All three poems have something to do with some type of love or desire. However, the poems display stereotypical feminine demeanors. For example, they make women look passive, like objects for men, helpless, and weak. Also each poem requires the reader to do outside research on greek mythology if they want to uncover the author's true incentive and hidden meanings to each story.
In Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song" the greek mythology of a "siren" is the woman who is a monster and it's her song which she uses to attract the men who find it irresistible and then she attacks, kills, and eats them. The men who get past the sirens are the one's who are considered a hero and are cherished. In a literal sense I think Atwood is implying that she has gone through bad relationships and bad guys and is waiting for her true love. This poem is stereotypical and makes women seem passive by saying women will always be waiting for the man to come around and it's like a little girl's fantasy, waiting for "prince charming".
In Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses” it's a stereotypical man's mind. He is hungry for love all the time. His heart constantly wanders through girls so he can live life to the fullest before he dies. In college it's stereotyped that college guys are players and always want another girl to be with to live college life to the fullest before they settle later in life. This is how the poem makes women look like objects because they are only used for men's entertainment and pleasure.
William Butler Yeats’s “Leda and the Swan” also makes women look helpless and weak with the words the author uses to describe Zeus raping Leda. This type of "love" is terrifying and makes the women look weak and the man having total control as he forces himself upon Leda (or a woman).
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
homework for tuesday..SWA 10 (topic proposal ) and SWA 8/9
Topic Proposal:
1.) The author and work I chose to write about is Jimmy Santiago Baca's, "So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs From Americans". I want to write about this topic because I understand the message the author is trying to get across and I agree with him that American's are so quick to blame people when they fail, and I think the author gives an interesting perspective on how a mexican views the situation.
2.) The historical and cultural connections to the work I have found are the major issue today on immigrants and how hard it is for them to come to America just so they can have a job to survive and keep their families and starving children alive. While researching this topic I came across news articles from recent years on immigration battles where in Washington D.C. there were immigration protests and rallies. Also the fact of racism, that white America used to and some still believe that the white race is superior over others and in this case the Mexicans and they should not be given the same opportunities for jobs.
3.)The links I have found help me understand the work I have chosen because they provide me with an understanding of how white America feels angered and threatened toward other races being given equal opportunity as well as status.
4.) The links I have found help me understand the theme of the work because the author clearly shows his attitude towards the blaming Americans who are threatened that they are loosing their jobs because the mexicans are "taking" them, when really it is their own fault they are being fired or dismissed. Different cases in which a person of another race has excelled in a specific job over a white american has also helped me understand the theme the author is trying to express with his poem.
5.) There aren't any parts of the poem that I am really struggling with historically or culturally. I have a pretty good understanding of the poem and it's meaning both historically and culturally.
6.) Thesis Statement:
Although white America claims that the Mexicans are taking their jobs from them, it is them self who is to blame for the loss of their professions. American's have been proven to take advantage of the opportunities that are right fully given to them, where as the Mexicans have proven to give up anything in order to live and work in America with the purpose of trying to feed themselves and family in their struggle to survive.
Bib/ Annotations (SWA 8/9)
Miller, D.w. "Scholars of Immigration Focus on the Children." The Chronicle of Higher Education: Research and Publishing (1999). The Chronicle of Higher Education. Thomas Cooper, Columbia. 7 Apr. 2008. http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/
In this article it talks about the stereotypes Americans have put on Mexicans such as the image of baggy pants, gang bandannas cruising around in low riders. This negative image shows the shallowness that Americans can have towards other races. This article demonstrates the theme of racism that the author of the poem is trying to display as well. This article also talks about how in the mid-1960s, Congress abolished a quota system that favored Europeans, and instead made family reunification the main criterion for entry in working in America. This issue of immigration decides their children's fate, meaning the more likely an immigrant is to gaining the right to live in America to work, the more of a chance their children will have in surviving. However the article highlights the positive impact immigration has on children educationally. A study from the article showed that, by the 12th grade, nearly 90 per cent of immigrant children preferred to speak English. Although, still the article contrasts with the threat that Americans feel toward immigration and in the poems case, Mexicans. Specifically, in the article it mentions that scholars caution the continuing flow of new immigrants because they feel it masks society's success from earlier times, even though immigration has helped the economy. I learned from the article that education in immigrants has increased dramatically making it easier for them to get better jobs and make more money and achieve their goal in providing for them self and their families.
LÓpez, Ian Haney F. "Colorblind to the Reality of Race in America." The Chronicle Review (2006). The Chronicle of Higher Education. Thomas Cooper, Columbia. 7 Apr. 2008. http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/
In this article it discusses the historical background of the Brown v. Board of Education,the civil-rights movement which ended segregation and started a generation aimed toward equality. The article also mentions the changing demographics, such as the rising number of mixed-race marriages and the increasing Asian and Hispanic populations that are blurring the historic black-white divide. With the increasing populations comes threat to America's white race. In relation to the poem this article is useful because it proves the increasing population of the hispanic race and how their work is impacting the economy. Furthermore, the author of this article discusses the laws which protect against racial discrimination and the author of this article believes that they are partly to blame for racism today because he believes that they do not contribute to racial justice but instead legitimate continued inequality. Meaning they do nothing to actually protect the other races but call out the whites for once being legitimately superior. The author is this article is hispanic which is interesting to me because the author of the poem is as well so given their arguments, it adds to the overall hispanic perspective on hispanics becoming more accomplished and successful as the white race. The author of the article continuously uses the word "colorblindness" in his article to emphasize the racial issues between hispanics and white's still today. Because the author is hispanic he could have a bias toward American's and could influence his idea that racism is still struggled upon his fellow hispanics.
Pickler, Nedra. "Bush Urges Congress to Ok Immigration Bill." Associated Press Writer (2006). Discoverer. Thomas Cooper, Columbia. 7 Apr. 2008. http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/H36jJ136/url=http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com/discoweb/disco/do/article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000245917
This article argues President Bush's insists to make it legal for more immigrants to work in the United States. The article mentions Bush wanting a debate with conservatives in his own party while building an alliance with the leader of Mexico. The article mainly discusses Bush's proposed changes to U.S. immigration policies, criticism of the immigration plan, and U.S. foreign relations. Bush's idea of increasing immigration as a positive factor I found was interesting because some American's are against it and are threatened by the Mexicans being able to work with them in fear they will take their jobs. But here is proof that the president isn't part of those shallow Americans. Bush understands that Mexico is among one of the United States' top trading partners, so he knows that increasing the immigration for Mexicans to work in the U.S. will only positively impact our economy. However Bush is still struggling with the approval for this increase in immigration from his own Republican party, who with business interests want cheap labor and a tough policy against illegal immigrants. And that basic Republican party idea is what the author of the poem is complaining about. So this is why i think this article is useful in my research of the poem's topic. I have learned from the article that Bush is trying to make peace with the Mexican leaders in hope to further America's economy and that he is willing to go against his own party to achieve increased immigration.
Martin, Philip, and Elizabeth Midgley. "Immigration: Shaping and Reshaping America." Population Bulletin (2003). SIRS. Thomas Cooper, Columbia. 7 Apr. 2008 http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/
From this article I learned that about 95,000 foreigners a day arrive in the United States. The question this article asks and then discusses is whether the arrival of all these foreigners should be welcomed in hope to further society and the economy or should it be feared because in the poem thats how the authors portrays the American's to feel. He makes the American's seemed threaten by these immigrants and blames them for the losses of their jobs. The article mentions America's "celebration" of immigration but describes the worry and fear it still brings Americans today and since the days "of the founders about potential economic, political, and cultural change caused by immigration" (Population Bulletin). This article also displays the current immigration policies the United States follows, as well as the immigration patterns that have occurred through history to today. Mainly I think this article is very useful in my research because it provides an in depth historical perspective on contemporary trends of hispanic immigration and the impact it has had on America both socially and economically. I have also learned that the fear Americans have from immigrants are not just based on the threat they feel that they may "take their jobs" but after the tragic September 11th incidents, Americans fear immigrants because of terrorists and worry they will harm them or have the ability to be in touch with the government and there for leak information to terrorists to attack the U.S. I think the worry Americans feel that the immigrants will harm them is useful in my research as well because in the poem the author mentions the one's shooting are the "white farmers" not the hispanics, meaning that it is the American's own race they should fear because they are the one's killing, not the immigrants who are just trying to live in America to work and keep them self and their family alive and out of starvation.
"Foreign Labor Trends: Mexico." Foreign Labor Trends. 2002.SIRS Thomas Cooper. 7 Apr. 2008 http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/
From this article I have learned that over the last 20 years, Mexico has undergone major changes, from a closed, import-substitution economy to become part of the open, market economy. The article describes the relationship that Mexico has with the United States and how they have gotten closer and how immigration worries Americans because it has increased so much. The article also discusses the issues of immigration that have been presented in Congress in the July 1997 elections and the Presidency in July 2000. From the article I have also learned that Mexico is highly "unionized". Mainly, the article examines Mexico's economy and its impact on the labor sector as well as a directory of labor organizations. According to the article it says, "The traditional centrals have long sacrificed freedom of action to gain political influence and position", and this is what the historically known white races fears. This article is useful in relation to the poem because it discusses the historical context of Mexico's increasing relationship with the U.S and the immigration ties which have become stronger which increase the threat of American job holders because more jobs will be employed with immigrants. Americans are so threatened by the immigrants and mexicans that in December 2001, U.S. unions and/or NGOs had presented 14 submissions against Mexico.
Rodriguez, Roberto. "Column of the Americas: They'Re Taking Our Jobs." (2005).http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/14319.html
This article discusses the historical context in which the idea that Mexicans were taking American's job which started in the 20th century. The article talks about how black and hispanics used to be assigned to the jobs the whites didn't want to do. But today, blacks and hispanics are getting the opportunity to the same jobs as the white's and that is the issue that is fueling some Americans. This goes along with the poem very well because the author of the poem is fueling back at the American's claiming if the American's should fear anyone or dislike anyone they should their own race because they take advantage and fail at what is handed to them and that the Mexican immigrants fight to come to America and deserve to work and have the same jobs as the whites because they are willing to actually work to survive. From the article I have learned the historical war between social services, high unemployment and super-exploitation where people blame politics for allowing these issues to get so out of control.
1.) The author and work I chose to write about is Jimmy Santiago Baca's, "So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs From Americans". I want to write about this topic because I understand the message the author is trying to get across and I agree with him that American's are so quick to blame people when they fail, and I think the author gives an interesting perspective on how a mexican views the situation.
2.) The historical and cultural connections to the work I have found are the major issue today on immigrants and how hard it is for them to come to America just so they can have a job to survive and keep their families and starving children alive. While researching this topic I came across news articles from recent years on immigration battles where in Washington D.C. there were immigration protests and rallies. Also the fact of racism, that white America used to and some still believe that the white race is superior over others and in this case the Mexicans and they should not be given the same opportunities for jobs.
3.)The links I have found help me understand the work I have chosen because they provide me with an understanding of how white America feels angered and threatened toward other races being given equal opportunity as well as status.
4.) The links I have found help me understand the theme of the work because the author clearly shows his attitude towards the blaming Americans who are threatened that they are loosing their jobs because the mexicans are "taking" them, when really it is their own fault they are being fired or dismissed. Different cases in which a person of another race has excelled in a specific job over a white american has also helped me understand the theme the author is trying to express with his poem.
5.) There aren't any parts of the poem that I am really struggling with historically or culturally. I have a pretty good understanding of the poem and it's meaning both historically and culturally.
6.) Thesis Statement:
Although white America claims that the Mexicans are taking their jobs from them, it is them self who is to blame for the loss of their professions. American's have been proven to take advantage of the opportunities that are right fully given to them, where as the Mexicans have proven to give up anything in order to live and work in America with the purpose of trying to feed themselves and family in their struggle to survive.
Bib/ Annotations (SWA 8/9)
Miller, D.w. "Scholars of Immigration Focus on the Children." The Chronicle of Higher Education: Research and Publishing (1999). The Chronicle of Higher Education. Thomas Cooper, Columbia. 7 Apr. 2008. http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/
In this article it talks about the stereotypes Americans have put on Mexicans such as the image of baggy pants, gang bandannas cruising around in low riders. This negative image shows the shallowness that Americans can have towards other races. This article demonstrates the theme of racism that the author of the poem is trying to display as well. This article also talks about how in the mid-1960s, Congress abolished a quota system that favored Europeans, and instead made family reunification the main criterion for entry in working in America. This issue of immigration decides their children's fate, meaning the more likely an immigrant is to gaining the right to live in America to work, the more of a chance their children will have in surviving. However the article highlights the positive impact immigration has on children educationally. A study from the article showed that, by the 12th grade, nearly 90 per cent of immigrant children preferred to speak English. Although, still the article contrasts with the threat that Americans feel toward immigration and in the poems case, Mexicans. Specifically, in the article it mentions that scholars caution the continuing flow of new immigrants because they feel it masks society's success from earlier times, even though immigration has helped the economy. I learned from the article that education in immigrants has increased dramatically making it easier for them to get better jobs and make more money and achieve their goal in providing for them self and their families.
LÓpez, Ian Haney F. "Colorblind to the Reality of Race in America." The Chronicle Review (2006). The Chronicle of Higher Education. Thomas Cooper, Columbia. 7 Apr. 2008. http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/
In this article it discusses the historical background of the Brown v. Board of Education,the civil-rights movement which ended segregation and started a generation aimed toward equality. The article also mentions the changing demographics, such as the rising number of mixed-race marriages and the increasing Asian and Hispanic populations that are blurring the historic black-white divide. With the increasing populations comes threat to America's white race. In relation to the poem this article is useful because it proves the increasing population of the hispanic race and how their work is impacting the economy. Furthermore, the author of this article discusses the laws which protect against racial discrimination and the author of this article believes that they are partly to blame for racism today because he believes that they do not contribute to racial justice but instead legitimate continued inequality. Meaning they do nothing to actually protect the other races but call out the whites for once being legitimately superior. The author is this article is hispanic which is interesting to me because the author of the poem is as well so given their arguments, it adds to the overall hispanic perspective on hispanics becoming more accomplished and successful as the white race. The author of the article continuously uses the word "colorblindness" in his article to emphasize the racial issues between hispanics and white's still today. Because the author is hispanic he could have a bias toward American's and could influence his idea that racism is still struggled upon his fellow hispanics.
Pickler, Nedra. "Bush Urges Congress to Ok Immigration Bill." Associated Press Writer (2006). Discoverer. Thomas Cooper, Columbia. 7 Apr. 2008. http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/H36jJ136/url=http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com/discoweb/disco/do/article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000245917
This article argues President Bush's insists to make it legal for more immigrants to work in the United States. The article mentions Bush wanting a debate with conservatives in his own party while building an alliance with the leader of Mexico. The article mainly discusses Bush's proposed changes to U.S. immigration policies, criticism of the immigration plan, and U.S. foreign relations. Bush's idea of increasing immigration as a positive factor I found was interesting because some American's are against it and are threatened by the Mexicans being able to work with them in fear they will take their jobs. But here is proof that the president isn't part of those shallow Americans. Bush understands that Mexico is among one of the United States' top trading partners, so he knows that increasing the immigration for Mexicans to work in the U.S. will only positively impact our economy. However Bush is still struggling with the approval for this increase in immigration from his own Republican party, who with business interests want cheap labor and a tough policy against illegal immigrants. And that basic Republican party idea is what the author of the poem is complaining about. So this is why i think this article is useful in my research of the poem's topic. I have learned from the article that Bush is trying to make peace with the Mexican leaders in hope to further America's economy and that he is willing to go against his own party to achieve increased immigration.
Martin, Philip, and Elizabeth Midgley. "Immigration: Shaping and Reshaping America." Population Bulletin (2003). SIRS. Thomas Cooper, Columbia. 7 Apr. 2008 http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/
From this article I learned that about 95,000 foreigners a day arrive in the United States. The question this article asks and then discusses is whether the arrival of all these foreigners should be welcomed in hope to further society and the economy or should it be feared because in the poem thats how the authors portrays the American's to feel. He makes the American's seemed threaten by these immigrants and blames them for the losses of their jobs. The article mentions America's "celebration" of immigration but describes the worry and fear it still brings Americans today and since the days "of the founders about potential economic, political, and cultural change caused by immigration" (Population Bulletin). This article also displays the current immigration policies the United States follows, as well as the immigration patterns that have occurred through history to today. Mainly I think this article is very useful in my research because it provides an in depth historical perspective on contemporary trends of hispanic immigration and the impact it has had on America both socially and economically. I have also learned that the fear Americans have from immigrants are not just based on the threat they feel that they may "take their jobs" but after the tragic September 11th incidents, Americans fear immigrants because of terrorists and worry they will harm them or have the ability to be in touch with the government and there for leak information to terrorists to attack the U.S. I think the worry Americans feel that the immigrants will harm them is useful in my research as well because in the poem the author mentions the one's shooting are the "white farmers" not the hispanics, meaning that it is the American's own race they should fear because they are the one's killing, not the immigrants who are just trying to live in America to work and keep them self and their family alive and out of starvation.
"Foreign Labor Trends: Mexico." Foreign Labor Trends. 2002.SIRS Thomas Cooper. 7 Apr. 2008 http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org:80/
From this article I have learned that over the last 20 years, Mexico has undergone major changes, from a closed, import-substitution economy to become part of the open, market economy. The article describes the relationship that Mexico has with the United States and how they have gotten closer and how immigration worries Americans because it has increased so much. The article also discusses the issues of immigration that have been presented in Congress in the July 1997 elections and the Presidency in July 2000. From the article I have also learned that Mexico is highly "unionized". Mainly, the article examines Mexico's economy and its impact on the labor sector as well as a directory of labor organizations. According to the article it says, "The traditional centrals have long sacrificed freedom of action to gain political influence and position", and this is what the historically known white races fears. This article is useful in relation to the poem because it discusses the historical context of Mexico's increasing relationship with the U.S and the immigration ties which have become stronger which increase the threat of American job holders because more jobs will be employed with immigrants. Americans are so threatened by the immigrants and mexicans that in December 2001, U.S. unions and/or NGOs had presented 14 submissions against Mexico.
Rodriguez, Roberto. "Column of the Americas: They'Re Taking Our Jobs." (2005).http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/14319.html
This article discusses the historical context in which the idea that Mexicans were taking American's job which started in the 20th century. The article talks about how black and hispanics used to be assigned to the jobs the whites didn't want to do. But today, blacks and hispanics are getting the opportunity to the same jobs as the white's and that is the issue that is fueling some Americans. This goes along with the poem very well because the author of the poem is fueling back at the American's claiming if the American's should fear anyone or dislike anyone they should their own race because they take advantage and fail at what is handed to them and that the Mexican immigrants fight to come to America and deserve to work and have the same jobs as the whites because they are willing to actually work to survive. From the article I have learned the historical war between social services, high unemployment and super-exploitation where people blame politics for allowing these issues to get so out of control.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
homework for thursday
In the short story "A Jury of Her Peers" and the play, "Trifle" both by Susan Glaspell I found it interesting that even though one is a story and one is a play and they both have different titles they both have the same story line and plot where characters decisions lead to another characters fate. Personally, I found the play easier to read and understand because I find that reading a play is easier because you always know what is going on, who's speaking, where it's taking place and so on. For example, it's always clear when the narrator is speaking as well as the names of each character and what they're saying. Also the descriptive actions in parentheses helps the reader to be conscious of what is going on. Unlike the short story which i found more difficult to read because in stories your brain has to figure out whose doing the speaking. Is the narrator talking or is it an actual character and if it's a character which one and sometimes it can get confusing which character is saying what. However, the play does take more time to read because of all the break ups in the story but since it's very structured and descriptive it's easier to comprehend and picture people acting it out. Which is why i think it would be easier to base the cultural/ historical analysis off of the play because it's more detailed and easier to comprehend. Furthermore, if people were to act it out the cultural and historical aspect of the story from the play would be even more clear versus reading the short story.
homework for tuesday
I think Ralph Ellison's short story "The Battle Royale" displays a significant historical perspective on what it was like for a black man living in a white man's wolrd. The historical context for the themes are that because the narrator is treated like animal because he is black their is a theme of identity. Meaning the narrator is weak in a sense that he doesn't know who his true self is. We see this when he constantly is trying to think of his grandfather's advice. The cultural background of this story is how brutal and unkind white people treated blacks because they thought they were superior to them and how the blacks were forced to live in a society where they had to accept this. In society today they're not familiar to me because times have changed and their have beens laws against segregation and races are viewed equal in today's world. But of course race will always have some issue in the world. In the story a white man yells, "let me at those black sonsabitches" and it is clear that their is cultural/historical clues in the story that lead me to believe that the white men are treating the black men like animals and forcing them to fight as a way of entertainment for them to see the black men fall in fights. If I or someone were to find out more important cultural/historical knowledge on this story I would go back to the book it came from and skim the other chapters to get more of a specific idea of the entire story.
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