my comments.

Hi Kimberly! So I really liked your blog and agree with what you wrote, as well as have my own opinion.  In my blog I included this statement as well, and do not want to repeat everything I wrote.  I think that sadly for many people they have gone through a bad childhood experience with a friend that stays with them forever.  This is something terrible that although many will forgive, they will not forget. I think that as you get older your views and hobbies may change from what you once though them to be and you may feel everything you had in common with someone is now nothing.  So, with all of these bad memories, obviously you are not going to be able to trust this person and be loyal them. But, on the other side, as you mentioned, there are people that grow up with a childhood friend and remain close with them forever.  In this case, I think that this person is and will probably always be a very loyal person in your life. 

Hey Jen! So obviously this is a popular blog since so many people commented on it. I too liked it and will share my opinions.  I did not write about this in my blog, although it was a question that stuck out at me.  I do agree with what you write and props for being confident enough to write about it, but I do disagree in a sense.  I feel as though most women will look at a man mainly because of how much money he has and yes it is nice, but not something I would base my decision 100% off of.  I think women look for this because it gives them a sense of security and comfort.  But, I strongly believe that money cannot buy happiness and there are way more important things in life.  I would much rather be with a man that I love for other reasons than just his money. 

Hey Danielle! I really liked what you wrote in your blog and the two statements you chose.  I too was going to write about "an adopted or foster child will never be accepted as a 'real' member of a family", but opted not to.  You on the other hand did an excellent job and hit all the points I would have.  I think that you are dead on saying that for a foster child, their surroundings are their family whom are with them through the good and the bad.  When I read this statement there was no question in my mind that I would put false and knew exactly why.  And for an adopted child of course they will become a “real” member of a family.  I think it is terrible to think otherwise.  I mean I can’t relate and am just going off what I think and feel about the question.  I liked the second statement you chose to write about as well.  Jen did a blog on this too and I commented saying very similar things as you did.  While many people will disagree with us saying all women look for the man to have money, I think that it is shallow to think that money is the most important thing in a relationship.  Love is such greater gift than anything and like you said if you really love the person, money will not even cross your mind. 

wuthering heights.

When I was doing the anticipation guide survey, for some of the questions I had to take a moment to think about them.  All of them were simple questions and surprisingly answered by a straightforward True or False.  For me, I felt that all these questions combined had a big range from one to the other.  But, it is interesting to know that each and everyone has a background to it and will be answered when reading Wuthering Heights. 

The first one that stuck in my mind was when some dies, he or she cannot “come back from the dead.” For this one I said False.  Now you must be thinking I am a little crazy, how can some who has died actually come back from the dead? However, let me tell you how I perceived this question.  No, I do not think that someone who has died can “physically” come back from the dead…I am not that insane.  But, I do think that when someone whom you are very close to passes away, they are always looking out for you and you can communicate to them when needed.  So, in a sense they can come back.  No, I do not mean like a ghost or anything. I’m sure everyone has their own opinions on this as I clearly do, some may agree and others not.

A second statement that I felt connected to was a person’s childhood friends are usually the most loyal.  For this one I put both True and False.  Why you may ask? Well, starting with why I choose to put false was because for the most part in your childhood friends you will find that this is where all the drama lies, stupid arguments, talking about each other, and the list goes on.  Now who wants to stick around with these people that you are not comfortable with and most importantly are not “loyal” to you?  But, on the other hand, this is not how all childhood friendships are.  It of course depends on the type of people. So, if you have a friend that you grew up with, remained close to, and were able to get passed the bad times if their were any, then I would say that this friend is probably one of the most loyal people that you will have in your life, which is why I chose to put true as well.

Yes, with these two statements I mentioned above you are probably thinking that I am over-analyzing the questions.  But, in my eyes if you do not really think about the statements and try to connect them to your life, what are you really getting out of this assignment.  In that case it is basically a waste of time if you are not really going to think about them and dig deep inside.

And lastly the third statement I liked was that classic novels are important to read.  For this one I said true.  Aside from being great novels that you can appreciate, I think that you learn the most from reading a classic novel.  Most of the time, for me, the classic novels I have read have been from school.  And yes I must admit that if I was not obligated to read the book, it would probably not be one that I would pick up on my own.  So, I am grateful for that because having read several of these classic novels, I know I feel more knowledgeable and they will be books I will remember and relate to forever.

my comments to others.

Hey Jen,

I totally agree 100% with everything that you wrote in your blog. We all know how crazy Malcolm has become due to his constant drug abuse.  It is scary to think of how quickly drugs can take over your life. Luckily we find out later on that Malcolm stops abusing drugs and cuts them out of his life completely.  We also know that if he continued doing drugs he would have died much sooner. It was interesting to read all the stages of drug abuse you mentioned and to see how Malcolm was going through them all. I also really liked your personal connection. I can totally relate to it and knew exactly what you were talking about. I often find myself guilty of the same tactics when I am around friends, but once I get home I can just let out how I am feeling and feel much better. Nice blog! xox

Hey Kimberly!


I completely agree with what you wrote and I too wrote about how reading can save your life as well as any hobby that interests a person. I love how you can pick up a book and be able to escape from everything happening whether, like you said, that be for 5 minutes or 50 minutes. I really haven't thought about it before, but how amazing it is that something so similar as reading can really turn someone's life around. I love the quote you used because it is so descriptive of how Malcolm felt while reading and when I was reading ch. 11 this quote was one that really stuck with me. I also really like how you end your blogs because you tie everything together =)

Hey Alexa!
So I completely agree with what you wrote in your blog. I felt like that discussion we had on white supremacy was so intense and eye-opening for many people. I never realized how easy a lot of simple things are for me compared to an African American. When you talked about how Malcolm, Shorty, Sophia, and her sister got caught I was so angered when reading this chapter. It was so unfair that Shorty and Malcolm got sentenced for so much more time in prison mainly because of their skin color. Also that they got a higher bail because they were associated with two white girls. How unfair and ridiculous is that?! The two sites you linked were very interesting as well. Good job!

Hey Gabb- I agree with everything that you wrote in your blog and I as well wrote some similar things in my blog. It was such a great experience to visit Harlem and see how wonderful of a place it has become. Neal Shoemakers emphasized this fact a lot when explaining everything to us. I think it is really interesting that some people do not view the change of Harlem as a good thing. I also think it is so true that if people would just take the time to take a drive to Harlem, they could see that it is not a bad area and in fact there is so much amazing history behind it. A lot of things that Brother Tyreak was saying in the mosque really caught my attention too. It was so interesting to see what a mosque looked like and I now know why it is so plan inside. And you pointed out a very important reason for this. I think one thing that everyone got out of this trip was how symbolic everything was, which in my eyes is truly amazing! Nice blog =)

malcolm x post 8- (graded #5).

"'Never fly but so high with these wings that he fastened with wax,' the father said. But soaring around, this way, that way, Icarus' flying pleased him so that he began thinking he was flying over his merit. Higher, he flew- higher- until the heat of the sun melted the wax holding those wings. And down came Icarus- tumbling" (Haley 293). 

I really like this quote and how well it foreshadowed what was going to happen to Malcolm. Malcolm admits that his "wings" came from the nation of Islam and he would not take advantage of them.  He also states "That fact I never have forgotten... not for one second" (Haley 293).  But, unfortunately we see that Malcolm does forget this important aspect and because of his ego and arrogance, he ends up getting way over his head.  Although Malcolm is completely devoted to Muhammad, after a while we see that Malcolm feels he is superior and can say and do almost anything.  He starts to become aggressive when giving speeches to the people and saying things he knows he shouldn't, despite Muhammad's request.  He does this one too many times and Muhammad is not happy with him.  Muhammad even hints to Malcolm that he gave Malcolm whatever power he has and not to take advantage of it.  I find that sometimes we just all get too ahead of ourselves and don't even realize.  Unfortunately, in Malcolm's situation, this was no excuse.  Also, for everyone their "true colors" will eventually show and that special thing holding them together will break.  And as we know this uprise Malcolm felt soon fell down very fast. 

I can relate to Icarus because I know for myself, occasionally I tend to forget about reality and think that I can do much more than I really can.  Also, when I am caught up with school I can become stressed out and think everything revolves around me, my needs, and how I am feeling.  This is not something I like to do and try to remind myself not to get this way.  But, when I do forget luckily I have family and friends to remind me to re-consider my conduct.  

The website below is the complete story of Icarus and his father and it thought it was interesting to read because it is obviously the same portraying the same message as in the above quote, but it goes into more detail. 

http://www.hse.k12.in.us/staff/DBROVIAK/Page%20files/Mythology/Stories/Icarus.htm

malcolm x post 7- harlem trip. (graded #4)

On Wednesday, March 4, we went on our trip to Harlem.  Prior to visiting Harlem, when reading the autobiography, I was able to have a visual of how Malcolm was describing all of the places he went to... or so I thought.  I found out that I was wrong because it did not compare to how Harlem is actually like after visiting it yesterday.  Therefore, for me, it now gives a whole new view to reading the autobiography and actually being able to see what Malcolm was talking about. It was very interesting to learn about all of the places and see how much Harlem has changed over the years.  

Can you imagine 30 years ago stepping into Harlem like we did yesterday? Malcolm explains several times throughout the novel how bad things were in Harlem back then.  A few days ago an acquaintance told me a story about when his two friends went to the city some thirty years ago and ended up getting lost in Harlem.  They drove to the city to meet up with some friends and lost track of time.  It was about ten at night and they found themselves in Harlem. He, as well as Malcolm stated, went on to say that during this time, especially in the summer, so many people filled the large streets of Harlem drinking, smoking, and doing what not.  So his two friends came to a red light and they heard some people talking about them and start to approach the car.  They had no choice but to run the light.  He emphasized how lucky his two friends were because if they had stayed there something terrible could have happened. When he was telling me this I was so surprised at how surreal this situation was and could not have imagined how scary it must have been.  

To think that Malcolm actually grew up in Harlem and how big of a mark he had left is truly amazing.  It was really cool to see all of the places, like the mosque and street, named after him. The Masjid Malcolm Shabazz was an interesting place to visit because I really did not know too much about how it looked prior.  In the book all Malcolm talked about was what he has preached to the people, but not what the mosque had looked like.  It was really interesting to know that Malcolm was the actual creator behind this mosque as well. 

Aside from Malcolm, Harlem itself was so intriguing.  Going on the bus tour with Neal Shoemaker and Andi Owens was a lot of fun to learn about Harlem itself and important landmarks.  Neal was very funny and made our sightseeing interesting, especially when he told us of his own life experiences.  My favorite part of the trip was going to the Apollo theater. Billy, our tour guide, added so much to the experience because he was really funny, especially when he broke out in song and dance.  The Apollo theater had so much history in it and was so awesome to be in and learn about.  

I was so fascinated by the Apollo theater that I did some more research on the history of it. Although Billy did an excellent job explaining the main history and famous people that performed in the Apollo theater, I still wanted to know more. So this websites is the official Apollo Theater website and tells you all there is to know.

http://apollotheater.org/about_us.html 

I didn't talk about it previously in my blog, but you can't mention our trip to Harlem without talking about Sylvia's.  Sylvia is truly the queen of soul food and you are not going to find better in Harlem.  Aside from the great food that we all enjoyed and the brief history of Syliva's we got from Neal, again I wanted to know more about the coming about of the famous Sylvia's restaurant.  The first link answered all of my questions. In addition, I found out that there is a cook book entitle Sylvia's Soul Food that features all of the best recipes. The second website is a link to the cookbook. 

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/442344/sylvias_resturant_serving_up_soul.html?cat=8

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Sylvias-Soul-Food/Sylvia-Woods/e/9780688100124

 

malcolm x post 6 (graded #3)

When Malcolm is in prison, he becomes frustrated that he is unable to express what he wants to convey in his letters.  So, Malcolm starts reading books from the prison library. He eventually becomes completely engrossed in reading tons of books.  The most important book that Malcolm can get his hands on is a dictionary.  When Malcolm learns all of these words that he didn't know even existed you can tell he feels like someone who just rode their bike for the first time without training wheels... a huge accomplishment.  

I can completely relate to Malcolm talking about reading non-stop and being engaged in such a good book that he cannot put down.  I think just like drugs used to be Malcolm's way to get high and forget about everything going on, reading books is now in the place of his drugs.  One of the best feelings is how you can be so involved in a book that it can make you forget about everything that is going on and you are able to place yourself into the novel.  Like I previously mentioned, any hobby that interests you, reading in Malcolm's case, can be one of the best remedies in saving  yourself. Reading is not only a way for Malcolm to educate himself and pass time while he is in prison, but it opens up a new world for him.  Malcolm clearly makes you understand how he is feeling when reading because he says whether it was in the library or in his bunk, he always had a book in his hands.  And even when it was time for lights out, he continued to read with the glow from the corridor light.  I know that when I am feeling stressed and just need to escape from everything for a little while, I can turn to music.  Once I hear that song I am in the mood for, I can't help myself from singing and sometimes even dancing.  It just totally transforms my frame of mind and makes me feel a whole lot better =D 

So, below is an article that was very inspiring to me.  It is about how music saved this guy's life, whom seemed to relate extremely well to Malcolm in my opinion.  He was in a gang and he states that if he was not saved from music, his life would have been ruined.  In comparison to how reading saved Malcolm.  Also this article talks about how important music is and how music education should be enforced more in schools.

http://contrapuntist.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/how-music-saved-my-life-and-why-music-education-should-be-taken-more-seriously/

malcolm x post 5 (graded #2)

After learning about all the rules that the Islam religion has and what one must follow, it made me think of my religion and how it differs. Of course being a Christian there are certain things, especially during lent (this time), that one should follow.  For example not eating any meat on Fridays during lent and to sacrifice something, or instead to do a good deed.  But, none of the Christian "rules" compares to those of the Nation of Islam.  A Muslim is not allowed to dance, date, attend movies, or do sports, gamble, drink, take long vacations from work, and only allowed to sleep the required amount. Can you imagine having to follow all of these strict rules? I know I would go out of my mind! 

Malcolm has become so faithful to Muhammad that he even goes against his own brother, Reginald. After talking to Muhammad about Reginald, Malcolm sides with Muhammad because what he tells Malcolm all makes sense. Muhammad states, "If you once believed in the truth, and now you are beginning to doubt the truth, you didn't believe the truth in the first place. What would make you doubt the truth other than your own weak self?" (Haley 190). I really love this quote and it got me thinking a lot. It is so true and when I think back to things that I once thought I believed in and now I don't, in a sense I now know why. Reginald ends up going insane and transforms into a completely different person after being suspended as a Muslim for his decisions. Malcolm sees it as Allah punishing Reginald for his sins. I am a big believer when it comes to doing the right and wrong things. I always feel that when I do something wrong, it is going to come back to me in some way. But, I don't believe that God necessarily "punishes" you for your actions, but that you in fact punish yourself because you feel guilty.  

After doing a some research on if God really punishes you for your sins, I came up that the answer is no. This site below explains it and helps us to understand what exactly happens. 

http://www.explorefaith.org/punish.html

malcolm x post 4- religion. (graded #1)

In Malcolm X, it is clear that chapter ten is the start of Malcolm turning his life around... thank god. After receiving letters from his religious siblings while in prison, Malcolm decided to go towards Elijah Muhammad and the Islam religion.  Malcolm, at his brother's request, starts to follow some of the Muslim religion's rules, for example not eat pork and stopping smoking. Malcolm even says "Later I would learn, when I had read and studied Islam a good deal, that, unconsciously, my first pre-Islamic submission had been manifested" (Haley 159). 

When Malcolm gets out of prison he becomes do devoted to Muhammad and his teachings that he goes out and tries to recruit as many people he can to convert into becoming a Muslim. I do not agree completely with Malcolm's actions here though. I do not think it is right for someone to go and get people to change their beliefs and convert to your religion. People should be able to believe what they want without having to be influenced by anyone else. Malcolm wants to tell the "brainwashed" black people about the white "devil". This part is sort of ironic though because Malcolm was once one of these "brainwashed blacks" and now, although he has changed, acts like he wasn't. 

The Muslim religion literally took over Malcolm's life and in fact saved him. I am very faithful when it comes to God and being a Catholic, but I do not let it control my life. I do believe that no matter what you have done or how low of a state you may happen to be in, God is always with you and can help you.  This is exactly what Allah and the Islam religion did for Malcolm. I did not think I was actually going to be able to make a personal connection to Malcolm until he showed a completely different side of himself.  This year I will receive my confirmation and about every month we have a retreat at the church to discuss a certain topic and have a series of questions to follow. One question in particular I remember from out last session was, "Do you think that faith should form the values by which you live you life?" As a response to this I said that it depends on the type of person you are, but that it should play some type of role in your life.  For me, there have been several times in which I have been faced with a hard choice to make and I turn to God for guidance.  So whether you are at the point where you have hit rock bottom, like Malcolm was, or just need some help at times, I know the one person I can always turn to is God. 

Here are two websites I found that I felt really related to Malcolm and how after really hard time he was able to pick himself up with his faith. 

The first one is a story that made headlines in March 2005. Brian Nichols, an alleged killed had shot 4 people and then held Ashley Smith hostage in her apartment for 7 hours.  Smith was able to get Nichols to surrender peacefully after talking to him about her drug addiction she battled and her faith and how it saved her. 

http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Christian-Inspiration/2005/10/An-Angel-Sent-From-God.aspx

This second website is about scientists trying to take and make sense of faith and ethics.  How they play a tole in helping people with various issues and what effects they can have.  It was very interesting to read and see what scientists are trying to figure out and their views. 

http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SNJ0252-0-393&artho=0000261230&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=Scientists%20Rush%20in%20Where%20Angels%20May%20Trend&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&Ink=N&ic=N

malcolm x post 3- class discussion.

Today in class we had a very deep and intense conversation. It all started from what being privileged meant to you. Then we read "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" written by Peggy McIntosh.  After reading all of the privileges that McIntosh had mentioned, I felt horrible. I could not believe I have been blinded to see all of these privileges and yet taken them for granted. But, it opened up a huge discussion to exactly why I have not worried or cared about all these things prior.  Reason I felt this way was because I am a white person, and I do have all these luxuries, so I don't worry about it, and yet all of this relates to racism.  How other people of different ethnic backgrounds do care about this everyday because it does effect them.  During our discussion in class, some people did not know why people care so much and why everyone does not have the same privileges.  Some said that if no one cared or talked about these thing, discrimination would just go away. WRONG.  Discrimination is something that can't just go away because you stopped talking about.  Unfortunately this is how our society is.  It is very easy for a white person to say something like that because, for me I can easily say I have not been placed in many situations I have been discriminated against because I am white.  Other people can not say that.  Therefore it does bother them that they are being discriminated against because of the way they look, something no one has any control over.  That is a reason they are angry and feel the need to take it out on white people.  I along with my friends left this discussion questioning things and still continuing on in this heated argument.  We could not get over the fact that some of our classmates felt that this is something that can just end.  On the other hand, after realizing how privileged we really are, I feel like we should do something about the discrimination that exists. Why not change it so people of different ethnic backgrounds don't have to worry and they can have the same privileges as everyone else.  

malcolm x post 2- movie notes.

The other day we watched a rather intense video on several stereotypes about African Americans.  I was very shocked to learn all the different names and types like "brutes" and "sambos", which are only a few among the many to mention.  It surprised me that I have been unaware of these disrespectful stereotypes prior to watching the video.  The video depicted extremely well how the old cartoons and pictures really brainwashed people into having a common vision of an African American person, from black  people being drawn with big lips to always eating watermelon.  And yet this image was very far from the actual identity of an African American.  I think I along with a good majority of the class thought that the most bizarre type was "pickaninny".  When I was watching the cartoons and seeing the postcards of little children being portrayed as food, I was shocked and confused. I could not understand this type of stereotype at all no matter how much I tried to make sense of it. This video really opened a lot of people's eyes up to various stereotypes prevalent that we were just very unaware of.  

malcolm x post 1

Nightmare. 

From the start, things for Malcolm and his family were not very stable.  They were extremely poor and had little clothes. Things even took a turn for the worse when his father was killed. I felt this scene was so powerful and explicative.  It really allowed the reader to understand how the family was feeling, especially Malcolm's mother, and what they were going through.  I really felt for Malcolm's mother for the entirety of this chapter.  She had to work so hard to fight off the Warfare people from coming to her home and would not except any charity from anyone. Malcolm's mom felt the need to do this because she would not let her guard down to show that she needed help around white people. She was already looked down upon by the white society and didn't want to be anymore. At times I was aggravated and wanted her to just except some food from neighbors so she could feed her children, but I know that would have just thrown all her pride away. 

Eventually the welfare people got to Malcolm and his family and literally tore them apart. All the children were sent to different families who were able to care for them. Malcolm's mom was sent to a State Mental Hospital after suffering from a breakdown from everything that had happened; from having no money, no food, no dignity left, and all her children taken away. 

On a different note, Malcolm often being caught between his mother and father really stuck out at me. "Thinking about it now, I feel definitely that just as my father favored me for being lighter than the other children, my mother gave me more hell for the same reason" (Haley 8). Malcolm especially remembers feeling like his father favored him the most when he would take Malcolm to his Garvey U.N.I.A. meetings. He felt that he was special he was able to sit in on these meetings with his dad.  Whereas his mother would beat him harshly.  I felt strongly about how Malcolm was being treated from one extreme to another between his parents because all this was mainly since the way he looked.  Just because his skin was lighter than the rest of his siblings, something he had no control over, didn't change what kind of person he was inside.  Yet, Malcolm was being treated in another way mainly because of just that.