Week Sixteen - Final Draft of Script - The White "V"

The White V

by

Gavilan 1B Students

Ana Cerda

Cynthia Heredia

Fernando Chavez

Jeanette Martinez

Nereyda Camacho

INT. SCENE – DESCRIPTION

It’s spring time at Bellview high. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and students are trudging to their first period class with a slight hangover from the weekend. Scene begins with two particular students, Ashley and Mary, walking to their first period biology class talking about the Senior promenade.

                              

ASHLEY

Hey! Wasn’t prom awesome?!

MARY

Yes! I thought it wasn’t going to be fun, but it was.

ASHLEY

Mhmm… But after prom was the best part.

MARY

Because you got to go home and rest…?

ASHLEY

No! Silly! Jason and I finally did it! I can’t wait to tell everyone! I won’t be branded with the white V!

MARY

Whoa, you had sex?!

ASHLEY

Yes! It was great. We rented a room and yeah…

MARY

What about your parents? Didn’t they know prom was over at 2?

ASHLEY

Yeah, of course they knew. My mom was totally encouraging getting the hotel room. My parents aren’t old-fashioned like yours!

MARY

Hey, be nice! Why is it so weird that I agree with them that my first time should be special? Anyways…how was it?

ASHLEY

It’s just weird! That’s so last decade. But yeah, it was great! It was everything I thought it would be and more!

MARY

Well, it’s official! I’m the only virgin at Bell View High…

ASHLEY

Shh, don’t say that out loud!...Don’t worry, you have a week until you turn 18, there must be someone who’s down!(Laughs)

MARY

I don’t want to just do it out of pressure though, you get me?

ASHLEY

Yeah, but you don’t want to be marked as a virgin do you?

MARY

No, but still…it looks like that V is going to be mine. Ugh.

The bell rang as they walked into their class and took their seats. As the day went by, Mary was still thinking about her dilemma. She didn’t want to be branded with the white V. You only had to wear it for one day, but the Senior Committee made sure that a picture of you wearing the V was placed in the yearbook. Endless humiliation. But you had to stand your ground for what you believe in, right?

                                       

SHOT – DESCRIPTION

One week later Mary wakes up surprisingly excited to be legal. Most would be dreading the branding of the white V, but Mary wasn’t about to let that ruin her birthday. So she went to school with a smile on her face.

ASHLEY

Happy Birthday Mary! Have they found out it’s your birthday yet?

(She is referring the Senior Committee, the Seniors in charge of marking virgins with a white V if they’re still virgins when they turn 18.)

MARY

Thanks! Yeah, they’re announcing it today at lunch.

ASHLEY

I’m sorry Mary…

MARY

It’s okay. I have an idea…

EXT. SCENE –

At lunch time, Mary and Ashley slowly walk to the cafeteria where the crowd has already gotten wild.

CROWD

Reveal the virgin! Virgin! Virgin! Virgin!

BRITNEY

(From the Senior Committee)

We present to you…Virgin Mary!

CROWD

(Laughs) How ironic! Virgin Mary!

MARY

(Pushes her way through the crowd)

I don’t care if you think it’s old fashioned. I love myself and don’t think any of you are worthy of my virginity.

(Walks up to the podium and places the white V on herself and walks away with her head held high)

Her brave act opened the doors for more of her peers to have the strength to not give in to the peer pressure of having sex. That white V no longer only stood for Virgin, but stood for Valiant as well.

END OF SCENE

Roles:

Writers: Fernando and Jeanette

Director: Nereyda

Editors: Jeanette and Cynthia

Set/Costume Designer: Cynthia and Jeanette(only by writing descriptions in the script)

Actors: Ana(Main actress) and all others, excluding Jeanette

Week Fifteen

Pending

Week Fourteen - Final Draft of Research Paper

Jeanette Martinez

Professor Stacey Knapp

English 1B

M/W 12:50-2:10

15 May 2011

The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter, a well known novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne , is a novel that can be interpreted in many ways. The Scarlet Letter itself is ultimately a story about the consequences a woman has to face when she makes a mistake. Hester Prynne, the main character of the novel, endures the shame the Puritan society places upon her for committing adultery. The Puritan society she lived in greatly looked down upon Hester’s sin: an extra-marital affair that resulted in a pregnancy. Hester was imprisoned and came out of that imprisonment with courage. She walked out of prison looking beautiful, with her head held high, and her baby in her arms. Hester also stood her ground and protected her baby’s father; she would not reveal his identity, however, he ultimately confesses his sin. On the inside, Hester was also ashamed of herself, and felt that she was deserving of her punishment, which included wearing an embroidered letter “A” on her bosom. This embroidered scarlet letter “A” marked her as an adulterer, an emblem with a significance that all could see. Along with shame and punishment, love is also an important part of the novel. Hester loved Pearl, and also loved Pearl’s father, Arthur Dimmesdale, one of the Puritan ministers. This forbidden love, unknown to the rest of the society, played a huge part in The Scarlet Letter, which is why Hawthorne calls it a romance. The Scarlet Letter is about the strife women face in society, their strength, and also, the strength of love. The reception and criticism of The Scarlet Letter has led to much controversy between critics; some say that Nathaniel Hawthorne is a Patriarchal sexist, others say he’s a feminist, other’s say that feminism drives the story…Which is it? After reading The Scarlet Letter, I found that I agree with the argument that feminism drives the story; the main character is a feminist, as is the author himself.

One critic, Orestes Brownson, a 19^th century critic, does not care to praise Hawthorne on his writing, instead he criticizes Hawthorne’s portrayal of morals in the story. Although it may not have been Brownson’s intention, his criticism of Hawthorne’s portrayal of morals led me to believe that Hawthorne is a feminist. Brownson says:  

The adulteress suffers not from remorse, but from regret, and from the disgrace to which her crime has exposed her…The minister, her accomplice, suffers also, horribly…but not from the fact of the crime itself, but from the consciousness of not being what he seems to the world…Neither ever really repents of the criminal deed; nay, neither ever regards it as really criminal, and both seem to hold it to have been laudable, because they loved one another…Mr. Hawthorne in the present case seeks to excuse Hester Prynne, a married woman, for loving the Puritan minister, on the grounds that she had no love for her husband…sin is sin, and that it is pardonable only through the great mercy of God. (p.251)

It is evident that Hawthorne does indeed excuse Hester’s actions because of her situation. He does not see the world as black-and-white when it comes to morals and sins, a viewpoint that is not uncommon in society today…mostly in women.  In society today, a woman that committed adultery would most certainly not be punished in the manner that Hester was, but men tend to be more old-fashioned when it comes to women’s behavior and not fall for the excuses a woman may have for sinning. Because it is common for men to feel that way, I feel that Hawthornes’s opposing viewpoints on morals is evidence that he is a feminist, and also that Hester herself is a feminist. Nina Baym from the New England Quarterly also feels that the manner in which Hawthorne portrays women indicates that he is a feminist. She too knows that people have called him a “patriarchal sexist”, but does not think that a patriarchal author could have created a character such as Hester. She insists that Hester’s character is made to “signify something entirely different – able, admirable”, which leads her to claim that the novel itself is characterized by feminism.

Hester could be considered a feminist because of how she dealt with her situation. Her forbidden and hidden affair with the minister led to a pregnancy that could not be hidden from anyone with eyes. Hester’s punishment was time in prison and the shame of having to wear a scarlet letter “A” that put her sin in the spotlight for everyone to see. Although she often dwelled on the actions that made her an outcast from society, she stood strong and kept her ground. When she was released from prison, she was described as:

…tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes. She was lady-like too, after the manner of the feminine gentility of those days; characterized by a certain state and dignity…her attire…seemed to express the attitude of her spirit, the desperate recklessness of her mood…that SCARLET LETTER so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. (Hawthorne 40-41)

I’m sure feminists would find Hester’s release from jail impressive. Hester came out looking strong and beautiful; she left the on looking crowd speechless by her beauty and unabashed, haughty smile. This shows that even though they tried to put her down for her sins, she still found her way to shine, especially by making the shameful “A”, a beautiful “A”. A criticism of The Scarlet Letter by Robert S. Levine also notes that “Hester’s dissident side…associates her with antebellum feminism” (P 276).

However, Hester could also be seen as anti-feminist because she too looks down at her actions.

Here, she said to herself, had been the scene of  her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment; and so, perchance, the torture of her daily shame would at length purge her sould, and work out another purity than that which she had lost; more saint-like, because of martyrdom. (Hawthorne 56)

On the contrary, it still takes a strong woman to stay in that community and bear the punishment instead of fleeing. Not only did she stay and endured her punishment, Hester also made herself useful to the community. She was handy with the needle and was frequently asked to make garments. She also always shared the little that she had to the poor. Eventually, Hester’s good deeds made her one bad deed fade away, yet she continued to wear the scarlet letter. Perhaps because the letter “A” not only represented adultery, but it stood for Arthur, which was Minister Dimmesdale’s first name, whom she loved enough to protect from shame and humiliation.

Love is also a major part of the novel. There is the maternal love between Hester and her daughter Pearl and there is also the romantic love between Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale, her partner in sin. There is nothing like a mother's love, a love that is strong, forgiving, and never ending. However, as we read, Hester often found herself asking herself if Pearl was a demon offspring. When she looked into Pearl’s eyes she saw “a face, fiend-like, full of smiling malice” in them, which would bring doubts into Hester’s mind (Hawthorne 66). Nevertheless, Hester kept Pearl. “I will not give her up!...What are a mother's rights, and how much the stronger they are, when that mother has but her child and the scarlet letter” (Hawthorne 76). Pearl, being the creation of Hester and Arthur’s forbidden love, is what connects them all together, which makes it important that they all love each other. Hester truly loved Arthur, and he reciprocated the feelings.  “He loves thee, my little Pearl, and loves thy mother too” (Hawthorne 135). Hester hated to see Arthur suffer. She proposed that they leave it all behind and start again. “Let us not look back, the past is gone!..I undo it all, and make it as it had never been!” (Hawthorne 130). Hester wanted them to be able to be a happy family together, in a place where they need not hide their prohibited relationship. Throughout all those years, Hester was a strong and independent single mother, despite the struggle of having to face a society that looked down on her, a society that did not see her fit to be a mother, a society that thought that little Pearl was a child of the devil. This leads to me repeat that it is quite evident that Hester embodied all the ideal attributes of a feminist. The reason that she then wanted to leave the society that had isolated her for so many years is not that she could no longer face the hardships, but because she knew that it was the only way Dimmesdale would be with them, she knew that the happiness and love of her family was more important than continuing to pay for a mistake they had made years prior.

            Ultimately, The Scarlet Letter is ruled by feminism and love, and could not have been written from a patriarchal author. Critics may oppose that statement but I feel that any way you interpret The Scarlet Letter, it will lead you back to both feminism and love because they are intertwined in this novel. Hester’s feminist strength that helps her through her punishment is born from both the maternal love for Pearl, and the forbidden love she feels towards Arthur Dimmesdale…all of which are the creation of Hawthorne’s mind. Therefore, I make the concluding statement that feminism and love are the main components of The Scarlet Letter.

Works Cited

Bayme, Nina. "Revisiting Hawthorne's Feminism." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. A Norton Critical Edition ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. 540-58. Print.

Brownson, Orestes. "From Brownson's Quarterly." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. A Norton Critical Edition ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. 250-53. Print.

DeSalvo, Louise. "Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Feminists: The Scarlet Letter." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. A Norton Critical Edition ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. 500-12. Print.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. A Norton Critical Edition ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. Print.

Levine, Robert S. "Antebellum Feminists on Hawthorne: Reconsidering the Reception of The Scarlet Letter." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. A Norton Critical Edition ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. 270-90. Print.

Week Thirteen

Pending

Week Twelve - Glogster and Annotated Bibliography #3

Glogster in place of difficulty paper #3:
http://jeanettem11.glogster.com/hesterafeminist/

Annotated Bibliography:

Brownson, Orestes. "From Brownson's Quarterly." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. A Norton Critical Edition ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. 250-53. Print.

In his criticism, 19^th Century critic Orestes Brownson, from Brownson’s Quarterly, does not care to praise Hawthorne on his writing, instead he criticizes Hawthorne’s portrayal of morals in the story. Brownson says:  

The adulteress suffers not from remorse, but from regret, and from the disgrace to which her crime has exposed her…The minister, her accomplice, suffers also, horribly…but not from the fact of the crime itself, but from the consciousness of not being what he seems to the world…Neither ever really repents of the criminal deed; nay, neither ever regards it as really criminal, and both seem to hold it to have been laudable, because they loved one another…Mr. Hawthorne in the present case seeks to excuse Hester Prynne, a married woman, for loving the Puritan minister, on the grounds that she had no love for her husband…sin is sin, and that it is pardonable only through the great mercy of God. (p.251)

Brownson’s whole criticism is spent on criticizing Hawthorne’s portrayal of morals in The Scarlet Letter. He does not like the fact that it seems that Hawthorne justifies Hester’s sin by the fact that she and the minister loved each other. He says that Hawthorne does not understand Christianity, remorse, and confession at all. He does not offer one word of praise for Hawthorne and even ends his criticism with that.

Week Eleven - Glogster and Annotated Bibliography #2

Glogster in place of difficulty paper #2:
http://jeanettem11.glogster.com/scarletletter-love/

Annotated Bibliography:

Bayme, Nina. "Revisiting Hawthorne's Feminism." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. A Norton Critical Edition ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. 540-58. Print.

In this criticism, Nina Baym opposes the idea that many reject Nathaniel Hawthorne as a male feminist. She says that Hawthorne made a distinction between the types of women: dark and fair. The dark ladies are “real”, while the fair ladies are “a ‘social myth’ invented to discipline ‘real’ women.” Baym feels that because of how Hawthorne portrays women, he is a feminist. She knows that people have called him a patriarchal sexist, but does not think that a patriarchal author could have created a character such as Hester. She insists that Hester’s character is made to “signify something entirely different – able, admirable”, which leads her to claim that the novel itself is characterized by feminism. 

Week Ten - Difficulty Paper and Annotated Bibliography #1

Difficulty Paper:

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne was extremely difficult for me to read. I just could NOT concentrate on it. When I tried to read a page, I would find myself spacing out and would have to go back and reread it. The repetitive process of having to reread pages and chapters over and over again made reading The Scarlet Letter a very long process. It is very uncommon for me to spend that much time trying to get through a book. I just finished it last week, which has caused me to get behind on my blog posts. Now that I have gone through it, I can write about the difficulties I encountered reading it.

One of the things that made The Scarlet Letter difficult to read was Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing style. The language is confusing and he often uses uncommon words that I hadn’t heard of, but after the reader gets used to the old English and has a dictionary available, or simply uses context clues to figure out the meanings of the strange words, it is not a major problem. What most made reading The Scarlet Letter boring to me was the amount of description. There is so much description in this novel that I find is completely unnecessary. Many praise him for his exquisite descriptions in writing, but I just found that it just made the story drag along. I found that the main story of The Scarlet Letter itself was rather interesting and moving, especially from the feminist and sociological point of views. If the story was condensed into less description and perhaps more action, it would make a much better read. But that’s just my opinion.

Annotated Bibliography:

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. A Norton Critical Edition ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2005. Print.

The Scarlet Letter is a romance that is about more than just love. It is about the hardships that Hester Prynne, the main character, has to face for committing adultery in a Puritan society. Hester had an extra-marital affair that resulted in a pregnancy and of course, that was evidence that everyone in town could see after a few months, but the father of the child was unknown. Hester was punished by being jailed and forced to wear an embroidered letter A. The A stood for adultery/er and was there for everyone to see, for Hester to be set apart from the rest of the PURE-itan society. Hester was asked to reveal the name of her child’s father, but she refused. When released from prison, Hester chose not to flee the place in which she was looked down upon. Rather, she chose to stay because she felt that staying and bearing her punishment was necessary to purge her soul. As the years pass, Hester notices that her child’s father becomes weak with guilt, and proposes that they leave the past behind, move and start their lives over. They agree to it and they feel much better. However, when the father, who is Dimmesdale, the town minister, finally reveals to everyone that he committed adultery with Hester Prynne, he passes away. Hester and Pearl moved away, but the story ends with Hester returning and ultimately being buried next to Dimmesdale’s grave.

Week Seven - Feminist Analysis on "Girl"

Girl (1978) by Jamaica Kincaid

Girl can best be analyzed by the Feminist perspective because it is about a girl who is being taught the “right” way to do things as a woman. Girl is written in the second person point of view, in which the reader is the girl that the speaker is speaking to and advising about how to behave.

At the beginning of the short story, it seems that the girl is just being taught some basic rules and manners that one should always remember, but then the speaker throws in, “on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming;” (Kincaid Line 11). The girl the narrator is referring to is often told to not be “the slut you are so bent on becoming”.

The diction, tone, and style of this story make it seem as if the speaker is telling the girl how a proper lady must behave. The diction degrades women; the word “slut” is used to describe a girl that does not behave like a “proper” lady. The tone is commanding; we see a repetitive “this is how” throughout the short story. The style of the short story is in lines, which allows each line to be a command. For example:

“This is how you smile to someone you don’t like too much;

this is how you smile at someone you don’t like at all;

this is how you smile to someone you like completely’” (Kincaid Lines 28-30).

                Another aspect that affects the view of women in the story that should be noticed from the feminist perspective is the setting in which the girl is placed in. When the speaker says “When buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse” (Kincaid Line 7), it makes the reader assume that the story may take place back in the day when it was common for women to make their own clothing. The title tells us that the story was written in 1978. The setting of the story may be before or in 1978, which would coincide with the view of women’s roles portrayed in the story. Women have always had fewer rights than men have. Women have always had to behave a certain way, and do certain things to be considered a proper woman. It used to be frowned upon, and still is by some people, for women to engage in things that were “manly”.  One of the commands given to the girl: “don’t swat down to play marbles – you are not a boy, you know” (Kincaid Line 39), depicts this point exactly. Women were held on a short leash when it came to behavior. It is obvious that speaker in the short story speaks on behalf of society when she/he tells the girl how to act, how to do things, how to walk, how to smile and how to be a proper woman, not a slut. The short story basically portrays what society expects from a proper woman, anything less is considered a slut.

Week Six - Rough Draft

The Flowers

The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb is a story surrounding the life of Sonny, a teenager who must fend for himself in life. Sonny’s mother is not an ideal parental figure, leaving him with the responsibility of making his own choices. Sonny is shown as an independent person who does well in fending for himself. As the story moves on Sonny gradually grows, and his personality and behavior noticeably changes. From a sociological standpoint, the setting that Sonny is thrown into seems to be a direct cause of those changes. The bad influences and racism surrounding Sonny’s new home impact him as he is becoming a man; the setting influences him to make bad decisions and behave recklessly.

At the beginning of the story, Sonny seems to be an innocent but seemingly harmless kid. He is shown to have a tough exterior, but the reader can esasilly see that he has a knack for getting into trouble. Not that he looks for trouble, it finds him. He does not pick fights, but will defend himself when the situation arises. This attribute of his personality is shown right in the beginning of the story, where he is the victim of one of his mother’s angry ex-boyfriends. “I found that big knife…I didn’t care if he carried a gun. He comes in, I cut the dude” (Gilb 7). Of course the man was able to overpower Sonny, which resulted in the knife cutting into Sonny’s own stomach. One would expect him to be traumatized by that experience, but it doesn’t faze his confidence; it only hardens his exterior shell, toughens his personality.

 This toughening up continues especially rapidly when his mom, Silvia, marries Cloyd and moves them into Cloyd’s apartment, Los Flores. At first Sonny keeps to himself, but eventually the setting he is placed in leads to the rise of relationships which lead to his rapid behavioral changes. Because he prefers to be out of the apartment he shares with Cindy and The Cloyd, Sonny appreciates the tasks that Cloyd gives him and begins to learn about the tenants that live in Los Flores. One of the relationships that arises from his chores and particularly changes Sonny the most is that between him and Cindy. Cindy is a desperate housewife who lures Sonny in with her seductive powers. However that is not the only thing that lures Sonny in; he is also lured by not wanting to look like a childish fool in front of her. “Smoking it meant sex to me” (Gilb 173). So he falls into Cindy’s seductive trap and not only begins to become sexual with her, but smokes mota, weed. That and his home situation causes his personality to darken. He gets angry at Cindy for attracting him, because he knows it’s wrong to be with a married woman, but at the same time likes being intimate with her.

Sonny also befriends Pink, the car salesman, which is also a relationship that changed him.  With Pink, he drinks malt liquor and even gets behind the wheel when he knows that he shouldn’t be either of  those, much less both at the same time. However Pink is not completely a bad influence. He advises sonny, “you don’t want to be getting too used to no drinking at your young age. You don’t let this crazy cat lead you into wrong…that is a good man in the making, one who ain’t gonna be led by nobody. Ain’t that right Sonny?” (Gilb 67).

Analyzing those two relationships shows how the setting affects the people Sonny is around and how that affect him as he matures. The relationships that have arised have changed his personality and behavior drastically. He is much more likely to have an angry temper and do things that a kid his age shouldn’t be doing. Perhaps his reckless behavior may give him a sense of power in his life. At that stage of adolescence, they may also make him feel like more of a man than he was before, seeing as how he is exposed to many things he wasn’t before.

Furthermore, another thing that the setting exposes to Sonny and affects him is the strong sense of racism found there. Cloyd is one of the characters that is extremely racist and quick to stereotype. Sonny is exposed to Cloyd’s hatred of blacks and frequent comments and comparisons of Mexicans and Blacks. “‘They’re all around us, multiplying like Mexicans.’ He heard himself say that and he looked up at me, embarassed for a couple of seconds... ‘At least for Mexicans it’s because they’re of the Catholic faith’” (Gilb 110). Cloyd’s racist comments annoy Sonny, especially when they hit close to home. “I love to eat them tacos…now I even got myself married to a pretty little Mexican gal” (Gilb 51).  Sonny does not like how Cloyd sees his mother, like “he was the luckiest man because her warm body was next to him…thank you Lord” (Gilb 13). Even Sonny’s mom dislikes his comments and they both enjoy a laugh when they find out that one of the tenants are messing with Cloyd. Sylvia tells Sonny, “‘[Pink’s] an albino’…Cuando le dije a Cloyd, ay, he died de un infarto!’…We both liked so much the idea of Pink messing with Cloyd and Bud” (Gilb 195). However Cloyd’s racist comments are not the only things Sonny is exposed to living at Los Flores. The time period in which Sonny is in also exposes him to the Los Angeles riots. “My dad said nada mas que some todo pedo mayata got pulled over y then, salieron los diablos, the whole city went crazy” (Gilb 218).

These two things that the setting brings upon Sonny: bad influences and racism, are a definite factor in the changes that Sonny goes through as he matures. Sonny ultimately grows to become a strong man, a man that does bad, but is truly good at heart.

Week Five - Idea Paper - Sociological Perspective

If I focused on the Sociological perspective, I would focus on how the setting that Dagoberto Gilb placed Sonny in creates a dramatic change in Sonny’s behavior.

In the beginning of the story Sonny seems to be a not too innocent but seemingly harmless kid. He is shown to have a tough exterior and a knack for getting into trouble. Not that he looks for trouble, it comes to him. He does not pick fights, but will defend himself when the situation arises.

However, when his mother marries Cloyd and they move to Los Flores, his behavior changes quickly. At first he just keeps to himself, but eventually the setting he is placed in leads to the rise of relationships which lead to his behavioral changes. One of the relationships that changes him is that between him and Cindy. He falls into Cindy’s seductive trap and begins to smoke weed and have sexual encounters with her. That and his home situation causes his personality to darken. He gets angry at Cindy for attracting him, because he  knows it’s wrong to be with a married woman. He also befriends Pink, the car salesman, which is also a relationship that changed him.  With Pink, he drinks malt liquor and even gets behind the wheel when he knows that he shouldn’t be either of  those, much less both at the same time.

I feel that just looking at those two relationships show how that setting has changed his personality and behavior so much. He is much more likely to have an angry temper and do things that a kid his age shouldn’t be doing. I feel that those things may give him a sense of power in his life. They may also make him feel like more of a man than he was before.

Another reason why the setting affects Sonny is the strong sense of racism found there. Cloyd is one of the characters that is racist and is quick to stereotype. Sonny is exposed to Cloyd’s hatred of blacks and frequent comments and comparisons of Mexicans and Blacks.

So those are the two major factors in which setting affects Sonny that I would focus my analysis on: the influences of the people around him and the racism found in his new neighborhood. 

Week Four - The Stolen Money

I think that there are two likely things that Sonny will do with the money he stole from Cloyd.

1)      In the beginning of the story Sonny tells us, “I made a decision to save this money, to use it right. Also because stealing made me feel shitty, and I didn’t like that part much. So it seemed better that if I wasn’t wasting it, if it wasn’t exactly gone, just put away for necessary things, it wasn’t as bad” (P. 49), which leads to me to believe that he will put away the money and not touch it at all. I’m sure that he’s just going to hide it for the meanwhile, and perhaps later use it for a “good cause”. Perhaps he will save it and wait until he has enough money to take him to France, or at least enough to get him away from Los Flores.

2)      Another possibility is that he gives that money to Nica to help her get out of the apartment she is trapped in. He mentions earlier in the book that he wishes he could help her. He even confides that to Joe and Mike: “I just told them about Nica. I told them how I wished I could do something, how I didn’t see why she had to live like that” (P. 205). So out of these two theories, I think the most likely one to happen is that he will use the money to help out Nica.

Because although he loves speaking French, it seems to be just an act; he does not seem to have a genuine interest in going to Notre Dame. He mostly like speaking French because it makes Nica happy, even if it is just for a short period of time. Which goes back to how he wants Nica to be happy and wants to help her, so I’m sure that he will use the money to do just that.

If I was in Sonny’s position, I would’ve done what I predict that he will do: use the money to help out Nica. I mean, yes it’s wrong that he stole, and maybe it would’ve been better for him to simply get a new envelope and put it back, but in my point of view, Cloyd doesn’t really need that money. He probably wouldn’t even notice that it was gone. Therefore, I would rather give it someone who does need it, to someone who will appreciate it. Giving it to Nica would make me feel good because in helping her escape the trap she lives in, I would be making her life better. And helping people always makes me happy. (:

Metacognitive Reflection of My Reading Habits

I love to read. There’s nothing I love more than curling up with a book and losing myself in the world of the book. My boss says you know that you’re a good reader when you see pictures in your head when you read. So I suppose I’m a good reader, because when I read my brain does more than just see pictures…sometimes I’ve played out the whole book so well as I’ve read along that I can’t remember if I read the book, or I saw it in a movie. It’s pretty intense. I’ve noticed that reading is very important in expanding your vocabulary. I’ve also noticed that expanding your vocabulary really enhances reading. You begin to notice the words you never knew existed in books you’ve already read! That just goes to show that good readers don’t need to read word by word to grasp the meaning of a story.

I don’t get to read often because I have a busy schedule, but when I get a good book in my hands, it is extremely hard to put it down! If I start a book at night, I’m more than likely to read through the night until I finish it. I do not like having to stop and wait to find out what happens next! Which leads to the next topic of discussion, the difficulties of reading The Flowers. I haven’t had any difficulties reading the text. The only difficulty I’ve had so far is trying to pace myself and not read too far ahead. Other than that, The Flowers is an easy and great read.

Themes

I think the themes that drive this novel are of family and growing up. The theme I am choosing is the theme of family. This theme of family mostly impacts Sonny, Sylvia, and the Cloyd.

In the beginning of the story, we learn that the only “family” Sonny has is his mom. I say “family” because she is the only blood-related family he has left. However, he also has his dog Goofy that he considers a part of the family. As the story goes on, one could consider that his family has grown to include the twins, Jose and Miguel; the lady from Alley Cats, Mrs. Zuniga; and possibly the car salesman, Pink.

The family of theme impacts Sylvia because she seemingly wanted to create a better life for Sonny and herself and tries to do that by marrying Cloyd, making them a family.  She even attempts to be cook and be a mother to Sonny. However at this point, Sonny seems to prefer to be away from his mother.

The family of theme impacts Cloyd because it seems like he truly wanted to be a family with Sylvia and Sonny. He likes that he has a Mexican wife to cook for him, although she does not like the idea of being a housewife which seems to cause some tension between them. He even tries to create a bond with Sonny, but Sonny has no interest in befriending him.

A Scene I can Relate To

A scene that I can relate to is when Sonny is with Nica, pages 57-61. In this scene, the reader can see that Sonny really likes Nica. Sonny sees that Nica doesn’t have a very happy life, and sort of makes it his mission to make her happy and show her how to have fun. The part I particularly relate to is when he is trying to get her to go out with him and have fun.

I relate to this because I am such a people pleaser. When someone is down, I want to make them happy. For example, I have a friend that lives somewhat like Nica. She has to babysit her siblings, do chores around her house, do homework, all while having a part time job.  She feels very stressed out, especially because she often has drama with her mother. She feels that her mother doesn’t appreciate all the help and they constantly fight about it. She does a lot for her mom, but her mom still doesn’t think it’s enough. It makes me very sad that her mom doesn’t appreciate all of my friend’s hard work  so I try to get her out of the house as much as possible because I don’t want her to go the wrong route. Because of the stress and drama, she has considered moving in with her boyfriend so that she can get away from her mother. As much as they fight, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I tell her that she should just stick it out until she goes to college. In the meanwhile, I tell her to look at the positive parts of her relationship with her mother. Her mom allows her to go out sometimes, so I make sure she enjoys the free time to the fullest.

In an objective perspective, this scene was written to show the concern Sonny feels for Nica’s happiness, and how much he cares for her. I feel that this scene impacts the novel by showing the growing connection between them and maybe foreshadows a future relationship against the will of Nica’s parents.

These two interpretations of the scene are similar because they are both about caring for another person’s well being. However, they are different because my personal interpretation was about caring for a friend, while the interpretation about the author’s intention was about Sonny caring about Nica as more than just a friend.

Prediction

I read up to page 50 and found that Sonny is very unhappy with his life, mostly because of his mother. I predict that their relationship is going to be the major plot line of this book. He does not approve of his mother’s behavior and feels that she does not really care for him. As the reader, I get the impression that she does care about him. I predict that by the end of the book, Sonny realizes that she always did care and that the relationship between him and his mother has improved greatly. I think that as their relationship grows, so will his success. He seems to want to make something out of his life. I wonder that maybe, at the end of this book will end up going to Notre Dame... I also predict that a relationship between him and Cindy will arise, and that she will be part of the improvement of Sonny’s relationship with his mom. The relationship between him and Cindy may create problems because of the fact that she is married, but maybe they’ll end up together.  I hope it has a happy ending. (:

I am...

I am...Jeanette Martinez. I am a senior at the Gilroy Early College Academy. I will be graduating this May with both a High School diploma and an Associate's degree in Multiple Subjects. That’s what I am at the moment, but what will I be in the future?

I plan to take my Associate’s degree to the next level and get a Teaching Credential in Multiple Subjects so that I can also continue what I do now.  I am currently working for two non-profit organizations that provide Supplemental Educational Services to children from low-income households, Learning Ladder and Math Think. I started volunteering there when I was 15 and started working when I was 16. In one year, I rose to the role of Administrative Assistant. I have seen and been part of all aspects of the administration and tutoring. Because I’m aware of how it all works, I would like to one day begin my own SES Company and continue servicing children in the state of California. Because of my experience and knowledge of this job, I’m undecided in whether to major in Business Administration or English with an emphasis on Creative Writing. I like the idea of creating a business to help children, but it is also my dream to one day to become a published author. I have so many ideas in my head, but am never quite able to get it all on paper, and also always feel like there’s room for improvement. It’s a difficult process. I don’t know how people ever decide when their story is ready to publish! I love reading more than anything. Before I become an author, I also want to become a part of the publishing industry. I want to see and be a part of the making of those books that I love so much. I find the publication process a fascinating thing to learn about.

Many people know exactly what they want to be. They choose a career and pursue it. My plans are different. There are so many things that I want to be…one lifetime is not enough! But I am still going to try to make the most out of my lifetime. I don’t plan on working at one place my whole life. I would get bored. I want to have several different (well paying) occupations throughout my lifetime. I want to have options. That is why I want to continue my education. So I just might B.A. in English with an emphasis on Creative Writing, a Teaching Credential in Multiple Subjects, AND also go somewhere with this business idea of mine. I’m sure that will open plenty more opportunities in various occupations than just the ones I am aspiring for, and I am going to take advantage of as many of those opportunities that time will permit and be the best that I can be.