Difficultys when reading YGB

          In the short story young goodman brown by Nathaniel Hawthorn, there were a few things that through me off. the first thing is, I cant understand the close mindedness of these people, the puritans. It seems to me that in the effort of becoming pure, people need to give up a lot of things that are unnecessary, and as a result they begin to resent the purifying processes of daily life. That resentment festers and grows into a deep hatred for the religion and consequently you have people retaliating in there own ways. However, they can not be public with there retaliation because the religion is so closely tied to their government, that someone hearing you talk about the rules in a negative way may lead to your exile or even your death, because the puritans where that strict. So it seems to me that being the best puritan you can be and getting that recognition from the people in your society is the mentality that eventually leads the puritans to driving themselves into insanity.  It is a very heavy worry to be self conscience. often times people find the answers in their religions, but when the religion is what is causes the worries than that is when you have to question the purpose of religion. what they failed to realize is the temporariness in everything around us. they felt so strongly about following rules and staying pure, that they hindered the mental and social growths of their societies. i guess i am confused on the logic that they found....

I find it curious why the puritans would make these rules so strict knowing how hard it was to follow them. goodman brown is a recognized and well respected person in his society so that should speak to his character a bit. we know that puritans like him! and Puritans pretty much dont like anything that isnt good in gods eyes. But even HE is tempted to go to the forest. Why would such a high calliber man be tempted? well my answer is it is becasue he wants the power that hes been missing out on his whole life! he wants to dabble in the devils water, and who can blame him, its only human to want to do forbidden things.

 the fact that he wants to go to the forest is not the problem here. the problem is that he has never gone to the forest ever befor! if he had gone, the temptation would have been far less and he wouldnt have had to feed his hunger.

week 8; the revision of week 7

Week 8

I chose Gender criticism and “the story of an hour”

            In the short story, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, is an oppressed woman; looking through the lens of the gender criticism. The fact that she is mentioned in the very first sentence of the short story speaks to when the story takes place as well as to her personality. “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently possible the news of her husbands death”. The story is already speaking to how weak she, a woman, is. As a reader I am left anxious to read on why it is that she needs the news to be put to her gently, could it because she’s weak? Or she doesn’t take news well? Or she is fragile? There are a lot of possibilities that it could be. An opening line like that speaks about the character of the protagonist and leaves the reader with an impression. In this instance it is that women are weak.

             However there are instances of literal irony in the way the author describes her such as “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength”. That seems to be on the complete opposite side of the spectrum from the Mrs. Mallard of the quote prior than the most recent. The Literal irony is in that she is said to be strong on the outside and seen as weak on the inside. If she were so strong on the conclusion of the story would be a lot different. If she was so weak how did she have the strength to not collapse into pieces in front of the people when she was told? Ironic.

            The conflict that Mrs. Mallard find herself in is this; she can not comprehend the devastating news of her husbands death, the gravity of it drives her to the point were she is looking for anything to help her. She is looking for anything to take the pain away. That is why she does not object the spirit that approaches her through the window. The author mentions, “Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously” because of the spirit that she felt in the air.

            The crisis of the story is that she has a poor ultimatum. Her options are; fall apart and die, or get it together and hope to find love again. Being the weak woman that she is, she can not hold herself together to get through this, but if she could than she would have a real shot at finding another life partner. Because it is possible, after all she is a young lady with fair skin, it’s not like she’s a 55 year old widow who now must give up.

            The objectification of women seems to be shown in the story as well. The author gives her no lines in the story so Mrs. Mallard never speaks for herself, rather the only thing we know of Mrs. Mallard is what the author has told us about her. That is interesting when you think about the fact that the author of this novel is a woman. Perhaps that means that at the point of history when this story was written, even woman recognized other women as objects.   

Week 7 posting

Week 7

            In the short story, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, is an oppressed woman, looking through the lens of the gender criticism. The fact that she is mentioned in the very first sentence of the short story speaks to when the story takes place. “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently possible the news of her husbands death”. The story is already speaking to how weak she, a woman, is. As a reader I am left anxious to read on why it is that she needs the news to be put to her gently, could it because she’s weak? Or she doesn’t take news well? or she is fragile? There are a lot of possibilities that it could be. An opening line like that speaks about the character of the protagonist and leaves the reader with an impression. In this instance it is that women are weak. However there are instances of literal irony in the way the author describes her such as

“She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength”. That seems to be on the complete opposite side of the spectrum from the Mrs. Mallard of the quote prior than the most recent. The Literal irony is in that she is said to be strong on the outside and seen as weak on the inside. If she were so strong on the conclusion of the story would be a lot different. If she was so weak how did she have the strength to not collapse into pieces in front of the people when she was told? Ironic.

            The objectification of women seems to be shown in the story as well. The author gives her no lines in the story so Mrs. Mallard never speaks for herself, rather the only thing we know of Mrs. Mallard is what the author has told us about her. That is interesting when you think about the fact that the author of this novel is a woman. Perhaps that means that at the point of history when this story was written, even woman recognized other women as objects. The author mentions, “Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously” because of the spirit that she felt in the air. As a reader my first idea was that what she was waiting for what was coming to her and she was getting excited as she waited. That shows the weakness in women in that she is emotional. In the story we have seen her go from normal, to weak, to devastated, to strong, to excited, and to curious. That is a very womanly thing to do, I do not know of any men that have mood swings. At the end of the short story I took away the message that woman have many sides to them and that is the way that it is. The author left an impression on me that clearly says, woman have flaws.

Girl imitation

never leave something for tommorro if it can be done today; always close the chicken coop once it gets dark; this is how a fire burns; this how to contain a fire; this how to change your oil, make sure a car has enbough oil and water and it will run forever; never take something that isnt yours; always try your hardest and you will never be disappointed in the outcome; love unconditionally your family and closest friends; never quit what you have started, real men never quit; always hand someone your keys if you have decided to drink, but you shouldnt be drinking. God is good all the time. life only comes around once, be careful with your choices.

Rouch draft # 2

Pedro Ulloa

Mrs. Knapp

English 1 b

March 7, 2011

“Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M., get the money, dollar dollar bill yall!” (Wu Tang Clan). This statement has been true for centuries. Money is the key to freedom in an economy, and for that reason it has been sought after by the world over. Money is hard to come by however, its is the result of work; which for most of the population means long hours of energy draining activities. Thus, working is the key to bettering your life and bettering your future. That is what makes America so wonderful! It is the promise that there will be work here for those who choose to make the trip and it will yield a bright future. One could say the modern American dream has become; work hard to get a good job, make a decent living, and live in a decent place with a fridge stocked with groceries. However this is hard to attain, and that is the struggle that we all find ourselves in. In the book The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb, the three main characters have very different perspectives on the value and relationship of work and money.

Sonny likes to steal to get what he feels he deserves or to reward himself. He does this in part because he's bored, and certainly because he knows he can get away with it. In the book when he steals the dirty magazines from the couple in apartment #2, he does not feel remorse, even when he is caught by his mother. “I hated having to talk about the nudie magazines I was still embarrassed and ashamed. And to my mom. Maybe this was worse even than the money” (Gilb 220). He feels embarrassed that he has to talk about his touchy subject with his mom but he is not remorseful towards Gina at all. Also Sonny steals the money from Cloyd’s desk! That is a lot of money for a fifteen your old to have! It is one thing that he had to think about it a few times but eventually he did take it. His motive was that his step dad was a jerk, and he could care less if he stole from him, plus the money would mean that he could eat out of the house, and maybe buy something for one of the many girls that he likes, one can understand why he did what he did. Also teens have tendencies to steal just to get away with it, “Preteens and teens know they're not supposed to steal, but might steal for the thrill of it or because their friends do. Some might believe they can get away with it. As they're given more control over their lives, some teens steal as a way of rebelling” (Kidshealth). I think that this is very true for Sonny. Because he feels more adult he feels like he has the right to own some money and sense Cloyd won’t pay him, he takes what he feels he deserves.

Silvia is a character whose idea of money plays a huge role in the book. She is a mother of 2, Latina women, who still likes to live like she is young. Being a parent comes with a lot of responsibilities, one of them being finding shelter for you and your children. I think this need to provide shelter is what fuels her to stay with Cloys Longpre. One can understand that as a mom with a growing boy, staying home is the best job a mother can have. By having a relationship with Cloyd she can provide a house (even though he hates it), food, and since she is not working she can spend more time with her child, if she so chooses. It is clear that Silvia is not in love with him when she says, “ I want to leave. I mean leave. Leave, Me entiendes?” (Gilb 220). If it weren’t for the lifestyle and the benefits, I do not think that Sylvia would be staying with Cloyd.

Cloyd views money like a hawk. A very cheap man he is the owner of the complex and he is all about his money. He put Sonny to work right after they moved and got settled in. He gave Sonny a list of chores and said he was going to pay for it and never did, and that was not because he didn’t have the money to give to him its because he is just to cheap to give him the money even though he recognizes his hard work. He speaks about doing anything to save money as well, like hiring illegal immigrants to do work for him. He also values money straight forward. In the novel he recognizes how special Mr. Pinkston is by noting, “He payed me in cash… even when he moved in all of it in cash” (Gilb 54).

Money is the motive for a lot of people that are living in a slot of situations. Not many things talk louder than money, nothing makes a statement like a cold stack of bills. It helps one get there life together, it can buy one more time, it can mean an end to starvation, it could mean a new turn for the better, money in itself brings hope! When you have money you feel like you matter and you feel like you can do things. Since money is such a key thing many people are influenced by it differently, and its power to change lives should not be underestimated.

Transition words

Addition: again, also, and, and then, besides, equally important, finally, first, furthermore, further,

concesion: granted, naturally, ofcourse

Contrast: although, and yet, at the same time, but at the same time, despite that, even so, thpugh, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, to illustrate, thus, truly.

Example or illustration: after all, as an illustration, even, for example, for instance,

Rough draft the Flowers

Pedro Ulloa

Mrs. Knapp

English 1 b

March 7, 2011

Everybody has cream. 

            “Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M., get the money, dollar dollar bill yall!” (Wu Tang Clan). This statement has been true for centuries. Working is the key to bettering your life and bettering your future. That is what makes America so wonderful! It is the promise that there will be work here for those who choose to make the trip and it will yield a bright future. Work hard to get a good job, make a decent living, and live in a decent place with a fridge stocked with groceries, this is a common form of the American dream. However this is hard to attain, and that is the struggle that we all find ourselves in. In the book The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb, the main characters have a different perspective on the value of work and money.

            Sonny likes to steal to get what he feels he deserves or to reward himself. In the book when he steals the dirty magazines from the couple in apartment #2, he does not feel remorse, even when he is caught by his mother. “I hated having to talk about the nudie magazines I was still embarrassed and ashamed. And to my mom. Maybe this was worse even than the money” (Gilb 220). He feels embarrassed that he has to talk about his touchy subject with his mom but he is not remorseful towards Gina at all. Also Sonny steals the money from Cloyd’s desk! That is a lot of money for a fifteen your old to have! It is one thing that he had to think about it a few times but eventually he did take it. His motive was that his step dad was a jerk, and he could care less if he stole from him, plus the money would mean that he could eat out of the house, and maybe buy something for one of the many girls that he likes, one can understand why he did what he did. Also teens have tendencies to steal just to get away with it, “Preteens and teens know they're not supposed to steal, but might steal for the thrill of it or because their friends do. Some might believe they can get away with it. As they're given more control over their lives, some teens steal as a way of rebelling” (Kidshealth). I think that this is very true for Sonny. Because he feels more adult he feels like he has the right to own some money and sense Cloyd won’t pay him, he takes what he feels he deserves.

            Silvia is a character whose idea of money plays a huge role in the book. She is a mother of 2, Latina women, who still likes to live like she is young; going out all the time, drinking on weekdays, shopping all day, etc. When one is young one has the benefit of being able to enjoy life, but as a parent, ones life becomes all about their children. Being a parent comes with a lot of responsibilities, one of them being finding shelter for you and your children. This need is so real, with out a home it is very hard to raise a family. But providing shelter is no easy deed; that means a full time job, which means less time that one is able to spend with ones children. This need to provide shelter is what fuels her to stay with Cloyd Longpre. One can understand that as a mom with a growing boy, staying home is the best job a mother can have because of the importance it plays. A good parent always wants to be as involved as possible in their childs life.  By having a relationship with Cloyd she can provide a house (even though Sonny hates it), food, and since she is not working she can spend more time with her child, if she so chooses. It is clear that Silvia is not in love with him when she says, “ I want to leave. I mean leave. Leave, Me entiendes?” (Gilb 220). If it weren’t for the lifestyle and the benefits, I do not think that Sylvia would be staying with Cloyd.  

            Cloyd views money like a hawk. A very cheap man he is the owner of the complex and he is all about his money. He put Sonny to work right after they moved and got settled in. He gave Sonny a list of chores and said he was going to pay for it and never did, and that was not because he didn’t have the money to give to him its because he is just to cheap to give him the money even though he recognizes his hard work. He speaks about doing anything to save money as well, like hiring illegal immigrants to do work for him. He also values money straight forward. In the novel he recognizes how special Mr. Pinkston is by noting, “He payed me in cash… even when he moved in, all of it in cash” (glib 54). Cash is money in its best form, because it is automatically effective and in your hands at your will; versus a check or a credit card that are electronic or ineffective until you visit the bank, that is way Cloyd thought it was so impressive.

            Money is the motive for a lot of people that are living in a lot of situations. Not many things talk louder than money, it can persuade people to do things that other wise one would not consider. Nothing makes a statement like a cold stack of bills. It helps one get there life together, it can buy one more time, it can mean an end to starvation, it could mean a new turn for the better, money in itself brings hope! When you have money you feel like you matter and you feel like you can do things. Since money is such a key thing many people are influenced by it differently, and its power to change lives should not be underestimated. 

flowers pg 150 - 200

Metacognitive 

Metacognitive, what an interesting word. My metacognitive during this book was on the entire time. This was one of my favorite books that I have had to read for a class, and the reason that I feel that I was so into it is because I saw a lot of myself in Sonny, or at least I see a lot of the 16 year old me in Sonny. I swear if we would have lived in the same neighborhood than Sonny and I would have clicked instantly. I can especially understand him when he was talking to Nica and he had to talk to her in Spanish even though his Spanish wasn’t the sharpest. I’ve been there many a time when there is a cute girl that wants to talk but I can’t get my charm to translate in Spanish. My mother was a lot different from Sylvia but instead of going out, my mom would always crash out around 9 because she was so tired from me, so that gave me nights to my self to be by myself, doing things that my parents wouldn’t understand. One particular part of the novel struck me with incredible resemblance, and that is when he hooks up with Cindy. She is this 18 year old girl who knows how to have a great time; she smokes, she drinks, she wears bikinis, she likes going to the beach, live by herself during the day… pretty much she does everything that a 16 year old dreams of doing and lives how a 16 year old dreams of living. I kept thinking to myself while I read, “why doesn’t Sonny fall head over heels for this girl!” she gives him alcohol, sex, and drugs and yet he seems not impressed almost. Not impressed in the sense that when he see’s her later that week and she invites him over to her house he says, “not right now… not now. Its too late” (160). That tells me that he isn’t whipped by her! I would have been at her mercy doing anything and everything that she could ask for, she wouldn’t even have to ask for it and I would get it to her. But not Sonny, he must be a mac or something to be 16 and have an 18 year old interested and that not be enough to infatuate him. After that experience though it seemed like Sonny grew up, when he told the twins that story he was calm and didn’t give that many details that the twins didn’t ask for. I remember thinking when he was telling the story to the twins, those twins won’t experience what Sonny experienced for at least another 5 years! Because they were talking about it like Sonny just climbed Mt. Helen, so obviously it was a bigger deal to them than it was to Sonny. So because they recognize the sacredness and amazingness of intercourse, they wont get to experience it the way Sonny did in there teen years. 

flowers pg 100 - 150

            What is the significance of the car salesman? At first I thought the car salesman was just another character in the book but one can see as the novel unfolds that he symbolizes more. In the book when Bud and Mary come over for dinner Cloyd mentions that Pink paid him all cash when he moved in, and ever since then he was still coming up with the rent money in cash. Cloyd approves of this obviously because cash in his hands is a good feeling, and he is not going to deny anybody the delight of paying him. How ever there are some bad things about Mr. Pink, mainly that he seems to attract the company of block folks. This is bad because now Cloyd has a reason to love him and he has  a reason to hate him, he loves that he gets paid in full cash on time every month, but Cloyd is extremely prejudice and does not hide it well, if at all. Cloyds prejudice in the book comes out many a time, I can recall him taking a shot at Mexicans right in front of Sonny saying, “they multiply like Mexicans…” and once he caught himself he quickly looked over at Sonny to see what his reaction was. I imagine Cloyd as being a Cowboy, from a southern state either Alabama or Texas, and raised among all whites. So much so that any minority in society seems out of place to him, and that is why it is so easy for him to spot them and then continue to hate them. It is always on his mind how there are minorities doing white mans work now and they are starting to move around his neighborhoods. The thought of coexisting with a minority is appauling and Cloyd wants no part in it. He gets a sort of power trip out of hating them because he does have the power to deny them living at his complex.

            The car salesman also represents the integration between whites and blacks. He himself is black, but because he is albino, his skin color is white; so he can pass of in society as white even though he has some African American features. This is a huge advantage because he has rights! The fact that Pink (who is really black but actually white)lives at the complex with a racist land lord, means that he is trying to move up because even though Cloyd is racist, Los Flores is a nice apartment complex, so we must recognize Pinks efforts to do better for himself. And for his fellow blacks as well, he tries to get a friend of his who is black to live with him until they get found out and then kicked out. If things went the right way though then Pink would have been the connection between the African American Community and better living. To me it is a very honorable thing to do to try to change racism, so I give Pink props for even trying to make it at Los Flores. 

flowers pg 50 - 100

Pg 50 – 100

The Flowers

In response to work, at this point in the novel Sonny is starting to work when ever he has some extra time while he’s at the new apartment complex. He likes working there because it gives him something to do, something to look after, but unlike most jobs he is not getting paid for these so I guess they’d be more like chores. His main chore is to make sure that the whole are around Los Flores is clean and maintained properly. Another reason why I think Sonny doesn’t mind it is because of all the things he gets to see and people he gets to meet. I mean after all he is a new kid living in this big complex and he has no brothers or sisters; I’m sure he’s dying to make some friends. While he’s walking around tidying up the place he meets too women that catch his eye. Nica, short for Veronica, is this Mexican girl who baby sits her baby brother all day but enjoys Sonny’s company, and he develops feelings for her. Not to forget Cindy, whose a good looking gal who is very friendly and hospitable to Sonny; that experience in itself is more than rewarding to him. He also gets to meet Mr. Josep, whose a wise older person that I can predict will give sound advice and he has e few more interactions with others. All in all what I can infer from this is that, in this complex were Sonny moved to, there are a lot of characters. These characters are very important for a kid like Sonny whose growing up with out a father figure because it allows him to take different experiences from all the different characters and in the end make Sonny a more well rounded person. Another observation about work is that Sonny receives a lot of complements on the job he’s doing like when  Gina says to him, “your doing such a good job around here… of keeping things swept up and clean! Your doing such a good job” (79). He even responds, “I don’t mind. I kind of like working around here even” (79). Because people notice how good of a job he’s doing he feels proud to be doing the work, so this complex has become Sonny’s own project that he can look after all on his own. This job is what he has going for him, that and his love life are the only too things that are going right. He hates his living situation, isn’t doing so hot in school, and has no close friends or snoopy. His mom is so happy as well that he is doing what Cloyd asks of him because she is hoping that they can get along and develop a relationship. All in all work is a very important driving force in this section of the book.

first blog entry for THE FLOWERS pg 1 - 50

Prompt number 2;
My mother never...

My mother never let me be by myself. When I was a baby I can remember my mother always being in an arms distance away from me. When I fell off  the jungle gym, I started crying but with in 2 seconds my mom was there, and when ever I had soccer practice my mom would take me with out question. It was always my schedule as priority number one, and then anything else came 2^nd. I am kind of an only child, but I do have siblings, two older sisters that are from my mother’s first marriage, but I am my fathers only child. Being an only child had a lot to do with all the spoiling and extra attention I received, because my sisters were much older, we are 8 and 12 years apart. When I look back on all the things that my mother did for me i realize that she must have not had a life at all! Because when I was a child I was very outgoing and was very involved doing sports and things and my mom couldn’t have been able to manage work, me, AND something else. In retrospect I realize I was very needy as a child, but I’m glad I had the structure of family that I am so lucky to have. And the head of that family is with out a doubt my mother. She is the one who brings us all together.

            My mother never let anyone go hungry. Growing up we had this big house with a huge yard that I had a soccer goal so I would invite friends over after to practice to come play. Since they were over right after practice, it was about the same time that my mom got to cooking dinner for the whole family. And my mom can cook up a storm! She was the youngest in her family so she’s the one that stuck around my grandma the most and learned how to cook. Every night there was a feast at my house, I would usually have a friend, my uncle would usually join us, and my sisters would bring people occasionally as well. it was “the more the merrier” as they say in the Ulloa house. And when it was a holiday or birthday, you better not eat for a week to save room in your stomach for my mom’s house. And I would love that we hosted most of the holidays since our house was the biggest, because that meant that we kept the left over’s! And I could munch on them for days. Because being a soccer player isn’t easy, you have to fuel up a lot and it’s got to be good nutritional food, home cooking definitely fills that requirement.

            My mother also never let her weaknesses show, as a kid I thought my mother was invincible, because she really is. Her spirit and heart are incredible, she loves unconditionally and looks for opportunities to love constantly. It is now in my college years that I realize she is not immortal, she is susceptible to illness. But that is rather okay because now I get the opportunity to repay her with the same unconditional love that she’s shown me growing up, and I get to be her strength when she is weak. My mother never for a second didn’t love me, and I am blessed for that.

My Father Always...

My father was always at my aid when I was growing up. I can clearly remember him being available for what ever I needed, and he would go totally out of his way to get me what I needed. He would sped time with me, he was always singing to me when I was little, I remember that. And when I wanted to go out and play he was always ready to go with me. Im most thankful that when I was playing soccer he would always find a way for me to be able to go to all the trips that were available to me. He is the reason for alot of my success.

I am

I am a son, a brother, a soccer player, a soccer coach, a fan of soccer, a stoner, a marijuana advocate, a mentor, a volunteer, an addict to nike's, a handyman, an entrepenuer, a Latino, a male, a driver, an american citizen, a lover of food, a man who loves to cook, a person who understands the importance of family, a person who believes in peace, and a person who lives life with passion... what's good!