The weeks leading up to going home for Thanksgiving were quite stressful with all of our soccer traveling. It was so nice to go to the airport without all of my soccer gear and uniforms. When I woke up Wed morning to head home, I was nervous that my flight would be delayed because of the horrible storm! It was raining so hard outside I didn't know if was ever going to stop. By the time my flight left, the weather had cleared up enough for my flight to take off.
When arrived home in Columbus, the weather was very cold and rainy, but a smile was put on my face the moment I saw my family. I had not seen my sisters since I left for school the beginning of August, so I was beyond excited to see them. As for the rest of my family, it had still been a month since I had seen my parents, and two months since I saw my brothers.
Throughout the whole break, I spent most of my time with my family. I did get to see my friends, a few times, but with it being such a short break, my focus went to my family. We had a really nice Thanksgiving! Tons of food, especially sweet potatoes, one of my favorite foods! We also got a little bit of Christmas shopping done.
Before I left to come back to Memphis on Sunday, we finished putting up our Christmas tree. We always put up our tree together, so my mom wanted to make sure I was there to par-take in the events.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Lists and Paragraphs
List A
1. Family
2. Friends
3. God
4. Honesty
5. Soccer
6. Education
7. Working Hard
8. Staying Positive
9. Tell people how you feel
10. outdoors
11. running
12. rollerblading
13. beach
14. home
15. candy
16. ice cream
17. tennis shoes
18. palm trees
19. Colts
List B
1. rude people
2. people who only care about themself
3. snakes
4. cats
5. bugs
6. not talking to people
7. not talking to my family
8. being alone
9. salad dressings
10. chips
11. people who focus on the negatives
12. exams, tests
13. make-up work
14. Dallas Cowboys
11 A is like 8 B
Running is like being alone because when I go running, I am usually by myself. I never realized that one of the things I love to do and one of the things I hate to do relate so closely to each other. Running is the only time I can say I enjoy being by myself. I am a huge people person so I am rarely by myself. If for some reason I am alone though, I tend to go running because I have no patience at all. I always have to be doing something. While I am alone, running, it is my time to myself where I can think about whatever is going through my head. Most people like to just sit and thing by themselves, whereas I enjoy running while I think.
4 A is not like 5 A
Honesty and soccer are not alike because sometimes you have to do unhonest things on the soccer field to succeed. When your winning one to zero and there are only a few minutes left, you might have to kick the ball really far out of bounds on purpose to waste time. Or in other cases, you might throw the ball in even when you know it is not your throw in, or purposely cheap shot someone. Cheating and being unhonest are very similar to me. When you cheat, your are being unhonest, but sometimes you have to be unhonest to win. When playing competitive sports, players do everything in their power to win, including being unhonest. During practice, we always say, "If your not cheating, your not trying."
5 B is like 7 B
Bugs are like not talking to my family because they both make me feel very uncomfortable. I hate being around bugs, just like I hate not talking to my family. When I see a bug in the house and someone doesn't either put it outside, or kill it, I feel uncomfortable because I don't want it to come by me. At the same time, I feel uncomfortable not talking to my family because I do not know how they are or where they are.
Bugs are also black and ugly, just like some of the arguments me and my siblings get in. Lastly, bugs are like not talking to my family because I would never talk back to my parents, just like I would never touch a bug.
Final Paragraph
After looking over my lists and paragraphs, it seems as if I I am a happy, easy going person because everything I listed and said was quite positive. I never got to critical or mean about the topics I disliked because I seemed to put a greater focus on the good in everything. Throughout the paragraphs, I constantly used the words "I feel" showing that I write a lot about my emotions, and the things that have happened directly to me, rather than other peoples generalizations and thoughts. Most of the things I write are based on my past experiences because I am able to add personal touches to the work. Because I was in the experience, I am able to add my thoughts, emotions, and details as I portrayed them throughout the memory, rather than guessing how I would have felt, or what I would have done.
1. Family
2. Friends
3. God
4. Honesty
5. Soccer
6. Education
7. Working Hard
8. Staying Positive
9. Tell people how you feel
10. outdoors
11. running
12. rollerblading
13. beach
14. home
15. candy
16. ice cream
17. tennis shoes
18. palm trees
19. Colts
List B
1. rude people
2. people who only care about themself
3. snakes
4. cats
5. bugs
6. not talking to people
7. not talking to my family
8. being alone
9. salad dressings
10. chips
11. people who focus on the negatives
12. exams, tests
13. make-up work
14. Dallas Cowboys
11 A is like 8 B
Running is like being alone because when I go running, I am usually by myself. I never realized that one of the things I love to do and one of the things I hate to do relate so closely to each other. Running is the only time I can say I enjoy being by myself. I am a huge people person so I am rarely by myself. If for some reason I am alone though, I tend to go running because I have no patience at all. I always have to be doing something. While I am alone, running, it is my time to myself where I can think about whatever is going through my head. Most people like to just sit and thing by themselves, whereas I enjoy running while I think.
4 A is not like 5 A
Honesty and soccer are not alike because sometimes you have to do unhonest things on the soccer field to succeed. When your winning one to zero and there are only a few minutes left, you might have to kick the ball really far out of bounds on purpose to waste time. Or in other cases, you might throw the ball in even when you know it is not your throw in, or purposely cheap shot someone. Cheating and being unhonest are very similar to me. When you cheat, your are being unhonest, but sometimes you have to be unhonest to win. When playing competitive sports, players do everything in their power to win, including being unhonest. During practice, we always say, "If your not cheating, your not trying."
5 B is like 7 B
Bugs are like not talking to my family because they both make me feel very uncomfortable. I hate being around bugs, just like I hate not talking to my family. When I see a bug in the house and someone doesn't either put it outside, or kill it, I feel uncomfortable because I don't want it to come by me. At the same time, I feel uncomfortable not talking to my family because I do not know how they are or where they are.
Bugs are also black and ugly, just like some of the arguments me and my siblings get in. Lastly, bugs are like not talking to my family because I would never talk back to my parents, just like I would never touch a bug.
Final Paragraph
After looking over my lists and paragraphs, it seems as if I I am a happy, easy going person because everything I listed and said was quite positive. I never got to critical or mean about the topics I disliked because I seemed to put a greater focus on the good in everything. Throughout the paragraphs, I constantly used the words "I feel" showing that I write a lot about my emotions, and the things that have happened directly to me, rather than other peoples generalizations and thoughts. Most of the things I write are based on my past experiences because I am able to add personal touches to the work. Because I was in the experience, I am able to add my thoughts, emotions, and details as I portrayed them throughout the memory, rather than guessing how I would have felt, or what I would have done.
Friday, November 9, 2007
What I Want to Be
It seems like everything in my life has something to do with soccer. I don't know if I will every get away from the sport but it has helped me grow so much as a person. Not only have I made many life long best friends, but I have also learned how to interact with people I don't necessarily agree with, and I have learned to work as a group to achieve a common goal, to succeed! I never realized how many aspects of my life revolve around soccer, but when I was thinking of something to write about, I thought about how I decided what I want to be professionally. Amazingly, I did not want to be a professional soccer player, but through playing soccer, I did find a profession that fits me perfectly.
The spring of my freshman year of high school our soccer team, Fusion, traveled to Lexington, Kentucky for a big soccer tournament. I remember that it was extremely hot, especially because we were playing on turf fields. The black tires in the turf made your feet feel like they were burning, and there was steam streaming off the field. It was the first time that we had really played a tournament on turf fields and I specifically remember my coach asking me if I liked playing on grass or turf better. My answer was that I like grass better because it seemed like more people got injuried playing on turf.
So, the tournament continues, and we continue to win. Finally, on sunday the championship game rolls around and we were going to get to play our first game on the grass field!! We were all so excited because our team was much more used to playing on grass, to people who don't play soccer, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but playing on grass or turf really does make a difference. We were going to play a team from Georgia for the Championship game and we were all excited and pumped up!
After the first ten minutes of the game, we knew it was going to be a battle! As the whistle blew for halftime, we all went running into a huddle to talk about what had to be done differently. The scored was tied 0-0 and we had 45 min left to play.
About ten minutes into the second half, I went to clear the ball out of our end when a girl took a cheap shot at my right leg. As I fell to the ground, my teammates ran around me to make sure I was okay, but I wasn't moving much. My coach then came running out and carried me off the field because I could not walk. I sat on the bench the rest of the game in pain, cheering on our team to victory. We ended up winning the game 1-0.
After the game, my coach and another dad carried me to the award ceremony where we recieved trophies. Once the award ceremony was over, Terry, pretty much my second mom, called my mom to tell her that I had hurt my leg pretty bad. The trainer was unsure if I tore my achilles tendon or broke my shin. Terry said she would take me to the hospital in Lexington, but I just wanted to go home and go to my doctor when I got home.
So we drove three hours home, and waited for my mom to come pick me up from Terry's house. Once she got there, I just wanted to go home, so I went to the doctor the next day, Monday. It turns out I broke my shin all the way through so I would be in a cast for quite some time, 12 weeks to be exact. It was a very long recovery process, but throughout the whole process, I stayed positive making it go by quickly.
When I stepped back on the field for the first time after getting hurt, I knew that I wanted to be a Physical Therapist. With out a Physical Therapist, it would not be here today playing Division 1 soccer. Being a Physical Therapist is such a rewarding job, and you get to help so many people get back to the things they enjoy most.
Although breaking my shin was not a fun thing, it helped me decide a huge decision in my life, what I wanted to be.
The spring of my freshman year of high school our soccer team, Fusion, traveled to Lexington, Kentucky for a big soccer tournament. I remember that it was extremely hot, especially because we were playing on turf fields. The black tires in the turf made your feet feel like they were burning, and there was steam streaming off the field. It was the first time that we had really played a tournament on turf fields and I specifically remember my coach asking me if I liked playing on grass or turf better. My answer was that I like grass better because it seemed like more people got injuried playing on turf.
So, the tournament continues, and we continue to win. Finally, on sunday the championship game rolls around and we were going to get to play our first game on the grass field!! We were all so excited because our team was much more used to playing on grass, to people who don't play soccer, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but playing on grass or turf really does make a difference. We were going to play a team from Georgia for the Championship game and we were all excited and pumped up!
After the first ten minutes of the game, we knew it was going to be a battle! As the whistle blew for halftime, we all went running into a huddle to talk about what had to be done differently. The scored was tied 0-0 and we had 45 min left to play.
About ten minutes into the second half, I went to clear the ball out of our end when a girl took a cheap shot at my right leg. As I fell to the ground, my teammates ran around me to make sure I was okay, but I wasn't moving much. My coach then came running out and carried me off the field because I could not walk. I sat on the bench the rest of the game in pain, cheering on our team to victory. We ended up winning the game 1-0.
After the game, my coach and another dad carried me to the award ceremony where we recieved trophies. Once the award ceremony was over, Terry, pretty much my second mom, called my mom to tell her that I had hurt my leg pretty bad. The trainer was unsure if I tore my achilles tendon or broke my shin. Terry said she would take me to the hospital in Lexington, but I just wanted to go home and go to my doctor when I got home.
So we drove three hours home, and waited for my mom to come pick me up from Terry's house. Once she got there, I just wanted to go home, so I went to the doctor the next day, Monday. It turns out I broke my shin all the way through so I would be in a cast for quite some time, 12 weeks to be exact. It was a very long recovery process, but throughout the whole process, I stayed positive making it go by quickly.
When I stepped back on the field for the first time after getting hurt, I knew that I wanted to be a Physical Therapist. With out a Physical Therapist, it would not be here today playing Division 1 soccer. Being a Physical Therapist is such a rewarding job, and you get to help so many people get back to the things they enjoy most.
Although breaking my shin was not a fun thing, it helped me decide a huge decision in my life, what I wanted to be.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Plane Ride
This past weekend was a weekend full of mixed emotions. It all started on Thurday morning, as we got ready to head to Huntington, West Virginia to play Marshall. Our day started off nice and early at 7:30am when our soccer team had to meet at South Campus to get on a bus to take us to the airport. From there, our flight to Marshall was not a direct flight so we left Memphis at 9:30 am and landed in Charlotte at around 12:00 eastern time. We then had a layover at the Charlotte airport for two hours until we could get on the connection plane to Huntington, West Virginia. As 2:00 rolled around, everyone began to get ready to board the plane. I was extremely excited to go to Marshall because I was going to get to see my parents, grandparents, and some friends because Marshall is only about two and a half hours from my home.
As we all got on the plane, we were shocked at how small it was. It only seated about 30 people, and it had propellors! Our flight to Marshall was supposed to be a quick one so everyone was anxious to get in the air, but once we got up in the air, something did not seem right. When I looked out the window it did not seem like we were high enough in the air, but I just figured it had to do with being in a small plane and only going a short distance, so I kept talking to Brittney, the girl sitting next to me. After looking out the window again a few minutes later, I noticed that the propellor of our small plane was no longer spinning.
Now I was extremely confused. Was the propellor just moving so fast that it didn't appear to be spinning, or was it really stopping? As I sat starring out the window, Brittney began to get extremely nervous at what she was watching. Brittney is always a very scared and nervous flier, and this was not making my situation sitting next to her any better. Seconds later, Brittney began crying when she saw the wheels of the plane began come out as if we were landing. It was an extremely weird sight to see knowing that we had only been in the air for about fifteen minutes. Then everyone broke loose in the plane.
An obnoxious man in the front of the plane began barking rude comments to the flight attendent whose eyes became very big as she realized what was happening. She quickly began to calm everyone saying that everything was okay, that we were heading back to the Charlotte airport because the plane was not functioning properly. As we quickly turned around and relanded in the Charlotte airport, many emergency vechicals followed our flight into the boarding zone. Once we got off the plane, we were told that one of the engines on the plane blew. We all sat dazed and confused on what had just happened.
After sitting around talking for a few minutes in the airport, I decided to call my mom and tell her what had just happend. She asked me if I had been nervous, but my answer to her was kind of shocking to me. In all honesty, I was not nervous or scared as everything unfolded because I don't think I was given the chance to be. I am always a calm flier, so Brittney and I usually sit together because she hates flying so much. As things began to go wrong with the plane, I was too worried about keeping Brittney calm, so I never really realized everything that was happening directly around me with our plane. After talking with my mom for a few more minutes, I had to hang up to listen to the news the airport was giving us concerning our flights.
They said that our flight would be delayed till at least 5:30pm because they were trying to either fix our plane, or find another one to take us to Huntington. As it turns out, they could not come up with a solution for our flight plan, so our flight was cancelled. With the sound of that, our coaches and the airport attendents went off to find an alternate way of getting us to Marshall. After our crazy flight, many girls wanted to take a bus, but instead, we got on a different flight at 8:40pm.
This made it an extremely long day for us. We left campus at 7:30am on Thursday, and did not arrive in Huntington until 10:30pm that night. By the time we finally got to our hotel, everyone was so tired and exhausted that everyone went directly to bed. It had been a very long and tiring day, but thankfully, everyone was in bed safe and sound!
As we all got on the plane, we were shocked at how small it was. It only seated about 30 people, and it had propellors! Our flight to Marshall was supposed to be a quick one so everyone was anxious to get in the air, but once we got up in the air, something did not seem right. When I looked out the window it did not seem like we were high enough in the air, but I just figured it had to do with being in a small plane and only going a short distance, so I kept talking to Brittney, the girl sitting next to me. After looking out the window again a few minutes later, I noticed that the propellor of our small plane was no longer spinning.
Now I was extremely confused. Was the propellor just moving so fast that it didn't appear to be spinning, or was it really stopping? As I sat starring out the window, Brittney began to get extremely nervous at what she was watching. Brittney is always a very scared and nervous flier, and this was not making my situation sitting next to her any better. Seconds later, Brittney began crying when she saw the wheels of the plane began come out as if we were landing. It was an extremely weird sight to see knowing that we had only been in the air for about fifteen minutes. Then everyone broke loose in the plane.
An obnoxious man in the front of the plane began barking rude comments to the flight attendent whose eyes became very big as she realized what was happening. She quickly began to calm everyone saying that everything was okay, that we were heading back to the Charlotte airport because the plane was not functioning properly. As we quickly turned around and relanded in the Charlotte airport, many emergency vechicals followed our flight into the boarding zone. Once we got off the plane, we were told that one of the engines on the plane blew. We all sat dazed and confused on what had just happened.
After sitting around talking for a few minutes in the airport, I decided to call my mom and tell her what had just happend. She asked me if I had been nervous, but my answer to her was kind of shocking to me. In all honesty, I was not nervous or scared as everything unfolded because I don't think I was given the chance to be. I am always a calm flier, so Brittney and I usually sit together because she hates flying so much. As things began to go wrong with the plane, I was too worried about keeping Brittney calm, so I never really realized everything that was happening directly around me with our plane. After talking with my mom for a few more minutes, I had to hang up to listen to the news the airport was giving us concerning our flights.
They said that our flight would be delayed till at least 5:30pm because they were trying to either fix our plane, or find another one to take us to Huntington. As it turns out, they could not come up with a solution for our flight plan, so our flight was cancelled. With the sound of that, our coaches and the airport attendents went off to find an alternate way of getting us to Marshall. After our crazy flight, many girls wanted to take a bus, but instead, we got on a different flight at 8:40pm.
This made it an extremely long day for us. We left campus at 7:30am on Thursday, and did not arrive in Huntington until 10:30pm that night. By the time we finally got to our hotel, everyone was so tired and exhausted that everyone went directly to bed. It had been a very long and tiring day, but thankfully, everyone was in bed safe and sound!
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Rake
The rake is a very interesting object used in the story “The Rake: A few scenes from my childhood,” by David Mamet. Most people know what a rake is, but to some people, a rake has a much deeper meaning than just a cleaning tool. Many people use rakes to tidy up their yards to make them presentable, but by doing this, are people trying to hide something?
In the story, the rake was used to beautify a house that really had no beauty within it. The outside might have looked clean and happy, but on the inside, it was blue and distressed. Sometimes it is not about how the outside of things look. Like people always say, “You can never judge a book by its cover.”
In the story, the leaves that had fallen to the ground seem to symbolize all the problems going on inside of the house. Everyone in the family could see all the bad things, just as they could see all the leaves on the ground. Instead of working together to get over these problems, they were just bundled up inside a bag, as were the leaves. No problems or agreements were ever made in the family because no one communicated how they felt or stood up for themselves. I think it would be stressful to constantly have problems thrown on me when nothing ever is resolved.
I also feel that a rake is a very scary piece of equipment that has always seemed very dangerous to me. The long, sharp claws always seem make me nervous that someone is going to get hurt. It seems that at any moment in time, the fingers of the rake could just grab anyone and hurt them. In the story, the rake does end up hurting Mamet’s sister causing a lot of blood. The rake in the story than also begins to signify blood.
The rake in the story symbolizes many other things than just a cleaning tool. It symbolizes how things are different on the outside than on the inside. It also signifies all the problems throughout the story. The rake then in the end of the story symbolizes the blood and violence during the story. As the story progresses, the rake develops as an object to carry a deep meaning to the story.
The rake is a very interesting object used in the story “The Rake: A few scenes from my childhood,” by David Mamet. Most people know what a rake is, but to some people, a rake has a much deeper meaning than just a cleaning tool. Many people use rakes to tidy up their yards to make them presentable, but by doing this, are people trying to hide something?
In the story, the rake was used to beautify a house that really had no beauty within it. The outside might have looked clean and happy, but on the inside, it was blue and distressed. Sometimes it is not about how the outside of things look. Like people always say, “You can never judge a book by its cover.”
In the story, the leaves that had fallen to the ground seem to symbolize all the problems going on inside of the house. Everyone in the family could see all the bad things, just as they could see all the leaves on the ground. Instead of working together to get over these problems, they were just bundled up inside a bag, as were the leaves. No problems or agreements were ever made in the family because no one communicated how they felt or stood up for themselves. I think it would be stressful to constantly have problems thrown on me when nothing ever is resolved.
I also feel that a rake is a very scary piece of equipment that has always seemed very dangerous to me. The long, sharp claws always seem make me nervous that someone is going to get hurt. It seems that at any moment in time, the fingers of the rake could just grab anyone and hurt them. In the story, the rake does end up hurting Mamet’s sister causing a lot of blood. The rake in the story than also begins to signify blood.
The rake in the story symbolizes many other things than just a cleaning tool. It symbolizes how things are different on the outside than on the inside. It also signifies all the problems throughout the story. The rake then in the end of the story symbolizes the blood and violence during the story. As the story progresses, the rake develops as an object to carry a deep meaning to the story.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
When I moved to Memphis, everyone told me it would be a huge adjustment. It was a new part of the country and a new culture, but I was up for the challenge. I knew it would be hard to leave everything I knew and had grown up with behind, but I was ready for a change. Coming from a safe suburb outside of Columbus, Ohio, I am not used to being around a lot of crimes. This is a place where I have to be more cautious in everyday life, where the crime rates are the highest in the country. Up until the night of September 30th, I had felt safe on campus and in Memphis, but now I don’t know if I can say that. The events that happened on the University of Memphis campus that weekend were extremely sad, and opened my eyes up to everything I have been trying to ignore.
On Sunday night, September 30th, I was helping clean the kitchen of my friends’ house when I received a panicked phone call from one of my teammates. She wanted to make sure that I was okay because someone had just been shot on campus and she could not find me around the dorms. At that moment I did not know what to think or do; I just asked the basic questions like who, when, and where. My teammate, Ashley, told me to just stay where I was for the night because she did not feel comfortable with me coming back on campus with everything that was going on. As I hung up the phone, I sat for a moment in disbelief at what I had just heard, than I told the news to my friends at the house. We all put down our mops and rags and looked at each other for a moment before anyone said a word. Everyone was in shock at what I had just said, what had just happened minutes away from us, what had happened on our campus to one of our fellow student-athletes. After a minute or so of silence, we began talking. We seemed to talk about everything from how sad it was, to who would have done such a thing, but the one topic that was constantly directed toward me was being safer on campus and throughout the city.
During points of our talk, I felt as if my friends were my parents because they were constantly telling me I needed to be safer in everything I did. It shows me how much they care about me, and it opened my eyes to the things I was trying to ignore. I understand that this is not Ohio, but at the same time it is hard for me to get out of my normal routines from home. I can’t walk alone anywhere down here and I can’t trust people I don’t know, which is just about everyone. I know there is bad stuff going on all around me, but I seem to have fallen in the same trap as so many other Memphis residents. I know things are rougher down here than in my hometown but like so many other residents here, I have chose to ignore the bad. This cannot be done anymore though. So many lives have been taken and changed by all the crimes and violence in this city it is shocking. We need a leader in this city to step up and make a difference. People need to get off the streets and go to school so they can get an education to get a real job. This would help solve some of the problems. When we have more people with educations, they will become busier with a job, and have less time to spend creating problems throughout the city.
It is a shame that another person had to lose their life to an act of violence. Throughout this sad situation, people all around campus have learned many important things. For the people from out of town, we have learned that we do need to be more conscious about the things going on around us. Hopefully the people from Memphis, and the people from out of town bond together and find a leader to help make a difference. The crime and violence in Memphis needs to stop.
On Sunday night, September 30th, I was helping clean the kitchen of my friends’ house when I received a panicked phone call from one of my teammates. She wanted to make sure that I was okay because someone had just been shot on campus and she could not find me around the dorms. At that moment I did not know what to think or do; I just asked the basic questions like who, when, and where. My teammate, Ashley, told me to just stay where I was for the night because she did not feel comfortable with me coming back on campus with everything that was going on. As I hung up the phone, I sat for a moment in disbelief at what I had just heard, than I told the news to my friends at the house. We all put down our mops and rags and looked at each other for a moment before anyone said a word. Everyone was in shock at what I had just said, what had just happened minutes away from us, what had happened on our campus to one of our fellow student-athletes. After a minute or so of silence, we began talking. We seemed to talk about everything from how sad it was, to who would have done such a thing, but the one topic that was constantly directed toward me was being safer on campus and throughout the city.
During points of our talk, I felt as if my friends were my parents because they were constantly telling me I needed to be safer in everything I did. It shows me how much they care about me, and it opened my eyes to the things I was trying to ignore. I understand that this is not Ohio, but at the same time it is hard for me to get out of my normal routines from home. I can’t walk alone anywhere down here and I can’t trust people I don’t know, which is just about everyone. I know there is bad stuff going on all around me, but I seem to have fallen in the same trap as so many other Memphis residents. I know things are rougher down here than in my hometown but like so many other residents here, I have chose to ignore the bad. This cannot be done anymore though. So many lives have been taken and changed by all the crimes and violence in this city it is shocking. We need a leader in this city to step up and make a difference. People need to get off the streets and go to school so they can get an education to get a real job. This would help solve some of the problems. When we have more people with educations, they will become busier with a job, and have less time to spend creating problems throughout the city.
It is a shame that another person had to lose their life to an act of violence. Throughout this sad situation, people all around campus have learned many important things. For the people from out of town, we have learned that we do need to be more conscious about the things going on around us. Hopefully the people from Memphis, and the people from out of town bond together and find a leader to help make a difference. The crime and violence in Memphis needs to stop.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Amanda Olszewski
Mrs. Winter Sumner
Textual Analysis
September 23, 2007
The Fourth of July
The story “The Fourth of July” was written about a young girl growing up and discovering the world around her. Audre Lorde is the author of her own story in which she tells about the summer of her eight grade graduation. Throughout this story, Audre uses very dramatic imagery to get various points across. Through her sustaining descriptions I felt as if I was sitting right next to her. Also in the story, irony plays an immense role in how everything links together. Little things that did not seem to have any reference together all of the sudden seemed to make the story even more interesting. The tone in the story also added a lot of personality to the text. From the beginning to the end of the story, the tone played a big role in getting me involved. I felt as if I knew how she felt the whole way through the story. The story starts out in the late 1940’s with Audre’s family making a trip to Washington DC for her and her sister’s graduation. Audre was extremely excited to go on this new adventure, but she did not know what she was about to open her eyes up to.
Throughout the story, Audre uses very vivid and rich words that painted a picture for me as the reader. She used phrases like the “brown bread, green pepper, and little violently yellow iced cakes” (Lorde 567) to help me see what she was looking at. She did this throughout the story to add some deep meaningful color to a time era where everything else seemed to be white and black. This story was written during the 1940’s when segregation was still a big problem in our country. Audre’s family was trying to make it as a black family when everything around them in America seemed to be white. In the story, white began to take on a bigger role than just a color; it began to signify power in the story. White was the color of the waitress who told them they had to leave, the color of the ice cream they could not eat, and the color of the stone monuments that blinded them with their brightness and hardness. White was the color that signified the summer of Audre’s eight grade year, the summer that opened her eyes.
That summer, Audre was shocked when she opened her eyes to the world around her. She learned many important things that trip that she never even knew existed because of her over protective parents. Her parents, up to that point, had her locked in a cage from the all the unpleasant people and things around her. The trip to Washington, D.C. was an exceptionally good learning experience for Audre especially because she went into the trip so positive and excited. Audre was anxious to leave for Washington, D.C. not only because she was going to see the capital of the United States, and all of its monuments, but also because she was going to get to ride on a train during the day. Riding on a train does not seem like a big deal to me, but she on the other hand, had never ridden on a train during the day. When Audre was younger, she rode on a milk train at night because her mom said it was cheaper but she later found out the real reason. Black people used to not be allowed to ride on dining cars during the day, but her mom did not tell her this because she her mom she did not want her to know about the segregation around her. Her mom did not like things she could not change, so she would not speak of them. The train situation has a very unique analogy to it though. The black people were only allowed to ride on trains when it was dark outside, while the white people were allowed to ride the trains during the day when it was bright outside. When I think of dark things, I think of the color black, as well as when I think of bright things, I think of the color white. This then goes back to how everything back then was about black and white.
Audre’s parents kept her behind the walls of their house because they wanted to protect her from the uncertainty of the people surrounding her. Her parents “protected their children by never giving them name, much less discussing their nature” (Lorde 568). This statement made by her parents is very ironic to a statement made later in the story. While they were at a monument, Audre states that their parents do not allow them to wear sunglasses. This makes for a very interesting case because it brings on to hide or to not hide. Her parents are trying to hide her from the bad going on around her, but they don’t allow her to hide behind sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sunlight. It is a very interesting topic that brings on many questions. Without the children wearing sunglasses, it causes them to squint to protect their eyes. When one squints, the black in the eyes begins to overtake the white. This again goes back to the issue of black vs. white.
From the beginning to the end of the story, the tone built adds a lot of personality. The story starts off with Audre very excited to go to Washington DC. She was a young girl with no worries going into the trip to Washington DC, but she left as a young woman trying to find her place in a society that seemed to not need her. This began to answer the question she had in the beginning of the book on how she was “supposed to stop being a child” (Lorde 567). She did not know what she was getting herself into when she left that summer day, but it changed her life forever. This might not have been the best graduation present, but it did teach her a lot of important things. Toward the end of the story Audre’s tone and attitude completely changed from the fun, playful little girl to a mad, young women trying to make a stand on what she believed in. Although her parents would not speak up about how they had been treated, Audre was not going to let anyone push her and her family around. She stopped being a kid and stood up for herself by writing a letter to the president.
This story was a very interesting story to me. The description and vivid words made me feel as if I was right there with the characters in the story. The more and more I read the story, the more information I began to pick up. The ironic statements made attention-grabbing points that I do not think I would have picked up on if I had not reread it. Lastly, the tone in the story really built up the internal emotions of the story. It taught me as the reader how Audre felt while she was going through a very drastic change at such a young age. The story was very enjoyable to read and I learned some valuable facts from it.
Work Cited
Lorde, Audre. "The Fourth of July." Eschholz, Paul, Alfred Rosa and Virginia Clark. Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers, 9th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's , 2005. 567-570.
Mrs. Winter Sumner
Textual Analysis
September 23, 2007
The Fourth of July
The story “The Fourth of July” was written about a young girl growing up and discovering the world around her. Audre Lorde is the author of her own story in which she tells about the summer of her eight grade graduation. Throughout this story, Audre uses very dramatic imagery to get various points across. Through her sustaining descriptions I felt as if I was sitting right next to her. Also in the story, irony plays an immense role in how everything links together. Little things that did not seem to have any reference together all of the sudden seemed to make the story even more interesting. The tone in the story also added a lot of personality to the text. From the beginning to the end of the story, the tone played a big role in getting me involved. I felt as if I knew how she felt the whole way through the story. The story starts out in the late 1940’s with Audre’s family making a trip to Washington DC for her and her sister’s graduation. Audre was extremely excited to go on this new adventure, but she did not know what she was about to open her eyes up to.
Throughout the story, Audre uses very vivid and rich words that painted a picture for me as the reader. She used phrases like the “brown bread, green pepper, and little violently yellow iced cakes” (Lorde 567) to help me see what she was looking at. She did this throughout the story to add some deep meaningful color to a time era where everything else seemed to be white and black. This story was written during the 1940’s when segregation was still a big problem in our country. Audre’s family was trying to make it as a black family when everything around them in America seemed to be white. In the story, white began to take on a bigger role than just a color; it began to signify power in the story. White was the color of the waitress who told them they had to leave, the color of the ice cream they could not eat, and the color of the stone monuments that blinded them with their brightness and hardness. White was the color that signified the summer of Audre’s eight grade year, the summer that opened her eyes.
That summer, Audre was shocked when she opened her eyes to the world around her. She learned many important things that trip that she never even knew existed because of her over protective parents. Her parents, up to that point, had her locked in a cage from the all the unpleasant people and things around her. The trip to Washington, D.C. was an exceptionally good learning experience for Audre especially because she went into the trip so positive and excited. Audre was anxious to leave for Washington, D.C. not only because she was going to see the capital of the United States, and all of its monuments, but also because she was going to get to ride on a train during the day. Riding on a train does not seem like a big deal to me, but she on the other hand, had never ridden on a train during the day. When Audre was younger, she rode on a milk train at night because her mom said it was cheaper but she later found out the real reason. Black people used to not be allowed to ride on dining cars during the day, but her mom did not tell her this because she her mom she did not want her to know about the segregation around her. Her mom did not like things she could not change, so she would not speak of them. The train situation has a very unique analogy to it though. The black people were only allowed to ride on trains when it was dark outside, while the white people were allowed to ride the trains during the day when it was bright outside. When I think of dark things, I think of the color black, as well as when I think of bright things, I think of the color white. This then goes back to how everything back then was about black and white.
Audre’s parents kept her behind the walls of their house because they wanted to protect her from the uncertainty of the people surrounding her. Her parents “protected their children by never giving them name, much less discussing their nature” (Lorde 568). This statement made by her parents is very ironic to a statement made later in the story. While they were at a monument, Audre states that their parents do not allow them to wear sunglasses. This makes for a very interesting case because it brings on to hide or to not hide. Her parents are trying to hide her from the bad going on around her, but they don’t allow her to hide behind sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sunlight. It is a very interesting topic that brings on many questions. Without the children wearing sunglasses, it causes them to squint to protect their eyes. When one squints, the black in the eyes begins to overtake the white. This again goes back to the issue of black vs. white.
From the beginning to the end of the story, the tone built adds a lot of personality. The story starts off with Audre very excited to go to Washington DC. She was a young girl with no worries going into the trip to Washington DC, but she left as a young woman trying to find her place in a society that seemed to not need her. This began to answer the question she had in the beginning of the book on how she was “supposed to stop being a child” (Lorde 567). She did not know what she was getting herself into when she left that summer day, but it changed her life forever. This might not have been the best graduation present, but it did teach her a lot of important things. Toward the end of the story Audre’s tone and attitude completely changed from the fun, playful little girl to a mad, young women trying to make a stand on what she believed in. Although her parents would not speak up about how they had been treated, Audre was not going to let anyone push her and her family around. She stopped being a kid and stood up for herself by writing a letter to the president.
This story was a very interesting story to me. The description and vivid words made me feel as if I was right there with the characters in the story. The more and more I read the story, the more information I began to pick up. The ironic statements made attention-grabbing points that I do not think I would have picked up on if I had not reread it. Lastly, the tone in the story really built up the internal emotions of the story. It taught me as the reader how Audre felt while she was going through a very drastic change at such a young age. The story was very enjoyable to read and I learned some valuable facts from it.
Work Cited
Lorde, Audre. "The Fourth of July." Eschholz, Paul, Alfred Rosa and Virginia Clark. Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers, 9th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's , 2005. 567-570.
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