Blog 8

Culture is a big part of who someone is. In Pipi Longstocking, Pipi travels the world with her father learning about different things. When she returns home she talks to the neighbor children about the differnent cultures she has seen. Although she lies about most of them, like the country where people walk on their hands, or the country where all people do is lie, Pipi makes a very important point. Although we might find what other countries do strange, they find it perfectly ok. It shows that culture is inside of you, and you take it with you where ever you go.

Blog 7

The Hungry Caterpillar is a book about change. The caterpillar starts out as a little larva. It grows, eating tons along the way. As it becomes larger it spins a cocoon and waits. While in its cocoon, the caterpillar transforms. It emerges as a beautiful butterfly. Change is inevitable. Like the caterpillar, change helps us grow. We go through life with many stages and "cocoons". Most of the time we emerge better people. There is no use resisting change, a caterpillar will always become a butterfly. Excepting change, makes things much easier.

Blog 6

A Million Little Pieces is a book about hope. The autobiography follows the author James Frey through his  difficult time in rehab. James arrives at the rehabilitation center with a hole in his cheek, four broken teeth and a broken nose. He makes no effort to improve because he feels there is no way that he is going to get better. He has no hope for his future. Then he meets a woman named Lilly, she is also at the rehab center. Although there is a strict rule against interaction with the opposite sex, Lilly and James meet. James has a strong bond with Lilly and they talk about their lives after rehab. James starts to improve, he has hope that his future will be better because Lilly will be in it. Hope pushes people, it make them want to do better, be stronger. With out hope life would go no where. Like Coleridge said, "Work without hope draws nectar in a sieve, and hope without an object cannot live".

Blog 4

In Snowmass Colorado there is a Catholic monastery. The monks live in the mountains of colorado and abide by rules set in the middle ages. Their schedule is a full but leisurely one coming from the passage stating "Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore the brothers should have specified periods for manual labor as well as for prayerful reading". The brothers wake at 4:15 for prayer. Then at 8:30 they work. At 12:25 they pray again and have a vegetarian lunch. They continue to pray through out the day untill they go to sleep. Monastic goals are expressed in terms of loving God and wanting to seek him by excluding all else.

Blog 4

In 1957 the show Leave It to Beaver was released. Leave It to Beaver portrayed the "perfect" homelife, hardworking father, reliable older brother, pesky little brother, and a housewife/mother. There is distinct role playing in this TV show. Every morning breakfast is had, and Ward in, his suit with breifcase in hand, leaves for work. This show that the male is the "bread winner" going to work while the woman stays home. June Cleaver would stay home in her dress, pearls, and apron and cook. This sets up the role of the "homemaker" keepin the house under control and always having a hot meal on the table when the man comes home from his long day at work. Leave It to Beaver continued for some time, all the while Ward bringing home the bacon and June cooking it.

Blog 3

 In the movie Bend it like Beckham culture creates a conflict with the main character. In Bend it like Beckham Jess is a girl in an Indian family living in England. Women in the Indian culture are supposed to learn to cook and sew and do domestic work. Jess has other plans in mind she wants to play soccer. Her mother is horrified because Jess not only is disobeying her parents but is also showing skin and shirking on her domestic responsibilities. She thinks that because she is playing soccer she has disgraced the family and will never get a husband. Her mother thinks this because of their culture.

Blog 2

In My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, the main character Anna is struggling with her independence. She has to make the decision whether to continue to save her sister or to become legally emancipated from her parents and no longer have the responsibility she was born to have. This would be a very difficult decision, to have to choose between family and yourself. Anna knows her decision will cause her family much distress but goes along with her plan anyway. If I were in Anna's position I would continue to donate bone marrow and other vital things to my sister. I wouldn't have the courage to stand up to my family and to stand up to family, and to knowingly put myself through more hard times.

My Sister's Keeper

Blog 1

In the book Nectar in a Sieve, by Kamala Markandaya, the people rely on the monsoons for their crops. If the monsoons are to large the crops drown, if they are to small, the crops die. This is very hard for the villagers. When the monsoon ruins the crops, they have nothing to sell so they can't get money for food. The crops that others were relying on are also gone, so they don't get the food they need. Monsoons are very important but can also be very devastating.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/nectar

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/monsoon