Reflection: A Worn Path

Recently for class we read “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty in which it tells the story about Phoenix Jackson and her journey to the city from her house to get to a doctor’s office where she gets medicine for her grandson’s throat. “A Worn Path” is a story about undying love for a person and the sacrifices we must to for it. In this short story we see how Phoenix sacrifice herself and take that path that she has walk all over again facing moments of pride, embarrassment , pity and horror. In addition we are left with the question of is her grandson still alive. Followed by the short story I read a commentary by Eudora Welty in which she said that this event does not matter on the story and I found that this is true but it still is something that you keep in your mind. However the part that strikes me the most was when she puts the two nickels in her hands and she said that she was going to buy her grandson a little windmill made out of paper. It is really sad to read about people that have so much love to give and live in such conditions. We see that everyday and do absolutely nothing to help when we can do so much. We can volunteer and give these people the kind of respect and love they deserve. In conclusion “A Worn Path” is a great example of how some people live and how much they can teach us and at the same time of how we can help them.

Amanda Rosa: Christopher Columbus

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/columbus.shtml

In the information for the research on Christopher Columbus I found out that he was born in 1451 and died in 1506. He was an Italian explorer who sailed for the first time across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. He gave four trips in total from the years 1492-1504.

For Christopher Columbus to go in his voyage he used the trade winds. A brisk wind from the east, commonly called an "easterly", propelled Santa María, La Niña, & La Pinta for 5 weeks from the Canaries. For him to go back he went to the North Atlantic when he used the prevailing winds to go back. Also that it was queen Isabella who gave him the go on his trip.

Opinion on Christopher Columbus

In my opinion Columbus is a great man for discovering the Americas and without him it would not be the same here in Puerto Rico or in any of the Americas. However I do not agree of using slavery to colonize the lands since slavery is not good and people deserve to have their freedom.

Reflection: A Walk to the Jetty

In the last chapter of Annie John “A Walk to the Jetty” we see how Annie John has grown up and is about to leave to England to become a nurse. During this chapter we see how she is nervous to go but at the same time she is anxious to go. We see this with the mother/daughter relationship that she has. She loves her mother to death but her mother has always have treated her like a little girl and wanted her to do what is best for her but sometimes what she wanted for her daughter does not mean that was what Annie wanted like becoming a nurse. In summary “A Walk to the Jetty” is a chapter in which we see how Annie is all grown up making her own decisions and leaving behind all that she has come to know.

Reflection: Columbus in Chains

While reading Annie John chapter five “Columbus in Chains for the second time I remember how funny and enjoyable it is. In this chapter we are witnesses to the experiences of a small girl in the island of Antigua. She shares her thoughts on the people that surround her, the things that she does in and after school. Her usual routine in school and in her house and we also see how her relationship with her parents is. However the part that struck me the most was when she wrote under a photo of Columbus in Old English cartography “the great man can no longer just get up and go” after she heard her mother said that when she read a letter from her sister that told how her father was of health. Is interesting to see how a small girl can make that connection and apply it to Columbus. Not many children can make that kind of connections and it takes a brilliant girl to do so. Without a doubt chapter five of Annie John is a great chapter about elementary school experiences and growing up.

Relection: To Hell With Dying

In the short story To Hell with Dying by Alice Walker we see a story of first love as the author says at the end of the story. We see how this girl considers herself ugly, let it be by a scar or anything in particular, but Mr. Sweet makes her fell like a princess. When she is with him she is completely happy and she feels that is her duty to revive Mr. Sweet from his death bed even though she is twenty four years old and doing her doctorate she leaves everything to revive him only to him that this time it won’t work. In addition we are witness how the relationship she and Mr. Sweet have on a level of interpersonal. For example when he cuts his hair and when the girl sees him she gets mad since she loves his hair so Mr. Sweet does not cut his hair so she could see him as she likes it. This relationship is the perfect example of a great friendship. They compromise, like on the hair. They also help each other. Mr. Sweet tells her she is beautiful and she believes this since it comes from him even though everybody else tells her she looked like a baby monkey. She helps him by being there and this “revivals”. Without a doubt To Hell with Dying is a story about the power of friendship and true love that we should take into account in to our interpersonal relationships so we can have a bond as great as Mr. Sweet and the girl in the story.

Doctor's Experience: Darkness

I was only six years old but I will never forget that day. That day I was wearing my favorite hot pink skirt, a white t-shirt and pink sandals. My mom was in the room getting my luggage ready and my dad was out getting breakfast. It was New Year’s Eve and we were going to go to my grandmother’s house in Hatillo but I also had an appointment with the doctor to get my third and last hepatitis’s C vaccine. Since I have knowledge I have always hated needles. When I see one or even is someone is talking about them I get dizzy and you can expect me to hit the floor anytime. Even them mention of blood gets me so dizzy that one time in 11th grade I had to run out of my health class since I was about to faint.
“Amanda, turn off that Nintendo and let’s go get you that shot.” My mom said to me and I try to be the slowest I could to turn off the Nintendo. The doctor’s office was in the same street as my house so we went walking. My mom knew how afraid I was of needle so she walk slowly next to me without any complain. When we walked in I saw how the nurse was fighting with the doctor but when she saw me and my mom she stopped and called us in. I started to cry as I saw the needle but the nurse did not care. “Oh child please stop crying and let’s get this over with” she said s she pulled me and without any warning gave me the shot. It hurt so much but at least it was over now. At least I thought.
We want back to my house and my mom started doing my dad’s and her luggage and I went back to my Nintendo. I was about to beat Bowser when suddenly I could not see anything. My sight had gone completely black. Nothing but a complete darkness was the only thing I could see. I put the game to pause and went directly to my mom’s room that was in the last part of the house. Lucky I knew so well the house even though we had move only two months before that I had no problem getting to the room. My mom as soon as she saw me knew that there was something wrong. “What is it Amanda?” she cried. I told her that I could not see and she grab me and rushed to the doctor’s office.
“Is just a reaction to the vaccine” the doctor said as the nurse who had giving me the shot stare at a distance. I was going to be fine and right there I started to see again. Since then I am more afraid of needles and blood like the example of my 11th grade health class. I only think that perhaps if that nurse had been nicer maybe that reaction would had never happen and my fears of needles would be gone years ago. I think this since the doctor also said that the reaction probably was cause by my own fear. I will never forget that day. The day I lost my sight for thirty minutes because of a nurse who use force instead of niceness.

Reaction:Use of Force

“Use of Force” by William Carlos Williams is a short story in which a doctor goes to a house to check on a little girl. The girl is afraid of doctors so she refuses to open her mouth so the doctor can check her throat since there were already been some cases of diphtheria. The doctor at first was nice and then when the girl persisted he used force so that she open her mouth. She even bleed. When reading this I was shock to see how can some doctors be so cruel to little children when are they are is afraid. Like in one part of the story he think that maybe he should go away and come back later when the girl has calmed but he insisted even though the girl was getting hurt. Because of this is that children are afraid. They are only afraid and the doctor has to find a way so that that fear goes away. How can a child not be afraid when something like in the story can happen to them? I will be afraid. For children forget about their fears we have to be understanding and thoughtful. For example, one time on the news I heard a story in which the parents every time their son did something bad they will tell him “I you do not behave we will take you to the dentist.” So the son behave. However it came the time of year when he had his dentist checkup and the boy was so afraid that he started to scream and cry, the dentist continue with his work, when he suddenly stop crying and yelling and it was because he had have a heart attack because of the fear. Parents should not threat their children with doctors since a situation like this can happen. Parents and doctors like I said before should be thoughtful and careful when taking their children to the doctor’s office since any little comment can cause them terrible fear. Another thing is to be understanding when children are afraid and try to calm them down. In conclusion doctors and parents should not use force since it will only cause more pain to the child.

Reflection: Everyday Use

For this reflection we had to read “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker who is the author of The Color Purple which is a high acclaimed book. When reading the short biography and reading this I got hype of what I was about to read and it did not disappoint me. The story is about a mother who lives with her daughter Maggie and how her other daughter, Dee is coming to visit with a friend after she said she would never bring any friends home. The mother tells us that Maggie is a fragile girl especially after she got burned, when their previous house caught fire, and how her other daughter always wanted nicer things. Everyday Use is a short story in which we see the diagrams discuss in class. In the first we see how Maggie is decided if she is included or excluded. As the story goes on we see how the mother takes control of the situation during the climax and falling action and finally at the conclusion how the affection grows stronger between the mother and Maggie. We also see how the group communication between the three characters is. How Maggie always have felt excluded ,since she is accustom to not having her way and Dee always getting everything she has ever wanted, until the very end when her mother takes control of the situation and defends Maggie’s rights by giving to her the quilts that grandmamma had made. During these parts we see how the diagrams that Schultz made are represented in the story. Another thing that grabbed my attention is the title. We see the title used when Dee said to her mother that Maggie would put the quilts to everyday use. For me it meant that Dee was proud of how far they have come and wanted to show it anyway Maggie was also proud but not in the same way. Maggie wanted to put them to everyday use because she was proud of what her grandmamma hands had made and by putting them to use she was demonstrating this. It is also a great example of how siblings relate to each other and also to their parents. Without a doubt Everyday Use is a short story that grabs your attention and it left me wanting to know more. However not more of what happen after the story instead of what happen before the events that were told for example how their previous house got burned. In conclusion it left me feeling good since Maggie got to keep the quilts and put them to everyday use as a sign of her pride to them and that her mother spoke of what fair to her daughter after years of keeping quiet.