Analysis of Tell Tale Heart

The story, of The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe is surely a confusing one.  So first off this really crazy person (who by the way, we don't know whether they are a man or a woman) just goes crazy plotting to kill another man.  By human nature, we tend to assume that when there is no given gender, it is a man but after thinking and reading through the story a couple of times, I began to believe that this killer could very well be a woman.  A very big part of this story was the killer's motif of killing the man, which the narrator describes as "evil eye".  I found this reason to make no sense at all and I started to conclude that there were additional emotions that the narrator had towards the man that they were not able to express.      Since I saw the narrator as more of a servant than any other possibility, I came to the conclusion that the servant was secretly in love with the man and decided to kill him since the man did not feel the same. duh...thanks

One and Lonely

     Delilah Mackenzie spent most of her time with her friends or her parents and she was almost never alone.  Whenever she was alone, she was either texting someone or talking to them on the phone.  One day after school, Delilah got on the bus to go home, she had stayed at school a little late and all of her friends had left for home already.  She was not looking forward to going home at all since she had left her iPod at home earlier and she had been upset with her friends for leaving her, so she decided not to text them.  Delilah had to constantly be around someone or something to keep her mind off of what was always bothering her and she was actually terrified of having nothing to occupy her thoughts as she headed home.

     "Hold the bus!" Delilah yelled as she was running up from the train station.  As she walked on the bus she found a seat next to an old woman who looked nice and innocent, Delilah was usually stuck sitting next to some perverted man or sloppy kid so today she was in luck.  Delilah was about two miles away from her house when she realized that she really had to use the bathroom.  She had had to pee all day but she hated using the bathroom in public.  This was an emergency, Delilah pulled the string to request for the bus to stop and skittered off of the bus, with her knee caps practically glued together.  She used the restroom at McDonald's and due to their costumer's only policy she was forced to buy a Strawberry Banana Smoothy. Instead of waiting for another bus to come, Delilah thought she would get on at another stop that was less congested since all of the Kenwood High School students got on outside of the McDonald's.  

    Since Delilah had never actually walked from the bus stops, she got a little lost.  She walked through about two blocks of apartment buildings that all looked the same and she finally got to rest at a small play ground on the corner of the street.  Delilah suddenly became very familiar with her surroundings, and remembered her mom taking her to this park many times before.  She ran to the swings as if she were four years old again and she started to swing.  Swinging higher and higher with every kick, as she reached a point where she couldn't feel herself going any higher, she closed her eyes and let go.  Delilah went flying through the air and forgot to catch her fall.  Delilah hit the ground hard and started to cry, it wasn't the physical pain that got to her, it was an emotional pain that caused the tears to run down her face.  

   Delilah immediately got up, went to the bus stop, and went home.  That was the last time in a long time Delilah had chosen to be alone.  

     

Werewolf- Cocorosie

In a dream I was a werewolf

My soul was filled with crystal light

Lavender ribbons of rain sang

Ridding my heart of mortal fight

Broken sundown fatherless showdown

Gun hip swollen lip bottle sip, yeah I suck dick

Loose grip on gravity falls sky blinding crumbling walls

River sweep away my memories of

Children's things a young mother's love

Before the yearning song of flesh on flesh

Young hearts burst open wounds bleed fresh

A young brother skinny and tall my older walks

Oceanward and somber, slumber sleeping

Flowers in the water, but I'm just his daughter

Walking down an icy grave leading to my

Schizophrenic father. Weeping willow won't you wallow louder

Searching for my father's power

I'm a shake you off though

Get up on that horse and

Ride into the sunset

Look back with no remorse

He's a black magic wielder some say a witch

Wielded darkness when he was violent, my eyes my arms

And I'm her child and he was the bastard that broke

Up the marriage evil doer doing evil from a baby carriage

And he was born with the same blue eyes

Crystal ships dripping with ice, diamonds coruscate

In the night fireworks electric bright

And now he's got his own two sons

Trys to hide his tears in a world of fun

But loveless bedrooms filled with doom

Bring silent heartache July to June

Swoon over new young heart flame

Mourn the memories later

Laugh now alligator

In a dream my father came to me

And made me swear that I'd keep

What's sacred to me

And if I get the choice to live in his name

I'll pray my way through the rain

Singing oh happy day

I don't mean to close the door

But for the record my heart is sore

You blew through me like bullet holes

Left stains on my sheets and stains on my soul

You left me broke down begging for change

Had to catch a ride with a man who's deranged

He had your hands and my father's face

Another western vampire

Different time same place

I has dreams that brings me sadness

Rain much deeper than a river

Sorrow flow through me

Tiny waves of shivers

Corny movies make me reminisce

They break me down easy on this generic love ship

First kiss frog and princess

I'm a shake you off though

Get up on that horse and

Ride into the sunset

Look back with no remorse

Werewolf, is a young woman's desperate cry for help.  She has experienced a dreadful ending to a very serious relationship that she was in.  The end of this love has caused her to look back on everything in her life and evaluate why/how this has happened to her.  She speaks about her "Schizophrenic father" many times in this poem and is angry at both him and her former lover for leaving.  She also talks about her former lover, calling him a "bastard" and analyzing his life, his cold heart is the reason he left her the way she did.  Another very important, yet strange aspect of this poem is how she incorporated nature throughout.  I believe that this is done to make her feelings all the more deep.  When referring to all of the tears she shed she says "Rain much deeper than a river" instead of something uncreative and simple like "I cried a lot" because now her tears are something to the reader, the rain that we see pouring down outside represents her tears.  Finally she finds a way to pick herself up in the end when she said "I'm a shake you off though

Get up on that horse and

Ride into the sunset

Look back with no remorse"

Beat Street

As cheesy and old as this movie is, I actually enjoy Beat Street.  From the leg warmers to the big hair to the outdated catch phrases, this movie is the 80's.  If it isn't the fast times of the 80's that make this movie, it's the characters.  Beat street shows the life of a group of kids who don't have  much due to where they are from but find a way to all do what they love, which is express themselves through art.  They all take interest in different forms of art, music, dance, painting, but one thing that they all share is passion.  Every single character in this movie has passion, which I admire.  I believe that the passion that these characters have for art and the love that they have for their family and friends can take them anywhere they wish to go.  The struggle that these characters go through on a daily basis shows how strong they are.  I think that everyone should watch Beat Street.

Hunger for Attention

In the book "Black Boy" we meet a kid who is hungry for attention by the name of Richard.  I don't think that there is anything wrong with the way that  Richard did things for attention.  I mean, sure killing a cat and setting a house on fire are two very drastic things, but someone who gets no attention at all has to do drastic things to be noticed.  You can't blame Richard for the things that he did for attention since after all, he's a little kid and all little kids need attention.  Correction: everyone, in some way needs attention.  Whether we know it or not, we all do certain things for attention from others. Whether it's something as simple as brushing our hair for once, or something as big as setting a house on fire, we all do it.  I know that I for one, am ALWAYS craving attention.  I do the smallest, most ridiculous things for it sometimes.  Like for example,  my best friend is always ditching me for her significant other, and one day when I just thought that I needed to put an end to her leaving me, I bursted out into tears in the middle of the hallway!  It really sucks when you lose the attention that you once had and it feels as though most of the time, you'd do anything to get it back, even make a fool out of yourself in front of the whole school.  There is nothing wrong about wanting attention, we're only human and often times when we feel truly cared about and we're given attention we just always want more.  

America, our melting pot? or salad?

In the essay "On being a Mexican American" the writer talks about his childhood that was crafted by the mexican cultures and how over time, America changed him and he soon forgot about his culture.  This is a great example of how our country is a melting pot, theoretically that is.   When someone comes to America they come with traditions and a whole entire background of another country.  Some choose to hold on to these things while others choose to totally domesticate themselves into our American society.  Those who don't domesticate themselves are usually looked down upon or discriminated against in some way.  In our society, if someone chooses to show pride in a country that they are from, they are not American to everyone around them.  I find this very strange since America is supposed to be the place of diversity and everyone is supposed to be different.  Our country is meant to be a salad bowl, where everyone has a different purpose, a different idea, and a different culture, but still be able to be together and work.

King, Still King?

Before I say if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is still a king, I must answer the question of if he was ever a king in the first place.  He lead and inspired those around him.  He had ideas and shared them with our nation.  He died, standing for what he believed in. I think the more appropriate word for him, was hero.  Why not call him a king, you ask?  Kings are of the monarchy system.  The typical king in power, controlled everything and what they say went, although many kings were great they were rulers, Dr. Martin Luther King was a leader.  A true ruler, a king, works hard, does what they want, and stops at absolutely nothing to be great, and let's not forget about all the grapes they get to eat.  A leader, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,  also worked hard, but didn't exactly do what he wanted.  He knew what he wanted and chased his dreams, but always thought about what would benefit others around him the most and took criticism very well. A great king was defined by conquest and the battles that they'd won, Dr. MLK didn't ever result to violence no matter what.  Lastly, MLK wasn't the law, he was against it, trying to liberate African Americans around him. So was he a king? No, but he was surely a leader, a hero, and a civilian.  His dream lives on today, as well as what he was.

Children of the Sea

"Children of the Sea" is a short story from the book "Krik Krak" by Danticat.  Danticat is a Haitian writer who writes a great amount of historical fiction along with nonfiction pieces.  In this story two forbidden lovers write letters to each other.  The man is escaping on a boat, from Haiti while the woman stays there with her family trying to run from the soldiers who are torturing the citizens for speaking out against the government.  The both of them are running far away from something and with this, they are being pulled further apart.  These letters that they are writing, are filling in the gap between them.  It was almost like when they wrote, their lover was right next to them.  Everyday, they must face the reality of the crashing society that they are forced to live in.  They have to wonder "What more is there to life?", "Will this ever end?", they may not ever find the answer and most people didn't stick around long enough to even search for the answer.  They were always expecting the worst, for many of them jumped into the sea, hoping that the sea would take them and that would be a new beginning for them.  The thing that this man and woman had was true love, and although all odds were against them, they had each other and the had love.  For some reason, this story made it seem as though love was something, not something but everything.  If they stayed alive for love, that makes me wonder why did all of the other people who hadn't found love stay around.  In Danticat's assisting nonfictional essay "We are Ugly but We are Here" she talks about Haitians who went through hell but still held their head up high at the end of the day.  To be honest, if I was the "ugly" that Danticat refers to in her essay, I'd lay down and die as soon as I had the chance because in a situation where you have nothing to live for and you are treated like dirt it's hard not to give up.  I know that most of the time we're supposed to be strong, but how can someone be strong when the people around them are weakening them.  I guess that leaves my entry open with a question, "Does everyone have something to live for, if so what is it?"

I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You-Kate Nash

This cover, of "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" is one of my favorite songs of all time.  I first heard the original track on the "Jennifer's Body" soundtrack.  It's a great soundtrack, all though the movie was a bit of a joke, the songs were as real as it gets. This one song, is by The Black Kids, and no it is not a band of black people ( I believe that the lead singer is half and so is his sister, so that makes one black kid?). What does this song have on the original you ask? Not the actual beat since it is acoustic, but the wonderful stylings of Kate Nash, an English woman, with a real English accent, which I find kinda cute.  Kate Nash has many top hits like Foundations and Merry Happy, where she talks about her rocky relationships with various guys.  Not to spoil the song but it's of a guy who refuses to teach some girl's boyfriend how to dance with her. In real people terms, it's of a guy who has a female friend who he is utterly crazy about (notice my use of the word utterly: it's very English, like Kate Nash, I did not put it there to take up a word, (if I wanted to do that I would've put the word, "word", word)). This song is very out of Kate's element, but she does an amazing job. So, if you've ever been even a little bit crazy about someone, who was taken, this is the song for you. :)

PS. Mr. McCarthy, look how early I did this blog!

Jay and Nick

The relationship between Jay and Nick is a weird one.  They live two very different lives but are similar in many aspects.  The two meet when Jay invites him over to house for a party.  Jay's home is a mansion of another kind.  It's huge and is always filled with people all the time.  Nick, never turning down an invitation, goes to Gatsby's.  Gatsby and Nick are both alike in the way that they are around people who talk but spend much of their time listening and observing as apposed to having input.  It's not until Gatsby finds that Nick is cousins with the lost love of his life, Daisy, that Gatsby really starts to take interest in Nick.  When this happens,  the reader (I) can't help but to ask myself 'Is the relationship between Jay and Nick real? Or is Jay just using Nick?'  This question would be much easier to answer if Nick, the narrator, author of the book, and main character could say how he really feels every once in a while.  Well since Nick is not one to speak on his emotions, I must make assumptions.  I believe that the relationship between Jay and Nick was not real at first, but as time goes on, I'm starting to see a lot of progression.  The two aren't really friend oriented people they are both pretty to themselves, so when Jay invites Nick over, it's just to find Daisy and Nick just goes with the flow of things.  I think that they really start to bond when they go out to lunch together and they learn a lot about each other.  The moment that I really knew that their friendship was going to be real is when I read about how happy Gatsby was with Daisy.  Nick has brought this happiness upon Gatsby and I believe that this is a quality of a true friend.

Winter Poem

She took everything
That beautiful glisten of her warm smile
The security
Her energy
The infinite happiness
The unconditional love
Everything that I ever encountered when she was here, instantly bloomed
I thought she'd never leave
Summer
So far gone

She comes without warning
Bringing
Sleepless nights
The shaking in my fingers
The bitterness of her grin
Her cold heart makes me sick
Working harder and harder, trying to make her go away
That feeling of being left alone in the dark
The time to give and give
But to never really get
She's pretty selfish if you ask me
But the one thing that she has that Summer never did and never will
Is the ability to stay when times are hard
Winter

Thankful for a classmate

I am thankful for all of my classmates but there are a few in particular that I am especially thankful for.  Kamal, I am very thankful for you as a friend, but you're a pretty weak classmate, you were gone for a whole week!  Briana, you're really smart and funny.  We spend like the first four hours of our day together and I like your nail polish.  Gordon....no comment.  Last but defineately not least EMMET DREA.  Despite the fact that half the time you have no idea what is going on in the class I am beyond thankful for you as a classmate.  For all readers of my blog, let me share a little information on me and my good friend Emmet.  We went to school together before Whitwhit and there was this one time when we went to Cold Stone....waiiit Emmet will kill me if I share this story, well just know that at the end of the story we became good friends.  He's a great classmate, every morning I get to hear him complain about how much he hates my oversized sweater which he likes to call my "maternal sweater", or my hipster shoes.  He tells some of the dumbest jokes, but my favorite part of this kid is how confused he gets.  For all of those who do not sit in our corner of the room, Emmet is under the impression that everyone is Native American.  He refers to himself as "Young Buck"  and he believes that our work group is a tribe that is "fast with axe and swift with sword". He calls me "Young Red River Hair".  Emmet is the greatest.  Hey Emmet guess what? Tomorrow for Thanksgiving, people won't look at you funny when you decide to be all Native American and what not. :)

I Am A Plow

A plow is a big farming tool with sharp blades used for cutting furrows in soil and turn it over to prepare it before seeds are planted.  I am a 5'6" city girl, and the only blades I have are the safety scissors in my pencil case.  I am clearly not a plow.  All though, there are many things that make me and a plow similar.  A plow is used to make the soil more manageable.  It changes the soil and makes it better.  Well not to toot my own horn, but I think that I make many things in life better.  I plow all the time.  The best example of me plowing would probably be with people.

     I am a very opinionated, upfront person.  I often tend to notice what people do that's wrong or unfair in any way and I confront them about it.  Sure, I'm not the nicest person but one way or another people do listen to me.  They usually respect the fact that I don't hide how i truly feel about them.  Ultimately, I am a plower,  I plow my way into people's business and say anything that i think isn't right.  

Direction This Class Needs

Hmmm...Mr. McCarthy, American Literature, new direction?  I think I have a few ideas.  First off, I think that we should have more assessments, or ways to check what we've learned before a big exam.  I personally, found the 10 week assessment challenging and I was very surprised by some of the questions that I saw on it. When it comes to the test context, I think that the vocabulary should be seperate from the readings.  I also think that we shouldn't have to read as much everynight since the books that we read in class are harder to comprehend and they take a bit to process.  I read what is assigned but sometimes I don't get the full effect because I'm so worried that I won't finish on time.  I know that this isn't really "new direction" and it's pretty random, but I think that our concrete notes should be put in the left column of our notes, not our critical thinking.  Sometimes, class is a little boring, since we never really switch things up.  I also think that we should rotate when it comes to reading blogs in class, since a lot of people never read their blogs, that are actually really good.  Another thing I think would be nice, is for Mr. McCarthy to pass back the stuff that we turn in, so that way we can see what we did wrong and fix it for next time.  On another note, there are many things that I enjoy in this class.  I love doing the group work, that way I get to discuss the readings with my peers.  I also think that we talk about things in great detail and usually if I have a question, I know that it'll be answered.  Lastly, I really like how this class isn't stressful, but we still learn. 

Modern Day Slavery

Today, slavery is illegal. All though it doesn't seem like it, slavery is still going on.  Sure, there aren't villages of people being kidnapped from their homes and forced into hard labor but the idea of slavery is still around.  Slaves were forced to do things that they didnt want to, they weren't given a choice in life, they were expected to work until they couldn't work any more and in order to live, they had no choice but to listen to the people above them.  Modern day slavery is all around us.  There are the single parents, who have no time for their kids, spending their whole lives working to provide.  There are the CEO's who don't know what it's like to have a life outside of work, or who have lost everything to their work.  There are the lower class citizens, working on minimum wage, who couldn't dream of ever getting out of their current situation due to the fact that they never had anything more.  There are even the famous celebrities who know nothing but to entertain and with the constant publicity, aren't able to lead real lives.  Today slaves are everywhere, whether it's because of the economy, responsibility, pressure, or outter influences, people are enslaved by work and lose time for the things that really matter in life, such as family values, fun, experiences, and overall happiness.

The House of Seven Gables

Salem, Massachusetts  holds hundreds of years of important history, it is the home of America's first millionaires, many wars were fought with big attributes from Salem, but it is most famous for the witchtrials.  The witchtrials changed not only the Puritan city of Salem, but all of America.  They also influenced many pieces of classic literature. 
     The House of Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a mystery of New England's oldest survivng mansion, and is set in Salem.  Nathaniel takes this house of seven gables and turns it into a place of dark, twisted, history, and incorporates the witchtrials into the plot.  In reality the house is not a place of horror, but it was once owned by Hawthorne's relative Susanna.  Hawthorne used to visit her and she'd tell him stories, this inspired him to write The House of Seven Gables.  Hawthorne does a great job, using setting in The House of Seven Gables, using this monumental place and a lot of historical content. 
      Today, the House of Seven Gables serves as a museum, much like Jane Addam's Hull House. Here, the youth can come and learn about the history of Salem and find many interesting artifacts.

The Moment I knew I was an American

Being born in America, I always knew that if I was to claim any nationality, it'd be American.  Saying that I am an American was easy, but the question was, what do I do that makes me so American?  At first, I had no answer, beyond the fact that I was born in America.  Then after I thought about it, there are many things that make me an American.  The most important, is that I was born and raised by the American culture.  I listen to American music, eat American food, go to American events, and I know a lot about my country.  Not only am I accustomed to the American ways of life, but I take pride in my country and I believe in America as a strong nation.  I see America as a growing country of diversity and in time I think that America's economy will strive and everyone can all work together in unison.  Since I have been an American my whole life, I understand that not everything in America is perfect and there are many things that need to be fixed before we can become the nation that our founding fathers dreamed about.  The moment that I knew that I was an American was when I wanted to help and make these things happen, and the dream come true.

Us Vs. Them

The human civilization has always looked to killing as the ultimate problem solver.  Man killing man has become a custom, whether its a punishment, a resolution, a sacrifice, or a service to a leader, god, or any other religious masters.   So when a human is killed, all problems are found right?  No, not right, the killing of someone else can be the end of the problem sometimes, but it's always the end of everything to do with that person. Death is final, and there is no going back after someone is killed, even if the killing was a mistake.
    The justice system uses the death system, killing those who commit very serious crimes.  If someone has done something that bad, death is an easy way out.  They should have to pay for what they did, in jail, not by being killed.
  Genocides are another example of killings, but unlike the death sentence, genocides aren't technically a punishment.  Sure it's a punishment on an entire group of people, not for committing crimes, but for simply being who they are, believing what they believe, looking how they look and seeing the world how they see it.  Adolf Hitler and many others saw a reason to attempt to wipe out an entire race/culture/group through his feeling of superiorness.  He felt that he was so important and superior to others that it was his job to decide who belonged on this world and who didn't.
   In the Crucible, the people of Salem choose to execute all people who seemed to be witches, because in the bible it states that those who are involved in witchcraft must be put to death.  Many people were hung during the trials, for "witchcraft", but when it all comes down to it, only the strong survived during these witch trials.  Whether someone was killed or not really depended on their social standing; who they had to support them, the connections, and liability.
     This concept of "Us vs. Them", humans killing other humans is ridiculous.  Why is death so common in our world?  I believe that most deaths are committed by those who believe they are better than others, but no one is better than anyone else, everyone is equal.  A world without killing?  would be a world of fear, not that it isn't already, but still, killing people makes the weak feel stronger than they are, it makes them feel empowered and without the thrill to kill they'd feel unsafe and powerless.

John Proctor. Hero or Stooge?

In the novel, The Crucible we have a ride variety of characters.  One, very interesting one is John Proctor.  When debating on whether John is a hero or a stooge, I must say that he is a hero.
    Yes, John did make a mistake by having an affair with Abigail, but everyone makes mistakes.  The definition of hero is not "one who makes no mistakes", if that were the case then there would be no heros in the world.  The actual definition of hero is debatable.  A hero can be one that inspires for some, or one that leads for others.  To me, a hero is a leader, a strong believer, and independent.  John is able to stand for what he believes in.  He sees Parris, and his materialistic ways for what they really are and he takes a stand.  I'm sure that everyone else sees how greedy Parris is with money too but they are all too afraid to speak up.  Proctor is not afraid of what other people think, and I admire him for that.  I'm sure that if he were to be given the chance he would take back his relations with Abigail, he would take it, and that he feels very sorry for what happened.  i can tell that Proctor really loves his family, and would do anything for them to be happy.  Proctor has many qualities of a hero including independence, self thinker, loving, and even remorseful, and I could never look to him as a stooge.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

     After reading an excerpt from "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" I felt many things, mainly confused.  Religion is known to be the sanctuary of many, within religion people find hope and forgiveness.  Edwards is scaring people into believing, giving them the impression that if they don't they will be damned forever.  He is forcing his beliefs on people, as if people can't make decisions on their own.  This sermon by Jonathan Edwards, was quite disturbing. He seemed like a judgmental, cruel, hypocrite.  He judged those who had not been saved yet, commenting on how they should be thankful for life, and God had no reason to keep them on earth for their sins.  He was cruel, in the way that this sermon was not a sermon at all, instead it was an attack on all those who did not follow him, who he believes is some type of mortal god.  John Edwards was either a large hypocrite or in denial, he seemed to have the idea that he had never sinned, which is impossible because everyone makes mistakes and for him to stand in front of these people and make them feel like any less of a person than they are was wrong.  If I were to ever meet John Edwards, I don't think that I'd like him very much since he has a very twisted idea of what religion is, and chose to use his powers for bad.  Lastly, the way that John Edwards explains this God of his, is insane, the question that I was constantly asking myself while reading this excerpt was "If this God is one to take pleasure out of killing those who make mistakes and sending them to hell forever instead of forgiving them, why praise him?"