Finals

So far this year has been great because I have done a lot of work on my blog. Throughout the process of making blog posts  got to learn a lot about me as a writer, my blog, and my writing. I have noticed how my writing has improved a lot and how it has helped me not just in this class but beyond it. In a blog post I did in the past I would not really write about topics other then school subjects and I had a hard time finding the way I could talk about other topics. Here is a quote from one of my blog posts I did on Mr.Sutherland’s class, It was about his class,

What I want to write about in this blog is this class, writing class or is it English? well anyway, this is my favorite class where we actually have to do class work, other than periods. I don’t just like it because we barley get any homework( which i love !) but because of my teacher, Mr. Sutherand!

As you can see this post is based on a boring topic, not the class, but I didn’t really have a point in writing it. As we progressed on through the year we were assigned a lot of different posts to write based on a wide range of topics. Many of them were book reviews,discussions,  debates, vignettes, English Class, response posts. My favorite was vignettes because it was fun writing and I enjoyed what I wrote about. A topic I had difficulty with was response posts.I was never really introduced to writing response posts, but I had to this year. At first I wasn’t so sure on who to respond to and what t say. I didn’t want that person to think I was mean or I didn’t like their work In my other response post I also had the same idea,

“My most favorite thing of having a blog connects to having freedom, but I don't have to stick to     narrative essays.(which I find boring, sorry If I offended anyone). I don't have to worry about punctuation of grammar, which is great! Or follow a list of rules that conclude to an essay. I can focus more on my main idea of writing and let my essays flow more easily. At first, writing on the Internet was a weird introduction to a new exposure of our writing. I am going to be honest- I was nervous!  I thought of my work a lot- having to revise two or three times, and going over my other blogs. I didn't know what type of comments I would get on my style of writing.Through writing many blog posts, my fear of putting up work was over.”

Thinking about who I was going to respond to to was not the only thing that I was worried about.What I was going to write about was even more worrying. I didn’t want to sound stupid and it was hard to me to relate to others peoples writing since I never really have done it before. In this post I responded to a student, but my ideas were not to clear on the subject,

So there is this whole conflict of Justin Beiber and a lot of crap being talked about him. All what I have to say is Let him be ! I mean what has he ever done to you! People are just haters and are jealous,of him. (especially guys)

This post was on the subject of Justin Beiber. Now, I don’t think writing about him was going to help my writing, but my ideas on him and others. As I got exposed to writing more response posts I discovered other interesting topics that people were  writing about.This quote shows how having discussions on our writing helped me express my writing a discussion.

“I found that our first discussion made things a whole lot easier. Talking with the people in my group helped me understand parts of the story I did not know.I did not get how business related to the story idea, but after discussing about it I found out that it would help solve the case in the end.( well not all of it but most of it) We don't really know what going to happen next, but talking about what has happened makes things a whole lot easier.”

In this post I related on what we did in class and what we were talking about in our discussions on a book we were reading. I found out that writing about different topics not only helps me learn about them, but learn on how to respond to peoples ideas while having a different view point on them.This helped my writing I found that our first discussion made things a whole lot easier.improve on writing on different topics and learning to reflect on other peoples writing.

My writing has also improved my writing because people have given me comments on my writing and I get to l see what they think of my writing. We had wrote an older refection post and I found a quote that supports my point

“Having a blog has also been able to get me some feedback on my work that has helped and encouraged on my writing. ''I found this quote in Susan's blog that explains a lot of what...'' This quote shows the ideas I get from others in their blogs.Most of the feedback I get are comments, but sometimes I found out that some of the comments people gave me, made me think that my writing was not good. But, as I studied my writing I noticed that those insults

( better yet-advice) would be able to make my writing better. As I used the advice on my blogs, people started to notice and comment. It gives me a sense to be proud my work and encourages me to be more confident in what I write about.”

Even back then having a blog post helped my writing with having e feedback. I get to see what people thought of my writing and they sometimes give me advice or comments that really help me. I also get to help others with their writing and discuss it with them in posts. The discussions helps get my writing from paper, to a blog, to a discussion. This helped express my writing in different ways and be able to be comfortable with it. This format has taught me to process my work in different ways.  With all the practice and comments that my peers gave to me my writing I also got to learn  from my mistakes and how to improve.   

Overall having this blog has taught me to grow as a writer, and learn more of what I can do with my writing. I found out that my writing has improved by having a blog; by getting helpful comments and discussing in class. My writing has mostly improved by being able to write about different topics. This year has been full of surprises, one of them was having a blog. AT first I was nervous, but I got to improve not just as a writer but as a student. Thanks Mr. Sutherland for introducing me to the world of Blogs!

response post to my tablemates book reveiws

These are my response post to my tablemates book reveiws:


adralyn zulu :Your book post is good. Ypou really have a nice description of the story and it makes me want to read the book. All I would do is read over it and cheak for grammer mistakes. Also, you summerize the book a lot. I think one of your questions is a bout just the character so try to go more in depth. Try to make connections with other characters and describe this charcater. ALso, ilike how you made that example in the end and I think you can add more to it to describe how it affected the character. Overall, good book post. Read over it and make a few changes.


Andi li: Okay your book post is good. You really have a nice description of the boik without giving everything away. But, I still do not feel like I want to read your book. I also liked how you used one of my quotes to put on your essay. I feel like you can read over you blog post for grammer mistakes and redundabt things. Many of things you put up are just little details that don;t go with the question. ALso, add a conclusion paragraph where you summerize your over all ideas to your bok. Othwer then that, good book post.


saber saleh :your book post was god. I have read your book and I would agree on yout ideas towards it. Ithink you shoud go back and read your rough draft and edit grammera and organization. Yopu have good ideas but their not that well organized. The last paragraph you have is also kind of redundant so I think you can take it out. Try to add those ideas to your other pargraphs. Instead, add a conclusion paragrph were you add all your overall ideas to your book. Over all, good book post.

Book Review

           The book I finished reading in English class was The Last Song, and I love it! There is a movie about it as well , and I watched it. Though, I think the book has a better description. In this novel, by Nicholas Sparks (a well known author for writing various romance stories) a teenage girl visits her  dad who she has not had much contact with for a while and is not so thrilled about it. Ronnie rejects her dads attempts to try to communicate with her.She wants to go home, but finding her true loves makes her stay. But, later on she has to face  an even harder problem, her fathers death. In the end she stays all the summers with her dad and gets back with Will. Ronnie experianced her first true love, as well as a sudden death.
        This book I would recommend to teenagers. Most of the characters in the story are teenagers, and I don't think that adults or young kids could relate to them since they are not teenagers.The types of conflicts and situations that are in the story also relate more to something that would happen to teenagers. One of the conflicts is dealing with a divorce. Many people can relate to it, but the author has the viewpoint set on a teen. The teenager is Ronnie. She does not want to spend her summer at her dad's house in another state. But, she has not even talked to her dad for three years.

   " Ronnie slouched in front of the seat of the car, wondering why on earth her mom and dad hated her so much. It was the only thing that could  explain why she was her visiting her dad, in this godforsaken southern armpit of a place, instead of spending time with her friends back home in Manhattan."(p1)

The tone in which the writer wrote this book is towards teens. Ronnie who is a teen in the book relates to the hard things she has to face with her parents being separated.Another reason why this book is intended for teens is because of what goes on in the book. It is a bout a TEENAGE girl, who falls in love with a TEENAGE boy, and she has trouble with other TEENAGERS and is basically going through what TEENAGERS go through. Now, I don't think it can get more teenage then that.The thing that really stood out to me though, was how I could relate to how Ronnie dealt things in  the book. She handeld them as I would;  a teen. The book also just has this teenagish (yeah I know not a word,but I couldn't find a better one) voice to it. It has more humor and teen romance. That is why this book goes with the audience for teenagers.
         I also want to discuss question number 8. In this story, The Last Song, there are many relationships. The two major relationships in this story are about love, and I am going to describe both of them. Ronnie is involved in both of these relationships. The first one I want to talk about is with her guy. Ronnie was dreading to go to spend the summer with her dad, and knew that there was nothing for her at the beach. However, this changes when she met a guy by a funny accident. They soon connected and came to understand what each of therm were going through and supported each other throughout the way. Ronnie loves Will, (that's the guys name) and Will. Will is instantly attracted to Ronnie, he noticed how pretty she was, even with all the emo looks she tyred to pass by. Ronnie however, was not interested, until Will started to talk to her and soon she found that he was a okay guy. Their relationship was turned on by how much they understood each other. Will and Ronnie both experienced something tragic  in their lives, and find that this summer brings a lot of trouble. But, the help each other. Towards the end, they have a fight on Will lying and they don't see each other until school starts. Ronnie then notices and finds out how no other guy understands her or wants to be with her more than Will. That is the first relationship.
            The second relationship is about Ronnie and her dad. Ronnie's dad (Steve) and her mom had divorced about 3 or 4 years before she came to spend her summer with her dad. Ronnie did not like that her dad had left them. She did not say anything to him for three years and did not feel guilty. She wanted nothing to do with her dad, especially go spend the summer with him. Although, this changes as she soon finds the truth. Her father knew he was very sick, but he did not want to tell his kids. He knew was going to pass away soon, so he wanted to spend as much time with his kids as he could. In the beginning of the summer Ronnie is mean to her dad and shows her aggressiveness as him. She barley speaks to him and when she does she is mad at him. But, when she finds  out that her dad was sick she changes drastically. She wishes she had not been mean to her dad, and would have got to known him better. she also notices how he was patient with her. He never yelled at her, nor showed any anger to her. Ronnie then tells her dad she is sorry and she spends another summer with him and watches him die. What is a symbol in their realtionhsip is music, this quote," Life, he realized,was much like a song". They both love to play the piano and related in that way.The book does end in a sad way, but also in  a good way. Ronnie gets closer to her dad , and finds love with the guy of her dremas. These are the most interesting and most  complex relationships in the story so that is why I chose them.
         The book overall has a very good message: do not judge a book by its cover. Ronnie had two very difficult relationships that had conflicts but were the bect she could ever experiance. This book is very much for teens that can relate and has intense relationships. I would really recccomend this book.

Book Reveiw #2

         In this book reveiw I want to discuss question number 8. In this story, The Last Song, there are many realrionships. The two major relationships in this story are about love, and I am going to describe both of them.
         Ronnie is involved in both of these relationships. The first one I want to talk about is with her guy. Ronnie was dreading to go to spend the summer with her dad, and knew that there was nothing for her at the beach. However, this changes when she met a guy by a funny accident. They soon connected and came to understand what each of therm were going throug and supported each other throughout the way. Ronnie loves Will, (thats the guys name) and Will. Wil is instanlty attracted to Ronnie, he noticed how pretty she was, even with all the emo looks she tryed to pass by. Ronnie however, was not intrested, until Will startted to talk to her and soon she found that he was a okay guy. Their relationship was turned on by how much they understood each other. Will and Ronnie both experianced something tragic  in their lives, adn find that this summer brings a lot of trouble. But, the help each other. Towards the end, they have a fight on Will lying and they don't see each other until school starts. Ronnie then notices and finds out how no other guy understands her or wants to be with her more than Will. That is the first relationship.


            The second relationship is about Ronnie and her dad. Ronnie's dad (Steve) and her mom had divorced about 3 or 4 years before she came to spend her summer with her dad. Ronnie did not like that her dad had left them. She did not say anything to him for three years and did not feel guilty. She wanted nothing to do with her dad, especiall go spend the summer with him. Although, this changes as she soon finds the truth. Her father knew he was very sick, but he did not want to tell his kids. He knew was going to pass away soon, so he wanted to spend as much time with his kids as he could. In the beginnig of the summer Ronnie is mean to her dad and shows her agresvieness as him. SHe barley speaks to him and when she does she is mad at him. But, whne she finds  out that her dad was sick she chandes drasticly. She wishes she had not been mean to her dad, and would have got to known him better. she also notices how he was pacient with her. He never yelled at her, nor showed any anger to her. Ronnie then tells her dad she is sorry and she spenda anothetr summer with him and watches him die. What is a symbol in their realtionhsip is musiic, this quote," Life, he realized,was much like a song". They both love to play the piano and related in that way.

         The book does end in a sad way, but also in  agood way. Ronnie gets closer to her dad , and finds love with the guy of her fremas. Thsese are the most intresting and most  complex relationships in the story so that is why I chose them. I really likes this book, you guys should read it!

Book Post

          So far my book has been great. Oh yeah, the book I am reading is The Last Song, and I love it! There is a movie about it as well , and I watched it. Though, I think the book has a better descriprion. In this novel, by Nicholas Sparks (a well known author for writing various romance stories) a teenage girl visits her  dad who she has not had much contact with for a while and is not so thrilled about it.
        This book I would recomend to teenagers. Most of the characters in the story are teenagers, and I don't think that adults or young kids could relate to them since they are not teenagers.
       The types of conflicts and situations that are in the story also relate more to somthing that would happeen to teenagers. One of the conflicts is dealing with a divorce. Many people can relate to it, but the author has the veiwpoint set on a teen. The teenager is Ronnie. She does not want to spend her summer at her dad's house in another state. But, she has not even talked to her dad for three years.

   " Ronnie slouched in front of the seat of the car, wondering why on earth her mom and dad hated her so much. It was the only thing that could  explain why she was her visiting her dad, in this godforsaken southern armpit of a place, instead of spending time with her friends back home in Manhattan."(p1)

The tone in which the writer wrote this book is towards teens. Ronnie who is a teen in the book relates to the hard things she has to face with her parents being separated.
     Another reason why this bookj is intended for teens is because of what goes on in the book. It is a bout a TEENAGE girl, who falls in love with a TEENAGE boy, and she has trouble with other TEENAGERS and is basiclly going through what TEENAGERS go through. Now, I don't think it can get more teenage then that.
    The thing that really stood out to me though, was how I could relate to how Ronnie delt things in  the book. She delt with them like a teen. THe book also just has this teenagish (yeah I know not a word,but I couldn't find a better one) voice to it. It has more humor and teen romanace. That is why this book goes with the audience for teenagers.

Vignette Review

            After reading a lot of vignettes I found out that there were many similarities between what students wanted to symbolize in their own vignettes. In Ivan's, Justice's, and Luis's blogs I found that all of  them had a connection with shoes.
               In Justice blog vignette she thinks that shoes are not all that important. she thinks that people should not have an obsession  to shoes. She also talks about her family and how each family member chooses their shoes and what kind. Her main concern is to not get so shoe crazy. I could connect to her because I also think that girls and guys should not get crazy over shoes, I mean their just shoes!

"Im simple open to any shoe as long as it’s cute and I’m not thinking about it. In some ways it is good to like shoes but i do not get the urgent obsession to have to buy a pair of shoes every weekend just because you feel like you need another pair of shoes to fit your life style. I do not understand the fact of having a perfect shoe or having a shoe that is simply not god enough." (Justice)                                                                                      

She also connects to the other two vignettes because she also describes what type of shoes her family members wear.
      In Ivan's vignette shoes come up as symbolizing personality. Her is specific on what type of shoe her focuses on wearing.

Shoes. The shoes my family wear tend to show our personality. I focus on wearing easy flat slim shoes that don't over exaggerate the size of my foot. i have many shoes that tend to focus on what i feel and for different occasions. with having different types of shoes it leads to priority of specific one compared to others.

He also connects to other people because he talks about his family shoe connections as well. Another thing that is uniue about his vignette is that he writes about the comparison he writes about his different pairs o shoes. At the end he writes about a special pair of shoe that he has that he has never worn.(but you should! or else your foot will grow and it will not fit!)
    "  I have shoes i rarely wear which i clean after every use, while i also have some that i wear many days a week and i clean about once a month. My most prized shoes i keep hidden in the darkness of my closet and Ive never ever wore them, i have kept them for almost a year. The shoes i have not wore to this day have huddled together to keep each other company." (Ivan)

Luis is really into shoe brand since he names so many of them.
"Shoes, shoes, shoes. All colors, all brands. As many people know from Jingletown, I have amounts of shoes. Jordans, Nikes, Vans, PF Flyers, Chuck Taylor’s, Supras, Creatives, Adidas, you name em’; I’ve had them. All colors to match shirts, outfits, and jeans. " (Luis)
What is cool about his shoe is the experiance he had with one. He talks about how one pair of shoes changed his whole shoe life and now he wants to buy shoes of that brand.
These are the vignettes THAT HAve one thing in comman SHOES! It was fun reading all the vignetees especially these about shoes.

Beta Reading

   1)  The Dialogue in this book does contribute to the story. It has a very teenager-ish (sorry couldn't find the word for it) sound to it, which is good. I think that there should  be more emotion between the characters in the dialogue, because there is so much of it and it would make the story seem more real.
     2) Adrian's explanation of Filipino folklore is very good. It helps the reader understand the importance of it and it adds a more magical mood to the book. But, I am a little confused on what the folklore is suppose to signify in the story. It would be helpful if it was made more clear.
    3)Dorthy's reaction is not all that realistic. She seems to like the gut and the first reactions are realistic. But, when the folklore is talked about it gets confusing and unrealistic. I think she would be confused or think its a little weird that Adrian knows so much about the folklore. That would make the reaction more realistic.
    4) The cultural elements are fine, but I don't find many i the book. More should be added to make differences between the characters. This would help create a better relationship in the characters because the girl would like the guy because of his culture and how he is different.
   5) Dorthy is fine being Filipino but I think it would be better if she had a different name. Dorthy does seem like the main character in the story. But, I think she should have a closer relationship to Adrian. I cant really tell she is Filipino, Adrian seems more Filipino. I think she should be another ethnicity so that there is a difference between her and Adrian. That would make her more interested in Adrian and help both charactes learn more from each other.
    6) Adrian is somewhat compelling. I like how he is strong about his ethnicity and the description of how he describes it i the folklore. He is a strong character in the book, but lacks emotion. He is present a lot, but there should be more of what he thinks of things and  how he feels about them, like Dorthy.
Overall, the story looks really good and I can't wait to read all of it!

Esperanzas Future

Esperanza has described pictures of her life throughout this book. In the last four vignettes however, she writes about her future. In the first vignette her future is told by old ladies.

"Look at her hands, cat eyes said. And they turn them over and over as if they were looking for something. She's special. Yes, She'll go very far. Yes, yes, hmmm....When you leave you must remember to come back for the others." (104)

Esperanza was going to go far. That meant that she will become something great and succeed in life. But, the old women said that she had to come back. Esperanza could not let go of her past and she must come back to mango street because that  is where she lived.
      In the second Vignette, Alicia and I Talking on Edna's Steps,  Esperanza and Alicia talk about their  "real" and how they will go to them. Esperanza does not believe that the house on mango street is her's.

"No, this isn't my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I've lived here. I don't belong. I don't ever want to come here... Like it or not you are Mango street, and one day you'll come back."(107)

 This vignette is very important to understand Esperanza's thought of her home.I think she does not like her house, but she does love Mango Street. That is where she grew up and what influenced her to become the Esperanza that she is.Esperanza is MANGO STREET. It also talks about how Alicia said that Esperanza will come back. i also read this in the first vignette. Esperanza needs to come back i the future. She can't leave mango street.
       In the third vignette, A house of my own, Esperanza describes a house. It seems to be a house that she would want to live in. Esperanza always wanted a nice house, not like the one she lived in.This is Esperanza's future house. 
   In the last vignette,  Mango says goodbye sometimes,  Esperanza writes on why she wrote the book and what her future will be like.  She wrote that she likes to tell stories and says how she will say good bye to mango.
      Overall, these four vignettes symbolize the importance of Esperanza's future. She does not like her house that she live in, but loves Mango street. She loves Mango Street because that is what influenced her life and goals, that is why she can't leave Mango street. She is confused about not liking mango street but really, she just doesn't like her house. That is why she wants to go far from it. But, she will come back to it because it is what made Esperanza, Esperanza. 

Girls Treated Different? (this is the real post, not the other one)

            Sandra Cisneros would think that girls need to be treated differently. The same way that boys are treated should not be the same way that others (girls) are treated. She talks a lot about the way boys and girls are treated in her book.

In the vignette Alicia Who Sees Mice

"Close your  eyes and they'll go away, her father says, or You're just imagining.. And anyway, a woman's place is sleeping so she can wake up early with the tortilla star, the one that appears early just in time to rise and catch the hind legs hide behind behind the sink, beneath the four-clawed tub, under the swollen floorboards nobody fixes, in the corner of your eyes."(31)

In the vignette, Alicia is the daughter in the story and her father is telling her what she is suppose to be. The woman is suppose to leave early so she can wake up early and care for her family.He (the man) doesn't take in consideration of what the girl has to say about his opinion. Women in this book do not have much say to what men say for them to do. This applies to teenage girls as well. Cisneros knows that teenage girls are treated differently and raised differently than teenage boys. She does believe that they should be treated differently because girls share different feelings than girls. She writes about girls throughout the story and their experiences that occur in life. The difference in girls and boys is the reason why they should be raised differently.
In another vignette Cisneros describes how a man looks at her daughter.

''Her father says, to be this beautiful is trouble. They are strict in his religion. They are not suppose to dance. He remembers his sisters and is sad. Then she can't go out. Sally I mean ." (81)

Sally was a pretty girl. Her father was very protective. The reason he is protective is because of the experience his sisters had. They must of been pretty to, but guys took advantage because he says, "he remembers his sisters and is sad." Her sisters might not have been raised like sally so they got into trouble. Her father does not want sally to be like his sisters. Cisneros thinks that girls should be raised differently because they can't do many things or have many privileges. They can't go out, like sally. She thinks that girls should be bale to have some privileges. That is why Cisneros thinks that girls should be raised differently then boys.

Esperanza has described pictures of her life throughout this book. In the last four vignettes however, she writes about her future. In the first vignette her future is told by old ladies.

"Look at her hands, cat eyes said. And they turn them over and over as if they were looking for something. She's special. Yes, She'll go very far. Yes, yes, hmmm....When you leave you must remember to come back for the others." (104)

Esperanza was going to go far. That meant that she will become something great and succeed in life. But, the old women said that she had to come back. Esperanza could not let go of her past and she must come back to mango street because that  is where she lived.
      In the second Vignette, Alicia and I Talking on Edna's Steps,  Esperanza and Alicia talk about their  "real" and how they will go to them. Esperanza does not believe that the house on mango street is her's.

"No, this isn't my house I say and shake my head as if shaking could undo the year I've lived here. I don't belong. I don't ever want to come here... Like it or not you are Mango street, and one day you'll come back."(107)

 This vignette is very important to understand Esperanza's thought of her home.I think she does not like her house, but she does love Mango Street. That is where she grew up and what influenced her to become the Esperanza that she is.Esperanza is MANGO STREET. It also talks about how Alicia said that Esperanza will come back. i also read this in the first vignette. Esperanza needs to come back i the future. She can't leave mango street.
       In the third vignette, A house of my own, Esperanza describes a house. It seems to be a house that she would want to live in. Esperanza always wanted a nice house, not like the one she lived in.This is Esperanza's future house. 
   In the last vignette,  Mango says goodbye sometimes,  Esperanza writes on why she wrote the book and what her future will be like.  She wrote that she likes to tell stories and says how she will say good bye to mango.
      Overall, these four vignettes symbolize the importance of Esperanza's future. She does not like her house that she live in, but loves Mango street. She loves Mango Street because that is what influenced her life and goals, that is why she can't leave Mango street. She is confused about not liking mango street but really, she just doesn't like her house. That is why she wants to go far from it. But, she will come back to it because it is what made Esperanza, Esperanza. 

Vignettes

Parties

We have many parties. Not the ones that most people go to with dining tables, music that you can't dance to and makes you sleepy.

No, we have fiestias.

I love going to them. Wearing my fancy clothes. My pink dress with the little black shoes my mom brought me for my birthday. " Te ves muy bonita" says my papa.

We arrive at our Tio Luis's house.

"Bienvenidos, entren"

The little house that is small like one of my barbie doll houses is packed with people.

Family, friends, and other strangers I do not know.

Children are running around crazy with their paletas in their hand dripping to the side.

Men turn on the TV to watch the end of the soccer game, all I hear is "gooooaaaaaalllllllll!"

Old mujeres are telling chismes about the neighborhood drama.

The vatos or cholos as I call are fixing their car, trying to please the cholas who are talking and laughing waiting for a nino to ask them to baillare.

There are colors everywhere that make up the Mexican themed scenery.

Yellow, Orange, Red, and my favorite hot pink.

Plates of comida fill the room with scents of agua de horchata and  tacos de carnitas on the grill.

Mariachi music makes the dance floor on the backyard. Couples dance to

I sit on a bench and  see the starry night.

Yes, this is the parties I go to.

Not the ones that most people go to with dining tables, music that you can't dance to and makes you sleepy.

No, we have fiestias.

Nombres

People mistake me for many things. They think I am a different person. I am mot.

They call me names, but I am a true person.

They don't know my life, I do.

I think of the things they tell me at night

I am in my bed and I can still here their voices.

My bed is filled with the tears I hold inside me.

Living in the hood, I know what it feels like.

Having beatings, hearing gunshots.

Its no that bad of a life, though.

You get used to it.

You learn to protect yourself.

I know my way around the streets.

Where to take my place and where to not.

But, people look at me as if I am strong.

I am not all that strong.

When I am alone I am different.

I am the real me.

A ll the beatings, names, and fights I had,

they take place in my heart.

I feel alone, without anything to depend on.

This is the real me.

Brothers

I have a brother.

Hair that bounces with every step he takes and the curls wave around his head.

His big brown eyes and long lashes, when he blinks it makes a new day.

The little clothes that fill his room, such tiny little shoes.

But, now he is big.

Growing faster as the days go on

He reminds me of myself, well almost.

funny and clumsy.

I know what it feels like to have a brother.

Annoying you every minute of the day.

Spying on you on, and

Eating your french fries when you turn around

But, I still like my brother.

I love him,

With is bouncy hair and his annoying self.

Yes, he's all right.

 A Little Chit Chat

A uncle doesn't talk that much.

"Hello" and "What are you doing?" is all his lines for the day.

With some occasional "thanks, how was your day, and where do you want to go or where are you going?"
I guess that is where a man takes place.

He comes home for dinner

Then goes back to doing his thing.

I guess that’s what it is.

Cars

There are many cars in my neighborhood.

Red cars, blue cars, and even lime green cars that you would think glow in the dark.

A Little Chit Chat

As I faced the window I heard the sound of a familiar car engine.

Oh no, my cousins.

They were visiting from LA

I never really liked them.

They always had new clothes, nice cars to drive in and they said they had their own rooms!

I sat waiting patiently for the time they would arrive.

" Hi, how are you?" They said entering.

My bother elbowed me to respond.

" Great, thanks, " I responded.

" Well now, I made some food lets go into the kitchen., oh take your cousins to your room while I prepare the food," my mother commanded.

"So, is this your room?" The one with the purple shirt asked.

" No I share with my brother", I responded, not wanting to.

"Oh, I see," she said looking around the room.

"Girls, dinner is ready," My mom called.

I felt relived, but still we did not finish the chit chat we had.

Maybe later, I hope not.

Red Pink In The House on Mango Street

        There are many examples in this book that the colors red and pink symbolize. Red and and pink are very important because they help see these examples through Esperanza's perspective. I want to focus on three vignettes that really stand out to the true meanings of these colors.In the vignette chanclas, Esperanza is getting ready for a party. She is excited for the new clothes she got for a special occasion, because she knows she barley gets new clothes.

" I open up and she's there with bags and big boxes, the new clothes and, yes, she's got the socks and new slip with a little rose on it and a pink-and-white stripped dress."(p46)

The colors seem to pop at Esperanza and she was expecting these colors on her dress. The colors symbolize what she wants in life, something new. The dress was new and she never gets much new clothes. Her excitement for these colors shows what she wants.
   On the second vignette Boys and Girls, Esperanza talks about these two types of genders. More specifically, she talks about what is the separation between them. In the end she states,

" Until then, I am a red balloon, a balloon ties to an anchor."(p9)

The red in this example is what she is. She is a red balloon. What I think she means is the future. Red to her is the future because of the vibrant color. The balloon is here and one day when she is unties she will float away to where she belongs. That is what the color and balloon signify here.
    The last vignette I looked at was The Earl of Tennessee. Esperanza describes Earl who works on her apartments. What she starts to focus on the end is his mystery wife. Esperanza was told by a boy who saw her how she looked like.

" And the boy across the street say she is tall red-headed lady who wears tight pink pants and green glasses."(p71)

The color pink and red are descriptions here. I don't think they really are that important in this vignette, but again they stands out to Esperanza. It seems that every  single time there is something red or pink Esperanza describes and mentions it.The colors r4ed and pink are vibrant and catch Esperanza's description. In the book, they are just descriptions and don't seem to be any more then that.

Windows

In the series of vignettes that are listed: My name, No Speak English, Rafaela, and Sally, there are many explanations of windows. Esperanza  is the girl who describes the windows in the story's. The significance goes to what it means to her.
     In the vignette My Name, there is a sad description of windows. Esperanza describes the life of her grandmother and how it was made into sadness when her "husband" made her his wife.

"She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow." (p.11)

Her grandmother was kidnapped and her whole life was spent with a man she did not love. This also shows how women were treated. They really had no choice in who they could marry and because they are women people(men) think they cant do anything. That is what windows represents in this vignette. The longing and redemption of what could have been a better life for people.
    In the vignette No Speak English,Esperanza talks about a lady who misses her hometown and never comes out of her apartment.

."She sits all day  by the window and plays the Spanish radio and and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that songs like a seagull."

The lady is sad about not being in her country and comforts herself by singing. The window in this situation is significant because it shows the loss of someone or something. The woman in the story has lost her country  and longs to go back. The window is a way of people to see what they are missing in their life.
     In Sally, Esperanza describes a girl named Sally who has a very hard life. She was pretty at first and all the guys like her. But, to others and her parents it was dangerous for her to be that beautiful. She seemed to have a problem that made her life change. She was not the same person after a while. It is described here, what sally wanted,

"And if you opened the little window latch and gave it  it a shove , the windows would swing open, all the sky would come in." (p.82)

Here, the window is the significance of what is the future. The girl, sally is having a really hard time in her life, but Esperanza imagines what she wants. The window is like a different path or life that someone can take and make it their own . It gives people a chance from their old life to have a better one, like the one in their dreams.
These are the vignettes that had significance in windows.

Color Purple Essay

In the epistolary novel, The Color Purple There are many differences between the characters Celie and Nettie. They are both sisters who share a really close bond and help each other throughout their live problems. This is a story of two sisters who seem to have a strong connection to each other while one is on a missionary trip to Africa and the other is a young wife in the south. Celie and Nettie were together for a while when Nettie left home, but Mr. (Celie's husband) told her she had to leave. Nettie then went to Africa and worked on a missionary trip. Both sisters said they would write to each other, but Mr. took the letters that Nettie had written to Celie. The sisters had no communication, but Shug (one of Celie's good friends) helped Celie grab a hold of the letters and soon Celie got to read what Nettie had been trying to tell her for years. After a long period of time away from each other, Celie and Nettie are rejoined and are happy to see each other. As the story progresses, we can see that there are differences between the sisters in their faith in religion, character, and sexual discrimination; seeing that Nettie has achieved more in life from being a more strong willed girl, but Celie has been stuck in her life's problems from the torture she received as a young girl.

 Celie and Nettie have both been very much exposed to religion all their life. However, as they go into their separate lives, we reveal that there are some differences between the relation each sister has with religion. Celie writes all the letters to God in the story. Her reason for doing this is because she is dependent on the “image of God” that she has. Celie has been through a terrible life of rape, mistrust, death, and torture. “Dear God, I am fourteen years old, I am I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me... But I say I’ll take care of you. With God help” (p 1 and 3). Her only hope from where she can get love and comfort is writing letters to God. This is her dependency on which she describes her thoughts, actions, and worries to God, and thinks of him as a tool to help her through her life. Celie has little support if not any from her family, only from Nettie. Celie doesn’t think really know the “real image” of God.

 “Well, us talk and talk bout God, but I’m still adrift. Trying to chase that old white man out of my head. I been so busy thinking bout him I never truly notice nothing God make. Not a blade of corn (how it do that?) not the color purple (where it come from?). Not the little wildflowers. Nothing.”(p192)

She relies on God, she just thinks of him as a representation of a obliging person. Another image that she has is a white man, which is influenced by other people who she attends church with. Overall, Celie is a person I need of help and the only way of getting console is God.

Nettie is a very different person towards her relation to religion in the book. She left Celie after Mr. said she had to go, and went to Africa. There she worked as a missionary.

"The reason I am in Africa is because one of the missionaries that was supposed to go with Corrine and Samuel to help with the children and with setting up a school suddenly married a man who was afraid to let her go, and refused to come to Africa with her. So, there they were, all set to go, with a ticket suddenly available and no missionary to give it to… But I have never dreamed of going to Africa! … People who need Christ and good medical advice." (p133)       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This shows that Nettie is more into her obligation of religion than Celie and that it is also very important to her.  Her work as a person is very much involved with the whole missionary job. Nettie has her own purpose that she made to go out and help with the people (dominantly children) of Africa. Her work is all supported by the missionary team and she is a part of it.

          The character of Celie and her personality is very different compared to Nettie. Celie is very quiet and timid. This is caused by her childhood and distress she was facing. Celie does not have enough courage in herself to stand up or even talk. Celie is also very kind. For having bratty kids to look after, (that some weren’t even hers) and having to look after her bossy and obnoxious husband. Nettie during her childhood spent with Celie, she is sort of the same. She and Celie would both listen and were good mannered. But, as they grew up Nettie started to stand up for herself. She left her home, because it was too much for her and it was not a place that she wanted to be in She had enough integrity and courage to fightt Mr. when he tried to rape her.
Nettie also gave Celie some advice on how to stand up for herself. Nettie was not afraid of doing this because she knew how to fight. Her sense of mind was being a strong woman who would not let anyone make her feel down.

"After a while I had to rest, and that's when he got down from his horse and started to tro to kiss me,and drag me back to the woods. Well, I started to fight him, and with God's help, I hurt him bad enough to make hime let me alone. Be he was some mad. (p.126 )

           The sisters also experiance a lot of sexual discrimination throughout the story. Celie was seen as "property" to her husband Mr. He treated her bad, like she wasn't worth anything, and always took advantage of her.

"Harpo ask his daddy why he beat me, Mr. say, Cause she my wife. Plus, she stubborn. All women, good for-he don't finish. He just tuck his chin over the paper like he do. Remind me of Pa... He beat me like he beat the children"(p22)

Celie has been througha lot with her dad already,  (rape, torture, and taking her out of school. Mr. is no better than her dad. Celie is taken over becasue she is too shy and would never say anything. Her hard work is always taken advantage of or credit. Mr. never appreciated that celie did all the hard work of cleaning the house and looking after him and the kids; even after the way he treated her.
      Nettie has also had experiance with sexual descrimination. Although, not as much as Celie. Nettie experiances more of a devestaion of having to go away from places, and it makes her sad. She aslo experiances some with her own family

." Nettie liver here with us. She run away from home. She say she hate to leave out stpma, but she had to git out, maybe fine help for the other little ones. The boys be alright, she say. They can stay out his way. When they get big they gon fight him." (p16)

 Nettie had a similar experiance as Celie did. But, Nettie actually ran away from her home and sought help. Nettie also almost got raped my Mr. He took advantage of her knowing that he already had a wife, and Nettie was married. Throughout the whole story though, we reveal that women are not treated right. They are taken over becasue of gender and men are the dominant ones. This effects the lives of the charaters relationships.
      In the end, the two sisters are rejoined. They have been so sad that they haven’t seen each other and feel better. Their lives now seem complete and the sisters both make a happy ending. With the difficulties throughout their lives, and similar situations they have gone through; they have made them both strong.

Rebuttle: David

David why! I think school days should be changes from the regular requirements, but David does not agree. Here is his opening statement:  click here  to go to his  post.

"In my opinion, the number of years required in school should not be changed. One of my reasons is that if the years required in school were shorter, the student won’t really learn much.''

    I do not agree with david becasue I would like to change the requirement for the days of schools we have to go to. We learn a lot and we can learn it in a shorter amount of time. What we would have to do is do everything a little faster, but it would be better becasue we get more freedome.

    "The more intelligent a person is, the more that person has to offer to the world. And if the amount of schooling required is decreased the student will not learn as much and will not have as much to offer."

This is not true there are many succesful people that have not gone to shcool all the way. Your opinion really did not contribute to the world idea. Make sure that they are not a generization or just opinions. The idea can go with your debate, but it doesnt aply to evryone and I think it doesnt make sense to go with your statement.

"Public schools spend $10,377 per pupil. That's a little above the national average of $9,435."This means that public schools are spending a little more than they should. If school was longer, schools will have to spend a lot more than $10,377 depending on how much the required years in school are extended. This can lead to more economic issues than we already have.

This qoute talks how there is too much money being put into schools and how much they are spending, um HELLO!!!!!!!!! why are so many schools closing down then? I think nnot enough mony is being put into schools, and how could schools spend a lot of money if they barley have enough to maintain their students?
 I don't ythink this fact is correct.
   But, your blog was persuading and thats good.
Okay I think I have enough words.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Debate For Sutherlands Class/////////////////////

People who make movies, television shows, or are just stars overall should not be models for people their age. People look up to them and they have to be able to be the best they can.
     Kids look up to actors no matter what they do, even if they do something crazy like shave their head (Britney spears!)  but hey, I have nothing against her. Celebrities know that a million people watch them everyday and whatever they do impact every person who is watching them. Whatever you do, (the celebrities actions) will influence teens and others to do what they did. Sometimes it can be a good thing, but sometimes it can be bad.
       I think that celebrities should be role models because no one is in charge of them, they live their own lives. Most of their lives are planned out the whole way, by what they have to wear to what they have to say. They know  a million people watch them everyday, why not do good things that can influece people( going for kids and teens)
      The reason kids think of these stars as role models? I don't have a specific answer but I do have some ideas on why. First of all, they like the celebrity, such as their cute and the hottest person on earth. Example, Justin beiber: Everyone loves him and think he the hottest, but hes not! hes just cute. Here is a qoute of inaproppriate things some celebrities have done that are not good  to follow. It is from 

The biggest 2009 show-biz lesson: Celebrities are NOT role models!

''I’m not equating headline-making behavior that ranges from hitting a woman (Brown) to simulating sex on network TV (Lambert). The first example fills me with repulsed disgust; the second, amused bafflement.''

All ihave to say is, celebrities have done things that may not have been so great, but hey people still love them.What I think people love is not actually what the celebrity is but what he or she prodeces, such as music, arts, videos, tv shows,etc. An example is from hannah momntana. She was an idol to every little girl in the us. Perfect daughter, sister, student,  and friend. But, that is just shown on her tv show and not what she really is in life....

Con

My opponent has brought up Miley Cyrus's controversial photo scandals she has been involved with.
Unlike other celebrities, such as Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus has apologized for her offensive photos. This can add to her good role model standpoint because girls will take after her and learn from mistakes they make and learn to be apologetic. Young people can CERTAINLY emulate this behavior. this came from an online debate: click here
Hanna Montana is not the only star that has had faults, but my main point is all celebrities should be models to kids their age. That could help teenagers strive to go in the right direction and be better people. Celebrities are looked up to and they put themselves into a position where they have to take responsibility of what they do.
Okay thats my blog!:)

Friday the 14th!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I really don't know what to write about in my free blog so I will just write what I did this whole entire day up to the pint where I am writing this blog.
     I woke up in the morning and I was really tired. My feet were really cold and I wanted to stay in bed.(as you can see i do not like waking up early) First I got ready for school, after that I ate leftover pasta (i know its not the best breakfast to eat)  but its sooooo gooooood it was Tortelloni ricotta and spinaci
 I think thats how you spell it?. Then my dad drove me to school. I got out the car and went to my first period class Mr Higashi! I was really mad about  having to be at school, but then my friend told me it was friday so I got happy! Yah fridays!
When wewent to math class we had a sub so we took notes and talked aftefr we finished our work. I put up stanleys hair in a ponytail haha! but he looked adorable! Then we went to histpory and then my favorite subject.......... LUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were suppose to got to interact but Ashley  and me walked aroung campus and then played apples to apples with a whole bunch of people in mccoys room. Sahber and fermin were funny cause they didn't know how to play the game adn we had to keep on elping them, but it was fun! Then it was corbally and PE. I played volly ball and then we played duck duck goose with most of the freshman! (I know your laughing but yyou know you love to play it!!!!!!!!)
After school I went home and slept!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so tired. I ate ice cream after I woke up and called my friend. I took my dog out for a walk and met some of my other friends at encinal and walked around Alameda. When I got home I remembered I had to finish my blogs so I turned on my computor and started to write this blog!
Okay bye!

Missing a friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So i found this uote in Karissas blog which I am dying to blog about! Its a bout missing your friends and I miss my friends a lot!

I really miss my ffriend and I wish she was here at ASTI. We have been best friends since the fifth grade and now I haven't seen her since I started the school year! I don't know what to say sometimes because it might be that she has moved or she doesn' know what to say. We have only talked online but we haven't seen each other in person. I really miss her. the last time I saw her was at a party in the summer!!!!! Thats a really long time. Anyway, highschool is great, but it keeps me apart from my friends.

Now, I haven't talked to this friend in a really long time. I miss her, but she doesn't really seem to care. It's kind of sad because she was one of my closest friends in middle school and now we never talk. Just like the quote said "[People] end up having nothing to say to each other, even if they were best friends the year before."

I think I might hang out with them more often and we can call each other so we keep in touch.

My best friend and I were really close friends and we knew each other since first grade. We know each other’s birthday and I still remember the first birthday present she gave me was a hello kitty glasses. Cough* I told her I love hello kitty ! Back then every morning she would come to my house have breakfast with me and we would talk and talk. Those were the good times. I thought I was going to see her again after the sleepover, however that was the last day I’d seen her. :(

Jessica also responded and I really do miss my friends and sometimes cry when I think of them.I remebmer the fun times we used to have having sleepovers and parties(but getting in trouble by the nieghboors) haha!But i really want to spend more time with friends and have good times again. Anyway, I don't know what else to write so i will write about what i am doing at this second at this second i am typing this blog that explains what i am typing ! mysterious, huh? okay well i think thats enough. Bye!

COLLEGE TALK

In class we read seven debates on which college to go to. All of them were really good and were persuasive in their own ways.
The most persuasive essay in  this whole set was Access to Money and Power. In this essay Anthony P. Carnevale taks about elite collegs helping you have a better chance of getting a better outcome of it then any other regular college. Although, I do not agree with his point I find that his reasons can be thoughtful and persuade people to his opinions. As en example Carnevale writes,

''Elite colleges are economically and personally productive for individuals lucky enough to attend them.''

This is his main reason and clearly states the individualism of a studenet being lucky to attend a elite college.What I really thought was persuading was the facts he had in his paper.

''those who score 1200 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT -- 96 percent of those who go to the selective colleges graduate, while those who go to the least selective four-year colleges graduate at a rate of 78 percent. Second, spending per student increases with college selectivity, exceeding $50,000 per student at the most selective colleges, compared with $15,000 at public four-year colleges and roughly $10,000 at community colleges.Students at the wealthiest, most selective colleges pay as little as 20 cents for every dollar spent on them, while students at less selective and community colleges are required pay 78 cents on every dollar spent on their education. While the average elite university graduate earns almost $54,000 in an entry-level job, a graduate from one of the least selective four-year college institutions earns $37,000''

Now I know these are a lot of facts from Carnevale,  but he still has more. The number of facts he got make it really persuading knowing that there are facts to back up on his opinion.Carnevale also gives a great outcome of going to an elite college that a regular colllege. He gives a life long effect that will help people in life.

''While the average elite university graduate earns almost $54,000 in an entry-level job, a graduate from one of the least selective four-year college institutions earns $37,000''

I would really like to earn more money in the outcome after college!His points really would agree with  my own opinion of the conflict, but he has his reasons that commit to examples for peoles lives that are relistic. This is why I found Carnevale to be the most persuasive in his essay.

In this debate I also had an essay that seemed the least persuasive which was Merit and Race Luis Fuentes-Rohwer . I didn't even agree with his points, nor thought what he wrote really helped students figure out what college to go to. What he wrote just talked about people being racist and that  is why some do not get accepted into elite colleges.

''The question is similarly complicated with respect to Latino applicants. For example, should Cuban Americans with on average higher socioeconomic status be treated the same as Mexican Americans or Puerto Ricans? How about recent migrants from Central and South America?''

Okay, seriously? Like he just had to go with the lationos?I don't find it racist  or think he is trying to be facist but not evryone is latino. Most people are going to be able to connect with this unless their Lation and have experiance this conflict.
He also does not give mmuch advice on how to choose a college which I find unhelpful. I also noticed that all what he talked about was race and how it makes conflicts with college choosing/acceptance. This is the last sentence where the end conclusion is given ...

''This is another way of saying that minority applicants should think long and hard before turning down admission to elite institutions.''

Okay evrey one knows that they have to think hard and long before turning down admission to elite  institutions! But what does that have to do with choosing a college?!?! This guy seriously just did not make sense in his ideas or purpose of this paper. That is why I found this paper to be the least persuasive.