Saturday, December 21, 2013

Love in the Time of Swagger


When a woman is being flattered by someone, the last thing she does not want to listen are words like “Girl, you fine!” or “fo shizzle ma nizzle.” In order to be romantic, it seems to be that men are giving up, and boys are taking the lead with their swagger. However, ladies keep having faith, trusting that someone would bring Romanticism era back. Perhaps, ladies think that men should follow Lord Byron’s exquisite diction, lovely symbol, and romantic expressions when it comes to flattering them. 


Romanticism was the era where poets had a divine connection with the profound meaning of the natural environment, and the beauty of the nature and human bodies. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica website, “Romanticism can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and (…) emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental.” Romanticism happened from the late 18th until the mid-19th century. Some great exponents of Romanticism were Scott, Sir Walter, 1st Baronet; Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft; Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeyevich; and Lord Byron.

The prominent British writer, Lord Byron is known as a great romantic poet of the 18th century; his simply delightful diction is understandable and clean. In his poem, “She Walks in Beauty,” we could appreciate how Byron’s words are dancing together, like making love to each other. This poem is divided into three parts: First, Byron was inspired by his muse’s personality and her movement. Next, Byron is making us see how the environment beauty was conspiring with her. Finally, he is wrapping up his poem by going back and giving us specific details of this lady, and on what was driving him crazy about her. He wrote the poem with a balance; there is a rhyme at the end of each sentence (ab, ab, ab) which we know as close form. In addition, Byron uses just a few formal words, like “Mellowed” and “Gaudy.” At the same time, he made good comparisons in order to appreciating his muse even more, and making her very interesting. 

Byron’s wise comparison could make any lady be astonished and hypnotized; by the way he managed to be passionate, cautious, and charming without crossing the line, which represents Romanticism at its best. Nowadays, however, the swagger is expanding like a poisonous disease. For instance, according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, swagger is, “To conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner; especially: to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence.” However, if we read, “She walks in beauty, like the night, of cloudless climes, and starry skies,” there is no way anyone could think Byron was using a swagger to make his muse feel empathized with his comparisons. The way Byron was seeing his muse’s walking seemed to intrigue him. When we hear the word night, others words like mystery, intensity, and danger could cross our mind. This woman could be dangerously wise; she might have known she had the power to make Byron feel lost in her own game of love. Yet, Byron is has been a great example of how men should be romantic with ladies, no matter how neatly dangerous a lady could be.

Byron knew how to make a lady feel like hovering over the sky, and then, falling right into his arms. “The smiles that win, the tints that glow, but tell of days, in goodness spent.” His muse’s confidence was remarkable; with only one smile of her, Byron admitted how she had won his admiration. Byron was taking his time to travel his muse’s body – little by little, and step by step. “A mind at peace with all below, a heart whose love is innocent;” Byron’s muse could be wise in order to make him feel overwhelmed; however, her little experience on being loved made Byron bring her back to Earth and see her for who she really is: An innocent lady, with a hunger for love and being loved. Furthermore, any lady would love the way Byron dedicate his time to make them feel special, loved, and even sexy and comfortable with their skin. There was no room for boys and their swagger in Byron’s diction, nor putting a lady behind his ego, while making her feel minimized. How romantic Byron is!

If a swagger met the great exponent of Romanticism, Lord Byron, the Romanticism could be back to our era and be more powerful than before. Most women want to be treated like ladies; they want to be discovered like Byron’s took his time to discover his muse from inside out: Every inch of their skin, curves, expressions, and the way they walk with elegance and a glamorous self-esteem. For, how could a lady find love in the time of swagger? The answer would be: Teaching men how to follow Lord Byron’s skills and style in order to be polite romantic gentlemen.


☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi




Works Cited
"Romanticism." Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/508675/Romanticism.
"Swagger." Merriam-Webster. N.p., n.d. Web. Dec. 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swagger.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Rose Maxson: How to Live With a Broken Heart

What would be your reaction if you have been married for over 18 years, and your spouse unexpectedly tells you he is fathering a baby from an illicit relationship? In August Wilson’s play, ‘Fences,’ when Rose started to doubt the mysterious disappearances of her husband, Troy Maxson, she asked him to build a fence around their house. Although Troy did not figure out from the beginning why Rose would ask for such a thing, he kept on with his duty, while she was afraid of what she saw coming… When the fence (which symbolizes the protection of Rose and her family) was finally built, it was too late. Nevertheless, Rose was a loyal woman; she kept caring for Troy’s family like her own, and strongly dealt with having to live with a broken heart while inside a house that used to be her home.

When Rose married Troy she gave herself to him in body and mind; she was the most loyal wife any man could ask for. In the play, August Wilson introduces Rose as a faithful woman, “She [Rose] is ten years younger than Troy, her devotion to him stems from her recognition of the possibilities of her life without him […] She recognizes Troy’s spirit as a fine and illuminating one and she either ignores or forgives his faults” (1056). Rose use her wisdom to maintain her husband’s happiness; she fed him with a variety of meals, kept his clothes clean and ironed, and pleased him in bed from Friday at sunset until Monday at sunrise –every man’s dream come true.

According to Courant Theater Critic Deborah Hornblow’s article, ‘`Fences' Is a Pleasure to Scale,’ [Rose is] “a loyal wife who has held tight to her husband of 18 years despite her own disappointments.” However, Rose did not only stay loyal to Troy for 18 years, she was loyal for seven more years –when Death took away Troy. For instance, since the moment Rose told Troy, “Move out the way so the marrying kind could find me” (1057), Troy realized he found the woman of his dreams. Troy knew Rose would be loyal to him even when everybody knew how Troy used to say he “Eye all the women” (1055). In addition, Rose was treating Troy like a god on a pedestal.

Comparable to Anne Bradstreet’s poem, ‘To My Dear and Loving Husband,’ Rose’s love and devotion to Troy was beyond surreal. For instance, when we read: “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, Or all the riches that the East doth hold. My love is such that rivers cannot quench, nor ought but love from thee give recompense” (463). We might say those lines perfectly suit Rose’s commitment towards Troy. Her love was more valuable than pure gold, and it would not extinguish –for now… Rose could not see herself without Troy. She knew she was more valuable than richness; although Troy had his particular way of telling Rose that he loved her –especially when he was drunk.

Rose was clever; she knew the best way to enjoy a good and long night of sex with Troy was letting him drink alcohol with his best friend, Bono, and inviting Bono to stay over for supper. Nevertheless, Bono was not only useful to Rose for her sex plans; her tenderness –with a double intention twist made Bono felt guilty when he realized Troy was being unfaithful to her. For instance, one Saturday, when Troy returned to the house –after being gone for hours with the excuse of going to watch baseball, Rose asked him about the score of the game. She knew how much he loved baseball. Thus, when he changed the topic and quickly started to get affectionate (with no success) by touching her waist, she obviously figured out what was going on.

Rose was not naïve; she knew Troy was playing her in the bad way, and yet, she started praying to God to protect her for what she saw coming. Troy started to build a fence over their house, and Bono helped Troy understand why she asked to build it. Bono told Troy, “Some people build fences to keep people out…and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you” (1089). Troy did not pay attention; he was too busy feeding his sexual needs with a woman (Alberta) who was aware of his family. Alberta did not care at all –because for her it was easier to be the lover: the one who only had to open her legs, instead of cooking him meals, ironing his clothes, and doing the rest of the chores like Rose used to do for Troy and their family.

According to the reference guide written by Sandra G. Shannon for The African-American Experience website, “Bono […] moves quickly to dissuade him [Troy] from seeing more of Alberta and causing unbearable anguish for Rose. But Troy ignores the wise advice of his friend and plunges even further into the relationship.” Troy was blind; nevertheless, Rose continued to be a loyal wife to him, an excellent mother to their son and a good woman to his family and friends –even after Troy broke her heart with heartbreaking news.

Rose’s biggest nightmare had come; Troy not only confessed to her he cheated on her with Alberta, but added he and Alberta were expecting a baby. Now, some wives who had been cheated on might say Rose could forgive Troy’s affair. However, when there is a baby involved in this unpleasant situation, the wife could get a divorce, or spend the rest of her marriage under a cold war full of resentments. Rose was not the exception; she told Troy, “I done tried to be everything a wife should be. Everything a wife could be. Being married eighteen years and I got to live to see the day you tell me you been seeing another woman and done fathered a child by her” (1092). Rose decided to be just a woman, and decided to no longer be a wife to him.

Rose’s reaction of opening her eyes and taking a step forward in an unpleasant circumstance, was similar to Sammy’s reaction; the main character of John Updike’s ‘A&P.’ For instance, Sammy was a cashier at the A&P grocery store. He was a 19-year-old boy who always was making fun of the customers. Sammy was amazed by the beauty and personality of one particular girl who used to walk wearing a bathing suit while buying at the store –his ‘Queenie.’ One day, Sammy’s boss, Lengel, noticed Sammy’s Queenie along with two of her friends were walking around the store in their bathing suits. Thus, Lengel decided to let Sammy’s Queenie know the grocery store was not a beach, and their customers were decent. Sammy did not like how his boss spoke to his lovely imaginary girlfriend. In response, Sammy told Lengel that he should not have spoken to her in that tone, and quit his job. Just like Sammy, Rose had to take the lead and follows her instincts, even when both (Sammy and she) knew the following experience would be intense.

Troy had destroyed everything Rose had built. He also had the goal to play the victim when he clearly was the guilty one. Troy claimed he had many responsibilities, and he just needed a time for himself –a time with Alberta. Rose was very upset –who could not possibly feel the same way? She responded to him with some other questions:

“Don’t you think I ever wanted other things? Don’t you think I had dreams and hopes? What about my life? What about me. Don’t you think it ever crossed my mind to want to know other man? That I wanted to lay up somewhere and forget about my responsibilities? That I wanted someone to make me laugh so I could feel good? […] But I held on to you, Troy. I held you tighter” (1094).

Rose was devastated; her heart was broken into a thousand pieces. On the other hand, Alberta died after having Troy’s baby girl, Raynell. Yet, Troy was no fool; he knew how prodigious Rose’s heart was. Thus, three days after Raynell was born; he asked Rose if she could be the mother of his daughter. Rose responded, “From right now…this child got a mother. But you a womanless man” (1099). Rose had to learn how to lick her wounds and continue moving forward. She was always saying how the time was changing; she followed her own advice.

According to the article ‘Essay on Feminist Perspective’ in DirectEssays.com (website), “Rose Maxson proves that a woman in the 1950's can have the upper hand. Rose is the heart of the Maxson family and the peacemaker […] She feels that family is the richest resource anywhere.” Although the play focuses on Troy, Rose was the rock of the house. She stayed away from Troy, and came closer to God –by assisting at the church on Sunday mornings.

Unfortunately for Troy, his time had come to the end. Although he died seven years after Raynell was born, he was living like a dead person since Rose chose to be just the mother of their son, Cory. Troy not only lost Rose’s respect and love, he also lost Bono’s friendship, and gained the contempt of Cory. Even his new job as a truck driver made him feel alone and dead inside. On the other hand, Rose was raising Raynell as the girl she always wanted to have. In addition, she found peace with herself, and when Troy died, she let him rest in peace by honoring him as the man she married 25 years ago.


Rose Maxson, how could she live with a broken heart? For, any man who has a wife like Rose should build a fence made of rose petals around her, and do not let any fantasy –like Alberta ruin their reality. Rose represents the power of a loyal wife: all her wisdom, struggles, tenderness and passion, her faith in God and devotion to her family. The woman who reassembled her heart after it had been broken and still…still had the power to stand on her feet.


☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi



Works Cited
"Essay on Feminist Perspective." Direct Essays. N.p., 31 Dec. 1969. Web. Dec. 2013. .
Gardner, Janet E., and Berverly Lawn, eds. Literature: A Portable Anthology. Third ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martin's, 2013. Print.
Hornblow, Deborah. "`Fences' Is a Pleasure to Scale." The Courant. Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2007. Web. Dec. 2013. .
Shannon, Sandra G. "August Wilson’s Fences : a Reference Guide." The African American Experience. Greenwood Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. .

Friday, December 06, 2013

Juguetito de Nadie

No quiero nada a medias.
No quiero nada tibio.
Caliente o Frio;
Pero nada... Nada!
A mitad del camino.

Pero, y quien se habrá creído?
Y hasta dicen que ha enfurecido.
Todo o Nada;
Y sin esas agallas
De creer que aun suspiro.



☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Children’s Literature


One of the prerequisites to continue following the rhythm of Communication Concentration catalog is Children’s Literature which is a three-credit course. Even though I had three different classes to choose from, I felt the desire to opt for this class. Children’s Literature was a challenge for me, because I am the mother and the father of my two children. Thus, I wanted to learn more about children and their literature from other’s perspectives. Therefore, I accepted my own challenge of enrolling in this outstanding online-class which taught me the three most significant lessons: How to recognize a good book, how to recognize a well-illustrated book and how to evaluate it, and how to read-aloud to children.

The first lesson I learned was how to recognize a good book. I agreed with Michael Tunnell’s book, Children’s Literature, Briefly, when he stated that “All adults choose children’s books according to some kind of standard” (9). Tunnell states that we can call a book “good,” if the book teaches lessons that we want them to be taught. In addition, Tunnell gives us his advices as a wise guide to follow. For instance, he opines that a good book should have absence of harshness, scariness, and swearing; in addition, he says that a book should have a familiar content, a simple vocabulary, and a personal and/or social preference. Throughout the whole book, Tunnell’s lessons impacted me. After reading Tunnell’s book, I remembered the times when I had to choose a book for my son. I did not pay as much attention as I should. When I read Children’s Literature, Briefly chapter 2, I stated to paying more attention to the written and illustrated details of any book.

The second lesson I learned was how to recognize a well-illustrated book, and how to make a good evaluation. It was because Tunnell’s Children’s Literature, Briefly also. In his book, Tunnell explains that, “Picture books are a perfect vehicle for opening a child’s eyes to the beauty and power of art, because they do not function like other books, where words alone tell a story or convey information” (29). Tunnell also states that young readers may develop a sense for judging quality. For instance, in this class, I had to make five book’s evaluations. One of my favorite illustrated books to evaluate was The Patchwork Quilt, a heart-touching story written by Valerie Flournoy, were its illustrations was made by Jerry Pinkney who made this book story comes to life. I was not only able to understand Tunnell’s lessons, but to apply them in my evaluation. In addition, I learned how to choose a well-illustrated book to bring it to my children at their read-aloud times. 

The third valuable lesson I have learned in Children’s Literature was how to correctly read-aloud to my children. In her book, Reading Magic, Mem Fox explains why reading out loud to our children will change their lives forever. According to Fox, “Reading aloud and talking about what we’re reading sharpens children’s brains. It helps develop their ability to concentrate at length, to solve problems logically, and to express themselves more easily and clearly” (15-16). I was always conscious of speaking to my children from the second trimester of each pregnancy. When my children were born, I felt a special connection to them; which made me feel it was because of my constant chat with them. Fox’ book is very helpful for mothers-to-be and for those like me who want to give their best to their children. Reading Magic really brings the magic to its readers; Fox shows the best ways to have entertaining and educational read-aloud sections with children.

To sum on, Children’s Literature definitively was the greatest options I chose. The lessons I had learned in this class were extremely valuable for all of my roles; especially, for being the first educator to my children. Now, I can define what a good book is, and how to recognize it. In addition, I can wisely choose a well-illustrated book, and pay attention to its details. As well as, bringing those good books to my children’s reading aloud sections. However, the greatest lesson I had learned is the capability to teach each lesson to my children or relatives. 


☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Quiero Verla Feliz

Quiero verla feliz;
Quiero verla reir.
Que la llenen de besos,
Que le cumplan deseos.
Quiero verla feliz.

Quiero verla feliz;
Quiero verla sentir.
Que vivan por ella,
Que le bajen estrellas.
Quiero verla feliz.

Quiero verla feliz;
Quiero verla subir.
Que logre sus metas,
Que construya nuevas.
Quiero verla feliz.

Quiero verla feliz;
Quiero verla hasta el fin.
Que confíe en el Señor,
Que se acerca lo mejor.
La veré; ya la veré... Feliz.


☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi

Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Beautiful Art of Poetry

Pic by: http://www.stendhalfestival.com/poetry.html
A popular yet anonymous quote states that there is not a worse blind than someone who does not want to see. If we could interpret this quote by going deeper than its simple denotation, we might empathize with the whole meaning of seeing further than an eye could see –in other words: even a blind person could see without using his physical vision. Similar to this quote, poetry is all about digging deeper into the meanings of its words, and observing beyond a simple sight. In order to recognize the beautiful art of poetry we should accept and appreciate that even if a poem is no longer than a few words, it could have contrasting significations between individuals. Using George Gordon, Lord Byron’s ‘She Walks in Beauty’ as an example; basing on its speaker’s tone, diction, and symbol, we will see a clear idea of how poetry art works.

The definition of poetry given by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary also provide us the meaning of the poem’s speaker: “writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.” This definition makes us believe that anyone could write poetry, as long as it creates any kind of emotion in another person. The speaker of the poem does the work to create those emotions. For instance, the speaker of ‘She Walk in Beauty’ makes anyone fall in love with his statements of the exquisite elegance of the lady he is describing, and the way he compares her with the beauty of the night: calm, sweet, and pure. Although we cannot describe at best George Gordon’s speaker, we could have the impression of a gentlemen in love; moreover, a wise man who knows how to win a lady’s heart by just using his diction. 

The diction (word choices and order) expresses the appropriate combination of meaning and emotion; poets choose their words for clarity of meaning (denotation), sometimes for its effect (connotations), and other times just for the way they sound (rhythm). According to Barbara F. McManus, in her article, Tools for Analyzing Poetry, we need to “Pay attention to their specific effects in the poem (speaking about diction), how they contribute to the poem's meaning. In many cases the poet will use diction and syntax in unexpected or deviant ways (poetic license).” McManus states that poets don't bend the “rules” of language just because they can; in a good poem, there is always a reason for unusual uses of language. Likewise, Gordon follows the traditional way –what we know as closed form: he follows standard rules of grammar and syntax (sequence, order, and arrangement; the word order and sentence structure) with a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme. For example, his sentences finish having an order or arrangement –like some artists use in their song (ab, ab, ab). In addition, Gordon uses many symbols to illustrate us his ideas embodied in the image without having to state them. 

Poetry is an art, and it comes with many elements, one of which is: Symbolism. The Symbol is an image transferred by something that stands for or represents something else. Bedford St. Martin website states that a symbol works in two ways: “It is something itself, and it also suggests something deeper.” In addition, the article makes a good point by stating there are no symbols with absolute meanings, because of their nature. Then, they conclude with “It is better to begin by asking what they could mean, or what they have meant.” In brief, a symbol could be a person, object, image, word, or event that evokes a range of additional meaning beyond –and usually more abstract than its literal significance. For instance, we might state that Gordon is clearly describing one specific woman’s beauty through his symbols. However, if someone sees beyond Gordon’s diction, this person could say the author is speaking about death –perhaps, for some people –like Emily Dickinson (in ‘Because I could not stop for Death’), death could be kind, serene, and elegant. On the other hand, another person could say that Gordon is talking about love and the way “She walks in beauty” –how it comes into our life and smiles at us, and makes us see its beauty like the intensity of a crystal-clear night. 

As John Ciardi states in his book, How Does a Poem Mean, “Learning to experience poetry is not a radically different process from that of learning any other kind of play…One of the real joys of the play-impulse is in the sudden discovery that one is getting better at it than he had thought he would be.” Ciardi’s definition has been providing a genuine knowledge of the art of poetry since its publication in 1959. The beautiful art of poetry could transform any false rumor of what it does mean, into true appreciation of what it does evoke in its audience. 

Poetry could be charming and in the same way intense. It could make us believe in anything; it could set us free. Poetry could be fun, and enjoyable. Anyone could understand and learn poetry; furthermore, anyone could make poetry. For, even a blind person could see, without using his physical vision –there is not a worse blind than someone who does not want to see. There is not a worse ignorant than someone who does not want to learn –especially, when it comes to learning poetry.


☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi



Ciardi, John. "How Does a Poem Mean." CSU. California State University, Northridge, n.d. Web. 1959. .
"Elements of Poetry." Virtual Lit. Bedford St. Martins, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. .
McManus, Barbara F. "Tools for Analyzing Poetry." College of New Rochelle. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2007. 
"Poetry." Merriam-Webster. Encyclopedia Britannica Company, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. .

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Conquistando a América

Porque así lo quería y deseaba,
Siete meses habría sido aislada.
Su camino recto escondía pasto:
Mojado de rocío, añorando tacto.

Un conquistador se aproximaba;
Una intensa noche era esperada.
Tres decadas tomó en descubrirla,
Y tres años para poder conducirla.

Del oeste al este la contemplaba,
Y del sur al norte fue incendiada.
Introdujo su barca a firme tierra.
Conquistando así la nativa fiera.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Su Voz

Su voz es adictiva;
Juega con mi anatomía.
Acaricia mis oidos,
Descontrola mis sentidos.

Su voz es seducción;
Mas él no es mi perdición.
Hoy me siento sin salida,
Yo que fui tan precavida.
Su voz... Su voz es ilusión;
Taquicardia al corazón.
Besos nunca jamás dados,
Ni mi cuerpo lo ha observado.
Su voz es tentación;
Yo, mezcla de contradicción.
Si me lanzo en paracaídas,
O regreso a mi normal vida.

Su voz es adictiva;
Juega con mi anatomía.
Acaricia mis oidos,
Descontrola mis sentidos.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Happily Ever After

Pic by: http://happiness-one-quote-time.blogspot.com/2013/03/carry-on-luggage.html
With over 76,600,000 web definition results on Google, this website generalizes the concept of happiness as “the state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.” Happiness is to be at peace with ourselves, and to show respect for every person, no matter the age, ethnicity, or color. Happiness is enjoying every single blessed day like it is the last one on earth. Why does bringing happiness into our lives seem so hard to define? For instance, while some people parallel happiness with money, others say it may come with the age, and others associate happiness with the love for their families or affairs. 

Money is like the breeze that embraces us for a while; then in a blink of an eye will leave us without a trace. In the Times Magazine article, “Do We Need $75,000 a Year to Be Happy?” written by Belinda Luscome, the economist Angus Deaton and psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that 85% of Americans felt happy each day. However, the society keeps buying themselves happy moments, by spending and wasting their money on fancy and materialistic articles, or traveling the world just trying to fulfill emptiness in their mind and heart. On the other hand, Deaton states that “High incomes don’t bring you happiness, but they do bring you a life you think is better” (Luscome 2). The reality is, money could buy only those happy moments, but it might leave us as empty as we were before our purchases. Therefore, we should not keep ignoring that we could find happiness even in the smallest detail life would bring us, at any stage of our age.

As Nicholas Bakalar states in his article “Happiness May Come with Age, Study Says,” a large Gallup poll found that people get happier as they get older. The article reveals a strange and realistic way that elders perceive happiness when they reach their 80s. Therefore, could our age define our happiness? Most young people tend to confuse happiness with the pleasure of having what they desire. However, when they become older, they laugh about that immature way of thinking. According to Andrew J. Oswald, a professor of psychology at Warwick Business School in England, who was interview by Bakalar, “It’s a very encouraging fact that we can expect to be happier in our early 80s than we were in our 20s…And it’s not being driven predominantly by things that happen in life. It’s something very deep and quite human that seems to be driving this” (Bakalar 2). Although, some elders could lament of not doing much in their early life; perhaps, they might not have major studies, save enough money, or fail in parenting. On the other hand, others had found happiness in themselves or through someone they loved.

Happiness is similar to love; they walk hand in hand like best friends walk through the park on a sunny day. Christians believes that a partner might bring his wife happiness, by demonstrating his appreciation and love to his woman. As the Holy Bible states, “If a man has recently married, he must…stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married” (Deuteronomy 24:5). On the other hand, love could not lead us to happiness because when a couple is divorcing, their love and passion could be transformed into anger and unhappiness; this transformation could live for a while, or decades. Although, Christians says that when we believe in God, contentment seems easy to find. However, it does not matter if person loves to follow a religion in order find happiness; when a person loves what they do or fell in love with someone, he would be as happy as a recently fed baby.

To sum on, happiness is not define by being rich, getting older, or loving someone. For, money would not buy our happiness; it just confuses us with happy moments we may buy at some clothing store, travel agency, and etcetera. We might be happier by the time we get older, but why do we need to wait for so long? A person could give us the affection, love and pleasures that we might need; but those might not guarantee our happiness after all. The real definition of happiness is our personal view of life. In addition, happiness is in us; it is in how we love ourselves for who we are and what we might have under any circumstance. And that is the true meaning of living happily ever after. 



☻/ L♥ve and ✗O✗O
/▌ From
/ \ PЯiמcєss Đi



Luscome, Belinda. Do We Need $75,000 a Year to Be Happy? TIME Magazine. TIME INC, 2013. Web.
< http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2019628,00.html>

Bakalar, Nicholas. Happiness May Come With Age, Study Says. The New York Times, June 1, 2010. Web.
< http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/health/research/01happy.html?_r=0>

Holy Bible, New International Version. Deuteronomy 24:5. NIV. Biblica, Inc. Bible Gateaway, 2011. Web.
< http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+24%3A5&version=NIV>

Holy Bible, New International Version. 1 John 4:8. NIV. Biblica, Inc. Bible Gateaway, 2011. Web.
Holy Bible, New International Version. Ecclesiastes 2:26. NIV. Biblica, Inc. Bible Gateaway,  2011. Web.
< http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%202:26&version=NIV>


Friday, November 08, 2013

Dancing in the Rain

Image via: http://www.nanis.it/
In the memoir, Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos, when Gantos was at the Federal Prison in Ashland, Kentucky, he had to learn the importance of meting good friends who listen, support him, and guide him to make wiser decisions in his life. Gantos had the opportunity to meet Mr. Bow, the food service worker, and Mr. Casey; three worthy influencing people. Like Gantos, we could find good friends even if we are under the badness circumstance.

The first day Gantos entered the Federal Prison in Ashland, Kentucky, Mr. Bow spotted lice in his hair; as consequence, he had to put him on a private yellow cell (Gantos 154). Gantos described Mr. Bow, who was the physician’s assistant, “a big man, with a head as wide as his shoulders” (Gantos 161 – 162). Mr. Bow’s good-man appearance made Gantos caring about him. When Gantos was lice-free, he did not want to live around the others convicts, thus, he asked Mr. Bow for a job. Mr. Bow offered him a job as the X-ray tech; also told Gantos that he could live in the same private area and become part of the hospital staff if he accepted (Gantos 162 – 163). As many months went by in prison, Mr. Bow and Gantos had stick to each other, and had a good relationship.

After spending a few days in prison, Gantos was feeling like “a cricket trapped in a box” (Gantos 158); when the food service worker saw him walking around his cell and felt sorry for him. For this reason, the worker brought Gantos a pad of papers, envelopes, a pencil, and some books, including The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. Thanks to the food service worker, Gantos began to use the Karamazov as his journal (Gantos 158). And thanks to the food service worker, Gantos could send his first letter to the judge and told him to reduce his sentence to time served, also explained he had lice, “fully realized his mistakes”, and had been “scared straight” (Gantos 158 – 159). Gantos did not mention the food service worker again neither his name, however, this person sneakily had one of the major roles in Hole in My Life.

The last helpful person that supported Gantos in the penitentiary was Mr. Casey: “A young and yet beaten down by the brutal atmosphere and the frustration of trying to help people in pretty hopeless situations” (Gantos 190 – 191). When Gantos was desperate for getting out of prison, he planned every escape possible but no one good enough to make it come true. Until one day, his former caseworker, Mr. Wilcox, retired, and he met the new one: Mr. Casey (Gantos 190). Mr. Casey was the one who typed up Gantos’ school application, wrote a check for the application fee, and sent it back to the school (Gantos 192). Perhaps, Gantos could not have got out of prison by time, without Mr. Casey’s priceless help.

Sometimes life put us in a very difficult situation and made us feel like we are under a heavy storm. Then, by God Mercy, we could find good friends who support us, even if the storm did not seem to stop. When those friends guide us and we learn how to manage the situation, feels like we are dancing in the rain. Does not matter if we are in jail, like Gantos was, it is how to learn to dance with those friends during the rain that made the situation easy to handle.



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Gantos, Jack. Hole in My Life. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. Print.

Friday, November 01, 2013

Building Credibility


MLM Compensation Plans - building-value.jpg

What would happened if an English-student wrote a skilled article but no matter how many pages he had written, his professor told him it was still missing credibility? As defined by Google, “Credibility is the quality of being trusted, convincing or believable.” In the next comparison of the articles “Why Don’t We Complain?” By William F. Buckley Jr., and “The Bystander Effect,” by Dorothy Barkin, both authors have the same central idea of trying to persuade the readers to speak up when circumstances occurs. However, we will see how well they build credibility in their argument, by using personal experiences or newspaper articles as evidence, quotations, and their rhetorical strategies.

In William F. Buckley Jr.’s article, “Why Don’t We Complain?” Buckley Jr. uses several personal-experiences as evidence. People say that anything in large amounts is harmful and/or has a negative effect; Buckley went off the limits. For instance, Buckley introduces his article by telling us his experience about one below-freezing day that he was inside of a steamy-hot train. He states that no one complained about it. Buckley explains, “The conductor had nonchalantly walked down the gauntlet of eighty sweating American freemen… not one of them had asked him to explain why the passengers in that car had been consigned to suffer” (Buckley Jr. 1). Buckley Jr. continues arguing about his experiences inside of a movie theater, a café, an airplane, and on a line at some ski repair store in Pico Peak, Vermont. On each one of the example given by Buckley, he states that people, especially Americans, instead of complaining about a situation, they are “expecting someone else to take the initiative in going back to speak” (Buckley Jr. 2). Buckley might get his readers tired of his complaining of why we do not complain. In addition, to encourage his audience to do not be afraid to speak up, Buckley uses too many personal experiences, and just a few researches to enforce his argument.

In contrast with Dorothy Barkin’s article, “The Bystander Effect,” the lack of researched sources as evidence in Buckley Jr.’s article, made his argument lose credibility. In Barkin’s article, she hooks the audience by putting us in four different situations, and makes us think about how we would react if they happened. Barkin explains that “Bystanders are often reluctant to intervene in criminal or medical emergencies for reasons they are well aware of” (Barkin 2). Then, on each situation given by Barkin, she states the percentage of people who react like good Samaritans, while the majority tends to abandon the person in danger and/or stay away from an injustice. Later, Barkin tell us about the brutal murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese. According to Barkin, Genovese’s tragedy was a shocking crime that outraged the nation. She uses lots of researches details while she continues explaining when, how, and who was involved in Genovese’s tragedy. Barkin makes her audience believe in her, and take actions when an injustice occurs. Barkin number-pointed her sources and she added quotations and interviews through her article.

Like a fish in water, quotations have to stick to its owner (even if the expression was said by Jane or John Doe). When William F. Buckley Jr. quotes an editor of a national weekly news magazine, he left us with big questions. For example, who was this editor? When his article was written? And, in what news magazine did he work for? Buckley explains that this unknown editor mentioned how only twelve protest-letters (against an editorial stance) were sent to the news magazine, and that he explained, “So few people complain, or make their voice heard…we assume a dozen letters represent the unarticulated view of thousands of readers” (Buckley Jr. 4). The information given by Buckley might be true; however, how do we know? Once again, Dorothy Barkin scored more credibility points than William Beckley Jr., when she writes citations and quotations made by bystanders in her research.

Dorothy Barkin writes about how Kitty Genovese shouted “Oh my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!” while she was being stabbed by an unidentified man. Barkin makes reference about how the bystander in Genovese’s murder said they were “afraid”, “tired”, “did not want to get involved”, and even “thought it was a lovers’ quarrel” (Barkin, 4). Barkin writes about the cruel rape of a woman, another incident that happened nine years later in Trenton, New Jersey. According to Barkin, a witness of the incident said, “We thought, well, it might turn out to be her boyfriend or something like that” (Barkin 4). Barkin article posted on the Townsend Press website, clearly shows how she makes reference on every statement or information she had made (by numbers placed at the right-side). Unfortunately, the website seems to have something wrong in order to link Barkin’s sources. Barkin uses more than thirty references on her article. However, she does not stop there; she also built credibility by delivering rhetorical strategies to her readers.

Although both authors use Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos, William Buckley Jr. appeals more to reasons: Logos. Buckley makes his point clear from the first paragraphs of his article, “Why Don’t We Complain?” In which Buckley Jr. states that “From one end to the car to the other, as we rattled though Westchester Country, we sweated; but we did not moan” (Buckley Jr. 1). In almost every paragraph of Buckley Jr.’s article, we could read about how he argues about Americans. For instance, he says, “we are reluctant to make our voices heard, hesitant about claiming our right…we are afraid that our cause is unjust, or that if it is not unjust, that it is ambiguous; or even that, that it is too trivial to justify the horrors of a confrontation with Authority; we will sit in an over or endure a racking headache before undertaking a head-on, I’m-here-to-tell-you complaint” (Buckley Jr. 2). Like most Disney-Pixar movies; Buckley wants us to speak up, to fight for our rights, and not be complacent under any circumstances. On the other hand, Dorothy Barkin appeals to the emotions, beliefs and values of her audience.

In the fourth page of Barkin’s article, when she was talking about Genovese’s murder, she mentions that “The same question was on everybody’s mind –how could thirty-eight people have done so little?” By sharing this information, Barkin persuades her audience to think as victims and take action as heroes. She states, “If you find yourself witnessing an emergency with a group, remember that everybody is waiting for someone else to do something first. Is you take action, others may also help” (Barkin 5). Then, Barkin make us think about the unfortunate, tragic moment of Kitty Genovese, by concluding with, “Imagine what it feels like to need help and have a crowd watching you suffer and do nothing” (Barkin 5). Barkin made her voice heard; the way she uses Pathos, make her readers feel touched by her persuasion.

When we are writing an essay or discussing an article, if we do not know how to make our audiences believe in what we have to say, our paper would not satisfy them at all. Even if our essay is ten-page long of well-written, extremely-professional vocabulary, we need to give evidences to our readers. For example, give our readers some modest amount of our personal experiences, and enforce our argument with articles and researches. In addition, we might need to add quotations, citations, and/or interviews; and of course, give credit to each person mentioned in our paper. We must include Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos, as strategies to persuade our audience. Even tough, we might need to apply the phrase introduced into modern language in the late twentieth century, “Fake it till you make it.” We must build credibility in our writing, if we want to make our readers believe in our words.




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Barkin, Dorothy. “The Bystander Effect.” Understanding Ourselves. Townsend Press. Web
http://www.townsendpress.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/writing%20and%20motvn/vv_ch14.pdp

Fuller, William F. Buckley, Jr. “Why Don’t We Complain?” 50 Essays. Ed. Samuel Cohen. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 64-70. Print

 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Fully Awake


Song Tra Bong, Vietnam. by tbuteaug2
Ask any woman who has not yet had the pleasure of giving birth naturally and without any anesthesia how she felt in the process of the labor and she probably would say, “It was the most wonderful moment in my life.” However, asking the same question to those who felt every little detail –the pain, kicks, anxiety, desperation, angriness, and, by the same moment, love, passion, faith, appreciation, and power, the answer would be almost inexplicable; difficult to articulate. In Tim O’Brien’s story, The Things They Carried, “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” the main character, Mary Anne Bell, found herself at the climax of finding the woman in her, and leaving the girl behind. Similar to those women having birth without anesthesia, Ms. Bell could not well-articulate her statements about all her emotions, even when she never felt more awake –fully conscious than she was the day she encountered herself, near to the Song Tra Bong. 

“You just don’t know,” Mary Anne Bell said after seeing the confused expression of her fiancé, Mark Fossie. After nearly three weeks without hearing from her, Fossie found her inside of the Green Berets hootch. Standing barefoot in front of him, and wearing human tongues as jewelry, she continued, “You hide in this little fortress, behind wire and sandbags, and you don’t know what it’s all about.” Picturing Ms. Bell adding the adjective “little” is like watching a lion roar in front of a lizard. The sarcasm, the cruelty of her tone, her soundless laughs hiding behind the little “little,” made Fossie insignificant. She was in charge –for sure. She put away her innocence, her charming next-door-girl appearance and all the American-dream-girl behind. Ms. Bell was no longer the person that Fossie met in Cleveland Heights, Oh, and she had no intentions of going back. This time she had nothing to lose; this time she was fully awake, while her fiancé was still dreaming away.

The picture-perfect couple: Mary Anne Bell and Mark Fossie from Cleveland Heights, OH. They had been lovers since sixth grade and had planned their life together since then. Ms. Bell was a beautiful-blond-tall-sweet 17-year-old girl. On the other hand, her fiancé, Fossie, was an 18-year-old handsome-blond, tall, polite, and a good-heart medic, working at the top of a flat-crested hill of Tra Bong, Vietnam. Like most men living miles away apart from their lovers, Fossie felt the urge to be with his beloved one. Consequently, he managed to fly her in. Once she arrived, he put his arm around his possession –his own doll, and presented her to the crew. They were very in love; always holding hands, laughing of their own private jokes, and even planning how many kids they should have. In addition, their way of showing their sweetest love to each other could give diabetes to anyone. 

So far, we could say Fossie is in charge. He has his girl by his side, and a good job position in a safe zone where the war could not reach them; it was a dream come true –what else could he ask for? However, not every love story ends with “They lived happily ever after.” Soon, Ms. Bell became curious about her surrounding: the villagers and their culture, the medical equipment and procedures, and artilleries that soldiers use. It was like seeing a baby crawling and suddenly running away. Fossie, on the other hand, was not paying attention; he was standing in front of his sweetheart, seeing her, yet, not deeply observing what was going on. He was not realizing her sweetness was becoming sour. 

There are many ways a person could see without observing. For instance, on a common day of a college student we could see several sleepwalking zombies and marching robots in –what it seems to be their curious routine: walking with their head down using their smartphone, going straight to the classroom, opening their backpack, removing the notebook and/or handouts, letting the body be attached to a chair while their mind at who-knows where. They hear the teacher teaching while they keep using their phone in-between. Closing their backpacks, walking out the classroom with the cellphone in their hands, and repeating the same process on their way back. Perchance, some of those students might not fail by the end of the semester, yet, for most of them, it is a totally different story if they do not open their eye on time. 

Likewise, there are students who do not care if their grades are going down; like Ms. Bell told Fossie, “You just don’t know.” They just do not get it. They are just too comfy in their safe zone with non-expectations, or self-governing; just following the group but not themselves –like living in a social-coma. For instance, in John Updike’s “A & P,” the character, Stokesie is similar to Fossie from Tim O’Brien’s “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.” Stokesie is a young hard-working man, who apparently has to work to support his family. On the same hand, Fossie is a young hard-working medic, who apparently has to work to support his country. Both of them have a motive, they have hero material; nonetheless, they seem to be comfortable with what they do –nothing more, nothing less. 

On the other hand, Sammy, from Updike’s “A & P,” is a more-realistic male version of Ms. Bell (O’Brien’s “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”). Sammy was a cashier in a grocery store in the north of Boston; similar to Ms. Bell, he was curious and very meticulous. Sammy was spending his time by naming customers for fun, like his friend used to do as well. Although Sammy was trying to figure out the customers –why they buy the stuffs they buy, why they have to walk in circles, he was more interested in one particular girl who he named his “Queenie.” Sammy was following his same safe routine until he had sudden presence of how rude his boss, Lengel, was to his dream-girl –who was in front of him, looking vulnerable, humble, and just real to him, he realized that he had been acting immature and that had to be ended.

Lengel assumed that Sammy’s Queenie was not decent because of her walking around the grocery market in a bathing suit. Sammy stopped looking at her like he used to do; now he was observing her with shame. She was blushing –perhaps embarrassed, and Sammy did not like it; thus, he quit. In addition, he opened his eyes. He spoke; he made Lengel knows that embarrassing a girl was not a good option to do. Moreover, He made his point clear and stood on it with responsibility and no regrets, and that is being mature. 

On the same hand, Ms. Bell experienced a similar situation, still, in a different lap of time. When she spent the night hunting –or doing who-knows-what with a standard M-16 automatic assault rifle, and came back by the morning, Ms. Bell told Fossie that she did not want to talk about it. However, after Fossie whispered something to her, he raised his voice, and told her, “Not later! Now!.” This new Fossie made her realized she was not the same anymore. Several days went by on Ms. Bell’s process of waking up; in the meanwhile, she would not speak at all. She disappeared inside herself, and her blue eyes were opaque. She was like a caterpillar inside her cocoon. Figuring out herself; she no longer wanted to be the beautiful American-girl who was supposed to marry the handsome medic. She did not want to have children, or live in a suburban house. Moreover, her pretty-pink-bubble was about to shatter. At last, the caterpillar became a free butterfly. She escaped; gone with the Green Berets.

Fossie might have been an excellent partner; however, he failed to read between the lines. Perhaps, he did not want her to go after the Green Berets because he wanted to protect her from the rumors of them being acting strange or the possibility of abusing drugs. However, Fossie was not clear. After nearly three weeks of her strange disappearance, Ms. Bell had been seen along with the Green Berets walking around like shadows. Fossie did not give-up on her. Moreover, he went to the Special Forces area and found her inside of their hootch. She stepped out of the shadows looking like she was before –for a moment. She wore a pink sweater and a white blouse and a cotton skirt. Nevertheless, the more she came close to Fossie, the more he witnessed her change. 

“There’s no sense talking,” Ms. Bell said to Fossie, but this time she was not the girl that hushed and obeyed like the day Fossie yelled at her. Now, it was her turn to speak up. “You are in a place where you don’t belong,” she said. Then, began to explain to Fossie what she thought would be a simple meaning for him to swallow. First, she underestimated him by saying that he did not know about the hill, the villages, and its mysteries because he was just safe inside his fortress, isolated from the reality. Next, Ms. Bell expanded her argumentation by cutting her point of view in pieces, “Sometimes I want to eat this place…the dirt, the death –I just want to eat it and have it inside me.” When something is too difficult to be explained, we ought to divide into details and expand them little by little.

“It’s not bad. You know?” said Ms. Bell. She knew Fossie would not understand her behavior –even when any person would not understand (or really do not want to understand) why she had to wear a human-tongues necklace –perchance making her look in control, strong, or someone we should be afraid of. Back to her development, Ms. Bell was happy of becoming mature and self-confidence; she carried on by saying, “I feel close to myself…I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it’s like I’m full of electricity and I’m glowing in the dark –I’m on fire almost –I’m burning away into nothing.” Ms. Bell said, and then concluded by saying that Fossie could not feel like that anywhere else. “It doesn’t matter because I know exactly who I am.” 

Likewise, Sammy’s experience of maturity was pretty much the same by the moment he quit his job. “I know you don’t, but I do,” said Sammy to his boss, Lengel, before he passed the front door of the grocery store to never coming back as an employee. He knew about the consequences of his actions and he knew the world was going to be hard for him; however, he did not turn back. He held still and acted like a grownup man. Just like Ms. Bell, Sammy started to think, speak, and act for his own; free at last, finally awake. 

When life put us in any difficult or tough situation, for instance, getting low grades at school, quitting a job, or no having a job at all –you name it, it is just to push us to a limit where we have to make a choice. We could choose the easy path –which involves laziness, boredom, and the feeling of walking asleep on the streets, or we could choose to stop for an instant of inner-peace –even if the situation might feel like caving in on us. And then, at that moment with ourselves we might think what would be the best for us, for our future. 

When a woman is delivering a child without anesthesia, all the pain and the thrill, is nearly the sensation that someone might feel when she is becoming mature, and waking up from a social-coma. Mary Anne Bell felt that way, she stepped up and shined. She knew something could be considered bad for the society; still, she maintained her point of view and was willing to prove at any cost. Even when the words might not have wrapped all of her emotions, she felt happy with herself. Ms. Bell knew there was something more to be conquered, thus, she became secure, optimistic, and mature; she was fully awake–Are we?



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Thursday, October 10, 2013

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, is a colorful book about the starvation, and transformation of its main character, the caterpillar. The story started with the caterpillar inside of his egg; lying on a big, brown and green leaf. When the tiny caterpillar came out of its egg, he was starving; thus, he spent a whole week feeding himself fruits –from Monday until Friday, and then, he ate some snacks and unhealthy food by Saturday. His last large meal caused him a stomachache; as a result, the poor little caterpillar spent the night sick. By Sunday morning, he ate through a healthy green leaf, which made him feel much better. 

Suddenly he was no longer tiny or hungry. When he was ready to emerge from the cocoon, he bore a hole from the inside and pushed himself out. No longer a caterpillar, he had transformed in to a beautiful and colorful butterfly. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a great book for all ages, specially, for babies and toddlers; for the variety of its attention-grabbing artworks, which goes along with every step made by the caterpillar. From the first until the very last page of the book, you could see huge –and apparently handmade paintings of the moon and the sun, the caterpillar and his meals, and the trees and leaves. In addition, the book have a very interesting part; when the author revealed the caterpillar’s meals thought the weekdays, every meal had a circular hole on it. These holes are representative of how the caterpillar ate through every kind of fruits, snacks, and unhealthy food. This made the book much more enjoyable 
and fun.

It was a simple, understanding short story. Nevertheless, the wide and bright-colored illustrations are the one that make The Very Hungry Caterpillar educational, interesting, and one-of-a-kind book.


Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. NY: Scholastic, 1987.



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Friday, October 04, 2013

The Patchwork Quilt

Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt. Pictures by: Pinkney, Jerry
The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy is a heart-touching story about a girl named Tanya, her grandmother, and the rest of their family. The illustrations made by Jerry Pinkney make this book’s story comes to life. Flournoy tells about a middle-class African girl and how she feels fascinate of helping her grandmother in the making of a quilt for the whole family. The quilt represents the family’s treasure: Their memories and experiences. Perhaps, Flournoy is trying to make her readers feel touched by telling Tonya’s story; how family comes together, not just in the holidays.

Flournoy vocabularies are expressive; she uses a wide-selection of adverbs and adjectives, and college-level words while she is narrating the story. Although the story is written in well-understanding professional English, its character, Grandma, speaks like most of their African culture –living in the States; when she cut words at their end, especially when the verb is in gerund. The conversations are simple, like an every-day conversation between our family and friends. The character’s pictures are like paintings that Pinkney took from photographs; they look like real people that anyone could see in the street or living in the next door. Just by looking at Pinkney’s pictures, we can tell what the story is about; the expressions on every character tell the story along. Flournoy’s meaningful book teaches a valuable lesson: The value of family, and how to convert simple things -like fabrics, in this case, into an extraordinary and memorable masterpiece -the quilt- for all the family.



Flournoy, Valerie. The Patchwork Quilt. Pictures by: Pinkney, Jerry. NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.1985. Print



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Thursday, September 26, 2013

America is... / America es...

Borden, Louise. America is… Illustrations by Stacey Schuett
America is… by Louise Borden is an inspiring, pictures enriched book about the United States of America. Although America is a whole continent; perhaps, Borden uses this tittle because the US had being named like that since forever. In the cover and the first page of the book, we can see a picture of the emblematic bald eagle; in representation of freedom. In this book, Borden talks and makes poems about all the states within USA and their aspects. For instance, Borden honors the United States all-races people and families, its atmosphere and seasons, coasts and oceans, barns and mountains, its national song and flag, highways and skyscrapers, holidays and celebrations, schools, and sports. Borden’s statements are modest; she do not uses as much adjectives as others children’s books. However, in her simplicity, and with the help of the fascinating illustrations made by Schuett, Borden makes her book magnificent.

The book is full of colorful and excellent pictures made by Stacey Schuett. Each page has full-length pictures that go hand by hand with Borden’s text. For instance, Schuett shows us a picture of a farmer, his son, and his barn; in this picture, we can see the greatest colors within a sunset, how the farmer and his son are dressed, the corn plants growing, and the beautiful barn landscape. Borden’s America is… is a wonderful, educational and inspirational book, that not only shows us the greatest places and people of United States of America, but makes us honors and love this nation even more.


America is… por Louise Borden es un libro inspirador y enriquecido con ilustraciones acerca de los Estados Unidos de América. Aunque América es el continente entero; quizás Borden usa este título porque EU ha estado siendo llamado de este modo desde siempre. En la portada y la primera página del libro, podemos ver una pintura de la emblemática águila calva; en representación de libertad. En este libro, Borden habla y hace poemas acerca de todos los estados en EUA y sus aspectos. Por ejemplo, Borden hace honor a todas las razas, personas y familias, la atmosfera y estaciones, costas y océanos, granjas y montanas, el himno nacional y la bandera, carreteras y rascacielos, días feriados y celebraciones, escuelas, y deportes de los Estados Unidos. Los criterios de Borden son modestos; ella no usa muchos adjetivos en comparación con otros libros infantiles. Sin embargo, en su simplicidad, y la forma en la que las fascinantes ilustraciones hechas por Schuett la ayudan, Borden hace que su libro sea magnifico.

El libro está lleno de coloridas y excelentes pinturas hechas por Stacey Schuett. Cada página contiene una ilustración que cubre una página entera y que van de la mano con el contexto de Borden. Por ejemplo, Schuett nos muestra una pintura de un granjero y su hijo, y su granja, podemos ver los grandiosos colores de un atardecer, como el granjero y su hijo están vestidos, la plantación de maíz creciendo, y la hermosa vista de la granja misma. America is… es un libro excelente, educacional e inspirador, que no solo nos muestra las grandeza de sus personas y lugares de los Estados Unidos de America, sino que también nos hace honorar y amar esta nación aún más. 

Borden, Louise. America is… Illustrations by Stacey Schuett. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2002. Print


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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Yellow Elephant / Elefante Amarillo

Larios, Julie. Yellow Elephant, A Bright Bestiary. Illustrations by Julie Paschkis

Yellow Elephant, A Bright Bestiary is a fourteen poems book written by Julie Larios and illustrated by Julie Paschkis. In the short poems about certain animals –frog, donkey, owl, giraffe, elephant, puppy, kitty, fish, finch, mouse, gull, lizard, turtle, and goose- we could read about their physical appearance and personalities. On each delightful and colorful painting made by Paschkis, we could appreciate Larios’ poems even more.

The poems are easy-to-read; according to the back cover of the book, this book is intended for kids from age five to ten. However, Larios slightly used word choices that could make children ask about their signification. For example, while I was reading one of the poems (Brown Mouse) to my 6 years old boy, Michael Joel, the word Jitterbugging located in the sentence, “Little brown clown, looking for crumbs, comes sneaking, sniffing, skittering, all around-sounds like she’s jitterbugging on tinfoil…though the house” (Larios, 22), made my son ask, “what is that, mommy?” Uncertain, I went online and looked for a correct answer. Nevertheless, I believe is a good way to –not only teach children about poetry, but awaken their curiosity of knowing the meaning of new words.

One of my favorite poems in this charming book is Pink Kitty:

“Pink collar.
Pink bell.
Pink pillow.
Pink bowl.
And a pink yawn at dawn.
Outside, the city –hot and hazy.
Inside, cool kitty
Feeling pink and lazy” (Larios, 16).

I am a cat lover, also, one of my favorite colors is pink; however, what I love the most about this poem, is the way Larios described the best definition of an adorable (and always lazy) kitty cat. She made me remember a cat that I had for a long time during my infancy.

Yellow Elephant, A Bright Bestiary by Julie Larios is a great introduction-to-poetry book. Every parent should have one copy at their home, in order to engage their children to read poetry and develop their vocabulary. In addition, the illustrations made by Julie Paschkis perfectly complement this book, by making it educational and entertaining.


Elefante Amarillo, Un Bestiario Brillante es un libro de 14 poemas escritos por Julie Larios e ilustrado por Julie Paschkis. En los cortos poemas acerca de ciertos animales –sapo, burro, búho, jirafa, elefante, perro, gato, pinzón, ratón, gaviota, lagartija, tortuga, y ganso- podemos leer acerca de sus apariencias y personalidades. En cada encantadora y colorida pintura hecha por Paschkis, podemos apreciar los poemas de Larios aún más.

Los poemas son fácil-de-leer; de acuerdo a la reseña escrita en la parte trasera del libro, este libro está previsto para niños entre las edades cinco a diez. Sin embargo, Larios ligeramente usa opciones de palabras que podrían hacer que estos niños preguntasen por su significado. Por ejemplo, mientras estuve leyendo uno de los poemas (Ratón Castaño, pagina 22) a mi hijo de seis años, Michael Joel, la palabra “jitterbugging” (bailando acrobáticamente al ritmo de jazz o bugui-bugui) hizo que me preguntara, “¿Qué es eso, mami?”  Dudosa, fui a la web a encontrar el significado correcto. No obstante, creo que es una buena manera de –no solo ensenarle a los niños sobre poesía, pero de despertarle su curiosidad sobre saber el significado de nuevas palabras.              
Uno de mis poemas favoritos en este encantador libro es el Gato Rosa:

“Collar rosa.
Cascabel rosa.
Almohada rosa.
Tazon rosa.
Y un bostezo rosa al atardecer.
Afuera, la ciudad –caliente y brumoso.
Adentro, gato fresco.
Sintiéndose rosa y vago” (Larios, 16.)

Soy una amante de los gatos, también, uno de mis colores favoritos es el rosa; sin embargo, lo que amo más acerca de este poema, es la manera en la que Larios describe a un adorable (y siempre vago) gatito, en su mejor definición. Ella me hizo recordar una gata que tenía hace mucho tiempo, durante mi infancia.

Elefante Amarillo, Un Bestiario Brillante de Julie Larios es un grandioso libro de introducción-a-la-poesía. Cada padre debería tener una copia en sus casas, para así comprometer a sus hijos a leer poesía y enriquecer su vocabulario. En adición, las ilustraciones hechas por Julie Paschkis complementan perfectamente este libro, haciéndolo educacional y entretenido.


Larios, Julie. Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary. FL: Harcourt, INC, 2006.



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