"Recitatif" by Toni Morrison

The story happens with a description of “St. Bonny’s or St. Bonaventure, the shelter where Twyla, the narrator, meets Roberta, the story’s other main character, when they are both eight years old. Twyla was white. Roberta was white. Twyla claims that her mother told her that people of Roberta’s race smell funny. She moved to the room with Roberta on the grounds that her mother wouldn’t approve. She finds Roberta understanding to her situation. Most children at the shelter are orphans, she is there because her mother always busy with the night. Roberta is there because her mother is really sick. They are very isolated from the people because they are scared of the older girls. However, Twyla’s mother says that the black people usually “never wash their hair and they smell funny”, that was racism. Twyla also tells the Big Bozo, “My mother will not like you putting me there.” That was racism also because Twyla’s mother did not want her daughter to roommate with a black girl.

            That reminded me of the past, I had gotten the blatantly racism many time because I am Mexican. One time, when I was young, I went to the story and the police decided to stop me and asked me, “Do you have green card” with a nice smile.  I swear to the god, I wanted to punch in his face because that was OBVIOUSLY racism. But it was good things because I responded it with a smart mouth with a saying, “Uh, Are you familiar with the law in America?”, and “Was that perfect example of racism?” and I found that offensive. They got humiliated pretty much, and then were quiet for few minutes. My mom educated me a lot about racism. I do familiar with the law in America. The most recent, I was on the way to 7eleven store with my several friends. They were white except me. DC police stopped and asked me, “Do you have any drugs on you?”  In my mind, why not DC police ask my friends instead. Obliviously, the police chose me because I am Mexican. I was angry because it made me looking bad. Dc polices were touching my body. But lucky, I told my mom about it. My mom wasn’t happy. We told to the organization about it, they said they will have had him fired from the DC police. I was thrilled about it.

"Zelzah" by Norma Fox Mazer

Names, of course everyone will always love, hate, or wonder about their names. They would want to know what it means, why it was given. Often nicknames can be given to replace real names so they would feel comfortable. I always wonder why I was given the name of Jaime, I didn’t like it until I grow up and realize Jaime is me, at least it wasn’t Jamie, because it’s a girl name. Sometimes names are given for purpose or some kind of inspiration. Sometimes you will meet some people that will conflict with personality and name meaning like Zelzah’s family. This story is obviously based on old fashioned place where you would marry somebody that your parent would agree upon with another parent like for example that Jake would be Zelzah’s husband. Kind of odd for me because I’m in modern times and am still not used to the idea that the past people have married their own blood which makes it disgusting because we don’t do that anymore unless I’m wrong about some specific people. But that was the culture of their own. But it was interesting how they just send their daughter off to a family where she will meet a man whom she never met before and will marry him. It’s weird how the idea of marriage is serious now than before. In the past they would pick a son or daughter to marry so that way they benefit something somehow like rich family or land, or cattle but sometimes some families would disown their child into a family they don’t care about. There are some things where you read and think about how different things are compared to the story like what I’m doing now. Because of how families arrange daughter to be picked for marriage.

"The Setting Sun and the Rolling World"

The very odd title, maybe it means something but obviously not clear enough for me. I am assuming that the story is about making life choices to find and chase for what is better in life. Apparently, I might be right about it after reading this story. Seems his son is looking for something better that might make an impact at some point for his life, leaving the useless farm and breaking family. Father who is trying his best to support the family even though they are poor and have limits to what they have. He is afraid to let him leave because he doesn’t know what is out there and thinks something can happen to his son which he doesn’t want to happen. But, more he realized that his son has given a lot he worked and slaved his way into the family, he does everything that his father had asked him to do. Son, who doesn’t want to leave without receiving his father’s blessing which is right for him to do because that way you have bond and strong relentionship and trust also. In this culture, a relationship with family must be strong that way you still are welcome to talk if not then there is no other way unless you take the long road to convince him. I believe that its kind of wrong for father to put pressure on his own son before he is ready to leave because that may concern him more get him worried , he should be more supportive that way his son regain confidence and feel that he will have place ready incase he needs to be home, welcome with warm arms. Father is wrong for being stubborn because this last 2 months before son receiving father’s blessing to leave, why cant father do that in a week or less because that would make sense but for 2 months that’s kind of hard for son to be patience. But that’s hard for me to feel this way because seems that the story is related to indians because of how they explain culture and ritual. Also based on blessing receiving part. Most indians tend to be stubborn unless they give away their blessings because they expect sons to follow father’s footsteps. Then they feel that they do have a son and would be happy. This story is interesting because I try my best to understand it be its hard because I grew up without a father so I don’t know how it feels to struggle with my father. But I can say that receiving blessings from a parent is important because it shows that they mean a great deal to you. 

“On the Rainy River”

I admit that the story is the first book that makes me feeling goose bumps because being in war is not funny. I had my uncle who was in the  war before, couldn’t live himself independently after the war because the haunts will be always remained in his mind. He had been addicted to heavy drug and alcohol that would help him to avoid bad flashback memory. He would never let anyone in his family know that he was addicted to heavy drugs and alcohol until he decided to tell us. We were shocked for a while, but we helped him to turn into a better person. Because we believe that anything is possible. I am still call him a HERO. However, this story is about a man who went to the war and was a government hater. He graduated in Manchester College and he plan to go to Harvard University.  One day, he received the draft notice from the military. He did not like the government by forcing people to go the war. So he decided to run away from his home to Minnesota because he wanted to avoid the problems that he had been in. As he met Elroy Berdahl, he was 81 year olds. He was the one who changed Tim O’Brien’s life. Elroy Berdahl owned the lodge, Tip Top Lodge. He helped him in many ways. One day, Elroy Berdahl and Tim O’Brien went to the north in border of Canada and America and fishing some fish on the rainy river. As O’Brien wondering, he should be neither crossed the river to be freedom in Canada nor went back to his family and to the war. But he wanted to go back to where he starts and goes to the war.  That part had actually made me feeling goose bumps. He didn’t proud with his decision. I wonder if his parent will look at him differently that he was planning to attempt the escape. But he is a hero because he went to the war to help their people.  

"Bad Influence" by Judith Ortiz Cofer

This story amazed me! The girl, Rita, was like another teenagers who would sneak out to see her boyfriend without parents knowing.  This reminded me of my cousin girl, I had seen her sneaked out of the house to see her boyfriend without parent knowing often. One night, her parent busted her, and she was sent to Military school because her parent didn’t want her to involve with his brother in bad way such as drug addictions, and do crazy things. In comparison of “Bad Influence”, Rita’s parent wanted her to be exiled and visit her grandparent in Puerto Rico or go to the Catholic girls’ retreat. But Rita chose to visit her grandparent instead of being stay with the Catholic girls’ retreat because she didn’t want to spend out the three meals per day with the nuns. Her parent wanted her out of contact with her racy boyfriend, Johnny Ruiz.  She approached in hot, humid Puerto Rico from Paterson, New Jersey with a bad attitude. Rita has never spent more than two weeks at a time on the island and she has no desire to get better acquainted with it now. She finds her grandparents and their friends annoyingly gregarious and overwhelming; when she tries to calm herself in the car by practicing deep breathing, her grandmother assumes she’s having an asthma attack and harangues her with asthma stories. But in the end, she was cured with asthma because of her grandmother kept giving her tea.

In my opinion of that story, I think they did right things to send her own daughter to Puerto Rico because she needs to be educated, disciplined and understood.  As long as she is fine with that, she will learn a lot from her grandparent. She turned to into a better person because of them. I used to live with my grandparent for few months since I was suspended from school for being a bad boy. However, they had been taught me how to cook, wash my clothes, and mechanic the car. Now, I can cook, fix my car, and wash my clothes because of them. I can build a car from a scratch. One time, my grandmother saw my leg with the mosquitos’ bites. She decided running to the back yard, getting the Mexican cactus and then putting it on my leg. It actually reduced my swollen skin. I am so grateful that I used to live with them. My grandfather had taught me to be handy boy. Now, I am capable to fix anything.

"Dawn"

The story called the “Dawn”, was written by Tim Wynne-Jones. This story was cute and heartbreaking. At the beginning of the story, the boy named Barnsey, but his real name is Matthew. He went on the night bus to North Bay with a girl, Dawn. That’s why they called the story “Dawn”. It was all talking about them.  Anyways, Barnsey was on a trip to his grandmother for the holiday. His family was wealthy but doesn’t deal much on emotion and rather on the amount of money they have. His mother took him to the bus station. While they were at the bus station, Barnsey noticed that his mother acted differently. His mother gave him a big hug but not as last time. This part sounds like a bad news.  However, once he got into the bus, met the girl named Dawn.  Dawn is twenty year olds, a punk girl.  She dressed up in all black clothes. Her Mohawk hair was orange. And she had numerous piercings. Barnsey’s first reaction was to keep his own business. But for a while, he decided to talk her for good hours. They started talking about cassette tapes. He really likes her because of her appearance. At the stop, they got off and had a nice dinner together and a great time. Then they had gone back to the bus. Once they arrived, Barnsey met his grandmother but he still kept thinking about Dawn. He was wondering that if she had arrived safely in Vancouver. However, Barnsey decided to hang out with his cousins for a few days and then Christmas day came. He was expecting his parents to come about noon. Barnsey knew something was wrong. There was no car or no driver, just his dad’s car. His dad came out of the door, not with mother. That’s why she hugged him the way she did. His dad didn’t really talk that much, because his mother has found another man.  It made me thinking because why would the mother let her son go alone on the trip at age of thirteen? If I were she, I wouldn’t let my son to ride alone. It is unsafe to ride alone. And if I were Barnsey, I would ask Dawn for the phone number, so I can contact her if she had arrived safely. It will show her that I was thinking of her.

"The Circuit"

Francisco Jimenez wrote “The Circuit” story. This story was based on Francisco Jimenez’s life. His family and he used to live in El Rancho Blanco, Mexico.  It was small town. In their culture, papa is the “boss” in the family because he is responsible of everything. However, they decided to cross the border from Mexico into California for a better life. Because his papa wanted a decent job, so they can have a nice house with electricity and running water. They actually crossed La Frontera border in between of Mexico and California. On their way to Fresno, they had stopped at the labor camp and were approached by one of the worker, the worker spoke English to them, and it turned out that no one who can speak English. When they were living in California for a while, their dreams did not come true because they thought that they would be living in a dreamland.  Fortunately, they were told by the worker to go to see a person named Sullivan, to ask him if there were any available job. They got offered and worked all day in the strawberry fields. When the strawberries were out of season, they would must to move and to find a job in cottons fields. The boy’s mama cooked delicious meals for them. Papa and the boy usually worked in the morning, 5am. When the boy was done with the job, he went straight to the school. The boy had been struggled with family and school. He was illiterate but he found time to start being comfortable in school with the teacher who worked with him everyday.  It helped him to be successful by reading and writing a book a lot.  

However, this story is similar to my parent’s life because we are Hispanic and they crossed the border to live in a dreamland. My parent actually got lousy jobs right after they got in California. My mom used to work for McDonald and dad used to work for Trader Joes as cashiers. I was been struggled with school because I don’t know how to read and write English.  Even worse, I am deaf.  My dad was the “boss” because he made us to work everyday.  My mom decided to divorce him because of being “boss” in the family.  I grew up in Los Angeles that’s where my family decided to stay down there.  My counselor, Jerome, helped me in many things because he was my role model. I learned a lot from him. He was deaf also.