Catching one's attention

In our class discussion on Monday we talked about Literary Style. Literary Style is what keeps us following along with the literature we read. It includes the types of language used to describe images, ideas, stories, events, dialogue, and description. Literary Style can be used by an author creating meaning through language used throughout their context. Literary Style is the voice from within as the writer is speaking throughout a story.

In our class discussion on Monday we briefly discussed the importance of a letter compared to an e-mail. Based on the classes response to preferring a letter over an e-mail, I too agree. A letter has a deeper sense of meaning than an e-mail based on its type of paper, handwriting, scent, and its message, given the words being written in upper case or lower case. An e-mail can be typed in a matter of time and one can feel no emotion as to the handwriting of a letter can express one's emotion. A letter can be more personalized, one can set it around them to see each day and can make one feel at home as an e-mail can show no emotion and as soon as someone reads it they can click delete or keep it with their many files to dig through later on.

The Relationship between Lucy and Mariah

I first had to reread some of the parts on the relationship between Lucy and Mariah in order to understand what they brought towards each other. Lucy thought of Mariah as a mother figure, the time spent at the Great Lakes and the conversation she had with Mariah who believed daffodils were significant. Lucy felt love from Mariah, " This woman who hardly knew me loved me, and she wanted me to love this thing- a grove brimming over with daffodils in bloom- that she loved also." Lucy felt that Mariah recognized the best and worst of her own mother. When Mariah took Lucy to a field of daffodils, Lucy hated daffodils as much as Mariah loved them. Lucy's reason goes beyond her British school which she was forced to memorize a poem about this species of flower. Lucy ends up showing her forgiveness and insight towards Mariah.

Overall I am anxious to read the rest of Lucy, and to experience how the relationship plays out for Lucy and Mariah. I am ready to read on!

"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings"

Given the title "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," I questioned what this book would be about based on its cover as well as its title. After reading this memoir I have enjoyed every piece of information about Maya and her growth and maturity into adulthood. The experiences she went through made me realize a lot about our society today and Maya's story has probably in some shape or form relate with others. The other characters in this book played such interesting and important roles forming Maya's identity. One in particular that I admired was the one who stuck with her until the unexpected ending, Vivian. As we all know she did not play a motherly role in the beginning but in the end her strength and honesty really brought out Maya's character and the similarities they shared.

A quote I really liked was at the end when Mother whispered to Maya, "See, you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking." I felt that this quote opened up the issue of trust and Maya's relationship between most of the characters valued and showed trust.

Breaking a Sweat...

The place where I go everyday is the Angela Athletic Facility, whether its exercising on the machines, going to work out classes, or hitting golf balls in a separate room in the basement of the gym I spend my time in this place. The gym is quite spacious hosting large crowds for concerts, basketball games, and other such activities like intramural games. The facility always is noisy with people entering and leaving, conversations between one another on the machines or workout classes, and the practices going on the basketball courts. Attending the gym I always walk out feeling better about myself because with a busy schedule and being gone all day it does keep me motivated and going throughout the day, knowing I just ended a power workout or a practice.

I know what it's like to wear high heels on the weekends and feeling somewhat of pain on Sunday mornings. Subtly disrupting the logic of going to the gym in tennis shoes, or some kind of a flat shoe, I had my friend attend our golf workouts in heels. Walking into the gym she was already getting many stares because she did have on yoga pants and a t-shirt along with her 5 inch black heels. This greatly affected her purpose of going to the gym to workout because not only were people looking at her confused but our workout instructor told her some of the moves we were going to do she would have to take them off or she would hurt herself. Watching her perform the workout in heels for most of the time did stir up the gym atmosphere and she was brave enough to do such thing because I could just imagine having pain after wearing heels during a workout with much motion. My friend obviously looked out of place in her heels during a workout and the people showed much confusion on their face. Next time your at the Angela Athletic Facility look around you to see how many women are wearing heels while working out because it is not common in this type of atmosphere. The atmosphere is full of activities going on involving one to move around and heels would leave one in pain leaving the Angela Athletic Facility.