Ballin' Blog

Basketball, Soccer, and Volleyball Hope College Women's BBaller

[alissasmith5]

Research and Writing #3

Link for film trailer of Like Water for Chocolate:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb2QJvmETL4

[alissasmith5]

Research and Writing #2

The other two criticisms I picked are both very different. Yael Haveli-Wise defines the book as interactive fiction because of the recipes you can actually cook. She goes into deep detail on how the recipes play into the seasonal chapters of the book.  The other criticism is quite the opposite and negative. Helene Price argues that this book should not be considered feminist magical realism because of the major stereotypes.  She also argues that magical realism was used as a ploy in both the film and novel to draw a diverse audience.

[alissasmith5]

Research and Writing #1

After finishing reading my three criticisms, I found that I picked very interesting criticisms with different viewpoints than I would have ever thought of. The first one, written by Catherine Davies, discusses my book’s gender roles and how they raise political questions. She also explores the stereotypes forced upon the women characters in this book. Although, because she compares to so many other books, the argument can be confusing; especially since I haven’t read the other books. Davies does bring to light a lot of important views that are key to my research project.

[alissasmith5]

Reading the Work #10

I finished the book over spring break, so I figured a post on the very different and weird ending would suffice.  The last chapter plays with the reader.  The author writes in a way that is very vague for the first few paragraphs and leads you on to believe Tita chose John instead of Pedro.  The chapter before this ends with Tita saying if there is a wedding, she will have chosen John.  This last chapter opens with a preparation for a wedding you at first think is for Tita and John, but then it is revealed a few paragraphs later that she is there with Pedro.  Again the author twists the view and you find out later in the chapter that the wedding was actually for the children of Pedro and Tita and this chapter is like 25 years in the future after Tita and Pedro marry. The ending is very strange though and a lot happens in a few pages.  Pedro actually dies while making love to Tita and then Tita kills herself to be with him; then the entire ranch engulfs in flames burning everything but Tita’s cookbook. So another questions arises: who is telling the story? The next page breaks and is revealed that this story is being told by Tita’s granddaughter, who learned all of the story through the cookbook that “...tells in each of its recipes this story of a love interred” (245).  Since the ranch burned because of the fiery passion of love, the ashes created the most fertile area in the entire region.

The End.

Basically I really want to watch the movie because the book went from being incredibly boring to extremely interesting like 0 to 100 real quick.

[alissasmith5]

Literary Criticisms

Divya and I decided to go together to Kresge Library to get our criticisms.  We had no idea where to go so we asked the librarian for help.  Her name was Emily and she spent hours with us picking and choosing the criticisms.  She was extremely helpful! We spent a total of three or four hours at the library.  After she pulled all of our books from different floors of the library, we had to scan the pages we needed since we couldn’t check them out.  Technically, you are not allowed to do that, but Emily hooked us up and told us not to tell anyone, whoops.  We had some problems with the scanner and made multiple runs to the tech support desk; aka showing we were definitely not OU students.  My major problem I had was I had a sprained ankle from soccer and we parked very far away since classes were in session and all the lots were full.  Didn’t stop there though, because I had to limp up the stairs to the second and third floor to get our criticisms.  But I got some Panera after so it was all good. @divyaramanathan 

Kresgeeeeeeeeee!

Combination of Divya and I’s books (Yeah, we actually skimmed through all of these *sad face*)

Struggling to work the scanner

[alissasmith5]

Reading the Work #9

Something I really enjoy about this book is the way the author incorporates and always flashes back to Tita’s childhood to define why she is the way she is.  Every time Tita holds or looks at a family object, she somehow remembers something about her childhood that opens up her character.  Similar to her packing her sister’s bags where she describes this action as if packing away childhood memories, this one quote stood out to me due to her constant recollection of memories. “She wasn’t riding alone - she carried her childhood beside her, in the cream fritters she had enclosed in a jar in her saddlebag” (203).

***Here is the quote where I was talking about Tita packing away her sister’s memories: 

“It hadn’t been easy packing up some of Gertrudis’ past along with her clothes, had taken longer than she had imagined.  It hadn’t been easy to fit in the suitcase the day the three of them made their First Communion.  The veil, the prayerbook, the photo taken outside the church all fit pretty well, but not the taste of tamales and atole Nacha had made, which they had eaten afterward with their friends and families.  The little colored apricot pits had gone in, but not their laughter when they played with them in the schoolyard, nor Jovita their teacher, the swing, the smell of her bedroom or of freshly whipped chocolate.  Luckily, Mama Elena’s scoldings and spankings hadn’t fit in either; Tita had slammed the suitcase shut before they could sneak in” (70).

[alissasmith5]

Reading the Work #8

Tita’s character changes quite substantially throughout the entirety of the book.  She starts out as a shy, but talented girl in the kitchen forced to serve her mother for life.  She follows her mother’s word to exact specifications without even thinking of disobeying her.  It is not until she is denied marriage to Pedro, and out of this situation Pedro marries Tita’s sister to still be close with Tita, that Tita finally starts to rebel.  As she draws closer to Pedro, she realizes what she wants and pushes her oppressive mother away until Mama Elena finally dies due to the magical hatred Tita puts into the food.  Tita is then haunted by her mother’s ghost and it is at this moment the audience finally sees the major change in character.  In an argument with her mother’s ghost, Tita declares what has been bottled up inside for so long. “ ‘I know who I am! A person who has a perfect right to live her life as she pleases. Once and for all, leave me alone; I won’t put up with you! I hate you, I’ve always hated you!’ “ (199).

[alissasmith5]

Reading the Work #7

“Tita was literally “like water for chocolate” - she was on the verge of boiling over.  How irritable she was!” (151).

So up until this quote, I have had no idea why the title of the book is Like Water for Chocolate. There was never any mention of water and chocolate until this quote, halfway through the book.  During this quote, Tita is extremely mad at her love Pedro for not approving of her marriage to John.  This fire and anger she has is described as water for chocolate; which apparently boils over.  I think it is a creative metaphor to Tita’s personality.  Also, this is the first time in the book love has caused Tita to have such intense emotion.  Perhaps the title of the book is referring to this quote. I am not sure as to how Laura Esquivel, the author, even thought of water boiling with chocolate but I am hoping this will clear up further into the book.

[alissasmith5]

Reading the Work #6

Connection to Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood:

“ ‘Because I don’t want to.’ With those words Tita had taken her first step toward freedom.” (118).

This quote connects very well with The Handmaid’s Tale.  Tita finally stands up for herself and begins to acquire the freedom she has been longing for.  Tita is oppressed by her mother, who forces Tita to take care of her until she dies and Tita is not allowed to marry. Tita finally gets freedom when Mama Elena dies soon after this quote.  The will power of Tita to marry her love never diminishes; similar to the will power of Offred from The Handmaid’s Tale.  Offred stands up for herself and gets her own freedom.  This quote serves as the tipping point for Tita’s character and we see her personality change majorly, just like the change of Offred.

[alissasmith5]

Reading the Work #5

Connection to Ceremony:

“That is but one small example of the huge difference in ideas and opinions that existed between the representatives of these two very different cultures, a gulf that made it impossible for the Browns to feel any desire to learn about the customs and traditions of Morning Light” (111).

“...she felt quite proud of herself for being up-to-date with the best scientific knowledge, which allowed her to protect her family’s health using an appropriate modern method - not like “the Kikapu” and her herbs!” (112).

Both of these quotes stood out to me as a reminder of Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.  The first quote circulates the idea that a white family wanted absolutely nothing to do with or learn about a Native American named Morning Light.  Similar to Tayo, Morning Light feels lost and torn about who she is.  Later on, Morning Star finds herself to be proud of who she is and what she learns.  The family fell under a terrible sickness and came to Morning Star for her help.  She felt proud to be needed and able to display her knowledge.  This part just really reminded me of Tayo and his journey to find himself; especially because they are both Native American.

[alissasmith5]

Reading the Work #4

Halfway through this book, I finally started to catch on to the magical realism theme.  At first, I couldn’t really figure out why the author chose to present feminism through magical realism.  Now, I see how it ties together.  Magical realism is basically a metaphor for manipulation.  All of the examples of magical realism in Like Water for Chocolate all revolve around love and men.  Tita is so in love with Pedro that she literally will do anything for him.  IT is not until she breaks away from him that she starts using her magical cooking for herself.  I think this is an argument/play on feminism.  This is meant to show that women rely on men to heavily. Also, Tita is stuck in the kitchen for the entire duration of the book.  These are two key examples of feminist argument.

[carolbrancheau]

The Tribe of Tall Girls

I am in the triBe of tall girls. We are the eXtremes on the average scale of height for women. Also, we break the trAditionally held ideas associated with women and beinG small or petite. For these reasons we are different; we stand out in the crOwd.

I have pRetty much been a member of this tribe mY whole life, so I’m used to what comes along with being in it. But I beCame a VIP member of this tribe in my latter years of high schOol, when most girls my age stopped growing but I didn’T, placing me even further away from the average height of a girl my aGe.

TherE are several things that all members of this tribe exPerience, placing them within. The first is that everyone will point out this contrAsting characteristic of ouR height. “You are so Tall!” and they verY often will ask the follow up quEstion “How tall are you?”. Many peOple also ask us if we play sports, usuAlly basketball or volleyball.

Clothes shoppinG has definitely caused some traUma to this tribe. Simply because we are the minority and many sTores don’t care to equip to our neEds. Most pants sold in stores, especially jeans, aRe just not long enough for our leGs, often leading to floodiNg. Its often hard tO find shirts long enough for oUr torsos. Also it’s a struggle to find shOrts that are long enough for our legS, so when it comes to the school dress code of fingertip length shorts, we’re basiCally screwed. Know that we’ve kisSed goodbye to comfortably wearing most skirts and dresses! because most are to shOrt for our bodies.

Members of this tribe are aLso used to awkward photos with our short girl frieNds, because we are so much taller than them. We feel guilty when standing in bleacHers or at concerts because we are most likely blocking someones view. We often do not haVe enough leg room when it comes to buses and carS

Ideas of this tribe were also expressed by our very own Alissa Smith, in her “Now I’m Mad” video. Check it out-  https://twitter.com/AlissaSmith5/status/632275411037220864

These randOm capital letters represent us tAll girls in a crowd. We are fewer, stand out, and can looK out of place next to our shoRt friends. 

[kreinbring65]

I rEally liKe thiS pOst.

[alissasmith5]

YOU LINKED MY VIDEO 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

[alissasmith5]

Tribe of the Recruited, Tribe of the Stressed

Summary of this entire post:

1st Quarter: I belong to the tribe of recruited athletes; along with most of my teammates and the majority of girls I have played against at national tournaments.  I received my first questionnaires from Boston University and St. Bonaventure University the summer entering my sophomore year following Washington DC nationals.  The game had just begun, and I felt I had won the tip off.  What I did not know was the stress, excitement, and pressure that would follow navigating the recruiting process by myself.

2nd Quarter: The start of my sophomore AAU season was one of the best I have ever experienced.  I began receiving recruit letters and emails everyday of the season from division 1, 2 and 3 schools across the country.  The pressure and stress started to get to me though, as I began to put basketball before my studies.  I fell behind on a lot of assignments and had to double back to catch up and keep my A.  The stress and pressure I felt before every game of every tournament was insane.  I felt I had to be perfect as I looked at the long line of coaches watching my team.  I always felt I should have done something more and it began to eat at my game.  I was desperate to keep the attention, as colleges drop recruits very easily.  With all this aside, the pressure forced me to pay hard every minute and I had my best season of my career.  We ended the season ranked 24th in the nation out of all girls AAU teams; and we were playing in the older division since we had one junior on our team.  The months following that summer season were amazing.  I received more letters than I could keep up with and the texts and emails blew up my phone everyday.

Halftime: NCAA rules require a “dead period” for coaches where they are not allowed to contact any recruits for about 5-6 weeks.  This allows them to finalize prospects; but more importantly, it allowed me to focus on my game.  I watched countless hours of game film and critiqued my game.  This made me see what I had to fix.  During this dead period, I worked harder than I ever worked with a trainer since the pressure was off and no one was watching.  Just like at halftime, I had to discuss and fix my game.  Although, I would not find out whose lists I was still on until after dead period, which only added to the stress and perfection I felt I needed to have.

Third Quarter: The start of junior year approached, which signaled the NCAA could finally let me speak to coaches over the phone and in person.  I arranged a few visits and awaited the next AAU circuit.  Although, this was the hardest season I have ever experienced.  My team decided to expand our tournaments even further; which meant a plane ticket every weekend.  I began to drown in school work.  I pulled countless all-nighters.  I also had the challenge of balancing varsity soccer and AAU basketball simultaneously in one season.  I would go to basketball practice in Southfield for two hours, and speed back to Avondale to make soccer practice on time.  There was no time for homework.  I asked every teacher at least twice for extended deadlines, and I am grateful everyone understood and helped me out.  I was also stressed extremely over the SAT and ACT.  I had a few Ivy Leagues recruiting me, so I knew I had to perform well.  But, I would not trade any of this.  I got to travel the country and play the sport I love.  We finished the season ranked 74th in the nation after moving into a lot of EYBL and Blue Chip play (hardest division in the country).

Fourth Quarter: Finally, senior year.  I finished up attending the college basketball prospect camps and began to set up visits for my top 5 schools.  The visits were a lot of fun, as I got to hang out overnight with the team and even attend some college parties.  As selection dates started nearing closer, the coaches pressured me intensely.  I was already stressed with college applications and the constant pressure from coaches trying to get me to commit early made me want to pull my hair out.  To quote one of the coaches in a text message before I even committed anywhere, “What jersey do you want? We have a spot for you right now. What would it take to lock you in?”  Pressure. With recruiting, college is very up in the air. You never know if a school will drop you or if a new school comes along. Committing seriously lifted a weight off my shoulder, but I will miss the craziness of recruiting.

[alissasmith5]

Analyisis of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale containing literary criticism and character analysis.

Hey people of AP Lit!!! This is my final project for The Handmaid’s Tale. I would really appreciate it if you guys could check it out and comment on the discussion page. My goal was to create a discussion, and that can’t be done without you guys! 

[alissasmith5]

My Querencia is the basketball court, the soccer field, and the volleyball court. It is these three places where I can be myself and play hard. When I play with my teammates, all of my worries go away. Playing sports calms me, but it also gives me motivation to perform well. These places make me who I am because sports have turned me into a confident athlete. I play everyday like its my last because I owe that intensity to my team. I love all three of my sports and had the opportunity to play both basketball and soccer in college, but I chose basketball because I feel that sport truly allows me to be myself. The pictures above include the Hope College Devos Arena, which will be my future Querencia this fall on the women's basketball team. Also, I included pictures of my teams because they are the ones who I can always count on. My club team, the Michigan Shock, has traveled the country with me. We have bonded on and off the court and each of us are playing in college. I consider these girls my true best friends and the coaches my mentors for everything they have done for me. I also include myself playing in goal on the soccer team. I played club soccer for 6 years and it has become a sport I always look forward to. Playing in goal has largely contributed to my confidence in the ability to make big plays. I also included the volleyball team, because these girls could always make me smile. Our student section was always hype at each game and playing in front of the crowd is something I will never forget. While my Querencia has been club and Avondale teams, I am ready to build a new Querencia in college.

[alissasmith5]

Ceremony #4

Something I don't really understand in the book is the whole concept of Betonie's star constellation. We first learn of the constellation when Betonie draws the stars in the sand. Then later on, Tayo sees them in the sky and there is even a page in the book of a drawing illustrating the constellation. Then, we hear about these stars again when Tayo sees them painted on an animal hide in a woman's room. Why do these stars keep coming up and what is the importance of them??

[alissasmith5]

Ceremony #3

A pattern I keep noticing in the book is Tayo keeps filling animal tracks (the yellow mountain lion and the yellow snake) with yellow pollen. Why? And why so much yellow? Could this be some more color symbolism, but what is the symbolism? At first I thought all the yellow somehow linked together, but now I am not so sure. I noticed there have been repeated uses of blue, green, yellow, and now black a lot so I hope to find an answer to this soon. I know yellow and blue are commonly used in Tayo’s tribe’s art from what I have seen online, but I can’t figure anything else out.