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

Green Eyes

  Today in class when we did the characteristics/rights activity and had to throw away 5 out of 6 rights I was left with my trait of green eyes. I kept this because it defines me in my family. Out of all of my cousins and siblings I am the only one with green eyes. Although I ended up keeping that card, it was very difficult to decide on it. Losing your rights would be a scary and frustrating thing. Nathan and Ruku are starting to experience colonization from Britain and are sure to lose some rights in the next few chapters of Nectar in a Sieve.

For my quick read I chose The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. This was one of my favorite books growing up, it came in a book my sister and I got for Christmas. We used to bring it everywhere with us which is why half of it is missing and it has fallen apart. The Lorax is about the Once-ler, who comes and finds the Truffula trees. He cuts one down to make a Thneed, and out of the stump of the Truffula tree comes the Lorax. The Lorax tells the Once-ler that he can't cut down any more trees, but the Once-ler continues. Eventually all of the inhabitants that depend on the trees have to leave. When the last tree is cut down, the Lorax leaves too, and the Once-ler is left all alone in his factory, in a barren land filled with smog. The Lorax left a stump that said UNLESS. I like this book because it shows that UNLESS people take action, the world is not going to change. You have to take things into your own hands, and remember that your actions have consequences.