Blog #15-In conclusion...

I really enjoyed this class. I loved the novels that we read this semester, especially The Secret Life of Bees, which was the best book that I have read this year. I am also planning to watch the film of the novel, which is going to be in theaters this fall. One of the many things that I will remember from the class is the multi genre reserach project. I enjoyed doing research about the topic of Firdaus and El Saadawi. Unlike the boring, regular research paper, this research project helped me learn a great deal about these two characters. It was my first time doing this kind of research, which I look forward to doing more in the future. I wished that other English professors would assign this kind of project rather than just plain text papers. However, I am glad to meet Ms. Sturgeon as my professor, who had introduced this project to me. Thank you so much and have a great summer!

Blog #14-Research on Women Prisoners (Part 2)

"I decided to meet the woman named Dakarai. However, she refused to see me. Actually, she refused to see anyone. So, I decided to meet another prisoner who can describe to me what kind of person Dakarai really was. The prisoner that I met was named Kanika. She was also a friend of Dakarai. She had first met her two weeks ago. However, during the short period of time, she had learned so much from her. She told me that Dakarai had taught her to be firm and strong no matter what happens and to always keep her head up high. Kanika could not believe how Dakarai could be so strong after experiencing countless mistreatments from every man whom she had met. Kanika realized that she was not the only person in the world to deal with difficulties in her life. She described Dakarai as her teacher, friend, and mother. She never felt comfort in her life as she did when she met Dakarai. She also feels discouraged because Dakarai is not by her side to give her comfort anymore once she is put to death.

After hearing from both of the prisoners’ perspectives of Dakarai, I was not afraid of her anymore. Before, I was afraid to meet Dakarai because of the fact that she had killed someone, known to be her pimp. Dakarai seemed to be a sweet woman, who was just at the wrong place, at the wrong time. I am excited to meet this woman named Dakarai and I cannot wait to hear her story. I hope that she agrees to see me tomorrow, since tomorrow is her last day to live… "

-El Saadawi

Blog #13-Research on Women Prisoners (Part 1)

"This is the first woman that I met in prison. Her name was Akila. According to Akila, she was sent to prison because she did not abide by her husband’s rules. He wanted her to have sex with him every night, and she obeyed his words for three years after they were married. However, she was tired of doing something that she did not want. However, she was afraid of speaking up because she knew that she would be beaten to death. One night, after hard day at work, she refused to have sex with him. She knew that this was against the marriage rule in Muslim, but she did not care anymore because she did not wanted to live like a sex slave to her husband. When she refused, her husband got mad at her and started to beat her up. After many hours of abuse, he called the police and she was locked up. She was sentenced to three years in jail because she did not fulfill the needs of her husband. This is a typical case in Cairo, Egypt. It happens all the time to women and sometimes, men. She told me that she had encountered numerous incidents where they treat women like dirt and men like lion. After telling me her story, she told me that she had met someone who had helped her see her problems in a different light. Her name was Dakarai, which means 'happy' in Egyptian. (This character became what is known as “Firdaus” in the novel, Woman at Point Zero.) She described her as caring, passionate, ambitious friend. She would give her advice in everything that troubled her. She had known her for a month and she is very sad that Dakarai, or Firdaus, is placed in death penalty. She would never be able to see her again, the only person Akila considered as a friend."

-El Saadawi

Blog #12-The Truth

It is known to be that the novel Woman at Point Zero was actually both fiction and non-fiction. According to the author, El Saadawi, the character that she came up with, named Firdaus, was actually a real character that she met in the Quanatir Prison in 1973. El Saadawi was working on her research on Women and Neurosis in Egypt when she met and interviewed a woman who came to be known as Firdaus (a name El Saadawi made up). In some ways, El Saadawi and Firdaus are foil characters. They both were oppressed by the society because of the fact that they were women. El Saadawi served four years in prison because of her political views. Firdaus on the other hand, was sent to jail because she had killed her pimp, who was going to take control of her. Firdaus had dealt so many hardships dealing with repression from men in her life that El Saadawi decided to make a novel out of her life story. In addition to Firdaus’s story, El Saadawi incorporated her life story as well, which coincidentally came to be similar. In the time the novel was written, they were never treated equally as men. Women were considered to be slaves to men. They had to satisfy the men in the house, whether it was their husband, uncle, or whomever. This is illustrated in the novel as well. Firdaus’s father beat his wife when one of his sons died and also beat Firdaus and other girls in the house. Not only that, but her father never went to bed with empty stomach; but her mom and the rest of the children did (Woman at point Zero, 18). This is how the society was and might still be, as of today.

Blog #11-Quotes/explanation from the novel

Uncle sees the fear because his wife is in a higher class than he is. In addition, Uncle's sister, or Firdaus's aunt, is paying for his schooling (p.23).
The theme of the novel is hierarchy because Firdaus mentions the power she wants to gain that men has; she wants to be as strong as she can be. She is living in an era, or the society, where men are pushing women down, so that they can be dominant over them. In page 28, Firdaus describes all men as evil and all the same. Patriotism goes hand in hand with religion (Allah). In page 33, Firdaus is scared because she is alone and does not know what to do. In page 37, Uncle's wife calls him, "Your holiness." She respects him as a king, or something higher than that. She seems to be exaggerating a bit. In page 87, Firdaus says, "I hope for nothing, I want for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free." It seems that Firdaus found out what she wanted to do with her life.

Blog #10-Introducing the characters

In the beginning of the novel, Nawal El Saadwai, or the psychiatrist, is one of the main characters. In addition, Firdaus is also a main character, who is introduced and most mentioned in the novel. The psychiatrist was interested in a case study so she started researching neuroses of women prisoners, this is how she came to meet Firdaus, who was also a prisoner at that time. She was convicted as a murderer, who would be sentenced to death. She was very anti-social and she did not care about anything because her death was approching to her very soon, which was the next day. Her uncle is introduced in the begining and throughout the novel. He is very religious and he is a Muslim. However, despite his strong religious belief, he molests her and touches her. Whenever he hears someone approching, he would wuthdraw his hand. This tells me that he knows it is wrong to do such a thing, but does it anyway because he feels like it. Firdaus does not seem to take any action regarding this because he is her uncle and he is providing her education, so she thinks it is okay because he is much older than her and is more 'mature." Her uncle not only lives with Firdaus but also lives with his wife and this is not acceptable.

Blog #9- Woman at Point Zero

El Saddawi is such an amazing author/ psychiatrist because she seemed to be interested in a subject that other people want to hide and not want to talk about. She was interested in the prisoners and their reason for being there. She did not give up on Firdaus, who was not willing to see her, because she knew she was a psychiatrist and did not wanted to talk about her story. However, because of her determination to meet her was so strong, it led her to finally agree to meet her. Then the journey begins from there.

I believe that meeting the "right people" is one of the most important tasks in life. Meeting that one person can completely change one's life, either good or bad. In this novel, the psychiatrist met Firdaus, which seemed to broaden her spectrum of what life is and can do to a human being. Everyone has problems in their life, and Firdaus was one of the many, who has several problems in her life. She does not know who her dad is, and when she asked her mom about it, her mom punished her by performing a female circumcision on her. I believed that she should not have been punished for asking such a question like that. Of course, she wants to know who her dad is, because it is her dad. There is nothing wrong about asking such a question. Not only that, but she is being sexually harassed by her one and only uncle. He would try to sneak in his hands to touch her legs and when he would hear someone approaching, he would withdraw his hand. She must have gone through so much emotional pain from that because she cannot defend herself by telling someone about it because he is older than her and should know better. However, it is so frustrating to admit the fact that adults sometimes do not know better and act immature compared to their age:[

Blog #8-Sula

What does Sula mean or represent to the Bottom?

Sula is a disgrace to the Bottom. They do not even consider her as a human being; they do not want her at all in the community because of what she does---sleeping with the White men, which is not proven to be true. Hating Sula is how they found the community to be what it is, which sounds ironic.

What is Shadrack's relationship between Sula and Nel?

Shadrack's relationship between Sula and Nel was that they were "a guest, friend, and visitor" to him. Having a visitor once a year to his house can be very meaningful. To him, they were very precious companions to him. For Sula, it was terrifying for her see him.

How does the tunnel represent?

Tunnel represents a unity in Black and White community/ culture. Racial divide started in 1941 to 1965. In 1965, Black people started moving to the valley and they abandoned the Bottom, which they once called it "home."

Blog #7- What is the "secret life of bees"?

The secret life of bees is a journey for the bees, where they find their own identity by doing what they are told to do starting from when they were born to when they die. Their one and only goal or task is to pollinate the flowers, so that they can get the honey for the hive so that they can build their territory or their kingdom for the Queen bee. It is a metaphorical statement that describes Lily's journey--- in finding who was her mom and what really happened to her. She also wanted to find out if what T. Ray had told her was true--- that her mom left her and she was just packing her stuff when Lily accidentally pulled the trigger of the gun and killed her mom. These questions have been haunting Lily for many, many years. She was dying to know the answers to these questions.

At the end, she finally finds out the truth, but she was hurt from the truth. However, she had grown so much from knowing the truth and she had learned to accept the truth. Although she was motherless, she had people around her that really loved and cared for her. This is the same for the bees because the bees have their own species that care for them. In actuality, most humans and living things do and this is what keeps us going in life, despite the hardships we face.

Blog #6- Character Sketch

Character: Lily

Perspective: 3^rd person

She is a strong and brave girl. She is not afraid of taking risks because she had saved Rosaleen from being killed by those white men. She had also escaped from the mistreatment of her own father, T. Ray by running away from her house. She is a type of person who will do anything to save her loved ones, such as Rosaleen and her mom. She is headed to Tiburon with Rosaleen in search of anything that is left of her mom’s trace, so that she could find out what kind of person she really was despite of what T. Ray said about her.

Perspective: 1^st person

I am a strong and brave girl. I am not afraid of taking risks because I had saved Rosaleen from being killed by those white men. I had also escaped from the mistreatment of my own father, T. Ray, by running away from my house. I am a type of person who will do anything to save my loved ones, such as Rosaleen and my mom. I am headed to Tiburon with Rosaleen in search of anything that is left of my mom’s trace, so that I could find out what kind of person she really was, despite of what T. Ray said about her.

Blog #5- Billy the Kid

Michael Ondaatje's multi-genre book, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, was very confusing at first. I did not understand what was going on, nor did I understand who was speaking each page to page. Instead of getting into the book, I was actually starting to get a little frustrated because of the way the book was written. I have never read a multi-genre book before, so it seemed harder than it was. However, as I read further into the book, I understood how the “system” worked.

There are many qualities that I really liked from the book, regardless of the confusion that I had in the beginning. What made a huge impression on me was the images of Billy that were included in the first and last pages of the book, which I thought was out of the ordinary. The first picture was blank, which made the readers wonder how he looked like. It was like solving a mystery and I, as a reader, did not know who the culprit was. After finishing the book, there was a picture of Billy in the last page and he was wearing a cowboy outfit, just like any other typical kid. Who ever thought that a boy that looks innocent would be known as a murderer?

Blog #4- Alexandria House (Visit #2)

The second time I went to the Alxandria House was yesterday. I found the house very easily because the place looks familiar to me now. I was paired up with a different group this time. My students were these two ladies. I started the conversation by asking, "How was your day?" Then they asked me to repeat it for them and also to write it down on their notebook. Then they wrote it in Spanish on the bottom. I asked how old are they and they asked me back. They did not understand me some times when I asked them a question, so to the best of my ability, I translated in Spanish. My Spanish is not great, but it is somewhat getting there. I took Spanish for three years in high school, so I have some knowledge left in my memory :) They were teaching me Spanish on words I did not know and I was teaching them English. They were very kind and they were treating me with respect, which I appreciated very much. After the lesson was over, they thanked me so many times that I thanked them for giving thanks to me. They told Gretchen that I am a good teacher and they were complimenting me. Those words had made my day! I can't wait until next Tuesday!

Blog #3- Alexandria House (Visit #1)

I went to the Alexandria House for the first time, on last Tuesday. I got lost on my way because I have never been in that neighborhood before and the worst part was that I could not see anything because it was dark. I was getting scared and because of my fear, I could not concentrate on where I was going to. I had to take the bus over there, and I could not see the signs on the street well, so I missed my stop and had to walk all the way back. From there, I did not know where to go. However, thanks to Ms. Sturgeon and people at the House, they helped me get there safe and sound. That was quite an experience :)

So, when I entered I felt warmth in the house, as if the atmosphere was welcoming me. I was happy to be there and I felt like I had found a treasure, I was that much happy. The first thing I saw was the people and some of my classmates. After that, we were separated into groups, or individuals. I started teaching my student the basics. Like, "Hi, how are you" so on and so forth. I felt very motivated when I saw them willing to learn English regardless of their age and situation that they were in. They taught me an important lesson--- there is no such thing as too late, as long as I put my mind to it, it is possible. I am looking forward to next Tuesday and meet them again :D

Blog #2 (Proust Questionairre)

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having those who you love and love you around you.
What is your greatest fear?
Heights.
Which living person do you most admire?
God, family, and friends.
What is the trait that you most deplore in yourself?
My height.
On what occasion do you lie?
When I truly have to, if it is the goodness for others.
Which living person do you most despise?
People who swears in God's name.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Fo sho!
What is your greatest regret?
Taking too many Advanced Placement classes in high school.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family.
When and where were you the happiest?
At the amusement park.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My ethnicity.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Graduating high school with high honors.
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
A bird.
What is your most treasured posession?
My photos of family and friends.
Where would you like to live?
In Paris.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Being talkative
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Responsibility, sense of humor, and sincerity.
What do you most value in your friends?
Trust.
What is it that you most dislike?
People being conceited.
How would you like to die?
Praying to God at church.
What is your motto?
Try my best in everything I do and never give up.

Blog #1-Service Learning?!

I have never heard that we had to do community service, or service learning, in college. I was pretty shocked when Ms. Sturgeon passed out the service learning contract. In the beginning, I did not like the idea of service learning. It was not because I did not want to contribute to the society and help out those who are in need, but it is just the fact that I am taking 18 units this semester, which is a full load for a full-time student. If I did not have much time to myself, then how am I supposed to make time for others? This was the first thing that popped in my head. I told myself, "Great. Another task added on to my to-do-list.” I considered service learning as an unpaid job that I was not in favor of doing. I could not wait until I was done with service learning, which I had to do for ten hours. The place was called the Alexandria House, which I have never heard of before, but interested me. I was given a brochure of the Alexandria House and learned that it was a place where women and children are sheltered because they have been abused in the past and need help recovering from the horrible events. “Wow,” I thought. They are doing a nice thing for these people. I wondered what I can do to help these women. The, Ms. Sturgeon said that we are teaching the English as Second Language (ESL) students. I love teaching English and any other subjects, and this opportunity allowed me to express my passion for teaching. Ever since I was young, I helped my sister with her homework and played a role as her “tutor.” This was when I realized that I was wrong in thinking that it was going to be dull and exhausting experience. It would actually be a rewarding volunteer experience.