Reservations

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian Junior, his family, and several other indian family's live on a reservation. To them it was home, but to Junior, it was something that was holding him back. On the reservation, Junior was picked on, beat up, and constantly made fun of. To Junior, the reservation was stopping him from reaching his full potential. 

Although most American citizens don't on reservations, I believe everyone has a theoretical reservation they need to break free from. In our society today many stereotypes tend to contain a lot of people. Stereotypes surrounding those of different races and often gender can push people into the position that society has deemed appropriate for them. Then they have to dress, act, and even think a certain way, and cannot be themselves. Today, our reservation is stereotypes,  and in order to break free, we have to reject them.

Native Son

Native Son, a novel by Richard Wright, follows the life of Bigger Thomas, after murdering his  bosses daughter, Mary Dalton. Bigger is an African American and has felt all ends of discrimination due to the color of his skin. His employer, Mr. Dalton, is a rich white man who has seemingly attempted to benefit African Americans.
In the third book of this novel, Bigger has gone to trial for the murder of Mary Dalton. His lawyer, Max, begins to argue the logistics of his crime. Although Max agrees that Bigger did murder Mary, he knows that the trial is bigger(no pun intended) than just Bigger. He argues that the discrimantion he has felt, forced him into this situation. Bigger, like others were unable to choose a life of poverty or crime, but rather it was chosen for them, but the socially constructed idea that white people had formed.

Green Lights, Yellow Cars, and Church Steeples

The 1920's was an era of new found freedom across the nation. Americans were innovative, and new inventions popped up daily. Everyone was working hard to achieve that American Dream, and the wealth that came with it. To Gatsby though, his American Dream was not wealth, for he already was as wealthy as one needed to be. Gatsby's American Dream revolved around Daisy, and the idea that one day, hopefully soon, she would love him again. Throughout the book, Gatsby's American Dream is represented by the green light that is fixed at the end of Daisy's dock. It represents the hope within him. When Gatsby reaches for the light in chapter 1, he is reaching for Daisy, and Daisy is all he really wants in life.

Janie

Janie is the main character in Their Eyes Were Watching God, By Zora Neale Hurston. The story traces her journey to the meaning of true love, and helps her find herself along the way. She is raised by her grandmother her whole life, and they live in a house behind a white family. When Janie is caught kissing a local boy, Nanny freaks, and marry her off to Logan Killiks. She wants to ensure that Janie has a stable life.  After Nanny dies, Janie realizes she does not love Logan, and leaves him for another wealthy man, Jody Starks.

            Janie does not love either of these men, and that leads to an unhealthy relationship. Growing up, Janie was taught by Nanny to value the superficial things in a man. She taught her to look for wealth and stability rather than search for a true love, whatever that may be. Once Jody dies, Janie is left with the task of finding the meaning of true love, an how to find it.

Thankful!!

I am very thankful for Quincy Hirt. Quincy is one of the most sincere and genuine people i have ever met. He always has a smile on his face and can always brighten my day, especially in his barney costume. Quincy is a go-to guy for any sort of help. He always is there when I need help understanding the text, and with anything. When in need of partners for group work, Quincy is my first choice. He's patient and knowledgable and is very easy to work with.
Aside from Quincy, I am also thankful for Francesca. Franny is a great person both in the classroom and outside, and is an amazing friend. She is very trustworthy and reliable, and one of my closest friends.

A Principle Worth Keeping

In my opinion, one principle that is important to live by and keep, is to see beyond the outside. Merriam- Webster defines principle as “a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions”.  In society, we often judge each other, mostly based on what’s on the outside, and we fail to look within. This influences us to make wrong decisions. A lot of people associate actions like this with the phrase “to judge a book by its cover”. I think our generation has become particularly susceptible to this do to the heavy influence of technology and social media. Sometimes, before we ever meet a person, we come across their instagram or twitter, due to mutual friends. As we begin to scan the page of photos or tweets, we start to form an opinion on them, without ever meeting them. Whether or not this opinion is good or bad, we still fail to see beyond, and have judged them by their “cover”. I think this is flawed and that it is very important to see beyond the outside, because it is very rare that the outside tells the whole story.

Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway was born in July, 1899, just outside of Chicago.  He lived until the age of 61 and accomplished many things throughout his years. As a young child he was dressed like a girl by his mother, but quickly learned to love the outdoors when they would visit their family cabin in northern Michigan. Before his career in writing, Hemingway worked on many newspapers. 

In 1918, Hemingway became and ambulance driver in the war, and met his first fiancé in the hospital after suffering some injuries. Hemingway’s contributions to the war earned him a silver medal of honor. After the war, Hemingway again began work at a newspaper, the Toronto Star, and met another woman. After marrying Hemingway and Hadley moved to Paris.  The two had Hemingway’s first son, John. In Europe, Hemingway became fascinated with bullfighting, and also a woman named Pauline. Due to his affair, Hadley divorced him.  After Pauline became pregnant, the two moved to Florida.

Hemingway’s experiences throughout his life, both in the war and in personal time, enhance his stories. Many of Hemingway’s short stories are semi-biographical. His personal experience of what he is writing about is one aspect that has lead to Hemingway becoming a highly regarded American author. Hemingway’s greatest accomplishment came in 1954 when he won the Nobel Prize.