Ghetto Haiku (Chapter 7)

A yuppie bumps
into me on the bus
hardly notices
A Moment later
whispers "excuse me"
when he brushes shoulders
with a well dressed man holding the paper.
The bus ride teaches me more than you think
I think more than you teach me.

In this poem by Antonio Cares he speaks on how a simple thing that happens on the bus between him and a yuppie changed how he viewed certain people. And he sees how he is being treated differently then someone else that is a business man. He is saying just because he wears certain clothes and doesn't look like hes going any were like work or something like that doesn't mean he is any less then the next man. He has feelings as well and does notice simple rude things like that, and the man probably doesn't think that the man in the baggy clothes even cares or realized how rude he was to him. I think this poem shows a strong message on how some stereotypes are still going on in this day and how people treat others are still bad. I do like that in the image that goes with this poem the mans face is blocked out, so you can tell his nationality. You never know he could be a white man, the stereotypes that only black people dress ghetto or have no future is tested in this piece. Because the man was treated bad probably not on his race but by how he was dressed.

Omayra Sanchez (Chapter 7)

(photo taken by: Frank Fournier)

In the article Omayra Sanchez by Isabel Allende she states that "The wonder of photography, is that it does what no words can do." When you look at a photo threes more room for question and wondering then if someone just told you about the picture, or reading the description from a book. when you see a picture it changes your mood in some way, and makes you either think what is going on in this picture or how does this picture effect my life and future.

Personally after seeing this picture and reading the article, it made me feel like I know this little girl, and I can understand what she is going through. The aspects of this photo that struck me the most is the girls eyes. They are very darken, giving off the sense that she is lost in this world with no real future. As she see it her future is very dark and there is really nothing to look forward to. The next thing that jumps out at me is that she is submerged in the water and all you see is her upper shoulders, hands, and face. You don't see the rest of her body so it makes you wonder how tall is she, or is the young girl fully clothed. Also her hand see very pale and dirty, as if she is some what dieing, or her hands are frozen from being in the water to long. It doesn't look like its a really sunny area so it could be a cold place she is in. In the photo the girl looks very confident and fearless of anything, but then again she does look sort of scared and unsure about what is really taking place in her life.

In the photo above I took from the chapter is of Omayra Shanchez in 1985 taken by Frank Fournier.

Wonder Woman (Chapter 6)

(Photo Taken by:http://www.watchingamerica.com/thenationpk000025.shtml)


(Photo Taken by:http://ampersandduck.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html)

I think back in the 1960's when wonder women was first introduced to America she was shown as just a heroine. She had on the American flag colors accented with gold, to show she was for this country and she would do anything to protect us. Her uniform was very form fitting but she had on a long dress. To me its like identifying that she is defiantly a woman and can still fight crime in a skirt. Now up to date wonder women is more seen as a sex symbol. She has on tighter outfits that barely covers her up, and she no longer has a dress on, its just underwear. So now young boys are looking more at her for her body and not much focused on that she fights crime and is trying to protect this country. Personally I think women as icons are always portrayed as sex symbols and nothing more, they hardly ever show woman as powerful and respected in this country with clothes on. Its usually women wearing formfitting clothes and they are usually not that powerful in what they do. So wonder women did help change some of the stereotypes and they showed a women protecting the country.

Between Woodward's opinion on wonder woman and Chip Kidds's thought on superman, they are completely different. In the wonder woman article Woodward states "Clothes hug the curves of the body fantastic, both as a way to ignite sexual fires in adolescent readers and to signify a branding of the flesh." This means men will only look at Wonder Woman in a sexual way, and not really as an equal crime fighter. Its kind of like they have less respect and trust in her just because she is a woman and has sex appeal. And as for Kidd he explains that Superman is looked as a person in uniform and not wearing a costume, he was born a superhero, and not just someone who puts on a costume and fights.

In the pictures above i showed the difference between how Wonder Woman and Superman are portrayed in the media.
These are the links to both photos:
http://www.watchingamerica.com/thenationpk000025.shtml
http://ampersandduck.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html

Super Church (Chaper 6)

(Photo Taken by:Ashley Dyce)


In this story about superman written by: Chip Kidd, he talks about the difference that superman’s outfit is simply a uniform not a costume. “A superman costume is what you wear for Halloween” personally I can agree with him. Wearing a uniform vs. a costume is two different things. A costume is something you put on for parties or to look like someone else, just for fun, and its only on for that time, maybe a day or two. But a uniform means so much more, in some cases it becomes a part of your life, its who you are. When you put on this uniform you have to change your whole attitude and it helps to remind yourself of were you are and what you are doing. For army men they have to keep there uniforms in perfect condition and wear them in a certain way, but a costume you can just throw it on and no one will reprimand you for it.

At the church I go to, there are a lot of different uniforms for the different types of ministers, like; Deacons, reverends, pastors, bishops…etc. Even for the youth we have a certain uniform we were when we have our youth day services. As you can see in the picture above I took of some of our young people wearing the uniform. For me growing up I always had a uniform and when you were it you know exactly how you should act and behave in and outside of church. The uniform is to be kept clean, pressed and put on correctly, there should be nothing out of place. Also we have to wear a certain type of head covering and shoes cant be strapless or open toed. I do believe a uniform is something that keeps people in line and it does help lesson the distraction because everyone is wearing the same thing.

Reflecting Class (Chapter 5)

(Photo Taken by:Ashley Dyce)


In this picture I choose to take a snap shot of my car steering wheel, it shows my class in the type of car I drive.

“Class is the great unspoken word on most campuses in America.“ Any were in the world you go everyone and everything is divided into some type of class. Wither it is low class, mid class, or high class. In America people who live in big houses and have lots of money are high class citizens. They all dress in the most expensive clothes, drive the nicest cars and wear the finest jewelry. They are able to travel were ever they want when ever they want. On the other side you have the lower class citizen who usually live in more dangerous and wither cheap housing or no housing at all. They usually don’t have a lot of clothes or get to eat everyday. They usually walk or take public transportation to were they need to go, and may never travel out side the city they live in. But there are those who mover in between class, some people who were poor growing up become millionaires, or people who are rich go bankrupt.

A lot of people are easily judged by there financial class or class of race, which is never a good thing just because you are a certain color, or grew up in a certain location doesn’t determine the outcome of your life. Were I have grown up I’ve seen lots of people come and go, a lot of people like me in this country have grown up middle class citizens. And many of the people I know have either moved on to buy bigger and better houses, or gone down the wrong path were they had to move somewhere cheaper. my parents growing up were both poor in the country of Jamaica and when they came here they made sure that there children would grow up in a better home then they did. And for me I feel the same way when I have kids I want them to live in a better place then I do now.

Coming into The Country (Chapter 5)

(Photo Taken by:Ashley Dyce)


Living in America, has always taught me to be an individual. We always have options when you go to restaurants they ask you do you want soup or salad, or a grocery store paper or plastic. Theses days everything we do is an option either or, left or right, depends on the option you choice that’s the path you will take. Everyone choices something different which makes us all individuals. Like in the story Coming Into The Country Gish Jen Spoke about a Cochiti boy who’s basketball teem had to share one water bottle, but the team they were playing against each person had there own water bottles. Everyone as an individual, they probably each had different colors sizes and make different types of drinks in them, like water, Powerade or Gaterade. For the boy it wasn’t something he was shocked about because he never had the chance to choice he was just used to getting whatever he gets, no questions asked. I think as an American we are very spoiled, and all the different options we have in life, it is sometimes difficult to choice one thing.

For example women who have lots of shoes and clothes, it sometimes takes them hours to get dressed, because they have so many options and outfits to pick from its hard to find the one they want for the occasion. But if they just had one outfit to choice from one day they wouldn’t take as long to get dressed and it wouldn’t be difficult to choice what to wear, because it’s the only thing to wear. “Between freedom in theory and freedom in practice” in America “gapes a grand canyon” I think this quote is very true. Like I said before as an American we have to much freedom and options which is like practice so when we go to a place were there might be less freedom we feel out of place, and don’t know how to act. In other countries freedom is like a theory its something they hear about or maybe see on TV, but they never actually get to live it out in there own countries. And the separation between the two is like a grand canyon its just the two side and nothing in the middle.

In the picture I took I show all the different options I have in watching movies, sometimes it is hard to just pick one movie to watch. I have so many good ones sometimes I just end up not watching any because its to hard to choice, or I close my eyes and just grab one out the collection. And it just shows me how much being American is just pure freedom, and choice to be able to have all these things at my finger tips.

Gender Training (Chapter 4)

(Photo Taken by:Ashley Dyce)


Creating a gender identity for some are hard. For me growing up it was a struggle, because I was mostly raised by my farther, and I was always outside with him in the garden or in the garage helping him with the car. So I was always a tom boy, I didn’t play with barbies like my older sister did, and I didn’t wear dresses or pink or wear makeup or girly things like that. So when I started high school is when people actually started commenting on it, I usually kept my hair short or braided back because I didn’t like to do it. I wore baggy shirts and jeans because they were comfortable to me. But everyone assumed I was gay and trying to dress like a man. But that wasn’t the case at all, so it was hard going through high school because everyone thought I was someone I wasn’t. Once I got older in college I started to dress different and act different, and most people who I know from high school are always shocked to see me, because I guess I look more like a lady.

As far as style goes I know if you wear certain colors or designs it shows who you are on the inside. Most people if they are sad or angry inside they tend to wear a lot of black, they don’t want to stand out or be apart of everyone else. And for some people that’s not the case they just happen to like the color black, and it looks good on them. For me I like to wear lots of different colors because it kinds of represents my attitude and randomness. As a girl I think it also is better for us, because we can wear any color we want and people wont really look at us bad. But if a guy wears pink, they think he is feminine or gay. I think Just certain people should stick to certain colors so they wont be confused by other people.

Beauty Mark (Chapter 4)

(Photo Taken by:Ashley Dyce)

This story reminds me of a time a cut my arm, no not on purpose but by accident. It was a Sunday after church and as I was leaving to go out the door, I went against the choir seats and there was a needling sticking out, and it scratched deep into my arm. But no one was around to witness it, so I just cleaned myself off and went home. The next week when I cam back to church, everyone was looking at me with a question mark on there faces like what happened to her. Some of my friends did ask me and I told them, but it still seemed like they didn’t believe me. Then some of the adults would ask me if I was "OK", were things going fine at home, or if I was depressed. And I first I did not see why they were asking me these things, but then I realized that they probably thought I was cutting myself because I was depressed or I had problems at home.

In society today if u girl is found with cuts on her arm it is assumed to has been self mutilating herself due to depression or trying to escape problems at home. No one ever thinks it could be from an accident or anything else. So like in the story A Beaut of a Shiner By: Jane Slaughter she says “ When a woman has a black eye it is assumed that her husband or lover is responsible.” everyone just assumes if a woman has a scare or bruise she has been beaten or purposely hurt herself. But if I guy has a black eye, there friends would assume he’s been in a fight and won, or been doing something athletic or dangerous, and that makes him more of a man. In the photo above I took a picture of my arm, were you can still see the mark to this day.

New Country (Chapter 3)

(Photo Taken by:www.world66.com/kingston_jamaica)
After reading the story "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan, it reminds me of my first time traveling out of the USA. Coming to terms with that I was different then everyone else. In America being disabled has became the norm for some people, you see it all around and more people are accepting of it,and they realize everyone is human no matter the disability. Growing up i was always treated the same, and equal to all the other kids at school, church or anywhere i went. I was never stared at or teased about my disability it was just excepted by everyone.

The first time i went out of the country it was to the country Jamaica, and once i got off the plan i knew i was in a different world. Everyone was staring at me and looking and asking questions about me. I felt embarrassed, and confused because something like this has never happened to me before in my life. I remember my first day there once we got to the hotel i cried in my room for awhile till my mom talked to me about it. I realized i was different but it didn't mean i had to hide away and not be able to enjoy myself.

At the time i wasn't aware that in Jamaica people who are sick or disabled are put away in nursing home or kept in the house away from public, because they are ashamed of them. So me going to this country being independent and able to communicate well with people was a shock to them. After i was there for a week people started warming up to me and treating me like normal. I didn't really have to worry about being treated differently and i started to enjoy my time there. I will always remember who I'm, but also remember it shouldn't hold me back from enjoying my life.

The picture above is of Kingston Jamaica, its like downtown city type, and this is were i usually stay when I am in Jamaica. I didn't have any pictures from my last trip but this picture I found on www.world66.com/kingston_jamaica.

An Ode to The First Year of College (Chapter 3)

(Photo Taken By: http://www.academyart.edu/admissions/620sutter.html)


After reading the story "An Ode to Loved Labors Lost" by Tom Brokaw, it brought me back to my first year of college.

It was the Fall of 2005 I was fresh out of high school and 18 years old ready to take on the world. I decided to attend the Academy of Art University in San Francisco which was hours away from home northern California. It was a completely different world, at first I thought what am I doing out here, but once I got there I felt in place. I was the first to move into the brand new dorms that were just finished being built. I was anxious to see who else would be living here and around me. Since I was the only person there I had to sleep in a near by hotel till everyone moved in the next morning. So the next day had come and it was time to get back to my dorm and to meet everyone.

As I arrived to my room floor I realized there were only guys on my floor moving in and out the rooms with boxes. At first I thought I was on the wrong floor but as I went back into the elevator it was the right floor. I was assigned a room that happened to be on an all guys floor. I was out of my element, and after our first floor meeting I realized they were all older then me, I was the youngest. So some of there conversations weren't really things I was interested in or educated about. And they were always able to go out and party and drink but I was to young at the time, so the bond wasn't really there.

During the day it really wasn't a problem for me because I was in classes and on campus I met a lot of people and friends, that I could hang out with, but they lived in other dorms. Once it was time to go back to the dorms I felt alone and by myself because boys wanted to be boys and I'm not a boy so I couldn't relate to some things they did or say. But I do believe the experience helped me realize things don't always work out the way you imagine them. And the time there did help me mature more and learn how to live and deal with different situations on my own, and not always calling my mom and dad for help.

Colton Place (Chapter 2)

(Photo Taken By: Ashley Dyce)

There's no place like home right? In the story of "HomePlace" by: Scott Russell Sanders, it talks about a family who house had been demolished 3 times by tornadoes. but they never moved they just kept rebuilding and lived life again. And the writer wonders why they haven't moved, and realizes its more then just a home, its the place were they built there lives, and other things around them. This reminds me of my life growing up in the city of Colton. Many times in the past our house has been broken in to or we have felt threaten by our surrounds but my parents refused to move. Once you have built a life and relationship with the community u live in its hard to just pick up and leave.

Over the years we have established a lot of different things in the city. For one my parents Pastor our church in Colton. Which we developed a church family and people who know us know were the church is and all the events and things that go on during the weeks and years. So it would be hard now after 10 years to just get up and move away, due to the fact my family has a lot of ties and built relationships with the people at our church. Second my parents also opened a business in Colton 2 years ago, which gave us the opportunity to meet new people, and make new relationships with those who we didn't know lived in this community. Which now makes it even harder to just leave, we have our lives here, even though things bad might happen, like earthquakes, floods, mudslides...etc. We still remain to live here, and if anything gets broken or the house gets demolished in anyway, we would just rebuild or find another house in this city.

In the picture above, I took during my aunties baby shower. A lot of times our relatives and church family like to host parties, and get together at my house, because it is pretty big and everyone knows were it is.

Life On The Outside (Chapter 2)

As it says in the poem House by the Railroad by: Edward Hirsch. "Out here in the exact middle of day, this strange, gawky house has the expression of someone being stared at, someone holding his breath underwater, hushed and expectant.

This is like a metaphor for how some people really feel in life. They sometimes feel awkward and alone. even though there might be a lot of people round them they might feel like the outcast and everyone else is looking down on them. kind of like the center of attention but in a bad way, they way you don't want to be noticed. sometimes you feel if you just hold your breathe and don't move, no one will see or notice you like just disappear for awhile, because your not really sure what to do or how to act.


The next quote i want to bring out is, "This man will paint other abandoned mansions, and faded cafeteria windows, and poorly lettered storefronts on the edges of small towns. Always they will have the same expressions."

He is feeling that no matter were he goes in life he will still be the same person. with the same mind set and expressions. He thinks of himself as an outcast that will always be set apart then everyone else, so when he draws his paintings he sets the houses away from everything and everyone to represent his own life as he feels towards those around him. Personally it reminds me of my self, how i like to be set apart from the others and not follow everyone else. I could stand alone and still be OK, i don't need people always around me to feel alright. And no matter were i go or who i meet i still will be the same person I am now, that will never change.

The Refrigerator (Chapter 1)

(Photo Taken By: Ashley Dyce)
1. Love- I think this picture shows the love that the family has for each other, they show there kids pictures and trips to show they are together and love each other. Also i think they love there dog very much, because he is in the photo half way. maybe it is showing they love there dog but not as equal as the rest of the family that's why he is not 100% in the picture.

Family- This picture shows the unity and love this family has for each other. All the pictures and magnets represent something that is important to each person in this family. It shows that's everyone is well respected and has an equal shared love for everyone else in the house. Even the dog is loved and is apart of this family.

In the picture above I have shown my refrigerator at home. It has changed a lot over the years especially now that everyone in my house is an adult. So there's no drawings or things from school with an A+ on it. There is a picture of my sister, brother and I all when we were in Elementary school but that's about it. Everything else is business. Theirs a list of contact numbers and different business cards for different places. Even the magnets are not all colorful and cartoon-ish as they used to be when I was a child.