Post1: Oldmgastudent

I'm an immigrant so to me the theme of the United States is what I was taught growing up, freedom and opportunity. The U.S. has always been regarded as the land of opportunity and as such represents its theme. This country represents a chance for all people who reside here to freely pursue their dreams. This is the only country in which an eighty year old who never graduated high school can decide to do so at that age. A person who was born into poverty can become a millionaire, and a person born with a disability can achieve things which may seem impossible.

I read two blogs that stood out to me about symbol and thought they were similar, yet abstract with their meaning. Both blogs happened to feature tattoos as the symbols that are permanently displayed and their meanings for each person.   #Blacksharptalk   posted by Howard was titled, "My tattoos are what I carry and it symbolizes my life". I thought this was very touching to know that he chose to document his life experiences permanently on his body as a testament. I think that is brave, and shows that he is proud and has no regrets, and chooses to learn and remember all things, good or bad.   Imani's blog talked about her tattoo which serves as a motivational tool whenever she may be down. She has set her goal and at any time if she should become discouraged or suffer any setbacks, she can look at her wrist and remember, she's a queen.

Anyone who knows me well know that it is very rare to see me without my "Scorpion" ring. It is worn on my right hand next to my pinkie finger. I wear this as a testament to my zodiac sign of Scorpio, of which I am considered to be the Phoenix, and am very proud to be.  Pe r  astrology.com , " The Scorpion symbolizes Scorpio, and that is no accident. Much like the Scorpion would rather kill itself than be killed, those born under this sign are in ultimate control of their destiny ". This reflects my personally in a lot of ways as I can be very defensive of myself and of those for whom I care deeply. The site also stated " The great strength of the Scorpio-born is in their determination, passion and motivation. Scorpios don't know the word quit, which is why they usually get the job done." Now, those words I do live by. 

I read quite a few blogs from my colleagues and two posts intrigued and enlightened me. I loved Kyla's ( Kyla Blogging into the Class )  interpretation of Dina going to Japan as an exploration. She stated that everyone dreams of exploring and how very few do so. As a person who loves new experiences, it surprised me that I didn't take this stance after reading the story. Ashayla  ( Ashayla's Blog ) spoke of the authors description of the setting making the story picturesque. I completely agree. Without her detailed writing, the story wouldn't have given me the mental imagery which enabled my minds eye to play the story while I read it, as a movie.

Packer set the stage of her story by first describing the neighborhood from which Dina, her protagonist, hails. This picture, to me, showed the despair and hopelessness of her situation that she thought she could fix through escaping to Japan. The abandoned buildings neglected by the city with their slew of broken promises of fixing them. Packer wrote, "she harbored the vague hope that if she came back to the neighborhood they'd get renovated". Japan on the other hand, with its' rich customs and culture, seemed as if it could offer her a better chance of success in life. Packer did indicate the senselessness of her choice by writing, "she didn't want to say it, because it made no practical sense, but in the end she went to Japan for the delicate sake cups, resting in her hand like a blossom; she went to Japan for loveliness." To Dina, this was quite the opposite of her world as she knew it. Packer then talked of the treatment of the gaijin in Japan and...

A Rose for Emily is not your traditional story telling style. It begins with the death of the protagonist and ends with the plot of the story, which happens to be the murder of her fiance. The story is told chronologically, first by stating about her death and the way she was viewed, " a fallen monument". Ms. Emily stood for all things expected from a "Southern Belle". An online analysis by Christopher Booker on Smoop.com suggested that every event explained what may have led her to commit murder despite her respected position. Her family was rich and respected raising her in an air of eccentricity. Her father rejected all her suiters which left her a spinster at the age of 30. Of course she became hopeful when she met this charming strapping man, even though he was a Yankee. Had she been more sociable she may have realized his attention meant nothing more than friendship. Who could actually blame her for snapping? At least she got her man! https://www.shmoop.com...

The story "A Sorrowful Woman" is written by author Gail Godwin, and this like most of her stories reflects her life growing up. Ms. Godwin was raised in Birmingham, Alabama by a divorced mother who was also an author and an English professor. Her mother was the model for most of her strong female protagonists. Ms. Godwin was described in an article I found in Britannica online as an " American author of fiction about personal freedom in man-woman relationships and the choices women make." This is definitely evident in this story of a wife who feels trapped as a wife and mother, even though she took the role as she is expected to do in society. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gail-Godwin

I have led a very interesting life that most seem to find incredible. I am from a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural family and raised mainly in two countries. I have travelled and lived in many places including a few other countries as well. I sang in a band, performed and wrote music and poetry. I married young and divorced after a few years with just a little drama.  I outted myself at age fourty and married my wife, whom I met online. I have had an exciting and wonderful life, for which I could either write one exciting book, or many short stories. I am grateful for my experiences and maybe one day, you will really get to read about them.