Silver Spoons and Wooden Legs

Silver Spoons and Wooden Legs

            Think of yourselves for just one second, think about what you have, think about what you want, think about what makes you happy, and then what you need to survive. Are your needs and your wants things that have a fine line between them? Now use some empathy and put yourself in the shoes of someone that lives in a third world country, or cut off from civilization, even some of the less fortunate that could be living on the streets. Compare your wants and needs to theirs, are they different? Are they the same? Now think about your chances of living right now, battling all of the sperms in order to be the most dominate, but not knowing what was going to be next. Not knowing if you will be born rich, poor, tall, short or mentally handicapped. We cannot decide the color of our skin, or the region that we are brought into to. When it comes down to it some people are born with a wooden leg and some are born with a silver spoon, what are you born with? While being born into an underprivileged family might be considered a wooden leg in first world, could be considered a silver spoon in third world countries.  

            As myself come from a middle class middle income family, never had too much and never had enough, when comparing to what I thought I always deserved. Well what I deserved and what I thought I deserved are two different things. I was always wishing I had more, and that I needed more, that what I had was not sufficient. Never stopping and thinking about others less fortunate than me, who do not have anything near as I do. For the reason that they were born with a wooden leg, they had no say in what they wanted or deserved. They just got what they got and that’s it. Myself, being fortunate enough to own my own car, sustain my own job, and attend school at my own free will are some things people would give their lives for. Yet, there are days that I come home from work, complaining about my job, and complaining about school and saying how I deserve more than this. My mind has always been tuned subconsciously that “enough is never enough” I could always have more, and why don’t I have more, I need to go get more. I am never stopping to think about the others who physically cannot have more. The ones who need to have more in order to survive, but must make due and adapt to what they can find.

            While I do not say shame on us who were born semi-fortunate, or attempt to criticize first world nations. It is in our human nature to do the best we can do in our given situation, and to my knowledge we only live once, so why not try and make it the best the life we are given. This is not being selfish, but understanding what is always in our best interest to do. Sometimes our best interest though can be more selfish then it need be. In turn taking the things we already have for granted, and striving to achieve more than necessary. People living in first world countries who are economically stable can find it quite easy to lose sight of what we need in order to live, then focusing our economics on obtaining life closer to luxury.

            I work as a detailer at an auto dealership; I like to think of my job as washing and cleaning people’s extravagant pieces of debit. People come in with these champagne tastes and soda pockets attempting to buy a vehicle that has more features than a space shuttle. Some of the people can afford the vehicle but a majority of them will make themselves afford it. I think that we want something new in life, and that buying a new car turns a new page in life for some.  Then when sitting down with the sales person they decide that they need the heated seats, steering wheel and mirrors, as well as the panoramic sun roof. I think that sometimes people come in looking for a 4 star hotel on wheels with a voice guided personal assistant. While I cannot say that some do not need these features, while some might suffer from frosted butt syndrome, I can say that new vehicles are defiantly catering to us in a way that could be seen as unnecessary. If you look at the people who live in some underdeveloped nations where there are no roads for cars with heated seats and panoramic sun roofs, just their own two feet and the motivation and drive to get where they need to go.

            The thought I want you to leave with is that life itself is a luxury that money cannot buy and some people are born being more fortunate and life comes easy, some being born and must work hard to achieve the small luxuries and comfort, and some are born with a wooden leg.  Sometimes the least fortunate will slip from our minds as we get carried away in our everyday stressful lives, but we should not forget that they are there and they deserve just as much as everyone else. We all have something in common and that is that we all inhabit the same earth, we are all born the same way, and that we are all created equal. I know I will think about this the next time I go to grab my morning coffee and drive to my stressful job and try to stop complaining about how I deserve more, because there are people out there that have nothing but a wooden leg.

The initial first Reaction of the towns people to the ministers secret

"The crowd was in a tumult. The men of rank and dignity, who stood more immediately around the clergymen, were so taken by suprise, and so perplexed as to the purport of what they saw,- unable to receive the explanation which most readily presented itself, or to imagine any other,- that they remained silent and inactive spectators of the judgement which Providence seemed about to work. They beheld the minister, leaning on Hester's should, and supported by her arm around him, approach the scaffold, and ascend its steps;  while still the little hand of the sin-born child was clasped in his". (160)

The crowd when, Dimmsdale reveals his secret, at this moment are in shock and are talking, and every one is talking causeing commotion amoung the crowd. Like every one looking at eachother as if like "did you see that"? "whats going on" Every on is in confusion,

"For an instand the gaze of horror-stricken multitude was concentrated on the ghastly miracle; while the minister stood, with a flush of triumph in his face, as one who, in the crisis of acutest pain had won victory". (161)

So the the towns people were in awe and shock and horror, yet however Dimmsdale is in feeling of repentness, and triumph for the fact that he can finally confess and not have to die a sinner, and as well not sit on the burning secret that has been haunting him for seven years.

Scarlet Letter Research paper Brain storming...

There are a few things that I find interesting in the scarlet letter. One is Why does she make the letter "A" so elaborate and decorative? it is almost like she embraces the letter "A", and says " i did what i did and im a human being and my personal life is no one elses business!" So maybe she is showing it off as a sort of F*%k you puritans. How ever when reading a bit further into the text i saw that the letter "A" could as well be interperated for her new lover Auther Dimmesdale. See Hester i believe loves the minnister so much that she made the "A" so elaborate to sort of trick her own mind into thinking that it was meant for Dimmisdale. This way she could show her love for him and she would be coping with the stress of being critisied in public. I think that it could be a sort of double meaning. Her red "A" could also be related to the word anarchy. See since Hester and her daughter pearl are so out casted and the only rules were the black and white back then so to the town hester was a social anarchist.

Annotated bibliography

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


In this novel Hawthorne tells the story of Hester Prynne and how her husband "left" her. And while e was gone Hester committed adultery and had a baby from it. The husband was the towns own famous Minister Auther Dimmesdale. Hester refuses to say who the husband is, so instead of being burned or killed she must wear the letter "A" on her chest for life to show the crime she had done. Hester is a renegade and a social outcast yet she sort of embraces it to show early signs of feminism. Her daughter Pearl is also a little trouble maker child compared to the puritan community and the ways of the normal children. She as well wears an "A" and sticks up for her own mother. The husband who "left" her comes back and sees hester on the stage and every one criticizes her and he goes undercover to try and find out what man would not be next to her on that stage. So he takes up a new name and becomes the towns doctor. He ends up becoming crazy and tries to kill Dimmsdale with poison when he finds that He had branded an "A" on his chest. It is a very complex and detailed character description and social interaction novel. So many social norms every one must abide to, and to have a first social outcast that was not a witch but a criminal per say in the eyes of a puritan. Hawthorne has created a piece of literary art work.

Difficulty paper 2

I am trying to understand if Hawthorne is a feminist or not. Now I know that this a big topic that could be written in a research paper. And how Peal is looked at as a demonic imp. But it sorta irates me because he is speaking about how hester and pearl kind of do their own thing. They do not follow the same rules that the rest of the puritan society follows. I mean most of the town thinks that peral is almost demonic, but it seems like they kind of just flush it off their shoulders because hester is all ready being almost shamed to death and I bet that the town sees hester as a bad parent any ways so they dont take notice to it.

"Come away mother , Come away or yonder old black man will catch you! he hath got ahold of minster already."(90)
" She now skipped irreverently from one grave to another; until coming to the broad, flat, armorial tomb stone of  a departed worthy-perhaps of Issac  Johnson himself,- she began to dance upon it." (89).

Chillingworth and Dimmsdale then after talk about how they cannot belive that Pearl could act this way, as if she were a devil child or imp or some other force. Im in shock that no one sees this and start the Salem witch trials off this! I mean if the whole town is soo bent on becoming a good saint in the puritans eyes and to never do wrong and vanquish the devil from where it ever it comes from, why wouldn't Peal be prime suspect number one. Possibly its because she is a child or for some other reason. How ever she is having an effect on the town in a very quaint way but soon years centenary later. That was womans rights movement. This is evidence that not every one back then in this time were okay with the social rights given to every one. I mean Roger and Dimmsdale say in a scene right around where i quoted that Pearl was not like the other children as if she were made of different elements. I believe that he is referencing that she has a sort of free spirit and is not going to let the laws of social critisims and reputation break down her spirit of who she is because she has the ability to know what is right with out realizing it simply because she was born with human instincts just like ourselves.

So how is Hawthorne writing about all of this compelling out of bounds stuff if it hasent quite happed yet? Well sure there were always people fighting for womens rights. But it was rare to find a male doing it as well with out having his writings be completely overlooked because of it. So i wish i guess to know was he criticized back then for and because of it? Would be great to know! thanks!

Difficulty paper

Let me start off by saying that I do not read much in my free time, heck only when I absolutely have to. But when I take English classes I usually know that I will be reading a book so I get a little excited! And the flowers was phenominal! And when I started the Scarlett letter I got weary and felt like I had put my mind through a washing machine full of words from the 16 th centuary dirty clothes! It is hard to read. The way how hawthorn describes specific objects making the read believe that it will be of some importance later on in the book, but usually is not. I really wish that some one could re write the Scarlett letter in modern English and translate word for word would make the book overall better, for the reason that it would be easier to comprehend. Any ways I did how ever manage to get into it better by relating similar things that happend in the book to my life, those are personal to me however. I did as well try to put my feet in the shoes of a towns person there just watching what happens. Or some times thinking it of a bad movie that I paid for and must sit and watch and understand no matter how boring. The book did have some fire starters though which make it a suprise at times making it better. I know it will get better as well just have to navigate through the mucky 10 pt times new roman black font waters to understand the good stuff.

Girl-imitation

Take out garbage every week
Go to work or school or be kicked out of house
must work full time or go to school full time or part of both
dont do wrong
dont get speeding tickets or pay the extra insurance
Always be considerate to ever one
Always be nice to every one
fighting is not an answer to anything, use language to talk it out
Dont steal or hurt other peoples feelings
think before you act
when driving always remember clutch out gas in gas out clutch in
always look in the mirrors for other drivers and especially for cops
stay out of jail
stay out of rehab
stay in college untill you have a degree
go to UCSC
get degree in business management
learn manderine chinese
go to hongkong
come back get internship
be more sucessful then both of your older brothers combined.

The story of an hour- Kate Chompin

In this story is the reoccurring theme of sexism as in the story Girl by Kincaid. Talks of a lonely women who get news of her husbands death, she is saddend, then is happy, extremely happy. For the simple fact that she does not have to be married to her husband no longer. She is stricken with joy! untill her husband walks threw the door unaware of an accident and she dies right there of a heart attack because she knows that she will no longer be free anymore.

When she finds of her husbands death she locks herself in a bathroom sobbing. Peering out threw an open window where it is a beautiful day with birds, and clear blue skies. She all of a sudden realizes that she is no longer tied down by the wedding bands of marriage and begins to utter that she is free! She then starts to think of all of the things she can and will do because she is  no longer tied down by her husband, which i guess he was tell her what to do and controlling her life. All in this however it is mentioned that her husband did greatly love and adore his wife. But she didnt love the fact that she was being controlled. Seems like a love hate relationship. So then she hears some one come threw the door and it is her husband. She dies of her heart condition, because to be sunken down so fast about her husbands death to then being quickly uplifted by the fact she is free, to then shock of the fact that he is still alive is heart stopping. this is what i would call a bit of  irony for the fact that she is so happy to be rid of the husband and then eventually it kills her because of it. 

Girl-Jamaica Kincaid

In the poem Girl by Jamaica Kincaid, talks about how a girl, assuming a little girl, does the things that she is taught and told to do. They are totally sexist things she is told as well. Her parents, possibly just mother or father,  completely brain wash this little girl into thinking that if she does not do all of these things she will become a slut. She stresses all of the little things that she has to do and remember, ironing, setting tables, setting tables for important guests, how to sew buttons and their corresponding holes. All mean while you can tell that she is becoming angry with all of these little things and wishes to have fun and do stuff that every one else is. But the parent(s) is brain washing and training her to become a step ford wife women and wife.

it is stressed in the poem about her becoming a slut. "This is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and to prevent yourself from looking like the slut you are bent on becoming."(Kincaid,2). She says it like her father is telling her to do these things or she will become a slut. And to stay away from boys. When there is an almost hint that she wants to experiment with the opposite sex to make her dad angry. When she talks about how to make birth control. " This is how to make good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child" (Kincaid, 3). As well as when she says "don't pick people's flowers-you might catch some thing" (Kincaid, 3). I think this is a metaphor to not have sex with other peoples spouses for the fact that you could make them mad and they will try to hurt you. Then there is a big one, the one that makes her think twice about being a slut and experiment. "but what if the baker won't let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker wont let near the bread?" (Kincaid, 3). She is saying that if she sleeps around the baker will hear about it. And so when she is growen up the baker wont let her touch the bread because he does not know where her dirty hand have been, and does not wish for the bread to be dirty.

So this entire poem is about how doing all of these tasks is supposed to make her look good in the eyes of people, but deep down make her sad. However that some of it is actually good because if she were to do what she wished then there is the possibility that she could ruin her public image. Its a poem of opposites, and deciding in the middle.

Rough Draft.

Scott Wright
English 1b
3/7/11

Rough Draft (The Difference in Rolls of the Bravos)


When Sonny was growing up he never had much of a father figure. It was always Sylvia, his mom, Ceci, his sister, and himself. Father left early on, and not much is said about him in the book. Sylvia is a very pretty  mother who many men are attracted too even as she begins to age. She uses it to her advantage, but still acts a bit younger then a middle aged mother with two kids. In this essay I will be using the reader response theory to break apart how Sonny acts as his own father, and grows to become a man. In that he evolves to be more mature then his own mother. While Sylvia is still stuck in her old ways, and maybe very caring to her son, she is just a teenager stuck in a woman’s body with a beautiful face.
It came to me that Ceci was not just an older sister to Sonny and a daughter to Sylvia. She was a sister to both Sonny and metaphorically to Sylvia. Sonny says about Sylvia, “She would go after Ceci with belts or wooden hangers or what ever was near.” (Gilb,5). Then Sonny says, “ Sometimes both of them would cry for a while during and after, though mostly it was my sister, once she got old enough, and meaner, until she finally stopped being at home much.” (Gilb,5). Sonny says that  eventually they both were not talking to Sonny as much, which he thought was great because he had the whole house to himself. It is that Ceci couldn’t stand being in the same house as some one who treats her like a rivaling sister rather then, the daughter she is. We see a bit of immaturity with Sylvia when Sonny says, “My mom would be around for an hour or two, and she’d change clothes, leave or be tired  and went to her bedroom and went to sleep.”(Gilb,6). Sylvia cannot stand to be in her own house because she knows she will fight with her daughter, Ceci. So instead of actually confronting the problem like a mother should do, she reverts into her child like mentality and just avoids the whole situation and goes shopping, or hangs out with her friends. That leaves Sonny home alone too young to go out. Sylvia is having trouble growing out of the “I’m a beautiful 21 year old girl whose ready to party!”. Sylvia is really single middle aged woman with two children who are in a very needy stage of their life.
Once Sylvia meets this handsome man named Cloyd Longpre she marries him with at a very sudden pace it seems like to the reader. She finds that he is the owner of a apartment complex called The Flowers. Sylvia soon realizes that her daughter Ceci is gone, basically cuts all ties with her and starts her own life. Sylvia decides to get married because I think she is having her mid-life crisis, and starts to feel lonely since her daughter is gone and she cant seem to find a suitable mate. Sylvia then uses Cloyd in this fake marriage to take a second chance and prove to Sonny and her self that she can be a great house wife mother. She put this fake mother hood mask on along with her brand new apron, along with a whole new wardrobe just to look like she fits this perfect step-ford house wife, for Cloyd and to prove to sonny that she can do it. Yet she even make basic food and just uses Cloyds money to go and buy dinner and say she made it so every one can say how good she cooks. Sonny points this out by saying “I knew something was more messed up when Cloyd complimented her on the chili salsa. He might as well have complimented her on the tortilla chips, because she bought them at a store too.”(Gilb, 51). Sylvia married Cloyd to ditch her old habits, yet you can still see her sneaking around behind Cloyd’s back going to bars, and clubs and staying out late. When she comes home she is interrogated by Cloyd, just as if she was her daughter Ceci and she came home late and drunk from a party. Cloyd is constantly asking Sonny where his mom is and he doesn’t even know himself. She begins to realize that she might have married the wrong person for all the wrong reasons, money. Sylvia hysterically complains about Cloyd to Sonny,
“Do you know he cares about toilet paper?”
“What?”
“He cares about toilet paper. How much is used.”(Gilb,50)
Sylvia slowly starts to realize that she is going to have to live with the choice she made. And tries very hard to make things work. This is when you see her start to grow up into the mother that she should be, not the too hot to trot with two kids she once was. Instead of packing her bags and making a new move she decides to sick close. While I respect her for that

Should I speak about sonny as well or continue about Sylvia and extend it out with more details?
And  harsh criticism on the introductory paragraph and the title would be nice.

Idea for paper.

It is kind of hard to not write about sonny after have that touching ending with Nica. Talk about how Sonny grew out of being a man and became and adult, and experienced every thing from racisim, stealing, love, sex, drugs, responsibility, hate, violence, and just generally raising himself. Because the fact that his mom was always out and he hated his step dad and so did his mom it seems like. So there is some thing i might write about, how sonny in the begging of the book was a kid, then we watched him become a teenager, then he became a man.

The other thing that i really enjoyed and could write about was about how Syliva does not grow up. She has a son who basically she throws money at and trys to raise him. She loves him dearly, but shes just ignorant. She goes out and parties all the time, and goes shopping more then she goes grocery shopping. Like she was a teen mom who cant get out of her party phase. So she thinks that maybe its time try settling down again, like that would get her life back on track. So once she gets married, shes with Cloyd who she basically only sees the name on his credit card more then she sees his actual face.

Those are just two of the topics i plan to write on one still deciding however. I think i will do a reader response approach to the novel. Not because its the easiest but because i have alot to say about the novel.

Sonny's financial decision

What sonny will do next is very hard to tell. The author does a good job at hiding predictions an leaving you in for a suprise. So sonny has what I belive is around 11-13 hundred dollars. What he will do with it well I have a few predictions:

1) sonny will run away with or with out Nica. Since now sonny owned a car he can have the freedom of going where ever when ever with nothing stopping him, besides the fact he doesn't have a drivers license. He will grow tired of seeing the pathetic cindy hanging around like a dried out grape all ready juiced. Cloyd will make him, eventually, speak up his feelings toward them and they will have a fight and that will be the last strand. And he will just get up and leave every one he made relationships with, but try and convince Nica to go with him. But there is the possiblity she is too young to go with him, he seems a bit more grown then her.

2)Sylvia will have the last hair on that camels back with cloyd and they will get a divorce. Sylvia will move out and take sonny with her. They will go to another place, possibly Mexico or possibly Texas and start a new life once again out there. Once they are on their way to where ever it is they go. Sonny will tell her mom then that he took money from cloyd, but she won't be mad. She will laugh it off and they will use it to help move locations.

3)sonny will give all the money to Nica, but not directly for she will not accept it. So sonny will put it in an envelope and leave it under Nica's door. Not just for her but for her family to finally move out possibly. Or just her possibly, and then she can leave.

See the thing is that the money he has is not alot. Not enough for sl
Emone to move out, possibly to help move out. So it could also come down to him using it self ishly of him using it on some one less fourtante.

3)

Root of change in sonny

Throughout the novel sonny changes, he gets older wiser and grows in to a man. He has adult confrontations he deals with conversationally and physically. Weather it was fighting the old man on the street throwing the rock at the creeps car or having sex with Cindy. He changes mentally, he discovers love and sex, yet they are separated by two different girls. He feels love and compassion for Nica but uses Cindy to become a man. Sonny as well experiences a lot of racism in the entire book which makes him understand and comprehend the world a bit more. When you first start reading the book you cannot tell what Donnie age is exactly. It almost like he's between the ages of 8-16. You think he is very young and this is what the author whoever you To think. Because there fore you can see exactly how sonny changes from this boy into this man, with over 1000 dollars a car responsibilities and freedom, with that freedom how ever can come punishment. So we see sonny try to sneak around the punishment to make things go his way. I think the root of this change was his mom marring cloyd. If they were to never have gotten together all of this would have been completely different. Because sonny was brought out of his house and put into a whole new world with a whole new inner community, while still realizing there is the entire world out there.

When sonny talks about every thing he can hear in the city on pages 181-182 he knows that there is so much in this city that people are doing. People being born people going to hospitals, people being racially discriminated. All while he is sitting in the old mans chair. He realizes that there is so much more out in the world then just this little area. And he wants to show Nica as well.

Mr. Pink

Mr. Pink is a perfect description of a car salesmen. I work at a dealership and i am around car salesmen all day. And I can tell you he fits the description like a glove. The slick back hair, the ability to make friends with every one and any one while using them to his advantage at some point. This sneaky snake like mentality and uses it for selfish and personal means and gains.  Thats all besides the point though there is something that we quite dont know, a hidden feud, between Mr.Pink and Cloyd. Mr. Pink for some reason only likes to sell cars to black people. Why is this? because maybe he thinks he knows what they like, either which way Cloyd doesnt like it. He doesnt mind the fact that he sells cars but he does mind how it brings black people into the neighborhood. Cloyd is racist against black people, while Pink uses them to make his living.

Pink likes Sonny for the reason that he is "close" to Cloyd. So he decides to grease up some wheels and gives Sonny a "free" car. In return all Sonny has to do is tell Pink what ever he hears Cloyd talk about Mr. Pink. So Mr. pink is getting a spy inside Cloyds house. Sonny really likes the car how ever is not sure if he trusts what he is going to pay for it. Like Pink is tricking him into being confused about how much the car is.
"So we gotta deal right?"
"Maybe. I guess . I want to. What do I have to pay you?"
"Nothing right now, nothing. What I want is some thing else right now.
"Look, What I want is for you to talk to me when I need you too understand?"......
"all I need is you to listen for me is all. Be some wide-open ears. I'm speaking of your step dad. You know how your step daddy is, dont you? What i want is that. I got a question, you got an answer. We be partnered up, see? You inside knowing what's going on is all. Understand?"(139)
Pink doesnt want to talk about what he wants Sonny to do per say, and beats around the bush. But wants him to be his look out, his spy.

I predict what will happen with Sonny, Pink, Cloyd, and possibly Bud.
 Sonny will tell pink what ever he hears between Cloyd and possibly Bud. In which some thing is going to tick off Pink enough to where a confrontation will happen between the two. Sonny will I think take Pinks side because he wants to hurt Cloyd. Sylvia will most likely try to get Sonny to stay out of it. He will eventually back out because of his mom. But to still get back at Cloyd, Sonny will steal the 1000 dollars. And then use it to pay the car to Pink. Then he will try to convince Nica to leave her house and run away with Sonny.

Things that I could also possibly see coming is a possible death of a main character, or Sonny moving again with his mom.

Reading Habits

So I have notice this class moves kinda fast for my taste. Yet I have been able to keep up with the blogging and the reading thus far. I try to get all the reading I need to have done before class starts then reading again after class in the parking lot, because there are no prior engagements. How ever if I was to go home and try and read I will usually get distracted by some thing else and loose track. So I like to do my reading when the class is still fresh. Feeling like I can concentrate more when we are going to talk about the book and after when we have all ready talked about it.

I have done some thing new how ever in the book. Miss Knapp has told us to annotate our books because it will help us understand the text more. I have never annotated any text before in my life. When I bought the scarlet letter book, inside where little pink post-its from the last student who had the book. On the post-its there were annotations, questions, comments, and analysis. That gave me the idea to try that same form out on our books. So my entire flowers book is filled with pink and green post-its, I have one almost on every page or other page.
On it I write my thoughts, what I will think will happen, questions, comments and a brief overview of whats happening. It has greatly improved my knowledge of the book. As well has it made me more organized. And I can find things easier. I use different color post its for different things make them mean some thing as well. 

My father always

My father always.....

Taught me to look on the bright side of things. And he always gave me confidence in myself to do things. We were always very close, maybe closer the. My brothers because the reason that me and my dad shared the same birthday FEB. 6th. So every birthday he was always the one that would say scott you ready to go snowboarding! Or go out and have fun. It seems like after my parents got divorced my dad lightend up a little and started to "live" again. And we started to bond a bit.

Character Description

The Character Sylvia, Sonny's mother, has seem to taken a different direction then when she was first introduced. When she was not married to Cloyed, she had this sort of teenage popular party girl. The reason the emphases on the word girl is because, it seemed like she had not grown up fully yet. Sylvia wouldn't do things that most mothers would do for their sons and daughters.She would argue and fight with her daughter Ceci. Almost as if it was like they were not even mom and daughter but as if they were rivaling sisters.

"My mom used to fight loud with my sister. She would get so she'd go after Ceci with belts or wooden hangers or what ever was near. One time it was a soda bottle."(5)

Sylvia would then not know what to do with this anger she had with her daughter. So she turned to the next of kin, Sonny, probably didn't help that he was the only male in the house as well. She would yell at him for what would seem to be the stupidest things. For example the bananas,

 "I was eating banana after banana during the fight and my mom turned on me for one second too- maybe why i was eating all the bananas right after she had bought them."(5)

When Ceci finally got old enough, she moved away from the house. It was just Sonny and Sylvia. She would still go out and get drunk with her friends and then buy a whole new look. This was happening on a regular basis, why was she doing this though? I think she was always trying to use her looks, and the clothes she wore to pick up a mate. That way she could fill the void she had in her life as a single mother, and with one bird away from the nest.

Since she is "stuck" in this immaturity she gets married, quick, as a way to sort of grow up. She is married to this man named Cloyd who seemed to "come out of left field". Sylvia practically bends over backward and back up to please this guy. She starts to send Sonny out of the house to get rid of him for a while so she can look like a better wife.

"And I want you to do something else for me." She reached into her purse and handed me a five. "Maybe just go get yourself dinner tonight. He'll be going out."...."It'll take more then this to shut me up."(80)

Sylvia then starts to lead this fake perfect housewife life. She makes Cloyd all of these Mexican dishes and then tells him that she made it from scratch. When really she is hiding cans of store bought salsa in the trash. Then trying to get Sonny to play along with this little game that she is attempting to have to make as a normal day life forever.

Sylvia soon starts to get thoughts that maybe she rushed into this, or that she made a mistake.

(Sylvia talking to Sonny about Cloyd)
 "Do you know that he cares about the toilet paper?"
"What"?
"He cares about how much toilet paper. How much is used." (50)

Sylvia is thinking wow this guy is a nut, why did i get my self into this. But she seems to think that maybe she is just over reacting to things and eats it up. Until Cloyd starts to use racial profiling with Sylvia saying how she is is Mexican girl, and singling them out if only to use them as a compliment. I feel like Sylvia then starts to wise up, she begins to mature right in the book. 

Flowers response #1

Response #1

We have now just found out that sonny would take money he found in the houses he went in to. It seems to me that he would treat the houses like a treasure chest. He never knew what he was going to find in side, and so some times he would find things he liked. Most of the time he would by pass them, and leave them alone. Now though he would take money he found in some of the houses,  never much more then 20$. Now though we find out that he has been saving a lot of money. 249 dollars to be exact. It seems like this is going to be some foreshadow for something down the road. Possibly sonny will eventually save up all of his dollars that he has and makes threw working at the apartment complex, and what his mom gives him under the table. And he might fall in love with one of the girls. Then when he has saved up enough money he will try and get out of that apartment and move some where else with his new found love.

What will happen to sonny right now though? Well we left off with him talking to the old man in room number #5. On page 48 they have a conversation, sonny and the old man. " How come you do this?" says the old man. "Because the slate deck gets dirty" said sonny. "No no, how come you do this" said the old man. "Cloyd Longpre. I live down stairs in Number one. Its that he married my mom" said sonny. "He makes you or he pays you?" said the old man. Sonny says nothing while the old man just shakes his head. I believe that the old man knows something about Cloyd Longpre. Possibly that he is a raciest, or that he cheats on women or something. I get the sense that the old man is feeling sorry for sonny for some reason. Like I said the old man is either up to some thing or knows a terrible secret about Mr. Longpre.    

I am

I am...
Scott Wright for those who know me and for those who do not let me tell you about myself. I like to think that I am overly confident, borderline cocky possibly. Honesty is the best policy, I always say. I am outgoing, and always try to say whats on my mind, even if it does not come out in coherent sense, it makes sense in my head. I love to do things outside, rock climbing, hiking, boating, skating....etc. I also enjoy doing the occasional long drive in my car up beautiful windy roads.

 I have the same passion and vision as every one else when it comes to being successful in life. My major in college is Business Management, I take pride and some passion in my field and hope it to grow thought the next few years. Except there is some thing that I will try to do differently that will greatly separate me from those who are going and all ready have that degree. Because we all know that business management is consisted of a huge pool of people with the same degrees. So you need to build different bridges to get you to the places you wish to be. It is this thing that will, I hope, keep me going threw college. And it is.......for me to know and you to not find out. We do not want it to become a whole pool of people now do we.

Interests in reading are little to none. I respect the books, I just feel like I am more of the type of person who likes to play baseball rather then watch it. So I greatly enjoy writing in my own words my own thoughts. I am not a big fan of being constricted to what to write, however do understand that it is a big part of college. I am more of the person who you give a broad topic and tell me to go at it. Free writing and story writing are a favorite in my book. Other then all that I have two older brothers both out of college and have busy lives. And have three boxer puppies that tear threw our house like when I was a teenager. So that is me in a nut shell, if you would like to know more about me ask, but be ready for me to ask back.

-Scott Wright