Blog #5: Unbreakable- Creative post

Blog #5: Unbreakable- Creative post

·         The Pomegranate

September 28, 2011

A mother daughter bond is strong

If you were to say it was breakable, you would be wrong

They love each other through thick and thin

A mother’s instinct will always win

She will do anything to keep her close to home

A mother fears the day that her daughter will roam

If a little blackmail will do the trick

This is the tactic a mother will pick

It’s hard for a mother to release her hold

She doesn’t want her daughter to grow old

Maturity means she begins to be on her own

And communication becomes limited to the phone

Fast approaching is the day

That her daughter will no longer want to stay

The pomegranate she will soon eat

A mother then can only feel defeat

Loss of innocence, knowledge, and falling in love with a man

Are things she can only avoid if she devised a master plan

Her mother sits back as her heart starts to break

Her daughter’s independence makes her body ache

Her mother can only sit back and glance

At her daughter who begins to take her stance

The pomegranate she devours

Her life changing within the hours

Not a seed left of that special fruit

She says goodbye to the place she once took root

Her mother begging her not to go

Then she steps out of her childhood real slow

Yet another mother fails at stopping the passing time

She would do anything to stop the continually climb

A mother yearns for the moment when her daughter was small

As she looks at her now, standing so tall

All alone, her mother cannot possibly be secure

In the fact that her daughter is no longer whole and pure

Her fear might not always be said aloud

But to her daughter, she will always remain proud

Her daughter, now wrapped up in a world of her own

A mother struggles to never let her distress be shown

Despite all the mistakes her offspring might make

A mother’s love for her daughter will not shake

The time comes for her daughter to leave

Of course, what is a mother to do but grieve?

The mother has to make one very difficult choice

Protest or quiet her voice?

Week Four: Mama’s speech-Problematize post

                                                           September 21, 2011

Mama: Oh—So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change . . .

Ø  Walter: No—it was always money, Mama. We just didn’t know about it.

Ø  Mama: No . . . something has changed. You something new, boy. In my time we was worried about not being lynched . . . You ain’t satisfied or proud of nothing we done. I mean that you had a home; that we kept you out of trouble till you was grown; that you don’t have to ride to work on the back of nobody’s streetcar—You my children—but how different we done become.

These few quotes here from Mama and her son Walter are small, but very heavy. This conversation between the two of them shows the economic status and struggle that their family is going through at this time. It displays the different views that Walter has and that Mama has. It shows that Walter obviously thinks that happiness for him and his family depends on your financial status, how much money you have. This is how Walter measures his success and the success of the people around him. He believes that money is the key to a carefree, laidback, comfortable life. At this moment, Walter believes that his depressive, unhappy state is due to his lack of wealth.

Mama on the other hand believes true happiness is due to the love and care for the people around you. Her family and their joy mean the world to Mama. She realizes just how much times have drastically changed from her generation to her son’s generation. His attitude towards money proves the very change that has taken place. She goes on to say “Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change.” The skewed outlook that Walter has on money, sincerely discourages Mama. It saddens her heart that her son bases his measurement of a successful life on how much money he might obtain from time to time. This puts stress on not only their relationship but the families relationship as a whole.

I think our society is very much alike to Walter and his views on wealth, unfortunately. This is very disappointing to me. It shows where America’s true priorities stand. People who have little money are almost looked down upon this day and age. There more money that you obtain, the more you are respected. Money has corrupted the minds of many people around the world. Some would even go as far as to say it is the root of all evil in today’s world. We, as Christians even get caught up in the notion that money can fulfill you. That is a very scary place to be. Money won’t always be around, but God will be here today, tomorrow, and for eternity. Money is a material thing that can only last for long. The “high” money gives you can only last momentarily. God is constant, forever loyal. We should stand firm on the promise that God is our source of all happiness, all joy, all success, and so much more. As God’s people, we should be absolutely ashamed of our actions. The Bible even explains to us that looking to money for security is a despicable sin. Hebrews 13: 5 says: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Trusting in a monetary thing will only get us so far for so long. We owe our all to Him.

Segregation

Week Three: Brown v. Board of Education-Reflective Posts                                         September 14, 2011

Our intriguing discussion in class about racism and segregation really sparked my interest. In all my years of hearing about the different racial situations that have gone on throughout the years, I had never once heard about the Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit. When this was mentioned, and I was clueless, I decided to research this very topic. This well-known conflict began in the summer of 1950 with a little girl named Linda Brown. Her father, Oliver Brown, and thirteen other surrounding African American parents decided that they were going to try and enroll their kids in the local “white school”. The all white school was so much closer to their neighborhood than the “black school” that they were told that their kids were allowed to attend. In fact, that was the one of the four schools that their kids were allowed to attend in Topeka, Kansas. These were the only available schools for their children simply because it was full of all African American kids, not a single white child. One article said that “For every $150.00 spent on white children at the "white schools" only $50.00 was spent on African American children at the "black schools." None of the “black schools” had current supplies that were needed to keep the kids up to date but the “white schools” were provided with every essential for the children. After Oliver was turned down by the school he took his case to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) just so his daughter could get into school. Finally, after many trials and tribulation, in 1954 the case was won. Linda and all the other African American students that surrounded her could now attend a school nearby despite the outer skin color of each individual. This case is so incredibly relevant to A Raisin in the Sun because in this play the white neighborhood is completely and totally against having the “black” family move into their neighborhood. They are outraged at the fact that these “outsiders” would even think of intruding into their territory. Although times have definitely improved immensely, it brings grave disappointment to me that still this day there is division in the races. It is discouraging that one would feel differently towards another due to the color of their skin or their ethnic background. There is no difference in a successful, married white man, and a successful, married black man. Our Heavenly Father has never seen a difference and never will, so what makes us think that we have the right to?

Week Two: “Death of a Salesman”- Problematize Posts

                                                          September 7, 2011

Death of a Salesman has overall a very dreary plot. This passage shows how desperate some people really are to achieve success, money, fame, and other things in this world. In this story Willy and his family want to achieve the “American Dream” so very badly that they go to extreme lengths and in return it destroys each individual, as well as the whole entire family.  When reading this play, the reader get’s an overwhelming feeling of sadness for this family, as I experienced. There is so much more to life than trying to achieve wealth and all the material things of this earth. Willy wanted so badly for Biff to “reach the top”, to have the very best, be incredibly successful. In wanting this for Biff, Willy made Biff resent him. Towards the end of Act Two, when Biff didn’t get the job, Happy encouraged him to lie to his dad just so that he wouldn’t be disappointed. This text teaches the reader that this type of behavior is okay, in order to preserve a person’s feelings. In my opinion, this is the worst thing that Biff and Happy could do to their father. Lying to Willy just gives him a false sense of hope that will never become a reality. When all they were trying to do was protect Willy, the actually harmed him by presenting him with the allusion that things are getting better, that he is one more step closer to his “American Dream.” Lies are nothing but poison and when told, all they do is destroy situations and everything else involved. I can’t honestly say that I have never gone to these lengths to save myself or a close one. In the moment it seems like a wonderful idea and that things will improve but it eventually causes a disaster. In the end you always regret it and realize that it was never worth lying straight through your teeth.  The values that were constantly compromised in “Death of a Salesman” for the “American Dream”, disappoints me. It proves that people will go so far out of their way and disown their own beliefs and morals when it comes to money, success, fame, and so much more.