Film day 1

The documentary we watched in class was very interesting but it was hard to wrap my mind around. I did not understand exactly how the blood worked as a time machine but I liked how the man went on a journey to retrace the ancestors trip.

It was cool to see how he added in negative interviews to his documentary also. Not many people would want the audience seeing these sorts of reactions.

The thought that crossed my mind was that if the ocean and shores had changed and more land used to be above water, what if the path and evidence he is looking for is under water?

encounter activity 4, part 2

This assignment taught me to be aware of the feelings of people who visit America. Most of the students interviewed wanted Americans to realize their countries and countrymen were not un-like Americans. They want to be viewed as people, not foreigners. They are living life, just as we are even though they have different living conditions and languages. I believe we need to be more aware of peoples' feelings and not judge them or assume they are so different.

Encounter Activity 4

Response to Channdra:
I think it is very interesting to learn in China pedestrians do not have the right of way. I would never even give that a second thought if I travelled to China until I stepped out into the street and get honked at by a car. I would probably assume the driver was just being rude, when in fact I am the one in the wrong.

She mentions the student she interviewed also finds incorrect translations on the internet quite frequently.

Response to Andrea:
Her student was Haitian. The main issues with the language barrier was how hard English was to learn and how it was a cultural barrier. As difficult as English is, it is understandable how it is a cultural barrier.

Response to Jenny:
Her student was from South Korea. The biggest issure her student had with English was the different accents Americans have. This is understandable, because even Americans can go to other places in the United States and not always understand what a person is talking about although this pertains more to dialects than to accents.

I think it is interesting how Jenny's student who was also from Korea also had issues with accents, just like Ho Chang, the student I interviewed. Koreans do have a heavy accent which would also add difficulty in mastering an English accent.

Not being born a native Enlgish speaker is difficult for people who visit America. Even the Haitian student who was taught English since an early age has difficulty. After reading hte blogs, overall, visiting a country with a native tongue is a cultural barrier. Because this is a barrier, it prevents people from getting along with native speakers and can even be dangerous to the visitor i.e. walking into traffic assuming you have the right of way. People need to know how to effectively communicate when visiting another country.

kite runner day 3

The movie ended with loyalty still being a main theme. Amir shows loyalty to his friendship with Rahim Khan by returning to Pakistan at his request and also with his book dedication. Hassan shows his loyalty even after death in the letter to Amir. The letter basically states after all the years apart, Hassan still remains a friend with Amir. Amir finally shows a loyalty to Hassan by going to Afghanistan to retrieve his nephew. This is not only a loyalty to Hassan but also to his family ties. His nephew shows loyalty by saving Amir from Assef. This ending is a great because this is the very same sling shot Hassan used to save Amir earlier in the movie.

At the end if the movie it is worth mentioning the child in Amir seems to re-emerge. He once again flies a kite. Because of his re-found loyalty to Hassan, he his dedicated to giving his nephew a good life.

Kite Runner day 2

The second day of the movie was upsetting. I wanted Amir to come to the realize his actions were a mistake.
Culturally, I thought the wedding was very interested to watch. I thought it was touching and very symbolic how the parents stand by the bride and groom and the couple is surrounded by the family. My favorite part of the wedding was when the couple had the mirror put in front of their faces. The wedding was an awesome insight into the culture.
Contrastly, I thought the funeral was not very touching. The immediate family was close with viewers farther behind. I do not know if this was a cultural decision or a personal one.

Kite Runner day 1

The film has already grasped my full attention. Hearing the book is better by far, brings me to the conclusion the book must be very emotional. The loyalty in the movie has me on edge. It waivers between father and son and between Amir and Hassan, though Hassan never waivers himself. Amir only wants his father's approval but as he gains it, he also loses it not remaining loyal to Hassan and his friendship. Baba is ashamed Amir would even think of not keeping Ali and Hassan around. It is Baba's loyalty to them which creates these feelings. Ali's loyalty is one thing that has kept him working there. Hassan's loyalty to Amir never waivers even as he is raped and beaten by Assef. I beleive this film is going to continue to show strong and waivering loyaly. Loyalty to friendships, to elders, to servants, to bosses and to culture.
Loyalty to culture seems to be the pinnacle of the film. Assef believes Amir has a loyalty due to his country and culture to not be friends with Hassan. But the question is that where Amir's loyalty should lie, or is it with his never waivering friend? Loyalty to culture seems to go out the window when it goes against ethical choices.

Until it Comes to You

At the very beginning of this story the speaker is broken hearted over her first love. I believe everyone goes through a moment like this one when it seems like there is no hope. The touching point is when she is so upset she leaves to go back to Manila where she was born. Some of her family has not seen her in 20 years yet they accept her with open arms. This is what family is. It is acceptance without question. In the Filipino culture people are big on family ties which shows in this story.

Encounter 3

Ho Chang is a first year student at Northwest from South Korea and has been in America since mid-July. I met him walking down the sidewalk and stopped him for an interview. Ho Chang tried to explain English was difficult because words have so many different meanings. The accents we use also make it difficult to form the word correctly. He enjoys literature in his country but its cultural essence is lost sometimes when translated to English or sometimes the moral of the story is interpreted differently. He would like everyone to understand he is just like other people too. He, and everyone back in Korea, just wants to have fun and be kids. He doesn’t like being looked at differently on campus because he is not American. He is close with an American he hangs out with in the dorms who he is good friends with and appreciates the effort his friend puts into explaining cultural differences.

A Life in Ten Chapters

The part wich struck me the most was in chapter 8 when the professor says "Literature. If you want to know about people, study English literature, not psychology." I think this is a true statement. Psychology helps to explain why the mind works the way it does but it does not answer how people act. A writer always reflects part of themselves and their beliefs in their work. Literature can be very influencing and I think the boy in the story realizes this when in the final chapter he realizes he has let all of the learning and knowledge cloud the fact his great-grandmother cannot read.

It is interesting that to realize this he has to go all the way back to the village of his birth, far away from the influences and life of the universities. To gain knowledge he went far from home and spent lots of money on tuition but it is in a remote village where he learns that even knowledge can make a person less intellectual.

How to Leave Hialeah

"You think, what does that even mean - poser?"

This line struck me as very significant in the text. It made me think: what is a poser and who exactly is a poser?

According to dictionary.com "poser" means, "someone who pretends to belong to a group only by affecting the attributes of the group."

So a poser is someone who does not really belong. But then, who in the group does really belong. Everyone in a group is usually portraying the attributes of the group. Is that not how one finds a way to belong anyway? Nearly everyone in life finds a way to mold themselves to a group but to do so, they need to take on the role or ideals of the group. Usually, joining a group changes a person, but that is usually is why a person joins a group, to change.

In "How to Leave Haileah", the speaker seems to not know where to fit in. She keeps changing and joining different groups. She could be considered a poser, but is it a bad thing? Or is she just trying to fit in somewhere and make a change in her life?

Encounter 2

I have never been marginalized too much. But when I was little I remember my brother was in boy scouts. Sometimes because one of my parents were busy, I would have to go along to the meetings with him. I always thought this was so cool. He was able to do cool activities. One time he got to build a rocket. I couln't wait until it was my turn to join boy scouts.

When I was a little older I found out girls are not allowed in boy scouts. Girls had their own club called Brownies. At first I thought this was cool until I found out all they seemed to do was sell cookies. I wanted to build rockets and play games with the boys outside.

My brother was a big influence in my life and one of the reasons I grew up as a tomboy when I was little. I hated dresses and I had lots of guy friends. Some of my favorite things to do were wrestle and play outside.

Soon enough though I realized I could be a girl and still do those things. While I still love being outside I also love hanging with the girls and having gir's night.

Passing part 1 response

Clare and Irene are both all about keeping up with appearences. At first, the reader has a hard time determining whether or not the two are in fact African American.

Part of keeping up with appearences is Irene continually repeating all of the events she has that she cannot miss to be with Clare. Despite what she has said to Clare, Irene has "passed". She has dove into white society and does not seem to be able to admit to Clare, but hte reader sees it when she is fearful that she will be thrown out of the restaurant because Clare might have discovered her. Even being politely thrown out of the restaurant would have been letting down appearances.

What I find interesting is how secretive both woman are, especially Clare. She is so enthusiastic about getting back again with Irene but she doesn't even tell her her last name. Both are doing what they can to keep up appearences.

Recitatif

The most interesting part of this story is the reader is never told the race of the Twyla or Roberta.

When I read through the story the first time, I assumed that Twyla was white and Roberta was black. But then going through the story the second time, it is never stated which is which. I believe the reader is supposed to identify with the story. The reader's race is meant to reflect the race of the characters.

If the author did this on purpose, I think it is to show how we visualize and also to be an eye opener.

The Media's Image of Arabs part 2

I think after the brief discussion in class, I still have the same "devil's advocate" view of this reading. I am fully sympathetic to people who are being shown in a bad light, yet I just do not know what can be done. The rest of the class seemed to think that this was not a big issue and though I feel bad saying it, I might agree. Entertainment is a world of its own. No one is untouchable. Movies and comedies seem to make fun of everyone. How could we possibly stop it? Maybe put a limit on the type of words used, but isn't that what happens already when a word is bleeped out on the tv? Maybe put a parental block on movies or channels? I think at some point in time, all kids realize that there are negative view points in the world. Instead of limiting the movies, maybe we should just depend on the parent to explain and teach the right way to treat a person. Explain that movies are not always reality and that we need to treat everyone with respect.

The Media's Image of Arabs

In a perfect world, everyone would see each other as a human and not as a certain race. It's not, though. To play devil's advocate for a minute, I would like to say that there is a slim chance in Hell of ever instituting a Bill of Rights into the film industry or the news. While derogatory cartoons could be banned, it would be hard to keep every negatory comment out altogether. Think of it this way: there are probably equal amounts of movies that make some sort of derogatory remark about some race other than Arabs. Take the movie Rush Hour for example. In the movie, there are quite a few comments shot back and forth about Chinese and Black cultures. This is taken, for the most part, in good stride.
While I hate for people to have their feelings hurt, or grow up thinking something is wrong with them, I believe that maybe it is too late. The text said, "The Arab remains American culture's favorite whipping boy." I think that is a little on the harsh side. If I were to take a step back and make a statement, I would say the "American culture" part is directed at the white people of America. Yes, that could paossibly be true. The point is, it is going to be a long time until people stop pointing fingers. We need to get passed our bias'. Maybe we should start with our movies and broadcasts, but in a time when comedy is ever-rising and humor is found in the slamming of other races, it is not going to be easy.
On that last note, maybe humor is a way to solve the problem? Humor can be fun, without being too hurtful. In bad and hard times, everyone needs a good laugh.

No Name Woman Part 2

While talking about "No Name Woman" in class, Ms. Lewis made a comment that got me thinking. She mentioned how being forgotten in the Chinese culture makes what the villagers did to the aunt's house pale in comparison. While I read the story, I could not believe the way the community was acting. I was frustrated that they would treat a woman in need so badly. She was pregant and could have used support. I did not expect the neighbors to do that because of how ashamed they were.

But what would it be like to be forgotten forever? We all dream that we are going to make some sort of impact in someone's life before we die, but what if that was all pointless? It is sort of a scary thought. I want to be remembered. If I was told I was just going to be erased from history after I died, I don't think I would be able to stand it. And the scarier part is this is real. This also made me think about how the speaker admitted to being a part of keeping her aunt from being remembered. And the irony is, the aunt is forever immotalized in literature. This may be the only gift the speaker can give.

My Culture

My family has a lot of traditions. Too many to count. They are made up of all different sorts of cultures. Food would have to be our main way we show our traditions however. We have to ring in the new year with black-eyed peas and pork and sauerkraut. On Easter, mom makes pickled eggs. On Thanksgiving, we have lime jell-o with carrots and cabbage and the usual turkey. On Christmas, we all have ham.
These traditions of different foods makes up the culture my family has become. I am unsure of where these foods have come from I wish I knew or remembered. I am a mix of Irish, German and Belgium for sure. I think my cultural background becomes interesting when I discuss my Italian family. And for all of my knowledge, have zero Italian in me.
My mother’s sister married my uncle who is half-Italian. A few years ago, his family decided to contact the family who still lived in Italy. My cousin became a chef and traveled to Italy to visit. He is now fluent in Italian. It is not odd anymore to walk into my aunt’s house to have the smell of some Italian recipe simmering on the stove, or have rapid Italian fired at you. This past summer, two Italian cousins visited and I found myself saying a few phrases.
I was jealous that I do not know my background very well, or have contact with foreign relatives because it is something fun and fascinating to do. I feel that I am a part of the Italian family who I am not related to. It’s how they make you feel. But it is also nice to come home to my mom’s and have some odd recipe set in front of me. One day, I hope to learn more about my family. Until then, I don’t mind what I have.

Response to Brownies

Though this seemed like a small part of the story, it is what struck me the most and seemed to be the underlying theme. Laurel was the member of the group who had the worst nickname and was never respected. She was the type who tries to help and winds up in trouble because of it. In the story, she says the only time the white girls are ever alone is when they are in the bathroom.

She means that they are hardly ever alone so there would not be any opportunity to fight them. What ends up happening is the other girls take it as an idea of when to fight. The theme of the story seems to be bullying. At the end of the story, Laurel explains how her father treated the Mennonites badly. The Mennonites were bullied simply because they were too nice to say no and it was not a part of their culture. While Laurel realizes how they were being mistreated, the other girls take it as something else to make jokes about.

No Name Woman

I found No Name Woman confusing as I read through it. I was unsure whether the speaker new what happened to her aunt or not. It was obvious that her aunt had become pregnant, was punished for it, gave birth and then killed herself and the baby. The part that had me hte most confused was how the aunt had become pregnant.

I think the point of the story was for the speaker to get the point across that it did not matter how hte aunt had become pregnant. No pity could be felt for a woman who was going to have a baby during hard times, even if she was raped.

The end of the excerpt helped clear up some of my confusion. The speaker felt guilty about helping keep her aunt buried. Even though the speaker had tried to Americanize herslef, she still ended up carrying on Chinese tradtions. I think it shows that no matter how hard you try to rid yourself of your heritage, you still find yourself following it.

This is evidenced also by the aunt who took the baby along in the well. Taking the baby into the well symbolized a loving mother, which was still important to the aunt. Though she was being punished by others of her heritage, she still had to show that she could be an honorable person, which is important in the Chinese culture. Having a girl can also be shameful in the Chinese culture which is the second reason the aunt probably took the baby into the well.

Even when her own people turned against her, the aunt did what she could to follow her heritage. The speaker followed her heritage even though she was trying to Americanize. In the end the speaker admits that she feels haunted by her aunt. Heritage is not easily forgotten or lost which is the point I believe the speaker is trying to make.

Response to Howard Zinn

Before I read Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States", I already knew that Christopher Columbus was not a great man. But while I read, I finally found out details of what made him so bad.
I hate that we have a Christopher Columbus Day. I decided that after the second page. How can we teach our children to idolize a man who did so much harm? He killed thousands of people. I almost give him the sole responsibility for wiping out an entire tribe. Yet children in school's think of him as a great explorer. But what can we tell them? That the man credited with discovering America was a murderer?
I compare Columbus to Hitler. Both can have the title of great leaders. They were able to get people to do exactly what they wanted. The trouble is their intentions and outcomes were not ethical. Then again, I'm not sure people in the 15th century were too worried about ethics.
When exactly did Columbus become an idol? Who decided to dedicate a day too him and did the people who wrote children's books about him, ever actually research him?
Though it has been 600 years since the white man came to America, I still feel ashamed about how we took control of this country. The world has always had wars. War is responsible for where people are today. Maybe one day we will find a way to stop takinng land by force. We found a way to realize slavery was bad, so maybe there is hope.

Town House, Country House

I decided to pick houses that were diverse in their setting. The first house I chose was on Prather Avenue (brown house pictured above). This house was smack in the middle of perfectly manicured house less than 100 yards away one either side. While the yard was kept up, unlike the other houses, this yard was cluttered with children’s toys.

The second house I chose was a ranch style home out in the country set back from on one of the county’s highways. As seen in the picture above, a basketball goal is the only active item set outside.

Because of the toys set outside the town house, I imagine the household has at least two young children. The country house brings to mind a household with older children who are able to make goals into the tall hoop.

If I were a child and had to choose, I would rather have the country house. I grew up in the country so I am a little biased. If the town house family lived in the country house, their children would have much more room to play rather than a tiny lot. It would also be safer without the danger of the kids venturing out into the street. The country house looks more peaceful and relaxed. It is more private and does not have neighbors who can look over the fence at you.

Had I been raised in a suburban area, I might have felt differently on my view of having close neighbors. These houses are very different and I think it shows how diversely families can be raised in different settings.