In the book The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, it consists of consecutive vignettes all about different things in a person's life. One way of describing her life is by using symbols. The author uses symbols to represent things that are not mentioned first hand. They imply a meaning but that meaning of the symbol is never exposed in the book. It is hidden and for the author to know and for the reader to analyze. One of the many symbols Sandra Cisneros uses is the symbol of trees. In the book, trees symbolize a calm living thing. Trees symbolize the tranquility in her life when there is nothing else to look at. One of many symbols, trees represents the calming life everywhere.
Trees represent something that cheers the main character up. It is when she is feeling down when she looks towards trees. She says on page 75, "When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, then it is I look at trees. When there is nothing left to look at on this street." In this quote, Sandra explains that Esparanza looks at trees when she is sad. When she is feeling down about herself, trees are the things that cheer her up. She looks at trees when she can keep keeping. Also when there is nothing left on the street to look forward to, trees can be her plan. Trees are like sites that bring happiness and healing to her pain because she looks at them when she is not feeling good.
Trees symbolize a calm safe feeling because Esparanza describes trees as a good thing. Rows of trees are joy for Esparanza. On page 83, she explains, "There'd be no nosy neighbors watching, no motorcycles and cars, no sheets and towels and laundry. Only trees and more trees and plenty of blue sky." With so much trees and sky, she can have her own privacy and be on her own. There will be not distractions in her life nor noise. Trees are the opposite of distractions and annoying things; they are soothing and relaxing.
Also on the page she says, "Only trees and more trees and plenty of blue sky. and you could laugh, sally. You could go to sleep and wake up and never have to think who likes and doesn't like you." (pg 83) Trees are like an alarm. When there are so many trees visible, she can relax. She can do anything she wants without caring about what other people think. This is how the trees bring joy into her life. They serve as peace and harmony. Trees are what allows Esparanza to live her life and not worry about other people's opinions.
Esparanza may look forward to trees as sometimes her life goes down, but trees can do the healing and bring back the peacefulness in her life.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Windows - Symbolism
In The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, she displays windows for a symbolic reason in her vignettes. The significance of windows in the book is to symbolize an isolation from the outside world and sadness. The author describes a sense of loneliness and sadness with the window between them and the world. It is the window that causes them to feel differently.
Windows, in the vignette, my name, shows her great grandmother's life of trouble with her grandfather. Her grandmother's life was stolen from her. She says about her grandmother, "She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow." (pg 11) The result of her grandmother's stolen life is sadness. The window is what prevents her from seeing the outside world. The window shows isolation from others and prevents her from achieving what she could have achieved. The window was a barrier that isolated the grandmother from the world. The sadness prevented her from "be all the things she wanted to be."(pg 11) The window served as a barrier to not allow the grandmother to succeed but keep her in place. The window gives the characters a sad life, saying that they look out the window in despair.
In No Speak English, windows are used to show a sad life. It shows that Rachel did not get her name so "She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull.". (pg 77) From a failure, Rachel ends up in despair as well, and wastes her days listening to the radio. The window shows how her life seems so blank and Windows in this, show sadness like the first one. However, the window is the thing that makes her seem sad, because she is so close to the open world but never reaches it.
In the vignette, Rafaela, she is shown as "getting old from leaning out the window so much,"(pg 79)From this quote, Rafaela, leaning on the window, has shown despair with age. She has become older after being on the window so much, even though she is young. The window is the thing that prevents Rafaela from escaping her husband's grasp. She, "leans out the window and leans on her elbow and dreams her hair is like Rapunzel's. (pg 79) She is dreaming of escaping, however, the locked window prevents her from getting out. It is the barrier between her, and the world outside of her house.
From all three vignettes, grandmother, Rachel, and Rafaela's stare and connection to the window does not allow them to reach their full potentials in life. Rather, it keeps them isolated from the outside world. Windows represent the barrier, and the amount of loneliness they have. It is windows that can symbolize how the outcomes of their life have become and their dreams for hope.
Windows, in the vignette, my name, shows her great grandmother's life of trouble with her grandfather. Her grandmother's life was stolen from her. She says about her grandmother, "She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow." (pg 11) The result of her grandmother's stolen life is sadness. The window is what prevents her from seeing the outside world. The window shows isolation from others and prevents her from achieving what she could have achieved. The window was a barrier that isolated the grandmother from the world. The sadness prevented her from "be all the things she wanted to be."(pg 11) The window served as a barrier to not allow the grandmother to succeed but keep her in place. The window gives the characters a sad life, saying that they look out the window in despair.
In No Speak English, windows are used to show a sad life. It shows that Rachel did not get her name so "She sits all day by the window and plays the Spanish radio show and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull.". (pg 77) From a failure, Rachel ends up in despair as well, and wastes her days listening to the radio. The window shows how her life seems so blank and Windows in this, show sadness like the first one. However, the window is the thing that makes her seem sad, because she is so close to the open world but never reaches it.
In the vignette, Rafaela, she is shown as "getting old from leaning out the window so much,"(pg 79)From this quote, Rafaela, leaning on the window, has shown despair with age. She has become older after being on the window so much, even though she is young. The window is the thing that prevents Rafaela from escaping her husband's grasp. She, "leans out the window and leans on her elbow and dreams her hair is like Rapunzel's. (pg 79) She is dreaming of escaping, however, the locked window prevents her from getting out. It is the barrier between her, and the world outside of her house.
From all three vignettes, grandmother, Rachel, and Rafaela's stare and connection to the window does not allow them to reach their full potentials in life. Rather, it keeps them isolated from the outside world. Windows represent the barrier, and the amount of loneliness they have. It is windows that can symbolize how the outcomes of their life have become and their dreams for hope.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Celie and Nettite Compare/Contrast Essay
Celie and Nettite Compare/Contrast Essay
The epistolary novel, The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker, is about a young woman's struggle. Celie, who faces many hardships in her life has to learn to step up to the ones who disrespect her. In the story, Celie explains her hard life to God daily in letters. Celie also begins to lose some faith in God as she starts to write to Nettie, her sister. Celie, and Nettie’s separation in life and encounters with discrimination and religion exhibit various similarities and differences between their point of views towards faith, gender, and treatment by others. Nettie is more privileged and respectful to herself, which allows her to escape abuse by others while Celie is less confident and suffers the wrath of abuse.
Celie’s approval to stay with Albert affects her religion in a more negative way than Nettie who manages to escape the horrible treatment of Albert and become a missionary. Celie is religious at first and God is an important factor in her life, but since Nettite left she begins to lose faith in God. Everyday, Celie wrote a letter to God.
She says, "Dear, God (New paragraph) Nettie here with us. She run way from home. She say she hate to leave our stepma but she had to git out, maybe fine help for the other little ones." (pg 16)
From this quote, she shares a connection with God and shows how Nettie would react when things don't go her way. However, deeper in the story, she starts to lose some of her deep religious beliefs and start to drift away from them. When writing to Nettie she says,
“What God do for me? I ast.At this moment, she doesn’t think God is almighty anymore because he hasn’t done anything noticeable to Celie. Celie thinks God hasn’t done anything for her, except give her a horrible life of suffering. Nettie on the other hand is religious but also more focused on other things. She says, “I wrote a letter to you almost every day on the ship coming to Africa.” (pg 130) When she is going to Africa, she still writes to Celie but not to God. However, she thanks God for her safety, “I thought I had cut myself. but thank God you were there to tell me i was all right.” (pg 188) Nettie is always busy, but still gives thanks to God. The way in which Celie and Nettie’s lives are affected by other people affect the way they feel towards things.
She say, Celie! Like she shock. He gave you life, good health and a good woman that love you to death. Yeah....And a sister i probably won’t ever see again.”(pg 192)
Celie and Nettie are both affected by gender inequality in different ways. Some men like Albert disrespect women that put up with this kind of treatment and don't show any sign of resistance. She says in her letter to Nettie, “Well, you know wherever there’s a man, there’s trouble.”(pg 205) From this quote, Celie shows her hatred and her experience with men. Celie sees men as a sign of trouble because they always put Celie up with things to do for them. Celie also believes that women are made weaker because other people say so. Celie also shows hatred to men by saying, “the God I been praying and writing to is a man. And act just like all the other mens in know. Trifling, forgitful and lowdown.” (pg 192). From this quote, Celie is expressing her feelings toward men. The men have treated her so bad she starts to lose faith because God is a man,. Nettie on the other hand believes everyone should be stronger because she is more confident. However, Nettie does not hate men all as much as Celie. She says, “Corrine is a lucky woman to have him as her husband.”(pg 138) She can see that not all men are bad and as bad as Albert was, she sees the positive side of Corrine’s husband. Nettie hasn't always been treated badly because of gender like Celie. Celie who stayed with Albert longer than Nettie, has been affected deeply by a man who sees nothing in women
The treatment of others toward Celie differs with the treatment toward Nettie because Celie is looked down upon. Nettie has Celie who, “ast him to take me instead of Nettie while our new mammy sick. But he just ast me what ‘m talking bout. I tell him I can fix myself up for him... He beat me for dressing trampy...”(pg 7) Celie cares for Nettie and would rather take one for Nettie than to let her suffer. Celie only has Shug who would support her when she admits to being beaten. Shug said, “I won’t leave, she say, until I know Albert won’t even think about hitting you.” (pg 75) Shug Avery is someone that will defend Celie from albert’s beatings. she’s willing to stay for Celie and not many people have helped Celie out. Nettie is a stronger woman who tells Celie to fight back. She advises Celie,”You got to fight” (pg 17). She gives Celie advice on not getting taken advantage of because her resisting attitude has allowed her to be independent. Treatment by others differ between Celie and Nettie because Nettie makes stands while Celie obeys.
From their struggles in life, Celie and Nettie both encounter religious faith struggles, gender inequality and cruel treatment by others. Also, Nettie has found openings to fix these problems in her life while Celie lives with them. Nettie's way of dealing with things that don't go her way is to quit it. Celie's way is to accept those things and go with the flow. Alice Walker’s point is to show struggle between faith and the inequality between man and woman. The Color Purple presents brutal treatment towards women, but also shows how women can fight back and gain what they want. It shows sisters who represent the strong and the weak and the outcomes of both.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Rebuttal to Social Networking
In objection to Ashli's con against social networking, I believe social networking is a good way for teens to communicate. In response to Ashli',
Social Networking can be opened to stalkers because people share their information online with all their "friends". It is not rule that you must share personal information. If you are too afraid to do it then leave it blank. People complain about social networking because privacy is invaded, but there is no invasion of privacy if you don't share it.
Her quote,
" we can talk to everyone we want to all at once but can not interact with them physically."If people are using social networking, they may not want to interact physically with the person they are talking to. They may be talking online with the person because it does not cost money. It may be a long distance friendship that allows them to communicate with each other at no cost. With such distance, social networking does not allow the talkers to interact but they can still communicate and keep in touch. To oppose Ashli, social networking is just a place to be social, not to interact. Interaction happens in the real world, but plans can be made to interact on social networks. Seeing someone in person is a different story. Just speaking online is to talk. They may just want to speak to each other because it is easier.
Social Networking can be opened to stalkers because people share their information online with all their "friends". It is not rule that you must share personal information. If you are too afraid to do it then leave it blank. People complain about social networking because privacy is invaded, but there is no invasion of privacy if you don't share it.
Her quote,
And where families and close ones seeing the stuff they wouldn’t think you will doThis would be a good thing for families and friends to keep in touch. Again, if you do not want people knowing about your business, don't reveal it to the public.Opinions made are, stalkers can easily get to you by looking at posts related to you and seeing someone in first person is worth the time. The stalkers claim is an opinion because you should not add anyone you don't know anyway. Also there are more private methods of communicating with social networking such as chat or messaging. Going to meet someone first person is another opinion because the time may not be worth it. It is an opinion to think that the time wasted to meet someone, is worth it. Things may turn out the wrong way. Speaking online, is easier than speaking in person.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Celie's letters to God.
What do Celie's letters to God tell you so far about 1. Her character traits and 2. Her beliefs about and relationship with God? Use quotes to answer both parts of this question.
Celie's letters to God are personal and reveal her daily habits and important details she may want to remember. She never mentions if she actually mailed those letters to God or not. Celie's letters to God reveal that she believes in God and is very religious. When she writes letters to God, it is almost a diary where she can keep track of memories, but I don't. She describes letters as if she is describing her days. "Finally I have supper and go to bed". (Celie, pg 32) She says she has supper then goes to bed, she doesn't need to explain anything because its straight forward. In her letters to God, she brings up important occurrences that affected her life. "And now i feels sick every time I be the one to cook. My mama she fuss at me an look at me."(Celie pg 1) After being abused by her father, she does not feel right when cooking nor looking at her mama. This affects how she will feel in the future, never feeling right when she cooks.
Celie's letters to God tell me that she is a uncertain woman who faces fear in every direction. She seems to lack clothing to put on because, "But what I'm sposed to put on? I don't have nothing."(Celie, pg3) In this letter to God, it reveals she isn't the rich type, but it doesn't affect her that much. In her letters to God, her relationship is revealed because she knows that God will help her and guide her. She thinks God makes everything that has happened to her happen. If anything bad happens, its because she made a mistake. Celie says "With God help", saying that God has the power to help her, and will. She believes deeply in God and refers to God in her life when talking.
Celie's way of writing letters to God is a route out of the problems she faces during those days. Celie is a loving person who is mistreated, but she finds a way out, through God.
Celie's letters to God are personal and reveal her daily habits and important details she may want to remember. She never mentions if she actually mailed those letters to God or not. Celie's letters to God reveal that she believes in God and is very religious. When she writes letters to God, it is almost a diary where she can keep track of memories, but I don't. She describes letters as if she is describing her days. "Finally I have supper and go to bed". (Celie, pg 32) She says she has supper then goes to bed, she doesn't need to explain anything because its straight forward. In her letters to God, she brings up important occurrences that affected her life. "And now i feels sick every time I be the one to cook. My mama she fuss at me an look at me."(Celie pg 1) After being abused by her father, she does not feel right when cooking nor looking at her mama. This affects how she will feel in the future, never feeling right when she cooks.
Celie's letters to God tell me that she is a uncertain woman who faces fear in every direction. She seems to lack clothing to put on because, "But what I'm sposed to put on? I don't have nothing."(Celie, pg3) In this letter to God, it reveals she isn't the rich type, but it doesn't affect her that much. In her letters to God, her relationship is revealed because she knows that God will help her and guide her. She thinks God makes everything that has happened to her happen. If anything bad happens, its because she made a mistake. Celie says "With God help", saying that God has the power to help her, and will. She believes deeply in God and refers to God in her life when talking.
Celie's way of writing letters to God is a route out of the problems she faces during those days. Celie is a loving person who is mistreated, but she finds a way out, through God.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Should the number of years of required schooling be changed?
The number of years in school should be changed because students need more time to make a living. Students spend most of their childhood learning in school, discipline and educational subjects, but they don't have enough time to be a child after elementary school. Its never fun and games for the students.
Students in high school do not need so much time, four years to make a decision that will last the rest of their life because in four years, many mishaps can occur. It is possible for students to learn the material they learn in the number of years in school, in a shorter amount of time. Some of the time in school is spent off topic and some is also useless. This is a way to waste time during the school year. Moving much faster, school days will shorten and the number of years in school can be changed. Students in lower grades can speed faster through the material and slow down as they get older. The lower grade material is important to learn in order to understand the later material, but it can be practiced throughout their life. With more and more technology improving, such as calculators, low level mathematics can be simplified with calculators. Technological advancements allow us to easily understand and see math and science. However, it is never helpful to only use technology because if sometimes, that technology fails, then there would be no backup plan to carry out the situation. It is an improper movement to just move ahead to learning to use technology instead of learning the way the technology solves things. School years should shorten because it would also save the district money. With less days, of school, less money would be needed to support everyday school. In a LA article about shortening the school's calender,
From the website, LA article, the ballot casters mostly believe that the decision to shorten school years is an effective idea.With less time in school, less money is needed to be put in daily and for the students, they'll have more free time to attain "street smart" knowledge.In addition, if school does not become effective in earning a job, the last many years in school have been wasted.
Therefore, with shortened school calendars, students can achieve the education they need quicker, save the district some money, and excel in other things besides education.
Students in high school do not need so much time, four years to make a decision that will last the rest of their life because in four years, many mishaps can occur. It is possible for students to learn the material they learn in the number of years in school, in a shorter amount of time. Some of the time in school is spent off topic and some is also useless. This is a way to waste time during the school year. Moving much faster, school days will shorten and the number of years in school can be changed. Students in lower grades can speed faster through the material and slow down as they get older. The lower grade material is important to learn in order to understand the later material, but it can be practiced throughout their life. With more and more technology improving, such as calculators, low level mathematics can be simplified with calculators. Technological advancements allow us to easily understand and see math and science. However, it is never helpful to only use technology because if sometimes, that technology fails, then there would be no backup plan to carry out the situation. It is an improper movement to just move ahead to learning to use technology instead of learning the way the technology solves things. School years should shorten because it would also save the district money. With less days, of school, less money would be needed to support everyday school. In a LA article about shortening the school's calender,
"which could save the Los Angeles Unified School District up to $140 million".
From the website, LA article, the ballot casters mostly believe that the decision to shorten school years is an effective idea.With less time in school, less money is needed to be put in daily and for the students, they'll have more free time to attain "street smart" knowledge.In addition, if school does not become effective in earning a job, the last many years in school have been wasted.
Therefore, with shortened school calendars, students can achieve the education they need quicker, save the district some money, and excel in other things besides education.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Is cussing good or bad?
I try not to cuss as much outside of home. When I'm at home, I try to avoid cussing even if I have no consequences because my parents can't understand. Cussing, sometimes is used when I get mad. Cussing is more like an alarm to me. I feel like, if you cuss so much to anyone, it has no effect. If you call someone a name so many times just for fun, and finally when he becomes more suited to that name, you'd want him to take offense to that one call, but he reacts normally instead. If you need to air out your anger, don't wear out the cuss words. You may need it for bigger emergencies. Does cussing really help? I think it just makes someone feel better because they are showing that they are mad to other people. From Tiffany's post about cussing,
On the other hand, why are these words known as "bad words?" Why must little kids say "OHHHH OH NO YOU DIDN'T!?!?" I think it's also silly that society makes a big deal about this. Why can't these "bad words" become just a word?I think these words are "bad words" because people take offense when you say those type of words to them. If you call someone a.... they wouldn't like it. No one really needs to make fun of people towards their face. Dropping bad words is a bad habit to start and may not possibly end. If you get too adjusted to the words, they just pop out sometimes. Even to the most simple things, a cuss word may leak out because those are your usual "describing" words.Those bad words may even become compliments because everyone uses them to describe bad things, unique things, and crazy things. At school, violation of bad words is no big deal, but no one wants to hear those bad words all day. Not many use the bad word for its literal meaning. They use it to make it look as if something is the sh** or is sh**. No matter what, bad words are words, but they are taken offensively, so people use it as retaliations.
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