When I Was Puerto Rican

"When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago has been one of the most interesting books that I have read a long time. It is very realistic, which I love because nothing is toned down. It is all what a real life experience would be. In the story, Esmeralda (Negi) grows up in a busy household with 6 younger siblings. She is surrounded by unhappy parents who constantly fight and make-up, and is often the one who is expected to take charge and help care for the family when Mami is gone to work, and Papi is god knows where. We see the world through Esmeralda's eyes and get to experience our pre-teen years again, learning about her progress in becoming a "senorita" and struggle with coping to various lifestyles and situations, such as her mother leaving for New York for long periods of time, as well as herself.

So far, the story hasn't had a solid plot. We are basically reading a journal, and hear about Negi's day to day experiences in various Puerto Rican villages and cities. It ranges from taking care of the kids when Mami isn't home, to dealing with boys who wish to carry your books. We are barely starting to get into the chapter when Negi will finally move to New York, so I am excited to see how she will handle this completely new experience. Even though the book does jump around, the author manages to captivate us with Negi's thoughts. This character has captivated me so much, that I am unable to put the book down. I love the fact that Santiago is willing to tell a good story from the perspective of a 11 year old. It gives us a better connection with the character, and I am constantly relating things from her life and culture to my own.

This has been a good read so far, and I am excited to continue. It saddens me that we have about 100 more pages to go, but I hope they live up to my expectations. (343)

Indian Mascot: Yes or No?

One of the most popular NHL franchises, "The Chicago Blackhawks" has an Indian as their mascot, as well as the MLB team "The Cleveland Indians" and the NFL team "The Washington Redskins". So what? Many people don't pay any attention or think about how the mascot may make other people feel because they are too busy watching the players develop plays and getting the win. To be honest, I don't think any people care or pay attention to that until it is brought up by certain people (the NCAA for example).

I don't think that the Indian mascot is bad at all, and it empowers, or brings pride to Native Americans rather than bring shame. Native American Indians were considered to be powerful and athletic men, so they serve as a comparison to the team players. It may show how players are or aspire to be as powerful and strong as they were in their game. I do understand that some may be unhappy about stereotypes that occur today to Native Americans (such as questioning their race, like the article we read in class), but that comes from ignorant people who fail to realize, not because of Indian mascots.

What about sports teams with specific groups of people as names or mascots? The New Orleans Saints (religion), The Boston Celtics (people), The Houston Texans (people), are only some of many. People don't complain about them because they are never brought into the spotlight in this form, or they are proud and don't care. I think that people should let the situation settle and allow Indians as mascots and/or team names. They should bring pride and joy rather than shame to Native Americans. If they are faced with stereotypical people who should know better, they should be upset with them, and not the mascot (304).

Gatsby and Raisin in the Sun

The American Dream is something that ranges from person to person, time period to time period. It is something that many people hope to accomplish in their lifetime to become happy and satisfied. The Characters in "The Great Gatsby" and "Raisin in the Sun" had a similar dream, despite their racial differences, as well as different time periods. In "The Great Gatsby", mostly everyone's dream was to be rich and live a very wealthy life filled with materialistic items. In "Raisin in the Sun", the characters hoped for wealth and success as well, but they were more humble and also desired other things, such as a fair life, good education, and genuine happiness.

Gatsby was born into a poor family, and dating a rich girl when he was young only made him more determined to satisfy her expectations, as well as her parents'. After working for a rich man (who became a good friend) and working awful jobs (such as being a janitor), he finally said enough is enough and decided to go after his dream of becoming wealthy. He managed to accomplish his goal, becoming one of the wealthiest on East Egg and hosting parties every week.

Gatsby may have achieved his dream of becoming wealthy, but he was never really happy and satisfied. He may have amazed Daisy with everything he managed to accomplish since they had last seen each other, but he was never able to lure her back to him and finish where they left off. Unfortunately, he lost her to Tom. Gatsby may have gained thousands of dollars, but he died unsatisfied and unhappy, not winning back the girl of his dreams.

Living on Chicago's south side, the Younger family was not very rich. They had enough money to maintain themselves, but they of course desired more, especially with a baby on the way. The fact that Walter invested the money that was left from his father to a random "trustworthy" man shows how badly he may have wanted to become richer than he currently was. Unfortunately, this dream faded, along with the money that the man ran away with.

Despite losing a lot of the money that their father left and the money for Beneatha's education, the Younger family still managed to maintain to accomplish their other dreams. Beneatha wanted to make something of herself and become a doctor, so she was able to study with the little money her family had. She managed to reach her goal of earning a good education. Another goal the family accomplished was living a fair life. The house Mama bought with some of her husband's money was located in a white neighborhood. A man representing the community offered to buy it off them so there wouldn't be any problems with a black family moving into the area, but they refused. Instead, they decided to keep the house to keep their dream of a fresh, happy start and giving mama the garden she always desired.

The characters from the Great Gatsby and Raisin in the Sun all had the similar dream of becoming wealthy to live a more successful life, but the comparisons stop there. I believe that the Younger family had the more realistic dream with a happy ending. They were not all greedy and selfish like characters from the Great Gatsby (such as Daisy), thanks to mama. They kept their sights on things that were good not only for them, but  for their family as well. The Youngers were able to accomplish genuine happiness despite a few hardships, which a believe is the main part of the American Dream. If you're not happy, then what's the point? (611)

West Lawn American Dream Reflection

During this process of interviewing and going around my community, I realized that there was more to the American dream than just achieving success, raising a family and getting and education. Some may wish for simple things like living a comfortable life, while others just wish for freedom. The American dream may not always be about money, though it could be, especially for those who have very little. I noticed that the dream did change and differ between generations, but that is because the times have changed. The younger generations have more aspirations now that the task of getting to the country and building a new life from scratch has been taken care of by the older generations. Older people, for example, had the priority of getting a job first, in order to bring in the money. Today, younger people have a dream of attending their dream college and getting their dream professional job.

Besides gathering photos to describe and help back up my findings for the numerous kinds of American dreams, I was challenged about actually being able to tell if the dream is alive in my community. It may not be the greatest, but compared to others, it is well off. The people within have their heads straight for the most part and know what they hope to achieve. This has definitely opened my eyes a little more to the surroundings in my community, and I have learned that there is more to the dream than I thought. It definitely varies from person to person, but it's all based on one's own happiness and goals. The Dream is very well present in West Lawn, some bigger than others.

Community Proposal

I currently reside in the West Lawn community on Chicago's south side. In this neighborhood area, you will find mainly Hispanics with some older Polish residents living in nice homes. As of 2010, the average house income has been about $53,974, with many households having children. With many new faces migrating into the Chicago land area in the past 30 or so years (most being Latinos), I am sure they were all attempting to reach their American dream. Based on what I have seen, I believe that was success, family, and education. I feel after interviewing my dad, a few friends and my neighbor, they will all have their own personal definition of the American dream, but they will be similar to my beliefs.

The American Dream

In Cnn's article "Boy scout leaders put off vote on gay membership",  there is a battle going on discussing whether or not openly homosexual troops and leaders should be banned and denied a membership, or whether they should have it granted. After a long time disputing, The Boy Scouts Association leaders have decided to put off the vote, receiving criticism from all, supporters and objectors.

Many Americans believe in equality for all and are determined to get the rights they want and feel they deserve. In my opinion, this is a major part of the American Dream. Immigrants, for example, come into this country with hopes of one day being seen past their status in society and being judged for their talent and will, just like any American citizen. Many, if not all, are determined to work hard enough to get a good education, and earn enough money to raise their family and to create a better life in the "New World".

 In this particular situation, I see no reason as to why the vote should be put off until further notice. The people creating and living a life in this glorious country should all have an equal shot at something, such as joining this popular and well recognized association. A large amount of Americans were supportive of the decision to end the discrimination, bringing attention to the association and the country that it is unfair to these boys to be left out of all the fun. All people are capable of accomplishing many things, man or women, gay or straight. It doesn't seem right for a person to be denied the right of accomplishing their goals just because they are not what some consider to be "acceptable". (288)

My Favorite Movie Villain

Scar’s one of the most well known and disliked villains in the Disney world, playing the role of the evil brother in the classic “The Lion King”. Mufasa, Scar’s older brother, was the king of Pride Rock at the moment, meaning Scar would be next in line once he passed away. The fact that Mufasa had a son enraged his younger brother because it meant that a little cub was now in his way of gaining all the power in the land. His careful strategy planning, unique personality and dark sense of humor are some of the reasons I became drawn to him, even if he was horrible at heart.

The Audience immediately senses a dark presence as soon as Scar makes his first appearance in the famous motion picture. With his unique black mane, wicked green eyes, and miserable voice tone, he automatically stands out from the other lions in the film. As soon as he pops up in his first scene, we are introduced to his not-so-friendly relationships with the king’s messenger, Zazu, and the king himself, Mufasa. Within 3 minutes, Scar manages to get easily annoyed with Zazu, prepared to make him his meal. Soon after, he is caught raising his voice on his older brother, ignoring his commands and turning his back on him. When Mufasa confronts him about not being at his son’s presentation, it is evident he has horrible relationships with the members of the pride and is the odd one out, isolating himself in his own area from the rest of lions.

In order to get what he wants, Scar plans out a strategy to overthrow his brother and get rid of his young nephew for good. With the help of his hyena friends, he manages to execute the plan nearly to perfection, managing to kill his brother as he tried to save his son from a Wild beast stampede that Scar caused. He managed to make Simba feel responsible for the death, and commands him to run away for good. The fact that he had Hyena friends further demonstrates his disconnection with the pride while his successful plan showed his hateful, yet wise mind. Motivated by jealousy and the desire to take over the throne in Pride Rock, Scar managed to plot one of Disney’s most twisted schemes, letting waterfalls stream down the faces of audience members since 1994, including myself. (399)