When the Emperor Was Divine, is already my favorite book out of the list that we have read thus far. This has really struck me as a favorite because it is based around a topic that I have for my major, history. Having a relatable topic makes this book that much easier for me to get into and I thoroughly enjoyed discussing it.
Having a background in history, and having specific knowledge in United States history, has helped me to understand the character that have introduced this far into the book. As noticed in class today, the average person is not well educated in what the United States had done to Japanese-Americans throughout the country after the bombings of Pearl Harbor. I feel that having this knowledge will help as the book continues because there will be situations where knowing specific dates and events.
Aside from knowing history, I am waiting anxiously to find out the names of the characters in the book and hoping that more information will be revealed about their heritage and lives back in their old neighborhood. I am also waiting to find out more about the family’s husband and the site that he is being held at. So far in this book, the author has kept much of the dialog out of the book and I can understand that because she has been writing to give us a feel for the family and the roles they played before they were displaced. I am also anxious to see how the author describes the camp that this family will be forced to move to in the book.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Institutions
In Push, by Sapphire, it is clearly shown that throughout many cities in the United States of America, and throughout the world, there are social institutions that are not doing an adequate job of performing their roles for the people within the community. These institutions are state funded and should have the capability to help the underprivileged families that live within the surrounding community if they are not taken advantage of.
Some social institutions that I am talking about are social services, welfare, schools, hospitals, and the police. All of these are mentioned in Push and they all play a part in Precious’ life. Within inner cities, there are underprivileged families that coast through life through welfare checks, and a perfect example of this is Precious’s mother who is obese and has turned into a shut-in. When people take advantage of welfare it decreases the motivation to work or to find a job because they are being given money from the state. Precious even notes it in her writing when she says that she doesn’t want her mother taking her own welfare checks.
Then you have the police, who are seen by Precious’ mother and neighbors as terrible people who take good people away to jail. In actuality, the police are there to keep the community safe but from the perspective of her mother, she is raised with a jaded view towards law enforcement. This view is something that Precious can grow away from as she expands her knowledge. But through this book you can see the sort of negative views that are expressed towards the lax from the inner city community. Along with the negative views towards the law, Precious also has similar views towards the hospital and its workers after she has her second child. Because of how the police take away people in her community she gets scared that the workers in the hospital are going to take away her child, and since this is the first thing in her life that she truly has a emotional attachment to, she becomes very scared and frantic.
At first when this book starts, Precious is completely against the principle and for the most part the school system she is apart of, but as the story progresses she begins to appreciate the efforts that her new teacher is willing to give towards the individual success of her students.
Some social institutions that I am talking about are social services, welfare, schools, hospitals, and the police. All of these are mentioned in Push and they all play a part in Precious’ life. Within inner cities, there are underprivileged families that coast through life through welfare checks, and a perfect example of this is Precious’s mother who is obese and has turned into a shut-in. When people take advantage of welfare it decreases the motivation to work or to find a job because they are being given money from the state. Precious even notes it in her writing when she says that she doesn’t want her mother taking her own welfare checks.
Then you have the police, who are seen by Precious’ mother and neighbors as terrible people who take good people away to jail. In actuality, the police are there to keep the community safe but from the perspective of her mother, she is raised with a jaded view towards law enforcement. This view is something that Precious can grow away from as she expands her knowledge. But through this book you can see the sort of negative views that are expressed towards the lax from the inner city community. Along with the negative views towards the law, Precious also has similar views towards the hospital and its workers after she has her second child. Because of how the police take away people in her community she gets scared that the workers in the hospital are going to take away her child, and since this is the first thing in her life that she truly has a emotional attachment to, she becomes very scared and frantic.
At first when this book starts, Precious is completely against the principle and for the most part the school system she is apart of, but as the story progresses she begins to appreciate the efforts that her new teacher is willing to give towards the individual success of her students.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
A New Day
Precious is from a inner city community and being born into this type of background has most definitely shaped and molded her personality into a very defensive person who she slowly moves away from. Being forced to grow in an inner city area is unfortunate for Precious considering that the publically funded institutions are going to be the downfall for many people’s lives around her and even with these unlikely odds, at the end of the book it appears as if she has created a new start for herself and has gotten on her feet and added a purpose to her life.
Her mother is an obese shut in, who, as we know, has physically and sexually abused her own daughter. This unloving character who was almost definitely abused in the same way by her own mother may not know another way to raise a child and this scary pattern could have resulted in a similar fate for Lil Mongo or Abdul, if Precious had not changed her ways.
Her father, who is hardly ever around, except to rape her when he pleases is a terrible influence on Precious, but unfortunately she does not get many other role models until she strays from her standard school and enrolls in the alternate school, Each One Teach One. Because she is not showed attention or much love from anyone, Precious does not know how to be a functioning member of her school and in doing so, characters such as Mrs. Lichtenstein, Ms. Weiss, and Ms. Rain all contribute to her cause and through these efforts, Precious gets a second chance to change her life and her children’s lives. This is very important, too, that Precious finally begins to understand that this is not only about herself, but that she now has children to take care of and that she needs to take her life more seriously. To me this was very impressive to understand at such a young age.
Her mother is an obese shut in, who, as we know, has physically and sexually abused her own daughter. This unloving character who was almost definitely abused in the same way by her own mother may not know another way to raise a child and this scary pattern could have resulted in a similar fate for Lil Mongo or Abdul, if Precious had not changed her ways.
Her father, who is hardly ever around, except to rape her when he pleases is a terrible influence on Precious, but unfortunately she does not get many other role models until she strays from her standard school and enrolls in the alternate school, Each One Teach One. Because she is not showed attention or much love from anyone, Precious does not know how to be a functioning member of her school and in doing so, characters such as Mrs. Lichtenstein, Ms. Weiss, and Ms. Rain all contribute to her cause and through these efforts, Precious gets a second chance to change her life and her children’s lives. This is very important, too, that Precious finally begins to understand that this is not only about herself, but that she now has children to take care of and that she needs to take her life more seriously. To me this was very impressive to understand at such a young age.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
last fun home
After finishing Fun Home, and looking back on it compared to the other books we have read thus far into the semester, I had the strongest connection to this book than to any of the others. The connection was not so much through the plot but more in the style that Bechdel chose to use for her autobiography, the use of a graphic novel. For me this was an easier way to understand her life through not only her words, but she also uses her own hand drawn illustrations in every page so that the reader does not only read what she went through but can also have a snapshot of her own memories.
I suppose it is something that not all people can enjoy considering that at first it ma be difficult for some to get used to the quick captions followed by four or five drawings per page attached with dialog. But having some background in reading graphic novels I knew how the book would flow and was able to read it very quickly. But since this was her autobiography, she was recreating her childhood and trying to piece it together in a way that corresponded with different themes of the book and now that I can look back into the book and reassess it I have found that the facial expressions of the family members are all very similar in the sense that that none of them had a care in the world. Perhaps this was her intention or perhaps this could be due to the fact that she is trying to relive her own life from so many years ago and her memories have become jaded with different emotions. Even though she did use a diary for a portion of her childhood, I do not feel that she can accurately pinpoint the emotions that she was feeling as a child. I cannot fully remember my own childhood in full making it very difficult for me to buy the emotions that her characters portray.
I suppose it is something that not all people can enjoy considering that at first it ma be difficult for some to get used to the quick captions followed by four or five drawings per page attached with dialog. But having some background in reading graphic novels I knew how the book would flow and was able to read it very quickly. But since this was her autobiography, she was recreating her childhood and trying to piece it together in a way that corresponded with different themes of the book and now that I can look back into the book and reassess it I have found that the facial expressions of the family members are all very similar in the sense that that none of them had a care in the world. Perhaps this was her intention or perhaps this could be due to the fact that she is trying to relive her own life from so many years ago and her memories have become jaded with different emotions. Even though she did use a diary for a portion of her childhood, I do not feel that she can accurately pinpoint the emotions that she was feeling as a child. I cannot fully remember my own childhood in full making it very difficult for me to buy the emotions that her characters portray.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Fun Home
Fun Home is an interesting book, and it is very different from the books that we had been reading thus far into the semester. Before even opening it I noticed it was a graphic novel, which instantly gave me a larger connection to it considering that I am a fan of graphic novels. I feel that having the pictures there with the story helps the reader to see what the author is trying to portray. Sometimes it is difficult to feel the author through words but with the help of her illustrations I have found that any novel is easier to dissect.
One thing I noticed about the beginning of the novel was that Alison used many historical references to help describe and portray her father. I thought that it was very important that she used metaphors such as Deadalus and Icarus and Sparta vs Athens. Using Deadalus to help describe Rus is beneficial because there are different ways of interpreting how Deadalus dealt with the death of his son, Icarus. Some say that he was terribly bitter for the loss of his son as he flew too close to the sky and the wax that held his wings together melted allowing him to plunge into the sea. Others say that as he watched his son die, he did not feel any remorse but instead only saw the tragedy as a failure on his part to create a functional set of wings for his son. In a way this describes Rus in how he does not seem to care for his children at all, like when Alison was trying to play with him in the opening of the book and then again when she tried to say good night. His lack of care, or his way of caring rubs off on his kids the wrong way and in turn has created a life for his kids in which they missed out on a real family and relationship with their father.
One thing I noticed about the beginning of the novel was that Alison used many historical references to help describe and portray her father. I thought that it was very important that she used metaphors such as Deadalus and Icarus and Sparta vs Athens. Using Deadalus to help describe Rus is beneficial because there are different ways of interpreting how Deadalus dealt with the death of his son, Icarus. Some say that he was terribly bitter for the loss of his son as he flew too close to the sky and the wax that held his wings together melted allowing him to plunge into the sea. Others say that as he watched his son die, he did not feel any remorse but instead only saw the tragedy as a failure on his part to create a functional set of wings for his son. In a way this describes Rus in how he does not seem to care for his children at all, like when Alison was trying to play with him in the opening of the book and then again when she tried to say good night. His lack of care, or his way of caring rubs off on his kids the wrong way and in turn has created a life for his kids in which they missed out on a real family and relationship with their father.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Timeline for Mate
Maria Teresa – Mate
Born: October 15, 1935
1943
• Age 8, she wishes to be just like her older sister Minerva. She wants to be a lawyer too
1945
• She begins to keep a journal, which extends to 1946
• She is very protective of her diary
• She has her First Communion and has brand new shoes that her mother bought for her.
• Her father does not show up to her First Communion because he has to take care of the work with the “cacao harvest”(is actually busy with his second family)
• She is still very innocent and materialistic at this point
• She and Minerva are sent off to boarding school for three months and this was very important for Mate because she was able to grow and mature while being away from her family
• This separation from her family helps her to face reality
• Witnesses the ordeal with Minerva and the man on the train→ finding her own sexuality as a growing girl but still she doesn’t fully understand it yet
1946
• She is called to the principal’s office and it is about Minerva’s sneaking off so go visit their “sick uncle”→ this is the beginning of Mate losing her innocence since she is finally seeing the world for what it is
• She begins to talk back to Minerva and stand up for herself which is important
• She now has a different outlook on their president who is always watching them in their home and now has the suspicion of being watched by spies
1953
• She attends Papa’s funeral
Born: October 15, 1935
1943
• Age 8, she wishes to be just like her older sister Minerva. She wants to be a lawyer too
1945
• She begins to keep a journal, which extends to 1946
• She is very protective of her diary
• She has her First Communion and has brand new shoes that her mother bought for her.
• Her father does not show up to her First Communion because he has to take care of the work with the “cacao harvest”(is actually busy with his second family)
• She is still very innocent and materialistic at this point
• She and Minerva are sent off to boarding school for three months and this was very important for Mate because she was able to grow and mature while being away from her family
• This separation from her family helps her to face reality
• Witnesses the ordeal with Minerva and the man on the train→ finding her own sexuality as a growing girl but still she doesn’t fully understand it yet
1946
• She is called to the principal’s office and it is about Minerva’s sneaking off so go visit their “sick uncle”→ this is the beginning of Mate losing her innocence since she is finally seeing the world for what it is
• She begins to talk back to Minerva and stand up for herself which is important
• She now has a different outlook on their president who is always watching them in their home and now has the suspicion of being watched by spies
1953
• She attends Papa’s funeral
Thursday, March 10, 2011
purpose of butterflies
I have not yet finished reading Alvarez’s book In the Time of the Butterflies, but thus far into the book I have began to see why she wrote this book. Knowing that Alvarez did thorough research before writing this gives the reader confidence that her words in this book are truthful and hold the memories of once living people.
It is interesting, too, to see that the interviewee in In the Time of the Butterflies is actually Alvarez. I think that is important to note that since she is of Dominican heritage but was raised in the United States. It creates a connection that was not established with the tragedy on November 25, 1960 and with the Spanish people of the United States. This was a huge event when it happened and is still commemorated every year as Alvarez writes in her book. Dede is stuck every year with the reporters, setting up the house for guests, and the exhibit in the museum she works at. But that aside, the people of the United States did not pay much attention to this awful tragedy, that is, assuming that the majority of the people even heard about what had happen on that day.
So Alvarez has a purpose in writing this book, which is to teach and educate people through her words and through history so that there is a better understanding of life in countries other than the United States. It is also more personal for Alvarez because she shares a common point with the characters, which is the heritage and culture, even though she was raised in a different country. And being of a similar decent, she can use her dual heritage to bring a different cultural history to a new country to be recognized.
It is interesting, too, to see that the interviewee in In the Time of the Butterflies is actually Alvarez. I think that is important to note that since she is of Dominican heritage but was raised in the United States. It creates a connection that was not established with the tragedy on November 25, 1960 and with the Spanish people of the United States. This was a huge event when it happened and is still commemorated every year as Alvarez writes in her book. Dede is stuck every year with the reporters, setting up the house for guests, and the exhibit in the museum she works at. But that aside, the people of the United States did not pay much attention to this awful tragedy, that is, assuming that the majority of the people even heard about what had happen on that day.
So Alvarez has a purpose in writing this book, which is to teach and educate people through her words and through history so that there is a better understanding of life in countries other than the United States. It is also more personal for Alvarez because she shares a common point with the characters, which is the heritage and culture, even though she was raised in a different country. And being of a similar decent, she can use her dual heritage to bring a different cultural history to a new country to be recognized.
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