To Whom it May Concern...

To whom it may concern,

            After reading this short story by a Ms. Silko, I find myself extremely annoyed by her writing. Although I do see that it is extremely annoying to someone that is of her descent getting pulled over and searched, I do not think that all Border Patrol men should be to blame. Instead of talking about specific border patrol officers, she made generalized statements about the government overall. I am from Florida so I have to deal with a lot of illegal immigrant coming into my town and taking over. I know that Ms. Silko is not an illegal immigrant and was discriminated against, which I believe is wrong, but in Orlando it is crawling with illegal immigrants. They are taking up the schools and not paying taxes for their kids to go to school. I think that makes me a little biased because my family put me in a private school because the public schools in Florida are filled with people that shouldn’t be there. I agree that since she was Native American, she shouldn’t have been looked at so harshly. But as far as border patrol goes, that is their job. They are paid to stop cars that look suspicious and make arrest. I also agree that at times, certain border patrol officers do take their authority to far and abuse their power. But as far as I am concerned, sometimes they need to be stricter. Nothing annoyed me more than her quote about the iron curtain. I say “Yes!” we need a 10ft wall at the Mexico border because illegal immigrants are bringing in drugs and illegal contraband. I know that I am generalizing but that is what border patrol is for.

Keeping my family Close!

If I were a solider in Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s unit, I would have a hard time deciding what I would carry. For starters, I think I would carry some pictures of my family members. Some specific ones would be one of my whole family including my brother and sister and my parents. I would also carry one of my grandparents and of my aunt who is very special to me. I would want to carry them with me in order to remember my family and possible remember what I am fighting for. If I had to choose something else it would be a journal. I think that being able to write all of your thoughts down and what you are going through would be very important because it would keep you sane. It would also be useful to tell stories about my experiences in the future.

I think the other thing I would carry would be a ring that my parents bought for me in Greece. I wear this ring all the time and it is a constant reminder of my parents and how much they mean to me. I wear this ring every day and if I don’t I feel like I am missing something. All of these things are very important to me because they remind me of my family and home. If I was a solider, also, it would remind me who I am fighting this war for. It would be very important to me to keep them close to my heart and to constantly remind me that I want to go home to see them.

A Little Taste of Victory

“The School Days of an Indian Girl”, a story by Zitkala-Sa, is a memoir of Zitkala-Sa’s experiences growing up on an Indian Reservation and then transitioning into the “white man’s world”. The story focusses on her obstacles and being able to overcome them in order to reach her dream. She grows up on the reservation and then is sent to learn to speak English and become educated. Although all of these experiences are happening for her, she is not happy and fears she will not succeed in life. After she decides to go to college, her mother essentially throws her out. Though this happens, I feel that deep down, her mother was truly proud of her.

I do not believe that she achieved the American Dream. Yes, she did go to college and learned how to speak English and received a diploma but at what cost? Though she did accomplish part of the American dream, she was without anyone to celebrate it with. “The little taste of victory did not satisfy a hunger in my heart. In my mind I saw my mother far away on the Western plains, and she was holding a charge against me.” (438) Zitkala-Sa always had a hope that she would overcome great obstacles in her life and although she did, she didn’t reach the American Dream because she lacked what was most important, friends and family to share in her triumph.

The Queen of Hawaii

Quote: “Does it make nothing for us that we have always recognized our Christian teachers as worthy of authority in our councils, and repudiated those whose influence or character was vicious or irreligious? That while four-fifths of the population of our Islands was swept out of existence by the vices introduced by foreigners, the ruling class clung to Christian morality, and gave its unvarying support and service to the work of saving and civilizing the masses?” (Ch. LVII)

Through all of her struggles during her reign as Queen of Hawaii, Liliʻuokalani never quiet focused on religion. But as you can tell here, she truly struggled with the matter of Christianity in Hawaii. She claims that she always gave respect to her Christian followers and rejected the idea of uncooperative people. As you read, though, you can tell that she was still torn between acceptance and forgiveness. This quote is so powerful because she is asking the Christian’s who came in and took over her throne why they did it. She wants to know what she ever did to them to make them feel this way. Just by reading it I automatically feel her anguish in asking them Why?  

How Would You Choose?

      Wavering between two nations and two cultures; I could not imagine the feeling of being in the middle of two things I love and have to constantly deal with choosing between the two. My perplexing question would be “How do you choose?” I mean I have never been in a situation to the extent that McKay felt while being moved from Africa to America. My biggest problems have been choosing which shoes to wear with this outfit. I want to know how he would handle things. How can he get along with his life with a constant struggle between two cultures? He states, “Something in me is lost, forever lost/ Some vital thing has gone out of my heart”. I honestly wouldn’t know how to handle anything if I was moved from my home to a new country with completely different customs than that of my home. The poem is a riveting account of his fight with overcoming the obstacle that is his “natural culture”. The title alone, “Outcast”, already describes what a hardship that McKay dealt with. If I ever felt like an outcast, I’m not sure how I would handle it. I don’t handle change very well so I would guess it would be very hard for me to adjust and be ok with myself enough to make an effort to fit in!
         In general, I think that McKay was brave to endure the battle between what he had become accustomed to and what he was literally hit in the face with when he moved to America! If I had been in that situation I would not have been as strong as he sounds in his poem. So how do you choose? My guess is that it just has to come naturally.

That "Aha" Moment

As I read Frances EW Harper’s poem, “Learning to Read”, my understanding of the text didn’t come until the end. I found that as I was reading, I was paying special attention to “read in between the lines” because for some reason I always miss some crucial piece of the reading until it is explained in class. As I got to the end of this poem, however, I realized that this poem is as straight forward as can be. The poem is literally about “Chloe” finally learning how to read, even though she is sixty. As I was reading the last line I caught myself going back and making sure I hadn’t missed something. But my realization of the text was perfectly clear; this poem really is about a slave woman finally being given her right to learn how to read. As I finished the poem I thought to myself, “Wow. Harper does an amazing job of making the message so clear and simple while still using complex texts.”

As I read Charles W. Chesnutt’s story, “The Wife of his Youth”, I was completely shocked when I realized that this story was different than what I expected. I was so overwhelmed when I realized how much of a journey and how much courage that Mr. Ryder’s first wife must have had to travel all that time for her true love. I honestly don’t know if I could be without my true love for that amount of time! I can’t even fathom the extraordinary pain and suffering (emotionally) the women went through. My moment of realization came when I had to put myself in her shoes and ask, “Could I myself do that for someone”. As of right now, the question is still unanswered!

JOURNAL #9

This reading had many connections with present day issues, mainly in politics. The first one I found was on page 7. It discusses how Congress had decided to pass the Compromise of 1877. This did many things but one big one was that it withdrew the troops from the South. This made me think of when President Barack Obama pulled the troops out of Iraq, though it has been a few years. The troops had been “deployed to ensure free elections and to protect black populations from attacks by whites who were determined to retain political power in the South…” (pg. 7) reminds me of how the troops in Iraq had not been taken out in order to protect the innocent people from groups seeking to hurt them, like al-Qaida.

Another connection I made is on page 17 discussing the anti-Chinese sentiments and immigration laws. During this time in the US, many Chinese immigrants had come into the state in order build railroads and provide for their family. In 1882 though, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which “prevented people from china from entering the country unless they were joining relatives…” (pg. 17). This reminded me of the Arizona SB 170, which is the strictest and largest anti-illegal immigration act in the US. The law prevents illegals from entering into the United States. I think that this comparison of the introduction and the present day shows that history does repeat itself!

Journal #8 Response to Kaity Wegen

I would have to completely dispute your idea of Lincoln. I do agree that he is not Jesus Christ, but he was a “god-like” figure to many people. I think Lincoln was an amazing man and great president. Though he encouraged war, he was fighting for freedom of people that didn’t deserve to be enslaved. Coming from my perspective, I think that Lincoln can be a Christ-like figure to many of the free African Americans that are in the north, and possibly some of the enslaved ones still in the South. I think that in order to restore peace, which was Lincoln’s overall goal, he needed to fight the war or else it would never be resolved! While reading this, it seemed like I was reading the exact replica of something a white southerner would say. It almost scared me to think that people actually did think like that and believe that Lincoln was a bad man!

Imagine Life without a Mother!

Today I read four very powerful poems, two by Harper and two by Greenleaf. Harper was the daughter of two freed African Americans. Her two poems that I read, “The Slave Mother” and “Ethiopia” are both sad poems about the struggles of blacks in the United States. Greenleaf’s poems, “The Hunters of Men” and “The Farewell of a Virginia Slave Mother to her Daughters sold into Southern Bondage”, are both sad as well; both of which are again about blacks struggle in the south. I have decided to focus on Frances Harper’s “The Slave Mother” and particularly on the imagery in the poem. This poem is the essences of what great imagery is. One quote I find particularly incredible is, “She is a mother, pale with fear, her boy clings to her side, and in her kirtle vainly tries, his trembling form to hide…” (Lines 13-16). These lines speak to me because I can literally picture a sad and distraught African American boy clinging to his mother’s side as she is trying to save him from being taken away! Harper’s imagery relating to the fact that she is his mother by blood but not really is very impactful too. As she describes how the boy, “is not hers, although her blood is coursing through his veins!” (Lines 19-20) Harper uses such colorful words to describe the agony that this woman is in I feel as though I am standing next to her and I am watching all of this occur. That feeling is not something I would like to feel every day!

Journal #6

Today I am writing about two stories that are both quite depressing. The first one I read was The Quadroons, written by Lydia Marie Child. This story focused on the Xarifa, the child of a white father and African American mother. Xarifa had a pretty good childhood until she was nine. Her father left her and her mother, Rosalie, to marry a high-class white woman. Though Edward, her father, still loved Rosalie, he could no longer be with her. After he was married, Rosalie died and Edward took Xarifa under his wing. But once her father died, she was heading straight for doom. Though she was well educated and being supported by her father’s widow, she was somehow sold back into slavery (as her mother was the child of slaves). Though she was in love with a white man, there was nothing he could do about it! Xarifa is definitely caught between two cultures because she knows that her mother was black, but her father was of high class and was white. She was privileged as a child and I think that twisted her mind a little bit. Her conflict with society is shown especially in the last section of the story. When she is sold into slavery, she doesn’t know what to do. I wouldn’t know what to do either if I had spent my whole life with “privilege” and now I am to work for someone else

In the second story I read, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, we see a different background story with the same kind of problem. This girl, supposedly Jacobs, is the daughter of mulatto parents, which means that she came from white and black parents. Jacobs lived with her parents, her brother, and her maternal grandmother. After her mistress died, she had high hopes that she would be set free. Unfortunately, those hopes fell short when she was “given” to her mistress’s young niece. After bouncing around for a while, she escaped from her owner, Dr. Flint. Though he died some years later, she still had a hard time with everything, i.e. staying free. Though she had white in her, she always struggled in society because she was part black.

Journal #5

     So today I am writing about William Apess’ “And Indian’s Looking Glass for the White Man” and Lydia Sigourney’s “Indian Names”. William Apess was a mixed child with some white and some Native American in him! Although he did not grow up on Indian Territory (he was raised Christian and became a Methodist priest), he did want to know about his culture and heritage of his ancestors. Lydia Sigourney however was a prim and proper young lady from Connecticut; she was all about women’s education. She eventually opened a school for young girls. After reading both of these, one a poem and one a short story, I found that both had an underlying theme. This theme has to do with the injustice and the evils of racism. Apess’ story had to do with how the white man had become so prejudice against the Native Americans. He asked the white man if God had made a mistake in making the Native Americans or blacks, why did he make so many of them? In Sigourney’s poem, she talks about how the American’s have obliterated the Native American race. She discusses how there are still signs that life has been there but that it no longer exists. Sigourney states, “Ye say, their cone-like cabins, that clustered o’er the vale, have fled away like withered leaves before the autumn gale…” (17-19). This line really speaks to me because it shows that the Native Americans were there. People did see their teepees in the valleys and on the hills of their land. And now they have all seemed to disappear. She also wrote the poem in the past tense which is something that stand out to me.

In all, both of these writings discuss how the Native American society is being “tortured”. They have been wiped out of their homes, and have been people are prejudice towards them because of the color of their skin. Furthermore, these two pieces show how the Indian relocation and almost annihilation affected people.

"Journal 4"

Today I am writing a response to Samantha Welch's "The Wife" blog. Hi Samantha! I completely agree with what you are saying here! This piece really spoke to me for the fact that Irving did make marriage one of comfort not of convience. The way that most people saw marriage in this time was one of economic decision and materialism. It is crazy for me to think that people used to get married for the purpose of being financially stable. But then I got to thinking that people still do this today! Anyway I really enjoyed reading your blog and I thought your use of diction in the blog really set it apart from the others. I am not sure how to post this on your wall but I will let you know that I did respond to your blog and you will be able to read this!

JOURNAL #3

Washington Irving’s short story, “The Wife”, is a period short story about wives, children, and family. It is a pretty good representation of how men thought of women during the time. In his short story, Irving describes how women should act and be with their husbands. At the beginning of the story, Irving describes the woman as “the mere dependent and ornament of man in his happier hours…” (526). Later in the story, Irving begins to discuss a tale of a friend of his and his wife and their journey from riches to rags. This story 100% shows how men thought of women. This poor man had to lose everything and his wife stood by him through it all, not changing her kind heart or resenting him. But every time this friend would talk of her, he would feel bad for her and say she doesn’t understand what is coming next. The husband is underestimating the strength of his wife, and probably all women in general! This story also shows how important money was in this time. The man described by Irving was clearly very wealthy. And then suddenly, all was taken from him. He lost his house, I am assuming his job, and he had to break the news to his wife that they would soon be “beggars”. It just proves that this time period was all about where you were on the social level and how much money you had to show off!

Journal #2

So today I’m writing about how this reading relates to what we have talked about in class. Well, the reading from the introduction is about the Declaration of Independence and other major writings that took place during this time and how they were published. While reading about the Declaration of Independence and how it was originally just printed out and distributed through the colonies. This made me think of the presentation we had in class about Christopher Columbus. He wrote this very in depth letter to the monarchs about his voyage. You would think this would be printed out and used in a newspaper but here is the catch, they didn’t have newspapers. So, the monarchs did as the colonist did later and printed it out and dispersed it throughout the cities, just on normal paper like it was a letter to anyone. This is seriously crazy to me to think about something so important not getting the recognition it deserves. It wasn’t until Benjamin Franklin rolled around that there was even a thought of a newspaper. The first one, the Pennsylvania Gazette, was established in the 1750’s. I could not imagine life without some way to mass produce the news. I can’t even imagine the world without the internet let alone a newspaper. You start to realize what we take for granted on an everyday basis.

Journal #1

My definition of American Identity is someone that exuberates patriotism and love of their country. Well, my definition used to be that. I read Langston Hughes’ Let America be America Again. This is an extremely powerful definition of what he and most people think America is/should be. I believe that America is the home of the brave, the land of the free, the place where people live the American Dream. After reading Hughes’ poem, I realized that although this is mine and others definition of the American Identity, this does not apply to all. He states that though we all think that America is everyone’s, it is not. What about the poor people, and the people discriminated against. To me, being American should mean being proud of your country, no matter what they do, loving every person that lives here no matter what they look like, and supporting everything that the country does, whether you like it or not. But I realize that most people don’t believe in this, or even live by this. I find myself sometimes steering off this path. But in order to be an American and truly call yourself one, you have to love America, everything included. I think that Hughes was right when he said that “It never was America to me”. To be American, we all must make the effort. My new definition of being American would be loving everything about America, whether it’s right or wrong.