Translations

When I first began reading this novel, I immediately thought of a student at the daycare I work at... his name is Mason. This little boy came to my work in the middle of November and did not know a single word of English. He would sit in the corner of the classroom and bawl his eyes out and speak to me in his language Japanese. I felt absolutely terrible for this little boy. After about a month Mason began to realize that his crying was not accomplishing anything. He began pointing to objects around the classroom and I would tell him what the object was and he slowly got used to it. Then finally Mason learned "What's this" and would constantly ask what things were. Now he speaks English almost perfectly and is one of the happiest kids at the daycare.
There are many things that can be lost through Translation. In the novel Translations, the characters cannot fully express themselves by talking through an interpreter. Especially because Mason was at such a young age, it was prolly so confusing for him to understand that certain things mean different things in a different language.

Torn between two worlds

Torn between two worlds.
by Tina M Clark
On one,
My family and friends
It's a place I know.
A place I've always been.
A secure place.

Where love and acceptance is a given!
My place,
My Values,
My goals,
have grown and risen.
A place I thought to live
until I was very very old.


On the other there is us,
and a love I cherish and hold dear.
Someone to be with me
through my "golden years"!
I think to say goodbye to the first
and embrace the other,
But,
Fear rises up
strong enough to smother.
I know not what to do!
Once I was a wife
then just 3 son's Mother.

The Distance is great
many long miles between,
the thoughts of the first
shakes my faith in the other.
You see,
I know the rules
what to expect
being nothing but
mother
or grandmother.

I've tested those waters
and found them soothing.
They wash over me
and settle into a shimmering pool.
I can choose to swim deep
without any fear.
When I surface
its always the same....

My family,
My life,
My hopes,
My dreams,
and they all felt so serene.

I'm caught between one
and the other.
In the middle, I see both.
My heart misses one
and longs for the other!
Is there no way to have both!?

So, still the tears flow
for this world I may never know!

For this love I may have to let go.

In the story Power, Omishito is torn between the life of her Taiga tribe and the real life. It can be hard to believe in something when your surroundings are pulling you another way and especially if there is no proof. In Clark's poem, she is describing how she torn between her many lives of being a mother, wife and even grandmother. It can be hard to be one thing, then wake up the next morning as someone else. You slowly begin to lose "yourself." I think Omishito wants to make her Aunt Ama happy, so she really tries to follow Ama's beliefs. On the other hand, Omishito goes to school and learns so many new things with evidence to back them up. At Omishito's stage of life, this is when you begin to really think about what is true and what is not true. This is also the time when you begin to truly find who you are by understanding your beliefs and what you know to be true.

Power of "Pretty"

According to dictionary.com, adjective prettier -·tier, prettiest -·ti·est

1. pleasing or attractive in a dainty, delicate, or graceful way rather than through striking beauty, elegance, grandeur, or stateliness
In the novel Power, being pretty is an important ingredient their culture strives for. Omishto describes her friend/Aunt Ama to be a person who is not pretty but has very strong confidence and posture. My idea of "pretty" or true beauty, is if a person truly believes they are. A persons bubbly personality, intelligibility, or how kind a person is can dramatically shine through their skin and bring out their true beauty. What is the general look of pretty? There is no right or wrong answer, but generally a simple opinion. Some are attracted to bright blue eyes, some the tall lengthy model type, and others prefer shapely figured with curves. According to our days, the ideal "look" or the celebrities and supermodel portray this image of skin to the bone beauty. But because a group of people say someone is pretty, does this gear your mind to agree? If young girls today are shown women who carry the same characteristics and are placed in the category of "the ideal girl" who a typical man drools over, is what a girl could strive for.
In the movie "Pretty Woman" Julia Roberts plays a hooker and is looked down upon by men because of her "career." Throughout the movie, her character begins to shine and her co-star slowly begins to fall in love with her. Despite her sterotypes and what she did for a living, once he gets to knowher he slowly begins to realize that she is truly a "pretty" woman.

Significance of Names

In class we discussed the importance of names. The way my parents decided to name me is actually quite embarrassing... My parents were watching television and a dill pickle commercial came on with a father and daughter.. the daughter asks her dad if he was going to finish his pickle and he said, "No, Katie." And ironically thats how I got my name. Once my mom told me this when I was a kid, I went straight to the refrigerator and grabbed a full jar of pickles... thinking it was my destiny to love them. I hated the way their sour slippery taste but I tried and tried to force myself to like them. After finishing the large jar... one can only guess what happened... never again have I ate a pickle and my stomach turns whenever I see a jar of pickles in my refrigerator. So I guess your name doesn't always have to live up to the expectation.

Significance of Names

Weather Appreciation

One of the main reasons why I love reading Lucy is because of her beautiful usage of imagery. Her words flow smoothly throughout the novel and I feel as if I am walking in Lucy's shoes. Since Lucy is living in a place she is unfamiliar with, she describes the weather often. She describes how through the windows, the sun is shining brightly... but when you go outside, you need a winter coat! This type of weather brought up an issue I was discussing with one of my good friends who is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He always complains about the terrible weather in Indiana, and how one day you can be wearing flip flops and shorts, and the next you might need mittens and a thick sweatshirt. I told him that because of our bipolar weather, I grew to appreciate the nice weather. Whenever it's a beautiful warm sunny day (which is very rare!) I am usually in the best mood either outside studying or playin frisbee. Since I am not used to the weather being warm all the time, the cold weather doesn't seem to bother me as much. I don't take the warm weather for granted and I appreciate the sun when he shows his rarely shines.

Lucy

Becoming familiar with a place