Response Post: Deja Vu : My Past

The past is very important to me, and I would look back at it from time to time. This was a quote that Grizzell found in Kristine's blog:

"I was never interested in my past before, but something recently sparked my brain into having these dreams. Now, I really want to know who I am. These dreams were derived from seeing just one thing recently, but I didn't recognize what. I passed by too many things from day to day and I didn't have the time or energy to recall these things.”

And this was the Grizzell's response:

"I can relate to this quote because sometimes I see, hear, and smell things that sometimes give me a memory of my past or sometimes deja vu."

     At times when I walk around the streets, the things I see would remind me about my childhood. The things I see recall many memories; sad ones and happy ones. My childhood times was the most happiest moments of my life where my mind was more free and open. As I grew up, I seem to forget who I have grown out from. I was once a seed that was curious about everything, and now I am slowly realizing how much I have changed.

     By exploring around you, you might notice something from your childhood. I certainly have lots of flashbacks from my childhood. I am surprised how the past have such an impact on me. I have forgotten about it and memories are starting to disappear slowly. There are things that would remind me of the past that I would like to forget, but nothing can be erased. I could only move on and look at the bright side of things. I have grew up from my past, and experienced lots of things. If it wasn't for the mistake I have gone through and the unhappy events that happened, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

     At times, I think that having deja vu's are a good thing, they happen all the time, but you might not notice. They can happen from a dream or somewhere in your past. I wish I could remember every piece to the puzzle of my life and the things that lead up to who I am. Maybe I will be able to trail all the pieces back together from a kindergartner to a 15 year old teenager.

Speak: Withhold The Truth

     In the discussion we had in class, we discussed some great changes that Melinda has gone through. She is slowly standing up for herself a step at a time. We talked about how her inner self have soon come out and that she has become more confident with herself. She then starts to care for her friend Rachel and shares the story with her about the night she got raped. Melinda starts out as a girl that wasn't able to stand up for herself and gradually changed back and learned to go beyond her past.

     We talked about how Melinda was brave enough to stand up for her own beliefs. She says, "I am willing to stand up for what I believe. No one should be forces to give speeches. I choose to stay silent." (Anderson 156). We though that at this moment, she has started to be more confident. Even though she didn't speak up, this was the first step to speaking up. David then says to her that she can't make a difference when she can't speak up for herself. I agree with David and her statement and we discussed that when you don't speak up, you won't be able to win. To gain your rights, you have to let your voice out and lets others know. This is something that Melinda is still missing.

     As we keep discussing, we talk about her relationships with Rachel. We discussed how Melinda wants to protect Rachel to the upcoming events with Andy. Melinda doesn't want Rachel to be like her and get raped without knowing what to do afterwords. Melinda develops a second personality that tells her whether she should help her ex-friend Rachel or just let her be. I think that her real personality has come up. We talked about how Rachel was the first one she told her story to. This determines how important Melinda think of Rachel and that even though Rachel isn't her friend anymore, she doesn't want her to go through a time of silence.

     We also talked about how Melinda's paintings represent her life and the trees that she draws. One day, Mr.Freeman would say that her tree is ordinary and average and tells her that nothing is perfect. Well we thought that Mr.Freeman was trying to tell Melinda that she is more than a ordinary girl and she could do much more than what is beneath her. He wants her to show her true personality out and think that she is much better than what she thinks she is; expressing herself. We also talked about how she has learned to cover up her mistakes and move on. This is when she realized that her past in not important anymore and she will start a new life and start over again.

     There are lots of topics that we discusses about, and there is too much to write in just one blog. I think that this book really spoke up to me and I had a wonderful time reading it.

Response Post: Technology...Good or Bad?

 As technology struck our minds in this period of time, Crystal's blog discusses about how technology has controlled our minds:

" In the modern society were technology is commonplace and accessible, many of our decisions are based off of what computers tell us... Not only are our identities created for computers but the extent to which we depend upon technology truly illustrates how much of our lives are dedicated to the use of technology. How many hours a day do people stay glued to facebook, twitter, and other electronics such as their music players, TVs, or video game consoles. In a way, many people are trapped by the existence of these things and live most of their life simply for these items."

     I think that Crystal's point towards technology is how it has manipulated our minds about how society is created. In our society now, we are often controlled from technology and what it tells us to do. Even our own decisions are based out of what they tell us to do. Such as the TV, when there is a commercial, we will be often listen to what they tell us to do, and buy whatever they might be selling. The point of technology is to make us buy stuff and use our money. Even electronics are made to break easier that before so that we will need to spend more money and by a new one. Our society is shaped towards the amount of money they can earn by luring in people to buy their item.

     As of our everyday use of technology, it has really changed a lot looking back at history. Life is more easier now and we don't have to do much to get what we need, which explain all the free time that we have to sit on the couch and watch tv or sit in front of the computer. In the past, people will be really tired by the end of the day and all they would think about is sleep. Look how society has turned us into. If we were to be shut down from technology at this moment, we will be all scared and trapped about what they should should do next. Technology has created a lot of out own decisions. During the black out the happened, we were all scared and that with out electricity, it stops us from going on in life. In the past, the dark wasn't much big of a deal because it happens all the time, they would not complain about it and just move on to their normal activities, as of us we would be complaining and wondering when the lights will be back on. The advancement of technology is a good thing, but we have to learn to depend on ourselves at some times too and not always think technology can do everything for us.

Speak: Sybolism

     During our group discussion that happened a few days ago, we discussed about friendship. We talked about how important friendship it is and how it can lead to many changes upon our feelings. Her parents support is partly the cause of Melinda's struggles and how they don't care much about her feelings. The struggles that Melinda is going through might be the disappointments in life and the unhappy things that she is not able to look past. We also talked about the importance of symbolism and how it can show how Melinda is thinking.

     In the point where Heather doesn't want to be Melinda's friend anymore. We though that this has a lot of impact on Melinda herself. Heather might have another reason to break up with Melinda and we think that Heather still wants to be Melinda's friend in the inside, but in her heart, she want to fit in with the Marthas. Heather would stick a note in Melinda's locker saying, "Thanks for understanding" and give back a gift that she received. This symbolizes that Heather doesn't want to leave Melinda and make her feel regret.  She gives back a present that she has received from Melinda, so that she could make a new friends that was more better than her. Heather doesn't want Melinda to be trapped within her and she wants her to move on. In the leaving of Heather, Melinda has finally realized how important friendship is and the need of having someone to talk to and and for support. In the beginning she would think of friendship as a accessory that she could throw out, but now she feels like one of them that has been throw out. In that moment she has learned that friendship is all about care and that she will appreciate the meaning of friendship.

     We then talked about the importance of art and the meaning behind pictures and images. We thought that Melinda can express her feelings toward her paintings. Even though as might she can not describe the meaning of the picture that she has creates, Mr. Freeman is able to tell the meaning back to her and it is as she has imagined. At times, Melinda would see a image of happiness in her mind that she might want to draw, we think that she want to look towards the place where she might be able to fit in with the crowd. It can say that she has learned to put little bits of pieces of her past away and look toward the road ahead. The past can never be changed and that for the mistakes that you make, you can never change it, Melinda has learned to think this way and learning to accept them and create a new future.

The Meaning Behind the Words: First Speak Book Post

     Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson  is about this girl named Melinda. She entered school as a outcast, and doesn't have much friends. All the rest of her friends have left her, joining different groups, leaving her all alone. She doesn't speak up much and hides her thoughts to herself, as the best way to not get involved in more trouble. The title of this book really interprets the meanings to this book. This book is called Speak mainly because that is what Melinda needs to obtain. The ability to speak up for herself and be more social around others. The ability to speak is as the means to having the ability to protect herself from harm.
   
     In our discussion, we discussed about the importance of the art class. We talked about how art is were she could really express herself and her thoughts out. We also notice that art in the only class she has a A in. I think that it means that she feels like home when entering art class. Art is when she doesn't have to speak up, but just draw. She gets assigned to draw a 'tree'. She job is to express what it is and express its true attentions and feelings as you look at the painting. The teacher also said that this word 'tree' will guild you through your future. As we discussed more about the meaning of the tree, we thought that the branches represent the experiences that she builds up and the life struggles that she goes through. And as the branches and the tree grow, it would grave toward the more brighter to her goals. Since in art class, she keeps drawing different trees, it represent the changes that is happening in her life and her affections. The tree and art class has a lot of meaning towards her high school life.

      There are lots of questions that needed to be answered which are still unknown. The question to why she doesn't speak much. We think that the reason she doesn't speak is because we think that in the past when she spoke up for herself, something really bad happened. And from that incident, it always leads her back to those memories, leaving her quiet.

     We also talked about how Melinda want to treat her friends as objects, as something that she could throw away when she doesn't need them. We thought that this is not her true intentions, and we could identify that she really wants someone who she could really trust and talk to. Her friend such as Heather, has a big influence to her days back them. I noticed that she would look back to Heather as what she used to be like. She is upset at herself as she goes through all these changes and always filled her mind with negative words. I think that Heather will be able to change Melinda's future and change her back to her original self.


    

Response Post: I am an Artist

     I have learned a lot about art and I think that art can be created by everyone. In Tram's Blog, she talks about how she can't draw good and all her drawing always looks the same:

"I think it is a matter of creativity and acceptance. I always draw the same thing when i try to create a picture. In every drawing of a tree the tree would have a trunk and a green puff on top. My people would have a circle and a couple of lines here and there for the bodies. and my flowers always had five petals. Then on my final products, I could not accept that is looks the way it does. I could not stand that it looked crooked or it looked lopsided. I guess I like the things I draw to look realistic or maybe I was just a control freak"

    I think that art is not meant to be perfect, not everyone draws the same. We all have our own image of what we want to draw out. We might always draw the same thing over and over again, but that doesn't mean that you should change it. Improvements take a long time, and you just need patience in life. Nothing needs to be rushed, just like art. Great artists like Micheal Angelo, Pablo Picasso, and etc, were not born artists'. It all takes practice and time.

     I think that art is really great. It can show lots of meaning without the use of words. Art can tell a story in just the words that are painted in, with the colors and each stroke needed to make a art piece. There is a variety of arts in the world, all created from everyone. Every piece is different and each one has a special meaning to it. If we all drew the same thing, art would be very boring because you are seeing the same thing all the time. What makes art great is that the changes we create and the ways we draw things are the beginning of a new creation.

     I don't think that people should be upset about their drawings. When at least you tried to create an artwork with your best effort, I think that is the most important thing. I personally do not draw good, I also think that I need improvement in my art work, but I am slowly working down that road. There is nothing really to rush about. Drawing is not meant to make you look down on yourself, but sharing your feelings and thoughts out on a paper.

Reflective Essay: The Garcia Girls

     The cover of a book cannot determine its true meaning and the story inside. The book, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. This book is very mysterious and the plot is often unclear. Looking at the cover of the page, you will probably think that this is a easy book to understand, but as you flip through every page, the story will become unclear, and your mind will start getting puzzled. This book can be understandable through concentration and imagination of the stories. Julia Alvarez's writing style shapes her story along as she incorporates symbolism.

     Julia Alvarez writes her story in chronological order from the present to the part. This is the part that makes her story very confusing to understand and you will never know what comes next in the story. The first vignette does not reveal what happens in the story, so you need to read further to discover the Alvarez's purpose. You can't really predict what happens in the next part, which is kind of tricky. If you finish reading a vignette, you will need to go back and relate the parts back from the last vignette and then the meaning comes alive. This book is written very creatively and her use of reverse chronological order makes readers confused most of the time, but I think her purpose is that a book is not only to be read once. Alvarez wants us to read closely and understand what she is trying to tell the reader.

     This book has weaknesses which makes the reader confused most of the time. The fact that it is written in chronological order is a weakness of this book because this leads off to many assumptions, and it surely made me quite confused. Another weakness about this book is about how she addresses the characters. The nicknames of the characters makes it confusing about who she is talking about and names for the characters often change and you will need to know each person's real name and their nicknames to not get confused. For example Yolanda is addressed as Yoyo in this passage, "This was Yoyo's time to herself, after she finished her homework, while her sisters were still downstairs watching TV in the basement," (Alvarez 136). Yolanda's name is written as Yoyo and you might get confused with who Yoyo is if you don't know their nickname. The abundance of characters in the book also makes it extremely confusing because it is usually not constant and it will change to another point of view without noticing. Other than the challenges that makes the book confusing, there is also good points to her writing.

     Alvarez uses symbolism a lot to explain her purpose of the essay. Symbolism is used as you read along each story and it is up to you what you think that really means. When she uses symbolism in the beginning of her essay, for example the guavas that she craves for, "Yolanda keeps an eye out for guavas. Piled high on wooden stands are fruits Yolanda hasn't seen in years: pinkish-yellow mangoes, and tamarind pods oozing their rich sap, and small cashew fruits strung on a rope to keep them from bruising each other," (Alvarez 13). When at first when you read this, you might not think that guavas represent anything, nor the other foods that she saw, but as you read further on the meaning will start to come up. Guavas are used to represent her home in the Dominican Republic. She left her home when she was little and she is starting to forget the place that she grew up as a little kid. The guavas are used to help her remember the past and the days that she had spent in her home; to help her recover her memories as they are fading away. The other food that she sees around her represent the foods that she has not seen for such long time as she has spent her times in America that her taste of them is starting to come back. Such a small things as Guavas would have so much meaning and by examining the parts that build up each part, it will become more understandable.

     Each and every part of this book has a purpose to it, and each story adds onto a time-line that connects each story together. Each of them has a connection to each other and because it is written in reverse chronological order, this is more challenging to understand. Don't look down on this book just because it is written in chronological order because it is not as easy to understand as you think it might be because the stories skip around going backwards. Julia Alvarez wants the reader to read this book over and over again. This book is not meant to be read once and this is probably her point in writing the book in reverse chronological order. She wants you to connect the events together when you read this book again because then you will know what happens and which vignette lead to this plot or problem.

     This book is mostly about the four daughters and how they grew up as adults in the American society and adjusting to their surroundings. I thought that they each had many struggles when they moves on and each of them lives a different life. The outcomes of their struggles in America often relate to how they grew up as kids and their lack of experience in the world outside. Each of the girls path is different and each of them has a story to tell you; this is for you to find out.

     For me the themes for this book include innocence, sexuality, and the dominance of men. The girls innocence in society often leaves them to be innocent about the culture and the people around them. As kids, they were not told about such things about society, so they often struggle through problems with their relationships with men. For this book, I also noticed that the men takes a lot of control over the women and the period of the story is still in the past, where women is still struggling to stand up for themselves. The daughter's dad will have a lot of control over the family and the daughters actions of what is right and wrong. There are lots of themes to be unraveled in this story, and it is for you to find out the rest.

     This is a really great story when you understand Julia Alvarez's true intentions that she lead us up to. The story of four girls and their story line from the Dominican Republic to the American culture.