Hungry. . . for some delicious attention

Everyone is hungry for attention; its only natural. We all want others to see us, praise us, scold us - just to assure ourselves we are there.

We may not always be conscious to the fact that we are doing things to get attention, but, nevertheless, we commit acts that get us praised and sometimes in a lot of trouble. In Black Boy, Richard set the curtains on fire. He is writing this account as an older man and explains this incident as wanting attention. I don't think he stood there looking at the fire maliciously rubbing his hands together saying, "Mwahaha, this will get their attention!" I think that he was just sincerely curious about wanting to see how the curtains would look on fire. Maybe subconsciously, he was looking for mischief that would lead to attention; he fears his mother and yet he pulls the stunt off anyway.

There was this girl in my class from 2nd grade to 5th grade and she would always make snide, inappropriate comments in the middle of class; she would read magazines in the middle of class too, just to spite our teacher. And, yes, our teacher got very mad - even sent her too the office a few times. Despite all the scolding she received, she still continued to do all the things that got her in trouble. Was she hungry for attention - yeah! One of the signs to prove my point was when she got in trouble, she would always smile and look around to receive laughs and smirks from the rest of the class. So when I think of someone hungry for attention, I think of her, not someone like Richard. He may want attention, but I don't think he always goes out of his way to get it. The cat thing, I think, was to just get some revenge on his dad, not attention.

This Sacred Soil

This was one of my favorite reads that can claim the title, "What is an American?" This Sacred Soil, written by Chief Seattle is the Seattle's response to Issac Stevens, the Governor of Washington Territory in 1854.

Native Americans were on American soil much longer than the Europeans. They pretty much had a claim to that land that the Europeans took for themselves. The Native Americans respected the soil, and used the land (all of it too; they didn't hunt an animal just for its fur). They lived off the land and it was sacred to them. When the Europeans come to the Americas, they have little to no respect for the land and only care about what they can gain from it; the Native Americans try to preserve the sacred soil as much as possible. This land means something to them; it is a part of their heritage and holds the memories of their ancestors.

Chief Seattle comes right out and says that the white man's God hates his people; he also says that the Great Spirit has also forsaken them. This is very sad. Not only that the Europeans were able to instill this in the Native American's heads, but that it caused great pain and loss of faith for them. Imagine if you had placed your trust in someone that never answered your pleas for help. . . They felt abandoned.

This speech also made me laugh. I could almost picture Chief Seattle sitting there and saying, "Ha! This is good-it'll make those white men feel guilty!" or, "Yeah, yeah; this is good-it'll make those white men think twice about what they are doing." I'm saying that was his intention; I, personally, just got that feeling when I was reading it.

I think the last 2 lines of the speech really hit this point on the head though. Those last two lines also seem to have a feeling of hope - hope that they Chief Seattle and his people are not giving up and even if they may not survive, the people will live on, even if a different world.

"Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds."

King, still King

Every year around this time, we get a day off of school for a man that changed the way many people thought and started a movement that would bring the United States in to a new millennium.

Do we really think about this on that extra day we get to sleep in, though?

We don't, not really (or at least, I don't). And if you do, I commend you! Its not that we don't care, we just forget. I think that Martin Luther King has been moved more to the back of our minds. Teachers always make sure that he is not forgotten. They teach us of his life of how he moved people from anger and hatred to understanding and some peace. But we have forgotten the long marches, the speeches, the act of civilty during violence. He will never loose his title though; he deserved it because he allowed the thoughts of people to grow to the fact that everyone is the same. For some it took time to accept this. But, nevertheless, he changed the a small part of the world for the better.

Over time, as we move slowly towards complete equality, people will begin to forget him. Some else may start the next big movement and become that new 'king'. But, the memory of the man who began the movement that led us where we are today will live on in the people who believe what he stood for and carried out his dream.

King. . .is still king.

We are ugly, but we are here.

"Every once in a while, we must scream this as far as the wind can carry our voices: We are ugly, but we are here! And here to stay."
-Edwidge Danticat

This is the last sentence from Edwidge Danticat's We Are Ugly, But we are here. It is a recollection of her time in Haiti, during its dictatorial Duvalier regime. She moved to the United States around age thirteen, and what she remembers from Haiti is heart-breaking. When I was reading this article, I was filled with sadness, but also inspiration. It is amazing that even though they were looked down upon and had to deal with so much that these women still found the will and determination to stay strong and supportive of each other. It is a lesson to everyone, not just women, that we have the power to pull ourselves up like they were able to.

Danticat mentions many sacrifices made by women all the way back to the time Arawak Indians, who lived on the land hundreds of years before. Sacrifices were still made by women when Danticat lived in Haiti. Sacrifices were made for the rest of the people, so they could continue to be there; that aspect invokes huge amount of respect to the women of Haiti.

"She [Danticat's grandmother] believed that no one really dies as long as someone remembers, someone who will acknowledge that this person had in spite of everything been here."

The women who gave their lives, the women who stayed strong, the women who picked themselves up again, the women who inspired others - they will live on in the minds and memories of their friends and those who knew them. They will live on in the spirits of the women of the world.

A Music Review

The Decemberists. An indie band from Portland, Oregon that formed in 2002. I haven't been, I guess you can say, a true "fan" for many years. In fact I have only recently become a fan of their music (maybe about a year ago). I discovered the band on one of my walks around I-tunes and just fell in love with the music. Their new album, even though, it is not out yet, is one on my favorites. You can listen to the new album, The King Is Dead, on the internet or on I-tunes. It is expected out on January 18, 2011, just in time for a belated New Year's present (hint, hint. . .). But, with either this album or their previous ones, you are in for a treat. They really fulfill that "indie" feel of music while adding an alternative spin on it.


Also, since its the holidays and my favorite band is The Killers, I would also like to suggest their newest holiday song, Boots. I really like this song and not only because it's alternative and not your average Christmas song, but because of its lyrics. If you listen carefully they really highlight that holiday time with family and it makes you think of all those good times.

You Got A Friend. . .

Ah, the Great Gatsby and his ways of using people. He doesn't seem to know exactly what the qualifications of a friend are. Would such a good friend do that?

Yes, Gatsby takes Nick to lunch and invites him to parties, but he doesn’t really confide in him. . . at least not at first. He is just another guest at one of Gatsby’s parties; Gatsby doesn’t really pay attention to him, as a friend might. But, it is also obvious that Gatsby needs a friend, whether it be out of his own agenda or because he needs someone who can be there for him (Yeah, its for his own agenda). Nick is that ideal friend; there is a beginning of a great friendship between the two, even if it not so evident at first.

The way Gatsby throws all his parties and acts at them, give a big insight into his life. His parties are really impersonal and really have no rhyme or reason to them. It seems that he Gatsby just wants to fit in with the “old money” and will play that “cool cat” part by throwing legendary parties.
Nick, on the other hand is a little more skeptical and doesn’t believe Gatsby’s first story about his life. Nick is the friend Gatsby needs to keep him tied to reality and be his confidant and Gatsby is the friend Nick needs to embrace his “luxury side”.

A Wonderful Winter Poem

Snow falls around me
I look up towards the sky
My breath is taken away.