I never knew..

how effected I would be by the photographer and her presentation. I was blown away not only by the quality of her photos, but also the content of them. I think I winced in about every single picture. I really didn't know it was that bad! The part that got me the most was the multimedia piece she did, where you could actually hear the victims and their stories. Nothing got me more than the women who's last option was prostitution and the only way she could get food was 'from man'. It was just so sad to know that a person had to sink that low to get a basic human necessity.

Being in a photography class, I really appreciated her work. Her angles, focus, lines, and color were all prestine. I loved how the AIDS part of her work was only in black and white, which gave it more meaning and depth. There were some pictures that were just absolutely breath-taking, not only because of the subject but also because of the quality and thought put into it. I couldn't help but wondering how she got into some of the situations she photographed. Like the prostitute and the incredibly graphic photos of her. Or the painful pictures of lost family members and loved ones crying over their graves. Wouldn't that have been awkward for her? Wouldn't the people feel invaded? I would think it would be incredibly hard to do that and that shows a lot of strength in the photographer.

I thought Ashburn was an amazing person as well. She seemed so smart and she actually knew what she was talking about instead of some photographers who BS a lot of stuff. Not only did she come to our school, but she also stayed an hour later answering any questions we had. Now that is dedication. I thought it was amazing that just an article in a magazine is what started her need to photograph these people and help spread awareness. She is such an inspirational person and I really felt moved and effected by her and her photographs. I'm am so incredibly thankful that I went to the presentation and forged that permission slip!:)

My Outside Reading Book

I thought that it would be cool to discuss our books that we read for a final last semester. Plus I have a lot of questions about it and I'm looking for some answers from people who've read it.

I have to admit when I first got Their Eyes Were Watching God, I thought it would be a really cool symbolic story about religion. Boy was I wrong! Personally, I did not like the book at all. Some parts just really annoyed me! When I first started reading it, I actually didn't mind it at all. I thought the story was going to head in a completely different direction so I kept on reading. Then I got to know the character of Janie and how fickle she was. She was soo annoying! It's like she had to have a husband. It's not like she couldn't just have a boyfriend, she had to have a husband. And the men she picked! The first one was just mean, the second one was too controlling and the third one was the one that really made me mad! Apparently her third husband, Tea-Cake, was supposed to be the best and the one that actually 'loved her'. However, HE BEAT HER! That's right! He whipped her! And you know what? She did nothing about it! She simply kept on being the trophy wife she was with her long hair and rockin bod. What the heck?!? I thought this book was supposed to be about strong women but that does not show strength to me! The fact that her own husband whipped her, who she loved more than anyone just totally put me on the edge and what made me not like the book right then and there.

Not only did I not like the characters, but I also did not like the ending. Tea-Cake gets bit by a dog and then has rabies?? I mean, COME ON! It sounds like a bad horror film! I could just picture it in my head, all going wrong from the beginning. I honestly thought that Janie would have been bit and she would have been put out of her misery!

Well that was my personal view on the book but I would love to discuss it more with anybody who also read it!

Elizabeth Alexander

Ok, so we all know that Alexander's presentation of her poem was not exactly up to par. Even though it is her job to be a poet, and she should know how to read a poem, I couldn't help feeling the slightest bit of sympathy for her.

So this is what was given to her:
Write a poem for the first African American's inaugural address (that's stressful let alone)
Finish it in time
Read it in an interesting way
Make it stupid enough so the American public (not so bright) can understand it
Also make it so it will be remembered throughout history, and deep enough to strike literary scholars.

Sounds tuff huh! I feel like she was jipped into a lose lose situation. If she made it so the whole public could understand it, then the literary world would do nothing but criticize her. If she made it so deep and complex to amaze the literary world, the American public would stare at her with a glossy stare. This is why I feel like a poem is not so appropriate for this event and I can understand why it has only been done a couple times before in history.

So even though I'm not a very big fan of Alexander, I couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for her. I think for the situation she was put in, she did a pretty okay job at finding the middle ground between the two worlds.

1/20/09

Today was the Inaugural Address and I cannot hide that I was a little frustrated. I don't understand why the whole school had to make a huge deal out of the event and why every student had to be exposed to it when not everyone agrees with the President's political views. I can remember years back when Bush was elected and we didn't hear anything about it at school either of the times he got elected. Okay, I know this election was ground breaking because it is the first black president of our U.S. history and I am so very proud of that. But I am not proud of the fact that we picked someone like Barack Obama. Now I don't want to sit here and bash our president because that would be disrespectful and nothing annoys me more when people bash our president. I just feel like Obama was not the most qualified nominee for the position. We weren't really given a good pool to pick from and no one is to really blame for that. And not to mention, our economic status isn't exactly pristine. I guess I was annoyed because everyone was turning the event into something bigger than it was. I don't mean to offend anyone but if the person I wanted to win, won I wouldn't have been so extreme about it.
Even though I do not agree with the things Obama stands for, I really wish him the best of luck and I put all my hope in him because after all he is our president and I believe that united we stand and divided we fall. Since our country is in such a downfall, we should all stand together as one country, no matter what color, religion, or gender. I hope Barack stays true to his words and can help get our country out of this mess. We shall soon see!

I'm getting really annoyed...

with all these rap songs that have absolutely no meaning! They are so stupid and the radio plays them sooo much! It's so annoying. First of all I don't understand the names of these people. Lil' Wayne? Ne-Yo? T-Pain? What the heckkk?? That seems so idiotic to me. At least stick with your real name so you can get at least some credit.
Then don't get me started with the lyrics. They are so degrading to women and most of the time they don't even make sense. For example, in the song 'Fergalicious' by Fergie, who's real name is Stacy (I'm not sure why someone would want to name themselves after a toy) they bluntly spell a common, easy word wrong:
'T, to the A, to S-T-E-Y, girl you tasty'
They obviously don't know how to spell. Other than that, it seems like these rappers are making words up like in the Lil' Wayne song 'Lollipop':
'told her to back it up like erp erp
and make that a$$ jump like shczerp shczerp'
first of all that is just degrading and I'm pretty sure erp and schzerp are not real words.

Well that was my outlet for the day and I'm sorry if I offended someone but it has just been annoying me!

The Grapes of Wrath So Far

So I've recently started The Grapes of Wrath because I know the due date will spring up on me and catch me by surprise. But not this time! I'm only on chapter 8 but I still have some ideas and questions so far.

I love how critical Steinbeck is. He uses some really cool similes and comparisons like referring to the banks as monsters and the people who work at the banks as slaves: "These last would take no responsibility for the banks or the companies because they were men and slaves, while the banks were machines and masters all at the same time" (Steinbeck 32). I can definitely see why Congress wanted to ban this book. Steinbeck makes it seem like the government/banks are taking over the world almost like a monster. I could relate to this, if I had lived on some land for a really long time and all of the sudden someone just kicked me off and there was no one for me to really blame. However, I can also see where the bank people are coming from. Without moving the people off the land, there would be no change and they would never make any profit. It's almost like a lose, lose situation. I can feel Steinbeck's frustration.

Steinbeck also, at one point, criticizes jails. When Joad, Willy, and Casy were cooking their meat, they asked Joad about his experience in jail. He replied with, "The thing that give me the mos' trouble was, it didn't make no sense... When a bunch of men take an' lock you up four years, it ought to have some meaning. Men is supposed to think things out. Here they put me in, an' keep me an' feed me four years. That ought to either make me so I won't do her again or else punish me so I'll be afraid to do her again. But if Herb or anybody else come for me, I'd do her again... That sort of senselessness kind a worries a man" (Steinbeck 55). It's almost as if Joad is basically saying that the jail system is worthless. Even though he has been there before, he thinks jails should be tuffer and make a person learn their lesson. I agree with him on that.

The part that I also thought was interesting was the chapter that specifically talked about selling cars. It was really hard to follow but it showed the transition from the people who farmed to people trying to buy cars to keep up with the generation. In the chapter, it seems like the car salesmen are having trouble selling the cars because not a lot of people have much money, so they are forced to sell the cars at incredibly low prices. This made me think of cars as a representation of movement. Since they are having trouble selling the cars, their is a lack of movement and that is what happening at this point in the story.

So far I really like the book. It's a little slow, but I can tell it has a lot of potential. I can't wait to find out what happens next and I hope Tom can find his family!

Friend or Foe?-- John Steinbeck

Like every novel we have read, I feel like I should know a little bit about the author to fully understand the novel. Even though I read Of Mice and Men in 10th grade, I am still clueless as to who the genius is behind all the print. Here is what I discovered about him.

• Born in California in 1902
• Went to Stanford University for literature, but never graduated
• Tried to become a free-lance writer in New York, but failed and returned to California.
• He first became known with a series of humorous stories called Tortilla Flat after many failed attempts at writing.
• Steinbeck's novels can all be classified as social novels dealing with the economic problems of rural labor.
• In 1937, he wrote Of Mice and Men, a story about a misunderstood giant.
• in 1939, he published what is known to be his best work, The Grapes Of Wrath
• Most of his novels are set in California
• He died of a heart attack in New York City in 1968.

So, now that I have learned a little bit more about the author, I predict that The Grapes Of Wrath is going to have something to do with labor and economic problems. I know it has to do with the Dust Bowl and that is reflected back to Steinbeck. Will the novel live up to its hype? When we are done will Steinbeck become one of our favorites, or will he remain in the darks of our brains for forever? Dun dun dun!

A Fresh New Beginning

Welcome to part two of the hardest class you will ever take... haha jk! Even though this class is a challenge, you must admit that some of the things are quite interesting! Those short stories? Yeah they were wierd, but they sure did strike up a conversation! Or what about Frankenstein? I think we had mixed opinions on it, but it still got the class involved!

So what is in store for this semester to be? All I know is that The Grapes of Wrath better be interesting! I'm looking forward to Hamlet and the films we will be watching. But most of all, I'm honestly looking forward to, ok maybe not 'looking forward to' but I'm need to start working on my essay skills. That AP exam seems so far away but I know it will start creeping up on us. I really hope I'll be able to write a decent essay by the end of the semester. I know what to do, so why can't I just do it?? So much pressure! At least I have this whole semester to start thinking about it... I'm ready for another intense 'nose to the grindstone', 'let's put this off till the last day', 'god, I'm so tired" semester! Are you?