Invisible Man

When I first started reading Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man I was kind of disappointed to be reading another book about race. A few chapters later my views changed. This book was much more; it contained situations, feeling and experiences that I think we can all relate too. Like said in the class discussion, I feel that we all hold a piece of the IM. I think that we all have perceptions of what we want to accomplish and we know what we are willing to do to fulfill our expectations. I also feel that we will, or have already come across someone that we looked up too that has turned out to be not who we expected.

I was disappointed on the ending of the book. I guess I was expecting the "happy" ending. I really wanted something good to come out of the narrators experiences. I think that the same situations that are talked about in the book still exist today and I think that they always will.

Duplessi Question

Although I was unable to attend the poetry reading, I would have liked to know when she decided that poetry was her passion. It's not too often that I get a chance to meet people that are in this typical field, so It would be nice to hear a little about their background. In my opinion her poems are a little odd, so it would have been nice to hear her read them and to learn why they were created. I think poetry is a very powerful thing, there is always a poem out there that you can fully relate to, so I have great respect for those that can create such powerful messages.

The House of the Spirits

At the beginning it was hard for me to get into this book. It wasn't until mid-way that I really was drawn into reading it. The class discussions and Dr. Sherwood's explanations helped me to understand the parts of the book that I found confusing. After I started to actually read the book and think about what I was reading I really liked the issues that were being discussed. It seems to me that everybody's family can relate to the Trueba family in some aspect. As a reader I was drawn in by their tragedies, the difficult decisions they made, and how they ultimately stuck together as a family. It always takes me a little while to starting reading these books, but once I'm done I am able to take some things away from the readings.

I am also glad that we didn't watch parts of the movie before reading the book. I really don't think that the movie has done justice to the book. I feel that it has left out some very important issues and characters in order to make it the typical flick everyone wants to see.

Antigone

Because of the controversy surrounding the story, Antigone 2005 would have to based on a cultural issue. Race, sexuality, religion, and even female rights are some issues that are still overpowering today.

If I was to re-write Antigone I would have to base my story on race. So many people are caught up with this whole issue that they would disown their own child over it. Then what would happen if a baby was involved. This would make the situation even worse.

I think a family in this situation could relate to Antigone's story. I would have the main family be a black family. There could be a strong, stubborn father that thinks he is in charge, a daughter that falls in love with a white man. She is engaged to this man and the father refuses to be involved in the wedding. Little does he know that she is also pregnant. But the main point of the story is that the daughters sister supports her and isn't sure if she should side with her father or betray his wishes and help her sister plan the wedding.

This is such an immature topic that is sadly still the result of much controversy in 2005.

Gregorio Cortez

It was interesting to study this sort of story, an old folk tale. Gregorio Cortez was a hero to many people. They looked up to him and thought very highly of him. This story can be compared to may folk talkes, such as Cinderella, that we are familiar with.

I liked discussing the different versions of Gregorio Cortez. I like the role of the author in these stories. The stories change based on the authors background, opinions, religion and basic memory. When you read the different versions you can tell what parts of the story are most important to others.

I was also interesting to watch the different versions of the story. We were able to discuss the differences between the two and which we thought was more like the original version.

Blood Wedding

I really liked reading the Blood Wedding by Lorca. I enjoy the different dialog and the way the scenes are described at the beginning. It is easier for me to read stories where I can visualize the characters and the scenes. This was an interesting story about love and family values. I was interested in the story from the beginning. The relationship between the mother and the bridegroom was intense from the start. You could tell that she still had a strong will over her son, yet he kind of was trying to break away.

I am not sure how I feel about the title of the play, it almost gives the entire story away. However, I still enjoyed it and was left in suspicion as I got to the end. I wasn't sure if the bride and Leonardo would end up like Romeo and Juliet and kill themselves, or if the bridegroom would kill both of them. I really never suspected that the bridegroom would die. I didn't think that the author would do that to the mother, but then again, she acted out of greed when she encouraged her son to go after them in the end.

I really liked that we watched some of the play in class. It was quite interesting to see how the character were actually portrayed on stage. I enjoyed watching the play more then reading it. You could sense the all the emotions that were involved by watching the actors flow along with the music.

Overall I really liked the Blood Wedding

The Awakening

I have mixed feelings about Kate Chopins The Awakening. The main point of this book is a woman's desperate attempt to transform her life into what she sees fit while trying to hold on to the man she truly loves. Throughout the story Edna faces some challenges that a lot of women still face today. I didn't feel that this book was based so much on infidelity as it was a woman finding herself. Infidelity was just an obstacle that she came into her path.

I found the beginning of the book to drag on and hard to follow. I was not interested from the start. I didn't find myself enjoying the reading until Robert left for Mexico. At this point I couldn't wait for him to return to see what would happen between him and Edna. At one time I was wishing that Edna would just go to Mexico to see him. The ending was kind of disappointing for me. I thought Edna was a strong woman. She should have fought for what she wanted instead of letting it all go.

So many women and men are in the same situation. They commit early to something they weren't ready for and end up being miserable. I wish Edna would have stuck it out for her children and for herself. Everybody has a right to be happy, you might just have to make some tough decisions to get there.

The Yellow Wallpaper

I think that I am one of the few in the class that actually liked this story. I found it very fascinating and interesting. I enjoy reading stories that make you think. I find it interesting to hear the things that the mentally ill are actually thinking. I think that this story also shows the strength of women and the troubles we go through.

As I read The Yellow Wallpaper I thought about how her husband was pressuring her to do things she new were not in her best interest. I was angry because I feel that people with mental illness need to be stimulated instead of restrained. If they sit there and do nothing then they are forced to focus on their illness.

After we discussed the topic of the husband and the doctor, when looking at why she wrote The Yellow Wallpaper, I started thinking. At first I was thinking that maybe she was afraid of her husband so she didn't want to place blame on him for fear for her life, but then I liked the idea that she chose to represent the doctor as her husband in the story to not pinpoint the doctor. I think this is and interesting point.

Overall I liked the story and I think it is important for everyone to be familiar with mental illness and I look forward to reading more stories like this one.

Frederick Douglass

I am glad that I got the opportunity to read about Frederick Douglass' life as a slave. I think that it is important for students to know a little about history and all events involved, especially slavery. What I liked the most about his story was Douglass' determination. He really shows what it takes to get what you want. I liked that no matter how bad things got he did not give up. This is the main thing I will take away from his story, to never give up. If he could get through slavery you too can get through the little problems in your everyday life.

The thing I would like to forget about his story, but it is impossible, are the beatings, killings and mistreatment. When you read the scenes with such detail it is almost as if you are there yourself. I really felt Fredericks pain. But I guess this was his intension as he wrote it.

One issue raised in class was that it is possible we are not hearing then entire story, which I think is true. Douglass' tells us the things he wants us to hear and the things he wants us to remember. This is not a problem for me. I'm sure there are worse things that other slaves went through, and I glad I didn't read them because it would have made me more angry, and even if there were some better things it means nothing to me because slavery as a whole is ridiculous.

Overall, I liked reading this story.

My Practic Blog

Just making sure this thing works