Romeo + Juliet

I found the newer Romeo and Juliet movie version on-line to watch. However, it was from a pretty lame site, and so the movie would stutter often, which became quite frustrating after awhile. I kept watching the same scenes over and over again, because the the film was so defected. Anyway, I was quite annoyed by this version at first. The beginning scene at the gas-station is exaggeratedly obnoxious. The party scene is also a bit over the top. The film though portrays the rush of Romeo and Juliet's relationship well. It does a great job especially in showing Romeo's impulsive and rash character.
I did enjoy when the story became more serious, as soon as Romeo and Juliet meet.
This version most definitely portrays how pathetic the families' feud is.

Romeo and Juliet: In-Class

Act I Scene II

Capulet:

"And too soon marr'd are those so early made.

The earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she,—

She is the hopeful lady of my earth:

But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,

My will to her consent is but a part;

An she agree, within her scope of choice

Lies my consent and fair according voice.

This night I hold an old accustom'd feast,

Whereto I have invited many a guest,

Such as I love; and you among the store,

One more, most welcome, makes my number more.

At my poor house look to behold this night

Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light:

Such comfort as do lusty young men feel

When well apparell'd April on the heel

Of limping winter treads, even such delight

Among fresh female buds shall you this night

Inherit at my house; hear all, all see,

And like her most whose merit most shall be:

Which, among view of many, mine, being one,

May stand in number, though in reckoning none.

Come, go with me.—Go, sirrah, trudge about

Through fair Verona; find those persons out

Whose names are written there,[gives a paper]and to them say, My house and welcome on their pleasure stay."

Capulet's monologue sets the scene.
In his monologue Capulet, Juliet's father is discussing his feelings and requests in regards to Juliet's planned marriage. Paris has asked for Juliet's hand in marriage, and while Capulet agrees to the arrangements, he wants Juliet to have a say in the decision as well. He wants Paris to win over Juliet's heart and love, rather than sending her off into a devastating marriage. He requests that the engagement will last for at least 2 years, considering that Juliet, at this point is only 14 years of age.
He then announces that Paris can begin to introduce himself to Juliet that night, because the Capulet's will be having a feast.
From this monologue the reader learns of several important facts for the plot, such as Juliet's age, her relationship to her father, and there will be an important party on that night. The reader also meets Paris here, who isn't a major character, but a major problem.
Towards the end of his monologue Capulet describes the spring feelings that will be seen and felt by most at the feast that night. He calls the men "lusty" and the women "fresh." With this he explains that the feast will be one where lovers meet, and by this he means Paris ans his daughter Juliet. Although it will be a feast for lovers, it will not be one for Paris and Juliet.

American Born Chinese

The three stories all discussed the feeling of being outcast. The monkey was not allowed to enter the heavens, not simply because he wasn't wearing shoes, but because he was a monkey. Jin Wang felt outcast in his new school, not only because he was different from the rest of the students, but also because none of the "normal" kids would play with him for a long time. And Dan, well, it turns out that Dan is Jin Wang. Both the Monkey King and Jin try to convert themselves to fit into the mainstream. Even Wei-chen does this in the end. However, each of them realize that they cannot simply give up their identity to feel accepted.
My favorite section is the one in which the Monkey King tries to avoid his creator by flying past the universe. He "runs into" 5 golden pillars. He writes onto one of them and urinates on it as well. When he returns to earth his creator shows him his hand, which was represented by the pillars. So we see the creator's ring finger with writing and urine on it. I like this section especially, because it was funny as well as symbolic. It showed that one cannot run away from one's heritage or personal identity easily. It will be a long trip to get away from oneself and in the end one never truly gets away from one's past anyway.

The Bluest Eye: In-class

Cholly grew up in the South and was raised by his great aunt Jessy.
Jessy rescued him from a trash heap when he was only several days old. He had been left there, purposely, by his teen-aged mother. After Jessy's beating of Cholly's biological mother she ran away. Cholly never met his mother, nor his father, when he was a child. No one was even quite sure about who Cholly's father was; he had only been in town a few nights. After Jessy's death Cholly is meant to live with her brother in another town. The night before he is supposed to move however, he has a very humiliating and emotionally painful sexual experience. He soon becomes afraid that the girl he had made love to might be pregnant. Yet, instead of leaving to live with the uncle, or staying in the town with the girl, he decides to leave everything to find his own father, who had run away from Cholly's mother 16 years before. He finally does meet his father, only to be disappointed.
Later in his life Cholly had his own son, Sammy. Sammy "was known, by the time he was 14, to have run away from home no less than twenty-seven times" (p. 43). So, it had become a tradition. Sammy wasn't running away from a feared pregnancy, but he ran away just like his father and his grandfather had done before him.
All three had gone against the cultural standard of facing their troubles and responsibilities. Each of them ran away independently. Something that most do not have courage to do. Just like Cholly, Cholly's father, and Sammy were free, "dangerously free." They were allowed to do as they pleased, by others and by themselves. This behavior was almost expected of "them."

Hooks and McIntosh

McIntosh brings up a point that is hard to face, but very true. She makes a statement that I have thought of myself several times, but not for a long time and not in great detail. When I was five years old, I remember, I was coloring with a "flesh-tone" colored pencil and noticed that this name was for a light toned pencil, which matched my own skin tone. This, I realized promptly, was not fair. I remember clearly wondering about this phenomenon and being quite upset. However, McIntosh brings up other, more convenient subjects, such as the standard band-aid color (lets all just buy dinosaur band-aids!).
One statement that she considered a privilege for her as a white female (like me), I considered somewhat untrue. She states, "I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial"(19). I feel that when I speak to any male group, powerful or not, I may not be putting my race on trial, but rather my gender. There have been occasions in which my beliefs have been judged based on my gender. Besides that there is always my "Germanness" that makes people uncomfortable with my opinions. Some people have seemed to simply think, "oh, she thinks like that 'cuz she's German." I have been asked, "is that because your German?" Sometimes I'll simply use my "Germanness" as an excuse for when people seem to think that I am saying or doing strange things.

I looked at Bell's cultural criticism of "Madonna," "Rap Music," and "Transformation."
Rap music has generally been offensive to me ever since I started to become independent of my sibling's influences (we used to watch MTV together and we used to listen to Rap all the time). Therefore I enjoyed listening to Hooks' criticism very much. I found that it's degrading, not only towards women, but also black men. I've made numerous attempts to convince others (even some teachers, as well as my own siblings) that the lyrics and music videos are damaging to the female image and the black male's image. Rap Music strengthens negative stereotypes that are already created elsewhere in the media, such as movies and advertisements. However, Rap is not the only music filled with derogatory words. Women are unpleasantly spoken of in many other music styles as well. Also, rap is not only derogatory. There are many positive rappers out there, such as Nas. However, these rappers are, unfortunately, not as popular.

House on Mango Street : In-Class: Home and Personal Identity

Esperanza briefly describes the previous apartments in which she and her family have lived. However, she never dwells on them. They are a small segment of her history, but they are not as significant as her House on Mango Street. The previous apartments only come to represent the age before Esperanza's "coming of age," which occurs on Mango Street.
Once she moves to Mango Street she is ashamed of her house. Simply pointing into the general direction of her neighborhood gives her a sense of embarrassment. Her home represents more than just a building though. Her house is part of a neighborhood, which belongs to a certain ethnic group, which in turn is part of a specific social class. She is therefore not only embarrassed of the building she and her family enter and exit daily, but of everything that surrounds it.The buildings in which she lives, or the places in which she is in, come to represent her stages in life.
In the end of the Bildungsroman, and the end of her coming of age, Esperanza realizes that her House on Mango Street has become a part of her. It has grown to belong to her personal identity. She learns that she will come back to Mango Street to get others out, and this is what she has done by writing this book. She has written of those who still live on Mango Street, or a place like Mango Street to get their story out into the world.