Week 7

This week was dedicated to music! Especially to how we can give messages through music. Lyrics are sometimes random, senseless words, but we were celebrating special and classic songs that present special messages. Among the songs presented by classmates were: the modern version of "We are the World" by Michael Jackson, "Where is the Love" by Black Eyed Peas, "Stand by Me" Prince Royce's version and "Hero" by Mariah Carey.

I selected "Somebody to Love" by Queen. I love Queen and what they represent. They were the underdogs and the "weirdos" of the seventies. Yet they became so famous, they are still known today and their song "We are the Champions" was named as "The Catchiest Song of All Time". They were the Lady Gaga of the 70's. My favorites Queen songs are: "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Somebody to Love". I was going to choose "Bohemian Rhapsody" but I wasn't going to have time to explain it.

"Somebody to Love" was written by Freddie Mercury, singer of British band Queen. Mercury had problems making friends, therefore it was harder for him to have a stable relationship. The fact that he was bi-sexual made matters even harder. That is why in this song Mercury is begging God for a companion.

The song was inspired by Aretha Franklin's music and it has the band members' voices multitracked to sound like a church choir.

Descrition - "Guavas"

In the reading selection: "Guavas", Esmeralda Santiago does not buy the guava at the end, would you have done the same if you were in her situation, why or why not?

I would have bought the guava and wait until it ripens at home. I personally do not like Guavas, but knowing how much Santiago likes them, and knowing what an important part of her childhood Guavas were, I would definitely cling to them, to my culture; I would not let go my culture so easily. It is like rice and beans or "parrandas", entirely Puerto Rican customs. But the fact that you are away does not mean you have to leave those customs behind. If you love them as much as Santiago loves Guavas from Puerto Rico, you should not leave them. People can adapt and start eating apples and pears, but they can also eat guavas. There's no need to leave one for the other.



Talk about something that reminds you of your childhood in a positive way and why is it special and/or memorable to you.


Something that reminds me of my childhood is candy. Not because I ate a lot of candy, but, because I ate certain types of candy at certain age, depending of the stores I had near the schools I attended. I used to eat many of the followings: Jolly Rancher, Nerds, Bubbaloo, AirHeads, Sour Worms and many more. I eat them rarely as an adult, but every time I remember past schools, past friends, games I used to play as a little kid. Candy just brings back memories, happy memories.

Week 6 - Afghanistan Culture

If you had the opportunity to stop this social issue (child marriages in Afghanistan) from happening, how would you do it? Explain

The first thing I would do is make a economic reform. Girls are being sold because their family doesn't have enough money. So, what the families need is more money. I would be like the President of the United States and would start giving monetary aid to those in need. It could be in the forms of coupons for food, new jobs or actual money so the family can do whatever they want. The second, and most important thing I would do, is a teaching/psychology reform. I would make mandatory family sessions in which family members could understand the value of the other family members, and other people in general. I would also teach them about human rights, and how they could keep their culture, but still progress towards a more just society. Because some people from other countries think that Americans are liberal in the way they dress or they act. But people can have both: conservative and just society.




State a social issue that concerns you in your country (Puerto Rico) and explain in what way(s) would you help to make a positive change.

There are many social issues that concerns me in Puerto Rico. But one of the ones that concern me the most is violence and how it has become deeply rooted in our culture and everyday life. We see violence since we are born. Mothers teach their children by hitting them, instead of talking to them. People kill themselves on the street by a mere argument or to steal the twenty dollars somebody had on their wallet.

Sometimes people think that violence is only physical, but it is also emotional and verbal. Manipulating someone is a for of violence, making fun of people is another. But my favorite example is saying obscene words, or what is more commonly known as swearing. When people on the street call their friends the "B" word --in English-- or the "C" word -- in Spanish -- they are being violent, even if they do not do it consciously. That is why I said that violence has become deeply rooted in Puerto Rico.

Again, I think the problem is we have an illiterate society, in terms of human's relations and a person's value. I would do a mandatory class in school, specially pre-school and elementary school. I would teach kids the value of a human life, and how you can't do to others what you don't want done to yourself.

Week 5

This week was our midterm. It covered every topic discussed since the beginning of the course: Grammar, "How to write an essay", "Waiting" and "Salvation". The second class of this week we had a class dedicated to Afghanistan culture. Students talk in general of Afghanistan as a country, of its people; about how they look, how they dress, but most importantly how and when they marry. It was discussed the Afghanistan custom of older men buying and marrying younger girls; as young as nine or ten years old. Students were able to express their point of view about this topic.

Photo by Stephanie Sinclair (UNICEF - Photo of 2007)

Week 4

During week four we finished discussing Langston Hughes' "Salvation". We talked about how he felt and discussed if we would have done the same thing in his situation. Also, we wrote the draft for a reaction paper that was due next class. In this week's second class was the discussion of "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. We talked about Chopin's background, what inspired her to write "Story of an Hour" and the consequences of doing so. In the same way, the meaning and symbols of the story were discussed.

The last image is property of: Nekobecca (Deviant Art)

Week 3

This week we had class on Wednesday only. We discussed many upcoming projects and topics. The rest of the class was spent on peer revision of a essay written as an assignment for last week. The essay had for title: "My Life on a Daily Basis" and was, not only a list of things the author do on a daily basis, but a insight of the authors life.

Week 2

This week was focused on reading and discussing a micro-fiction called "Waiting". The short narrative, by Peggy McNally, is about "the lowest-paid substitute teacher in the district" and how she feels towards her job: depressed and hopeless. In-class discussion enlightened students as of why the text is called "Waiting". The teacher is waiting for new opportunities that would get her out of her boring and routing life.

Week 1

English 3201 started with the usual students and professor introductions; getting to know one another. Also, each student created their blog. Our first official topic was: the essay. I've been writing essays since middle school. Now in college, especially because I'm an English major, essays are everyday assignments in my literature and other advanced courses, and writing them comes naturally. But I took my knowledge for granted, because when I was asked what an essay was, I was completely blank. I was so focused on writing essays, that I forgot the technicality about them, and their structure. Again, I used to wrote them naturally, without actually thinking about topic sentences or number of paragraphs. And this is exactly why I took this course, I don't want to keep learning new topics and forget the important basis of the English language.

Introduction

This is my online portfolio for English 3201 - Grammar, Composition, and Reading. Here, I will summarize what I learn throughout the course of 8 weeks: the duration of this class. Each week this blog will be updated and improved. I'm an English major. This doesn't mean that I'll have perfect writing, on the contrary, it means that I'll have to work harder than everybody, to really learn and apply what I´m being taught. I want to become a writer and/or columnist for an entertainment magazine.