What I have Learned From The Course
Patriotism: I have learned from the course to love my native country even when I live far away from it for a long time. I learned to keep a place in my heart for the country where I was born and raised into. The course has made sure that it wouldn’t be a matter to love my home country even if I was born here in US, especially in New York.
For this, I want to mention some lines from the poem of my course material “El Party Continues”:
“Their house is still your house
Their eyes are still your eyes
Their hands are still your hands”
Teamwork: This is the first very full semester of mine. I have never done any kind of teamwork before this semester. So this was an excellent platform for me to start doing group-work. Me and my team member enjoyed a lot doing works together. We could discuss any topic, help each- other out if we need anything.
Here is a screenshot of us discussing about a topic regarding our PRLS course :
“Porcupine Love” by Tatiana de la Tierra
The story is about a lady who cheated with her woman and further realized her fault. One day, somehow she came to know that the woman she cheated with, works in the website she is currently visiting. She, however, struggling with her thoughts, decided to contact with the woman again. She was surprised a lot when she found that the woman still loves her unconditionally.
Alternative Ending
I didn’t really love someone as much as I loved Antenna. Despite all these, I cheated with her. After that, I was hanging with girls and pretending to love them. How could I love any other girl when I had cheated with the girl I loved the most! The more I was thinking about it, the more it was killing me inside. ………
We are talking for last 1 hour over the phone. She is crying and crying and saying, “I still love you and I don’t have any bad thought about you, please come back in my life because I know deep inside your heart, you also love me”. Her words melted my heart as I thought, “of course I do”.Only I was afraid thinking, “what if I cheated her again? What if I break her heart one more time!”, I sighed, “No, I won’t, never!”. She lives in New Zealand now. So, I decided to live with her there and make a family together. I know this would be the best surprise she could imagine. “Let’s pack my belongings”, I thought myself. Sitting inside the Plane, I was thinking about our past memories, also about our future. I wonder how she would react when I stand in front of her at her door. I guarantee this time I am not going anywhere leaving my sweetheart until my death enforces me to do so!
Playlist That Matches “Kimberle” And It’s connection to the Reading
- Trapped in My Mind:
Song Lyric: I cannot breathe through toxic skies
And I’m not alright feel trapped in my mind
Quote: “Well, okay, maybe not have to—I’d say should—”
The lyrics and the quote match well. Kimberle was trying to kill herself as she was very disappointed and sad. That’s why she told she maybe not have to but she should kill herself. The song’s lyrics also says it all. Kimberly was not alright, she felt trapped in her mind.
2. Girls Like Girls,
3. It’s You:
Song Lyric: Girls Like Girls
Like boys do, Nothing new/
–Met a lot of people but nobody feels like you.
Quote : Me, I’d just broken up with my boyfriend—
The narrator thought she was straight and just broke up with her boyfriend. She never really thought that she would find Kimberle attractive. In fact, the friendship between her and Kimberle was something more than friendship. That’s why narrator was surprised at herself. These song lyrics say it all, liking someone by a girl is as same as a boy.
Even though she had relationship with a boy but that’s totally okay if she likes Kimberle.
4. You Belong With Me :
Song Lyric : And she will never know your story like I do/
I’m the one who understands you.
Quote : It seemed she
had always been there, from the very day we arrived from Cuba.
Narrator found she likes Kimberle which seemed awkward to her. Still that’s the truth. The narrator somehow knew that she knows Kimberle better than Kimberles girlfriend whom she had broke up with. Kimberle’s suicide effort, her life, her thought were more familiar to the narrator. And the narrator thought Kimberele didn’t exist in her(narrator’s) life that much, later she figured out that as wrong saying “ seemed like she had always been there”.
5. Give Me Some Sunshine:
Song Lyric : Give me some sunshine, give me some rain
Give me another chance I wanna grow up once again.
Quote : I was, I really was. She was asking me to keep her from
killing herself.
Although Kimberle was trying to attempt suicide, she also wanted someone to resist her. She wanted someone to stop her from attempting suicide. Life has ups and downs, sometime we want someone to hold us during our bad times. It’s something like, we trying to die still deep inside heart, it says “someone help, someone support me, someone give me another chance”.
La Guera, Cherrie Moraga
Choosing And Comparison
So, I chose these two pictures to make a comparison. In the first picture , I see a babysitter mother working for her livelihood. Taking care of the baby’s and feeding them food brings food for her and her family in return. She decorates her at any gesture she needed for her work/job. Her face and hard work says it all that she has a family to be taken care of and responsibilities to be paid off. She has to struggle hard to make money which I want to compare with a stone that grows plant/flower in it. Generally, trees/plant don’t grow in a place where there’s no soil for them to grow. But in case of survival, even a plant need survive on the surface of a stone. Similarly, these mothers sometimes have no choice whether the work is super hard or not, they need to continue because they have a family to feed.
NewsPaper Article That Relates to “Pandora’s box” by Arturo Arias
Newspaper Article : https://www.glamour.com/story/male-to-female-transgender-teen-arin-andrews
I have chosen the article titled “I transitioned from Female to Male as a Teen”. She was born as female but figured out that she wanted to be a boy. Her mother was supportive enough to support her child. So, he was able to transform him from a girl to boy. He likes being a boy. The line that has dragged my eyes was, “Gender is who you want to sleep as, and sexuality is who you want to sleep with”.
Similarly, “Pandora’s Box” by Arturo Arias, the boy discovered that he was a girl from inside. He didn’t really feel confident until transformed himself from a boy to a girl. He enjoyed being a girl as he was fully a girl by heart. His name was Juan and has changed his name himself after transitioning his gender. To him, it was fun being a girl. But the society showed him some negative aspect of being a girl. People show narrower thinking towards a girl.
However, both of the character (newspaper article and the story) was successful on their wish and thoughts and they are happier than before and that’s all matter the most.
The Poem “Mexican heaven” And The Movie
The little video clip is here
And here is the poem “Mexiacan Heaven” by Jose Olivarez:
I have given an heavenly example of Mexican people by including the video clips of the singer Selena Quintanila singing “Como la Flor”, I am familiar with the singer and her culture (a bit) with the help of my PRLS course. The way other people talk about them is not true and it is not good to treat people less then they deserve. In fact, our first identity is we are human being. Both the poet and the singers love for their country made me realize that it’s possible to create your place among people only by loving one’s own culture and country and everything about it.
___________________________
