Reservation

To the Native Americans Junior lives among, the rez is all there is. The rez limits them and contains them. It prevents them from a bright future and extinguishes all their hope. The reservation is infested with poverty, alcoholism, and hopelessness. The Native Americans living there have given up and have lost hope. They don't believe that they can leave the reservation and become something greater. To them, the rez is an obstacle that they can never overcome. It's like a jail for them, and they can't escape. It won't let them live their dreams or dare hope for a better life.
But to Junior, the rez is something he can overcome. He views it as a home, yes, but he also views it as a prison and a place that he has to leave. Unlike his fellow Native Americans, Junior believes that he can leave the reservation for a better life. Not only does he believe this, but he also takes initiative and works to make his hopes and dreams come true. He doesn't allow the reservation to limit him and hold him back. When he goes to Reardan, he struggles to find his identity. He feels half Indian and half white. Wellpinit is both foreign and familiar to him, and the other Native Americans feel angry and betrayed that Junior has left them. Junior isn't sure of what to think of Wellpinit. But I feel that in the end, Junior finally recognizes that he belongs to many tribes, not just to the tribe of Spokane Indians. He realizes that he has many identities. In the end, he will always think of his rez as a home, but he also knows that he will leave it behind one day.
Are there "reservations" in my life? Certainly. There are fears or obstacles that limit me or make me want to give up. In particular, I feel that one limitation of mine is the past. Dwelling on the past isn't good for me, yet I can't seem to let go of certain experiences that have happened to me. However, I can't hold onto what has happened to me forever. In order to move on, I will have to learn to let go of the past.

Native Sons

Native Son was a powerful and impressive book filled with intensity. It is split into three parts. In the first two parts, Bigger, a twenty-year-old African American boy full of trouble, is hired by a rich man to be a chauffeur. That night, he accidentally kills the rich man's daughter, but manages to conceal his crime by throwing the body into the furnace of the house. He then comes up with a plan to try to collect a ransom from the murdered girl's parents, but when the girl's bones are discovered in the furnace, he runs away and attempts to hide. Bigger is eventually caught and hauled off to jail. 

In the third part, Bigger's trial takes place. Although it lacks the large amount of action found in the first two parts of the book, it is no less intense. The third part is full of speeches made at the trial, and although they are long, they are filled with importance. Bigger's lawyer, Max, argues passionately for his case, speaking not only about Bigger, but about all the African Americans in the country. Although Max's speech was beautiful, Bigger is still given the death penalty in the end.  

I'm conflicted. Bigger did many terrible, terrible things, and his crimes aren't justified. However, I still didn't want him to die in the end. It made my heart ache. Bigger might have been a criminal, but when I finished the book, I was saddened by the fact that Bigger was given the death penalty. But I do think that at the very end of the book, when Bigger was facing his death, he discovered himself. I felt that his last conversation with Max was very powerful and profound. Bigger tells Max, "'...When a man kills, it's for something...I didn't know I was really alive in this world until I felt things hard enough to kill for 'em... It's the truth, Mr. Max. I can say it now, 'cause I'm going to die. I know what I'm saying real good and I know how it sounds. But I'm all right. I feel all right when I look at it that way....'" Perhaps when Bigger was finally given the death penalty, he finally discovered himself. After all, I feel that Richard Wright, the author, made Bigger Thomas a human, not merely a racial symbol. 

And in the end, I feel that in the third part of the book, Richard Wright isn't focusing on Bigger, but rather a more complicated story. He's not just trying to talk about Bigger Thomas, he's talking about all the African Americans in America. He's talking about how they live and feel. He's pleading for America to change their minds about the African Americans. Richard Wright is speaking for his own people, but for America too. It is in this part of the book where I think Richard Wright really gets to put in what he wants to say. I think that's what makes this book so powerful. The speech is extremely powerful, when making a plea for all African Americans. It is a strong warning. "'They are not simply twelve million people; in reality they constitute a separate nation, stunted, stripped and held captive within this nation.'" But in the end, I guess the plea is not strong enough for Bigger himself as an individual. The judge was not persuaded, and gave Bigger the death penalty. 

Did he deserve it? Bigger did murder. But the society who condemned him is to blame as well. Max says of the white people, "'They want your life; they want revenge. They felt they had you fenced off so that you could not do what you did. Now they're mad because deep down in them they believe that they made you do it. When people feel that way, you can't reason with 'em.'" However, Bigger's actions are not justified. But in my heart, I still didn't want him to die. Perhaps it was Max's powerful speech, perhaps it's just something inside me. Whatever it is, my heart ached when the judge seemed to brush away Max's beautiful speech. Max's plea for society to change their views towards African Americans was simply waved away, and to me, that might be the saddest part of all. 

A Principle to Keep

Hmm... A principle to always keep, no matter what the situation. That's a hard one. One that comes to mind is to always defend those you love, no matter what the cost. Do anything it takes to keep them safe. Never harm anyone if there isn't a reason to. But I feel like many people would consider that a principle to keep.

It's pretty difficult to think of one principle that one should always keep no matter what happens. But I do think that it's important to think about one's state of mind. I believe that it's important to move on from the bad things that happen to us in life and to let go of grudges, resentment, or what could have been. Should have, could have, would have. We should let go of those things. If we hold onto what happened in the past, then we can't face the future. We need to learn to forgive and move on, whether it's forgiving someone else who's wronged you or forgiving yourself. Yeah, it sounds really cliche and cheesy and whatnot, but I think it's true. No matter what happens, you always have to make sure to check your state of mind. Sometimes the internal part of you is more important than the external.

I believe that it's important to let go and move on from the mistakes and bad events of the past. It does no good to hold onto such things. In any situation, if you make sure that you aren't holding onto the bad things and focus on turning the problem into something good, you will have a clearer mind and feel better. That's another thing- being able to see the bright side of things. No matter what happens, if you hold onto hope and don't give up, then you can never count yourself out right away.

Janie

Love is obviously one of the major themes of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Throughout the story, Janie searches for the kind of love she's always wanted, a kind of love that is as beautiful and true as what she saw between a bee and a pear tree blossom. However, it's not until after experiencing many other different types of love that Janie gets the kind of love she truly desires. 

Nanny, Janie's grandmother, gave her a protective love. Because Nanny wanted Janie to have a better life than she did, she arranged Janie's marriage to Logan Killicks in hopes that Janie would be safe, telling her that love will come with marriage. With Logan, Janie has a sense of security, since Logan is wealthy. However, Janie is not satisfied with this, and she realizes that Nanny was wrong for saying that love comes with marriage. 

When Joe Starks appears, Janie is provided with an escape from this unsatisfying love with Logan. She leaves Logan for Joe, thinking that she'll finally be treated like a lady and that she'll find true love with Joe. However, this is not so. Joe shows her a possessive love by ordering her around, forbidding her to do certain things, and treating her as an item. 

After Joe dies, Janie finally finds true love with the charming Tea Cake Woods. Although there is a big age difference between them, Janie still can't help but fall in love with him. Janie leaves behind everything she knows for Tea Cake, and embraces her new life and new friends in the Everglades.

As Janie searches for love, she gradually becomes stronger inside and gains independence. When Hurston, the author, published this book in 1937, such strong female roles in literature were uncommon. Hurston might have chosen to portray Janie as a strong, independent woman in order to encourage other women and show them that opportunities do exist for them. 

Lots of Thanks

I want to start off by wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving break! I know that I'm really glad to be out of school for a few days.
There are many people that I'm thankful for (obviously), and a few of them are in my English class.
Emma- I'm really glad to have you as one of my friends! You're funny, nice, and really talented at both running and singing. You're also a fellow Swiftie. Plus, I think you do a great job when it comes to analyzing the stories we read in English class. It's fun to talk with you, and even though I don't do crosscountry anymore I'm glad I still get to see you.
Michelle- I'm also really glad to have come to know you! I enjoy our conversations after English class everyday and hearing about how your dance class is and what you guys are doing. It's funny how we both sit at the same lunch table but it's so big we don't even really talk to each other- I swear, our six-tables-pushed-together is like the freaking Last Supper table! I also find your lunch conversations with Andy and the others hilarious- white, wheat, or banana bread? Plain, toasted? Or naw... How about microwaved? That conversation made me die with laughter.
Andrew- Guess I HAVE to write about you, since you said you were writing about me... Haha just kidding, I want to write about you. I'm glad that you're in my Band class, and that we both play the flute. I think the whole flute group is pretty cool. I'm also glad that we're both in Geometry... Wonder what I got on that last test. And of course, we have English together. It took me a few weeks to realize we shared three classes together- it didn't register for a bit. But I'm glad we do!
Brashana- I can't believe you were crazy enough to take Drama II- haha! But you're an amazing actor, and I'm glad that I was in Drama with you last year, even if it wasn't a favorite class of mine... I'm also glad that you're in my division! Your Catch Phrase group kills it, by the way. You guys are all so good at the game. I'm glad that I could talk to you about stuff last year, when I needed advice on certain things. And I was also glad that you helped Taylor and I keep our cool on the first day of school this year- the things you said to us were really encouraging.
I'm also thankful for everyone else in the class, even if I don't know all of you that well! You guys make class interesting and fun- I always laugh in English class, and it's my favorite class of the day- because quite honestly, I don't like many of my other classes.
And of course, I'm thankful for Mr. McCarthy for being a wonderful English teacher. I like how this English class helps me analyze texts in a deep way- I'm often mind blown in this class. Most of my previous English classes consisted of just reading and filling out meaningless worksheets, taking bland notes, and writing boring essays. In this class, however, I'm actually interested in learning and feel that I'm gaining knowledge on the texts we read. I loved "The Great Gatsby." I was surprised, in fact, by how much I liked it- I thought that I would be bored by it, but I ended up enjoying it immensely.
Once again, I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving break!

Influences on Ernest Hemingway's Writing

Ernest Hemingway was-and still is- a well-known author with a unique style of writing. His works are well-respected and still widely read today.
I noticed while reading a few of his short stories that a lot of the stories had a focus on the subject of masculinity. I believe that this is a result of Hemingway's early childhood. When he was a kid, his mother dressed him girls' clothing until he was about seven. Although it was not uncommon at the time to dress boys in girls' clothing (it was the Victorian era), Hemingway's mother took it one step further by growing out his hair and adorning it with accessories. She also pretended that he was his older sister's twin. This might be why Hemingway focused a lot on the subject of masculinity when he was older, trying to erase what had happened in the past by proving himself a man.
I also noticed that a lot of the stories reflected Hemingway's own life experiences. For example, he was part of the war, and there are quite a few stories written by him about war. In those stories, the presence of psychological trauma and scarring is often seen.
Hemingway also traveled to many places, such as the African Safari, the bullfights in Spain, and the coastal areas of America. He write many stories that include those settings.
Hemingway also wrote many stories reflecting his own personal problems, such as his relationships, friends, and enemies. That's why it's important to read his stories and try to understand them on a deeper level. Who knows- maybe there's a  connection between that story you're reading and his own personal life.

My Six Word Stories

"No iPhones- Snow White hates Apple."
I wasn't always an only child.
Test subjects realize that they're experiments.
1789 Facebook friends. Few real life.
Cancer. Four months to live. Pregnant.
Bakery burned down. Business is toast.