One Art

I loved this poem. A lot of life is about losing, although some losses you never get over. I read on someone's grave in Westminster Abbey, "All things must come to an end."

It seems like just reading the poem that she gets over the loss, "even losing you..."However when I heard her voice fill with sadness when she read One Art, shows me that there are some losses you never get over..

The death of a loved one by hard the most difficult. This semester I lost my book....I got so upset, and my boyfriend said it's only a book. I thought it was an expensive thoughtless mistake. Then, I lost my grandfather this semester. I keep thinking about him, and then I realize that he is gone. I cannot imagine what my grandmother is going through, he was her life. My grandmother said,"As you get older death slaps you in the face." Now losing my book seems like no tradgedy.Just like in the poem ...first she lost her keys then cities...etc...then the loss of a loved one "DISASTER"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie was perhaps my favorite piece of literature read in class yet.
The characters are tragically realistic. All of them try to escape through something, Laura escapes into her tiny glass menagerie collection, while Amanda lives in the past, and Tom goes to the movies.

It is evident although Tom and Amanda fight, they truly love each other. I can relate to Tom that there comes a point to flee the nest. I liked when Tom said that people are trying to live their lives through movie stars in Hollywood.

Why not go out and experience it yourself? Why not you only live once , you might as well just go for it. Leave your family to fend for themselves, or else you will live with resentment. You will resent yourself and resent others.

Everyday Use

The story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, expresses different ideas of heritage. The sister Dee comes home and suddenly shows appreciation for her heritage by trying to loot her mother's house of all family heirlooms. She tells her mother that she deserves the quilts that her grandmother made and that she can appreciate them more than her sister. Maggie, Dee's sister says, "I don't need the Quilts to remember Grandma." Maggie learned how to quilt as she quality spent time with her grandmother. Is heritage something that is tangible to be passed down?

Dee also has changed her name to Wangero, because she calls Dee a slave name. It is true that American's slaves were wiped of their identities and African names.

Although, I believe that the longer generations stay in America, their language, culture and traditions begin to fade.

I am curious as to where my own family came over to America. Did they come over on the coffin ships over from Ireland during the potato famine? Did they sail the seas with the Spanish Armada? Did they conquer lands during the Ottoman empire, or were they conquered?

I am told that I am Spanish, Irish and Hungarian. In my lifetime, I want to travel to all of these places, to see the lands where my ancestors lived. I already went to Ireland, and I fell in love with the Irish people. They are truly proud of their heritage and culture.

The Swimmer

In the story, the swimmer, the main character Neddy is swimming across the country. As he is swimming we find out that he pissed off some people along the way but he does not remember. What a convenient memory Neddy has? We see him start to consume excessive amounts of alcohol. We come to find out that even his family is gone and he cannot remember why. The pools become empty, and Neddy reaches the cold hard reality of his actions.

I see that Neddy is swimming away from his problems by diving into alcohol. I see this trait is common among alcoholics, the alcoholism is a mere symptom of the real problem. People are always running from something.

Some people become work workaholics and they neglect their families and friends.

Some people try to eat their problems away.

Or sometimes they blame other people for their problems and misfortunes.

Some people might think, "If I just moved far away than my problems would be gone. "

I have even met performers that believe, "If I just become famous then everyone will like me."
What difference does it make if the whole world likes you, but you don't like yourself, and have lost your self respect along the way. I am reminded of (Luke 9:25) What profit is there in gaining the whole world when it means forfeiting one's self?"

I've seen so many people like Neddy that just waste their lives. There is no greater shame, then seeing a life wasted and talent wasted. Every breath is such a gift. King David said, "Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are. Help them to spend them as we should" (Psalms 90:12)

The Story Of An Hour

The Story Of An Hour, is a feminist piece of literature that predates any feminist movements. It reminds me of the ample amount of opportunities that women have today in this country as compared to the years before the 1920's. I remember my grandmother saying that women did not have the same opportunities that we have today. Sometimes people take for granted that freedom and equality is not free, and that most likely someone sacrificed for those freedom. For example, I am reminded of the hard labor and campaigning that women put into so that women could have the right to vote.

Before the 1940's women were not allowed to have careers other than a school teacher or a nurse. They were expected to be domestic slaves. They were expected to not have strong opinions and they were thought of as fragile beings. Today women can even fight in combat in this country.

The Story of an Hour was shocking in the 1890's and radical forward thinking. Just to think about life was like one hundred years ago seems like ages. Women would not dare to walk around like Britney Spears in the 1800's she would probably be stoned to death, or burned like the Salem Witches.

Ready, Set, Blog!

I set up my literature blog for my English 30 class. I took this class because it would force me to read outside of my comfort zone. Normally I like to read Biographies and Auto-Biographies.

I loved Marlon Brando's Songs my Mother Taught Me. I am mostly interested in real life stories, but I can appreciate the imagination of fiction.

I just finished "The Liars Club" by Mary Karr. I was ordered to read it by my father. That's probably why it sat on my shelf as a dust collector for over a year. Then I promised myself I would finish it on my trip to England and Scotland.

Since, our U.S. Dollar is about as strong as the peso. I thought I would try to save some British pounds by taking a ten hour bus ride from London to Scotland. As opposed to take a more expensive four hour train ride. So I read and read for hours on the bus. The stories in the book are so funny about the author's insane white trashed family. I could totally relate to the dysfunction, and I also thought my friend Jessica Delfino would enjoy it. I decided I would finish it and give it to her when I got to Scotland.

When I arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland I wheeled my earthly possessions to the venue where my friend was performing. I felt like a bag lady, but quickly got over the embarrassment.

After Jessica's show we went back to Jessica's apartment where I saw the Liars Club on the table and asked, "Jessica did you take this book out of my bag?" She said, "No I'm reading that!" I looked inside my purse to find my own copy of the Liars Club. I was a little freaked out by the coincidence. She said that a friend insisted she read the Liars Club and like myself it sat on her shelf for about a year. Till we decided to pull it out at the same time.

This is not the only coincidence I share with Jessica. We both have flat feet, and wear a shoe size of 8 and 1/2. We both got our front teeth knocked out as kids and have crowns. My tooth was shot out by a bee bee gun, while her stepfather pushed her off a boat. On occasion we will both show up wearing the same outfit.