Throughout the beginning of the story, I was often confused, as to how one could recall the day they found out that they were colored, or why she was paid to sing and dance, or as to who Zora really was. I wasn’t really a fan of the story, but then it just clicked.
I absolutely love her perspective of the past of her people and the future ahead. Hurston accepts what has happened to her people, and even her grandparents, but also realizes that because since they endured this they paved the way for a better life for her, and she certainly won’t let that get away from her. She says that no one has a greater chance for glory, and she is at the center of a national stage and she will conquer all (figuratively of course, not the world and its entire people.) Even though she says that the man is “so pale with his whiteness”, which I can absolutely relate to, that’s not quite what I love about this story.
“Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can they deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.” That, right there, is why, I love this. Not only does it confront the ugly truth, that there will always be discrimination, but Hurston puts a comedic light on it and realizes that it is not her fault. Basically she says “I’m absolutely wonderful, and if you don’t see that, well, that sucks for you.” It just makes sense.
After that, it just made sense and turned into one of my favorite short stories. I think it stretches far beyond your basic discrimination based upon race, but any discrimination or even simple disliking. It could be because you’re colored, or a woman, or fat, or because so and so told me that you said you thought my hair was ugly. How can you deny yourself the pleasure of my company? It’s beyond me.
January 24, 2011
January 13, 2011
King Still King?
Martin Luther King Jr., born a king, died a king, still a king. However I do believe we have strayed off of his ‘king-ness’ just a little bit.
He was probably the most known civil rights activist, between the Montgomery bus boycott, his campaign in Birmingham and his assassination, MLK never stopped fighting (peacefully of course). He’s a role model to many, and a very important person in history… which is why we get a day off of school.
All throughout grade school, around every MLK day we would always read books and essays and articles, look at pictures and movies, we knew exactly why we had a day off of school. It was almost as if they were trying to get us to appreciate him and his work for more than just the day off. But now, as bad as it may seem, it truly has turned into just a day off school, but I suppose it’s the same for all holidays. Think about it- on President’s Day, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, do you really think why you’re not sitting in a class? Probably not, I know I don’t. It’s horrible that all these days, dedicated for a reason, are just an excuse not to have school. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll take a day off of school whenever you give it to me, I’m not trying to say that, it’s just that I think maybe we should at least think about why we have it off in the first place.
True, come Monday I probably won’t even remember writing this blog because I’ll be suffocated by homework and Mr. C’s 57 day long Spanish final and I doubt MLK will be on my mind, but I’d like to think that he will be, because he really is still a king and has made so many things possible for us today.
So maybe I’ll stick a Post-It note saying “MLK day, woo!” somewhere in my room and hope that I find it Monday, that way I’ll think about why I have a day off of school, which is fantastic.
He was probably the most known civil rights activist, between the Montgomery bus boycott, his campaign in Birmingham and his assassination, MLK never stopped fighting (peacefully of course). He’s a role model to many, and a very important person in history… which is why we get a day off of school.
All throughout grade school, around every MLK day we would always read books and essays and articles, look at pictures and movies, we knew exactly why we had a day off of school. It was almost as if they were trying to get us to appreciate him and his work for more than just the day off. But now, as bad as it may seem, it truly has turned into just a day off school, but I suppose it’s the same for all holidays. Think about it- on President’s Day, Memorial Day, Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, do you really think why you’re not sitting in a class? Probably not, I know I don’t. It’s horrible that all these days, dedicated for a reason, are just an excuse not to have school. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll take a day off of school whenever you give it to me, I’m not trying to say that, it’s just that I think maybe we should at least think about why we have it off in the first place.
True, come Monday I probably won’t even remember writing this blog because I’ll be suffocated by homework and Mr. C’s 57 day long Spanish final and I doubt MLK will be on my mind, but I’d like to think that he will be, because he really is still a king and has made so many things possible for us today.
So maybe I’ll stick a Post-It note saying “MLK day, woo!” somewhere in my room and hope that I find it Monday, that way I’ll think about why I have a day off of school, which is fantastic.
January 6, 2011
Short Stories
We have read six short stories about what it means to be an American, written by five different authors from seemingly five different walks of life. I like them all for different reasons, and since I really have no idea what to write about, I'll write about why I like a few of 'em.
Children of the Sea - It was probably the connection between the two that drew me in, the idea that they would always write so it would seem as if no time had passed was... remarkable. I really don't even have words for it. It sounds completely corny though, but really, what else can you say about that?
We Are Ugly, But We Are Here - Although it was extremely sad and reminded me of what's happening in the Congo, it really made me think, you never really do hear anything about the women on the news, it's always the men being represented. Any 60 Minutes, or NBC Primetime about Iraq, or Haiti, or anywhere there's trouble, or rebellion, all you see is the men. You never hear about what's being done to the women, maybe because it's absolutely despicably wretched, and by maybe, I mean most likely.
This Sacred Soil - You could hardly call me a fan of this poem, however I deeply enjoyed his last two sentences, only thirteen words; "Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds." I love the idea of this. I hate the thought of death, the idea of death, everything related to it. I hate losing people to it, but I always convince myself that they're not gone. It's similar to the idea brought up in WAUBWAH, that no one ever dies if you remember.
Six stories down, eleven to go, woooooo!
Children of the Sea - It was probably the connection between the two that drew me in, the idea that they would always write so it would seem as if no time had passed was... remarkable. I really don't even have words for it. It sounds completely corny though, but really, what else can you say about that?
We Are Ugly, But We Are Here - Although it was extremely sad and reminded me of what's happening in the Congo, it really made me think, you never really do hear anything about the women on the news, it's always the men being represented. Any 60 Minutes, or NBC Primetime about Iraq, or Haiti, or anywhere there's trouble, or rebellion, all you see is the men. You never hear about what's being done to the women, maybe because it's absolutely despicably wretched, and by maybe, I mean most likely.
This Sacred Soil - You could hardly call me a fan of this poem, however I deeply enjoyed his last two sentences, only thirteen words; "Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds." I love the idea of this. I hate the thought of death, the idea of death, everything related to it. I hate losing people to it, but I always convince myself that they're not gone. It's similar to the idea brought up in WAUBWAH, that no one ever dies if you remember.
Six stories down, eleven to go, woooooo!
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