English Class Blog

Young Bahamian in America. Forced to write English blogs for my 12th Grade English Class.

[onegyaldoe]

What is a pretty sweet passage I read this week?

Well that is actually a good question. I read a few pretty sweet passages this week since reading a little more of my book, The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson. Lately I have been struggling with my reading goal, however I had an away game yesterday and I managed to complete my goal for the week and I feel pretty confident and a lot better having fulfilled my goal. 

“Then don’t call them whores, then.” (Pg. 100) I know this is a very short quote, but it says a lot about two things, North Korea and Jun Do’s opinion on women. His mother was taken to Pyongyang, just like the women that were being described just before this passage I chose. He was talking to a lady that was hoping to be taken to Pyongyang to be a singer. They were in a bar and she was singing karaoke, but she was really bad, so she got into a conversation afterwards with Jun Do and she explained why she was doing it. They went on to talk about why she wanted to be taken to the capital, and this was strange because from reading the book it seemed like no one wanted to actually be taken to the capital as a female worker. But this lady was different, she wanted to be taken because she was an orphan and I guess it was the best way of life for her, in her opinion. Jun Do defended her in the discussion by saying not to call the women that go there whores because no one knows their circumstances, most of them don't have a choice and others use it as their last option, if they are beautiful and don't have anything else to do I guess. 

[onegyaldoe]

When is it okay to lie?

I am reading the Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson. This book is definitely worth of being a best seller. I am in love with this book mainly because I like the events that are taking place, they just seem real and so authentic. Last week I almost reached my goal of reading, but I didn’t meet the goal but I am not on page 86, so I read for about a total of an hour and a half and read about 33 pages. I am a pretty slow reader unfortunately, but it is cool I guess. This week I read about a few things ranging from lying, to the crew members being upset with Jun Do for not being able to think on his feet when the Americans were talking to them, and to the crew members basically drilling in his head the North Korea was indeed the greatest nation in the world. 

During my reading, I had one particular passage that stood out to me. “Three months on this boat, and you can’t even pretend to be a fisherman? You’ve watched us empty a seine purse on this deck a hundred times - don't you eat off the same plates as us and shit in the same bucket?” (Pg. 62) The reason this stands out to me is because Jun Do is new to being on the boat with the other fishermen, however it was almost like he wasn’t buying into the North Korean way in a sense. This means that he has to be quick on his feet and according to the other fisherman they have to believe that North Korea is the best country on earth. When the Americans came he wasn’t able to act as if he was an actual fisherman, the Americans thought they were spies, and because of Jun Do’s lack of ability to just pretend for one second he ruined everything for them in a way. I guess this goes hand in hand with what I didn’t like about what I read, mainly because it was like they are automatically supposed to be liars and deceivers, although they have nothing to lie about and they are doing nothing wrong. They were in North Korean waters fishing, but they still needed a reason to lie to deceive the Americans. This reminded me of when I was watching a clip of How Dangerous is North Korea, and they started to explain how if one man can manipulate a country of 25 million people, imagine what he would be able to get them to do in the name of North Korea. 

Something that made me think deeply was just about the people of North Korea to be honest. In the novel the fishermen were almost drilling each other to already say how great North Korea is, even though they have nothing to show for and nothing to make North Korea great. All they know is that democracy is evil, they do everything to honor the great leader and that there is no country better than there country on earth. It just makes me wonder about their conditions and how bad is it in North Korea and what the people are going through. Overall, I enjoyed this portion of my readings and I look forward to reading some more. 

[yahoosports]

[rtamerica-blog]

New fuel: Hydrogen viewed as less expensive alternative to gasoline

[monkeyballwiki]

[mrs-420-deactivated20170604]

LETS TALK ABOUT THIS FOR A FUCKING MINUTE.

[onegyaldoe]

Are Americans evil?

I think the question trying to be asked is why do Americans impose their will on issues that don't have anything to do with them. In the novel, The Orphan Master’s Son, the North Korean fishermen we encountered by an American vessel because they were suspected of being a spy ship. There were however a few things that were a little suspicious about the ship like: they didn’t have a flag, they didn’t have a Captain’s license and they didn’t have registration. What made this weird was the fact that they were in North Korean waters, and if their government allowed them to go out in the water, then the Americans should not have bothered them. 

What made the situation even worst was the fact that when the Americans got on the ship, it just so happened that recently thousands of American shoes drifted ashore. This made it worst because now the North Koreans were seen as thieves, they were seen as spies and liars because they didn’t have proof that they were actual fishermen. However, there was one American Naval soldier that began to take the lead on the investigation and defended the men and tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but then a soldier of South Korean decent made it worst by continuously threatening the men. 

The North Korean’s were confused as to why they were being bothered by the American soldiers and to be honest it is hard to tell why. There was nothing they were doing that was out of the way, but the South Korean, American soldier clearly just was holding in some grudges he may have had for North Koreans for a while. I can’t fully say what is on the way, however I am eager to see how this will unfold now that the American Soldiers left the boat. 

[onegyaldoe]

SSR Report

For the most part I met my goals for my 2-hour goal per week. I was able to do some reading on the way to my away games and I feel as though my long rides are my only motivation to do my readings at the moment. It is pretty difficult for me to find time to read but reading on long bus rides seem to be my thing and I kind of like it so it’s fine. What I can do to make it better is just remember to read and just clear my mind on the way to a good game, I will just keep doing what I’m doing. There is not much going on in the book right now other than learning about the life of Pyongyang, but the part I guess that stuck with me was the fact that Jun Do’s mother was stolen and shipped to Pyongyang because she was beautiful. “She was quite lovely - eyes large and sideways looking, lips pursed with an unspoken word. Since beautiful women in the provinces get shipped to Pyongyang, that’s certainly what had happened to his mother.” Pg. 7 I think the author is simply giving us a background of North Korea and what it’s like to live there I guess. It’s hard to see a big picture right now other than the different cultures. Jun Do although the young but he has a lot of responsibility and things he must be able to do even as a young boy.

[onegyaldoe]

Goals

My new 2-hour weekly goal is about 40 pages per week, similar to my last goal, but I will actually try to meet these goals this time. I am currently reading The Orphan Master’s Son, by Adam Johnson. My goals for this independent reading is to actually succeed with this goal I am preparing to write about. Last time I read a lot, but basically not even close to the amount that I was supposed to read. What will make it better is me just remembering to actually do the readings. My biggest problem was forgetting that I had to actually read the book, so now I will remember. 

[onegyaldoe]

What has slavery done to America?

As we all know slavery is a huge part of American history. It was something that was looked down upon by many Americans, yet favored but many more. Slavery in many ways benefitted American people that owned them, in the way that, they would be able to get things done, or sold, without worrying about spending money on labor. The labor came from the ownership of a slave. I am reading The Known World, about a slave that lived in Virginia, who went on to becoming a slave owner himself. This was something that wasn't very shocking, however it was unusual to say the least because many people think of white against black, when slavery is involved. What makes this interested is the fact that this man is a slave owner himself.

In America today, slavery does not exist in the same way it did back in the days of slavery, but what it did to America was leave a mark of every race or nationality that was affected by slavery. For many people today, slavery affects them in terms of finances, or ideals. Slaves were not paid, which made it a sticky situation when they were released, but they were now on their own, and for many, their lives as slaves were better, because now they were on their own in a country in which governmental representation for the unfavored races were priority. Slavery forced poverty on a lot of people, it forced many people to lose hope on their lives because all they knew how to do was take orders, but had no vision for their lives anymore because of slavery. 

Slavery to my knowledge is not a problem today in America. However the unremovable scar it has left on the country, can't ever go away, it just can't. The impact is too blatant and it is too emotional. The reason many persons who were affected by slavery still dwell on things that happened in the pass like slavery or civil rights, is because those events determined who those people are socially and for most of them, financially. I am a Bahamian, and I have lived in the Bahamas all my life, although I feel a little out of place to talk about this, but from my observations and everything I have learned in my Honors US and Government History class, I feel like I know a lot about these issues, and being a foreigner, it is something that I observed from being here in America. 

[onegyaldoe]

The Known World is getting juicy!

I am currently reading The Known World by Edward P. Jones, and all I can say is, it is getting juicy my friend. The reading so far is going very well, but the amount of pages I have to read to finish a chapter is getting a little ridiculous, but I am staying engaged, which is actually shocking for me because I usually stray away quickly. It is becoming more interesting for me mainly because compared to Fifty Shades of Grey, this is actually not sexually overwhelming. 

The book is definitely changing for the better, it is getting a little more violent and it is showing the true times of slavery in America. The main example is when a slave owner was fighting with his slave physically, and another slave owner come in and took control of the situation and told him to "be a slave owner and not a slave" and he ordered the other slave owner to beat the slave unfairly, almost to his death. 

The main thing that I am wondering about is the perceptive of the slaves, in other words there are not many other opinions or views from other slaves and this something that makes me wonder if it is purposeful or not. Overall, I am pleased with what I am reading at the moment and I progressing pretty well in the book. 

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[onegyaldoe]

What I Found in: The Known World by Edward P. Jones

I recently posted about my last book "Fifty Shades of Grey" and the way that I felt about reading the book from a male perspective. It was nothing like I had ever read about before. Now I am reading The Known World by Edward P. Jones, and it is completely different, it is attention grasping, it is compelling and I am only at the beginning of the fourth chapter. So far there are some things I am having a little trouble understanding, like character names, and sometimes when I feel like I have something understood I would keep reading and I would later realize that I was very wrong. 

The thing that drew me to the book was the fact that I love books about history, mainly books that are from a historical background or of historical content. I am a big fan of this and this is what drew me directly to the book. Persons that enjoy learning about slavery, or the way America was during those days would most likely enjoy this book, however persons who may have no knowledge about what may have happened in those days may also feel as though they would could use this book on a more educational level. That is the great thing about the book, so far it is very educational, there is no better way to learn, than from the persons who have experienced it the most. Persons with a hunger for knowledge and a thirst for a bigger picture to be painted in their minds through words would definitely enjoy this reading. 

Although this reading was good overall, there were some things that left me a little puzzled. It began in the beginning of the novel when the Henry's slave overseer, Moses wandered in to the woods to masturbate following the death of Henry Townsend, the black master of the plantation. This was so confusing to me because he went into the woods to masturbate and then he left to go see his family. It was a little confusing for me, however as I kept reading the event slowly but surely just escaped my mind.

[yahoosports]

Not how inbounding should be done, Heat.

[nando1k]

CCS DREAM TEAM

[gif-guy]

Other Funny Gifs http://gif-guy.tumblr.com/

[iraffiruse]

[onegyaldoe]

Why do women chase the men with great status?

I’m reading Fifty Shades of Grey right now, and I am reading a lot about a woman that originally didn’t have much status in the world economically and socially. She is now involved with a man that is a millionaire, that has everything anyone can possibly dream of, the money, the cars, a private jet and most importantly he has status. Why do women go after the men with the best status? This is a question that is much more deeper than I thought, it is quite obvious that girls go after the boy that everyone wants, the boy that everyone looks up to, the one with status, whether thats in a school, the workplace, a club, a party, wherever. In this novel it is hard to imagine what her life would have been like without this man she is with. It may have been better off for her emotionally and mentally, but for her his status his much more important than that. He is giving her the world, she is feeling loved like never before, she feels the way every girl wants to feel, and that is protected. 

Women today don’t want someone that can’t make them feel safe, they don’t want a man that is a pushover, a man that is easy to influence. They want a man that is firm, who knows what he wants and how he is going to achieve what he wants, and they want someone who is willing to build that status with them. Women go after the things that other women want. This is why I find it funny that ever since I have been in a relationship, most of my ex-grilfriends can’t seem to just leave me alone. Its because they want something that another girl has. I am actually not enjoying the book at all, because I feel like i’m envying a man, and its not that I’m homophobic but I just feel very uncomfortable reading it. So I decided to stop reading the book.