Invisible man

Anyone that feels that the issues of race, ethnicity, identity, ect. are not current issues have not spent much time in the real world lately. In a very basic sense one can look at political correctness. In the novel the narrator is shocked to learn that the brotherhood can force someone to shake his hand. This translates into modern times when you look at the idea of being "PC". Every celebrity must watch what he or she says for fear that someone will be offended by a comment they make. Even an everyday person must choose their words wisely to ensure that they do not get themself in trouble with their words.
An even closer to home reflection of the book is the racial tensions that very subtly travel around the campus of IUP. In the novel when a man askes the narrator to sing a spiritual the man i removed from the party. This is a mirror image of the students at IUP that were taken of the Facebook website for the seemingly racist remarks that were posted. Everyday someone is the not only the world, but the town you live in is discriminated against because of race or sexuality or something like that.
By silencing racist comments you are only preventing yourself from hearing them. The only way that racism, sexism, or bigotry can be erradicated is to change the mindsets of those that feel that not everyone is equal.

House of Spirits/Ideology

The character that I find myself clashing with, in terms of our ideologies, is Esteban Trueba. Esteban is very adamit about the things he wants in life, and has no problem using others around him to get these things. Esteban looks down on many of the peasants at Tres Marias, and this is one of the ways that our ideologies differ. I have always been taught and have believed that there is no difference between people, and that everyone is in fact equal. Also Esteban's ideology is very much about wealth and what he has and owns. I disagree with him here as well. I think that there is much more to life than what and how much you own, and I have trouble connecting with him and understanding his point of view.

Antigone

The story of Antigone is very interesting and entertaining. I think that it is very interesting how it was updated from the original version that i read to the brcht version that is set during WWII. I think that if it were to be updated again to fit the issues of today i think that the issue of gay marriage would fit much better than inter-racial relations, mostly because of all the congressional bans on gay marriages that have been enacted in reacent months.

I envision it taking place in a very religious, conservative state, inwhich marriages of members of the same sex has recently been ruled unconstitutional. To add even more of a flare of controversy i would cast Johnny Depp and Pierce Brosnan, James Bond in case anyone didnt know his actual name. These two, despite the recent ruling, would find some way to get married, and would be caught. I think that this is a much more relevant issue thatn inter-racial marriage, however 20 or 30 years ago i would say that marriage betwwen 2 races would be a big issue. I also feel that eventually gay marriage will be permitted, because as more supreme court justices on both state and federal levels retire new justicies will be placed in office. These new justices will come from a generation in which equallity has been stressed more to our generation than any other, and i think those differences will be shown through new legeslation.


and on a side note if you too ignorant to realize that there is no real difference between races; black, white, asian, or any other, then i think that inter-racial marriages is the least of YOUR problems

El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez

I thought that this lengend was fun to read, the same as hearing legends such as Paul Bunion as a kid. I think that this legend has many different meanings or morals, and depending on how it is read they can all apply. Cortez is a Mexican that is being chased by americanos after there is a shootout in which both a sheriff and Cortez's brother were killed. Many times in the corrido Cortez yells to the americanos that they should not be afraid of just one mexican. This makes me think that one of the morals of the story is to be proud of your heritage if you are mexican. However some of the other morals in the story that one might find depend on what version of the story that you read. In some versions Cortez gives himself up, because the americanos have taken his family and this is the only way to saave them. This version makes Cortez look like a family man, promoting family values. However in other versions Cortez simply gives himself up for apparently no reason, and the idea of family values is lost.

One Reason for this change in meaning is that stories that are told orally usually are changed by the current story teller. There can be many different reasons for this; lack of memory of the story, the audience, or the reason for telling the story, just to name a few. These reasons are why there are many different versions of the corrido, and gives the orator a chance to make the story their own.

Blood Wedding

I felt that this was a very interesting read, although i was slightly confused at the end, of the play. Throughout the entire play the idea of family lineage, or blood, takes a large role. Although the "blood" of an individual may have played a significant role in people's lives in the past, i think its importance is no longer as strong. I feel the reason for this is because children are no longer solely raised by their family. Today many children are either baby-sat, or are taken to a day-care program for part of the day. This leads to a diverse group of people that may have an impact on a childs life. Also the people that someone may hang around or associate with can also have an impact on their true thoughts and feelings.

With advances in technology, such as tv and the internet, people have a much larger way of viewing the world, thus leaving the parents to have less of a role in the upbringing of a child. I thought that although the "Blood Wedding" was a very good play, some of the signifigant subplots may have been misssed.

The Awakening

In this book the main character Edna goes through a circle of emotions that affect many people that she encounters. Edna has a husband and two children, but begins to have feelings for a man by the name of Robert. Because of her growing feelings for Robert, Edna begins on a journey that tests what her true values are, and changes what she has een taught about women her entire life. Edna's feelings for Robert continue to grow until he reveals to her that he is taveling to Mexico, and does not know when he will return. It is obvious to me that the the true reason that Robert is leaving is because he understands how strong Edna's feelings are, and knows the implications if things between them were to keep moving forward.

Edna is very angry and upset with Robert and has an affair with another man on the island. Eventually Edna grow's so independent that she is ready to tell Robert that whe wants to be with him, and will leave Leonce for him. However when she is about to tell Robert, Madame Ratignolle asks Edna to be with her for the birth of her child. While there Madame Ratignolle tells Edna to think of her children, and what leaving their father would do to them. At this point Edna's emotions are brought full circle, and only now does she realize the implications of what she is doing.

I felt that this book played very strongly to the aspect that you can please some people some of the time, but you can't please everyone all the time. Edna was utimatley forced into choosing between what she wanted and what everyone else expected of her, and this decision is what eventually lead to her commiting suicide. I thought that this novel services as a good way to show people that you cant make everyone happy, but at the same time you can't always just do what you want.

Yellow Wallpaper

This story is very interesting, and can easily confuse the reader if they are not staying very focused on the reading. The way Gilman describes the woman makes you wonder if she is sick or crazy, and in the end I was more confused than ever. Not until I read what Gilman herself said the story was based opun was I able to piece the events together.

Douglass

While reading Douglass's story you get a real sense of what he, and all other slaves, had to go through everyday. Douglas is not only extremely good at telling the reader the events of his life, but he is also able to make the reader take the perspective and opinion that he wants the reader to have. Douglass is an outstanding writer, and it is even more amazing how good he is when you read his autobiography and understand what he had to overcome in his life. To learn to write as well as he does when coming from a time period inwhich he wasnt even aloud to learn to read is truly inspiring.