Caucasia Part 4

Sandy and Birdie’s situation just keeps getting sticker and more complicated. Birdie is getting close to the Marshes and spending quite a lot of time with them. I just have the feeling that Birdie is going to slip up and reveal some information that is going to end badly for her and her mother. The Marshes and getting more and more curious about Sandy and have started to ask more questions regarding her private life and asking about her “diseased” father. Birdie is only 12 years old. She has been put through way too much for a child her age. I think the pressure is going to get to her and she is going to slip up and say something to Nicholas. Birdie obviously has a crush on Nicholas and I can see her confiding in him later on. I just have a bad feeling that Sandy and Birdie are going to be found out and caught by the feds.

Add a comment November 22, 2009

Caucasia Part 3

After reading through this section, I have noticed how Birdie constantly brings everything back to Cole.  Birdie has done this since the beginning of the book. She is always referring back to Cole in every situation. She always say thinks like “if Cole were here this would have happened” or “Cole would have done things this way.” Birdie is always comparing herself her Cole, always making Cole look like the superior one. We see Birdie do this even more now that she is separated from Cole and living in New Hampshire. When Birdie gets her period, one of the first things she thinks about is if Cole has gotten hers and who taught her what to do. Another part of this section that Birdie thinks of Cole is when she is walking home one day and passed a couple of girls and they make a comment to her saying “I met she doesnt even speak english.” Birdie just bails and runs away from the girls not caring how she looks. After she immediately thinks of Cole and how Cole would have done things differently. Cole would have had a smart comeback ready and shoved the big blonde girl down. It is interesting to see how Birdie puts Cole on such a high pedestal and looks up to her in every situation.

Add a comment November 20, 2009

Caucasia part 2

As I read further into this book, the more terrible I feel for Birdie.  She is always feeling like the outcast of the family. I feel so sorry for her. Birdie is still so dependent on Cole. When Bridie and her mother are snowed in without Cole because she is at their father’s place, Birdie feels imcomplete without her.

Then we meet the father’s girlfriend, Carmen, which I am not a fan of. I jsut want to slap her for making Birdie feel uncomfortable and unwanted. Once again Birdie is discriminated against because of her skin color. The scene in the salon was so awful when Carmen  only intorudced Cole as Deck’s beautfiul daughter and completely ignoreed Birdie! And then she makes the sny comment about how you would never be able to tell they were sisters because they dont look anything alike.

But I have to say, Cole is a very good to her little sister. She is always trying hard to make Birdie feel included by secretly giving Birdie gifts Carmen had given to Cole, and Cole was trying to talk up Birdie in the restaurant to her dad and Carmen. Cole is so good to Birdie. I hope that doesnt change.

Add a comment November 18, 2009

Caucasia Part 1

I thought the start of this book was very interesting.  The reader is introduced to the family and gains a little bit of information about each one. I think this book goes in a different direction than some other books dealing with race issues which is interesting. In most books we tend to read about how dark skin is the “unacceptable” color, but in this text it is about the lighter color skin that serves a problem for the character. Birdie is the lighter skin daughter and Cole is the darker skin daughter. I feel so bad for Birdie. At such a young age she must deal with racial issues. She feels her sister Cole is the favorite in the family because she is much darker than Birdie and can relate to her father’s side better. Birdie is taunted in school because she is not as dark as the other girls and has straight hair. I think her parents really need to explain to Birdie that she doesnt need to choose one side, she can embrace both her black and white side and identify with both, but that is hard when your father is constantly standing by “black power” and the mother is sticking to her “white” roots. Birdie feels caught in the middle and doesn’t know which side to identify with.

Add a comment November 16, 2009

The Incredibles

Watching this movie never gets old. I have seen The Incredibles countless times and still love watching it. I think this is a great movie that shows a very tight-knit family that sticks together in times of need no matter what. The Incredibles are clearly not your average type of family with all the members having a super power, and yet, they are an average family just trying to live an average life. I guess it just goes to show you that no matter how normal or perfect something looks from the outside, you never really know what is going on in the inside. Aside from their super powers, I do feel they are an average family. The kids bicker and fight with one another, the parents have their arguments, but at the end of the day if one of them needs help, the whole family is there without hesitation. I think the ending sends a great message. It shows people that if you stop trying to pretend you are something your not, you can never be truly happy. After the Incredible’s excepted the fact that they were all super heros they decided to stop denying what they really were.

Add a comment November 9, 2009

Brainstorming Idea for paper

I think I have a pretty good idea on what I want to write about for this paper. I think I would like to focus on characters, in particular David and Lucy. I think we get a lot of information about these two characters and can draw on a lot of example from certain passages. I think I want to focus on the role of the character and how culture affects them in their lives. I think I will be able to find plenty of passages to back up my arguments for this paper. I think especially for Lucy the culture really impacts her life and what happens to her.

Add a comment November 5, 2009

Disgrace-Ending

As a get towards the end of the book, I feel very uneasy about the result and how everything will pan out. I can’t decide whether I like the book or not. It leaves me feeling very strange in many places. For example, when Lucy and David are in the car and they finally talk about what happened to Lucy on that terrible night. David actually speaks out and says “three men raped you.” It’s like it all came to life. Once again I felt so bad for poor Lucy. I can’t even begin to imagine how afraid and unsafe she must feel every single night just waiting for those men to return and finish her off. I couldn’t believe what she had to say about the whole situation though. She felt like that was the toll she had to pay to live there? That being raped was like the taxes she had to pay to them, like she owed these men for living in that area? That part really baffled me. I just couldn’t believe that she was trying to justify the act of rape in that way. It was like she was defending what they did to her. The other very awkward part was the scene after this when Lucy was telling David he must be able to identify with the men like this and the act of rape. It made me uncomfortable to read this part where Lucy is talking about sex with her father and the way in which he dominates women in bed is somewhat like killing them.

Overall i thought the book was just alright.  I think too many of these scenes were just unpleasant to read about, which resulted in my dislike of the book. In some ways it reminded me a lot of the “Oscar Wao” book. In both books we see very violent acts carried out and many troubled and unhappy characters.

Add a comment November 2, 2009

Disgrace part 3

David is so distraught over what happened to Lucy on that awful night, as any parent would be. However, Lucy just wants to forget the whole incident, but David can’t let it go. he wants so badly for Lucy to report the horrendous crime and say what happened, but Lucy refuses to open up to anyone about it.

Being raped is such a traumatic experience. I think David needs to give Lucy more time and stop pressuring her to report it to the police. She is trying to cope in her own way but can’t move on because David is constantly reminding her of that horrible night.

I think it is very interesting how the author flips the scenario on to David so he is forced to look at this new but very similar situation he is placed in yet again. Before, David was the one being accused of rape by a protective father, but now the shoe is on the other foot and David is turned into the protective parent wanting to speak out on his daughter’s behave.

Add a comment October 30, 2009

Disgrace part 2

This book has gotten very descriptive and intense. I couldn’t believe what terrible things happened in this section of the reading. No wonder David is so worried about Lucy living all my herself out there, look what happened. I can’t believe so guys came into her home, beat her so badly, burn David and kill her dogs. That was so horrible to read. I felt so bad for David and Lucy. What an awful experience to go through. Then the guys take off in David’s car. That was so sad that they killed Lucy’s dogs, they meant so much to her.

There is definitely a trend in these books we have been reading, at least these past two texts with the horrible violence. Which in both books are described very intensely. The characters in both book are also very unlucky in the lives they lead. David just can’t catch a break it seems. I’m curious as to what will happen next….

Add a comment October 26, 2009

Disgrace part 1

After reading part one of Disgrace, I found myself saying..what the hell. I don’t understand this Melanie girl at all. She is so wishy- washy. First of all the girl needs to speak up and say something, anything! We never know what is going on in that girl’s head and it would really help the reader if we did. I don’t know if she likes the professor and that’s why she keeps coming back to him or she’s scared to death of him. It seems like she alternates between these two sides every time she comes in contact with David. You would think the girl is just frighten by David and doesn’t know how to handle the situation because most of their sexual encounters are very awkward and seem extremely unwanted on Melanie’s part. For example, the scene in her bedroom where she is practically raped by David. David is taking off her clothes and she hides under the blankets and turns her back to him as he proceeds to have sex with her. Then the next night she is at his door asking to spend the night?? There is another scene in which it states how while having sex, Melanie wraps her leg around his body, which would suggest she is enjoying herself. But then Melanie doesn’t show up in class for weeks at a time. She really frustrates me and I wish I knew what was going on with her and why she is sending all these mixed signals.

Add a comment October 23, 2009