Shakespeare version: from The Merchant of Venice Act II Scene ii, Lines 1-31
LAUNCELOT
I'm sure I'll feel guilty if I run away from this Jew, my master. The devil's on my shoulder, tempting me. He's saying, “Gobbo,” “Launcelot Gobbo,” “Good Launcelot,” or “Good Gobbo,” or “Good Launcelot Gobbo”—“use your legs and run away.” But my conscience says, “No, Launcelot, calm down, don't run away.” The devil's urging me to leave. “Go away!” he says. “Run away! Be tough,” says the devil, “and run!” But then my conscience, hanging around my heart, says very wisely to me, “My good friend Launcelot, you're a good boy, the son of an honest man,” really, that should be the son of an honest woman, since my father cheated on my mother. Anyway, my conscience says, “Stay put.” “Go,” the devil says. “Don't go,” says my conscience. “Conscience,” I say, “you give good advice.” “Devil,” I say, “you give good advice.” If I listened to my conscience, I'd stay with the Jew my master, who's a devil. But if I ran away from the Jew, I'd be following the advice of the devil, who's the very devil himself. Certainly the Jew is the devil incarnate, and my conscience is giving me a hard time by telling me to stay with the Jew. The devil's advice is nicer. I'll run, devil. Tell me to run, and I'll run.
My Version:
I stare up at the yellow and red bars of metal, winding there way through the dark sky in curves and deathly loops. The rumbling gets louder, and louder, and louder. It shakes the ground beneath my feat. sending more nervous vibes through my veins. My brain tells me no, "Caitlin, don't get on that roller coaster! Do you really want to risk getting sick, or worse, falling out of your seat, falling from the sky, and going *kerspalt*?" My brain has a point, do way do I want that. But my friends tell me go. "C'mon, you gotta do it. We're all going too. Nobodies going to dieeee." Wow, that's reassuring. "Don't even think about," says my brain. "Go for it," say my friends. "Don't ride it" "Ride it" "you're going to regret going on" Maybe I will. "you're going to regret staying off" I know I will. You're right, my friends, I have to live in the moment, take chances, ride into the unknown, literally.The ketchup and mustard color carts come rolling to a halt, and we stand at the front of the line. "You know you want to," say my friends. And I do. I get on.
Ilikerandom
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Boy&&Girl
Inspired by "Girl" written by Jamaica Kincaid
Boy
Rise with the sun, "the only things that come to a sleeping boy are his dreams"; clean your room when your mother asks; hide your mess when we have guests; give your mother a hug when she needs it; tie your tie like this; never use the clip-on; this is how you pound a hammer; this is how you pound a hammer, to pound a nail, to pound in the wood; collect the trash every night; carry the bag outside to the can; tie the bag like this so that it doesn't fall open, so that the cats won't have a feast; read the instructions before using dangerous equipment; read the instructions before grilling your meat; eat steak, and lots of it; don't talk with your mouth full in the presence of women; don't chew with you mouth open in the presence of mom; buckle up, always be safe; always be protected; always use protection; even if you think it was a mistake, never tell her or the baby; support your family; your word is your bond, so don't screw it up; stand tall like this when applying for a job; stand like this when hanging with your friends; stand like this when you want to attract a woman; shake hands with conviction, look people in the eye; never start a fight you are bound to lose; violence is not the answer; but when you do get into a fight, like I know you are bound to do, hold your punch like this; never place you thumb inside your fist; aim for the nose; keep you eye on the target; keep you eye on the ball; play for fun, and then to win; give the game all you've got; do not hit your brother; be patient, let the fish take the bait; let the fish come to you; work hard, play hard; say excuse me; hold the doors for strangers; never drink and drive; set a drinking limit; don't throw the L word around; don't honk the horn, walk up to her doorstep; take the special girl somewhere special; bring her mother flowers, bring her home by curfew; live your life with no regrets; live your life and don't look back.
Girl
This is how to get your needed beauty sleep; this is how to wash the dishes, and how to stack them to dry; this is how to separate the laundry by color; this is how to start the washer; this is how to stop the dryer; this is how to fold your father's aloha shirts; this is how to match his socks; this is why you shouldn't hide your face with makeup, God made you naturally pretty; this is how you buy your clothes; this is how I return your clothes when they are too tight; this is how you sit in a skirt; this is how you sit up straight; this is how you eat spaghetti; this is how you air kiss your aunties; this is how you bake a cake; this is how you bake one that tastes good; don't walk alone in dark alleys; this is how you pretend you're on the phone, when you don't want to talk to someone; this is how you hang up the phone, when you don't want to talk to someone; this is how you walk with confidence, and hold your chin up high, but not too high that people take you as a snob; stay away from mud when wearing good shoes; choose the right shoes for a rainy day; this is how to greet your enemy; this is how you greet your friends; this is how you greet your boyfriend; this is how you greet your mom; this is how to make a bed; this is how to fluff the pillows; this is how to write a thankyou card; this is how to wrap a present; this is how you check the expiration date before making a purchase; this is how to test the apples for bruises; this is how to give a hug; always go to the bathroom in pairs; ; this is how you keep a secret to yourself; this is how you whisper it to one special friend; this is how you stay true to yourself; this is how you don't give in to peer pressure; this is how you find a man that is in love with you; this is how you show a man you love him; this is how you stay out of trouble; this is how to wait until you are ready; this is how to stay safe; this is how you tell a jerk to go away; this is what you do if he won't; this is how you say I love you without using words; this is how to persevere; this is how to hope; this is how to love.
Boy
Rise with the sun, "the only things that come to a sleeping boy are his dreams"; clean your room when your mother asks; hide your mess when we have guests; give your mother a hug when she needs it; tie your tie like this; never use the clip-on; this is how you pound a hammer; this is how you pound a hammer, to pound a nail, to pound in the wood; collect the trash every night; carry the bag outside to the can; tie the bag like this so that it doesn't fall open, so that the cats won't have a feast; read the instructions before using dangerous equipment; read the instructions before grilling your meat; eat steak, and lots of it; don't talk with your mouth full in the presence of women; don't chew with you mouth open in the presence of mom; buckle up, always be safe; always be protected; always use protection; even if you think it was a mistake, never tell her or the baby; support your family; your word is your bond, so don't screw it up; stand tall like this when applying for a job; stand like this when hanging with your friends; stand like this when you want to attract a woman; shake hands with conviction, look people in the eye; never start a fight you are bound to lose; violence is not the answer; but when you do get into a fight, like I know you are bound to do, hold your punch like this; never place you thumb inside your fist; aim for the nose; keep you eye on the target; keep you eye on the ball; play for fun, and then to win; give the game all you've got; do not hit your brother; be patient, let the fish take the bait; let the fish come to you; work hard, play hard; say excuse me; hold the doors for strangers; never drink and drive; set a drinking limit; don't throw the L word around; don't honk the horn, walk up to her doorstep; take the special girl somewhere special; bring her mother flowers, bring her home by curfew; live your life with no regrets; live your life and don't look back.
Girl
This is how to get your needed beauty sleep; this is how to wash the dishes, and how to stack them to dry; this is how to separate the laundry by color; this is how to start the washer; this is how to stop the dryer; this is how to fold your father's aloha shirts; this is how to match his socks; this is why you shouldn't hide your face with makeup, God made you naturally pretty; this is how you buy your clothes; this is how I return your clothes when they are too tight; this is how you sit in a skirt; this is how you sit up straight; this is how you eat spaghetti; this is how you air kiss your aunties; this is how you bake a cake; this is how you bake one that tastes good; don't walk alone in dark alleys; this is how you pretend you're on the phone, when you don't want to talk to someone; this is how you hang up the phone, when you don't want to talk to someone; this is how you walk with confidence, and hold your chin up high, but not too high that people take you as a snob; stay away from mud when wearing good shoes; choose the right shoes for a rainy day; this is how to greet your enemy; this is how you greet your friends; this is how you greet your boyfriend; this is how you greet your mom; this is how to make a bed; this is how to fluff the pillows; this is how to write a thankyou card; this is how to wrap a present; this is how you check the expiration date before making a purchase; this is how to test the apples for bruises; this is how to give a hug; always go to the bathroom in pairs; ; this is how you keep a secret to yourself; this is how you whisper it to one special friend; this is how you stay true to yourself; this is how you don't give in to peer pressure; this is how you find a man that is in love with you; this is how you show a man you love him; this is how you stay out of trouble; this is how to wait until you are ready; this is how to stay safe; this is how you tell a jerk to go away; this is what you do if he won't; this is how you say I love you without using words; this is how to persevere; this is how to hope; this is how to love.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Mi Madre-take dos
-1-
Yesterday I saw a rainbow. It was the brightest one ever, with the most vibrant colors imaginable. The sky was clear, the sun ablaze. This rainbow wasn't like the ones whose blurry water-colors cast drops of hope on a rainy day. My mother asked me to capture the rainbow for her. This was not unusual, for she asked me this every time one blessed our Hawaiian skies. Instead of my normal, "that's impossible, mom," I made it my priority to capture that rainbow. I set off on my journey. It was one full of perseverance, hope, and love. I wanted my mother to be proud of me and my efforts. I traveled high and low, being guided by the end of the arch, which only seemed to recede farther and farther as I went. Finally, after many steps the end of the rainbow stood gleaming, inches away from my face. It was so close that I opened my glass jar and scooped in some of its ocean of colors. Mission accomplished. I skipped home, excitement and joy creating the bounce in my steps. "Look," I said to my mother, holding out the rainbow filled jar. She gave me a acquisitive look. "What? There's nothing in here." She gave the jar a shake, and I watched the colors bounce about, till they slowly faded into thin air. With feelings of anger and sadness creeping through my veins, I told her, "You're right. It's nothing." I took the jar from her hands and tossed it into the trash.
-2-
I sat beside his tomb stone, arranging the purple orchids and evergreen ferns in Papa's engraved, metal vase. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes, and I brought my hand up in a useless attempt to keep them from falling. I rested my heavy head in the palms of my hands. My shoulders shook back and forth with every new sob. Slowly, an arm slid across my shoulders and brought me into a hug. I looked up to find the eyes of my mother, gazing forlornly at Papa's headstone. I noticed that she too held tears in her understanding eyes. I rested my head on her chest. Together we shared the sadness. No words needed to be spoken. Cars rushed by on the nearby road, the sun escaped behind the horizon, and darkness fell over the skies. But my mother and I stayed in the same place, unmoved. We stood, cherishing our connection: we were together, we were united, we were one.
Yesterday I saw a rainbow. It was the brightest one ever, with the most vibrant colors imaginable. The sky was clear, the sun ablaze. This rainbow wasn't like the ones whose blurry water-colors cast drops of hope on a rainy day. My mother asked me to capture the rainbow for her. This was not unusual, for she asked me this every time one blessed our Hawaiian skies. Instead of my normal, "that's impossible, mom," I made it my priority to capture that rainbow. I set off on my journey. It was one full of perseverance, hope, and love. I wanted my mother to be proud of me and my efforts. I traveled high and low, being guided by the end of the arch, which only seemed to recede farther and farther as I went. Finally, after many steps the end of the rainbow stood gleaming, inches away from my face. It was so close that I opened my glass jar and scooped in some of its ocean of colors. Mission accomplished. I skipped home, excitement and joy creating the bounce in my steps. "Look," I said to my mother, holding out the rainbow filled jar. She gave me a acquisitive look. "What? There's nothing in here." She gave the jar a shake, and I watched the colors bounce about, till they slowly faded into thin air. With feelings of anger and sadness creeping through my veins, I told her, "You're right. It's nothing." I took the jar from her hands and tossed it into the trash.
-2-
I sat beside his tomb stone, arranging the purple orchids and evergreen ferns in Papa's engraved, metal vase. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes, and I brought my hand up in a useless attempt to keep them from falling. I rested my heavy head in the palms of my hands. My shoulders shook back and forth with every new sob. Slowly, an arm slid across my shoulders and brought me into a hug. I looked up to find the eyes of my mother, gazing forlornly at Papa's headstone. I noticed that she too held tears in her understanding eyes. I rested my head on her chest. Together we shared the sadness. No words needed to be spoken. Cars rushed by on the nearby road, the sun escaped behind the horizon, and darkness fell over the skies. But my mother and I stayed in the same place, unmoved. We stood, cherishing our connection: we were together, we were united, we were one.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Mi Madre
Inspired by “My Mother” by Jamaica Kincaid
-1-
I wiped the sweat off my forehead. My baseball cap was doing little to keep me cool. The summer heat beat down on my bare shoulders, scalding the flesh off bone. It was Saturday morning, noon on the dot. My mother had left the house to run her errands, with a quick, "It wouldn't hurt you to do a little yard work, you know." I sat on a garden stool, adjusting the thin plastic gloves over my sweaty hands. Holes already on the tips of my fingers where pesky dirt sneaked in and beneath my nails.
I wasn't doing this for nothing; I wanted to please my mom. For once, I wanted her to be happy and know that I wasn't just a lazy, good-for-nothing-teenager, who sleeps in late and never helps out. That's why I sat out in the front yard, during the hottest part of the day, seeing to my mother's wishes. I picked out each individual weed from the ground, poking into the nearby dirt with a weeder, and scooping out the roots, as if I was healing every cut in my mother-daughter relationship. With every lifted weed, a little part of the garden was renewed, purified. I was creating a clean slate for whatever new seeds would be planted next, for however the garden wished to grow and improve.
My shadow stood at two o'clock when my mother pulled into the driveway. She stepped out of the car and opened the trunk to unload the groceries. "Everyone out here now! Help unload the car!," she shouted to the rest of the family. I walked up to greet her, pointing out my labor. A look of disappointment crossed her face. "Why did you do that?" she inquired, "I wanted you to move those rocks, over there, to the back yard. I can do the weeding on my own." That was it. No thanks at all. Not an ounce of gratitude or appreciation. An instant rush of anger pounded through me. I dumped the black trash bag filled with weeds back onto the garden, and stomped back inside the house.
-2-
Church was almost over. As our pastor gave the benediction, my eyes followed the red carpet, until they fell upon my grandma who was sitting behind the grand piano. She was watching the keys with a look of deep thought and sadness. I stood in the wooden pews, with my sister to the left, and my mother to the right. My pastor had stopped speaking, and the church was filled with the introduction to a song I recently learned, and knew all too well. Grandpa had died last Thursday, and sorrow filled my whole family at the thought of that song. May God Bless You, it was called. It was written by my grandma and aunty. We sung it in the hospital room: cousins, aunty, uncle, grandma, sisters, parents, and pastor, all gathered around my frail, peaceful papa. Then we sang, at his funeral in the same wooden pews. And now it was playing again, and the church was filled with singing. All different voices sang together in unity, but I knew that not everyone else felt the way that I did. We were not unified in feelings too. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes, and I had to pause from singing in an attempt to prevent those tears from falling. "Within the first light of the dawn, may God bless you. And when the light of day is gone, may God bless you. And in your smiles and in your tears, through everyday of all your years. His love will always, see you through. May God bless you. May God bless you." The song ended, and movement broke out in the sanctuary. People scattered every which way. An arm wrapped around my shoulders, and brought me into a warm hug. My mother was wiping the tears from her eyes, with a damp tissue. "Maybe one day," she said with a small smile of love, understanding, and sadness. "We'll be able to get through this song together." I didn't say anything, just cherishing the moment. Where my mother and I, differences aside, were one.
-1-
I wiped the sweat off my forehead. My baseball cap was doing little to keep me cool. The summer heat beat down on my bare shoulders, scalding the flesh off bone. It was Saturday morning, noon on the dot. My mother had left the house to run her errands, with a quick, "It wouldn't hurt you to do a little yard work, you know." I sat on a garden stool, adjusting the thin plastic gloves over my sweaty hands. Holes already on the tips of my fingers where pesky dirt sneaked in and beneath my nails.
I wasn't doing this for nothing; I wanted to please my mom. For once, I wanted her to be happy and know that I wasn't just a lazy, good-for-nothing-teenager, who sleeps in late and never helps out. That's why I sat out in the front yard, during the hottest part of the day, seeing to my mother's wishes. I picked out each individual weed from the ground, poking into the nearby dirt with a weeder, and scooping out the roots, as if I was healing every cut in my mother-daughter relationship. With every lifted weed, a little part of the garden was renewed, purified. I was creating a clean slate for whatever new seeds would be planted next, for however the garden wished to grow and improve.
My shadow stood at two o'clock when my mother pulled into the driveway. She stepped out of the car and opened the trunk to unload the groceries. "Everyone out here now! Help unload the car!," she shouted to the rest of the family. I walked up to greet her, pointing out my labor. A look of disappointment crossed her face. "Why did you do that?" she inquired, "I wanted you to move those rocks, over there, to the back yard. I can do the weeding on my own." That was it. No thanks at all. Not an ounce of gratitude or appreciation. An instant rush of anger pounded through me. I dumped the black trash bag filled with weeds back onto the garden, and stomped back inside the house.
-2-
Church was almost over. As our pastor gave the benediction, my eyes followed the red carpet, until they fell upon my grandma who was sitting behind the grand piano. She was watching the keys with a look of deep thought and sadness. I stood in the wooden pews, with my sister to the left, and my mother to the right. My pastor had stopped speaking, and the church was filled with the introduction to a song I recently learned, and knew all too well. Grandpa had died last Thursday, and sorrow filled my whole family at the thought of that song. May God Bless You, it was called. It was written by my grandma and aunty. We sung it in the hospital room: cousins, aunty, uncle, grandma, sisters, parents, and pastor, all gathered around my frail, peaceful papa. Then we sang, at his funeral in the same wooden pews. And now it was playing again, and the church was filled with singing. All different voices sang together in unity, but I knew that not everyone else felt the way that I did. We were not unified in feelings too. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes, and I had to pause from singing in an attempt to prevent those tears from falling. "Within the first light of the dawn, may God bless you. And when the light of day is gone, may God bless you. And in your smiles and in your tears, through everyday of all your years. His love will always, see you through. May God bless you. May God bless you." The song ended, and movement broke out in the sanctuary. People scattered every which way. An arm wrapped around my shoulders, and brought me into a warm hug. My mother was wiping the tears from her eyes, with a damp tissue. "Maybe one day," she said with a small smile of love, understanding, and sadness. "We'll be able to get through this song together." I didn't say anything, just cherishing the moment. Where my mother and I, differences aside, were one.
7 Ways of Looking at an Oak Tree
Yeah, so I'm weird for posting my homework on this blog even though I'm not in Mr. Watson's class anymore. I think I'll keep a collection of my work this year on here anyways...
1st Poem of the year
---
I
A tiny oak seed
Placed in moist soil
Patted with wrinkled hands
Nourished by drops of sunshine
II
Her daddy built her a tree house
Ruby red like her favorite dress
Nail by nail, wall by wall
Sustained by firm branches,
Of the young Oak tree
III
Gusts of wind rushed through lush foliage
Moonlight shone upon the Oak tree
Her room was enveloped in a blanket of darkness
Monsters crept through an open window
Shadows danced across the walls
She clutched her teddy with fright
IV
He found a stone lying in the grass,
Beneath the red and white checkers of their picnic blanket
Solid and smooth in his fist
With careful strokes, he striped away bark on the Oak tree
A satisfied smile
His initials, next to hers
V
Fiery reds, pumpkin oranges, golden yellows
Leaves from the Oak tree crunched under the rusty rake
Its bare branches shivered in the chilly winds
VI
The owl sat in the old Oak tree
Wrapped tightly in his wrinkled wings
Quizzically watching the man and woman below
Mitten hands,
One
VII
Branches and leaves sat on the green grass
Red wood remnants and acorns, too
The Oak tree laid on the soil
Resting in peace
1st Poem of the year
---
I
A tiny oak seed
Placed in moist soil
Patted with wrinkled hands
Nourished by drops of sunshine
II
Her daddy built her a tree house
Ruby red like her favorite dress
Nail by nail, wall by wall
Sustained by firm branches,
Of the young Oak tree
III
Gusts of wind rushed through lush foliage
Moonlight shone upon the Oak tree
Her room was enveloped in a blanket of darkness
Monsters crept through an open window
Shadows danced across the walls
She clutched her teddy with fright
IV
He found a stone lying in the grass,
Beneath the red and white checkers of their picnic blanket
Solid and smooth in his fist
With careful strokes, he striped away bark on the Oak tree
A satisfied smile
His initials, next to hers
V
Fiery reds, pumpkin oranges, golden yellows
Leaves from the Oak tree crunched under the rusty rake
Its bare branches shivered in the chilly winds
VI
The owl sat in the old Oak tree
Wrapped tightly in his wrinkled wings
Quizzically watching the man and woman below
Mitten hands,
One
VII
Branches and leaves sat on the green grass
Red wood remnants and acorns, too
The Oak tree laid on the soil
Resting in peace
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
AMND: Performance Ideas
These are my thoughts, in preparation for the class acting we are going to be doing for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Honestly though, I wil act in whichever scene I need to.
Characters to play:
*Hermia:
Scene.o1 Confused, and distressed when she wakes up and finds Lysander gone.
Scene.o2 [Not in the second scene]
*Helena
Scene.o1. Dissapointed with Lysander, baffled by his sudden interest in her. Feeling lost, and undeserving of his "mockery."
Scene.o2 Mad at the other lovers, thinks that they have set her up. Feeling bad for hersel, downer.
*Titania
...I don't really care, as long as I don't have to try to change my voice and be a male character.
Scenes:
.o1 Act III Scene ii, 140-170...
DEMETRIUS
[Awaking.]
O Helen, goddess, nymph, perfect, divine!
To what, my love, shall I compare thine eyne?
Crystal is muddy. O, how ripe in show
Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!
That pure congealed white, high Taurus' snow,
Fann'd with the eastern wind, turns to a crow
When thou hold'st up thy hand: O, let me kiss
This princess of pure white, this seal of bliss!
HELENA
O spite! O hell! I see you all are bent
To set against me for your merriment.
If you were civil, and knew courtesy,
You would not do me thus much injury.
Can you not hate me, as I know you do,
But you must join in souls to mock me too?
If you were men, as men you are in show,
You would not use a gentle lady so;
To vow, and swear, and superpraise my parts,
When I am sure you hate me with your hearts.
You both are rivals, and love Hermia;
And now both rivals, to mock Helena:
A trim exploit, a manly enterprise,
To conjure tears up in a poor maid's eyes
With your derision! None of noble sort
Would so offend a virgin, and extort
A poor soul's patience, all to make you sport.
LYSANDER
You are unkind, Demetrius; be not so;
For you love Hermia: this you know I know:
And here, with all good will, with all my heart,
In Hermia's love I yield you up my part;
And yours of Helena to me bequeath,
Whom I do love and will do till my death.
[and so on...]
.o2 Act II Scene ii, 130-163
HELENA
Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?
Is't not enough, is't not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my insufficiency?
Good troth, you do me wrong,—good sooth, you do—
In such disdainful manner me to woo.
But fare you well: perforce I must confess,
I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
O, that a lady of one man refus'd
Should of another therefore be abus'd!
[Exit.]
LYSANDER
She sees not Hermia:—Hermia, sleep thou there;
And never mayst thou come Lysander near!
For, as a surfeit of the sweetest things
The deepest loathing to the stomach brings;
Or, as the heresies that men do leave
Are hated most of those they did deceive;
So thou, my surfeit and my heresy,
Of all be hated, but the most of me!
And, all my powers, address your love and might
To honour Helen, and to be her knight!
[Exit.]
HERMIA
[Starting.]
Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best
To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!
Ay me, for pity!—What a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear!
Methought a serpent eat my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey.—
Lysander! what, removed? Lysander! lord!
What, out of hearing? gone? no sound, no word?
Alack, where are you? speak, an if you hear;
Speak, of all loves! I swoon almost with fear.
No?—then I well perceive you are not nigh:
Either death or you I'll find immediately.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
1oo1-Flatworld Reflection
1. What did you like best about the project and why?
I liked that we got to learn about students living in places outside our state, even outside our country. It was interesting to read their stories, and learn about their cultures. All of them were friendly and it was a good experience.
2. What did you like least and why?
My least favorite part was having to fill out the "comment rubrics." Many times, I would read through a story and then come to the rubric, but forget what the story was all about, then have to go back and read it all over again. I would have liked to comment on others' stories based on my first impressions and thoughts, rather than with the guide of a rubric. But for some of the students, if there was not the requirement of using the rubric, they would have given one word comments that wouldn't have been very helpful.
3. What was something surprising that you learned about the other students (from other schools)?
Hmmm...surprising. I guess I already knew this, but I saw how the other students deal with similar issues to us. In their stories, they wrote about topics and feelings that students here in Hawaii can also relate to. Nothing specific, but I did learn alot about the Korean culture through the many stories about family and war.
4. How do you think the project affected your writing?
Honestly, I don't know how much it has affected my writing. I don't think that I've become a much better writer than I was before. I did, on the other hand, have more time in this project to focus on the details and descriptions in my story. The quality of description and word choice was probably better in this story than in my other hastily written papers.
5. Describe the most challenging aspect of the project.
The most challenging part of this project was generating an idea in the very beginning. Sometimes it takes many drafts to find the one story that just has the "it" factor; to find the topic that you feel you can write so much about. In relation to the actual wiki space and all, the worst part of the project was other students being on time with the feedback deadlines. It was hard for me to revise my drafts on time, when other people had not given me feedback when they were supposed to.
6. Offer some advice to future participants.
Let's see...advice...I suggest that you keep up with the deadlines of the project, and give feedback to all of your partners on time. Make sure you try to give constructive feedback as well. Being vague, for example, "it was good..." or "that part sounded weird" doesn't help the writer at all. Given good feedback on time will make them respect you even more, and be more willing to give you good feedback as well.
7. Other comments.
I think that we definitely had enough time to work on this writing assignment. It didn't seem so much like "work." This project was a new, fun, and different way of story writing and editing.
I liked that we got to learn about students living in places outside our state, even outside our country. It was interesting to read their stories, and learn about their cultures. All of them were friendly and it was a good experience.
2. What did you like least and why?
My least favorite part was having to fill out the "comment rubrics." Many times, I would read through a story and then come to the rubric, but forget what the story was all about, then have to go back and read it all over again. I would have liked to comment on others' stories based on my first impressions and thoughts, rather than with the guide of a rubric. But for some of the students, if there was not the requirement of using the rubric, they would have given one word comments that wouldn't have been very helpful.
3. What was something surprising that you learned about the other students (from other schools)?
Hmmm...surprising. I guess I already knew this, but I saw how the other students deal with similar issues to us. In their stories, they wrote about topics and feelings that students here in Hawaii can also relate to. Nothing specific, but I did learn alot about the Korean culture through the many stories about family and war.
4. How do you think the project affected your writing?
Honestly, I don't know how much it has affected my writing. I don't think that I've become a much better writer than I was before. I did, on the other hand, have more time in this project to focus on the details and descriptions in my story. The quality of description and word choice was probably better in this story than in my other hastily written papers.
5. Describe the most challenging aspect of the project.
The most challenging part of this project was generating an idea in the very beginning. Sometimes it takes many drafts to find the one story that just has the "it" factor; to find the topic that you feel you can write so much about. In relation to the actual wiki space and all, the worst part of the project was other students being on time with the feedback deadlines. It was hard for me to revise my drafts on time, when other people had not given me feedback when they were supposed to.
6. Offer some advice to future participants.
Let's see...advice...I suggest that you keep up with the deadlines of the project, and give feedback to all of your partners on time. Make sure you try to give constructive feedback as well. Being vague, for example, "it was good..." or "that part sounded weird" doesn't help the writer at all. Given good feedback on time will make them respect you even more, and be more willing to give you good feedback as well.
7. Other comments.
I think that we definitely had enough time to work on this writing assignment. It didn't seem so much like "work." This project was a new, fun, and different way of story writing and editing.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Character Analysis: Hermia Take 2
In Act II Scene II of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hermia and Lysander get lost in the woods. Lysander suggests that they rest until morning, and Hermia replies,
HERMIA:
[Be] it so, Lysander. Find you out a bed,
For I upon this bank will rest my head.
LYSANDER:
One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;
One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.
HERMIA:
Nay, good Lysander. For my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet. Do not lie so near.
(2:2:45-50)
Here Hermia shows her responsibility. She doesn't want to be "tempted" if she were to share a bed with Lysander. For "love and courtesy" (2:2:62), she wishes that he "lie further off in human modesty" (2:2:63). Lysander respescts her wishes, and they fall asleep.
Puck comes along and mistakeingly annoits Lysander with the love nectar, causing Lysander to fall in love with Helena and forget all about Hermia. Interestingly, it seems like Shakespeare was foreshadowing this when he had Hermia say to Lysander just before falling asleep, "Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet life end" (2:2:67).
When Hermia awakes, she is frantic and scared, yelling for Lysander but he does not appear. A clueless and worried Hermia immediately exits the scene to find her lost love.
Hermia would be acted out as confident in the first half of this scene. But when awaking from her sleep, and not finding Lysander near, fear would consume her, and be clearly evident on her face. Worried now, and no longer feeling safe, she would hurredly rush off.
HERMIA:
[Be] it so, Lysander. Find you out a bed,
For I upon this bank will rest my head.
LYSANDER:
One turf shall serve as pillow for us both;
One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.
HERMIA:
Nay, good Lysander. For my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet. Do not lie so near.
(2:2:45-50)
Here Hermia shows her responsibility. She doesn't want to be "tempted" if she were to share a bed with Lysander. For "love and courtesy" (2:2:62), she wishes that he "lie further off in human modesty" (2:2:63). Lysander respescts her wishes, and they fall asleep.
Puck comes along and mistakeingly annoits Lysander with the love nectar, causing Lysander to fall in love with Helena and forget all about Hermia. Interestingly, it seems like Shakespeare was foreshadowing this when he had Hermia say to Lysander just before falling asleep, "Thy love ne'er alter till thy sweet life end" (2:2:67).
When Hermia awakes, she is frantic and scared, yelling for Lysander but he does not appear. A clueless and worried Hermia immediately exits the scene to find her lost love.
Hermia would be acted out as confident in the first half of this scene. But when awaking from her sleep, and not finding Lysander near, fear would consume her, and be clearly evident on her face. Worried now, and no longer feeling safe, she would hurredly rush off.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Mi Post Sobre Hermia
HERMIA
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hermia (the daughter of Egeus), is madly in love with Lysander. The problem is that her father will only allow her to marry Demetrius. Both Lysander and Demetrius are in love with her. She is described as a beautiful young woman, living in the town of Athens, Greece.
Thesus, the duke of Athens, gives her a choice: she can either obey her father and marry Demetrius, become a nun, or be sentenced to death. Being the strongwilled and independent woman that she is, Lysander and she make plans to elope outside of Athens, where the law will have no hold on them.
Hermia doesn't obey her father the way he wishes she would. She is not afraid to stand up against him, and declare that she will not marry Demetrius. This shows her strength and strong will. She would choose Lysander even with the chances of being killed.
So far, Hermia is portrayed as a very strong woman, who is consumed by love. She is the childhood friend of Helena, who is in love with Demetrius (but he does not love her back.) Hermia also doesn't seem to act as if she cares that much about Helena's problem with Demetrius. When Helena speaks to Hermia, telling her of how beautiful she is, and how she wishes she were more like her, Hermia's confidence gets boosted. Hermia claims that she doesn't try to make Demetrius fall in love with her, but the more she pushes him away, the more he pursues her. Helena is obviously jealous of Hermia, but it seems as if Hermia is too blind to see it. It is like her vision and commonsense is clouded by her love for Lysander, especially when she decides to tell Helena about their plans to elope. I don't think that this was a very wise move on behalf of Hermia, but it seems like she was very excited and without sense, just blurted it out.
I see Hermia as a very beautiful young woman, whose gaze always holds a sort of twinkle/far away look. This look, because she is always thinking about Lysander, and not really paying attention to others when he is not around. An actress would have to play Hermia with an "effortless" air about her. Anything she did should seem simple and effortless. Just as Hermia's beauty is something that comes naturally without her needing to work at it.
Friday, April 20, 2007
A Sustainable Hawaii
In English class today, we went to look around at the Sustainability Fair our school put together. Here is some info. that I got out of the experience:
~*~
ON CAMPUS:
-We are reusing water from the Lily Pond
-85% of the 50 golf carts we have on campus, are electric. An idea, is to add solar panels to the carts, and eliminate the need for gas.
ON CAMPUS COSTS:
new biodegradable utensils: 5.1 cents EACH!
old plastic utensils: 1.4 cents each
Solar water heater for pools and showers
when working: $1,500
when not working: $7,000
As you can see, we make trade offs. In some ways we are saving money, and in other ways, the tuition is going up! But on the positive side, biodegradable utensils help the environment.
~*~
How long does it take for these objects to disappear from the environment?
Orange peel- 25 months
Magazine- 25 years
Cigarette- 40 years
Plastic bottle- 120 years
Aluminum can- 200 years
Styrofoam- 500 years
Glass- FOREVER
~*~
WORM TANKS:
-Help the environment
-eliminate the need for water-wasting disposals
-25%-40% of our waste is worm-recyclable
-Filled with Indian Blue Worms, not regular earthworms
~*~
SUSTAINABILITY WEBSITES:
O1. www.planetgreengame.com
o2. www.rainforestsite.com
o3. www.stopglobalwarming.com
o4. www.daversitycode.com
o5. www.climatecrisis.net
o6. www.earthday.net
o7. www.nrdc.org
~*~
ON CAMPUS:
-We are reusing water from the Lily Pond
-85% of the 50 golf carts we have on campus, are electric. An idea, is to add solar panels to the carts, and eliminate the need for gas.
ON CAMPUS COSTS:
new biodegradable utensils: 5.1 cents EACH!
old plastic utensils: 1.4 cents each
Solar water heater for pools and showers
when working: $1,500
when not working: $7,000
As you can see, we make trade offs. In some ways we are saving money, and in other ways, the tuition is going up! But on the positive side, biodegradable utensils help the environment.
~*~
How long does it take for these objects to disappear from the environment?
Orange peel- 25 months
Magazine- 25 years
Cigarette- 40 years
Plastic bottle- 120 years
Aluminum can- 200 years
Styrofoam- 500 years
Glass- FOREVER
~*~
WORM TANKS:
-Help the environment
-eliminate the need for water-wasting disposals
-25%-40% of our waste is worm-recyclable
-Filled with Indian Blue Worms, not regular earthworms
~*~
SUSTAINABILITY WEBSITES:
O1. www.planetgreengame.com
o2. www.rainforestsite.com
o3. www.stopglobalwarming.com
o4. www.daversitycode.com
o5. www.climatecrisis.net
o6. www.earthday.net
o7. www.nrdc.org
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Use Your Voice
Here are some key passages with brief explanation from the last Chapter of The Woman Warrior, A song for a barbarian reed pipe
.o1
"I hated the younger sister, the quiet one. I hated her when she was the last chosen for her team and I, the last chosen for my team." (pg.173)
"Why won't you talk?" I started to cry..."You don't see I'm trying to help you out, do you? Do you want to be like this, dumb (do you know what dumb means?), your whole life? Don't you ever want to be a cheerleader? Or a pompom girl? What are you going to do for a living? Yeah, you're going to have to work because you can't be a housewife. And you, you are a plant. Do you know that? That's all you are if you don't talk. You'll have no personality and no hair. You've got to let people know you have a personality and a brain." (pg. 180)
"Sometimes I hated the ghosts for not letting us talk; sometimes I hated the secrecy of the Chinese. 'Don't tell' said my parents, though we couldn't tell if we wanted to because we didn't know." (pg. 183)
"I thought talking and not talking made the difference between sanity and insanity. Insane people were the ones who couldn't explain themselves." (pg. 186)
I believe that these four quotes are all connected. In this chapter, Maxine beats up on the silent girl in her American and Chinese schools. I think she does this because she realizes how similar they are, and Maxine doesn't want to be like or be compared to the younger girl. The same things that Maxine yells at the girl about, are the same issues that she fears will happen to herself, if she doesn't speak up and use her voice. Maxine tries to help the girl from becoming a "dumb plant," the same way she would have liked someone else to have taught her when she was younger.
Maxine sometimes feels oppressed when the ghost or her parents tell her not to talk. She views insane people as people who do not talk. Maxine does not want to become that kind of person, and that is why she feels so strongly about using her voice.
.o2
"Be careful what you say. It comes true. It comes true. I had to leave home in order to see the world logically, logic the new way of seeing. I learned to think that mysteries are for explanation. I enjoy the simplicity. Concrete pours out of my mouth to cover forests with freeways and sidewalks. Give me plastics, periodical tables, t.v. dinners with vegetables no more complex than peas mixed with diced carrots. Shine floodlights in dark corners: no ghosts." (pg. 204)
When Maxine leaves home, she is able to make sense out of the things she used to be confused by. Things seem simpler. The complex "forests" of thoughts that she used to have, become clearer and more organized as she covers them with "concrete." All the talk-stories and myths that her mother used to tell her become mysteries in her past. I don't know,...I'm still kind of confused by what this means, but that's what I get from it right now.
.o1
"I hated the younger sister, the quiet one. I hated her when she was the last chosen for her team and I, the last chosen for my team." (pg.173)
"Why won't you talk?" I started to cry..."You don't see I'm trying to help you out, do you? Do you want to be like this, dumb (do you know what dumb means?), your whole life? Don't you ever want to be a cheerleader? Or a pompom girl? What are you going to do for a living? Yeah, you're going to have to work because you can't be a housewife. And you, you are a plant. Do you know that? That's all you are if you don't talk. You'll have no personality and no hair. You've got to let people know you have a personality and a brain." (pg. 180)
"Sometimes I hated the ghosts for not letting us talk; sometimes I hated the secrecy of the Chinese. 'Don't tell' said my parents, though we couldn't tell if we wanted to because we didn't know." (pg. 183)
"I thought talking and not talking made the difference between sanity and insanity. Insane people were the ones who couldn't explain themselves." (pg. 186)
I believe that these four quotes are all connected. In this chapter, Maxine beats up on the silent girl in her American and Chinese schools. I think she does this because she realizes how similar they are, and Maxine doesn't want to be like or be compared to the younger girl. The same things that Maxine yells at the girl about, are the same issues that she fears will happen to herself, if she doesn't speak up and use her voice. Maxine tries to help the girl from becoming a "dumb plant," the same way she would have liked someone else to have taught her when she was younger.
Maxine sometimes feels oppressed when the ghost or her parents tell her not to talk. She views insane people as people who do not talk. Maxine does not want to become that kind of person, and that is why she feels so strongly about using her voice.
.o2
"Be careful what you say. It comes true. It comes true. I had to leave home in order to see the world logically, logic the new way of seeing. I learned to think that mysteries are for explanation. I enjoy the simplicity. Concrete pours out of my mouth to cover forests with freeways and sidewalks. Give me plastics, periodical tables, t.v. dinners with vegetables no more complex than peas mixed with diced carrots. Shine floodlights in dark corners: no ghosts." (pg. 204)
When Maxine leaves home, she is able to make sense out of the things she used to be confused by. Things seem simpler. The complex "forests" of thoughts that she used to have, become clearer and more organized as she covers them with "concrete." All the talk-stories and myths that her mother used to tell her become mysteries in her past. I don't know,...I'm still kind of confused by what this means, but that's what I get from it right now.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Sweet Love Impossible
Cool song...
Sweet Love Impossible
by Pono Nu'uhiwa
Do you see me when I’m walking by?
Or am I invisible?
Do you see me when you dream at night?
Or is this impossible?
You are the one I’ve been waiting for; but you never look my way;
So for now until you feel the same, you are my sweet love impossible
Sweet unforgettable.
You are the drops of starlight I could never hold.
Sweet love impossible.
Will I be lonely forevermore?
Without you right by my side
I live a lifetime of emptiness,
These feelings I can not hide.
You are the only thing I can see, when you shine into my day.
So for now until you feel the same;
You are my sweet love impossible
Sweet unforgettable.
You are the drops of starlight I could never hold
Sweet love impossible.
You are the only thing I can see
When you shine shine into my day
So for now until, you feel the same,
You are my sweet love impossible. [Yeah yeah yeah]
Sweet unforgettable.
You are the drops of starlight I could never hold. [I could never never hold]
Sweet love impossible.
Sweet Love Impossible
by Pono Nu'uhiwa
Do you see me when I’m walking by?
Or am I invisible?
Do you see me when you dream at night?
Or is this impossible?
You are the one I’ve been waiting for; but you never look my way;
So for now until you feel the same, you are my sweet love impossible
Sweet unforgettable.
You are the drops of starlight I could never hold.
Sweet love impossible.
Will I be lonely forevermore?
Without you right by my side
I live a lifetime of emptiness,
These feelings I can not hide.
You are the only thing I can see, when you shine into my day.
So for now until you feel the same;
You are my sweet love impossible
Sweet unforgettable.
You are the drops of starlight I could never hold
Sweet love impossible.
You are the only thing I can see
When you shine shine into my day
So for now until, you feel the same,
You are my sweet love impossible. [Yeah yeah yeah]
Sweet unforgettable.
You are the drops of starlight I could never hold. [I could never never hold]
Sweet love impossible.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Brave Orchid: Woman Warrior
Here is my character analysis of Maxine’s mom, a.k.a. Brave Orchid.
I read about 15 pages of the third chapter, Shaman, in The Woman Warrior. This chapter begins with Maxine explaining how every once in a while, her mom takes out a metal tube that “holds her medical diploma.” Through Maxine’s storytelling, mixing some imagination with what her mother has told her, I learned a lot about Maxine’s mother.
Brave Orchid was living in China while her husband was living in America. The husband was happy living in America, as Maxine describes him in photos, but Brave Orchid was not. The father did not come back to China, or send for his wife. What he did do, was send her money. Because Brave Orchid’s two children had died, she used the money for herself. She left her Chinese village on a ship, heading for Canton where she would study to be a doctor.
At the school, Brave Orchid lived in a room with five other women, but she was very happy. She took pleasure in having her own space and unpacking her belongings. She considered it a privilege to have space to call her own, as minimal as it was. Brave Orchid was free of the family duties she had in China, and all those Chinese traditions.
Soon, Maxine’s mother established herself as an elite, intelligent woman. She built her reputation as a brilliant scholar, though she would never let the other woman know her real age, or the fact that she stayed awake at night studying while the rest of them were sleeping.
Brave Orchid demonstrated her bravery when she volunteered to sleep in the Ghost Room without fear, and defeated the Sitting Ghost. She earned even more respect than she already had.
In the pages I read, it seems as though Maxine is proud of her mother and looks up to her, like she does to Fa Mu Lan. Brave Orchid is like Fa Mu Lan, another woman warrior.
Something that I find a little weird though is how earlier it didn’t seem like Maxine enjoyed her mother-daughter relationship. She spoke of how she could never be good enough for her mother, but now she speaks of her mom in admiration. Maybe Maxine is just showing that she has mixed emotions about her mother.
I read about 15 pages of the third chapter, Shaman, in The Woman Warrior. This chapter begins with Maxine explaining how every once in a while, her mom takes out a metal tube that “holds her medical diploma.” Through Maxine’s storytelling, mixing some imagination with what her mother has told her, I learned a lot about Maxine’s mother.
Brave Orchid was living in China while her husband was living in America. The husband was happy living in America, as Maxine describes him in photos, but Brave Orchid was not. The father did not come back to China, or send for his wife. What he did do, was send her money. Because Brave Orchid’s two children had died, she used the money for herself. She left her Chinese village on a ship, heading for Canton where she would study to be a doctor.
At the school, Brave Orchid lived in a room with five other women, but she was very happy. She took pleasure in having her own space and unpacking her belongings. She considered it a privilege to have space to call her own, as minimal as it was. Brave Orchid was free of the family duties she had in China, and all those Chinese traditions.
Soon, Maxine’s mother established herself as an elite, intelligent woman. She built her reputation as a brilliant scholar, though she would never let the other woman know her real age, or the fact that she stayed awake at night studying while the rest of them were sleeping.
Brave Orchid demonstrated her bravery when she volunteered to sleep in the Ghost Room without fear, and defeated the Sitting Ghost. She earned even more respect than she already had.
In the pages I read, it seems as though Maxine is proud of her mother and looks up to her, like she does to Fa Mu Lan. Brave Orchid is like Fa Mu Lan, another woman warrior.
Something that I find a little weird though is how earlier it didn’t seem like Maxine enjoyed her mother-daughter relationship. She spoke of how she could never be good enough for her mother, but now she speaks of her mom in admiration. Maybe Maxine is just showing that she has mixed emotions about her mother.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Spoooky Stories
Our assignment is to post a Hawaiian Ghost Story on our blog, and here are two I found. I chose these two, cause they are close to places I drive by everyday.
#1
Morgan's Corner
"Another supernatural place most visitors hear about is Morgan’s Corner on the windward side of the Old Pali Road (Improvements to the Old Pali Road in 1881 led to the construction of the modern Pali Highway, thus making it hard to verify the actual site of Morgan’s Corner). Said to be situated on a hairpin turn, Morgan’s Corner is known for the huge tree that looms large in urban legends of hangings and bloodied hands scraping on the roofs of cars whose drivers dared to park under it.
Many years ago, a young, local couple drove to this place one night and parked under the tree. When the car wouldn’t start, the man went out for help while his girlfriend waited inside the car. As she waited for hours in the dark for him to return, she heard dripping and scratching sounds coming from the roof of the car. Afraid to go see what it was, she forced herself to close her eyes and fall asleep. She later awoke to the sound of police officers knocking on the car windows, asking her to step out. When she did, she saw her boyfriend tied upside down on the tree. The dripping sounds she had heard through the night had come from the blood of her boyfriend’s severed throat. The scratching sounds had come from his fingernails dragging along the roof."
#2
Pork over the Pali
"Attempting to take pork over the Pali Highway is dangerous, as most island visitors learn. Despite repeated warnings that your car will break down or someone will get hurt in an accident, brave (and foolish) souls continue to challenge the gods – or in this case, the goddess, Pele, Hawai‘i’s volcano deity.
In 1986, four Hickam airmen new to the islands decided to test the Pali with a pack of bacon. They drove out to the Pali Lookout at midnight and walked down the Old Pali Road. About 30 minutes later, they came across a gulch and began to climb up from the side. One of the men climbed up to about 150 ft. before he slid and got stuck on a muddy and slippery cliff. As he struggled to hold onto a couple of weeds and rocks, his friends made the frantic call for help to the Honolulu Fire Department. When the helicopter rescue crews arrived to help save the man, the pilot, Capt. Charles Thomas, noted that, a ti leaf plant (dubbed the “Hawaiian good luck plant” because it wards off evil spirits) kept the man from falling.
According to legend, the man slipped because he and his friends brought pork up to the lookout. Food, especially pork, attracts hungry and agitated spirits. Folklorist and author Martha Beckwith (Hawaiian Mythology) says tying a fresh green ti leaf, bamboo, or lele banana leaf around the food container protects one from angry spirits. This is known as placing a law upon the food.
According to Hawaiian legends, taking pork over the Pali is linked to the turbulent relationship between Pele, the goddess of fire, and Kamapua‘a, a human demi-god – half-man, half-pig. The two agreed not to visit each other, but taking pork over the Pali means taking a form of Kamapua‘a from his domain (the wet side of the island) into Pele’s domain (the dry side of the island). Those who ignore Pele’s warnings risk her stopping the car from bringing Kamapua‘a’s body over the Pali."
Bibliography
Della, Dava. "Haunted Hawaii: Spooktacular Stories of Some Scary Island Places." Online Etcetera. Kalamalama, HPU School Newsletter. 9 Mar. 2007.
#1
Morgan's Corner
"Another supernatural place most visitors hear about is Morgan’s Corner on the windward side of the Old Pali Road (Improvements to the Old Pali Road in 1881 led to the construction of the modern Pali Highway, thus making it hard to verify the actual site of Morgan’s Corner). Said to be situated on a hairpin turn, Morgan’s Corner is known for the huge tree that looms large in urban legends of hangings and bloodied hands scraping on the roofs of cars whose drivers dared to park under it.
Many years ago, a young, local couple drove to this place one night and parked under the tree. When the car wouldn’t start, the man went out for help while his girlfriend waited inside the car. As she waited for hours in the dark for him to return, she heard dripping and scratching sounds coming from the roof of the car. Afraid to go see what it was, she forced herself to close her eyes and fall asleep. She later awoke to the sound of police officers knocking on the car windows, asking her to step out. When she did, she saw her boyfriend tied upside down on the tree. The dripping sounds she had heard through the night had come from the blood of her boyfriend’s severed throat. The scratching sounds had come from his fingernails dragging along the roof."
#2
Pork over the Pali
"Attempting to take pork over the Pali Highway is dangerous, as most island visitors learn. Despite repeated warnings that your car will break down or someone will get hurt in an accident, brave (and foolish) souls continue to challenge the gods – or in this case, the goddess, Pele, Hawai‘i’s volcano deity.
In 1986, four Hickam airmen new to the islands decided to test the Pali with a pack of bacon. They drove out to the Pali Lookout at midnight and walked down the Old Pali Road. About 30 minutes later, they came across a gulch and began to climb up from the side. One of the men climbed up to about 150 ft. before he slid and got stuck on a muddy and slippery cliff. As he struggled to hold onto a couple of weeds and rocks, his friends made the frantic call for help to the Honolulu Fire Department. When the helicopter rescue crews arrived to help save the man, the pilot, Capt. Charles Thomas, noted that, a ti leaf plant (dubbed the “Hawaiian good luck plant” because it wards off evil spirits) kept the man from falling.
According to legend, the man slipped because he and his friends brought pork up to the lookout. Food, especially pork, attracts hungry and agitated spirits. Folklorist and author Martha Beckwith (Hawaiian Mythology) says tying a fresh green ti leaf, bamboo, or lele banana leaf around the food container protects one from angry spirits. This is known as placing a law upon the food.
According to Hawaiian legends, taking pork over the Pali is linked to the turbulent relationship between Pele, the goddess of fire, and Kamapua‘a, a human demi-god – half-man, half-pig. The two agreed not to visit each other, but taking pork over the Pali means taking a form of Kamapua‘a from his domain (the wet side of the island) into Pele’s domain (the dry side of the island). Those who ignore Pele’s warnings risk her stopping the car from bringing Kamapua‘a’s body over the Pali."
Bibliography
Della, Dava. "Haunted Hawaii: Spooktacular Stories of Some Scary Island Places." Online Etcetera. Kalamalama, HPU School Newsletter. 9 Mar. 2007
Sunday, March 4, 2007
One Tree Hill: Pictures of You
"How long does it take to change your life? Can your life change in a month? A week? A day?"
I recommend to anyone that they watch this episode of One Tree Hill, to better understand what I'm talking about. It's kinda difficult to understand the "relationships" between the characters if you haven't been following the series, though.
One Tree Hill is one of my favorite television shows. I like it because there is always some actual substance to each episode. By substance, I mean that in each episode, there are messages that address real life issues. Watching this show makes me think.
I felt like posting this video clip, because it is one that I can relate to, and I think that all my classmates can relate to as well. In a way, it is connected to some of the topics we discussed earlier in English class; essential questions, such as, "Who am I? What are the things that define myself, my character, my image?"
In this clip, the point the teacher is tring to make is that whether you like it or not, "you are how your classmates see you," and they will judge you based on their opinions. But when you leave highschool, you are given a chance to erase these superficial labels and recreate yourself. Shedding your highschool image, is good for some, and bad news for others. Some decide to stick with their identity, stay in the same town they grew up in, and some decide to move on. Either way, your peers and community in which you surround yourself, impact "who you are."
I recommend to anyone that they watch this episode of One Tree Hill, to better understand what I'm talking about. It's kinda difficult to understand the "relationships" between the characters if you haven't been following the series, though.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
White Tigers: Word Definitions
Here are some words taken from the chapter White Tigers of The Woman Warrior, their definitions, and the direct quotes.
Ideograph [n]- a written symbol that represents an idea or object directly rather than a particular word or speech sound, as a Chinese character.
“I walked putting heel down first, toes pointing outward thirty to forty degrees, making the ideograph ‘eight,’ making the ideograph “human.” (pg.23)
Self-immolation [n]- voluntary sacrifice or denial of oneself, as for an ideal or another person.
Transmigration [n]- the passage of a soul after death into another body; metempsychosis.
“I had met a rabbit who taught me about self-immolation and how to speed up transmigration: one who does not have to become worms first but can change directly into a human being…” (pg. 28)
Paradox [n]- A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.
“I learned to make my mind large, as the universe is large, so that there is room for paradoxes.” (pg. 29)
Strata [n]- a layer of material, naturally or artificially formed, often one of a number of parallel layers one upon another.
“In quarries I could see its strata, the dragon’s veins and muscles; the minerals, its teeth and bones.” (p.29)
Peiping [n]- the former name of Beijing
“The emperor, who sat facing south, must have been very frightened- peasants everywhere walking day and night toward the capital, toward Peiping.” (p.37)
Fiefdom [n]- the estate or domain of a feudal lord.
“When I won over a goodly number of fighters, I built up my army enough to attack fiefdoms…” (p.37)
Palanquins [n]- A covered litter carried on poles on the shoulders of four or more bearers, formerly used in eastern Asia.
“They had climbed out of their palanquins to watch their husband fight me…” (p.38)
Palpable [adj]- readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived, etc.; obvious; evident.
“The leader stared at the palpable sword swishing unclutched at his men, then laughed aloud.” (p.41)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I Won't Hesitate, no More, no more.
Love this song
I'm Yours
Lyrics by Jason Mraz
Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
and now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love
Listen to the music of the moment maybe sing with me
A lá peaceful melodies
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love love
So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue
I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
No need to complicate
Our time is short
It can not wait, I'm yours
Well no no, well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
A lá one big family
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love love love
I won't hesitate no more
Oh no more no more no more
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
No I won't hesitate no more, no more
This cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours, I'm yours
I'm Yours
Lyrics by Jason Mraz
Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
and now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours
Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love
Listen to the music of the moment maybe sing with me
A lá peaceful melodies
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love love
So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue
I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
No need to complicate
Our time is short
It can not wait, I'm yours
Well no no, well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment come and dance with me
A lá one big family
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved love love love
I won't hesitate no more
Oh no more no more no more
It's your God-forsaken right to be loved, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours
No I won't hesitate no more, no more
This cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours, I'm yours
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Traditional View of Women in China
It was our assignment to pick a role and carry out the duties that came along with it for our Literature Circle Figure 8’s. I chose the role of Philosopher King, who identifies the themes/big ideas of the section.
The biggest overlying theme for this section of The Woman Warrior is that of the roles and traditions of Chinese women. The first page of this reading begins with Maxine explaining how Chinese girls would listen to the adults talk story all the time. A lot of the things they heard while listening, were the standards of Chinese women. Women were considered to be a failure if they didn’t grow up to be something special; being “wives or slaves” was not good enough in their culture. What I understood from this chapter, was that having a daughter in China, was not held as highly as having a son. They liked men, for they believed they created a stronger work force and more warriors who could fight. People of that culture traditionally saw women as weak and useless. Chinese women heroines were known as swordswomen. These swordswomen always got even with the enemies of her family.
Maxine speaks of how she grew up hearing stories about swordswomen from her culture, namely Fa Mu Lan. Maxine, with her great imagination, tells the story of Fa Mu Lan, from Fa Mu Lan’s perspective.
Fa Mu Lan was a Chinese girl, whom at the age of 7 followed a bird up into the mountains, where she met an old couple who wanted to train her to become a warrior. For an extensive 15 years, Fa Mu Lan lived in the mountains away from her home and family, fasting for days, and learning how to use the magical “sky sword.” When Fa Mu Lan turned 22, the old couple allowed her to return to her village, to take the place of her father in the war. Willingly she took on this duty, traveling on a white horse into war with words of revenge scarred into her back and an army of sons following behind her. She won many battles, and was re-united with her husband, a childhood friend. During that time, she became pregnant. After delivering the child, she sent her husband back to the village with her son. In her last act of revenge, she beheaded the baron whom took away all the sons of her village.
Fa Mu Lan is an interesting portrayal of a Chinese woman, for she deals both with traditional and warrior ways. Even after all her training in the mountain, she is still a woman, a wife, and a mother. At the same time, she can kill armies of people like no one else. When she led her army, she let them believe she was a man, for as she said, “Chinese executed woman who disguised themselves as soldiers or students, no matter how bravely they fought or how high they scored on the examinations.” Chinese traditions and rules were very strict, it seems.
After Maxine finishes her story of Fa Mu Lan, the focus switches to her life in America. She speaks of how no matter what she does, nothing pleases her family, and mentions the example of straight A’s. They only see her as a disappointment, never living up to their expectations. And her life isn’t made any easier by the comments that she hears from all the Chinese immigrant villagers, such as, “Feeding girls is feeding cowbirds,” “There’s no profit in raising girls. Better to raise geese than girls,” and “I would hit her if she was mine. But then there’s no use wasting all that discipline on a girl. When you raise girls, you’re raising children for strangers.” She describes how people would shake their heads when they saw her and her sister, and how whenever her Great-Uncle would take her brothers shopping, she would not be allowed to come because she was a girl. Maxine was not given as many privileges as her brothers. Even when she grew up and went to Berkeley, she received no warm welcome on her return home. Thus, she takes a stand against these unreasonable Chinese traditions, by acting as a contumacious Chinese girl who refuses to take part in roles such as washing dishes or cooking food.
Maxine wishes that a bird would come to her as one did to Fa Mu Lan, and lead her away from her life, so that she may become a swordswoman. She tries to do good things, but can’t even accomplish them. For example, her attempt to stand up to her racist manager had only gotten her fired. Therefore, dealing with her dying relatives under Communist control in China seems like an even more daunting and impossible task.
The story of Fa Mu Lan is a major contrast to Maxine’s reality. By the end of the chapter, Maxine knows that her words are her weapons, similar to Fa Mu Lan, whose back was scarred with words of “revenge”. Both of these figures have been burdened by words, also. The only way for Maxine to use her words as weapons, is through her own effort and will. This can be seen as a parallel to Fa Mu Lan and her magical sky sword, which she had to command through her own will power.
The only things that seem to be holding Maxine back are the Chinese traditions of how women should act and behave. These Chinese traditions are bound to her, even though she is living in America. Like she says, “Even now China wraps double binds around my feet.” (p.48) Once Maxine finds her will and inner strength, she can break through these binds and break through the Chinese traditions which constantly burden her.
The biggest overlying theme for this section of The Woman Warrior is that of the roles and traditions of Chinese women. The first page of this reading begins with Maxine explaining how Chinese girls would listen to the adults talk story all the time. A lot of the things they heard while listening, were the standards of Chinese women. Women were considered to be a failure if they didn’t grow up to be something special; being “wives or slaves” was not good enough in their culture. What I understood from this chapter, was that having a daughter in China, was not held as highly as having a son. They liked men, for they believed they created a stronger work force and more warriors who could fight. People of that culture traditionally saw women as weak and useless. Chinese women heroines were known as swordswomen. These swordswomen always got even with the enemies of her family.
Maxine speaks of how she grew up hearing stories about swordswomen from her culture, namely Fa Mu Lan. Maxine, with her great imagination, tells the story of Fa Mu Lan, from Fa Mu Lan’s perspective.
Fa Mu Lan was a Chinese girl, whom at the age of 7 followed a bird up into the mountains, where she met an old couple who wanted to train her to become a warrior. For an extensive 15 years, Fa Mu Lan lived in the mountains away from her home and family, fasting for days, and learning how to use the magical “sky sword.” When Fa Mu Lan turned 22, the old couple allowed her to return to her village, to take the place of her father in the war. Willingly she took on this duty, traveling on a white horse into war with words of revenge scarred into her back and an army of sons following behind her. She won many battles, and was re-united with her husband, a childhood friend. During that time, she became pregnant. After delivering the child, she sent her husband back to the village with her son. In her last act of revenge, she beheaded the baron whom took away all the sons of her village.
Fa Mu Lan is an interesting portrayal of a Chinese woman, for she deals both with traditional and warrior ways. Even after all her training in the mountain, she is still a woman, a wife, and a mother. At the same time, she can kill armies of people like no one else. When she led her army, she let them believe she was a man, for as she said, “Chinese executed woman who disguised themselves as soldiers or students, no matter how bravely they fought or how high they scored on the examinations.” Chinese traditions and rules were very strict, it seems.
After Maxine finishes her story of Fa Mu Lan, the focus switches to her life in America. She speaks of how no matter what she does, nothing pleases her family, and mentions the example of straight A’s. They only see her as a disappointment, never living up to their expectations. And her life isn’t made any easier by the comments that she hears from all the Chinese immigrant villagers, such as, “Feeding girls is feeding cowbirds,” “There’s no profit in raising girls. Better to raise geese than girls,” and “I would hit her if she was mine. But then there’s no use wasting all that discipline on a girl. When you raise girls, you’re raising children for strangers.” She describes how people would shake their heads when they saw her and her sister, and how whenever her Great-Uncle would take her brothers shopping, she would not be allowed to come because she was a girl. Maxine was not given as many privileges as her brothers. Even when she grew up and went to Berkeley, she received no warm welcome on her return home. Thus, she takes a stand against these unreasonable Chinese traditions, by acting as a contumacious Chinese girl who refuses to take part in roles such as washing dishes or cooking food.
Maxine wishes that a bird would come to her as one did to Fa Mu Lan, and lead her away from her life, so that she may become a swordswoman. She tries to do good things, but can’t even accomplish them. For example, her attempt to stand up to her racist manager had only gotten her fired. Therefore, dealing with her dying relatives under Communist control in China seems like an even more daunting and impossible task.
The story of Fa Mu Lan is a major contrast to Maxine’s reality. By the end of the chapter, Maxine knows that her words are her weapons, similar to Fa Mu Lan, whose back was scarred with words of “revenge”. Both of these figures have been burdened by words, also. The only way for Maxine to use her words as weapons, is through her own effort and will. This can be seen as a parallel to Fa Mu Lan and her magical sky sword, which she had to command through her own will power.
The only things that seem to be holding Maxine back are the Chinese traditions of how women should act and behave. These Chinese traditions are bound to her, even though she is living in America. Like she says, “Even now China wraps double binds around my feet.” (p.48) Once Maxine finds her will and inner strength, she can break through these binds and break through the Chinese traditions which constantly burden her.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
A Fictional Hero
Our homework is to write about someone whom we think is a hero. I chose to write about a fictional character, because I am tired of writing the same old "my mom/dad is my biggest hero because..." I wouldn't say that the character I am writing about is someone I look up to constantly, because he isn't real. But I do think that he has qualities that a good hero would have, and that is why I chose to write about Clark Kent, aka Superman.
Clark Kent, played by Tom Welling, is the main character on the television show, Smallville. Smallville is all about the history of Clark Kent, before he actually becomes the all-famous and legendary superman. In the series, Clark is just another resident of the small town Smallville, who happens to have superhuman abilities. Admirable values he has include: bravery, integrity, determination, and selflessness. He saves the world from evil daily, doesn't crumble in the face of danger, and sacrifices himself for the good of others, while still dealing with the normal events in the life of a highschool teenager.
The show is all about Clark's growth as he becomes a superhero. What I admire about him, is that he doesn't do all these good deeds for the glory, infact, he tries to keep his superpowers a secret. His intentions are honorable. He uses his powers for good, and doesn't waste them. In my opinion, I think that everyone should use the talents they have been given, because they are great gifts. And what good are your talents if you don't shared them with others? Also, Clark's actions prove that even though your life my seem overwhelming at times, you can get through it. You should never give up. Just think of what Clark has to deal with: saving lives and studying for exams. (Yes, again, I realize he is a fictional character, but anything is possible.) Clark Kent can be a model for how we can live our lives.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Parts of Maxine Revealed
When Maxine describes her aunt in the first chapter of The Woman Warrior, parts of herself are revealed through interpretation. The following are two quotes I took from the text, which reveal parts of Maxine's character.
1. "She looked at a man because she liked the way the hair was tucked behind his ears, or she liked the question mark line of a long torso, curving at the shoulder and straight at the hip. For warm eyes or a soft voice...that's all...she gave up family. She offered us up for a charm that vanished with tiredness. "Why, the wrong lighting could erase the dearest thing about him." (Pg.8)
-My interpretation of this quote is that Maxine feels her aunt was foolish and wrong in choosing this man over her family. Maxine sees a "good looking man" as temporary. It sounds as if Maxine does not like the kind of women who judge men based solely on appearance. She thinks that is an unreliable way to judge someone. Maxine is saying that she would have acted differently. She holds her family above men.
2. "But since a woman combing her hair hexes beginnings, my aunt rarely found an occasion to look her best. Women looked like great sea snails- the corded wood, babies, and laundry they carried were the whorls on their backs." (pg.10)
-I think it sounds like Maxine has an appreciation for what is beautiful. She is a teenage girl, and cares about things like clothing and appearance. She explains what she finds unattractive, "women looked like great sea snails..." Also, she says that her aunt "rarely found an occasion to look her best," but maybe this is how she feels about herself.
1. "She looked at a man because she liked the way the hair was tucked behind his ears, or she liked the question mark line of a long torso, curving at the shoulder and straight at the hip. For warm eyes or a soft voice...that's all...she gave up family. She offered us up for a charm that vanished with tiredness. "Why, the wrong lighting could erase the dearest thing about him." (Pg.8)
-My interpretation of this quote is that Maxine feels her aunt was foolish and wrong in choosing this man over her family. Maxine sees a "good looking man" as temporary. It sounds as if Maxine does not like the kind of women who judge men based solely on appearance. She thinks that is an unreliable way to judge someone. Maxine is saying that she would have acted differently. She holds her family above men.
2. "But since a woman combing her hair hexes beginnings, my aunt rarely found an occasion to look her best. Women looked like great sea snails- the corded wood, babies, and laundry they carried were the whorls on their backs." (pg.10)
-I think it sounds like Maxine has an appreciation for what is beautiful. She is a teenage girl, and cares about things like clothing and appearance. She explains what she finds unattractive, "women looked like great sea snails..." Also, she says that her aunt "rarely found an occasion to look her best," but maybe this is how she feels about herself.
Methods of Characterization
Here are the methods of characterization for Annie, in my story:
Appearance
-Wearing a pearl necklace
-14 years old
-Bags under her eyes from not much sleep, maybe stress
Inner thoughts and feelings
-I want to go shopping and have my friends buy me presents
-I don't know why my parents are fighting, I hope they don't get a divorce
Environment
-Unstable household with fighting parents
-house under-construction
What they say
-"I really want this."
-"Let's go"
-My parents have been fighting a lot lately.
What others say
-"I don't know her all that well anyways."
-"...it's not like we're that good of friends..."
-She got a ton of cash from her parents
-Half of me believed what she had wrote, but the other half wasn't sure if she was just making everything up.
Actions
-Icily brushing past us in the store
-ditching us in Longs
-Leaving us at her birthday party without explanation
-Emailing an apology
Appearance
-Wearing a pearl necklace
-14 years old
-Bags under her eyes from not much sleep, maybe stress
Inner thoughts and feelings
-I want to go shopping and have my friends buy me presents
-I don't know why my parents are fighting, I hope they don't get a divorce
Environment
-Unstable household with fighting parents
-house under-construction
What they say
-"I really want this."
-"Let's go"
-My parents have been fighting a lot lately.
What others say
-"I don't know her all that well anyways."
-"...it's not like we're that good of friends..."
-She got a ton of cash from her parents
-Half of me believed what she had wrote, but the other half wasn't sure if she was just making everything up.
Actions
-Icily brushing past us in the store
-ditching us in Longs
-Leaving us at her birthday party without explanation
-Emailing an apology
Story #2
"So when and where is her party going to be?” I asked my friends, Kelli and Leah, as we walked to PE. We had all been invited to the birthday party of our friend, Annie.
"Actually,” said Kelli. “We are going to meet at my house Saturday, and then my mom is going to drive us to the mall.”
"Why your house?” I asked, thinking that this was a little weird.
“She said her house is under construction, so like, we can’t really hang out there.”
“Oh, I see.” Kelli was one of the nicest girls I knew, and so lending her home to another girl was just another act of generosity on Kelli’s behalf.
“Yeah,” Kelli continued. “Then my mom will take and pick us up from the mall.”
“That reminds me,” said Leah. “What are you going to give her?”
I thought about this for a second, and then replied, “I think I’ll probably make her something, earrings or whatever. I don’t want to spend a lot because I’m basically broke, and I don’t know her all that well anyways.”
“Ahuh…” Leah said quietly. “Because you know, I think she’s planning for us to buy her things when we go shopping. I was texting her, and she said 'Yay, we can go shopping, and you guys can buy me presents!'”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think I am going to. I mean, it’s not like we’re that good of friends or anything.”
“Hm,” I said. “Well, I guess we’ll just wait and see what happens.”
**********************************************************************************
It was Saturday morning, and I was riding in the car to Kelli’s house, for Annie’s birthday. My mom told me to call Annie to see where they were, but when I did, I got no answer. I had never been to Kelli’s house before, so when we got there, my mom waited in the car while I ran up to the front door to check the house. On the beautiful white, double-doors, there was yellow post-it that read:
Caitlin,
Left for Alamoana. Call us. 273-3345
I jumped back into the car, and my mom took me to Alamoana. *BZZZ* My phone vibrated in my hands. “Hey Leah,” I answered. Leah was calling from American Eagle, and from the way she was talking, I could tell that things were a little off. She said that Annie was in the dressing room, and Kelli and she were waiting outside.
“I think she expects us to buy her whatever she chooses.”
“Oh, ok.” Great, I thought. “I’m coming now.”
When I got to American Eagle, I found Annie with an armload of clothes facing off Leah and Kelli, like they were on opposite sides of a battle field, and the tension in the air seemed to smother any happy mood. Annie was wearing a strand of pearls (a birthday present), and there were bags under her eyes on her pale face. After some silence, Annie left to wait in line. While she was gone, Leah and Kelli filled me in. The other girls Annie had invited couldn’t come at the last minute. They apologized for leaving the house without me, but said that Annie had not wanted to wait. They also told me that Annie had gotten a ton of cash from her parents, and could easily afford whatever she wanted to buy.
Annie rejoined us with a shopping bag on her arm, and icily brushed past us, mumbling, “Let’s go.” Reluctantly we followed.
The next half hour didn’t get any better. Kelli tried to talk to Annie, but couldn’t get anything out of her, and Annie definitely wasn’t talking to Leah or me. Before we knew it, Annie was on her phone, told us her mom was picking her up, and rushed into Longs, losing us in the throngs of people. We couldn’t find her. For a while, we were shocked at what had just happened.
Kelli and I called our moms to let them know what had just happened, and they were shocked as well. Kelli’s mom picked us up a little while later. The three of us spent the rest of the day trying on clothes, baking cookies, and watching movies at Kelli’s house, trying to forget what had happened.
When I got home, I emailed Annie and asked her how she was. The next day, Kelli, Leah, and I received emails from Annie. In her email, she apologized for ditching us, and explained how her parents had been fighting a lot recently. Half of me believed her, but the other half wasn’t sure if she was just making up an excuse. Either way though, I learned that I don’t always know what is going on in someone else’s head or life. And even though it is easy to make judgments about others, these judgments aren’t always reliable or fair. The only way to understand someone else is to take a walk around in their shoes and look at things from their perspective. We are all different, and sometimes, things going on inside of us, cannot be seen from the outside.
"Actually,” said Kelli. “We are going to meet at my house Saturday, and then my mom is going to drive us to the mall.”
"Why your house?” I asked, thinking that this was a little weird.
“She said her house is under construction, so like, we can’t really hang out there.”
“Oh, I see.” Kelli was one of the nicest girls I knew, and so lending her home to another girl was just another act of generosity on Kelli’s behalf.
“Yeah,” Kelli continued. “Then my mom will take and pick us up from the mall.”
“That reminds me,” said Leah. “What are you going to give her?”
I thought about this for a second, and then replied, “I think I’ll probably make her something, earrings or whatever. I don’t want to spend a lot because I’m basically broke, and I don’t know her all that well anyways.”
“Ahuh…” Leah said quietly. “Because you know, I think she’s planning for us to buy her things when we go shopping. I was texting her, and she said 'Yay, we can go shopping, and you guys can buy me presents!'”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think I am going to. I mean, it’s not like we’re that good of friends or anything.”
“Hm,” I said. “Well, I guess we’ll just wait and see what happens.”
**********************************************************************************
It was Saturday morning, and I was riding in the car to Kelli’s house, for Annie’s birthday. My mom told me to call Annie to see where they were, but when I did, I got no answer. I had never been to Kelli’s house before, so when we got there, my mom waited in the car while I ran up to the front door to check the house. On the beautiful white, double-doors, there was yellow post-it that read:
Caitlin,
Left for Alamoana. Call us. 273-3345
I jumped back into the car, and my mom took me to Alamoana. *BZZZ* My phone vibrated in my hands. “Hey Leah,” I answered. Leah was calling from American Eagle, and from the way she was talking, I could tell that things were a little off. She said that Annie was in the dressing room, and Kelli and she were waiting outside.
“I think she expects us to buy her whatever she chooses.”
“Oh, ok.” Great, I thought. “I’m coming now.”
When I got to American Eagle, I found Annie with an armload of clothes facing off Leah and Kelli, like they were on opposite sides of a battle field, and the tension in the air seemed to smother any happy mood. Annie was wearing a strand of pearls (a birthday present), and there were bags under her eyes on her pale face. After some silence, Annie left to wait in line. While she was gone, Leah and Kelli filled me in. The other girls Annie had invited couldn’t come at the last minute. They apologized for leaving the house without me, but said that Annie had not wanted to wait. They also told me that Annie had gotten a ton of cash from her parents, and could easily afford whatever she wanted to buy.
Annie rejoined us with a shopping bag on her arm, and icily brushed past us, mumbling, “Let’s go.” Reluctantly we followed.
The next half hour didn’t get any better. Kelli tried to talk to Annie, but couldn’t get anything out of her, and Annie definitely wasn’t talking to Leah or me. Before we knew it, Annie was on her phone, told us her mom was picking her up, and rushed into Longs, losing us in the throngs of people. We couldn’t find her. For a while, we were shocked at what had just happened.
Kelli and I called our moms to let them know what had just happened, and they were shocked as well. Kelli’s mom picked us up a little while later. The three of us spent the rest of the day trying on clothes, baking cookies, and watching movies at Kelli’s house, trying to forget what had happened.
When I got home, I emailed Annie and asked her how she was. The next day, Kelli, Leah, and I received emails from Annie. In her email, she apologized for ditching us, and explained how her parents had been fighting a lot recently. Half of me believed her, but the other half wasn’t sure if she was just making up an excuse. Either way though, I learned that I don’t always know what is going on in someone else’s head or life. And even though it is easy to make judgments about others, these judgments aren’t always reliable or fair. The only way to understand someone else is to take a walk around in their shoes and look at things from their perspective. We are all different, and sometimes, things going on inside of us, cannot be seen from the outside.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Family Story
"Listening to parents' advice is sort of like watching commercials. You know what's coming, you've heard it all before, it's a big bore, but you listen anyways. (Or should...) "-Unknown
One of my hobbies is golfing. My dad's side of the family has always enjoyed the game, and that is how I was introduced to it. One boring afternoon, I decided to practice my chipping in the backyard. In the game of golf, a chip is normally for short distances onto the green, and so I assumed that I had plenty of space to practice outside in the yard. As usual, when I went outside, my mom told me to use the plastic golf balls instead of the real ones, because they were lighter and less prone to any sort of "accidents." I acknowledged her advice with a quick mumble.
Outside, I searched through our blue bucket of balls, but only found three plastic, aka woofle balls. I knew I would need more, and therefore grabbed a couple real golf balls also.
I warmed up, positioned near one end of the yard, facing our red, and peeling wooden play structure, and what we call "the clubhouse," built by my dad. More accurately though, it is my sisters playroom, full of all her toys. It is complete with sliding glass doors, laminate flooring, and a cute little porch. I think he did a pretty good job, for having no previous building experience.
After hitting my first few balls, I went to collect them, but only found three, and none of them were the plastic kind, which must have disappeared into the bushes. Despite that, I set up my stance, and swung at the next ball, a little harder than I had intended to. *CRASH* Millions of tiny shards of glass fell from the clubhouse window. 'Oh boy,' I thought. I went to inspect the damage, and found a nice sized hole in the window. The worst part though, happened inside the house: all of my sister's toys were littered with glass. (I must say though, it was a pretty nice shot, it went straight and everything.)
I had to tell my parents, of course, because a mess that big could not be hidden. My mom and dad were very angry, and I spent the rest of the day cleaning off every individual barbie doll and tea cup. Lucky for me, that was as far as the punishment went.
That day, I suppose I learned that I should pay more attention to my parents' advice. And I guess I can say that I do, kind of. Now whenever I practice outside, I face the other direction: towards the stone wall, only 1 1/2 yds tall, that separates the beautifully windowed house of my neighbors, and my golf balls.
...On the other hand, maybe my mom's advice still hasn't hit home.
A Quote:
I guess that makes me 50% wise, 50% stupid. :)
Monday, February 12, 2007
No Name Woman: 2 Quotes
The following are two quotes that I chose from the first chapter of The Woman Warrior.
"Whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one, a story to grow up on."
This quote shows how Maxine realizes that the story her mother told her had an ulterior motive. The only reason her mother shared the secret was to prevent the same thing that happened to the aunt, from happening to Maxine. One thing you can infer about Maxine's mother, is that she is not very straightforward. Unlike Maxine, she is not blunt in what she says or does. I suppose that the mother does not feel comfortable out right telling Maxine what, or what not to do. She uses the story as a way of communicating to her daughter, making her point in a less conventional and confrontational method.
"She will add nothing unless powered by Necessity, a riverbank that guides her life."
In this quote, Maxine narrates and describes her mother. What I learned from this quote, is that Maxine's mother does not like to do more than is needed of her. She does not like to give excess information, and only shares what she believes is important. This is frustrating for Maxine, who is hungry for more information about her aunt, but who knows that her mother will never tell her more. Her mother accomplished what she wanted to do, and that was to frighten Maxine so that she would not make a dumb decision and become like her aunt. With that mission completed, Maxine's mother was already finished with the conversation, and did not want to speak of it again. (A question I had, was, 'Why was "Necessity" capitalized in this quote???)
Bibliography: Kingston, Maxine H. The Woman Warrior. Vintage International ed. New York: Random House, Inc., 1989. 5-6.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Moodle: Pros and Cons
In small group discussions, we talked about the things we liked and didn't like about Moodle: the online database where we started before coming to bloggerspot.
Likes
Likes
- You can send messages to friends, communicate.
- Saves paper
- Safe environment
Dislikes
- No alerts for messages
- Slow wiki boards
- teacher tracking
What we wish it could do
- Go faster
- be more colorful and personalized
- connect people from all over the world, so that we could talk to a wider circle of people
- Play music
Creative ways to use it
- Messaging
- Sharing information on the boards
- community editting
Lost Sister Quote and Interpretation
In class the other day, we were given a “quiz”. We had to pick one quote from the poem, Lost Sister, and then explain what the poem says about how one defines oneself.
The quote I picked from Lost Sister was this:
“You find you need China:
Your one fragile identification,
A Jade link
Handcuffed to your wrist.”
I think that this quote is important because it implies that part of what defines you, is where you come from. For the Chinese, Jade is a highly prized stone. All first born daughters receive the same name, Jade. In the above quote, the jade link represents China, where Jade, the main character, had been born. The bracelet serves as a reminder of where she came from. The use of the word “handcuffed,” shows that it is irremovable, and that Jade hadn’t chosen it for herself; it was given to her and she had no say in the matter.
A person can never shake off where they come from, or forget home. Your home makes you part of who you are. You don’t get to choose where you come from, but regardless of whether or not you like the place, you are stuck with it. To detach that piece from yourself would be like breaking a piece off a completed puzzle. It would leave an empty space, and the puzzle uncompleted and unfinished. After Jade rebelled, and left her home in China for America, she suffered from feelings of loneliness. Jade realized that she needed China, her home.
This poem’s message is that where you come from, defines yourself. A person born in Antarctica would develop differently than someone living in Africa. They would have different traditions, morals, habits, and even physical appearances. The culture in which we grow up, affects us more than we realize, in more ways than one.
The quote I picked from Lost Sister was this:
“You find you need China:
Your one fragile identification,
A Jade link
Handcuffed to your wrist.”
I think that this quote is important because it implies that part of what defines you, is where you come from. For the Chinese, Jade is a highly prized stone. All first born daughters receive the same name, Jade. In the above quote, the jade link represents China, where Jade, the main character, had been born. The bracelet serves as a reminder of where she came from. The use of the word “handcuffed,” shows that it is irremovable, and that Jade hadn’t chosen it for herself; it was given to her and she had no say in the matter.
A person can never shake off where they come from, or forget home. Your home makes you part of who you are. You don’t get to choose where you come from, but regardless of whether or not you like the place, you are stuck with it. To detach that piece from yourself would be like breaking a piece off a completed puzzle. It would leave an empty space, and the puzzle uncompleted and unfinished. After Jade rebelled, and left her home in China for America, she suffered from feelings of loneliness. Jade realized that she needed China, her home.
This poem’s message is that where you come from, defines yourself. A person born in Antarctica would develop differently than someone living in Africa. They would have different traditions, morals, habits, and even physical appearances. The culture in which we grow up, affects us more than we realize, in more ways than one.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Intro To My Blog
Hey, my name's Caitlin. In my Freshmen English class, we each have to create our own blog, and here's mine. Looks boring now, I know, but hopefully it will soon turn into a webpage that reflects me and my thoughts. Thanks for the visit. :]
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