Fake Beauty

When I discovered the article "Fish Cheeks" first appeared in Seventeen I was not shocked at all. I have been reading Seventeen for many years, but I am now realizing how much of that magazine is filled with complete trash. If you ever have picked up a copy of Seventeen, you will see either a model, musician, or  an actress on the cover. The entire magazine is crammed with articles on how you can be just like the idolized woman on the cover. This is exactly what you will see when you flip through the pages, " The perfect jeans to make you look skinnier!" "Get pretty Fast!""Ways to achieve your DREAM body!" "Everything you need to look amazing is right here!"What ever happened to natural beauty? I have never once seen the magazine mention  that you should be proud of who you and what you look like. Seventeen is all about recognizing your ugliness and trying to cover it up with 40 different types of makeup in an effort to make you look better. This magazine is very similar to "Fish Cheeks", the women in it are embarrassed of who they truly are. One of Amy's struggles through this piece is her being ashamed and embarrassed by what she looks like. Amy mentions for Christmas how she prays for a "slim new American nose." Amy's mom also gives her a miniskirt, explaining how she must always be Chinese on the inside. Her mom helps her to look different on the outside, but she fails to mention to her daughter that she should also be proud of looking Chinese on the outside. The message I get every time i read Seventeen is don't be satisfied with yourself, always try to look prettier . Girls all over the world need to realize that that is not true. Beauty is all about recognizing that you don't have to be a certain size, look, or dress a certain way. To be beautiful. comes from accepting and being proud of who you are, inside and out.  

Not a Waste

 A discussion question I saw in The Bedford Reader was, 'What response would you give a student who said, 'Doesn't Angelou's approach to writing waste more time and thought than it's worth?' First off, I would assume the person who asked that did not look deep enough into Angelou's writing. Even though in "Champion of the World," Angelou uses much vivid imagery and description, it is those techniques that make her passage great. Angelou's use of slang like "ain't and 'bout," her detailed description of the Store, and the African Americans reaction to the announcer creates an atmosphere that causes you to feel like you are in that very Store. Angelou's writing is very effective and powerful.When I read this passage, I felt like I was one of those prideful African Americans waiting for the outcome of the fight.


Angelou's approach to writing certainly is not a waste of time. Just alone her passage "Champion of the World," helps to expose what it feels like to be an African American living during that time period and makes us recognize and appreciate the freedom we have today. Angelou uses many rhetorical devices and creates pathos by using strong verbs like lynching, hanging, ambushed, maimed, whipped, and raped. Her word choice makes the reader feel sympathy towards African Americans and recognize how important their pride was from defeating Whites. If one refuses to take enough time to think deeper into her writing, then they shouldn't be reading this type of literature.

Walter

As soon as I finished reading "A Raisin in the Sun," one bold thought kept running through my head. Walter's actions have caused me to strongly dislike him. Walter is such a bitter and selfish character throughout this whole novel. First of all, who simply gives away thousands of dollars without thinking twice about it? Walter. He failed to even put the $3,000 away for Beneatha's schooling, and took a part in crushing her medical school dream. He was so self-absorbed about his possibility of a liquor store that he didn't consider the thought of damaging his family. How Ruth can even stand him is beyond me. Walter's terrible blank expressions when she considered destroying the baby shows how non considerate he is. Why should Ruth carry a baby for nine months, when the father shows hardly any sign of wanting it? Plus the times when he treats his son Travis the best is when he has money behind him. He gives Travis a motivating talk, because he knows he now has Mama's money. Money is truly the cause of Walter's happiness. Ruth exclaims how excited she is that Walter took her out to the movies, and they actually held hands. The mournful fact is that Ruth can't even remember the last time that happened, but do you think Walter would have taken her to the movies if he didn't receive that money? No. 

Walter reminds me of people who gamble. Whenever my mom or dad come back from Las Vegas, they always tell me stories about how much money they see people gambling or betting. Some people are lucky, but others are super unfortunate and loose it all. Just like Walter, gamblers need to find a time to stop before they loose everything. Many hear stories about how people go to Vegas and keep betting until they have lost all their money, their cars or house even. These people and Walter need to stop carelessly using their money.  If Walter would have been less selfish, he wouldn't have caused such pain to his family. 

Proud to be an Individual

As a student of Troy High, I think it becomes hard to recognize how diverse our school is compared to others. After all, we are surrounded by so many unique cultures every day. Just looking around my classes I am able to hear and see the diversity of many different races: Indians, African Americans, Albanians, Whites, Italians, Asians, and many more. Many schools all across the United States are not as lucky to have such an exemplary diverse student population. The great thing about Troy High is that nobody is afraid to hide their race or who they truly are. We have talent shows, different clubs, teams, and events to express an individual's uniqueness, and nobody is afraid to let their culture shine. 


In "How it Feels to be Colored Me," Zora Neale Hurston expresses how even though she is African American and may feel separated at times from whites, she is still joyful and proud of her individuality. She illustrates the time she was listening to a jazz orchestra, "I dance wildly inside myself; I yell within, I whoop; I shake my assegai above my head, I hurl it true to the mark yeeeeooww!" (864). Zora's true thoughts are displayed when she eyes her white friend sitting motionless, causing her to realize the distinct separation of their cultures. The jazz had affected Zora so much more. Similar to the poem "The Weary Blues," written by Langston Hughes, jazz music had such a big impact expressing the varied emotions of African Americans. The jazz Zora listened to made her feel proud and energetic, while Hughes gave off a more sympathetic and depressing tone. 

Also shown in the poem "I, too," Hughes writes, "Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed-- I too, am America." The whites discrimination to Hughes doesn't weaken his view of himself, he still is beautiful. Like students at Troy High, Zora and Hughes don't frown upon who they are because of their color. Zora writes, "At certain times I have no race, I am me" (864). Both authors are proud of her individuality and nobody can change that. 

Truly Wealthy?

A quote that constantly kept flashing through my mind while reading the Great Gatsby was "Some people are so poor, all they have is money." Wealth plays a major role throughout the novel and is portrayed as something everybody desires. Daisy refuses to be with Gatsby when she first meets him because he didn't have enough money. When Daisy looks at Gatsby's beautiful expensive shirts she breaks into tears knowing that she could have been a part of his luxurious life, and displays her crave for wealth. Gatsby throws parties for hundreds of guests, but when he was murdered how many of his party guests or even his friends came to his funeral? ONE. To me, the most depressing lines throughout the entire novel was, "The minister glanced several times at his watch so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn't any use. Nobody came" (182). Gatsby might have had money, but it shows he lacked caring friends and love. The woman he cared about the most didn't show any hint of emotion or concern when he passed. Also, a man he had spent much time with was Tom, who basically killed Gatsby himself, after revealing the car that ran Myrtle over was Gatsby's. This displays that money doesn't always make you rich, maybe dollar wise, but dirt poor of all the other great qualities of life, like family, friends, and love. This reminds me of a scene in the movie You Again, one of the characters Ramona accuses her friend Gail of being jealous of her wealth and accomplishments. Gail explains to her though, how her family is her accomplishment, not the amount of money she earns. Being rich can be interpreted at so many different levels. In Gatsby's case his wealth only hurt him. It may have attracted Daisy, but she still ended up with Tom. It is true that wealth can actually make you poor.

Secrets

A special blog I didn't know had even existed until a couple weeks ago was PostSecret. When we watched the video about it in class, the whole concept behind this blog really spoke to me. I found it incredible how so many people had the courage and wanted to reveal their secrets to an audience of more than a million. Many of the secrets broke my heart to read, but as Thanksgiving came it made me very thankful that I didn't have to hide the secrets many others do and it made me blessed for the life I have. Reading this blog has made me appreciate everything I have more. By just looking at somebody they may seem as happy and joyful as can be, but you may never know the secrets that are slowly deteriorating them.



 As we wrapped up and finished the Scarlet Letter we saw the effect that a secret can have on one. Dimmesdale passed away and grew sick because of the burden he felt by trying to hide that he committed adultery with Hester. His secret was too much for him to hold onto any longer. Also in the poem "The History Teacher," the teacher tries to hide the truth about past events and how they actually happened. By making historical events seem innocent, his secret only impacts himself. The kids on the playground are just as harmful anyway not knowing the truth about world events. This shows that maybe some secrets can make you feel better about yourself, just like the history teacher feeling proud and innocent lying to the children.Secrets can make you feel joyful, trapped, angry, depressed, or even happy, but it is up to you to be the judge of that. 

Slavery

You know a piece of literature is good when you can't take your eyes away from it. This past we week we read the incredible piece "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," by Harriet Jacobs. The journey the narrator Linda had to make was unbelievable. This narrative was even more powerful because it was told in a first person point of view. When it came to the lines, "I was about to risk everything on the throw of a die; and if I failed, O what would become of me and my poor children? They would be made to suffer for my fault." The suspense leads up, but it also shows how kind and considerate Linda is of others. She did not choose to run away for her own personal benefit, but for her loved ones. It is crazy to think that slavery did happen in America. When you look around the classroom today, you see so many different races. It is hard to imagine that there were once separated drinking fountains, buses, or restaurants and the abuse humans went to get their equal rights. The piece Jacobs wrote helps connect anyone to what many African Americans had to suffer through. Most people here take their freedom for granted, but imagine how different the world would be if we didn't make a change and slavery still existed. It would be an abusive, disastrous, and a terrifying place.