In Recitatif, by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison

           The racial identity of Roberta and Twyla is an doubtful part of the story. From the start, it is apparent that Roberta and Twyla are of different races. They were both "stuck in a strange place with a girl from a whole other race." Throughout the story, each character is developed more and more, though it does not necessarily lead to a conclusion as to what race each girl. Many of the traits could be indicative of either a black or white girl. More so, it confuses the issue even more by leading the reader to decide one way and change his/her mind a minute later. However, in the scheme of this story, I think that is just the point. 

In the beginning, my first initial reactions were that Roberta was the black girl, while Twyla was white. During the time period in the beginning of the story, a negative attitude was taken toward black people. It seems as though Twyla's mom had warned her about the black people who "never wash their hair and they smelled funny. Roberta sure did smell funny.”. Twyla also tells the Big Bozo, "My mother won't like you putting me here." A white mother did not want her white daughter to be roomed with a black girl. Furthermore, Roberta does not seem to understand this. "Roberta asked Twyla “Is your mother sick too?'" In my interpretation of how things were in those times, a white person may be offended to be paired with a black person, while the black person may not care. In this case, Twyla shows concern for being put into the same room as Roberta, while Roberta does not seem to notice any hatred.

Following this incident in the story, Twyla encounters Roberta in Howard Johnson's. Roberta "is sitting with two guys smothered in head and facial hair. Her own hair is so big and wild that Twyla could hardly see her face." This implies to me a sort of "Afro" hairstyle for both Roberta and her escorts. Even her clothing and jewelry seen to suggest that she is black. "She has on a powder-blue halter and shorts outfit and earrings the size of bracelets," similar to the earrings worn by African women. She is also on her way to see Jimi Hendrix, a black musician, and snubs Twyla for not knowing who he is. Though this is not entirely indicative of a black person, it is more likely to be a black person. This once again contradicts the previous conclusion of Roberta's race. The line between who is black and who is white gets very hard to tell the difference.

This brings up another important issue in the story. Society has given blacks a negative marking, a negative "brand." Even black people begin to find the black race as offensive and digusting. Regardless of which girl was black, this could have led them both to have the yearning to "hurt" Maggie. This leads to my primary point. Genetics and appearance do not make people different from one another. The difference between a black person and a white person to distinguish without visual features that maybe there is actually no difference between them except for the visual features. Even these features are sometimes absent in a mixed race person who is still considered black (non-white) due to genetics, but white due to appearance.

Zelzah: A Tale From Long Ago

We usually forget that happiness does not come
as a result of getting something we don’t  have, but

 rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do love 

This story was amazing. In Zelzah: A Tale From Long Ago its about a girl named Zelzah, seems to be quite different compare to her siblings. She does not complain about anything and does not ask for anything as well. Zelzah's siblings got marry and have kids, but not Zelzah. Zelzah was forced to marry her cousin. Having to share one room with her parents and her sisters, it was hard for her. Her parents wanted her to go to America. She had to meet up with her aunt and her uncle. When she had gotten to America everything was not the same where she lived, it was like a culture shock.

She arrived at the house with her aunt and uncle to meet her one cousin that she had to marry. She thought that he was cute. During her visit in America, Zelzah had to learn to speak English,her 

first language was Yiddish. It was quite hard to be

 able to speak and write English.

One thing that I thought was the most interesting part is when Zelzah had found out that her cousin had a secret thing for this special girl named Grace. This story is quite interesting because Zelzah and her cousin were suppose to marry each other. Grace was pregnant with Zelzah's cousins' baby, however Grace had died given birth to the baby. Zelzah had asked her cousin if he still wanted her in his like she was going to be there. He said no because he was still grieving over the lost of his wife. Zelzah's Aunt promise that Jake will make her a good wife which Jake secretly wanting to marry Grace. Zelzah did request if Jake would not mind her to be his wife as Zelzah can help care for the child. Zelzah does not complain instead she laughed even when her Aunt apologize to her when things does not go as it plan. Why would she laugh? She seems to be a kind of girl where she wanted everyone to be happy, like she does not fit in this family so she's trying to fit in by filling in family position. After that she work her way up to her goal as she received education through high school and college. She worked at the textile. She traveled like she said she want to and she became a teacher. Ruth knew Zelzah was different. Ruth does not understand how Zelzah was able to put up with textile factory. Zelzah seemed to just appreciate everything she receive no matter what happen. After all those years where she had to intrigue into American culture. It took her years and years to learned American's languages, money system, phrases, and behavior.

Love is not what you are searching for your own happiness . Zelzah has a different opinion of Happiness. She's just being grateful for what she have received in life. This could be one of the reason that people who tend to have too much high expectation for themselves or goal would try to aim for their happiness than those people who do not. When you at least expect happiness, it will come eventually.

Little Saigon

I thought it was kind of interesting how this story turned out to be a poem, I I’m not much of a poet myself but I clearly understand the meaning of this story. This story talks about different parts of life, How the story went was like broken up into poems. Departure talks about how one girl is trying to escape from the world that she lives in. I guess she trying to see where it will go. When she closes her eyes she is in her own world, a world where she can be herself and not have to worry about someone judging her.

It like she has no one who be there to comfort her with emotional support, no one there to tell her that everything will be okay. So she feels that she needs to do for herself. The lesson from Departure is that you will always be by yourself no matter where you go. There is nothing wrong with being alone as long as you know you will make it out okay. No one can tell you otherwise. But having a friend and family support will help you mentally and emotionally.

The poem adrift is similar to all freshmen right now because it is there first time being away from home. So they will of course get homesick, and feel like they do not want to be where ever they are. Being away from home teaches you to be independent, and learn how to handle situations on your own without having to get into any confrontations. Most freshmen are scared to be away from home because they do not know what to expect when they first arrive on the campus. First year, freshmen tend to start doing things that they would not normally do when they were at home. 

On the Rainy River

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien, the narrator of our story, decided to tell a story that no one in his  family knows because he felt like it was embarrassment to himself and to his family.  20 years before he confessed by writing a story,  he receives a draft notice.

 His first thought was, he has a fear of death and knew he was not meant to fight another human being.. He just graduated from Manchester College and plan to attend to Harvard university in 1968. He was facing too many things and felt like it was getting out of control, he escape to Minnesota where he meets Elroy Berdahl, an 81-year-old who runs the Tip Top Lodge. That man changed Tim O’Brien life. Tim and Berdahl got along great. One day, Berdahl gave him money though they never discussed his embarrassment decision he made with Berdahl. One day they went fishing  out on the Rainy River close to Canada's border. As soon he saw Canada’s land, he saw freedom, he didn’t have to worry about going to Vietnam War but that didn't happen, he got to the point where he realized that he cannot leave his family and his life in his country. He wanted to go back to where he start and go to the war.

This story is quite emotional with a lot of feelings. He didn't feel proud with his decision, if his parent, family, community knew about it, I wondered what they will think of them, will his decision be different then? I can never and will never relate to his feelings but I’m sure it's the hardest decision he made. However, he's a hero anyway, he fought for his country at the end.

The setting sun and the Rolling World

I don’t really fully understand or relate to this story but this story explained about the father were trying to explain to his son, Nhamo that cultural  is combined  between the people and the land. Nhamo felt like and believes that his father have his old fashion ways  and/or over protected because the father was afraid that Nhamo will never come back home. Nhamo wanted to start a new life without his father's way. Nhamo is stubborn and thinking himself and life. Old Musoni was hoping his son wills stay his home to work and watch his farm and home after he was become older to the point where he cant work anymore. He was disappoint in his son that he want to leave home to journey to find a new life. He gave up and let him go to learn a mistake. 

I don't support the father's idea but that's because I live in this kind of culture. I understand Musoni want to keep a traditional and not allow people invade the new culture in his family but I felt like I’m rooting for Nhamos to go out and have the adventure and live differently.

"Beautiful & Cruel" and "Trip in a Summer Dress"

I was not sure about the poem that Sandra Cisneros wrote. It is just a strange way for her to say such thing like that. I checked her poem on internet. There are analyze and summary relating to this poem. This poem related to Esperanza, who thought she is an ugly girl. Esperanza stated, “I have decided not to tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain”. It is exactly same remarks that Sandra wrote in the short poem. Overall, it applies to Esperanza. Only if Sandra added more information about Esperanza then I would understand the poem better. I understood where Esperanza came from. She came from the family who has high expectation fo her, that she reject against it. She is independence, and has a mind of her own. The short poem also based all about gender politics. Esperanza felt that she is ugly in the family, but she is very powerful woman that refuse to give the beauty away. Meanwhile, Esperanza does not care if any man doesn’t come for her to take her away. I think Esperanza prefers to be independence and proves that she is a strong woman. Esperanza felt that lot of women who are beautiful and are cruel at the same time. Obviously, Esperanza is an ugly girl, but has amazing personality within her. I wish men could have gets to know her first before the looks becasuse sometime personality just makes you look beautiful. Shame on those men who missed their chance.

I didn't like the story of “Trip in a Summer Dress.” because the mother's character, I do nott like the mother! She has no right to make the decision for that girl. This girl wanted to raise her son, Matthew in her own . If I was she, I will make sure I live far away from her and I would force her to take me to hospital where they would relieve my pains from child birthing. Contraction is so painful that lot of women have to suffer through. Why can’t this girl just tell her mother off, and just tell her son, Matthew that she is his mother? It is better to do now than too late. Her son will not forgive her for leaving him. Leaving a child behind with grandmother without a good reason is going to effect his point of view on family. I am aware that this girl’s mother is controlling and angry with her for getting pregnant at early age but it does not make it okay for the mother to take controll with her own children. Like I have a friend who was pregant at early age and her mother was there for her anyways when she knew her daughter could have a better life but she also knew she cannot take the time back. She has to focus on what will be better for them in the future. When I read this story, I can’t even imagine leaving my children to be with my mother. My mother is a great mother for my children but i've always wanted to be a mother and I will make sure I can do anything to make the best for them. I would want to have my children around me everyday and I want it to be me to take care of them, have them to call me mommy. You will wake up everyday and know that your children is looking forward to spend the day with you. I pity the girl who has to deal with her mother, I cannot imaging my life like that. I hope someday when she's older and wiser. She will have some peace feelings with her own decsion for herself and children. 

Dawn by Tim Wynne-Jones

In the Dawn short story, wrote by Tim Wayne-Jones. I want to be honest with you. I think this story is short and different, but I really do not know what to say on my blog. There is nothing related to my experience. I think the point in this story is to get us to understand that once two people meet awkwardly but they later comfort each other, and they would want to see each other again for a obvious reason.

Barnsey went through the crisis of his parents’ divorce. I cant really say I understand how he feels because I went through where I didn't have a parent role. It was always men that take over the life of my mother. I never met my father so what does divorced means? I can't answer me. I guess I went through different experience than Barnsey. In my opinion, I think people divorces for good reason, or some stupid reasons. It depends on individuals. It is up to them whether to work it out as long love is there. If a person does not want to, then it probably would not work anymore.

As for Barnsey’s situation, his parents could have spoken with him before they decided to divorce. I do not mean they have to stay or divorce based on his son’s decision, what I meant is that, they could have sat down and spoke with him to why they were divorcing. The parent should have at least some explanation about it because most common for children to blame themselves for their parent's divorced.

I noticed lot of kids tend to think it were their fault for making their parents divorce. It made me wondering why people decided to marry each other if they were unsure if they would stay together for another thirty to fifty years. They obviously fell in love and wants to marry for a purpose, why did their love have to change throughout their marriage. I think they should think twice before marrying. After all, there are consequences for divorce couples. The consequences are to spend lot of money for lawyer, child custody, and that can lead into an ugly situation where your children should not be involved in but they will sooner or later.

I've noticed that there are many divorce couples in America society now than in the past. I wondered why people divorces more than in the past. I believe it changed now because woman start to speaking up for themselves before, we're in the world where we felt like we should compete against “men” or have equal to them.

Overall, for this short story, I just did not have any connection to this story. Makes me realized that children grow from their experience. I’m a girl who has no parent role in her life and a girl who had to start acting older at age of 10. Some kids will never realized how much they appreciate life unless they experience something. Children of divorced parent seems to react by doing drugs, giving attitude, being angry, or else. All they do is blame themselves and hope for their parent to reunited and work it out. If I ever get marry, I will make sure we really want to be together and work it out with every situation we have. If it didn't work out I will make sure I handle it differently.