1. One character that has developed throughout the story is Sofia. The way that she developed was when she became independent from her father and went off on her own. She felt like she was being held down by her father. Once they moved to America her life was shaped. She liked the freedom that America had given her. She was already the "ugly duck" of the family. The relationship between her and her father suffered when they moved there because she started living a loose lifestyle in America. Sofia had her fair share of men in her life until she finally met the right one. He lived in Germany, so she fled to Germany to get married. Her father was disappointed in her actions and his view of his daughter changed. He thought of her as a "whore" more or less. Even so, it had a positive impact on her life. She disappointed her father but it was for the better in her life. When she came back to America she had children and made her father happier. She felt she owed it to her father to come back and make things right again. Coming to America shaped the life of Sofia.
2. Reading this book, it is hard to find any postive aspects. Julia Alvarez mostly focuses on the negative aspects of the Garcia girl's lives. It probably makes it more interesting to read that way. If it was all positve it would not be an interesting read. One chapter of the book that I found pretty positive is the "Snow" chapter. It talked about how Yolanda was adjusting in her new school in America. This time era is around the Cold War Era. During the cold war their was the Cuban Missile Crisis, and a lot of the schools in America would practice bombing drills. One afternoon Yolanda saw snow come out of the sky. She thought that it was a warning of a bomb, but when she found out it was snow, she was pleasantly surprised. Back in the Dominican Republic she never witnessed snow. It was a positive moment because she thought it was beautiful. Her teacher explained to her that each snow flake was unique and beautiful just like everyone else. It made her feel good about herself even know negative change was going on around her.
3. The story about Jeremy Lin is a national conversation that has been going on in sports for a while now. If I had to take a view on this debate I would have to say that it's an exciting story. He has become somewhat of a cinderella story. I think that people hype him up because he is a minority in the NBA. People enjoy the idea that he is Asian, and only a couple of Asians have came through the NBA and started and uproar. People do not expect Asians to be good at basketball because they are known for being unbelieveable smart. No one was expecting him to be a huge deal. There is still racism that exists today but it is not nearly as bad as it was back in the days. 30 years ago it was unheard of for an Asian to play basketball, but today it is more acceptable in society. And yet, Jeremy Lin has become a penomonon and the huge story in basketball. I think the surprise was more of his skill.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Blog #4
1. The first article that caught my eye was the Valentine's article. It stuck out to me because Valentine's Day recently passed and I was curious to see what it was about. This article was mostly stating facts and statistics about Valentine's Day and how much money is usually spent. The article to me, was interesting when it was talking about how people who make more income usually have longer lasting marriages. It goes to show that people care about the superficial things like candies, jewelry, flowers, chocolates, etc. It was surprising to see that a normal relationship cannot last without all of that stuff. I agree with the article when it says that Valentine's Day is pretty much a worldwide scam, it even shows statistics about how much money is spent just to please your significant other. This article makes me wonder about love, and what it is based on now. Is it based on money? Is it based on pleasing someone with items? What does it take to show someone you really love them? I mean, yeah, it's nice to give someone you love flowers every once in a while. What happened to just showing your love through words, through trust, through support, and care?
2. The next article that I read was about M.I.A. and her persona. The question that came up was if her personality was too much for maybe the public eye. The author of this article is wondering if she may be too risky. Sometimes, some of the things that M.I.A. brings to the public eye are too controversial and may cause some people to be offended. At the same time, she is her own person and she knows what she stands for. I give her respect because she knows exactly what she is doing but she stands up for what she believes in. She is unique and her music tells a story. She takes it to the next bar. At the Superbowl she was performing in front of millions of viewers while looking like a radical from the Middle East. She knew that it would be an uproar but she did it anyway, with attitude. Although it was a very risky performance, it made a statement and it actually gave her more publicity. She has brought a lot of people into her new song "Bad Girls".
3. This last article that I read was about Jeremy Lin. I am not a huge NBA fan myself. I personally like college basketball. But the hype on this new player from the Knicks is incredible. No matter who you are a fan of, or what team is your favorite, you can't help but to route for Jeremy Lin. The author of this article was actually Asian and could relate to Jeremy Lin. He was explaining that this young main made a huge impact for Asians. He made a name for himself in a city where that is hard to make a name for yourself. I'm talking New York City. Not only has he made a name for himself in NYC but across the country. He had 89 points in his first 3 games in the NBA. That is a pretty big deal. I guess the even bigger deal is that he is a minority. The author was proud to be of Asian background because of his success and the fact that Asians are starting to be noticed in professional sports. The next question for Jeremy Lin is if he will continue his hot streak, or will his talent fade away? It could be luck or a shot of adrenaline. He may die down in time.
2. The next article that I read was about M.I.A. and her persona. The question that came up was if her personality was too much for maybe the public eye. The author of this article is wondering if she may be too risky. Sometimes, some of the things that M.I.A. brings to the public eye are too controversial and may cause some people to be offended. At the same time, she is her own person and she knows what she stands for. I give her respect because she knows exactly what she is doing but she stands up for what she believes in. She is unique and her music tells a story. She takes it to the next bar. At the Superbowl she was performing in front of millions of viewers while looking like a radical from the Middle East. She knew that it would be an uproar but she did it anyway, with attitude. Although it was a very risky performance, it made a statement and it actually gave her more publicity. She has brought a lot of people into her new song "Bad Girls".
3. This last article that I read was about Jeremy Lin. I am not a huge NBA fan myself. I personally like college basketball. But the hype on this new player from the Knicks is incredible. No matter who you are a fan of, or what team is your favorite, you can't help but to route for Jeremy Lin. The author of this article was actually Asian and could relate to Jeremy Lin. He was explaining that this young main made a huge impact for Asians. He made a name for himself in a city where that is hard to make a name for yourself. I'm talking New York City. Not only has he made a name for himself in NYC but across the country. He had 89 points in his first 3 games in the NBA. That is a pretty big deal. I guess the even bigger deal is that he is a minority. The author was proud to be of Asian background because of his success and the fact that Asians are starting to be noticed in professional sports. The next question for Jeremy Lin is if he will continue his hot streak, or will his talent fade away? It could be luck or a shot of adrenaline. He may die down in time.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Bog #3
1. In the present time of 2012 there are certain expectations of both men and women. Men are expected to bring home the money to "keep the bread on the table"as the saying goes. They are expected to find a good paying job and support the family. Women are also now expected to get a job and also support the family. Women will always have that stereotype that they are supposed to stay at home and do the house work, such as cook, clean, and take care of the children. Women perceive men as immature because they usually do not mature until they are usually in their twenties. Women usually perceive men as people who dumber than them because they make decisions with out thinking. Men perceive women as useless and and weak. They think that the only thing that we are useful for is being a housewife. Being a man in 2012, some disadvantages of being a man is that you get the perception of being a hot head or or getting angry about everything. Some advantages of being a man in this age is that it's easier to get a job and being noticed in sports. They also have to pay more for their car insurance because they get in more car accidents than women. Women have the disadvantage of being discriminated against, they go unnoticed in athletics and in the business world just because they are women. An advantage that women have in the present time would be they get to pay less than men on car insurance, they are starting to get more noticed in the business world. If I could think of stereotypes for men I would have to say that all they care about is sports. Although that is not always true, some men are over the top with their liking of teams. Stereotypes of women would include weak, useless, and housewives. This is usually never true with women, but men think that because they usually think they are better than women. Women are capable of doing anything that men do.
2. For this particular discussion I would choose Sophia from How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. The question that I would choose would be the one about how much money one would give the wizard. Throughout the first chapter Julia Alvarez wrote about how Sophia was someone who would run off with any guy, which brings on the question from her father asking if she was a whore. It sounds like she enjoys the attention, so she would probably pay the wizard a magnificent amount of money. She would love all the attention from men.
2. For this particular discussion I would choose Sophia from How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. The question that I would choose would be the one about how much money one would give the wizard. Throughout the first chapter Julia Alvarez wrote about how Sophia was someone who would run off with any guy, which brings on the question from her father asking if she was a whore. It sounds like she enjoys the attention, so she would probably pay the wizard a magnificent amount of money. She would love all the attention from men.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Blog #2
1. I do not believe that he is more impressive than Albert Einstein. Any magician that can make it seem like they can do any of those 5 tricks are just as impressive. One could not tell if he is telling the truth about his magical powers anyway. Albert Einstein was a genius and came up with answers to real life scientific theories.
5. This is a tough question to respond to. I would have to say that I would probably swallow the pill. It would be pretty selfish to watch my soul mate in pain every 3 years. I think it would hurt me as much as it would hurt them, to see them suffer like that. I guess I would learn to like Alice and Chains.
7. I would have to say that for purposes of drawing the reader into the newspaper, The Loch Ness Monster would have to make the front page. I say that because everyone pretty much knows the myth that goes along with it. It would also have some interesting pictures featured on the front. Then, when people would get dragged into the newspaper they will find the story about the President and his condition.
12. If I had the choice of not giving the wizard any money, I would not give him any money. I do not need a magical spell to make myself more appealing. That makes me seem desperate. There is no need for me to feel more desirable towards someone else. If I want to find someone who is attracted to me, I can do it on my own. Someone should like me for who I am.
16. If there was any possible way that I could change it, I would definitely not watch it. If my future was already chosen for me, and my obsession for Canadian football was inevitable, I guess I might as well watch it. I might as well watch what will become my future and become fond of it.
19. I would probably tell them that you were trying to wake them up for a while to go somewhere, and they would not wake up. Their mom was looking for them and it was urgent. I am sure they would be pretty pissed at me for kicking them as hard as they could but they would eventually get over it.
20. I would be more interesting in watching the interviews from the people I know, as well at the bootleg scenes of my life. I kind of want to see what people have got to say about me. Seeing as how my life is, it would be pretty humorous watching the bootleg scenes of my life.
5. This is a tough question to respond to. I would have to say that I would probably swallow the pill. It would be pretty selfish to watch my soul mate in pain every 3 years. I think it would hurt me as much as it would hurt them, to see them suffer like that. I guess I would learn to like Alice and Chains.
7. I would have to say that for purposes of drawing the reader into the newspaper, The Loch Ness Monster would have to make the front page. I say that because everyone pretty much knows the myth that goes along with it. It would also have some interesting pictures featured on the front. Then, when people would get dragged into the newspaper they will find the story about the President and his condition.
12. If I had the choice of not giving the wizard any money, I would not give him any money. I do not need a magical spell to make myself more appealing. That makes me seem desperate. There is no need for me to feel more desirable towards someone else. If I want to find someone who is attracted to me, I can do it on my own. Someone should like me for who I am.
16. If there was any possible way that I could change it, I would definitely not watch it. If my future was already chosen for me, and my obsession for Canadian football was inevitable, I guess I might as well watch it. I might as well watch what will become my future and become fond of it.
19. I would probably tell them that you were trying to wake them up for a while to go somewhere, and they would not wake up. Their mom was looking for them and it was urgent. I am sure they would be pretty pissed at me for kicking them as hard as they could but they would eventually get over it.
20. I would be more interesting in watching the interviews from the people I know, as well at the bootleg scenes of my life. I kind of want to see what people have got to say about me. Seeing as how my life is, it would be pretty humorous watching the bootleg scenes of my life.
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