The Reservation

    In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, we see Junior wanting to leave his reservation. Junior knows that if he stays in his reservation, he will always hate it. He would die if he were to stay at Wellpinit. Junior's reservation was toxic and Junior knew this; he had to get away. And sometimes, in our own reservations, we feel like we too have to get away. 

     My reservation is my community I live in, Mayfair. And in the seventh grade, I knew I had to get away. If I had stayed, I knew I would always be sad and unhappy. If I didn't get away and went to the default high school, I wouldn't have the same opportunities as I would if I went to a selective enrollment school. But don't get me wrong, my situation isn't bad. I live in a relatively nice community; no shootings, little crime, etc, it's just the people. 

     To be honest with you all, I hate all of my elementary school classmates save for a few. They were a bunch of idiots! I also want to add that they were a bunch of hipsters so that didn't help either. They annoyed the hell out of me and I did not want to spend the four years of my high school life with a bunch of horny hipster idiots! So I studied and tried really hard to get out of that school. And I made it; I got out. I got into Whitney Young. And whenever I go meet up with some old acquaintances, I realize how lucky I had been. They are even more hipster than when I was in eighth grade. All my past friends suck. My one friend who got into Northside is now a douche. He has an aura of "I'm better than you" whenever your near him. Him and all his friends at Northside are a bunch of douches. So if you ever feel like you should have went to Northside, don't. Feel good that you went to Whitney because it's way better here.

     Sorry, it looks like I went off on a tangent. But I feel really passionate about this because I hate idiots, and that's why I was so anti-social back in middle school. And you might say I don't take much now but I deliberately don't say much. I don't like people knowing what I am thinking. Sorry, it looks like I went off on a tangent again. I'll end it here before I start to ramble on again. 

Native Sons

     In the 1930's, racism and discrimination was commonplace. White people looking down on minorities especially Blacks was the norm. The Black people were thought to have been sub-human, dumb beasts who couldn't comprehend a simple education. There were many views that belittled the Blacks. And when one was accused of a crime, especially one against a White, the utmost prejudice was used to prosecute them, all in the name of justice. In Native Son by Richard Wright, Max, a communist lawyer, defends Bigger Thomas, a black man accused of rape and murder. 

     Max believes that Bigger might have been the one who killed Mary Dalton and Bessie but it was the Whites who were the ones who drove him to do it. Max argues that the white society has conditioned the Blacks to fear and even resent the Whites. Is it true? I would say so. The white people during this time seem to have this sort of superiority complex, one in which they would go to extreme lengths just to make themselves feel dominant. They constantly bashed and underestimated black people and this would be one of the reasons they couldn't figure out that Bigger was the killer until he ran away. 

     Max says that Bigger never had a life before he killed Mary; this is true. Bigger felt that after he killed Mary, his life finally meant something. All his life, the white people kept driving the idea that his life and the lives of other Black men and women meant nearly nothing compared to a life of a white man. And by taking the life of a white girl, Bigger finally feels some power over them, those who have always looked down on him. So is really to blame, Bigger or society? Technically speaking, it's Bigger, but does this mean that society had nothing to do with it? No, society had a major role in it no matter how much Buckley tries to direct the hate toward Bigger. Is it not true that all men are equal before the law? Society back then has been plagued by hate, racism, and discrimination. They have biased views on the whole matter and they are mad. They are mad because, just like what Max said, they are mad because they know they are what drove Bigger to commit the murder.

Green Light, Yellow Car and the Church Steeple

     In the the book, The Great Gatsby, we see that in the beginning, Gatsby seemingly reaches out to the green light at Daisy Buchanan's pier. As the reader we wonder what the green light can symbolize. Does it symbolize greed? Does Gatsby want more property? Does it symbolize a green light at an intersection, telling Gatsby to go get whatever he's looking for? Whatever could this green light mean? We the readers soon find out that it's actually the woman who owns that green light that Gatsby wants. So, did that green light mean nothing at all? Did it just show Gatsby where he needed to look in order to see this woman?

     The green light means so much more than all of this. The green light represents your goals, your dreams. Gatsby reached out to that green light for years. The first time the green light is seen in the novel is also the first time Nick sees Gatsby. Fitzgerald writes, “…he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away…” The green light is described as ‘minute and far away’ which makes it appear impossible to reach. And we soon find out that, for Gatsby, it sadly is. But Gatsby never gave up on his dream. He kept reaching out to it, hoping that one day, Daisy would show up to his party and he would finally meet her once again. And that's what we do with our dreams. We keep reaching out no matter what gets in our way. And one day, we might just reach it.
When you see a yellow car what do you think? First of all I wonder if it is a taxi. And if it's not, I wonder, "why would you ever buy a yellow car?" And that's why Tom Buchanan makes fun of Gatsby. Gatsby's Rolls Royce is yellow so Tom calls it out, saying it is just a clown car. Tom bashes Gatsby's property and attire, and to be honest I would look weirdly at anyone who would wear a pink suit and drove a yellow car. The reason why Gatsby chooses these flamboyant colors is to attract Daisy and to show off his wealth. But this becomes a hindrance when Tom starts to make fun of Gatsby and questions his tastes.

When Gatsby and Daisy finally meet for the first time in years, Nick decides to give the two some space and leaves his house to look at Gatsby's house like Kant at the church steeple. But what does all of this mean? Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who pondered moral beliefs. He would often stare at the church steeple outside his window to concentrate on his theories. He argues that the human understanding is the source of the general laws of nature that structure all our experience; and that human reason gives itself the moral law, which is our basis for belief in God, freedom, and immortality. Nick stares at Gatsby’s house just like Kant. Nick sees Gatsby as an enigma, something that is bordering spiritual. There is a lot of questions that surround Gatsby at this time, so much so that it almost makes Gatsby a spiritual being; someone who’s powerful, mysterious, and no one knows who he really is. Nick questions who Gatsby is and his being while staring at Gatsby’s house.

Janie

     In the book, Their Eyes Were Watching God we are presented with Janie, a African-American woman in the early 1900's. She grew up with her grandmother so she had her grandmother's teachings, which included things about love. At the young age of 17, Janie was married. But she was not happy with this marriage, She expected to eventually fall in love but she never did. And her second marriage didn't go so well either, her being just a trophy wife. For almost 40 years, she has never found true love, mutual love. So this begs the question, is there really true love? 

     If you like to think in technical terms love is just an increase of hormones when you feel attracted to another person. This usually applies when your body/mind thinks it has found a good mating partner. But, if you would like to think in the abstract ways, love is really hard to describe. You can be shallow, opting to fall in love with a person's appearance, or you can fall in love with a person's personality, their beauty coming secondary. I like to think that there is no one true love that you hear about in fairy tales, but love of those around you. No matter where you are, you will always find someone that you like. If you think about it realistically, if you only had one person in the entire world that you would truly love, then the chances of you finding that person are very slim. Going back to the story, I think Janie is just trying to find that one person who doesn't want her to be submissive to him. As long as they say the right things, have the right morals, she will fall in love with him. There are many people with those traits, but sadly there are just a lot more people who don't.

     So I don't believe in true love, or "the one" but I do believe that you will always find someone to be attracted to. But that doesn't always mean they feel the same way about you.

Classmates I am Thankful For

     In the morning, I do not look forward to my day. It's the morning and I have a whole day ahead of me. I'm still tired and I don't want to do anything. I usually don't start talking until 11ish. But there are some classmates who make my  mornings way more enjoyable. I'm thankful to Juan Goodum for making my mornings enjoyable. Without his jokes I would be probably be less amused throughout the day. Thanks Juan for always making things interesting and I hope you never stop.

     I am also very thankful to Adam Flam and Quincy Hirt. When you guys volunteer your opinions, I get a new perspective on things. I see a different point of view on things. And most importantly because you two always raise your hands, that means Mr. McCarthy won't pick me as frequently. Thanks guys for helping me avoid being called on.

     That's pretty much who I'm thankful for during first period. There are some other kids who are worthy of some honorable mention, Sally Keller and Brandon Nguyen being two. Both are thanked for the same reason as Adam and Quincy. Once again, thank you all who keep me awake in the morning and for allowing me to not talk during a class discussion. 

A Principle We Should Keep

     In the book "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, we see society break down and lawlessness ensue. And where there is no law, people tend to get crazy and do anything to survive, eating people for example. But in these situations (apocalyptic) and in everyday life, what are some principles that everyone should have/keep? I, for one, think that you need to take life as it is and stop complaining all the time. People are crazy when it comes to something they don't like. My brother works part-time at Dunkin Donuts and when he works the register, he gets at least two complaints a day. And the complaint is for something so trivial. He told me that one time, a lady was complaining that the coffee was too strong when she ordered it black. People need to stop complaining and starting acting. Stop blaming other people and fix it. Even in Apocalyptic movies/shows or in any setting that forces people out of their comfort zone, people complain way too much. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and move on. We all have seen that one person in the movie/show who's freaking out, huddled in the corner asking "Why is this happening?" The real question that should be asked is "We're in this situation, so what do we do now to get out of it?" I absolutely hate angsty teenagers, in TV shows and reality. Get over yourself, stop going on Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat just to complain about how much your life sucks. No one wants to hear it. There are a lot of other people in the world who have it worse than you. If your life sucks, try to do something about it. At the very least talk to someone, and I mean face to face.

     I believe that you should be proactive in life. You need to take things as they are and move on. Don't rely on others to comfort you because they most likely don't care about what your saying. If you feel bad, find something to cheer yourself up. If you are in an apocalypse, don't freak out (harder said than done, I know) calm down and think about what you should do to survive. And if you think the coffee is too strong then put some cream and sugar in it; stop whining and do something yourself.

Ernest Hemingway

     I have mixed feelings about Ernest Hemingway. I both admire him yet look down on him. On one hand, he's the epitome of masculinity. He was good looking, he knew how to hunt, fish, and survive in nature; he fought in both World Wars and could entice many women. But on the other hand, he was really bipolar when it came to his kids, one moment he's yelling at them, the next he's praising them; when he was with them, he was a loving, almost too loving father, but when he was away from them, he hardly ever thought of them. 

     Hemingway is a hard person to understand. During his childhood, his mother dressed him up as a girl, making him wear girl clothing until he was the age of 6. So it's understandable that him trying to be masculine his entire life was to make up for his early childhood. If I was forced to wear girl's clothing until 6 years old, I would also try to assert my masculinity later on in life. But it's these masculine traits that make me admire him. He's very confident and not afraid to get down and dirty when push comes to shove. He knows how to survive on his own in nature unlike me who has lived in the city his whole life.

     But Hemingway also has his faults. He is constantly looking for new women to sleep with. He would get a wife, spend a few years with them, have a kid or two, then find a new woman to fill his needs. To put it bluntly he was pretty much a dick to all the women. I'm sure the wives were happy during the marriage but once Hemingway brings another girl to live with them, that's just were it gets weird.

     Ernest Hemingway was cool as a man but sucked as a husband.