Paper #4 overview

Topic: Hypocrisy in religion through the texts Blankets and Oranges.

Religion is an extremely controversial topic. This is portrayed in the traditional reading selection, Oranges, and the graphic novel, Blankets. Both pieces of writing deal with the main characters growing up in very religious families, who compel them to attend church regularly and follow God's path, no matter what they do in life. While carrying out whatever they can to please God, they discover the hypocritical side of the religious spectrum.

*Craig burns all of his drawings, all of the panels with the Sunday school teachers, his pastor, and his experience at church camp.

*Janine is put in front of the church and is told to deny her love for another woman, she is no longer allowed to see Melanie, her pastor/mother deprive her of needs-water, food, social life, etc. until she denies her true passion.

Romeo & Juliet

People have done several different things that reflect the themes of Romeo & Juliet. They have made comics that show what the play would be like today. Some have used references to the couple in songs. This link with the balcony scene, where Romeo and Juliet are smoking cigarettes and the caption is "Romeo & Juliet The Cigarette Break" refers to the present. Since smoking cigarettes has gotten more popular over the years, there's a good chance Romeo and Juliet of today could have smoked cigarettes. The rap artist Silk E Fyne came out with a song called "It's like Romeo and Juliet," http://www.metrolyrics.com/its-like-romeo-and-juliet-lyrics-silk-e-fyne.html which is a song based on merely sex. This "version" considers the idea that Romeo & Juliet are one of the ultimate symbols of love, and uses that to compare them to hot sex. This doesn't add to my understanding of the play at all, and I think it is unfortunate that this song is associated with the play. Through searching "Romeo and Juliet" on youtube, I found that the artist Dire Straits used Romeo and Juliet for one of their song titles, http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gz4TDrE67mI and it was covered by The Killers. The song is all about the play and how they share love for each other. The music video makes references to the play, which includes the balcony scene and a couple all over each other. Romeo and Juliet are seen as more sexual in this version compared to the play. There is also a commercial for H & M clothing that is 5 minutes long, and there are a ton of connections with the play, it is pretty much the play, except very contemporary. It takes place in the city, and when Romeo is lying dead in the middle of the road, cops are present, and Juliet is having flashbacks to their past sexual encounters with each other. It is contemporized through the sex appeal, environment, and technology. At the end, Juliet picks up Romeo's cell phone and points it towards the cops, and she is shot. This interpretation does not really add to my understanding of the play at all.

American Born Chinese

All three sections of the book deal with subjects that are not happy with their appearance. They all change the way they look in order to be accepted by others. I didn't really enjoy reading one section more than another, but I liked how it ended with them all coming together. I had to think about what had happened throughout the entire book, and it threw me off at first, but after I thought about it for awhile, I understand.

The Bluest Eye

Cholly struggles against cultural standards when he is having sex in the woods with Darlene, and two white men approach them. Instead of making them leave, they tell him to keep going. Instead of Cholly getting mad with the white men, who were obviously provoking him, he gets really upset with Darlene. "He hated her. He almost wish he could do it-hard, long, and painfully, he hated her so much" (148).

When Frieda and Claudia show up at the house where Mrs. Breedlove works and Pecola is present, Pecola raises commotion, and the little girl in the household starts crying for Polly. Claudia has a thought and she cannot believe she called Mrs. Breedlove Polly, when even Pecola doesn't call her mother that, and that is reason enough to scratch her.

"She be lucky if it don't live. Bound to be the ugliest thing walking."
"Can't help but be. Ought to be a law: two ugly people doubling up like that to make more ugly. Be better off in the ground."
(190).

Hooks and McIntosh

I watched Hooks part 8 about rap music, and I agreed with a lot of what she had to say. I too think that the more obscene the rap music video is, the more attention it receives. Bell also says something about the controversy over rap music and how people think it should be more ethical and moral. She contradicts this by saying that it should be looked at in a larger frame. Bell talks about cultural production and capitalism, and how rap music, being different from multi national corporations, it is still receiving a lot of wealth. I agree with her statement that says the rap industry is right in line with these corporations, and that if it is getting a large amount of profit/reward, one should push that product, whether the people making it agree with what they are doing or not. I also viewed part 5 about Madonna. In it, Bell Hooks states that she does not necessarily think that in Madonna's real life, she commits to any of the sexist images that she is quite willing to reproduce for a profit. However, she uses that trick to make more money even though she is very wealthy. She goes on to talk about how she should not have to degrade herself on this level to earn money. I somewhat agree with what she is saying, like I understand where she is coming from, but Madonna and the rap artists might live their lives out in this matter. It is quite possible that their "stage lives" have a major impact on how they go about life. As for McIntosh's article, when she states, "I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege," I have to disagree. I'm not white, but I do not think that whites are "carefully taught" not to recognize white privilege. I think they just simply do not put an effort into noticing it. I also think that her list of the daily effects of white privilege are very far fetched, and offensive. I would understand that she makes the list to make a point that white privilege is invisible, but I do not think that it all has to do with white privilege.

In-Class Writing: Mango Street

Esperanza's family is apparent throughout the entire book. In "Hips," it states, "I can tell Lucy and Rachel are disgusted, but they don't say anything because she's my sister" (52). This shows that she is not ashamed that Nenny is her sister, and although Nenny keeps using the old song, Esperanza does not yell at her sister for being stupid. Then in "Papa Who Wakes Up /Tired in the Dark," Esperanza demonstrates her closeness with her father when she says, "And I think if my own Papa died what would I do. I hold my Papa in my arms. I hold and hold and hold him" (57). As much as Esperanza would like to deny that Mango Street is her physical home, it is undeniably where her heart is. Everything in the book revolves around her life and the people in it who influence her the most. All of these people live around her, mostly on Mango Street. "Bums" is a section that reflects Esperanza's personal identity because she realizes that she did not have it easy growing up where she did, and she says, "One day I'll own my own house, but I won't forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums will ask, Can I come in? I'll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be without a house" (87). This shows a very selfless side of Esperanza. "Beautiful and Cruel" also reflects personal identity when it says, "I have begun my own quiet war. Simple. Sure. I am the one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate" (89). Although it is not looked upon as nice, not putting the chair back or picking up the plate, Esperanza admits she does this, and it is who she is. One passage I liked for the poetry and imagery was "Four Skinny Trees" because I like the image it creates with the trees' strength and how it is a secret because the roots are unseen. I also like how in the end of the passage she talks about looking at them when she is down, and how they will always be there.

Mango Street

One of the vignettes I chose was "My Name" because I can totally relate to that. When I was little, I would have my friends call me other things, anything except my real name. This was mostly because everywhere I went, someone else had my name, and it would be too confusing. I also like "Hips" because Nenny makes me laugh. Even though the other girls are making up their own rhymes, she just sticks to the old ones. I like when Cisneros writes, "Nenny, I say, but she doesn't hear me. She is too many light-years away. She is in a world we don't belong to anymore. Nenny. Going. Going" (52). I love seeing little kids that are in their own worlds. I think it is interesting and most times, hilarious. I also liked "Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark" because it was a change in mood. Although it is a sad change, Esperanza shows a lot of maturity in how she puts herself in her dad's shoes, and holds him. "Bums in the Attic" was also one of my favorites because it shows how compassionate Esperanza is. I like the part at the end when it says, "Rats? They'll ask. Bums, I'll say, and I'll be happy" (87). I enjoyed how Esperanza had her own names for things in the neighborhood, and how she knows everything. "Meme Ortiz is an example." I liked this section because of the end when Cisneros writes, "This is the tee we chose for the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest. Meme won. And broke both arms" (22). My favorite part is when she adds "and broke both arms" at the end. Cisnero's writing helps identify who she is because she gives her opinions on a lot of things, and one can tell by the way she reacts to certain things, her attitude and outlook on life. Her writing identifies how she is situated within her cultural heritage in the way that she makes several references to the Spanish culture. For instance, in the name section, she includes a lot of Spanish based names. Then there's Alice from Guadalajara, the red clowns section where the boy says, "I love you Spanish girl," and there's even some spanish language within the text. I'm not really sure how I identify myself with my culture. When I was younger my mom would get me involved in the Korean heritage through a lot of different things. It had seemed at times I enjoyed all of the things, but deep down, I hated it. I think it's because even though I knew I was adopted and Korean throughout my entire life, I still identified myself being American because that's what my whole family is, and all of my close friends too. I think cultural identity is what you think of yourself, in concern to your background.