how the Garcia girls lost ther accents: final

Many men of the past and today frequently have seen themselves superior to women, though this thought is not as frequently used as it once was. men can be blinded to abuse their “power” and behave as if women have no rights over them, making it easier for many to mistreat women. But the mistreatment is mostly based on the society they live in. women today have far more rights and respect than they have in the past like the right to vote and equal payment for the employed. But true equality has not been reached yet. The reason for Julia Alvarez to write the book “How the Garcia Girls lost their Accents” was to prove that the issue of sexism still exists in her society and the world is not the safest place to live in during the late 1900s.

While living in the Dominican republic (their home country) and the united states, the parents, Carlos and Laura, raised four girls named Carla, Sandra, Yolanda and Sofia. But as you can notice, they had no sons. Whenever someone asked if Carlos and Laura had any children, they would respond “one, two, three, four girls” (page 40) and to that response the person would additionally ask “No sons?”  and the mother would say “No” apologetically”(page 41). Note that this question was not asked only once but frequently throughout the book. The “apologically” part in their response makes it sound as if the mother was ashamed to have only daughters and no sons.

As the girls aged from teenagers into young adults in the American society, they were pure pressured into having sex which they manage to resist. During her early years of college, Yolanda developed a relationship with a classmate who went by Rudolf Brodermann Elmenhurst but Rudy for short. The relationship had a decent start with one respecting each other. But as days went by, things did not become as Yolanda expected to be. Rudy had a kind attitude for Yolanda, but eventually it turned out that was not the true reason for rudy’s kindness. He ask her “ We have been going out for a month… when’s it going to be right?” and as five years went by he came back and told her “I’ve waited 5 years… lets just fuck [sex]” (page103). After Yolanda refused to have sex with him, Rudy simply just left. This indicates that he was just using her. He did not truly have a relationship with her but rather used her. Though he probably knew what he was doing was wrong, he being a man in his society might of blinded him into thinking he had the right to do so.

Some men abused their power as husbands. Fifi (Sofia) married someone who did not give her that much respect. Her sister encouraged Fifi to leave him due to his poor character and respect towards Fifi like when he slammed what Fifi was reading out of her hands. Because of his rude temper and disrespect, the girls made fun of him by make a loud humming noise whenever he was mentioned.

Another possible purpose of Alvarez writing this book was to also point out that the world’s society is not a very safe one. Their homeland was becoming dangerous explaining their escape to the united states. In the Dominican republic the Garcia girls and their parents were getting into deep trouble. Their father was becoming one of their wanted targets. This spiked some men to frequently patrol their home, searching  for Carlos while he holds his breath in the humid closet. No one would like to live this lifestyle. The dangers of the Dominican republic drove the Garcia family out and arrive to the united states which promised them some more safety and a better life.

 Though the united states was not as life threatening as the Dominican republic, it still was not the safest place to be. There were several troubling men strolling around their society making it not  the safest place to be in. Carla witnessed one of theses troubled men and became extremely terrified. She was not able to tell what she witnessed because of the fear she dealed with. Yolanda was frightened in the American society so she frequently would take birth control pills. In the united states during their time (and even today) it was not that difficult to find certain drugs. Sandra got exposure to marijuana and gave some to the rest of her sisters. Luckily their mother found out and drugs were that much of a big issue for the girls. Moving to the United states also was not that easy for the rest of the family. Not only did they need to learn a new language but also adapt to a new society. Carlos changed when they moved to the united states due to the difficulties they had to face. In the Dominican republic Carlos played small games with the girls and had somewhat a happy character. However due to the departure of their home country Carlos became tempered. No longer did he play with Yolanda as he once did, but rather was provoked enough to insult Yolanda’s piece of poetry stating that is not true and rude and he a rip it into peaces, thought later on he confessed that what he did was wrong.

Safety and sexism are two major issues that Julia Alvarez was trying to address in her book. She described how life and the society was like in both the Dominican republic and the united states. She pointed out that both societies had several weaknesses that made large negative impacts on the lives of many, particularly the lives of women. Alvarez stated the dangers many were in risk of facing like the agents just taking a family member (or the entire family) away to prison which the Garcia family was in risk of facing. Though these issues are not as dreadful as they once were, they still impact the lives of many

final post for the Garcia girls

The sophomore class has finally completed the book "How the Garcia girls lost their accents" and due to reading the entire story to the very end, it has become less difficult to summarize and understand what happen. I believe that the story in general was not that terrible as many of my classmates did. On the scale of 1-10, I would give it at max a 5.

 The author, Julia Alvarez, was creative to write her story in reversed chronological order. To me, it felt as if I was reading a mystery book, trying to get to the bottom of things and how did it come to be. The main problem was that it was not exactly like a mystery book. The author stated several things about the main character at the beginning of the story and yet she lacked explanation and reasoning for why and how things happened. I did not find the story that confusing. All it took was some additional thinking since we are more familiar in reading books at are in chronological order and the order of events are more easy to be noticed. This is one type of reading I do not usually read (if I read at all).

Earlier in the book it was more difficult to deeply understand what was going on. We, the readers, did not get that much information on the main characters’ personality.  So like detectives, we had to assume and guess based on the “evidence” we read from the book to determine who did what and why. We did not really understand why the father behaved angrily and stubbornly at the start of the book until later on in the book where it spoke about the moving to America

But each stage in the reversed chronological order shared a similarity. Throughout each part, the character’s environment made a strong impact on their personality. When the girls lived in the United States, their attitude became ruder than it once was. They tried to blend in and did so by trying marijuana and they were pressured into having sex which they managed to resist.

theories are not always facts

theories are not always facts

After pionting out Stan needed some revision due to many false statements, Elizabeth O.  commented which attempted to prove me wrong with theories (with a very rude voice), but yet she proved herself wrong.

there's such things as prokaryotic cells that don't have nuclei. Scientist have made amino acids from scratch in a lab before, with the organic materials they are made from plus a little electricity. Then theres also a theory about asteroids carrying cells and bacteria from somewhere else. (that would also bring up the question of why there is life on other planets.)
and then there is the big bang. there doesn't need to be a 'creator' for that. seriously. what if it came from a parallel universe?

Prokaryotic cells. Even they are complex. Do YOU know biology because I do. True they lack a nucleolus (I did not deny that) but instead they have a nucleoid. Your statement does not make prokaryotic cells are extremely simple. They too have some of the parts of the cell include cytoplasm, cell membrane and  ribosome just to name a few FEW. to remind you, i got this image from wikipedia




Plus the scientists you spoke about did not create an amino acid. They replicated it. You say that cells possibly traveled on asteroids from somewhere else. Well just like I said about water, where is this somewhere? And tell me, how did the bacteria become so before going on that asteroid? Tell me, how did those bacteria on the asteroid came to be in the first place. The theories you stated all sound as if there IS a creator like “what if it came from a parallel universe?”. Tell me, how did the big bang possibly start from nothing? Stating that the big bang does not need a creator is like saying a jigsaw puzzle does not need someone to put it together to become its picture.

Next time you deny someone’s statements, be sure your “scientists” theory matches up with logic, because to get something from nothing is logically impossible unless there is someone/something behind it.

And also, never respond to a blog in your rude style again Elizibeth. Stating things like "eh, eh?" and "complete phooey" will make the reader want to just throw your work away without finishing it. You might disagree, but that does not give you the right to speak in such a rude way.

Don't prove it: theories that are real as a plat planet

Today I decided to read something different which was the blogs from the freshman instead of the sophomores. I found a blog typed by Stan titled dont prove and this piece contains many incorrect statements with everything based on thoughts which logically can be proven wrong.

Personally i believe that religion is a waste of time. People spend their whole life doing things they are "supposed" to do based on their religion, then they spend the end of their life regretting what they didn't do. And then they are buried and they decay into the ground.

Sorry Stan, but believing in your statement is no different from the statement "the world is flat". Religion is a crucial part of countless lives. Our modern day laws are based on them and they are the founders of determining what is right and what is wrong.

Well let us get one thing straight; there is no doubt a creator of our universe. The big bang is a theory and yet that too NEEDS a creator. Explain to me how the hell can nothing make something naturally? Whenever you watch a documentary about the creation of the planet and it comes to the part about water which is required for life, they always say "from somewhere". Where is this somewhere? certainly it was not from nowhere.

 If I ask how “did life come to be?”, like many, you would say "evolution" which once again is a theory, not a fact. But the answer "evolution"  greatly lacks and does not explain a major part; the very beginning. Answer me the question “how did life in general start on earth? One of the laws in biology is "life starts from life”. The simplest cell that ever existed on our planet is not simple at all. it has a series of parts such as the nucleolus, Ribosome, Smooth ER, Rough ER, the Golgi Apparatus, Endoplasmic Reticulum just to name a few. And that is just the very beginning. Cells are able to many things like copy DNA and use the information to do many things like replication (you are learning about cells in biology, right?) with several complex steps. Cells in our body manage to do many jobs from sending an impulse to killing a germ. tell me, how can all this complex development come to be?

poems

Christmas Break

It was cold, colder than a snow cone, beyond that, as I walked across the snow. Every step I took was like a sharp knife slicing threw a thin piece of butter.

As I look around me from every even or crocked angle, I see noting but snow. It looked like a bright white piece of blank paper with a light blue coat overhead.

Every step got deeper as if the tide is coming in.

I was quiet as if no one has ever been here, until my mom loudly called me. Shouting echoed as if she called me continuously from every direction around me, slowly fading away. 

I went back home and took of my itchy scarf, my heavy but warm sweater and so on. My toes felt as if they just got out of jail and my neck was itchy as if there were lice bouncing around.

Beep! Beep!, the microwave’s loud call. I got up and got my hot chocolate. Christmas Break is here.

Memories

I remember the and delicious scent the huge pizza gave off in the small and yet fully crowded pizza place in New York

I remember the striking speed the west point graduates threw their hats into the air.

I remember the continuous humming noise we heard on the flight to our far destination with the loud snoring of the old people near right across from our soft and pleasant seats.

I remember running faster than a cheetah to fetch a graduate’s hat that was thrown into the air which was full of cheering and tears of joy.

But I do remember the cold tears sliding down my small cheeks and dropping off my chin, I was lost in New York.

I remember someone grabbing my small chubby hands and leading me through the loaded packed crowd of graduated soldiers and proud parents to the stage.

I remember the great view and amazement I had while watching me parachuting from the clear blue sky.

I remember how cozy and soft my bed was with a fresh scent after not touching it for months.

love: an a more accurate definition [reflection]

love: an a more accurate definition

We frequently use the term “love” in expressing our opinions. We use this term to describe what we enjoy like hobbies which we love doing, parts of a movie which we would love to see again, and or our country which many of us would be willing to die for if necessary. But “love” is different when it comes to relationships and mirage. Love between a relationship is at a higher level if not a different category which stands alone. To love someone is the strongest ability we have since true love can never be demolished.

Love is fake....All love basically is you give someone all the love you have until they decided to hurt you or end it.

I strongly disagree with Karen’s thought that love is “fake” and “does not exist” which was mentioned in her blog ilove you is an 8 letter word so is bullsh*t. Love with no doubt does exist and is real. Love is what brings and keeps a relationship existing between a man and a woman. If a couple divorces (and unfortunately ½ of all the relationships in America have been divorced), that obviously means that the relationship was not truly a relationship based on love but rather a based other characteristics such as appearance and attractiveness. True love lasts forever till death. It can never be broken or destroyed among a couple unless one of the two looses their character or self control (many times caused by drugs, addiction, illnesses) which he/she had for the other. True love is not fueled by appearance nor physical characteristics, but by personality and moral character.

Perhaps Karen got confused between love and attraction. Attraction only brings a male with a female based on their appearance or attractive characteristic. Naturally, this kind of relationship happens so an offspring can occur. This kind of “relationship/love” is frequently shown in our society through pornography. When one sees images of porn, usually they do not fall in love with that person in the picture but rather have an appetite for sex with that person. Another example where love is actually just attraction is prostitution. Throughout human history, the “love” in prostitution was only expressed for benefits such as money and pleasure for the man.

how the garcia girls lost thier accents:part II

how the garcia girls lost thier accents:part II

As we carry on with our book, we learn more about the Garcia girls and their parents and how they lost their accents. We learned what kind of environment they lived in and how it impacted/changed the girls’ character.

So far we saw how the Dominican Republic and the United States differed and shared so similarities. Both countries showed some mistreatment on women. Several men in the United States had a huge appetite for sex. One day when Carla was coming back from the bus stop, a teenager followed her. Carla thought he was asking for directions but instead he was stocking her. If Carla did not react correctly, she could have been raped. Back at the Dominican Republic, Fifi got married and her husband mistreated her, in a sense abusing his rights. The rest of the Garcia girls made the sound of a humming car whenever he was mentioned due to his grumpy attitude. At the beginning of the book, it was mentioned that the Dominican Republic was not a safe place to stroll around for a lady. The United States had a larger supply of drugs which made it possible for the girls to try some. Luckily the mother was able to find the girls smoking and that pretty much helped end their addiction.

Religion made a huge impact on the girls lives, particularly Yolanda’s during her younger years at college. When Yolanda was in college she started a relationship with Rudolf Brodermann Elmenhurst the third (for short he was called Rudy) who at first seemed to be a kind man. However, it did not take that much time for Yolanda to realize Rudy’s true intention behind this relationship. He only wanted to have sex with her. Luckily, having a religion (Roman Catholic) Yolanda was able to resist Rudy’s demand for sex. She also was able to resist the marijuana and alcohol Rudy offered during his parties. True she did take a puff or two, but she strictly limited it.

One’s environment can easily change his/her character. Because of the American society, the girls Americanized and developed different attitudes.   

Teen Beans reflection: might need a Little and seasoning

Teen Beans reflection: might need a Little and seasoning

We frequently hear adults say “kids these days”. When teens hear them say this statement, we usually assume that they are rudely misjudging us like how Nawara described in her blog Teen Beans. We assume that adults find us having an rude character which we teens know is just a myth. But I thought again about how adults judge teens and now I strongly disagree with Nawara’s blog. She stated that being a teen is what ticks an adult off when she stated:

The attitudes elders assume about the teenagers today are ruthless and invaluable.  The assumptions adults put on use are only what they here on the news and rumors.

Nawara here states something really heavy and would require some revision if it is to become more accurate. If I am correct, Nawara states that adults judge teens based on the "news and rumors". I disagree. Though rumors and the media do darken the shadow of teens a bit today, it only plays a fraction in their judgments. An elder’s judgment on teens is also based on their interactions between each other and what they have witnessed; meaning that the way an adults views a teen varies. When an elder judges someone's teenage life, usually he/she would be comparing it to their own life like our parents do.  Nawara’s parents seem pretty serious about our modern society, and they have the right to do so. Many parents view our society as one that is falling apart economically and socially, especially those who just emigrated from other foreign country.  

Adults do not find teens ruthless and invaluable. It is the environment and lifestyles teens are pressured into that they find ruthless and invaluable. When Nawara describes Vanessa’s line “What has happened to the kids nowadays” she is mostly focusing on the “kids” part of the statement. She is missing out on two crucial parts which are “to” and  “Nowadays". The “to” part indicates that the problem is pressured onto the kids. The kids them selves are not the problem. “Nowadays” is the problem that is pressured “to” the kids. “Nowadays”, our society is not the one many wish to be in. Teens and kids are more frequently pure pressured into doing stupid things they personally would not do like smoking, drinking, drugs and rape more than ever before.

Speech: posible ways for peace

We all have many indentations but with no doubt we all have one in common; peace. Think of all the benefits and rewards the world would have if only we had absolute peace. All the money that is being wasted in the Middle East for combat which is not really getting us anywhere could be put to better and wiser uses such as education and aid to our troubled economy. But it would be a bit difficult for us to deal with actual war. However we can help by writing letters to the government giving them reasons to end the war and doing protests. But some of the very most effective ways on bring peace starts in your own little neighborhood.

Big things start with small things. Even the smallest action can cause an exploding impact on a society. By doing small and simple things such as opening the door for someone or by picking a piece of trash off the sidewalk, you are showing an example of good to others around you, enlightening them to do so as well. This is why parents and adults should behave properly while being at least in the presence of children; after all, they are the future.

The quote “an eye for an eye blinds the world” by Mahout Gandhi refers to an obstacle that ignites many of the wars and violence throughout history; revenge. It brings up hatred and violence between relationships. How can we deal with it? Forgiveness. Putting it to a nation level, there would be no wars, no violence and perhaps even no hatred. Putting it to a small city size such as Alameda, crimes though known to be not so severe nor common, would most likely never have happen. Sometimes it can be difficult to forgive someone, but you should only hate the crime not the person. Otherwise you could call yourself a hypocrite because no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, including yourself.

Another way to prevent violence is by showing respect to everyone. This also means that you should not assume everyone is to give you respect as if you were top authority. Because you are popular, strong etc. does not give you the right to assume you are the most important. This is one factor that brings up bullying and fights in schools. In reality, knowledge is what gives you power. All of the most powerful and successful military and government leaders had great knowledge and knew what to do at a given situation and were not necessarily strong or popular until they achieved their goals. Imagine what would happen if we actually knew what great rewarding benefits knowledge provides instead of popularity. Everyone, especially children and teens, would be more focused in their studies and less if not no time at all doing trouble. After all, smarter future is a safer one

Respect and forgiveness are only a few of the things to help bring peace to the world. Doing more communitywide activities like festivals would bring the community closer together. But like what Mother Teresa said, “Do not wait for your leaders. Do it yourself; person to person”. We should not wait for others to do what is right or tell us to do what is right. That is another thing that prevents peace; the lack of initiative. We all should also stand up to make peace peacefully; otherwise we would be doing the exact opposite. But it is everyone who is to participate. Everyone plays part in our ‘small’ world so everyone is included.  Thanks for your time and for listening to my speech!

I-How the Garcia Girls Lost Thier Accents write up

Recently I have been in the speed of catching up, but recently in the story “How the Garcia Girls Lost their accents” by Julia Alvarez has become more and more confusing for me. The most difficult part of the story is the fact that it is told in reversed chronological order. If I am correct, the story begins as a family reunion where Yolanda, the main character of the story, is at a family reunion. Later on, or correctly earlier on, Yolanda was lost and asked for help to her destination. I believe the title comes to play here because it states “lost their accents” and it applies to the girls. When Yolanda asked for directions to her families place, her Spanish was very weak. During the family reunion, Yolanda had some difficulties with understanding what her family was telling her. Her family also was worried that she was slowly loosing her heritage. Spanish no longer was her first language and she did not know what the word antojo meant. She also probably forgot what her mother country, Dominican Republic, was like. She wanted to take the bus but she either did not know or she forgot the bus is no longer as safe to take.

Based on what I have read, I now have some predictions on what is going to happen. I believe when Yolanda was out of her home country, she became someone else. She was called differently and had lived in a different environment. Her new environment might be a factor of how she lost her accent. Besides becoming someone new, other character might have been someone else earlier on in their lives. During the 70^th birthday party of the father Carlos, Carlos seemed to act weak and quiet. He behaved as if he was loosing the right to order his family around. I believe that the father is silent during his party because maybe he no longer has the power he once had. Maybe the girls now have something to say against him from the past if he misbehaves or abuses his power. Right now the girls are adults, but the way they became so is to be found out latter on in the book.