Refletion #12 My experience on blogging.

This semester was a long and exhausting journey, but I can sincerely say that my class of English was a impulse for me. It was my relaxing class that although we had work, readings and stuff to do, it was not so boring like the other classes because it had a new method of learning and gaining a grade that the other classes did not have. That new and improving method was the BLOGGING that was like having you own journal only that it was public. It was a way to give to others a little bit about you, a way to interact with other people and share ifferent points of view, for example in the comments. Blogging is a great method that the teacher used and for me it was the best. Like I have always said I do not like to much to read, BUT I do like to write. Wrinting is a way to show and express your feelings, feelings that sometimes are a little difficult to express my just saying them, but a little more easy and inspiring when you write them. BLOGGING excelent method and I can sincerely say that a person that is really interested in the class will like it...

Reflection #11 Maus

Maus was a very good and interesting comic to read, you know? I really enjoyed it. I do not know if it is the fact that it had drawings that made it so animated, but is type of book that you know that anyone would like. Maus is not only animated and interesting, but it teaches us and helps us understand a little bit more what our grandfathers had to pass throw in their time. Sometime we are so hard headed that we do not understand when somebody close to us wants to teach us something or even explain something to us, but it is not only when a particular person tells you the same thing that you parents or somebody very close to you told you that you understand what they were saying. Reading this book has made me see those years in another perspective besides my grandparents perspective. I believe it was a horrible time that nobody voluntary would take the chance to be the in the shoes of those that had to be there. So I say it again I really liked Maus and I hope that next year students that take this class can read it too and enjoy it.

Reflection #10 David Henry Hwang's M.Butterfly

I founded that this was a very extense play, but rather interesting. In the beginning I was a little bored because I do not like to read much, but when I kept on reading and stopped for a moment, there was something that motivated me, that made me curious each time and moment to know, what would happen next? I think that David Henry Hwang is an excelent writter, it was a good piece, although there were some parts that where a bit shocking because you would never think you would be reading those kind of topics in some plays. I sincerely respect his style of writing, but in my opinion I think that there are somethings that are better unsaid and he seems to speak his mind wide and open. This is certainly a play that is for university students because is a bit strong in some aspects, for example, topics like adultery, excitement in the pleasures of having sexual relationships, and others. It should be taken with pincers because it could be propitiating perversion, by opening or expanding the minds and thoughts of the reader, waking areas that in some cases are not in those levels. On the other hand I understood how that author wanted that the play would not be only about the passion in these charaters, but also about the social problems that these two regions lived, the wars, the politics, revolution, prejudice and others. I really enjoyed reading this play and if I was assigned again to read a piece of David Henry Hwang, I would read it....

Reflection #9 Seinfield Show

In the class we went to see some episodes of the Seinfield Show that it had past a long time since I had not seen it. The characters are hilarious, it was a very nice experience, it is always good to make some changes in our everyday routines. I liked very much the episode that we saw...the three roomates or neighbors are talking about making a movie, but two of them are the ones more serious about doing it. They had to arrange a meeting with the people that you arange meeting to make a movie (I fortgot their names jaja). The little shubby one was very nervous, I think he was going pee himself. Finally, when they got to sat down with the persons that were going to hear their ideas for the movie, they started talking and asking them questions. When they got to the question about what was the movie going to be called and what was it going to be about...the little shubby one said: "about...NOTHING". They all looked at each other confused, even his friend that came with him. Even I was confused, but when you looked at their faces you could laugh and laugh of the stupidity, and so it kept on the show...Later the proffesor told us to read the in the book a dialogue of the Show of Seinfield and answer a question. I would have to say in response of the question, that I think that it two very different things to read and watcth the episode of Seinfield. In my case I prefer wacthing it, I am more of a visual person, pictures, colors, etc. Nowadays there are not a lot of kids that like to read, you can count with the fingers the one that really like it. Although I do not like it very much I do accept that reading is knowledge, knowledge leads to power, and with power you can do anything...

Reflection #8 Lyrics of Evanecense: My Immortal

As poems, songs are other ways to show your thoughts and feelings, the person that sings has the gift of a great voice, but the person that writes also has something, has the feeling, the compositor is the true artist. For me, writing a song is another way of poetry, I love music, especially the kind of music that has that flow, that feeling that it makes you feel what the person is feeling and you can understand it more. Evanecense has that ability and it all starts from their lyrics to the great voice of the lead singer. One of my favorite songs is "My Immortal", although when I started to read word for word the lyrics I had some doubts in my mind, some questions about the plot in the song, because she is like telling us a story, not a very detailed story because has a certain mistery. From what I can understand, she is saying that she has a pain, a pain that has come from the past because it saids that she has it since her childhood. This pain is caused by a person, but that person that is making her suffer, I am not sure if the person is dead or what because as she explains, she talks about a precense that is still with her. Wether she is talking about a ghost or of a person that has not been there for her when she has needed him or her. Her pain is so intense that it wont heal and not even the time can erase all those memories that seem to haunt her. She explains in the chorus how she has been there when that person has needed her and it seemed that or that person died or has just left, but the ghost or the precense is still with her. It seems that all of this is bothering her so much that she cannot even think well. This person was not always been a bad headache in her mind, she used to admire him or her, but with the time the admiration disapeared and the memories only brought her pain. At the end in the song there was a part that left me thinking and a little confused: "I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone, but though you're still with me, I've been alone all along"...Is like a contradiction, like if she was trying transmit a message behond of what is written in those words, when I read that part it only reminded me a time that somebody told me: "The worst way to miss somebody is to have that person beside you and always know that you will never have him/her".....

Reflection #7 Poem: The Road Not Taken

This poem talks about two diverged roads in wich the author is confused because he is not sure wich one to take. I liked this poem because you can compare this two diverge roads in our everyday's lifes decisions. Those decisions that give us a lot of headache every time we think, talk or try to analize them, because they are decisions that lead to problems if we dont do something or try to solve them. In "The Road Not Taken" the author is comparing and talking about the two roads and I know for experiece that comparing is a good technique to choose and make a wise decision. You should set a list of all the positive and negative things of one and all the positive and negative things of the other. The author expressed how he lamented the fact that he could not travel both roads and this is another example of how we too lament sometimes that we cant do both things, but to decide one or the other. When he already decided wich one to take, he kept on walking and eventually realized that both roads had been practically the same, for a moment it came to his mind the doubt if he should ever turn back, but he later desisted of the idea. This happens almost every time we make a decision that is difficult for us and always stay with that little doubt in our minds, saying: "What would had happened if I had done things differently?, some people overcome that, but some dont, anyway that is life, part of growing up, and taking the reponsability of our actions... At the end there was something that thje author said that it put me to think and I think he is very right: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." He accepted and realized that he had choosen the right one, he said it proudly and with reassurance because: " THAT HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE".....

Reflection #6 Poem: AmeRícan

When I was in class there was a poem that captured my attention, I thouhgt it was very unique. AmeRícan, by Tato Laviera (B. 1951) is a poem that it was written with great pride and joy. Certainly is the PRIDE of how this poem is written what truly facinates me, he takes step by step to describe tha AmeRícan, starting from the history to our different ethnic groups and culture. From what I could understand the author is talking about the puertorrican's that leave to go to New York, because he talks about "plena", how sometimes they talk "spanglish", and go all around admiring what they see, that is simply what a puertorrican would do and how he would act if he was in the States. He also talks about how we are so well integrating in the groups, not leaving behing our learned cultures, and how we are always looking for the future, our destiny. I agree very much with the author of this poem, I have family that lives in New York and I have learned that at least us, puertorrican (I cannot speak for other countries) we do not leave our culture behind, we may have to do some changes in our lives styles, but we integrate what is most important to us in our "new home". Puertorrican are proud, that is one of the caracteristics that we are distinguished for. But at the end their was a part that surprised, well if I understood well I think that at the end as the author said, the AmeRícan was accepting, was dreaming and wishing that one day he would take off the accent and say it like it was, to be proud to say that he was "american in the u.s. sense of the word". Well, I most say that I am not quite sure I would wish to have leave my accent, because that is what distinguishes me and makes me different from those who their first land is New York, anyway everybody is entitled to their own opinion...