MP 2 Blog post #2: Chinese Culture

The associated element that I am is the Yin water element. The associated animal I am is the water rooster. Yin (literally the 'shady place' or 'north slope') is the dark area occluded by the mountain's bulk.Yin is usually characterized as slow, soft, insubstantial, diffuse, cold, wet, and tranquil. It is generally associated with the feminine, birth and generation, and with the night. Water is yin in character, its energy is downward and its motion is stillness and conserving. It is associated with the planet Mercury, the north, winter and cold, darkness, night and the colour black. It is also associated with the moon, which was believed to cause the dew to fall at night. It is also believed to govern the kidneys, ears and bones. The negative emotion associated with water is fear, while the positive emotion is calmness. Its Primal Spirit is represented by the Black Tortoise.

The aspects of my life seem to disagree with this description. I am a happy person and i have a bright personality so the fact that the Yin is characterized as slow, cold and wet. I don't think that this identifies with me personally. My favorite season is the summer, and Yin is also associated with the north, winter and cold, and the moon. I feel like I identify more with the sun.

The Chinese lunisolar calendar determines the Chinese New Year dates. This year the Chinese New Year will be on February 14, 2010. In the Chinese calendar, winter solstice must occur in the 11th month, which means that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The mythology behind this is that, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nien. Nien would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock,crops, villagers and children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nien ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nien was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nien was afraid of the color red. So, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors.

Throughout most of Chinese history, surnames have served sociological functions. Because of their association with the aristocratic elite in their early developments, surnames were often used as symbols of nobility. In ancient times two types of surnames,family names and clan names existed. The connection that I see between this and the Bonesetter's daughter is that Precious Auntie valued her name a lot and wanted to pass it down to Luiling to make sure she knew what it was. This shows that what your surname is can identify you to a certain group of people, and that they are valuable to remember.

MP 2 Blog Post #1: Dialogue

"So how's everything going?" Danny asked trying to break the silence
" Everythings fine i guess..." Sally said not really sharing her true feelings
" Well, what have you been up to? Hows the family?" Danny exclaimed trying to get Sally interested in conversation.
" Everyone is good, my brother Josh is fine." Sally said
" Well i would really like to see him when i take you home, I haven't talked to him in forever and i've been gone so long."
" You can see him if you want, but where are we going now?"Sally questioned
" I'm going to drop Anna off and then were going to jamie's house." Danny said
" Why are we going there?" Sally questioned angrily
" Because i have some explaining to do and I might as well kill two birds with one stone." Danny said
" You can sort your problems out with her, can you leave me out of this." Sally said
" It's fine i just need to explain." Danny said
" No. It's not! Take me home now." Sally yelled
" Calm down Sally, you don't understand there are so many things i want to do now that i can't anymore.If you know what i mean." Danny sighed
" No not really." Sally said
" Well having a girlfriend is great and all but I really want to kiss you right now but i can't." Danny said
" Well.. thats good that you know right from wrong." Sally said
" Yep i guess so." Danny said
"can you please take me home now?" Sally asked again
" I am!" Danny said
" So why are we going this way?" Sally asked
" Because we are going to Jamie's." Danny explained
" Ok but I'm getting out of the car, call me when your done." Sally exclaimed

Independent Reading Blog Post

Title: The Color Purple

Author: Alice Walker

Genre: African American Literature

2) Celie is an uneducated girl that lived with her father Alphonso, and he raped her. She writes letters to God, because she cannot tell anyone about the situations she goes through. She is abused by her father and by Mr., her husband. She meets people who help her along the way like Shug Avery who, is a person she is really interested in. The people that help her, are the reasons that she makes it through the situations she goes through.

3) I would recommend this book because this book shows how people can overcome obstacles, and better themselves after a personal struggle in their lives. It is a good story to read and it is very interesting. This isn't a story that many people are expected to relate to, but some people might be able to connect to the idea of a personal struggle. I would say this book appears to target girls, because of the idea of women being abused; it shows how to overcome this struggle, and that is not something that men would relate to as well.

4)http://sierrax3.glogster.com/The-Color-Purple/

Blog Post #3

What I have learned about the incident is that 6 black students, at a highschool in Louisiana were charged with various things, while white students were not charged. This article was mainly talking about the justice system in Jena Louisiana, and the racism that takes place. 6 black teens were charged with the beating of a white student in school. While the day before a white student had beaten up a black students and there were no charges imposed on them. There is evidence of racism because the black students were said to be free in choosing where they sit at school, when in reality there is segregation. The black students sat under the "white tree" and the next day there were 3 nooses hanging from the tree. This represents the hanging of those students, as something you might have seen in the Jim Crow South. This incident does seem to be over the top, because it is a clear case of inequality and injustice. Blacks are being treated differently than whites, and it is something that is very evident. It seems that a case like this could happen many places in the country but not everywhere. To me this seems like it would be more of an issue in the south, where all of the problems initially started. The south has always been where segregation has predominantly been as well as racism. Based on my knowledge i would be able to visualize a school that was segregated, but to imagine that I would be part of that would be impossible to me. I wouldn't say that there are any aspects of our school that are segregated intentionally. People may separate themselves, based on who your friends are. And it so happens to be that people are mostly friends with people of their own race. It is not segregation though, and people are not restricted as to where they sit.

The charges have been reduced to aggravated second degree battery, and conspiracy to commit the crime. Rallies in Louisiana have taken place to stop racial profiling. Race relations today don't seem to be much different. Based on what I have read there have been people that try to stop the racism, but in general Jena, Louisiana will remain the same; predominantly white, Southern town.

Blog Post #2

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy...remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (pg.90)

In the context of the story this quote means, that one shouldn't harm someone or something that has done nothing wrong. If there is a problem that you could possibly eliminate then it is alright to do so. This is what Atticus is saying, that it is alright to kill someone that causes trouble, and that is a burden to human kind. He might not exactly  be saying that but he is saying that it is a sin to harm what is innocent. He originally said that he would rather they shoot at tin cans, because he is a peaceful person and doesn't want anyone to be harmed. The implication that this quote might have in the story, is for Tom Robinson; a black man who is on trial, is being defended by Atticus and could be innocent. He could be the mockingbird because people are racist and assume that he isn't innocent and he goes through persecution. Other examples of implications in this quote are Jem and Scout, there father seemed to be a respected man but he is defending a black man and he is getting a lot of criticism for it. His children, even though they didn't do anything wrong and are not directly connected to the situation people are harassing him for what their father does.

A time when the ideas in this quote could be related to my life, is when you see someone being treated unfairly when you know that they are innocent for something. People are constantly being accused of things that they might not have necessarily done. It has happened many times in my life with family, friends, and people that I don't even know. Based on race, gender and other characteristics people might accuse them of doing something first before they analyze the situation. Boys might get blamed for something first, or girls might get blamed first. This depends on the situation. You should always take time to listen to what people have to say and not be quick to judge. You should never argue with someone who is innocent. And you wouldn't be able to tell by just looking at the person. You have to take the time to listen. When people do good things for you, you should appreciate them. A specific time when the ideas of the quote applied to my life is when I watched someone get hurt, and it was their fault. Surrounding people might have gotten blamed, because they were not watching careful enough and they are to blame. But these people were kind enough to be around and it was an accident. That is why i think these ideas go back to the quote "it is a sin to kill a mockingbird," Because mockingbirds are innocent and they did nothing wrong. Just like someone watching and event take place. They might not necessarily have control of the situation so you should take the time to listen, and analyze every situation. This should be done before you make a mistake and kill a mockingbird, or someone or something that is innocent. This quote is one of the most important quotes in the story and it should be recognized and thought about while reading "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Blog Post #1

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-wallis/what-racism-still-in-amer_b_290042.html

--September 17,2009

What!? Racism Still in America?--Summary

The Summary of this article is that, America is changing and there is progress being made in our country by electing a African American for President of the United States. People think that because this has happened that means that there in no longer racism in America. There are people who disagree with the policies of President Obama, but this doesn't make them racist. This article is also saying that while not everyone voted for Barack Obama there are some people who voted against Barack Obama because of his race. During the town meetings that took place about healthcare, and the government there were blatant signs of racism. It is believed that the President is being disrespected, and that is a part of where racism plays a role. Racism does still exist while President Obama hasn't "played the race card."

What!? Racism Still in America?--Reflection

My thoughts on this article is that in some ways I agree with what the author is saying. People think things are so much better now that our President is Black, and that there is no racism. I disagree with this thought because clearly there has been examples of racism so far in his Presidency. It is definitely a good thing that America can see past race enough so that this opportunity was available, and this dream was achievable for him. Not everyone will agree with what is being said all the time, and that is the case no matter who you are talking too. But the President is in charge of our country, and he should be respected. When people disrespect him, by not trusting that what he will say will be appropriate or making comments; this shows signs of racism because any other president wouldn't be disrespected like that. The election of President Obama in the White House is a big step for America, but there is still progress that needs to be made. President Obama hasn't played the race card, and doesn't put out the fact that he is being attacked sometimes. But it is clear, and some people will defend him and some people will not. Whether you do or not doesn't make somebody a racist, but if the reason for not being supportive is because of race, then is shows how people have not changed. I thought this article was interesting because it shows the opinions of both sides; how some people think that we have made so much progress and racism doesn't exist. It also shows how others are clearly aware of racism in America in this day in age.