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.