The First Part Last is a novel about this teenager named Bobby and how teenage pregnancy affects his life. The story goes from then to now every chapter and, and at the end of the book, the then and now meets up. Bobby Impregnates a teenage girl named Nia (his girlfriend). The story talks about how they make it through this rough time. Near the end, Nia starts to get eclipse, which girls have a chance to get when they are pregnant.
There is often a time in Asian Americans’ lives when they experience a cultural disconnect: being too “White” for their Asian relatives, yet too “Asian” for their White peers. These feelings are true for Jay Reguero, the protagonist of Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay. Throughout the novel, Jay, a Filipino-American, struggles with feeling like an outsider in the Philippines because he cannot speak his mother tongue and has spent his entire life in the U.S. During his time in the Philippines, he attempts to connect with his culture but he is constantly reminded of how little he knows and understands about the Philippines. Therefore, this novel is about Jay’s struggle with his cultural identity and his feelings of guilt from not connecting
In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall down, Anne Fadiman reflected on ways in which cultural dissonance can have detrimental consequences for those who are caught in the midst of two cultures. In this influential story, the cultural and language barriers between Lia Lee’s family and her doctors caused Lia’s life to be negatively impacted due to improper diagnosis and treatment. The Lees preferred traditional and spiritual treatment that clearly differed from the doctors’ Westernized treatment. Through a constant battle between proper treatment and the Lee parent’s compliance, this caused Lia to live in a persistent vegetative state for the majority of her life. The language barrier that the Lee’s faced at Merced hospital was discouraging,
The epigraph, “John & Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who also had never met,” establishes a basis for the poem “John & Mary” by Stephen Dunn. In addition to the beginning epigraph, the author uses small details such as an exclamation and question to better convey his message. The main point about John and Mary is the fact that they have never met, but there is still a relationship between the two of them just like the way some things in life seem to be close but in reality, they are very far apart. The beginning of this poem starts off light and humorous with no real message, but as the poem moves along the tone of the poem quickly turns to a serious message from the author pertaining to the perception of distance between
In Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, there is a constant struggle between individuals and their ability to shape their own identities. The play follows various characters that attempt to find the balance between dealing with hardships in life and their own personal desires. In contrast, “A Daily Joy to be Alive” by Jimmy Santiago Baca explores how individuals can strive to have control over their identities. External factors such as mental state, societal norms, and past behavior can limit an individual's ability to shape their own identity.
Have you ever thought about how difficult it might be to go into a different country knowing absolutely nothing, not even language, and something horrific happened to you or anyone in your family? Don’t you think you would feel so powerless, so helpless, so clueless? This happens commonly and it has never had any attention brought to it, at least not until 1998. Anne Fadiman wrote a book entitled, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. This demonstrated a collision of two complete opposite cultures, but they both have the same goal to help the child get better.
Mary Chesnut was born on March 31, 1823, in South Carolina. Chesnut is best known for her Civil War diary, A Diary for Dixie. A Diary for Dixie tells us the story of women role during the Civil War. The first entry is dated February 18 1861. She had just found out that Mr. Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States.
Every so often, it is essential to learn and unlearn details about individuals. With my new knowledge on Indigenous peoples, I commit to reconciling Indigenous peoples history, whether it be by advocating for the protection of stolen Indigenous lands, understanding the proper terminology that should be used to address Indigenous peoples and finally, educating myself about the injustices and false promises made to Indigenous peoples through Treaties and how to resolve them. To begin with, I would like to advocate for the protection of Indigenous lands that were stolen from Indigenous peoples by colonialists. In the article, “To be Indian in Canada today.” , Canadian author and journalist, Richard Wagamese discusses the agonizing experiences that
Although often used interchangeably, disease and illness differ fundamentally in their meanings and implications. Disease is the commonly thought of concept in which a person suffers due to a physiological or psychological ailment, while illness refers to a culmination of physical, emotional and social suffering of a person. Disease is perceived as the phenomena that affects an organism, while illness affects not only the patient but also their loved ones and community. This distinction is vividly apparent in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, in which Anne Fadiman relays the approaches to a Hmong child named Lia’s epilepsy by her family and her doctors as well as the tumultuous interaction between these caregivers. It is interesting to understand how Hmong culture and a doctor’s
The term “melting pot” has been used since the early 1900s, and it means a place where people, ideas, theories, cultures, etc. are mixed together. Although this may seem like a harmless thing, the idea that one must give up part of their culture to obtain parts of a new one undermines the importance of cultures in one’s life. In chapter 14 “The Melting Pot” of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman shows the challenges and hardships that Hmong immigrants faced when immigrating to America to show the power that an environment has on a person’s connection to their culture, and the impact that people have on the culture of the society they are entering Fadamin provides examples of the action of Americans towards to Hmong people
Great expectations can lead to great disappointments, or great misunderstandings. The influence of others’ expectations creates an internal struggle between upholding the assumptions of society and acting out through personal interest. In Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, Jay takes it upon himself to uncover the truth about his cousin’s death—yet buries the truth of the rest of his family through assumed expectations. Grace, Jay’s other cousin, still grieving her brother’s death, has unfair expectations of others to uphold despite her internal turmoil. In my own life, I’ve grappled with the expectations of myself based off unfair or shallow beliefs.
In The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, there is a common theme of sacrifice throughout the whole novel. The occurrence of these sacrifices is very significant to the development of the characters and the progression of the plot throughout. The Nightingale is the story of two sisters who go through the struggles of war and their perseverance. The different perspectives show the different sacrifices and their true morals, motivations, and fears. Not only did the main characters have their sacrifices, but the supporting side characters also had their sacrifices.
Preacher's Daughter is an album produced and written by Hayden Silas Anhedönia, known by her stage name Ethel Cain. She is a 26-year-old singer-songwriter from America, born and raised in a small town in Florida. Being from a Southern Baptist family, she has a complex relationship with religion, part of which is a result of her transgender identity. Christianity has always condemned and rejected sexual and gender minorities. This experience will inspire her and end up being one of the many themes in her debut album – Preachers Daughter.
In Flannery O’Connor's short story, “The Temple of the Holy Ghost,” the main character, a young girl referred to only as “the child,” comes to a realization about herself by the story's end. Throughout the story, the child is fascinated by the carnival freaks, particularly the two-headed boy and the hermaphrodite. She views them as extraordinary and even admires their unique physical characteristics. However, as the story progresses and the child is confronted with the reality of their existence, she begins to understand the beauty and value of her own body. This realization is related to the sacrament of the Eucharist, which represents the body and blood of Christ.
The United State's 2018 Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith is a renowned author, well known for her book of poems titled Life on Mars. Throughout her poems, a recurring theme of grief is presented by Smith. The grief in Smith's work can be attributed to the loss of her father which was the inspiration for her poetry. Another inspiration for Smith's poetry is the artist David Bowie. Bowie plays an important role in assisting Smith in coping with her father's death and he is also the inspiration of many of her other poems, including "Savior Machine," which shares a name with the Bowie song.
