Madi Conrad- Journal Five

Madi Conrad

English 1109 at 1:30-3:30, M-W

Wednesday, October 9th, 2019

Journal Five

Part One- Cisneros Response:

         The chapter in Cisneros that was the most meaningful to me was Papa Who Wakes Up Tired in the Dark. This chapter was the most meaningful to me because I was able to relate to it the most out of the entire book. In this chapter I marked the words “ Esta muetro” which means he is dead. Those two words along with the sentences from Cisneros, on page 56 where she describes the situation that is occurring and how her father is reacting, “I have never seen my Papa cry and don’t know what to do” , “... uncles and aunts will be there , and they will have a black-and-white photo taken in front of the tomb with flowers shaped like spears in a white vase.. ” (Cisneros 56). These sentences spoke to me the most out of the entire book and make this chapter very meaningful to me because I have recently lost at least one relative I was very close with every year for the past five years and it has been one of the most difficult experiences to go through.

         I recently lost my closest great grandpa who was struggling with Alzheimers on top of many other things so when he passed he was finally in a place where he wouldn’t have to suffer any longer. He served in the military so as they carried his casket out of the funeral home, they proceeded with the twenty-one gun salute. That was one of the first times I had ever witnessed my dad cry. It has never been easy for my dad and I to let go of our family members that have recently passed but, as my dad and I recently grew a lot closer with great grandpa before he passed because we had known for about two years that he was deteriorating in his condition and each time he was admitted to the hospital they told us that his chances were getting slimmer of living. As a reader, Cisneros had a way of writing this chapter that made it feel like I was not the only one going through this. I felt that someone had finally understood what I was going through unlike when I tell people how many close relatives I have lost in the past five years, they do not really understand what it is like to go through such a heart aching situation repeatedly. It was like I wasn't the only star alone in the sky anymore. Someone finally understood my experience.

Part Two-Story of a Local Role Model:

         Throughout my life I have had many people who have influenced me in some way, including my parents. One of my biggest influencers throughout my life that I had not really thought as much about until now, is my papa. Throughout his life he didn't always make the best of decisions. He left my grandma, sold drugs and was sent to prison. He was never there during my dad’s life but, he later started making his way back into my family’s lives. When I was born and through my first few years I don’t really remember much of him other than seeing him in the occasional photographs. So you’re probably wondering well how did this guy that is popping in and out of your life influence you. When I was around 10 years old after many things in my life had finally began to settle down after my parents divorced, they both remarried, and I had become more fully settled in Ohio, my papa came back into my life and began to show me that if you work hard enough anything is possible.

         He also showed me how throughout all the mistakes I will continue to make you can still achieve your goals even if it takes you a little longer to get there. My papa showed me how to work hard by the way he would work in his shop and practice racing dirt bikes before his races. The first and only race I ever went to of his he won, he worked extremely hard to get there and he succeeded. He still continues to influence me as he makes mistakes, breaking promises, finding ways to work harder, using his mistakes as motivation to earn each and every person’s trust back. He knows that he has to work hard to gain the trust back from everyone if he wants to be a part of our family. I continue to work hard every day to achieve my goals, such as working hard to earn money to becoming a strong leader and being elected as a committee chair on the Circle K board at Ohio State as a first year.

My papa is the one standing next to me in the blue shirt. 

This photo is from my graduation party with my dad's side of the family.

My grandma and my dad are in this picture as well.

Journal Five Tammy Guo

Part One:

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, an award-winning author, and feminist has written this novel in a unique poet way to reveal her past and identity. She tells each story in the novel in short sections that shows characters and events. In this novel, the most meaningful chapter in this book for me was the Bums in the Attic because it revealed her dreams of wanting a house on her own and remember who she is. Esperanza is tired of her parents talking about getting a better home when she knows it will not happen. The more her family and her looks at those expensive houses, the more ashamed as her family and her, "staring out the window like the hungry" (Beah 86). Esperanza feels that it's pointless, and she, "tired of looking at what we can't have" (Beah 86). It reveals that she is tired of the same life, and things are never going to change and that she is stuck on Mango Street forever. Esperanza feels that she doesn't belong there and is trapped. The only thing Esperanza can do is to hold onto her hopes and dreams, and that one day she will, "own my own house, but I won't forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums will ask… I'll offer them the attic… I know how it is to be without a house" (Beah 87). I thought the language was at its best there because it reveals show Esperanza's identity, that she has empathy for others, and is a kind soul and willing to offer the homeless a place to stay because she knows how that feels. Esperanza will always carry her past with her because it forms who she is through her experiences and the people she has met, and she will never forget where she came from.

Part Two:

A person who has a substantial influence on me when I was an adolescent was my best friend, Caitlyn Henry. We became in sixth grade, and to this day, we are still best friends. I am very grateful for her because when I first met her, I was shy and didn’t talk much, but as time went on, that changed. I can open up to her and trust her with anything. She is the most caring, thoughtful, and beautiful person, I know. Through our friendship, we have been there for each other and have never let one another down. Since middle school until now, my friend group has changed a lot, people have left, but Caitlyn, she has stayed all the way. I can be myself around her, say and do weird things, and have fun. Her positive influence of always encouraging me and believing in me has helped me do things that I thought I wasn’t capable of. That has pushed me to open up and take the opportunity to do things. For example, I have a passion for fashion, and during our senior year, she pushed me to run a fashion club with her. I never thought I could run a club, and I was terrified. I hate public speaking and speaking in front of others because I get nervous, but she believed in me and helped me face my fears. From there, speaking in front of people has gotten better, but I wasn’t as afraid anymore. I have become more confident, and this friendship has helped me find out who I am. Overall, Caitlyn Henry has a substantial influence on me and has been a significant impact on my life. I wouldn’t know what to do without her because she has made my experience so much better.

This is Caitlyn and I at Senior Year Winter Formal

Journal 5 Marissa Hardin

The most meaningful chapter to me from The House on Mango Street is, Darius & the Clouds. In this chapter, we learn that somebody is always looking out for us. The most important theme is that its okay to be sad. “ You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad. Here is too much sadness and not enough sky.” P.33 No matter how bad life gets, you are still alive and well. Keep moving forward.

My brother had a substantial influence on me. Growing up he was a trouble maker, so I knew what not to do. He was as wild as a lion. He didn’t graduate high school or go to college, but he still got a got a good job and that inspires me because he still got what everyone else wants without doing what is expected of people to do. One time for my mom’s birthday, he ordered 40 plastic bears and put them all in our yard. We lived in the suburbs at the time, so everyone that drove by could see that we had so many bears in our yard. When my mom woke up and looked outside, she was shocked and had a laugh. Then, she told us to get them all old of the yard. My brother, is full of surprises.

Journal Five Emaleigh Haimerl

 
Emaleigh Haimerl
English 1109
October 8, 2019

Journal Five

  In Cisneros, the most meaningful chapter to me is the Red Clown. This chapter is the most meaningful to me because in this chapter Esperanza gets sexually assaulted, she does not come out and just say what they did but she makes it clear. This is a topic that no one really talks about because they are scared or ashamed so I like that Esperanza felt comfortable enough to talk about it in the book. I think an important theme for this chapter is not to trust everyone, Esperanza said "Why did you leave me all alone? I waited my whole life. You're a liar"(Cisneros, 1984). I think the writing is at its best when she says "Sally, make him stop. I couldn't make them go away. I couldn't do anything but cry. I don't remember. It was dark. I don't remember. I don't remember. Please don't make me tell it all"(Cisneros, 1984). I think the writing is at its best here because it shows how she was begging them to not make her talk and it shows how hard it is going through something like that.
     Someone who had influenced my life was my grandma, besides my mom, she is one of the strongest people I know, she has lost her brother-in-law, dad, and now her mom is dying. She has influenced me by being a strong person no matter what life throws at her. She has affected my behavior and habits by making me a better person. A story I have about my grandma is about how caring she is, like today she dropped everything she had to help my older sister move stuff to my family's new house, her husband is having surgery on both knees in about of week so she is trying to prepare for that but stopped everything to help us out.

This photo is from a little over a year ago when my mom and step-dad went out of town and I didn't want to stay home alone so my grandmother came and stayed with my brothers and I.

Journal Five- Keaton H

Keaton Hipsher
English 1109
08 October 2019

Part One

     What I consider as the most meaningful chapter in the book is A House Of My Own why I say that is because it shows that Esperanza never gives up or stops thinking about her dream house. What I noticed in this chapter is she wants a house not an apartment. She said "Only a house quiet as snow, a space for myself to go, clean as paper before the poem (Cisneros, 108)." Some themes that I think are important in this story are identity, class rank, and dreams and hopes which I already talked about a little. Why I say identity is because she is just trying to figure out who she is during this whole book. Why I say class rank is because she is living in the bad side of Chicago and she is seeing all types of people. They want the upper class to try to change mango street but they all have money and aren't worried about the people in need. So we see the difference in the ranks in this book.

Part Two
     When was growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandpa I called him pappy. We used to do everything together we played basketball together and went out to eat together and we ran errands together. We were so very close. When I was 11 years old my pappy past away. I was completely devastated. In the months after he passed I replayed all of our time together in my head. I soon realized that a lot of our errands that we did had more meaning behind them than I thought. He was a generous, thoughtful and loving man. He would help people out when they were in need. He hired people for odd jobs such as painting a garage or fixing something if he thought someone needed the extra money. He was the first person to offer a hand to anyone in need. He made me realize what kind  of man I wanted to become. Someone who puts his family first and loves them no matter what. Also a man that is generous to people in need. Above all a person who appreciates everything he has.

Journal 5 Abby Archer

 Personally, the most meaningful chapter is Bums in the Attic. I noticed that the themes brought into this story is a theme of empathy and to never forget where you came from. This is where Esperanza expressed her dreams of having a house one day, but never forgetting where she is from or who she is. Esperanza showed the reader that she isn’t judgmental in this chapter as well. She knows what families like her own went through and how hard it is not being wealthy. On page 87 Esperanza says “One day I’ll own my own house, but I won’t forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums will ask, Can I come in? I’ll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be without a house.” (Cisneros, 87)  The writing is at its best when Esperanza says she is tired of looking at what her and her family can’t have. We learn that she is ashamed, but disgusted with the way the richer people live, on the hills. She realizes that she will never act like that and that she will feel empathy for others.

When I was an adolescent, the person who had a substantial influence on me was my best friend Meghan Krohn. She was the sister God had never gave me up until sophomore year in high school. I didn’t realize how many of my other friends I had cut out of my life because of her. I didn’t realize how rude and selfish she was and how it was affecting me. The summer going into sophomore year there was a situation that I went through in which that situation showed me she wasn’t my real friend. It showed me that through the hard times she wouldn’t be there for me and it showed me that I didn’t need a person like that in my life anymore. The only positive thing that came out of this was that it taught me how to chose my friends. It taught me to be careful with who I trust and who I should be around.

This is Meghan and I at freshman year homecoming.

Journal 5 Collin Thacker

English

Collin Thacker 

10-7-19

Im going to switch it up a little bit and do what i find most surprising in A House On Mango Street is the lack of influence and supervision in this book astonishes me. The fact a parent or lack thereof would put their child in these kind of situations or let their child get themselves in these kind of scenarios that could put them at risk for teen pregnancy, molestation, sexual harassment, kid napped, etc. As an adult there are things that i can just assume i’ll never let my child do and roam the streets is one of them. Like when that man kisses her...cuties!!!! But along these lines Esperanza has learned one very important thing on the way. To not only find yourself, but to never stop being yourself even for a second. Page 105 says “you cant forget who you are”. I believe in this short statement with all my being. Life is about finding who you are and holding on tight to it. But people have a hard time seeking and obtaining their life meaning or even status. I haven’t found what my meaning of life is, but man....when I learn it I’m going to hold on tight and see where it gets me!

 Andy Biersack at a anti-bullying convention in California after an appearence at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where pictures of his old band reside (Black Veil Brides or BVB)

My biggest role model that has substantially influenced my life as a younger teen was Andy Biersack.  Through his removal of the band Black Veil Brides his punk rock music has gotten me through tough times. His music talks about the fact that if people are acting or doing something that you feel uncomfortable with then you don't have to participate (aka “We Don’t Have To Dance”). When i went through my first breakup i took it really hard but after listening to his song “Love Was Meant To Break” it pushed me through and showed me i don't need anyone other than God, close friends, and family to help me in life.