend Mon-Fri on this class and try to keep up with my other 4 classes on the weekends. I have found college work to be super hard because I am use to having a lot of direction due to the military. When you start taking college classes they expect us to find our own directions and I second guess myself way too much to make that work. Even though being a mother keeps me from doing my school work they are the reason I haven’t dropped out yet. I know that they need a good role model to show them right from wrong and I am doing this for them. I will be able to support them with a better job when I have a degree.
Sorry if I rambled on forever, I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. Thanks to all who take the time to read this.
Blog Entry 14:Quote-Response
I chose a page where Marjane is talking to her mother and then goes and talks to her friend Ramin. Marjane is in trouble for trying to beat up Ramin for his father being a murderer. She does not understand what is going on in her country and is trying to deal with justice in her own young age way. In this passage her mother is trying to teach her right from wrong and how to forgive. In the last quote Marjane is looking at herself in the mirror trying to convince herself to forgive.
“I’ll let it go this time, but don’t do it again.” (Marjane’s mother)
“But mom, Ramin’s father killed…” (Marjane)
“I know.” (Marjane’s mother)
“His father did it. But it’s not Ramin’s fault. Anyway it is not for you and me to do justice. I’d even say we have to learn to forgive.”(Marjane’s mother)
“Your father is a murderer but it’s not your fault, so I forgive you.” (Marjane)
“He is not a murderer! He killed communists and communists are evil.” (Ramin)
“Mom, I talked to Ramin, he says his father did the right thing in killing communists.” (Marjane)
“My god! He repeats what they tell him. He will understand later…” (Marjane’s mother)
“You have to forgive. You have to forgive.” (Marjane)(Satrapi Pg. 46)
I don’t know about everyone else who read this but I found this part amazing. It shows how much children really do listen to what their parents are saying and that they believe it all too. Marjane is a growing young girl in the middle of a hard time for her country and she wants to help. In this quote it shows not only her innocence but her belief in what her parents have been telling her is right and wrong. So many things are going on around her and she sticks by and stands up for her parent’s beliefs without a second thought. She is being taught one thing at school and another at home so it would be very easy to get confused but she seems to know exactly what she wants. She even takes the time to read books about what is happening to her country to better understand her parent’s conversations.
I really felt like this page in the book showed the true innocence of children and how easily they can be taught to feel one way or another about anything. True innocence at its finest.
“I’ll let it go this time, but don’t do it again.” (Marjane’s mother)
“But mom, Ramin’s father killed…” (Marjane)
“I know.” (Marjane’s mother)
“His father did it. But it’s not Ramin’s fault. Anyway it is not for you and me to do justice. I’d even say we have to learn to forgive.”(Marjane’s mother)
“Your father is a murderer but it’s not your fault, so I forgive you.” (Marjane)
“He is not a murderer! He killed communists and communists are evil.” (Ramin)
“Mom, I talked to Ramin, he says his father did the right thing in killing communists.” (Marjane)
“My god! He repeats what they tell him. He will understand later…” (Marjane’s mother)
“You have to forgive. You have to forgive.” (Marjane)(Satrapi Pg. 46)
I don’t know about everyone else who read this but I found this part amazing. It shows how much children really do listen to what their parents are saying and that they believe it all too. Marjane is a growing young girl in the middle of a hard time for her country and she wants to help. In this quote it shows not only her innocence but her belief in what her parents have been telling her is right and wrong. So many things are going on around her and she sticks by and stands up for her parent’s beliefs without a second thought. She is being taught one thing at school and another at home so it would be very easy to get confused but she seems to know exactly what she wants. She even takes the time to read books about what is happening to her country to better understand her parent’s conversations.
I really felt like this page in the book showed the true innocence of children and how easily they can be taught to feel one way or another about anything. True innocence at its finest.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Blog Entry 13: Quote-Response
Quote:
Edwin Markham (1852-1940)
Outwitted
“He drew a circle that shut me out—
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!”
(Kennedy Pg.633)
Response:
After reading this poem over a couple of times I found that the circle to me is love. When in relationships we tend to build up a wall to protect our hearts and our emotions from people. I think that the first circle is the wall he built to keep her feeling out and his feeling in. The second circle it the circle of her love that she put around him so that he had to see her feelings and reveal his own. Even thought this poem only has 4 lines there is an amazing depth to it. It looks so simple and is so very complicated at the same time. I see a woman in love with a man who is hiding behind his “circle.” She has hard feelings about him hiding but doesn’t give up. In the end she is able to bring her “circle” around him. It connects the reader to their prior relationship without much effort. I enjoyed this poem a lot. It took me reading it a few times to really understand how I felt though.
Edwin Markham (1852-1940)
Outwitted
“He drew a circle that shut me out—
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!”
(Kennedy Pg.633)
Response:
After reading this poem over a couple of times I found that the circle to me is love. When in relationships we tend to build up a wall to protect our hearts and our emotions from people. I think that the first circle is the wall he built to keep her feeling out and his feeling in. The second circle it the circle of her love that she put around him so that he had to see her feelings and reveal his own. Even thought this poem only has 4 lines there is an amazing depth to it. It looks so simple and is so very complicated at the same time. I see a woman in love with a man who is hiding behind his “circle.” She has hard feelings about him hiding but doesn’t give up. In the end she is able to bring her “circle” around him. It connects the reader to their prior relationship without much effort. I enjoyed this poem a lot. It took me reading it a few times to really understand how I felt though.
Blog Entry 12: Poem Paraphrase
A Paraphrase of “First Poem for You” by: Kim Addonizio (b.1954)
I like to touch every inch of your tattoo when we are in the dark. I know where they are by heart and by memory of your body. I know the neat lines of the lightning bolts just above your nipple. Without hesitation I can find the swirling blues waves on your shoulder where the serpent and dragon are fighting. Then making love to you and then lay quietly on the sheets and kissing the tattoos “pretty pictures” on your skin. Those tattoos will last through everything until the day we are cremated. They will last through our hard times when/if they come. No matter what happens between us those tattoos will still be there. Knowing that no matter what happens they will still be there is a little scary. The only way they will not exist is your entire body being burned to ashes is terrifying. So I continue to touch them, trying to understand. (Kennedy Pg.601)
I thought that this was a very nice poem. It not only shows love but it shows worry. I am not sure how well I did paraphrasing it but I tried. It is hard to interpret because it has more detail in it than most of the poems we have covered so far. I should like this because I need more detail but when it comes to paraphrasing it makes it more difficult. I think that the way she wrote the poem shows a little fear of her mate. However, her title does not show fear so it is a little confusing. I assume that she is a very scared person who does not take many risks like her mate, that she does not have tattoos like he does. She looks up to him for the commitment that he has to have tattoos but is scared for him because of them also. It was a very interesting poem to read and try to paraphrase.
Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks
Carmen
I like to touch every inch of your tattoo when we are in the dark. I know where they are by heart and by memory of your body. I know the neat lines of the lightning bolts just above your nipple. Without hesitation I can find the swirling blues waves on your shoulder where the serpent and dragon are fighting. Then making love to you and then lay quietly on the sheets and kissing the tattoos “pretty pictures” on your skin. Those tattoos will last through everything until the day we are cremated. They will last through our hard times when/if they come. No matter what happens between us those tattoos will still be there. Knowing that no matter what happens they will still be there is a little scary. The only way they will not exist is your entire body being burned to ashes is terrifying. So I continue to touch them, trying to understand. (Kennedy Pg.601)
I thought that this was a very nice poem. It not only shows love but it shows worry. I am not sure how well I did paraphrasing it but I tried. It is hard to interpret because it has more detail in it than most of the poems we have covered so far. I should like this because I need more detail but when it comes to paraphrasing it makes it more difficult. I think that the way she wrote the poem shows a little fear of her mate. However, her title does not show fear so it is a little confusing. I assume that she is a very scared person who does not take many risks like her mate, that she does not have tattoos like he does. She looks up to him for the commitment that he has to have tattoos but is scared for him because of them also. It was a very interesting poem to read and try to paraphrase.
Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks
Carmen
Blog Entry 11: Quote-Resonse
Quote:
Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953)
"The Hippopotamus"
I shoot the Hippopotamus
with bullets made of platinum,
Because if I use leaden ones
his hide is sure to flatten ‘em.
(Kennedy Pg.567)
Response:
I found this poem made me smile. I could picture a hunter sighted in on a hippo ready to shoot. He had a slight smile across his lips because he knew something that hippo did not. He knew that he had loaded his gun with platinum bullets that would penetrate the tough hippo’s hide. I can also see him taking the shot with the leaden bullets. Hearing the sound in my ears as it hits the hippos hide and falls effortlessly to the ground unable to penetrate the hippo.
We have read quite a few poems in this class so far and to be honest most of them have frustrated me. I am not a big poem person to start with so reading them is difficult. To add to that I second guess everything in my life so when I think I know what the writer is trying to say I start second guessing myself. I feel bad writing about poems because it make me feel like I am stealing their work. Being able to write good poetry I am sure takes a lot of talent and I don’t want to ruin that. I believe that poetry is to be interpreted by the reader but being the person that I am I still feel bad for doing just that. I hope you all enjoy this poem as I did. There has not been many of these poems that made me smile and this one sure did.
~Carmen~
Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953)
"The Hippopotamus"
I shoot the Hippopotamus
with bullets made of platinum,
Because if I use leaden ones
his hide is sure to flatten ‘em.
(Kennedy Pg.567)
Response:
I found this poem made me smile. I could picture a hunter sighted in on a hippo ready to shoot. He had a slight smile across his lips because he knew something that hippo did not. He knew that he had loaded his gun with platinum bullets that would penetrate the tough hippo’s hide. I can also see him taking the shot with the leaden bullets. Hearing the sound in my ears as it hits the hippos hide and falls effortlessly to the ground unable to penetrate the hippo.
We have read quite a few poems in this class so far and to be honest most of them have frustrated me. I am not a big poem person to start with so reading them is difficult. To add to that I second guess everything in my life so when I think I know what the writer is trying to say I start second guessing myself. I feel bad writing about poems because it make me feel like I am stealing their work. Being able to write good poetry I am sure takes a lot of talent and I don’t want to ruin that. I believe that poetry is to be interpreted by the reader but being the person that I am I still feel bad for doing just that. I hope you all enjoy this poem as I did. There has not been many of these poems that made me smile and this one sure did.
~Carmen~
Friday, October 23, 2009
Blog Entry 10:Song Quote/Response
BROKEN
“Little girl don’t be so blue
I know what you’re going through
Don’t let it beat you up.
Hitten walls and getting scars
Only makes you who you are
Only makes you who you are.
No matter how much your heart is aching
There is beauty in the breaking.”
“When you’re broken, in a million little pieces
And you’re trying, but you can’t hold on anymore
Every tear falls down for a reason
Don’t you stop believing in yourself
When you’re broken.”
Sang by: Lindsey Haun
Song Writers: Petraglia, Angelo; Lauer, Angela; Lindsy, Hillary
I put two quotes from the same song because I thought the chorus needed to be up there with my original quote too. I think that at some point in everyone’s lives they hear a song that really affects them. It can be a sad song that affects them emotionally or even a happy song that makes them smile every time they hear it. This is a really hard thing for me to talk about but I am going to go for it.
After I had my son 3 months ago I went into a deep depression. I chose to cry instead of doing what I could to fix it. It was one of those points in your lives when everything and I mean everything went wrong. My son was sick as a newborn, I had a 1 year old daughter all over the place, my boyfriend couldn’t get his ass off the couch and help me and I was paying all the bills. I am a very stressful person so all of that really put me over the edge. While taking my kids to my parent’s house for the night my iPod hit this song and everything changed. It was like all the weight on my shoulders was lifted. In all reality nothing changed but because my way of thinking changed everything changed. I still get a little stressed out now and then. Especially with all the work in this class but I am now in control and doing great. Seriously if you have never heard this song you really need to listen to it.
This song talks about being broken inside and out. There is no way that I would have ever though there would be beauty in my heart breaking but after listening to this song and thinking about what it really means I can now understand how there could be beauty there. It is an amazing song and she does an amazing job singing it. I am speechless on how to explain everything about it. I hope everyone that reads this post will listen to it.
“Little girl don’t be so blue
I know what you’re going through
Don’t let it beat you up.
Hitten walls and getting scars
Only makes you who you are
Only makes you who you are.
No matter how much your heart is aching
There is beauty in the breaking.”
“When you’re broken, in a million little pieces
And you’re trying, but you can’t hold on anymore
Every tear falls down for a reason
Don’t you stop believing in yourself
When you’re broken.”
Sang by: Lindsey Haun
Song Writers: Petraglia, Angelo; Lauer, Angela; Lindsy, Hillary
I put two quotes from the same song because I thought the chorus needed to be up there with my original quote too. I think that at some point in everyone’s lives they hear a song that really affects them. It can be a sad song that affects them emotionally or even a happy song that makes them smile every time they hear it. This is a really hard thing for me to talk about but I am going to go for it.
After I had my son 3 months ago I went into a deep depression. I chose to cry instead of doing what I could to fix it. It was one of those points in your lives when everything and I mean everything went wrong. My son was sick as a newborn, I had a 1 year old daughter all over the place, my boyfriend couldn’t get his ass off the couch and help me and I was paying all the bills. I am a very stressful person so all of that really put me over the edge. While taking my kids to my parent’s house for the night my iPod hit this song and everything changed. It was like all the weight on my shoulders was lifted. In all reality nothing changed but because my way of thinking changed everything changed. I still get a little stressed out now and then. Especially with all the work in this class but I am now in control and doing great. Seriously if you have never heard this song you really need to listen to it.
This song talks about being broken inside and out. There is no way that I would have ever though there would be beauty in my heart breaking but after listening to this song and thinking about what it really means I can now understand how there could be beauty there. It is an amazing song and she does an amazing job singing it. I am speechless on how to explain everything about it. I hope everyone that reads this post will listen to it.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Blog Entry 9: Haiku
Hello again everyone! Ok so this whole haiku thing is very interesting. I gave it a whirl so we will see how I did.
Contemporary Haiku
His eyes red with fury
Blur of fists
Sparks behind my eyes.
I am not sure if I did that right but I tried. Here is a second one just for good measure.
Lips soft as silk
Tight embrace
Legs go weak.
Please let me know what you guys think. If I did it wrong let me know but I tried to follow it how it said to do it in our book. Thanks
Contemporary Haiku
His eyes red with fury
Blur of fists
Sparks behind my eyes.
I am not sure if I did that right but I tried. Here is a second one just for good measure.
Lips soft as silk
Tight embrace
Legs go weak.
Please let me know what you guys think. If I did it wrong let me know but I tried to follow it how it said to do it in our book. Thanks
Blog Entry 8: Poem Paraphrase
I am not sure about everyone else but I found this assignment very hard. I am not a reader of poetry and find poetry very hard to follow. As a reader I need everything spelled out for me word for word and poetry leaves too much for me to fill in.
A Paraphrase of “Home is so Sad” by: Philip Larkin
A home is sad because it is exactly the way it was when you left when you return. Nothing is changed, all the mess is still there waiting for your return. A home is so comfortable because it is your own. Everything is left just the way it was when the last person left home, shaped to the comfort of them before they left. The home is the same as when you left is as if it did this to make you happy, to make you feel back at home as soon as you enter it. Without anyone to please it seems to wither. A home has no heart so with no one to please it goes back to being exactly what it was the moment it was left. It is you home and joyous to have you in it. When you look around you can see how your home use to be and how it is today. You notice more of what could be, should be and use to be while looking slowly at the changes. Looking at the décor in your home you can see the comfort that it provides. The comforts were put there by you but it is the home that keeps it all in one place to create you a home. Looking around sometime can be sad though because you see the past to the present and what should have been done and has not been. The music that is still out from the last time the piano was played, and the vase sitting on the table with withered flowers that need to be thrown out.
(Poem From Kennedy Pgs.789-90)
I am not sure if I did this correctly but I tried my best. I enjoyed this poem because its title makes it seem like it is going to be about a sad place. However when I read it I see a happy, maybe stressful, but still happy place. I don’t think of things that are comfortable to be sad so it kind of threw me off.
A Paraphrase of “Home is so Sad” by: Philip Larkin
A home is sad because it is exactly the way it was when you left when you return. Nothing is changed, all the mess is still there waiting for your return. A home is so comfortable because it is your own. Everything is left just the way it was when the last person left home, shaped to the comfort of them before they left. The home is the same as when you left is as if it did this to make you happy, to make you feel back at home as soon as you enter it. Without anyone to please it seems to wither. A home has no heart so with no one to please it goes back to being exactly what it was the moment it was left. It is you home and joyous to have you in it. When you look around you can see how your home use to be and how it is today. You notice more of what could be, should be and use to be while looking slowly at the changes. Looking at the décor in your home you can see the comfort that it provides. The comforts were put there by you but it is the home that keeps it all in one place to create you a home. Looking around sometime can be sad though because you see the past to the present and what should have been done and has not been. The music that is still out from the last time the piano was played, and the vase sitting on the table with withered flowers that need to be thrown out.
(Poem From Kennedy Pgs.789-90)
I am not sure if I did this correctly but I tried my best. I enjoyed this poem because its title makes it seem like it is going to be about a sad place. However when I read it I see a happy, maybe stressful, but still happy place. I don’t think of things that are comfortable to be sad so it kind of threw me off.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Blog Entry 7: Freestyle
I have not had a chance this week to do any "fun" reading. The extent of my fun reading to reading to my daughter Payten. She loves books, which is a really good feeling for me, because as a child I loved books too. It takes becoming a mother to understand how much you want your kids to get your good qualities and how you try your hardest to keep them from ever seeing any of the bad ones.
I have changed so much becoming a mother. I was a nail biter, I would chew them until they bled. Not that I really had a reason to it was just something I have done since I was a baby. My mother said that I sucked my thumb and chewed my nails, she was so worried. LOL. Well the point is that when I got pregnant with my daughter I did everything I could so that I would stop chewing them. Everything I tried stressed me out and I ended up chewing my nails again because I was stressed, nothing worked. Then I got pregnant with my son 2 months after my daughter was born and life got even more stressful. However there is a happy ending because after my son was born 3 months ago I was so busy that I forgot to chew them. I literally woke up one day and realized that I had really long nails and I had to clip them they were so long. Since that day I have not chewed on them again. Amazingly I haven't even wanted to chew them which is a great feeling.
I find being a mother very rewarding and very stressful. Both myself and my boyfriend (their father) are high strung people. So as you would guess our children are a handful. My son Teagan is only 3 months old and is so active I can't keep up. He is going to be running marathons by the time he is one. His sister on the other hand just likes getting into anything and everything in her reach. She has this crooked little smile that she makes so we know she knows she is being naughty. She loves to be chased and I am finding less and less time to rest.
Being a parent is so rewarding. You may want to pull your hair out but one smile or giggle from their little faces makes everything but them melt away. The most amazing noise I have ever heard was my daughter and sons first giggle. I want to tickle them both all the time just to hear them laugh!
I hope you all have or will get to experience being parents. Not everything is cake and ice cream but in the end it is all worth it!
I have changed so much becoming a mother. I was a nail biter, I would chew them until they bled. Not that I really had a reason to it was just something I have done since I was a baby. My mother said that I sucked my thumb and chewed my nails, she was so worried. LOL. Well the point is that when I got pregnant with my daughter I did everything I could so that I would stop chewing them. Everything I tried stressed me out and I ended up chewing my nails again because I was stressed, nothing worked. Then I got pregnant with my son 2 months after my daughter was born and life got even more stressful. However there is a happy ending because after my son was born 3 months ago I was so busy that I forgot to chew them. I literally woke up one day and realized that I had really long nails and I had to clip them they were so long. Since that day I have not chewed on them again. Amazingly I haven't even wanted to chew them which is a great feeling.
I find being a mother very rewarding and very stressful. Both myself and my boyfriend (their father) are high strung people. So as you would guess our children are a handful. My son Teagan is only 3 months old and is so active I can't keep up. He is going to be running marathons by the time he is one. His sister on the other hand just likes getting into anything and everything in her reach. She has this crooked little smile that she makes so we know she knows she is being naughty. She loves to be chased and I am finding less and less time to rest.
Being a parent is so rewarding. You may want to pull your hair out but one smile or giggle from their little faces makes everything but them melt away. The most amazing noise I have ever heard was my daughter and sons first giggle. I want to tickle them both all the time just to hear them laugh!
I hope you all have or will get to experience being parents. Not everything is cake and ice cream but in the end it is all worth it!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Blog Entry 6: Quote/Response
Quote:
“For there lay The Combs—the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped for long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims—just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.” (The Gift of the Magi by: William Sydney Porter Pg. 165)
“”Dell,” said he, “let’s put our Christmas present’s away and keep ‘em a while. They’re too nice to use just as presents. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on.””
Response:
I did both quotes because this story really need both quotes to me to somewhat make sense. For this class we were told to skim through everything but the stories we were reading. The reason behind this was so that we wouldn't miss having the emotional connection with the story. In reading this story I was on the edge of my seat because of her cutting her hair. I cut my hair when I was pregnant with my daughter and I thought that my boyfriend was going to leave me over it. In the end he got over it, he did not handle it the way her husband did in this story so I felt really connected to her. It really made me look hard at my life and the hard times that after reading this really weren't so hard after all. I know that this story is set back quite a few years but it still is an awesome story. Not only does it display courage and kindness on her part but it shows the love that they both have for each other. The way the author describes her combs you can actually visualize them. We have read quite a few stories so far this term and I found myself actually tearing up at the end of this one. It is kind of hard to read due to the age of the writing but I wished that there were more to the story that it didn't just end. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. It gives you hope, maybe not even in the same area but after reading it I feel loved and that there is always possibilities.
Carmen
“For there lay The Combs—the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped for long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims—just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.” (The Gift of the Magi by: William Sydney Porter Pg. 165)
“”Dell,” said he, “let’s put our Christmas present’s away and keep ‘em a while. They’re too nice to use just as presents. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on.””
Response:
I did both quotes because this story really need both quotes to me to somewhat make sense. For this class we were told to skim through everything but the stories we were reading. The reason behind this was so that we wouldn't miss having the emotional connection with the story. In reading this story I was on the edge of my seat because of her cutting her hair. I cut my hair when I was pregnant with my daughter and I thought that my boyfriend was going to leave me over it. In the end he got over it, he did not handle it the way her husband did in this story so I felt really connected to her. It really made me look hard at my life and the hard times that after reading this really weren't so hard after all. I know that this story is set back quite a few years but it still is an awesome story. Not only does it display courage and kindness on her part but it shows the love that they both have for each other. The way the author describes her combs you can actually visualize them. We have read quite a few stories so far this term and I found myself actually tearing up at the end of this one. It is kind of hard to read due to the age of the writing but I wished that there were more to the story that it didn't just end. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. It gives you hope, maybe not even in the same area but after reading it I feel loved and that there is always possibilities.
Carmen
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Blog Entry 5: Freestyle
For my freestyle writing I wanted to write about the last 2 books of the Twilight Saga. I wrote about the second book "New Moon" last week and I have read the last 2 books since then. I actually surprised myself because I could NOT put them down. I had to finish the saga. My boyfriend is obsessed with collecting movies...all kinds of movies. We have 300+ movies in our collection. The reason I mentioned this is because I have seen lots of movies and have never wanted to meet any of the actors as much as I want to meet the writer of the Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer! I can't explain it in words very well but I guess I would just like to give her a hug. Her books, even though they are fiction, meant more to me than anything I have ever read in my life. I may not have read a lot off books since becoming an adult but I did read a lot when I was younger and none of them touched me like her saga did.
'Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer, the third book in her Twilight Saga. Like the first two books these books are set up so you see and hear everything from the view of Bella. Not only is this a "scary/si-fi" book but she still is able to make you smile. I am not going to go into details of the story for fear I might ruin it for someone else. I would not want to do that because I know how much I got out of them. In the fourth book "Breaking Dawn" Stephenie broke it up into 3 parts. The first set of chapters is the same as the rest of the books set from Bella's eyes. Then the middle sections takes a turn and is from Jacobs eyes. The third section then goes back into being from Bella's eyes again. To be honest this is the only thing that I didn't like about the saga. I read through these 600 page books in less than a day a piece but when it came to the section based out of Jacob's point of view I struggled to keep up. I think this is because I had read 3, books 600 pages a piece long strictly from Bella's point of view. When it suddenly switches it is hard to get use to. I am not sure what was the reasoning behind it but never the less these books ROCK!
These books are fictional, based off the lives of a young girl and her experience with the vampires she meets at her school. This is far fetched to say the least but the way that Stephenie portrays these saga of books they can seem like reality. They aren't blood and gore the main thing is that they are a long and very emotional love story. I have never read a book before that could have be rolling laughing at one minute and bawling my eyes out the next.
I took the time to look up the author online and went to her website. There really wasn't too much there but I did however find a section on how she came up with the story and once again she had me bawling and laughing. I am seriously telling your people, this lady is amazing. I hope that she continues writing more than ever cause I will be right there buying every single book.
Carmen
'Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer, the third book in her Twilight Saga. Like the first two books these books are set up so you see and hear everything from the view of Bella. Not only is this a "scary/si-fi" book but she still is able to make you smile. I am not going to go into details of the story for fear I might ruin it for someone else. I would not want to do that because I know how much I got out of them. In the fourth book "Breaking Dawn" Stephenie broke it up into 3 parts. The first set of chapters is the same as the rest of the books set from Bella's eyes. Then the middle sections takes a turn and is from Jacobs eyes. The third section then goes back into being from Bella's eyes again. To be honest this is the only thing that I didn't like about the saga. I read through these 600 page books in less than a day a piece but when it came to the section based out of Jacob's point of view I struggled to keep up. I think this is because I had read 3, books 600 pages a piece long strictly from Bella's point of view. When it suddenly switches it is hard to get use to. I am not sure what was the reasoning behind it but never the less these books ROCK!
These books are fictional, based off the lives of a young girl and her experience with the vampires she meets at her school. This is far fetched to say the least but the way that Stephenie portrays these saga of books they can seem like reality. They aren't blood and gore the main thing is that they are a long and very emotional love story. I have never read a book before that could have be rolling laughing at one minute and bawling my eyes out the next.
I took the time to look up the author online and went to her website. There really wasn't too much there but I did however find a section on how she came up with the story and once again she had me bawling and laughing. I am seriously telling your people, this lady is amazing. I hope that she continues writing more than ever cause I will be right there buying every single book.
Carmen
Blog Entry 4: Quote-Response
Quote
"On her way home she usually bought a slice of honey cake at the baker's. It was her Sunday treat. Sometimes there was an almond in her slice, sometimes not. It made a great difference. If there was an almond it was like carrying home a tiny present-a surprise-something that might very well not have been there. She hurried on the almond Sundays and struck the match for the kettle in quite a dashing way.
But to-day she passed the baker's boy. climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room-her room like a cupboard-and sat down on the red eiderdown. She say there for a long time. The box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she though she heard something crying."
Response
WOW! Maybe I am overly sensitive but this really made me feel bad for Miss Brill. She was and older women who liked watching people and did so every Sunday. It was her routine for Sundays and as you can read in this quote she broke the routine. What you can not read in the quote is the reasoning as I see it for her change in routine. I feel that every human being out there is routine. Even if it is the simplest things that you don't even notice everyone of us has some sort of routine. For example, one my routines is giving my daughter a bath at 7pm, playing for 30 minutes, reading her a book and then tucking her into bed. Routines are sometimes broking but in Miss Brill's case I think that she was seriously hurt. Everyone knows that not all "young adults" respect their elders but in this story you can see how much that hurt Miss Brill. She took great pride in how she put herself together and when she was laughed at by those young adults it must have crushed her. I am sure that when you get to be Miss Brill's age you look forward to doing the things that make you the happiest and in her case it was watching people, nature and just being outdoors. She thought that others would enjoy her being there too, so when she was hurt it effect more than her feelings. She then wonders about everyone is feeling about her. Is she a burden to everyone? Is she in the way when she goes out on Sunday's? Does she really not know how to dress herself? What was wrong with her precious furs? All of this will be weighting on her heart and mind for quite a while now. Poor thing!
"On her way home she usually bought a slice of honey cake at the baker's. It was her Sunday treat. Sometimes there was an almond in her slice, sometimes not. It made a great difference. If there was an almond it was like carrying home a tiny present-a surprise-something that might very well not have been there. She hurried on the almond Sundays and struck the match for the kettle in quite a dashing way.
But to-day she passed the baker's boy. climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room-her room like a cupboard-and sat down on the red eiderdown. She say there for a long time. The box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she though she heard something crying."
Response
WOW! Maybe I am overly sensitive but this really made me feel bad for Miss Brill. She was and older women who liked watching people and did so every Sunday. It was her routine for Sundays and as you can read in this quote she broke the routine. What you can not read in the quote is the reasoning as I see it for her change in routine. I feel that every human being out there is routine. Even if it is the simplest things that you don't even notice everyone of us has some sort of routine. For example, one my routines is giving my daughter a bath at 7pm, playing for 30 minutes, reading her a book and then tucking her into bed. Routines are sometimes broking but in Miss Brill's case I think that she was seriously hurt. Everyone knows that not all "young adults" respect their elders but in this story you can see how much that hurt Miss Brill. She took great pride in how she put herself together and when she was laughed at by those young adults it must have crushed her. I am sure that when you get to be Miss Brill's age you look forward to doing the things that make you the happiest and in her case it was watching people, nature and just being outdoors. She thought that others would enjoy her being there too, so when she was hurt it effect more than her feelings. She then wonders about everyone is feeling about her. Is she a burden to everyone? Is she in the way when she goes out on Sunday's? Does she really not know how to dress herself? What was wrong with her precious furs? All of this will be weighting on her heart and mind for quite a while now. Poor thing!
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