Blog Post----->Speak

       As I finished up the second marking period of the book, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, I noticed that there is a similar theme in the novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez-- Dominant men. In Speak, main character Melinda has been a victim of rape but hasn’t told anyone about it. The rapist, Andy, goes to her school and in sick little ways torments Melinda, thinking what he did wasn’t wrong. For example, if he happens to be in the same area as her, he would do thinks like smile or wave maliciously causing Melinda to either run on instinct or stop dead in her tracks. In How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, the men have ways of keeping their women “in-line,” as if he were the boss. The men in this novel see nothing wrong with how they treat their women and nobody has any say of what they do--especially the women. I think that these two stories have a great purpose or moral but Speak is more realistic. Speak is an example for young women to be unafraid to speak up when situations like rape happen, unlike Melinda who doesn’t say anything at all but keeps all her pain bottled up inside her. I think that the author is hinting at the importance for young adults, or anyone, telling someone about these kinds of situations. She shows what its like to not tell anyone through this young women’s story and anyone who reads this book will see how life changing it could be.
       If I had to recommend this book to anyone, it would be to all teenage girls in middle and high school to get them better informed on how to handle dramatic situations like rape. I think that every girl should be aware or cautious of the situations they may put themselves into because it may turn out ugly. Like Melinda where she went to a party with a friend, when they both started to drink and become intoxicated they lose sight of each other and unfortunately one girl was raped and it forever changed her life. that’s what I mean by being cautious of the situations one puts herself or himself in.

Overall Thoughts About The Book: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents Book Post #3

      When I read the first couple chapters of how the Garcia Girls Lost Thier Accents, I thought that there was something very unique and intresting about it. I picked up a message that the author was trying to send the readers: That men and women are both equal and should have the same rights. I strongly felt like the book was going to become more deep and the understanding more complex and hard to figure out, too complicated just to read and immediately understand the full concept ( like the kind of books I like). However, it got boring which made it harder for me to want to continue reading. I got the message that the author pointed out for her readers to see, but the constant reminding that men were more dominant and had the "upper hand" in thier romantic relations with women started to get played off and annoying to read about. The author constantly told stories around those subjects and made the stories predictable.

    In the story, there are four characters, four sisters more likely, who are stuck between wild America and their  male controlling homeland The Dominican Republic.Chapter after chapter, one after the other, where they are shifted from being in the U.S  back to their homeland and over and over again.  When a writer repeatdily picks at a subject it gets painful to read and tortures those who are assigned to read the story, which was exactly my situation during this piece. It was annoying.

     And finally, the way the book was put together really didnt make any sense in  my opinion. Yes, it was a creative and unique way of writing, but did the author really have to choose that writing style for this particular book where it was already hard enough to read due to the facts I have listed above. This just was not the right book for me and i would not reccommend it to anyone else.

Book Post #2: How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

       On the second paper clip section of "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez, one main theme that i picked up as I read was the distinction between America and the Dominican Republic. As one nation has more freedom and more reign to do what one wants, the other is old-fashioned, meaning they still believe in old ways. Men control the women in that nation (Dominican Republic); women barely have any rights or any say in things,  like back in history where women couldnt do the things the opposite sex could. This distinction made the Four Sisters act differently. In America they experienced many things that they probally couldnt back on their Island. For example, smoking weed, and hanging out with boys more often were some things that they got to do. They became independent and showed that they could handle the "American life."
       Back home, the girls experienced things differently. Men had the right to tell a lady what she could or could not do. They had the right to take advantage of a lady and wouldnt be punished for it but instead praised. One character, a male named Manuel Gustavo, is one of those men who was raised in the Dominican Republic and who was taught that men have the "upper hand" in their relationships. Fifi, the sister that is involved with Manuel, is treated poorly whenever he is around her. Blind to the situation, Fifi's other three sisters decided to step in and try and talk some sense into Manuel, telling him that women have rights also in the Dominican Republic. Manuel replies back with a clever response that stumps the three sisters: "Yes, women have rights, but men wear the pants" (122). Once again another example of a man shutting up a lady and her opinion (or in this case a man and three women).
      The girls go to having complete, or almost complete, freedom in America to having almost none at all back on their Homeland. Stuck between these two places i wanted to know, do they ever get the two places mixed up and maybe are too wild on their Island or too conservative when back in America? They seem to be used to both places but i think that the girls may like America more because they feel they have more rights than they would if they were home.

Book Post: How the Garcia Girls lost Their Accents

       Throughout history, women have been considered one group which was looked down upon because of their abilities of doing things. Men have taken advantage of women in the past by scarring them into doing as they were told; Many women were way too obedient to the commands, demands, and to the needs of their husbands or to men in general. In Julia Alvarez's national bestseller book, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, the first part of the book continuously talked about women and their ineractions with the opposite sex, men.
        Yolanda,  one of the four sisters introduced in the story, had a remarkabe experience when she was introduced to a male character, Rudy Elmenhurst the third, and their college romance was based on sexual temptation, at least to Rudy the man of the relationship. Throughout the relationship he always complained that she couldnt keep his intrest because he couldnt have interact with her on a sexual level. They broke up and five years later met again. Still, he wanted to have intercourse with Yolanda; this shows that he still, even after five years, only wanted to get on more than a social level with her, a sign that men mostly think of women as someone they can get pleasure from.
     Yolanda's father, a traditionally old fashioned man, wanted badly sons to carry on his name and instead got four daughters.  He seems as though he still isnt over the fact that hehas no sons and holds a grudge toward his daughters, making them feel like they are not worthy enough for his sentimental love. He shames them for not being boys and for not doing the things men could do.
      So throughout the first part of the story men have been introduced as the "bad guys", the ones who keep women for feeling worthy of being loved.

Silly Rabbit Trix Are For Kids

      One of the most memorable commercials today is the Trix cereal commercial with the tall, white, talking rabbit, and the most annoying cartoon kid characters ever. One of the questions that I have is, why can't that silly rabbit get those Trix?
      In many families, parents teach their kids manners, and how to share, but the children in that commercial demonstrate the opposite. they demonstrate the way of being greedy and being a bully to the rabbit. I mean, it's not like the rabbit will do anything wrong with the cereal. Whats the worst thing he could do with it?
    Everytime i see that commercial it always leaves me wondering if the kids will ever give in and let the silly rabbit have some. The cereal isn't even all that good for the kids not wanting to share it. Why cant the kids just let him have one bowl of those rainbow colored Trix. And of course their reason is "Trix are for kids". Then why do adults eat them too. Why dont the kids come out of the t.v or jump off the box and snatch it away from the grownups?
     The commercial even appeared on one of the most favorable shows today, Family Guy. In that episode, Peter was having a serious conversation about the world ending then all of a sudden he starts shouting and ran over to another area where The Silly Rabbit appeared with a box of Trix in his hand. Peter then snatched the box away from the rabbit and started using all types of profanity. This shows how much the rabbit is hated not only by the kids but by everyone.
   I honestly feel bad for the rabbit. I mean, if it were up to me, I would give the rabbit fifty bowls of Trix if I had the chance; However I also feel like the rabbit is sort of crazy-- Too crazy about it. Its's like his crack that he never had a chance to try but is already obessed, motivated, and addicted to it. He tries everything in his power to get them and always fails. Disguises don't seem to help him very much and he seems like he's not going to give up anytime soon. How long could one silly rabbit keep doing it? Chasing after kids, eager to hunt them down and get revenge for everything they've put him through. Its pshyco if you ask me. And for all the people out there who buy Trix, how could you support those demonic children? Just kidding.

The Worst and Most Boring Movie Ever

         On November 20th the year of 2008, on of the most annoying and surprisingly top rated movie until this day was released. Vampires, mortals, werewolves, blah blah blah. The movie Twilight is one of the worst movies of all time and i dont understand how it became so famous. Unlike Harry Potter, it has no value. Twighlight is more about finding a boyfriend while Harry Potter is about overcoming one's fear, which teaches children a better moral than Twighlight does.
          One thing that also gets on my nerves about this movie is that it is totally unintresting and Edward is extremely unattractive. The whole thing about who is hotter: team Edward or Team Jacob is ridiculous and so many teenage girls in America choose which side they are on. Its not like Edward or Jacob is on Your side so whats the point in choosing one of theirs?
           Everywhere I go, I see posters on the Twilight cast. I see Jacob with his shirt off, Edward looking paler than a piece of printing paper, and Bella, or whatever her name is, looking mean and confused everytime--who even falls in love with a vampire anyway? Like Lady Gaga, Bella is weird and annoying.
          Twilight is the worst and most boring movie ever

My Question Still Irks Me and Remains: Why Do People Own Pet Fish?

             Many people own pets because of many different reasons. Maybe to relieve stress, feel more comfortable, or just to have to feel happy. The usual household pet a dog, cat, hampster, bird, or something you can touch and play with, is what i think of when someone says they have a pet. However, something that has and always will bother me greatly, is what the point is in having a pet fish. So maybe fish are quite unusual, since they are from the sea, but what does a person do with them other than feed, clean, and watch them swim? What real purpose is there to own a fish or two? Is it relaxing to sit back and watch them swim in the same motion for minutes at a time? I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why fish are sold and bought at stores: even Wal-Mart sells fish. There are four reasons that I came up with to why fish should not be pets.
                 First, fish are meant to be in an ocean where they have tons of room to swim and live as they please, eating all the things humans may not be able to give to them. Sure, a person might object to my statement and say that there are big tanks for sell in many stores so they could have room to do as they want. Then again, I might reply, no matter how big you buy a tank, nothing can compare to the enormous amount of room in the ocean. The fish seem like they get tired of swimming back and forth, to and fro, up and down, zig-zags, or whatever. Wouldn't the owner feel sorry for the poor helpless fish? Wouldnt you want the fish to be happy in an enviornment made perfectly for the thing? It's like fish torture if you ask me.
                 Second, cleaning the tank could be a major hassle. Fish eat, therefore fish, like most living things, poop. Green slime floating everywhere, otherwise known as algae, is gross when cleaning it, and it is highly unsanitary. The smell is completely horrid and very unattractive when guest come over. The smell may leave your guest wondering about what kind of bad fishsticks you ate the night before. Everything about the whole pet fish tank cleaning situation is nasty and utterly ridiculous.
               Third, pet fish are expensive. Tanks, food, nets, tank cleaner, the actual fish, and fish medicine: just in case they just happen to get sick. There is also the rocks or pebbles for the bottom of the tank and that little astronaut man, which all fish seem to avoid. Pet fish equals more money wasted.
              And finally, the last breath of the poor little fish -- they only last for a week or two anyway. Fish are a waste of time because they only last for a couple weeks. There must be some reasons to why people own fish in the first place. You cant even take the fish out and play with it without it dying of dehydration or from crashing down on the floor for being so slippery and disgusting, in one of the rooms in your fishy smelling home. Fish arent even attractive. Their lips are rather freaky, the way they pucker out like a dreadful scence of a romance movie. Except that they are attractive colorwise, they pretty much stink: literally.
               So my question still irks me and remains. Why do people own pet fish? They buy them, buy the things for them, and spend three weeks feeding, cleaning, and watching them do nothing just so they could have the satisfaction of the beauty most, if any at all, possess. So overtime, maybe someone can answer my question: Why do people own pet fish?

Outcast + Loners = Nicer People?

What characteristics makes a person nice, and how can a person distinguish cold-hearted people from the generous and down-to-Earth people? Even though every living man, women, boy, or girl may have their opinion, Andy Tsang gives his own:

           "Feeling rejected, I looked for friendship among the mentally ill, the obese, and the weak; people just like me, except with a legitimate reason for being an outcast. Yet surprisingly, these are some of the most interesting people you will find. Their lifestyles gave them a reason to be generous and caring to others. They were zealous in every shape and form. And though at first I tried to convince myself I wasn’t one of them, when I looked into myself, I discovered no reason why not. And at that, I wondered, why is it that the loners, the outcast, and the ‘picked on’ were the nicest?"

From my own day to day experiences, I somewhat agree with Tsang that many outcast or externally different people, tend to be more generous and more kind than most others. However, I cannot speak for all people who may be or feel different. Although I do, for the most part, agree with Tsang, I also do not agree with some part in his logic. I do think that other people who may be part of the "in crowd" can be nice as well as any other person. Like my question above, what makes a person kind or charming. What makes a person different or an "outcast" or a part of the "in crowd"? What makes a person popular or cooler than anyone else and how could anyone tell? This quote, which to me is partcially true, can give different answers or send many different meanings to readers like me.

With that being said, this quote is related to the ASTI constitution in so many ways. It sums up most of the constitution rules or suggestions like numbers two to six which reads:

"2.Accept others for who they are

3.Build mutual trust and respect

4.Assume positive intent
5.Speak up for yourself and others

6.Strive to understand where other people are coming from; be empathetic"
The reason why I say that this quote is related to the ASTI constitution in so many ways, is because it says a lot about accepting people for who they are not because of what they may look like on the outside. 

#13 just kidding and ganging up

   Being in an alliance could make you feel terrible after you had some time to think about the whole situation. When I was in elementary I was a part of an alliance and as I got older and thought back to that situation I actually felt bad and ashamed.

    My options in this situation were to just forget about what happened or to hold a grudge that was really unnecessary. At that time I was still young and wanted to make the situation something bigger than it had to be. So I chose to make it bigger and instead of throwing water on the fire I decided to make it inflame even more. In the process I broke up friendships and created enemies.

    I think that people bully others because they feel like they have more power over somebody else or they experienced bullying from someone else and they feel like they need to do the same to feel as good as the person bullying him or her.

    There may be different situations for someone to want to hurt their peers. Maybe because that person is jealous or because they don't like that person. It may even be because it is fun to see someone being hurt other than yourself. Being bullied is unacceptable in so many ways and I think that mostly kids bully others instead of adults.