Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Guide
While reading the stories in The Mee Street Chronicles by Frankie Lennon I believe “the voice” is a character because even though it’s a part of the narrator, it still has its own opinions on certain situations. For example “the voice” appears in the stories “The Alcoa House,” “No Escape,” and “The Party.” In these stories “the voice” for the narrator is the guide. Its character helps the narrator be brave through scary situations and it also helps the narrator stand up for herself by asking questions and wanting answers. As for the reader, “the voice” helps me understand what the narrator is feeling while going through certain situations and seeing what she wants to do by giving “a voice” that I can hear. It is mine as well as the narrator’s guide to understanding what is happing around us.
On A Journey
My name is Brenda Leanna Perez and I was born on May 12, 1989, in Pasadena, California, at Huntington Memorial Hospital. I have brown hair and eyes. I am also the oldest of three children. I have two parents who love and care about me, as parents should for their children. I am also a Mexican-American; being one you would think that I know how to speak Spanish, but guess again, I don't. Growing up both of my parents spoke English so basically I grew up only speaking English since that was the only language that I was taught.
While attending elementary school I found it sort of funny when my friends would assume that I spoke Spanish because my last name is Perez and the color of my skin is brown. Then going off to middle school I found it strange how some people thought of me being a trader (mainly the Mexicans) because I didn't speak the language that my culture/heritage expected me to speak. But that didn't bother me because I know who I am, and I am a Mexican-American who does not speak Spanish.
Being a Mexican-American who does not speak Spanish was one of the many challenges I have faced through out my life so far. Another challenge was the relationship that I did not have with my father while growing up. Don't get me wrong, I love my father but not the choices he has made through out the life of our family. My father is a recovering drug addict. Through out my life, my father has missed birthday parties, softball games, and even my high school graduation all because of drugs. Since I was six years old, I have seen and visited him in and out of jail. I have seen certain situations that little girls should never have to see, however, I would not be the person I am today without going through these challenges.
My experiences have made me into a strong and determined person. I never give up or let anything stop me from reahing my goals of becoming a veterinarian with my own practice. So today, I am a college freshman who is almost done with her first year. I am also a person who is patient and understanding of certain things; I always give my best to do everything I do. If you ask me a question, I will try to answer and I give respect to people who show me respect.
According to the Webster's New Dictionary, "Identity" is absolute sameness; individuality. However, my definition of "Identitiy" is journey. I have gone through a lot of challenges to be who I am today, but my journey is not yet done. Like me, I am still choosing what I want my identity to be and you have to choose what you want to be your identity to be. It's your life and no one is living it except you.
While attending elementary school I found it sort of funny when my friends would assume that I spoke Spanish because my last name is Perez and the color of my skin is brown. Then going off to middle school I found it strange how some people thought of me being a trader (mainly the Mexicans) because I didn't speak the language that my culture/heritage expected me to speak. But that didn't bother me because I know who I am, and I am a Mexican-American who does not speak Spanish.
Being a Mexican-American who does not speak Spanish was one of the many challenges I have faced through out my life so far. Another challenge was the relationship that I did not have with my father while growing up. Don't get me wrong, I love my father but not the choices he has made through out the life of our family. My father is a recovering drug addict. Through out my life, my father has missed birthday parties, softball games, and even my high school graduation all because of drugs. Since I was six years old, I have seen and visited him in and out of jail. I have seen certain situations that little girls should never have to see, however, I would not be the person I am today without going through these challenges.
My experiences have made me into a strong and determined person. I never give up or let anything stop me from reahing my goals of becoming a veterinarian with my own practice. So today, I am a college freshman who is almost done with her first year. I am also a person who is patient and understanding of certain things; I always give my best to do everything I do. If you ask me a question, I will try to answer and I give respect to people who show me respect.
According to the Webster's New Dictionary, "Identity" is absolute sameness; individuality. However, my definition of "Identitiy" is journey. I have gone through a lot of challenges to be who I am today, but my journey is not yet done. Like me, I am still choosing what I want my identity to be and you have to choose what you want to be your identity to be. It's your life and no one is living it except you.
Live Life
While reading the three stories by Cooper, Mairs, and Bordo I found Mairs and her story "On Being A Cripple" to be important to me because it describes how a woman was normal, meaning able to walk, run, and basically do everything and anything she wanted, is now a "crippled."
As I was reading Mairs story "On Being A Cripple," I found myself feeling sorry for her, but then also envying her. I felt sorry for her when she talked about getting multiple scierosis, "which is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system, in which the myelin that sheathers the nerves is some how eaten away and scar tissue forms in its place, interrupting the nerve's signals." She couldn't do all the things that she did before like running, sailing, and riding a bicycle. Now she has to walk with the aid of a brace and cane because her left leg is weak. But as I read futher I began to envy her because Mairs knew she was a "cripple" but really didn't care. She lives her life day to day without no regrets. Even though sometimes she does get frustrated, she does not let it bring her down.
Mair can't really do anything , however, she doesn't give up but insead lives her life day to day. She shows how you can either dwell in misery because your life has changed complete or how you can accept the change and deal with it and move on. Like Louise Bogan said "To escape is nothing. Not to escape is nothing."
As I was reading Mairs story "On Being A Cripple," I found myself feeling sorry for her, but then also envying her. I felt sorry for her when she talked about getting multiple scierosis, "which is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system, in which the myelin that sheathers the nerves is some how eaten away and scar tissue forms in its place, interrupting the nerve's signals." She couldn't do all the things that she did before like running, sailing, and riding a bicycle. Now she has to walk with the aid of a brace and cane because her left leg is weak. But as I read futher I began to envy her because Mairs knew she was a "cripple" but really didn't care. She lives her life day to day without no regrets. Even though sometimes she does get frustrated, she does not let it bring her down.
Mair can't really do anything , however, she doesn't give up but insead lives her life day to day. She shows how you can either dwell in misery because your life has changed complete or how you can accept the change and deal with it and move on. Like Louise Bogan said "To escape is nothing. Not to escape is nothing."
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
What is Beauty?
Beauty is the one thing that all girls obsess with. Whether it is with hair, nails, skin, and body type we all want to be perfect. The images of beauty and obsessions with hair are “programmed” into females by the American Society with all the models, movies stars, and Barbie. They all look perfect to us which makes us think of ourselves as nothing. In The Mee Street Chronicles by Frankie Lennon the narrator had a hard time with society like we are having today by not looking the way they want us to.
When Frankie was little she wanted to have hair like the “All American Girl” Shirley Temple. She was not the only one, practically every little girl wanted Temple’s hair. In society if girls didn’t look like Temple they were considered to be ugly. You had to have the big blue eyes, the fair white skin, the rose pink lips, and of course the blonde sandy, shiny, perfectly curled hair. Like Frankie we have felt bad about ourselves for not looking that way and sometimes we make mistakes to look the way people want us to look.
Frankie had plaits (braids) all over her hair as did all the other little girls. But when someone saw her and called her “Buckwheat” she felt bad and hurt. According to her back in though days “Buckwheat” was the lowest name to be called. So late at night she got scissors and cut her hair, which now she was going to have to wait for a long time to get the “Temple” hair. Like Frankie wanting to have “Temple” hair, I wanted to look like Barbie.
When Barbie came out a lot of girls started or tried to look like the doll. They wanted the long hair and so on. But they couldn’t look like her because no one really looks like that and that is what American Society needs to understand.
American Society has all these commercials to get skinny, have long straight shiny hair that bounces, and so on. But guess what no one has that not even the girls in the commercials. American Society say’s we have to look certain way to be beautiful, it’s not true. We are all beautiful because we are all different. Also instead of American Society trying to help us they are bring us down because they are making more females sick because they are not eating so they can be skinny and apart of the fake society of people who try to be all perfect. No one is perfect, and if you think you are beautiful then you are and don’t let anyone tell you different.
When Frankie was little she wanted to have hair like the “All American Girl” Shirley Temple. She was not the only one, practically every little girl wanted Temple’s hair. In society if girls didn’t look like Temple they were considered to be ugly. You had to have the big blue eyes, the fair white skin, the rose pink lips, and of course the blonde sandy, shiny, perfectly curled hair. Like Frankie we have felt bad about ourselves for not looking that way and sometimes we make mistakes to look the way people want us to look.
Frankie had plaits (braids) all over her hair as did all the other little girls. But when someone saw her and called her “Buckwheat” she felt bad and hurt. According to her back in though days “Buckwheat” was the lowest name to be called. So late at night she got scissors and cut her hair, which now she was going to have to wait for a long time to get the “Temple” hair. Like Frankie wanting to have “Temple” hair, I wanted to look like Barbie.
When Barbie came out a lot of girls started or tried to look like the doll. They wanted the long hair and so on. But they couldn’t look like her because no one really looks like that and that is what American Society needs to understand.
American Society has all these commercials to get skinny, have long straight shiny hair that bounces, and so on. But guess what no one has that not even the girls in the commercials. American Society say’s we have to look certain way to be beautiful, it’s not true. We are all beautiful because we are all different. Also instead of American Society trying to help us they are bring us down because they are making more females sick because they are not eating so they can be skinny and apart of the fake society of people who try to be all perfect. No one is perfect, and if you think you are beautiful then you are and don’t let anyone tell you different.
No More Hiding
In the story “Woman Dreams” from The Mee Street Chronicles by Frankie Lennon the narrator’s conflict about her sexuality is revealed by being further explained in the story “The Party.” In the story “The Party,” it shows how the narrator did not want to be at the party because she felt uncomfortable with the boys and girls being all close to one another. Also how she was scared that they were all finally going to find out her secret of liking girls, instead of guys, which she has been keeping from them, and her fear of them finding out her secret came true I’m guessing because of Bobby. Bobby confronted her by saying, “Maybe you don’t know it Frankie, but you be actin like you don’t like no boys. I think you one of them-them bulldoggers!” This much revealed why in the story “Woman Dreams” she kept asking herself “If other girls dreamed like I did, not of men, but of women?” So in both the stories “The Party” and “Woman Dreams” she finally understood that she figured out who she is and couldn’t hide from it anymore because she finally told herself “You know I know what he said is true. You ain’t had a boyfriend cause you didn’t want none. Never did and never will.”
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