What do you think Ozick's intentions are with this book? What does she want us to get out of it?
-I think Ozick's intentions are to show how previous painful experiences can always be with us, no matter how far away we are from the experience by time, or distance.
-Personally, I think Ozick makes her point clear. After all of some 30 years that Rosa spends away from the Nazi camps, still her memories bother her and eventually lead to what seems to be her downfall. Once she smashes her shop and moves to Florida we see how poorly she truly does feel about herself and we see the problems that many people probably never saw.
-I think everyone in our class and all people by the college age know what it's like to experience something they wish they hadn't and that caused them pain, whether it be a relationship, an altercation, or an accident. -I can think of many times having my feelings hurt by someone and never being able to forget how they made me feel, but in the time where they aren't around I tend to forget what happened until I see them again and I feel the pain again.
- What Rosa feels is much, much more serious of an experience but, what she goes through is similar. For a time she tried to move on and not think about what she went through but, eventually her memories took over and led her to the Florid hotel room where she's living similarly to how she did as an inmate in the camps. I guess another one of Ozick's purposes could be to prove that you can only run from your past for so long.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Shawl...
-So far, The Shawl has seemed like a very bleak story to me. By bleak I mean a very blank story, one that is very sad but yet for some reason hasn't evoked any emotion for me yet. This is different than the other stories I've read because in reading stories like Push and Butterflies I found myself getting caught up in the characters along with their situation and feeling bad for them. In The Shawl it's not quite that I don't feel bad for Rosa, Magda, and Stella it's just that their feelings are shown to the reader in an indirect manner, much different than with Precious. We never directly hear how terrible the camps are or get any details of what it's really like to be a detainee. All of the details we do get about the Nazi camps are watered down. Maybe it's because I've read other gruesome stories about the holocaust, it just doesn't seem to portray how bad it really was, possibly because of the length.
-Ozick tends to use a lot of figurative language in the story.
- In my eyes the magic Shawl is what the characters hope and lives revolve around. The Shawl is the only thing that holds them all together. It is their hope, their friend, and their security in a way. I have yet to finish Rosa's portion but it is apparent that Rosa still suffers from her experiences in the holocaust and The Shawl is still very important to her, it's still her protection, it still has the magic.
-Ozick tends to use a lot of figurative language in the story.
- In my eyes the magic Shawl is what the characters hope and lives revolve around. The Shawl is the only thing that holds them all together. It is their hope, their friend, and their security in a way. I have yet to finish Rosa's portion but it is apparent that Rosa still suffers from her experiences in the holocaust and The Shawl is still very important to her, it's still her protection, it still has the magic.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Confession...
For this blog I decided to focus on what we didn't have enough time to finish talking about in class and that is the Confession chapter.
- When I had first completed reading the Confession chapter I was shocked at the anger that seemed to be spewing in the words. It is obvious that the father finally boiled over. Could it have been false accusations that pushed him this far, or maybe how he was treated?
- In class we debated about whether or not this was a false confession. In my eyes, obviously it has to be. He talks about doing so many things and being so many places to commit acts that only a spy would. However, there are many areas where it's clear that the father couldn't have done what he admits to.
For example when the father says "I cut arrow-shaped swaths through my tomato fields to guide him the his next target" or when he says "I'm the slant-eyed sniper in the trees." These are things that we know the father is not capable of.
-I do not think that the confession is from the father being mentally run down into believing he is what the enemy thinks he his but, yet that it is a build up of raw emotion that he finally releases.
- I think that all of the things that the father confesses to are probably just reiterations of what he was accused of but, presented in a sarcastic method.
-This may have been the fathers way of releasing the feelings he held in while in captivity and he seems to speak for many, many Japanese prisoners.
- When I had first completed reading the Confession chapter I was shocked at the anger that seemed to be spewing in the words. It is obvious that the father finally boiled over. Could it have been false accusations that pushed him this far, or maybe how he was treated?
- In class we debated about whether or not this was a false confession. In my eyes, obviously it has to be. He talks about doing so many things and being so many places to commit acts that only a spy would. However, there are many areas where it's clear that the father couldn't have done what he admits to.
For example when the father says "I cut arrow-shaped swaths through my tomato fields to guide him the his next target" or when he says "I'm the slant-eyed sniper in the trees." These are things that we know the father is not capable of.
-I do not think that the confession is from the father being mentally run down into believing he is what the enemy thinks he his but, yet that it is a build up of raw emotion that he finally releases.
- I think that all of the things that the father confesses to are probably just reiterations of what he was accused of but, presented in a sarcastic method.
-This may have been the fathers way of releasing the feelings he held in while in captivity and he seems to speak for many, many Japanese prisoners.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Kenji... Internment camps...
-At this moment I'm waiting for my library to receive my book. I should have it by saturday... Or so they say.
- In the mean time i figured I'd do my best to understand what happened in the 1940's and how the U.S Government portrayed things to be.
- As soon as I knew we were talking about Japanese Internment camps in the 1940's U.S. I began thinking about one of my favorite songs. The song is called Kenji by Fort Minor. Though the song is listed as a track by Fort Minor, the real story of the song belongs to lead artist and Japanese- American, Mike Shinoda.
- In the song Mike talks about his grandfather's and other older family members recollections of the Japanese internment camps. I thought that it's only fitting that if I couldn't read the book and post about it, I could use this song as a point of relevance. I've been listening to this song for years because it has true meaning and depth. It talks about the Japanese being caught so off-guard by this treatment, especially in their own country. You can hear in his voice the feelings he possesses, anger not towards the U.S. but the situation in itself.
-The name Kenji is code name for Shinoda's grandfather.
-Here are some lyrics from the first verse. The song is too long to post all of the lyrics like I wanted to.
"When everybody was afraid of the Germans, afraid of the Japs,
But most of all afraid of a homeland attack,
And that morning when Ken went out on the doormat,
His world went black 'cause,
Right there; front page news,
Three weeks before 1942,
"Pearl Harbour's Been Bombed And The Japs Are Comin',"
Pictures of soldiers dyin' and runnin',
Ken knew what it would lead to,
Just like he guessed, the President said,
"The evil Japanese in our home country will be locked away,"
They gave Ken, a couple of days,
To get his whole life packed in two bags,
Just two bags, couldn't even pack his clothes,
Some folks didn't even have a suitcase, to pack anything in,
So two trash bags is all they gave them"
-From the second verse...
"Prisoners of war in their own damn country,
What for?
Time passed in the prison town,
He wondered if they would live it down, if and when they were free,
The only way out was joinin' the army,
And supposedly, some men went out for the army, signed on,
And ended up flyin' to Japan with a bomb,
That 15 kilotonne blast, put an end to the war pretty fast,
Two cities were blown to bits; the end of the war came quick,
Ken got out, big hopes of a normal life, with his kids and his wife,
But, when they got back to their home,
What they saw made them feel so alone,
These people had trashed every room,
Smashed in the windows and bashed in the doors,
Written on the walls and the floor,
"Japs not welcome anymore."
And Kenji dropped both of his bags at his sides and just stood outside,
He, looked at his wife without words to say,
She looked back at him wiping tears away,
And, said "Someday we'll be OK, someday,"
Now the names have been changed, but the story's true,
My family was locked up back in '42,
My family was there it was dark and damp,
And they called it an internment camp"
- In the mean time i figured I'd do my best to understand what happened in the 1940's and how the U.S Government portrayed things to be.
- As soon as I knew we were talking about Japanese Internment camps in the 1940's U.S. I began thinking about one of my favorite songs. The song is called Kenji by Fort Minor. Though the song is listed as a track by Fort Minor, the real story of the song belongs to lead artist and Japanese- American, Mike Shinoda.
- In the song Mike talks about his grandfather's and other older family members recollections of the Japanese internment camps. I thought that it's only fitting that if I couldn't read the book and post about it, I could use this song as a point of relevance. I've been listening to this song for years because it has true meaning and depth. It talks about the Japanese being caught so off-guard by this treatment, especially in their own country. You can hear in his voice the feelings he possesses, anger not towards the U.S. but the situation in itself.
-The name Kenji is code name for Shinoda's grandfather.
-Here are some lyrics from the first verse. The song is too long to post all of the lyrics like I wanted to.
"When everybody was afraid of the Germans, afraid of the Japs,
But most of all afraid of a homeland attack,
And that morning when Ken went out on the doormat,
His world went black 'cause,
Right there; front page news,
Three weeks before 1942,
"Pearl Harbour's Been Bombed And The Japs Are Comin',"
Pictures of soldiers dyin' and runnin',
Ken knew what it would lead to,
Just like he guessed, the President said,
"The evil Japanese in our home country will be locked away,"
They gave Ken, a couple of days,
To get his whole life packed in two bags,
Just two bags, couldn't even pack his clothes,
Some folks didn't even have a suitcase, to pack anything in,
So two trash bags is all they gave them"
-From the second verse...
"Prisoners of war in their own damn country,
What for?
Time passed in the prison town,
He wondered if they would live it down, if and when they were free,
The only way out was joinin' the army,
And supposedly, some men went out for the army, signed on,
And ended up flyin' to Japan with a bomb,
That 15 kilotonne blast, put an end to the war pretty fast,
Two cities were blown to bits; the end of the war came quick,
Ken got out, big hopes of a normal life, with his kids and his wife,
But, when they got back to their home,
What they saw made them feel so alone,
These people had trashed every room,
Smashed in the windows and bashed in the doors,
Written on the walls and the floor,
"Japs not welcome anymore."
And Kenji dropped both of his bags at his sides and just stood outside,
He, looked at his wife without words to say,
She looked back at him wiping tears away,
And, said "Someday we'll be OK, someday,"
Now the names have been changed, but the story's true,
My family was locked up back in '42,
My family was there it was dark and damp,
And they called it an internment camp"
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Movies are lame. Precious.
-This past friday night I finally decided to treat myself to Precious, the movie. After hearing everyone talk about how amazing the movie was and reading the book I thought it was only fitting the watch the film version of PUSH.
-Sadly, I think that the movie is very overrated. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I read the book first before watching a movie version of a story for the first time in my life(sad I know). To me the book left out so many details that were so important in the book. In the movie you only see two-scenes of Carl raping Precious, not that I want to see more scenes of it, but in the book it's such a big deal that Precious is being raped. In the movie because there are so little scenes of it, the rapes seem forgotten.
-Also, in the book we learn how close Precious gets with the girls from Each One, Teach One. They become something close to being called best friends. In the movie things are quite as obvious. In the movie we do see the girls bond, especially when Precious gives birth to Abdul but, other than that you don't see any critical bonding like we read about in the book.
-Similar to in the book, there are certain scenes in the movie that are hard to watch. For example, when Precious was being screamed at and beat by her mother because her father rapes her and ignores the mother. It's a very difficult scene to watch but it keeps you wondering what you'll see next. However, from here on the rest of the movie comes up short.
-I've never been a big fan of reading a story in comparisosn to watching a movie version of a story. I've always been a movie person more than a book person. This experience with PUSH and Precious was a shock for me. I expected the movie to be just as if not more exciting and revealing than the book was but, unfortunately it came up very short.
-Sadly, I think that the movie is very overrated. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I read the book first before watching a movie version of a story for the first time in my life(sad I know). To me the book left out so many details that were so important in the book. In the movie you only see two-scenes of Carl raping Precious, not that I want to see more scenes of it, but in the book it's such a big deal that Precious is being raped. In the movie because there are so little scenes of it, the rapes seem forgotten.
-Also, in the book we learn how close Precious gets with the girls from Each One, Teach One. They become something close to being called best friends. In the movie things are quite as obvious. In the movie we do see the girls bond, especially when Precious gives birth to Abdul but, other than that you don't see any critical bonding like we read about in the book.
-Similar to in the book, there are certain scenes in the movie that are hard to watch. For example, when Precious was being screamed at and beat by her mother because her father rapes her and ignores the mother. It's a very difficult scene to watch but it keeps you wondering what you'll see next. However, from here on the rest of the movie comes up short.
-I've never been a big fan of reading a story in comparisosn to watching a movie version of a story. I've always been a movie person more than a book person. This experience with PUSH and Precious was a shock for me. I expected the movie to be just as if not more exciting and revealing than the book was but, unfortunately it came up very short.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Precious and the ending...
What do you think of the ending of the book? Is it hopeful? What do you think happens to Precious and her son?
I do think the end of the book is hopeful. In the Life Stories at the end, some of the stories are creepy and gruesome but are very telling how the perceptions of Precious, Rhonda, Jermaine, and Rita really stand.
I think the ending is hopeful because in Precious' "Untitled" story she talks about many pleasant things. I'm not sure if she's talking about what happened in her dream or if the things she talks about are her dream, but nonetheless the things she speaks about are good things.
Some examples:
" I have car
me n Abdul riding like
in the movies
sun a yellow red ball
rising over the hills
where indeins usta live
beaches, Islands"
" I do have
lungs take in air
I can see
I can read
nobody can see now
but I might be a poet, rapper, I got
water colors
my child is smart
my CHILDREN
is alive
some firls in
forin countries
babies dead
Look up sometimes
and the birds
is like dancers."
These quotes make Precious seem as if she is somewhat seeing better days. She's trying to give herself things to be thankful for in her kids being alive and having smarts. These are great improvements over what she showed throughout the book.
"PLAY THE HAND YOU GOT
house mother say.
HOLD FAST TO YOUR DREAMS
Langston say.
GET UP OFF YOUR KNEES
Farrakhan say.
CHANGE
Alice Walker
say.
Rain fall down
wheels turn round
DONT ALWAYS RHYME
Ms Rain say
walk on
go into the poem
the HEART of it
beating like
a clock
a virus
tick
tock."
This last quote that finishes out the book show great hope from Precious. I believe this because because all of her quotes are inspirational and meaningful from inspirational people. It seems like she looks towards the capitalized words for hope. I think the PLAY THE HAND YOU GOT line says a lot about Precious. After everything she's been through with school systems, corrupt parents, poor health, and children at very young ages she is still going or like she says beating like a clock.
As for what happens with Precious and her son, I'm not quite sure where they go from here but I do think that they are headed for a positive atmosphere. While Precious knows that she is not where she wants to be she has shown signs of hope and even had enough belief to call herself smart. Things will continue to improve for her and Abdul if she stays on the track she's on.
I do think the end of the book is hopeful. In the Life Stories at the end, some of the stories are creepy and gruesome but are very telling how the perceptions of Precious, Rhonda, Jermaine, and Rita really stand.
I think the ending is hopeful because in Precious' "Untitled" story she talks about many pleasant things. I'm not sure if she's talking about what happened in her dream or if the things she talks about are her dream, but nonetheless the things she speaks about are good things.
Some examples:
" I have car
me n Abdul riding like
in the movies
sun a yellow red ball
rising over the hills
where indeins usta live
beaches, Islands"
" I do have
lungs take in air
I can see
I can read
nobody can see now
but I might be a poet, rapper, I got
water colors
my child is smart
my CHILDREN
is alive
some firls in
forin countries
babies dead
Look up sometimes
and the birds
is like dancers."
These quotes make Precious seem as if she is somewhat seeing better days. She's trying to give herself things to be thankful for in her kids being alive and having smarts. These are great improvements over what she showed throughout the book.
"PLAY THE HAND YOU GOT
house mother say.
HOLD FAST TO YOUR DREAMS
Langston say.
GET UP OFF YOUR KNEES
Farrakhan say.
CHANGE
Alice Walker
say.
Rain fall down
wheels turn round
DONT ALWAYS RHYME
Ms Rain say
walk on
go into the poem
the HEART of it
beating like
a clock
a virus
tick
tock."
This last quote that finishes out the book show great hope from Precious. I believe this because because all of her quotes are inspirational and meaningful from inspirational people. It seems like she looks towards the capitalized words for hope. I think the PLAY THE HAND YOU GOT line says a lot about Precious. After everything she's been through with school systems, corrupt parents, poor health, and children at very young ages she is still going or like she says beating like a clock.
As for what happens with Precious and her son, I'm not quite sure where they go from here but I do think that they are headed for a positive atmosphere. While Precious knows that she is not where she wants to be she has shown signs of hope and even had enough belief to call herself smart. Things will continue to improve for her and Abdul if she stays on the track she's on.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Fun Home- Bruce's Death.
For my last blog on Alison Bechdel's "Fun Home", I've chosen to focus on whether or not Bruce's death was a suicide or not and whether or not him not coming out while younger like Alison does affected his outcome.
Personally, I think Bruce's death was a suicide. I, just like many other people in our class think that all of Bruce's embarrassment, feelings, and stress from being homosexual just continued to eat him up inside. A person can suppress their feelings for only so long and for Bruce it was a lifetime of suppressing and living by multiple personalities that did him in.
I think that if Bruce came out about his sexuality preferences at a young age he would've had a much greater quality of life. By coming out at a younger age Bruce may have never had children but at the same time he would've been able to be a gay man without anything holding him back. He wouldn't have a family to have to try to be manly for and he wouldn't have to misplace his feelings on his children like he did by trying to make Alison "super-girly." Coming out for Bruce would have of course been intimidating and embarrassing for some time but it would've prevented so much future heartache for Bruce, that eventually led to his death.
Personally, I think Bruce's death was a suicide. I, just like many other people in our class think that all of Bruce's embarrassment, feelings, and stress from being homosexual just continued to eat him up inside. A person can suppress their feelings for only so long and for Bruce it was a lifetime of suppressing and living by multiple personalities that did him in.
I think that if Bruce came out about his sexuality preferences at a young age he would've had a much greater quality of life. By coming out at a younger age Bruce may have never had children but at the same time he would've been able to be a gay man without anything holding him back. He wouldn't have a family to have to try to be manly for and he wouldn't have to misplace his feelings on his children like he did by trying to make Alison "super-girly." Coming out for Bruce would have of course been intimidating and embarrassing for some time but it would've prevented so much future heartache for Bruce, that eventually led to his death.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)