The Reservation

In “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” you see how alcoholism is a big part of the reservation. Most people consume alcohol and it impacts them differently. It is also a big problem in the reservation. Alcoholism is one of the leading causes of deaths in the reservation. Alcoholism is like violence in my community.  It causes death, pain, and suffering for many people. Violence can be used by people to heal pain by getting revenge or for whatever reason just like alcohol can be used to heal pain by drinking it so you lose your senses and ability to think. Violence in my neighborhood is often used for revenge but also to cause pain. That is shown by the gangs existent in the neighborhood which makes it difficult for people to come together as a community since it causes many problems in many different ways. Just like alcohol, violence is a leading cause of deaths. Chicago is a city known for violence. Many neighborhoods have lots of violence while others not as much or at all. Violence in my neighborhood causes many deaths no matter what kind it is, whether gang violence, domestic violence, or any others. You hear it on the news, rumours, or even by actual people you know who have experienced, dealt, or is going through violence.

Just like in the book, unless you move somewhere else, things will mainly stay the same and you will have to deal with the issue forever. Change may cause many big changes and sacrifices but sometimes that is needed in order for things to be better. Alcoholism can be like violence as well as many other things in a community.

Native Son

In Book III of Native Son you see what many people think besides just mostly Bigger. You finally see someone, that is not of Bigger’s same race, understand what Bigger feels and has been feeling. Jan is very important because when he first visited Bigger in his cell he apologizes. That is a big issue because he is white and it surprises Bigger that he would apologize to him and come speak to him without being angry about him killing Mary. He actually understands Bigger in how he did it out of not knowing what to do and when Max is there too, you see a lot more understanding towards Bigger’s situation take place. Bigger cannot help what he did because it is the only way he knows. He has always been fearful and violent and such because no one has ever taught him or he hasn't seen otherwise. That plays an important role on his decisions and how he views things. Whether it was for good or bad intentions, the understanding is there and it helps Bigger realize that not all white people are the same, and it helps white people realize that black people are human too.

A Principle To Keep

Deciding what principle I will always keep no matter the situation is difficult. There can be many different principles that can be created for different possible situations but to think of one for all is very hard. When I think about different principles it is hard to decide on one but I think the principle I would always live by is to always protect the ones I love.

The reason why I would always stick with this principle no matter what the situation may be is mostly for one important reason. In my opinion if there is a really bad situation happening, I probably wouldn't want to live unless I had a very good reason to. That reason to live would be my loved ones. I would do anything for them. I would protect them and help them survive for as long as I possibly can and want the best for them. I would consider them before myself in things like food and supplies. The only time I would probably be first is when, if necessary, I would sacrifice myself. Again, that goes with having a reason to live. If have no reason to live why would I want to survive? Might as well just die without caring if there is nothing for me to try to survive for in the worst case scenarios. I probably would not even have somewhere to go to.

 That is my opinion and what I think. It was a difficult decision but that is the principle I chose to always keep. No matter what the situation may be, my loved ones will always come first and I will do anything for them.

Janie

Janie, There is so much that I can say about how she thinks, acts, and how she is a good and bad person. Other people might think the same or agree with me but some may not so they will be opinions of course. Janie’s character in Their Eyes Were Watching God is really very great.

In the story, Janie’s thinking is very good in my opinion. She knows when things are not and are good. She thinks that a woman should be respected just like men are which I also think should be done. Also, she has a dream of finding love and not a marriage because of wealth and status. Throughout the story she has many thoughts about those things and more and I agree with Janie a lot because they are great thoughts in my opinion.

Janie’s actions may not always be the best but there are a few that I think are great. Some that weren't quite the best actions she could have done is to marry Logan Killicks when she didn't love him (although Nanny did pressure her into the marriage) and also just leaving Logan to go to Florida with Joe who she had just talked to a few times and did not know very well. Good actions were when Janie finally stood up for herself against Joe when he was humiliating her very badly in the store (besides all the other years of humiliation he gave her) and when she was trying to stop the men from teasing the poor mule even though he was funny-looking and not even hers.

I believe Janie to be more of a good person than bad. My reason for that opinion is that although she has, like all human beings, committed mistakes, she still at least stands up for what is right and doesn't care about being judged for it. For example, when she begins her relationship with a poor guy named Tea Cake she didn't care that he wasn't as rich as her like even though all the other people in the town said it was not a good idea.

Thankful for a Classmate (or classmates in my case)

This thanksgiving I know I am thankful for many things this year. I am thankful for my mom still being with my brother, sister, and I. Another thing I am thankful for is to continue being at Whitney no matter how many times I felt it wasn't the right school for me. I'm even thankful to have done cross country this year even though it was hard and very time consuming. There are many things, even if they are tiny, that you can be thankful for.

I would like to say that I am thankful for two of my classmates. One is Martyna and the other Brashana. They both are great people that I am thankful to have talked more to because of English class. They both are really great at expressing their ideas and opinions and sometimes even leave me thinking a lot about something. Group work with them is great because we always can come up with something no matter how much our ideas are different.

I do not think they are great just because of school stuff but they are amazing people even besides it. They can always make me laugh during class even when I am having not so good days. It's the little things that can make a change in someone's day.

Martyna and Brashana are amazing, nice, and funny people and I am very thankful to know them.  

But Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Have a happy holiday, break and don’t forget to enjoy the food!

Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway, a relatable yet unique man. He had a very adventurous life travelling to many places and doing many things in his lifetime but it was also a very tragic life as well. He traveled to many places in the world and had many events occurred in his lifetime that inspired his stories which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.

In his lifetime, Hemingway traveled from Illinois to Paris to Cuba to Idaho. He went on safaris in Africa and even took part in bullfighting. He took part of World War I as an ambulance driver since the army refused to let him fight because of his poor eyesight. The Spanish Civil War was another war he took part of as a journalist. For World War II he volunteered for the Navy.  Hemingway worked with different newspaper companies like the Kansas City Star and the Toronto Star. Many events during the wars inspired him to write many of the stories he created. He wanted to part of as much as he could so he could write about it realistically and have the readers view what could not be seen.

Hemingway lived a life full of tragedy besides all the adventures. His childhood can be said to be a tragedy. Until the age of 6 his mother dressed him up as a girl with dresses and long hair. Another thing about his mother was that she was the head of the household and even had control of his father. Both of those things resulted in him trying to prove his masculinity during his lifetime. During the wars he participated in he got injured and very sick. For example, during World War II he got pneumonia and missed most of the battle he had been told to cover at Luxembourg. Also, he was involved in 2 plane crashes which impacted him. Other tragic events were the deaths of his loved ones like Hadley committing suicide after they divorced, his mother dying, Pauline’s death by a tumor, the deaths of good friends, and his son getting injured in an automobile accident. Hemingway was also getting many health issues because of his constant drinking and was also starting to get depression. He had over 2 suicide attempts and after going to a clinic and getting electroshock treatments his depression got worse because they ruined his memory and it would take him a week to write a paragraph of a story. He didn't see a point in living if he couldn't continue to write as well as he used to. After being released from the clinic and going home to his house in Idaho he committed suicide by shooting himself 3 days later. This was a very tragic way to die and I think that, even after the four marriages and the many affairs with other women that he had, he really did love Hadley. I believe that if he had not made the mistake to divorce her and her committing suicide after that, than he might have lived a bit longer because he did say that he had spent the rest of his life looking for another Hadley.

In my opinion Hemingway lived an adventurous life and changed the world of literature with his realistic and unique ways of writing, although physical and mental struggles, loss, death, and love were tragedies in Ernest Hemingway’s life.

Six Word Stories

Jordans: New in box, never worn

An old box & much excitement 

An envelope with a sad news 

A story with only six words 

The road headed towards the unknown 

A shot fired, someone's great loss