Journal #15 "Border Patrol State"

Dear Ms. Silko, I can agree with you on your letter completely. Everything from how inappropriate a ten foot steel wall dissecting Mexico from the U.S. is to the great human migration. I never would have thought of it that way that the original inhabitants of this land would be seeking after the original land they had before the Europeans arrived. Are the people who occupy America now deterrents from the original inhabitants from living in their own land again? It so interesting the way you describe people are free about to move on this earth like the rivers. My pathos agree with you completely, but I have to see the logos side of all this. America is trying to protect the borders and democracy we now have and the border patrol is doing their job, but I do agree with you they are not doing it in an ethical way. We must be able to protect our borders, but I believe stereotyping anyone and everyone one with the notion they are out to smuggle drugs or participate in illegal activities is wrong. I remember from a personal experience when I was coming from South Padre back to the Texas mainland we had to go through Border Patrol. There were 5 young, white girls in this mini van. We were packed with suitcases, clothes and food. The officer just peeked right in gave us all a quick glance and asked if we were all American citizens. We answered him timidly “yes” because this was the first time any of us had gone through Border Patrol. He let us go right through. As we were passing, next to us we saw an officer dog and a car getting searched by it. It makes me wonder what the training process is to become a Border Patrol officer and what ideals and ethics they are instilled with before the job. I like how you took an emotional and poetic agenda on to this issue. It makes me think past the rules and regulations man has made and it makes me think more of the birth of this nation and where it actually started and the spiritual and emotional ties there are to this country.

Bonus Blog #3

All three of these stories share the sense of “double consciousness.” When a person has a split conscious on how they should act because racially they look one way but when they are assimilated into another country they must act according to the standards of that country. In Antin’s story “The Promise Land” I see a similarity between Mary and the son in Sui Sin Far’s story. I use this similarity using a quote out of Antin’s story. “In after years, when I passed an American among American, if I was suddenly made aware of the past that lay forgotten, -- if a letter from Russia or a paragraph in the newspaper…suddenly reminded me of what I might have been…” This reminds me so much of the description of when Lae Choo went to pick up her son at the end of Far’s story. He was there for months and as a child he forgot so quickly of his mother and where he came from. I assume it not a surprise when a child forgets so easily of his mother and is capable of moving on because they haven’t been conditioned yet into a culture enough so they don’t share an identity yet. But for Mary to have such thoughts that she had even forgotten her own roots was amazing to me. I guess since she found it so easy to assimilate within school and that she looked American, she was almost happy to give up her roots. I know that if I were to still be living in Spain after I studied abroad, I still would not have been able to give up my roots and culture. For 21 years I have been an American and raised how Americans are raised, to completely clear myself of my culture would be extremely difficult. A difference I found was the hatred Kiku-san had for her skin color and the love Mary has for her skin color. It’s interesting to see that Mary being fully white loves it because she is able to assimilate well, but Kiku-san just being half white hates her image because she can’t fit into her own culture. It’s interesting to think that skin type plays a huge role in the culture you are brought up in. I could be white and brought up in a Hispanic community my whole life and I would either be ostracized because of my skin color or embraced because I’m different looking and associating myself that people I don’t necessarily look like. Race plays a huge role in our culture and I think we should all be willing to accept people for who they are.

Journal #14 on "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

If I were a solider in Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s unit I would carry a lot for my survival first of all. I would carry with me the basic needs like, matches, a canteen, a knife, a gun (maybe), water purifying tablets, dry clothes, waterproof blanket, jacket etc. I could go down a list of everything I would pack from large to small for survival but the things I would carry would be different. I can also say here there is a difference I think when we say “pack” versus “carry.” It’s interesting how when I named off the survival tools I was going to “pack them” but the sentimental items I’m about to list and describe I would “carry.” I would carry them physically close to my body and close to my heart. First off, my baby blanket, I know I’m in college and 21, but I have slept with that blanket my whole life. I have many family stories about it. As a child I would always prepare myself if bad weather was coming by having it wrapped around me so if something, like a tornado, were to tear up our house I would have the one item that I cherish with me. I would try to keep that somewhere near. Maybe I would cut a section of it wrap it around my waist. I would have a picture of my family, there isn’t one I could pin point, but just one of us. Then a picture of my sister and I as babies. Then, I would carry a picture of my 3 best friends from home and the one from college. I would most certainly carry my New Testament with me as well. I really enjoyed reading this essay because of how current it is. It makes me happy to know that writers can still provoke so much emotion even in this day in age when technology seems to steal that away from us. It was an emotional essay for me to read.

Journal #13 on Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin)

I think Zitkala-Sa is a story of the American Dream, relatively speaking in her pursuit of an education. “At the close of this second term of three years I was the proud owner of my first diploma” (pg. 437). What I find interesting is that her venture to receive a diploma and to move on towards a greater education is that of the American Dream. In this day in age, a high school diploma is good, a college diploma is significantly the best, but now most employers want people with the highest degree attainable and that’s graduate school and even on to a doctorate. What I find interesting is that her pursuit of finding a better education is what she feels pressured to do because of her European blood, but what I find interesting also is she feels guilty and saddened for leaving her mother and that is what I think a lot of Americans feel too when they leave for college or to receive a higher degree. In the American Dream we want what is best for ourselves but in the midst of that pursuit we feel like we have to leave behind the loved ones that encouraged us to go forth and purse that quest. So it’s an interesting way she attains the American Dream by pursing a higher education, but leaves behind the ones she loves the most.

Nov. 3 readings and blog prompt

"Does it make nothing for us that we have always recognized our Christian teachers as worthy of authority in our councils, and repudiated those whose influence or character was vicious or irreligious? That while four-fifths of the population of our Islands was swept out of existence by the vices introduced by foreigners, the ruling class clung to Christian morality, and gave its unvarying support and service to the work of saving and civilizing the masses? Has not this class loyally clung to the brotherly alliance made with the better element of foreign settlers, giving freely of its authority and its substance, its sons and its daughters, to cement and to prosper it" -- Hawai`i's Story by Hawai`i's Queen Chp. LVII

This is my favorite quote because Queen Lili'uokalani uses sarcasm in her language to convey her point. Her language is very direct and straight forward in her rhetorical questions she uses. The goal of this language is to address the pressing questions that are so avoided, but her language conveys that the actions still continue and she wants to answer those questions.

 

Blog 11

I’ve been curious to know how and why America was still able to attract immigrants when there was so much hostility among the citizens. Didn’t people in Europe have an idea as to the amount of killings and suffering in the colored community there was? If I were an immigrant coming to America, being white, I would think I would be more readily accepted if I knew about everything going on. But I would still be reluctant to come here if I knew the amount of hate crimes. At the same time looking back in history, most white people followed the actions of the rest of the white community in order to not be discriminated in that community; so I would also be reluctant not to follow along with the crowd in favor of protecting my reputation. Which does sadden me, I would hope I would have still have the same attitude I do now about lynching and hate crimes, that I don’t agree with them, but again I just simply don’t know because I didn’t live in those times. But, then reflecting back to McKay’s poems, he was a world traveler, always seeking a way to come back to America despite the hate. He was a black man and to think about his life experience and what it bought him, if people did come here to the states at this time of hate, life would bring them more trials, but more rewards. McKay’s poem “America” explains my thought process perfectly when he writes:

“Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, and sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests me soul.”

Its so endearing to here him say such a thing, despite being treated the way he was. It goes to show that life is not easy and challenges will always be present, but if you have a will to fight for what you believe in, you will succeed and in the end be grateful for the time of pain because it brought you so much pleasure in the end.

Journal #10: The Aha! Moment

I am a little confused on where to find this realization of enlightenment on the about The Wife of his Youth. I do understand that the woman he had been talking about the whole time at the party was the one he told the story about. As I start to think about Mr. Ryder’s age and Ms. Dixon’s age, he said he did want her because she was young and youthful. Now that he has realized that the woman that just appeared is her he can see the youth that she still has I her and then hope of finding her love one day. Just because he had been waiting so long doesn’t mean he wasn’t going to fin true love. In the long paragraph where I think he’s realizing what he should do he makes this comment

 “Suppose, too, that, as the years went by, this man's memory of the past grew more and more indistinct, until at last it was rarely, except in his dreams, that any image of this bygone period rose before his mind. And then suppose that accident should bring to his knowledge the fact that the wife of his youth, the wife he had left behind him, -- not one who had walked by his side and kept pace with him in his upward struggle, but one upon whom advancing years and a laborious life had set their mark, -- was alive and seeking him, but that he was absolutely safe from recognition or discovery, unless he chose to reveal himself.”

 I think here he recognizes himself that this is the woman he knew has as a youth and he is remembering her and seeing her devotion throughout her years in search of him. He realizes that this is true love; one that is endearing through time and surpasses any age.

(At the beginning of this entry I was confused about how to find that aha! moment, but as I started to type and think, I too had an aha! moment and was able to find the texts).

In “Learning to Read” I loved this significant insight that Harper addresses:

“Our masters always tried to hide

   Book learning from our eyes;

Knowledge did’nt agree with slavery—

   ’Twould make us all too wise.” (Harper)

I think what is so significant to this quote is that when on has knowledge and can be a significant and worthy in the context of society, slavery and knowledge don’t go hand in hand.  I think this is such a powerful message to send that when one has knowledge on the world injustice can be fixed. In today’s society we see people and corrupt government trying to control society’s thoughts and actions, but all people want is freedom, freedom to learn and choose and with individual freedom comes the halt of social injustice for everyone.