The introduction to chapter five talks about different relationships, mainly those between children and their parents. Some are benefitial and children grow and learn from it, while others are failing. This chapter is said to have stories about different relationships, and sense of longings, such as in communities, or extended faimlies. I am excited to start a new chapter and to discuss different ideas in literature.
These are chapters 49 through 51 from "Bone Black" by Bell Hooks. "Bone Black" was an interesting story. I really enjoyed reading this story. This story being narrarted by the daughter was very well written in my opinion. It interested me that it was narrareted by the daughter and instead of calling her mother and father by, mother and father, they were always talked about as, he she that woman or that man.
This story was about a daughter witnessing the destrcution of her mother. Her father was an evil man who beat her mother all the time. THe part that seemd to confuse the daughter was that the mother would never stand up for herself, and that her siblings would never try to fight back. She never felt comfortable leaving her mother while her father was yelling and beating her. She always wanted to fight back for her mother. The father was the type of man who thought that the man was always right. The man was in charge of the family and everything he said goes. He was a better cook, better cleaner, better at everything but he still left it all up to his wife. He was a horrible man.
THe ending confused me, why the mother went back to his house after everything. THe man almost killed her and yet she still went back to him, and threatened her daughter with him. She threw her daughter back into what had hurt her. THe mother was being hurt so it seemed that she was taking the hurt out on her daughter. Instead of fighting back or dealing with the pain, she hurt her daughter in the same ways that the man hurt her.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Essay 1
3. Discuss "Our Hurried Children" as it relates to "A&P" or "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
I choose to do one of the topics Clary purposed, her choice 3, to discuss "Our Hurried Children" as it relates to "A&P" or "Where are you Going, Where have you been."
I think that for my first essay I will compare the thoughts of Elkind with the way that Connie and Arnold Friend act throughout the story. Connie is a prime example of what Elkind was talking about, how a child grows up much too fast.
In Connies case, things went wrong, and throughout my essay I will provide an argument as to why it is bad for children to mature to quickly and the counter argument discussing why sometimes it may be necessary for a child to mature before it is ready.
I am excited about reading everyones first essays, and seeing what their ideas on how to take these short stories we read and turn them into argumentitive essays. I think this process will be very different from the process of writing our other essays becuase we are comparing a fictional story to real life.
I choose to do one of the topics Clary purposed, her choice 3, to discuss "Our Hurried Children" as it relates to "A&P" or "Where are you Going, Where have you been."
I think that for my first essay I will compare the thoughts of Elkind with the way that Connie and Arnold Friend act throughout the story. Connie is a prime example of what Elkind was talking about, how a child grows up much too fast.
In Connies case, things went wrong, and throughout my essay I will provide an argument as to why it is bad for children to mature to quickly and the counter argument discussing why sometimes it may be necessary for a child to mature before it is ready.
I am excited about reading everyones first essays, and seeing what their ideas on how to take these short stories we read and turn them into argumentitive essays. I think this process will be very different from the process of writing our other essays becuase we are comparing a fictional story to real life.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Our Hurried Children
Our Hurried Children by David Elkind was not a story in any sense, but an article, a non fiction piece. David Elkind talks about how short a childhood is, the stress that we all face is making us mature faster, leaving the safety of beign a kid. No one realizes how fast they grow up until they are adults and forget what it is to be a kid. The attitude of the child does not play as largely a role in the early maturity as the attitude of the parents and the society it lives in. If a child is being pressured to grow up, by having more stress, more responsibility than it should, it will inevitably grow up, too fast.
One of the biggest ideas of early maturity Elkind talks about is early academic achievments. There is so much pressure from everyone in a childs life to get good grades. Get striaght A's and you will go to a good middle school. Do even better there and a good high school is right around the corner. And in hgih school you better beleive that everyone has such great hopes that you will do the very best, do what you can to be accepted into an ivy league college. When does the pressure to do well stop? After school your career starts, and maybe a family.
At a young age it starts as dressing like an adult, looking like one. When someone reaches adolescents, the pressure to be older comes on stronger, to smoke to drink, to do drugs.
Childhood is to be enjoyed, live it as long as you can because once leave it, you can not respectably go back. Our generation is growing up so quick, every 12 year old has a cell phone, my 6 year old cousin just got an i pod. What has happened to the days when kids ran around outside playing school or princess. I realize now watching my brother and sister getting older that they are always on the computer, all of their 10 and 12 year old friends carryign around nicer cell phones than I have. Most of the girls wearing more makeup than I wear now, when I was not even allowed to wear make up until 8th grade. Children are dressing like adults now, tending them to act accordingly.
While reading this essay I learned alot. Some of the stuff I knew, from my mother, who is currently studying most of what Elkind was talking about. Some of the information I read I gathered from observing people through my life time. What really interested me were all the facts presented, all the ones about how young the children were who commented these felonies.
One of the biggest ideas of early maturity Elkind talks about is early academic achievments. There is so much pressure from everyone in a childs life to get good grades. Get striaght A's and you will go to a good middle school. Do even better there and a good high school is right around the corner. And in hgih school you better beleive that everyone has such great hopes that you will do the very best, do what you can to be accepted into an ivy league college. When does the pressure to do well stop? After school your career starts, and maybe a family.
At a young age it starts as dressing like an adult, looking like one. When someone reaches adolescents, the pressure to be older comes on stronger, to smoke to drink, to do drugs.
Childhood is to be enjoyed, live it as long as you can because once leave it, you can not respectably go back. Our generation is growing up so quick, every 12 year old has a cell phone, my 6 year old cousin just got an i pod. What has happened to the days when kids ran around outside playing school or princess. I realize now watching my brother and sister getting older that they are always on the computer, all of their 10 and 12 year old friends carryign around nicer cell phones than I have. Most of the girls wearing more makeup than I wear now, when I was not even allowed to wear make up until 8th grade. Children are dressing like adults now, tending them to act accordingly.
While reading this essay I learned alot. Some of the stuff I knew, from my mother, who is currently studying most of what Elkind was talking about. Some of the information I read I gathered from observing people through my life time. What really interested me were all the facts presented, all the ones about how young the children were who commented these felonies.
Cathedral
Cathedral by Raymond Carver was a confusing story. THe husband confused me at the begining as to why he was so skeptycal about the old blind man coming for a visit. He was complelty against it, not wanting to know about him or learn anything about this man that was such an important part of his wifes life.
I noticed that the relationship between the man and his wife was strained. Were they together becasue they loved eachother? It did not appear so, it seemed to me that they were together becuase it was comfortable, it was a "convient" marriage. His wife did not talk to him the way she talked to Robert. The man did not appear to be effected by this, but maybe subconsiously, that was why he was so put out by Robert staying with them.
THe man had placed every stereotype on Robert, being a blind man, as he could. When Robert showed up, the man realized that they were all wrong. He had a beard, a beard! He also smoked, drank, and watched t.v. THe man was amazed. I noticed that he Robert got much closer when they started smoking dope. They had a bit of a connection that the wife did not have with Robert, and seemed at the end, offended by it.
My favorite part was the end of the story, when they drew the cathedral. This up tight man who had drawn so many conclusions to the blind man was now completly changed. His opinions were switched and he took the role of beinh blind. He had time to realize that while he couldnt see anything, he was the most peaceful he had ever been. He was someone new, and he liked it.
During this story there were many different characteristics. There was jealousy, comfort, and bonding.
I noticed that the relationship between the man and his wife was strained. Were they together becasue they loved eachother? It did not appear so, it seemed to me that they were together becuase it was comfortable, it was a "convient" marriage. His wife did not talk to him the way she talked to Robert. The man did not appear to be effected by this, but maybe subconsiously, that was why he was so put out by Robert staying with them.
THe man had placed every stereotype on Robert, being a blind man, as he could. When Robert showed up, the man realized that they were all wrong. He had a beard, a beard! He also smoked, drank, and watched t.v. THe man was amazed. I noticed that he Robert got much closer when they started smoking dope. They had a bit of a connection that the wife did not have with Robert, and seemed at the end, offended by it.
My favorite part was the end of the story, when they drew the cathedral. This up tight man who had drawn so many conclusions to the blind man was now completly changed. His opinions were switched and he took the role of beinh blind. He had time to realize that while he couldnt see anything, he was the most peaceful he had ever been. He was someone new, and he liked it.
During this story there were many different characteristics. There was jealousy, comfort, and bonding.
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