Rodrigo y Gabriela Hanuman

Rodrigo and Gabriela are two guitarists from Mexico.  Now you would think they probably play Mariachi music or learned classical guitar.  However they thrived of rock music and learned Metallica, Led Zep, and Hendrix songs.  They played in a rock band called Tierra Acida which means acid earth. They went to Europe and played there in the bars and with local players in the streets.
At first I thought they were flamenco guitarists but the more I listened to them the more I realized that there music was a mix of very different styles.  Gabriela's rhythm techniques at points sound like flamenco but it has some rock aspects to it. Their unique style can't be described in one word.  When I heard them I literally got goosebumps of how good they were.  Everyone should check them out.  One song that I really liked was Hanuman here's the link for youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENBX_v1Po1Y

Gatsby and Nick

At the beginning of the story it seems that Jay and Nick will be very good friends.  It seems that Gatsby is sincerely interested in being Nick's friend.  However I wonder if he knew from the beginning that Nick was aquainted with Daisy.  If he was then it would be that their relationship was planned from the beginning so that Gatsby could at one point see Daisy again.
I believe Nick is also asking himself these questions as he starts to doubt whether anything that Gatsby says is the truth.  It seems he starts to become annoyed with Gatsby as he starts asking questions about Daisy and meeting her for lunch.  So far it's still hard to determine whether their friendship is real or whether it's just part of the plan including Daisy.

Thanks...for..um

If I had to pick one person in the class that I'm thankful for in this class I'd pick Anna. She's the person I believe I've most talked to in class. I feel like I can actually talk with Anna I can be myself around her and she's very nice and helpful (she always has a pen that I can use). We work together in class on answering the questions from the scarlet letter. If Anna wasn't in this class I think I'd feel awkward because I feel comfortable working around her because last year we were in the same biology class. I can talk to her about something that isn't school related which makes working with her less awkward and more fun. We also occasionally have a conversation in Spanish. It lets me practice my Spanish outside of my home and at the same time I can help her or correct her Spanish. I feel like we got to know each other better than we did last year and I'm thankful for that. I hope we continue to get to know each other better. Everyone I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! :)

I am a (red) plow

I remember the first time I saw Chente walk in the store.  I was new in the store and I was eager to be bought so that I could help someone.  Chente talked to the cashier of the store and asked where he could get a man plow.  She directed him to the plows in front of me.  He looked at them and saw me he remarked that he liked my red color and bought me.
Chente took me to his house he lived in a small house and had a small barn that was nearly complete and it seemed he wanted to plant crops but needed some thing to help him.  He used me to turn up the soil and I was happy to help him fulfill his dream.  He planted each plant with care until it was dark and then he rinsed me off put me in the warm barn and went to sleep.  I liked how happy he seemed when we worked together.  He had a look of satisfaction and motivation in his eyes.
We spent many years working together helping to create beautiful plants.  However one day he stopped smiling and made me work more than I had worked ever before.  For some reason he stopped treating the earth with kindness.  Then one day we didn't work together and I was wondering what was happening.  He put me next to barn and I saw him on a large machine that did the same work we did in a week done in an hour.  Not only that but it also spread the seeds so he didn't have to do it by himself.  I saw he didn't seem so happy except when he sent something in the mail.  I rusted because he forgot me outside the barn.  He threw me in the barn and that was the last time I saw him.
A couple of years later the forgotten barn door was opened and I saw a small boy.  He was looking for things of interest and seemed to like my red color despite the fact that I was rusty.  He dragged me outside into the sun and I saw so many crops planted.  Then I saw an old man sitting down on a chair with what seemed like a permanent frown on his face.  His face seemed listless and tired, I wondered where the man I knew was.  The boy asked what I was and the old man replied that it was his old plow.  The boy asked if they could use it together to plant some flowers for his mother and the old man agreed.  He forced himself up off the chair and reached to me.  When he grabbed his hands were very familiar.  He then started working with me and he smiled and for a moment I believe I saw a shine in his eyes.  I was so happy I did my best I recognized his smile and it seemed I finally had the chance to make him happy again we kept going from where we left off on our dream.

Class

Honestly I think that some classes in school are kind of pointless because we probably wont need them for anything outside school unless you're actually going to pursue a career in that area.  I believe in a way school does help because the courses we take test our skills in many different ways but also need to teach about life.  Life outside of school is very different which probably leads to hardships.  For example teaching isn't only about knowing the material it's also about having people skills and knowing how to interact with different types of people.  Now some of those classes are offered.  However I believe more of these courses should be taught at school so that students not only persevere in education but in life.

Slavery

Slavery still occurs in modern day in Africa, the Dominican Republic, India, and Pakistan.  In Africa blacks are sold as property and for as little as $15 per human being.  Imagine having no say in your life to haver your whole life determined by a person who apparently "bought" you.  To think that a person's life can be bought for so little.  This occurs to the Dinkas in southern Sudan.  The slaves usually suffer mutilation to prevent their escape and to enforce the owners ideas.  Slaves are mutilated, branded, and beaten.
In India between 200,000 and 300,000 children are held captive and forced to weave on looms for food.  In Pakistan laborers would be shackled in leg-irons and kept hostages.  In the Dominican Republic slaves are gathered to cut cane fields.  Haitians are arrested in homes or jobs and delivered to the field and are forced to work at gunpoint and beaten if they attempt to escape.  It would be horrible to be dragged away from your family to work in fields with no opinion.
However some slaves have been rescued.  The International Labor Rights and Eduacation Fund has rescued many children in India.  The Himan Rigits Commission of Pakistan freed bonded laborers.  Most people believe that slavery no longer exists that it was abolished with the Emancipation Proclamation however slavery still exists today.  Slavery is a violation of a person's right to decide their own life it's always determined by someone who is apparently "superior".  However slavery isn't only owning a person controlling a person in any way I believe is making them a slave.  If we want to fix this problem so that every person can live freely then we should first practice this decision with the people that surround us.
for more information on slavery go to this link:  http://www.infoplease.com/spot/slavery1.html

Puritan Influence

I believe there are some aspects of Puritan society that are still beliefs that a part of our society stills believes and follows.  In Massachusetts in 1649 the Colony implemented certain rules that required parents to teach, and children to accept.  If a child older than 16 years of age would curse, or smite their parents they would be put to death.  Now there are less severe consequences.  The consequences are chosen by the parents unless it becomes necessary to involve the government if harm comes to the parents or child.  While disrespecting one's parents is looked down upon and can result in punishment it isn't as grave as death. 
In the Puritan time a child was to accept what there parents say and that is still the belief.  A child is EXPECTED to listen or accept what there parents are saying however today's youth is more able to express their feelings without the penalty of death.
Another lingering idea that shows that we are still in touch with our Puritan backgrounds is our opinion on adultery.  As portrayed in Nathaniel Hawthorne's book the Scarlet Letter adultery was a serious crime that almost always resulted in death except for Hester whe was rather killed socially.  Adultery was a crime in Puritan society and in some states it's still considered a crime.
Puritan morals and society influenced modern society in various ways from the boundaries of marriage to education.

American, Mexican, or Mexican American?

There was a time where I was really confused of what nationality I was.  When I went to Mexico on vacation some family members and people living made it clear that I was not like them I was known as a gringa.  Here I wasn't considered American.  I was considered the typical American because my parents were born in Mexico.  I figured I must be somewhere in the middle of Mexico and America kind of like living on the border.  I imagined myself with one foot in Mexico and another here.  Just now I realize what nationality I am.
The way I think about it is that I'm Mexican American.  I can't deny it because every time I look in the mirror I have long dark hair, eyes, and skin.  I look like my mom in almost all her features which are Mexican.  On the other hand I grew up in Chicago so I grew up with the music, culture, and food of America.  But I also grew up with the food, culture, and food of Mexico.  I'm Mexican American because I'm not completely one thing or the other but because I'm a mix of both of them.  There was a time where I thought that the only true American was white because those were the ones who were called gringos .  However there are many Americans, Native American, Chinese American, African American, Mexican American, and those who are considered white are of European descent being Italian American, Irish American, Polish American, and others.
We're all Americans because we have one thing in common we live in America we are here because we believe that there is something offered here that we can't find or are unable to attain where we came from.

Agnostic or Catholic?

Humans can be really agressive when it comes to three topics where every person has their own views politics, sports, and possibly the most important one religion.  I have only experienced the conflict of religion.  I was forced to go to Catholic school on saturdays in order to get my confirmation only because my mom wanted a quinceanera (which I didn't want) I didn't enjoy it.  Me and my brothers didn't go to church or know the commandments we didn't even have our first confirmation so when my mother put us in saturday school for something as trivial like a party we weren't fond of the idea.  Ideas were foced upon us and according to the teachers we weren't supposed to question it we were supposed to simply accept it.  The teachers were very closed off to any other religions and believed that the Catholic religion was the only right and true religion.  I became angered at how closed off they were to other religions dismissing them as wrong.

I think that when we change we grow so I feel that if we don't question things we will never learn more.  I had a very bad experience where I was basically forced to confirm and accept the Catholic religion when I clearly questioned it and didn't accept it.  I however spoke what I belived in a place where religion was basis of life.  My comments affected them so much that they even mentioned me in mass saying that the youth of today have no faith and I was repeatedly talked to by people trying to convert me or bring me to god.  I don't have any problem with what people believe it's when they involve the people around them without their consent and try to force their beliefs unto others that I have a problem with it.  I feel that these type of conflicts with conflicting beliefs can result in death.  It isn't a matter of changing people but accepting them and their beliefs regardless as to whether or not you agree with them.  I got lucky because there was a sense of understanding.  This is not meant to offend anyone, this is my opinion based on my experiences.  I am concious that not all people in the church are like the people I met but I have yet to meet them.

John Proctor Future Hero, and Present Fool

I believe that John Proctor is a hero and a fool but depending on the time period in which you set your mind to.  If I was a person in that time who thought similarly to him but kept my thoughts to myself I would consider him a stooge.  A person has to be able to know where and at what time to state ones own opinion.  It would be foolish to speak against the majority population no matter how foolish the situation seems. For example he was surrounded by people who had a very close-minded view of God and seemed to believe in their idea strongly. If a person went against their way of thinking they should confess to witchcraft and point the finger at someone else to save themselves.  While this is foolish it would be even more foolish to try and resolve the problem by oneself.  There is a time and place for everything. In his time he was a fool for getting himself killed.
However John Proctor is also a hero. While he didn't live to see the change that he was trying to prove he was part of it. Whether people admitted to it or not when he had the courage to speak what everyone was terrified to say people started thinking of how unfair it was eventually leading to rebellions and eventually the change of these situations. A good example would be Martin Luther King.  Some slaves might have thought of him as foolish for trying to change things.  There had to be some of them that thought that he shouldn't rebel and if they just conform eventually they would at least be able to get little pay or some benefits. However because he had the courage to rebel and state his opinion and demand change eventually more slaves joined together and rebelled eventually leading to their freedom.  He didn't live to see what he wanted to see in the world but it's because of him that the process of ending slavery started. In other words there had to be a "fool" in order for change to become then they would no longer be considered fools but "heroes". In their times they might have been considered fools but in the future they came to be known as heroes.

God?

In Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God their point of view is very strong.  In my opinion it's exaggerated.  According to their belief God hates sinners but he is holding his rage and just waiting for us to make a mistake so that he can damn us.  God is apparently holding back an angry river and an arrow pointed at our heart just waiting for us to make a wrong step.  I wouldn't want to please a god that hates me and I honestly can't understand how anyone would want to.  If even when you do get to heaven and God still hates you then in the end you'll just be living in a different hell.
If I lived in a society like this I would probably end up dead or run away to somewhere where I am free to believe what I choose.  I think everyone has their own idea of God and that no religion can completely please a person in all areas.  Even now when my mother forced me to go to Catholic school so that I could have a quinceañera (which I didn't even want in the first place) I questioned God.  I asked as to how do they know that The Bible isn't just a made up story.  I was angry as to how they claimed other religions to be wrong.  I was unhappy being there because it was unfair and close minded in my opinion.  I don't consider myself Catholic I believe in God but I don't support any religion.  (I didn't mean to offend anyone this is my opinion (=  )

There goes the Neighborhood

I live where the majority used to be African-American. I went to Morrill School where the majority was also African American and I didn’t really interact with much Hispanics unless they were family or the few that also went to my school. Because the majority is African American I remember when I first started going to school that I didn’t know English and had to be in bilingual classes. This created a language barrier between me and my peers. Because they weren’t used to the way I acted or spoke They didn’t like me very much.
We not only looked very different but also I had a distinct way of speaking and acting which led to their rejection of me. I often heard racist comments such as beaner, wetback and other comments. Even though I didn’t know English well enough I still understood the curse words however when I learned English and stopped taking bilingual classes I was accepted a little bit more. I never gained complete acceptance because I not only looked different but I had different beliefs and priorities than my other peers. I was serious, quiet, and kept to myself while my most of my classmates were social, loud, and very open to what they feel.
While my race did affect me I feel that it wouldn’t have been so bad if I would have changed to their way. If I would have started talking, acting, and doing things like my classmates I probably would have been accepted. However when more Hispanics started joining the class and classes were more mixed it was harder for the same issue to recur because it was almost the same amount of each race in the school. That made it harder for them to reject the idea of different ways of talking, acting, or doing things.

Introduction

Hello I'm Margarita Santamaria.  I grew up in Southside Chicago and went to Morrill Elementary School.  I have three younger brothers Mauricio, Rogelio, and Reynaldo. Roge and Rey are twins.  I am the oldest and only girl.  We all live with my mother she came from Guadalajara, Jalisco.  My dad is from Mexico City.  Me and my brothers are first generation here.  I love music and play guitar and cello also a little bit of violin.  I aspire to pursue a career in music.  Though it would also be awesome to travel the world or even study to be a veterinarian.  I'm not sure what to do yet but if possible I'll do several different careers.  I like playing guitar, reading, and skating in my spare time.  I love autumn because of how the trees change color and it makes it a lot more fun to travel around the city looking at the bright yellows, and tantalizing oranges, and flaming reds  especially since it's not as hot as summer autumn is almost here.  Well that's a little bit about me arrivederci! =)