Essay Packet

For this weeks blog posting I wanted to share my thoughts about Jerome Washington's essay, "The Blues Merchant". The essay at first caught my attention because it was music oriented. It went into detail about each of the band members and what they do before they are ready to perform. In a way it seemed like one of those talent shows we had in high school. When you get about 2/3 of the way through the essay the line "The tear gas canisters recessed in the ceiling remind us that everything is for real". This line caught me off guard. I wasn't sure at first what it was exactly but then I decided to take my own understanding of it. Whether correct or incorrect it made me think of an emotional performance. This then made my mind wander to my suite mates just yesterday. I'm pretty sure we all know who 1Direction is... unfortunately. Yeah, well they are OBSESSED with this boy band. Yesterday the found out that one of the band members, 22 year old Zayn Malik, had left the band after 5 years of being together. The tear gas canisters reminded me of all the crying that they did over this one small detail in the world.

What??

So this week was interesting. We read a packet on Tuesday that confused me more then anything. It was all over the place in my mind. Now everything in my mind normally is all over the place, that's why I have my agenda and I right everything in it. I have no problem reading a story only because normally its more organized. When we read this my mind didn't know how to process it. It was just a tad difficult. When we began discussing the packet as a class, it was easier. Once I heard what others were thinking about this packet it helped me form my own opinion about a few of the parts in it.

Now right before we left class we began reading some of Conrad's work. It was, well, weird. I don't think I would ever Ever EVER just randomly get fully naked and sit in the bathroom with a banana and begin to rub it all over myself. Like that just makes me think of those people that are trying to be attractive but fail horribly. I hope no one that I know would even consider that.

Night Women

This week I want to talk about the short story we read and analyzed in class called "Night Women". When I first read the title of this story it made me think of prostitution, Which as I read it I figured that my accusation was correct.

I feel that this mother is trying to do her best without her son finding out the true meaning of everything that she has told her son. She plays along in what seems to be a type of game but that doesn't exactly mean anything. She has "regulars" that come to her week end and week out. They bring her and her son things, like her son was brought a radio type thing that was like the shape of a can of cola. She was constantly brought flowers and they even flirt with her as soon as they get into the house.

She is barely making ends meet but with the resources that she has, or at least are given by these men, are just enough for her to squeeze by. I hate the situation especially with her having a son and the living situations but she seems to know exactly what has to be done to make everything work.

The Falling Girl

At the beginning of this story it talks about a young girl, nineteen years of age, named Marta. It speaks of her falling and passing by parties. It gradually seems to make her age, and then she has other young women passing her by as they are falling as well. This story gives me the sense that she doesn't realize what she's gotten herself into.

It gives me the feeling that this is saying that a lot of young women can't wait to grow up and start there lives. Once they start their lives though they forget to slow down and enjoy life. The journey to getting there was forgotten and they have no remembrance of that. They came so far yet to them it seems they've barely moved.

This story is trying to say that we need to slow down and enjoy our journey. We only have one life to live and we need to live it up to its fullest. Now I don't like this but the thing that sticks out to me right now is 'YOLO'. In this term it fits. You need to enjoy your life (without being reckless and crazy) and live long and prosperous.