The Rez

The rez is important to Arnold and his family in many ways. First of all, it represents community and the bond between the tribe. If there was no common land, there would be no direct link between all of them. Although there is a spiritual connection, they would have no reason to stay together without the rez. The reason they all know each other is because of the rez.
The rez also represents obligation. No one wants to leave because they feel like they can't, or that they don't deserve better. This leads to poverty and alcoholism, which creates a cycle. Everyone feels obligated to stay together since they all feel unable to leave. Arnold breaks this cycle by going to Reardan, but even he says himself that everyone from the rez will be mad at him for leaving.

Native Sons

Knowing what I know as a reader, but also from the perspective of the jury, I would sentence Bigger to life in prison. I'm not sure if I believe in the death penalty at all, so I think this is a good alternative. I don't think he deserves to die because of what he did, even though he killed two people and raped one. As Max tried to explain to the jury, Bigger was scared because he knew that as a black man, even finding out he was in the room at all would be a crime. That certainly doesn't justify killing Mary, but it implies that it wasn't out of hate or anger like everyone seems to think. Society is a weird thing, and causes people to act out of their usual character when put into seemingly dangerous situations. Society is what told Bigger that being black is worse than being white. This is what Max is trying to get at. Society has progressively pushed Bigger to commit this crime, although indirectly. This is why I don't think Bigger should get killed for what he did. Yes, he murdered Mary and Bessie, and he should get adequately punished for doing so, but I don't think he deserves to die for it.

Principle I Would Keep

I think everyone should unplug for at least 20 minutes a day. Even just leaving your phone in another room and reading a book or talking to your friends is enough. I don't really keep this principle up very well but I think I would benefit from it if I did. Personally, when I'm on my phone too much I get distracted and it makes me feel worse about myself because I just go look at other people's lives. In class I don't use my phone but I don't think that would count because I am still surrounded by technology and in a setting where I am thinking about it. The only true way to get away from technology is to completely cut yourself off from it for a little while, and I think everyone would be just a little happier and a little healthier if they did.

Janie

Janie is the main character of the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston. She is a young girl who is struggling to find true love in a tough world. She bears a lot of the same qualities as the author, and they also share a similar history. Hurston was born in Alabama but moved to Eatonville, Florida when she was very young. She had a happy and healthy childhood until her mother died. Hurston was only 13. Her father remarried and didn't care about her or her siblings anymore, so she got a job and made her way to Baltimore. By now, she was 26, but wanted to finish high school, so she lied and said she was 16, which she could easily pull off. She never added those years back on. In her life, she had a lot of spunk and defied typical gender and racial stereotypes, and was an inspiration to many young African American authors. Janie also had this spunky quality to her, and although she was not as big of a personality as Hurston, she still had a large influence on those in her community and kept her personal life out of business. Overall, they are very similar and I think it's interesting to see the parallels as we continue to read.

Thanksgiving

This thanksgiving has been an interesting one for me. Unfortunately, I have been sick all week with the flu and a possible case of strep throat, and that includes today. That meant no turkey for me, but instead a day of lazing around on the couch watching movies. Somehow, I still managed to do this last out of my little group in our English class,
First off, I am thankful for Evan, because as he said on his blog, we were already friends when we got into class, and you know, our friends were friends so we knew each other relatively well. It was nice to have a familiar face. And then as the year progressed, we got closer in friendship. I realized that he's actually kind of cool, and he has a good sense of humor. Yes, there are plenty of times where he gets on my nerves, but overall, he's a good person, and someone you can rely on, and I'm glad to have him as a friend.
Jan! So after writing Evan's little section I realized that I actually have more history with Jan. We met early in Seventh grade and drifted apart as we made new friends, but it was a friendly drifting. During this class, I remember why I was Jan's friend in the first place. She is a very intelligent, trustworthy person, who is also fun to be around. She is a good leader, which probably comes in handy because who knows what would happen without her in our group. So thanks for all that Jan.
Overall, I'm just thankful to be able to go to a school where we can actually be thankful for each other and care on that level for our classmates. And also thankful for teachers who let us share about each other. Honestly, reading Jan and Evan's blogs made my whole day!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Lauren

Hemingway

Hemingway had a very interesting and full life. His fear of commitment and lack of physical ties allowed him to live recklessly. However, a life like his could not have possibly been normal and I think this led in part to his downfall.
Even with his family, he was never a normal father or husband. He always lived in the moment, but there was still a sense of urgency, like he needed to be doing many things at once. His family members recalled in the documentary about how when you were with him, you were the only one he cared about, but as soon as that was over, he forgot about you. His children say that he was a great father when he was with them, but when he was away, it was like they didn't exist anymore.
This was true with how he spent his time too. When he lived in Havana, he dedicated a specific amount of time to each activity, never going over. For writing, he allowed a couple of hours every morning, and was very religious about it. His writing was really the only thing that remained a constant in his hectic life and I think he clung to that like a rock.
Another part of his life was the women. He needed to have someone by his side reminding him that he was great and that everything would be fine, to compensate for all of his own insecurities which were highlighted by the criticism he was receiving. When he realized something wasn't working with that person, or that she was becoming too independent, he became insecure again and found someone else. However, I don't think he was a womanizer because he didn't want many women at once, he just wanted someone who could fulfill his needs, and not everyone he was with could do that for him.
Overall, I think Hemingway was essentially a good guy, but his popularity corrupted his persona and made him look like a person who was unreliable and reckless.

6 Word Stories

Puppy for sale; No more room.

Why walk when you can run?

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Shelter.

I've learned lipstick stains permanently.

She hurts herself with sharp words.

Today is the last day for submissions.