Blog Evaluation

I liked the Having Our Say blog, because I felt I could talk about anything I wanted, and I liked that freedom. I feel i put a good amount of effort into these blogs. At the end of this year I feel I wont blog anymore, but just incase I do, I will leave my account up.

1920's Music

"After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It" w.m. Irving Berlin- I like this song because it shows that things are always nicer on the other side. One of my Dads favorite phrase is "The Grass is always greener on the other side"

"Down By The O-HI-O (I've Got The Sweetest Little O, My ! O ! )" w. Jack Yellen m. Abe Olman- I like this song because it is catchy and I was also born in Ohio.

Stephen Crane

Once I saw mountains angry,
And ranged in battle-front.
Against them stood a little man;
Aye, he was no bigger than my finger.
I laughed, and spoke to one near me,
"Will he prevail?"
"Surely," replied this other;
"His grandfathers beat them many times."
Then did I see much virtue in grandfathers --
At least, for the little man
Who stood against the mountains.

I like this poem because it says that anyone can stand up to any enemy no matter how big, or no matter how great. It also talks about how honoring ancestors and respecting your elders. Crane is an interesting poet and I would like to further read more about him.  

Mark Twains Wit

"A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read."
I like this quote because it shows how important literacy is. I generally read a new book every 1.5 weeks. To me, refusing to read really isnt a smart decision because there's a whole world that one is missing while not reading. 

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain.html#ixzz1Il0HqEp2

Getting thrown off the Bus.

"We had a cook who worked for us many years and raised me as if I was one of her own. She was a huge woman with a warm smile and an ominous frown. She taught me manners and instilled in me the importance of loving and being loved. My childhood was filled with her presence.

            Her white uniform went almost to the floor, and it was always crisp and had a wonderful “just ironed” smell. As a small child, I often ran from my mother’s scorn and hid under that white uniform behind her huge legs. She never told on me. Mother would finally calm down and get busy with some other task. I would come out, and all would be well.

            When I was a teenager in the 1960s, I decided one day to ride the bus home, which was something I hadn’t done before. As I boarded the bus, I saw our black maid sitting in the back. I walked back and sat with her. We were both thrown off the bus. Racial unrest at the time didn’t allow whites to sit with blacks even if one was a minor. I found it hard to believe that a woman who had loved me and held me in her arms couldn’t sit by me in public. She was angry because we had to walk home, but to tell the truth, I loved walking with her. I still hear her voice and follow her teachings. She is the one who taught me not to see color."

This reminds me of something Malcom X would think of to motivate African Americans to fight back. He would say that thier safety was being compromised and that for reasons such as this, one should be armed and dangerous. 

Walk through Harlem

The dentist office of Bessie and Harps was on 135th street. The spot was so named because members of the emerging black community in Harlem during the mid-1910s used it as a pulpit to sound off on the issues that affected African Americans. Walker's home at 108 West 136th Street served as the Harlem headquarters for her beauty-products business in the 1910s. Walker was an uneducated orphan, who developed her own hair product for women. She was the first woman to ever make a million dollars, with how much success her product received, I'm sure Bessie and Sadie tried this product out.

Slavery Picture Blog

This picture is a black man asking f he is considered a man. This reminded me of Sojourner Truth asking if she was a woman, and if she was should be treated as such. This man is begging on his knees for the rights to be treated as a man. I think that slavery is a completely biased and ignorant action, treating someone as a dog instead of a man.

Having My Say

I'm quite passionate about tennis. Considering just how much I play a week, it'd be impossible not to care. One thing that bothers me about American tennis is that there is almost no great American tennis players at the moment. In the top 10 players only one American is in there, and he's about to be eliminated. Its frustrating because the best nation doesn't care for the 3rd most popular sport world wide.

There was a Child Went Forth

I think this poem relates to me by saying that a child is very influential at an early age. When I think about the past, I wonder how things would be different if I changed something, and realized that changing even some tiny thing in the past would greatly affect my present and future. Another thing this poem reminded me of was the famous quote "Show me your friends, and I will show you your future." This quote means that your friends make such an impact on your lives, they can "make you or break you."

Emilyies garden

I haven't told my garden yet --
Lest that should conquer me.
I haven't quite the strength now
To break it to the Bee --

I will not name it in the street
For shops would stare at me --
That one so shy -- so ignorant
Should have the face to die.

The hillsides must not know it --
Where I have rambled so --
Nor tell the loving forests
The day that I shall go --

Nor lisp it at the table --
Nor heedless by the way
Hint that within the Riddle
One will walk today --

In this poem she's trying to show her connection to her garden.

She was known to be a talented Gardner. 

That coupled with the fact that she was incredibly anti-social, it would make sence that she convey's her message of her death to her garden before anyone else.  

Trans vs. AntiTrans

I personally enjoy the writings of the Transcendentalist authors. They tend to seem more upbeat and in general more exciting to read. When we were reading the Anti-transcendentalist's works, I got the impression that Man in general shouldn't be trusted and that everyone was never being completely honest. Where as the Transcendentalists I felt life is beautiful and should be lived to its full potential instead of focusing on the negatives. This idea to me is inspiring and uplifting. My favored Transcendentalist would have to be Henry Thoreau.