blog #3

I really enjoyed reading the identity essay, “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I” by Geeta Kothari. I liked the topic of the essay because it was fun to read and not a serious topic. I enjoy reading pieces that are more intimate and feel like the writer is directly speaking to the reader. The one-on-one dialogue is interesting to read. I also liked that this dealt with another culture and you as the reader get a sense of nationality and cultural identity to it. When the writer talks about going back to India and eating in the restaurants that is it not true ethnic food, it reminds me just like here if you eat at Taco Bell that they modernize and Americanize the food and it is not truly Mexican food. The food there would taste different because it comes from real ingredients, not processed food. The characters in the story are not use to the “real food” of India and cause them to get sick. I like tuna and think that the food choice of this essay is interesting. Also the writer mentions other foods that you would find in other countries such as “yellow dal, rice, chapatti, bhaji, lentils. I have never heard of some of those foods. Overall I liked the story and found it to be interesting. The paper we had to write of our own identity was interesting to write. Thinking back at a time in my life and talking about an event that dealt with identity was emotional. Everyone goes through times in their lives where their identity is questioned and you are forced to find out who you are. Going through school is in itself an identity adventure and as you grow older you find out more about yourself. I really liked this assignment because it allowed me to rethink all the way back in middle school and forward all the way up to now. There were a lot of ups and downs and emotional times, but that is what makes you who you are. You have to experience the bad to find out the good. It is neat to think of all the teachers and coaches that have helped you through growing up. I can still remember an old song our grammar teacher taught us in 7th grade to remember linking verbs and can still sing the song! This class so far has been really intriguing on levels that I had never imagined. The knowledge I will take from this class will be with me as I continue on in life. I am thinking about pursing my masters and English is a subject I really enjoy. Not only do I get to express myself creatively by writing, but also by reading and researching well known writers that have been known as some of the greatest of all time. In every upper level English class I take, I findd more about myself than any other class that I have taken here.

blog #2

In thinking about the theme of this senior capstone and how it ties to the readings we have is interesting in the aspect of asking one’s self what their true identity really is. The questioning of one’s self and figuring out who they really are is something everyone goes through in life. The book Another Country by James Baldwin is truly an amazing story of identity and deals with finding who you are. This book touches on a lot of issues including sexuality, race, romance, betrayal, status, and friendships. This book is interesting in that it is not straight forward and the characters have flash backs to the past and then it brings the reader back to present. The opening of the book is really the past the reader finds out. Rufus dies and he is roaming the streets thinking about the past and that is where the book starts. I like that there is a bit of mystery and twist throughout the novel. I think the characters are different but at the same time they are alike. Rufus is struggling in trying to make it in a white person oriented world and doesn’t feel the same because he is black. He falls in love with a white woman named Leona. Leona herself came from the south and moved up north to escape her troubles. Her husband took her kids and she was forced to move on with her life. Ida, who is Rufus’s sister, falls in love with Vivaldo, who is Rufus’s best friend. Vivaldo and Rufus’s friendship develops deeper into a connection and they look out for each other. Their friendship gets tested when Vivaldo finds out Rufus has been beating Leona. Rufus thinks Leona wants other colored men and that she can’t find better than him. Rufus holds all of his anger in and eventually commits suicide. He can’t deal with being colored and living in a white world. Every character deals with the issue of identity later in the story more characters are introduced such as Cass, Richard, Eric, Yves. This story to me is touching and I have never read a story so passionate about identity and what the meaning of life the characters want. Everyone has problems and wants society to be whole. I also liked the detail of the story. The scenes of romance are described in a way that makes the reader get a feel of the essence and passion of being in a situation and makes you feel like you are there. The scenes are very intimate. I also noticed that the book is split up into 3 Books and within the books are chapters. The book does a lot of jumping around so paying attention to detail is crucial. I also think the setting of the story is important because Harlem is not an easy place to live. Harlem deals with problems such as race. One of the scenes in the story is when Rufus, Leona, and Vivaldo are walking in the park and a couple stares at them wondering which one of the guys was with Leona. Leona and Vivaldo are white while Rufus is black. Being that Rufus and Leona were together made people think negatively about them. I think the issue of race today is still something people talk about. To me the color of your skin doesn’t matter and that everybody is human. This book was truly a book that I enjoyed!

Blog #1

As the Senior Capstone begins, I am looking forward to reading and understanding the knowledge of writers to a better degree of interpretation. So far, we have read Slave Moth, which I thought was an outstanding book and really enjoyed reading it. I have read other slave novels and just didn’t get into them as much as I did with this story. I have never read a novel by Thylias Moss, but I thought the characters and plot of the story was good. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to be a slave and back then with limited freedom. I felt a sense of pride and thankfulness to be a part of this country where freedom is not an issue. I think people should be more educated about freedom and that people back then had to go through horrible, excruciating situations. The character of Varl to me seems like such a free spirit and full of life even though she is held captive as a slave. Her talents of sewing and learning how to read and write are inspiring to read especially at a time where things of that nature were not even heard of especially from a slave. Her emotions to be liberated and break free of the slave life capture the essence of the story. I thought the cover of the story was interesting in that It is a dress that she wore and at the end she talked about she was “finished with the perfect dress.” I also liked the word on the dress especially the first sentence, “All of my name Varl fits into larva, into what undergoes complete metamorphosis.” She is transforming herself right before our eyes in that in the end she is no longer a slave. She is no longer a prisoner held captive. The comparing of the cocoon which she says throughout the story is her unfolding into something beautiful. She is more than a slave and she feels liberated. Another story I enjoyed reading was The One- Legged Wonder and Other Names. This story really touched me and it is difficult to find your identity and come to terms with who you are. We live in a society that is very judgmental and when someone has a disability some people don’t give them the respect they deserve. I have the most respect for people who have confidence in themselves. I had to undergo surgery for a tumor that was removed from my throat and went to school with a huge scabbed over scar from my surgery and didn’t want to walk around campus looking like that. I lacked confidence and it showed. I didn’t want to go anywhere until it healed, but thought to myself, why? I know my story is nothing like this one, but for me I questioned my identity. I was embarrassed when I didn’t need to be. You can’t control what life deals you, but you just have to find a way to deal what life gives you. I also liked in the story that he went and talked to God and prayed every day. He embraced who he was and found peace within himself. He was proud of his ability to be in front of people and sell magazines while at the same time making some money. He felt special and that his body was something special. Those two readings were my favorite so far and I look forward to reading more!