Ann-Marie Higgins

Which vignette from “The House on Mango Street” surprised you in some way, and why? “The Family of Little Feet” was the vignette that surprised me because the young girls seem to be very confident and brave at the same time but are also vulnerable. These girls wore high-heeled shoes around the neighborhood and seemed like attention seekers, but they knew the danger that came with it. Even the old man, Mr. Benny, was concerned, asking the girls if their mother knew they got shoes like that; he made it clear to the girls that those shoes were dangerous. What was more shocking was when Rachael asked the bum man if he liked their shoes, which led to him offering Racheal a dollar for a kiss, disguising. Thankful Lucy was there to let her know they had to go. Just a naïve young girl like Connie. Which vignette intrigued you and why? “No Speak English” was the vignette that intrigued me because migrating from your country of birth to a new life is sometimes hard to adjust to, especially if your family is left behind. As for Mamacita, not knowing English makes it more difficult for her, which can lead her to depression. I’m speaking from experience because I migrated from Jamaica to America at a young age. Because of my “patios,” my accent was intense, and people weren’t understanding me, which caused some frustration. On top of that, I left my mom and grandmother behind, so I used to cry myself to sleep until I found a job and worked hard to have my mom in America with me. So, I could relate to Mamacita missing home. Which vignette puzzled you and why? The vignette that puzzled me was “Marin.” Marin has a boyfriend in Puerto Rico who will […]

One observation pointed out to me in Bettelheim’s reading is that he pointed out the jealous Queen, who happened to be Snow White’s stepmother. Snow White, the most beautiful young lady in her land, wanted to enhance her beauty more than how she was. I think about society where celebrities use cosmetology to improve their beauty which sometimes goes over the board that causes their lives. There is always someone out there that envies people for their beauty and sometimes for their accomplishments. It also reminded me of Connie in the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Connie was happy and into herself with her beauty, and her mother was jealous. Connie wasn’t given the traditional parenting advice about talking with strangers or opening the door to strangers, and because of this, she learned the hard way. Connie wasn’t given a chance as Snow White did, even though it was by the dwarfs; Snow White knew how to take on responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, and caring for herself and others. Like Connie, she was all about her beauty, leading her to seek attention from elsewhere. In the end, Snow White becomes a wife, while in Connie’s story, she disappears with a stranger that might have cut her life short. I remember growing up, I loved jewelry to the point where my grandmother used to have talks with me, and one of them was explaining to me that I must not get caught up with vanity because it can lead to danger, which I thanked her for because to this day, not even my wedding ring I want to wear outside.

The story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is about a young 15-year-old girl named Connie whom a child predator seduced. In my understanding, the story portrays how a child predator-prey on young girls. Connie seems to be a beautiful young girl that likes to be seen because of her beauty, and she feels that her mother doesn’t like her much as how she does her older sister, whom she always praises. Also, Connie’s father seems to be just interested in his work and not showing the family much attention. In my opinion, 99% of the time, when a family is like that, the one that gets less attention tends to seek it elsewhere, and for me, Connie seems to fall in that category. Connie likes to hang out with older teens, which can be alarming. The older “friends” she trusts can set her up to do or get into things she’s incapable of understanding or escaping from. And it is sad because in our society, the same vulnerable young kids get seduced and taken advantage of, and most of them are found dead. Several times we watch the news or read the papers and see that young teens have gone missing, but there is no trace of them; those are the teens that know their predators, but at first, they try to build their trust before they make their move. We must check our surroundings because, at times, we never know who is watching us, our children, and just waiting to make a move at the right time that pleases these predators. This story is a well-learned lesson for us not to put our trust in people, no matter the circumstances, and not to show favoritism to our children because it can lead to something displeasing along […]

“Reading a poem is part attitude and part technique.” Restate this in quote in your own words. When reading poems, we must embrace the words, examine each element, and decipher the author’s intentions to unpack and discover its meaning entirely. With specific reference to one of the week’s sonnets, discuss your personal experience with these two components of reading poetry. Be sure to support your response with a short quote from the poem you are discussing. In Sonnet 130, “My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing like the Sun” by Williams Shakespeare, the author highlights the beauty of his mistress, “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.” Him comparing her to things to show that she is imperfect would not stop him from loving her. Not too often do we read poems as such where the lady is not elegant or beautiful; she is just an ordinary person. But that did not stop him from appreciating her for who she was and how she looked. Women are often idolized for their beauty, but we can see in this poem that there is genuine love.

Which of the three prior assumptions did you make with respect to one of the poems read this week? Be sure to refer to specific lines or phrasing in your discussion. The poem that stood out in this week’s reading was “White Lies” by Natasha Tretheway. At first, when reading the poem, I first thought I understood what the narrator was saying. When I read the lines, “I could easily tell the white folks that we lived uptown,” I was assuming only white folks lives uptown, and the narrator’s completion matches with the white folks who live uptown, then yes, the narrator will mix in as well. Then further in the poem, lines “I could act like my homemade dresses came straight out the window of Maison Blanche.” I paused, the narrator portraying to be some lavish person, which is a lie. Then my curiosity came out to question, is the narrator black, with a lighter complexion, but lying about their race, ethnicity, and lavish lifestyle. Then when her mother found out the lies that had been said, she was punished by “purifying and cleansing her mouth with Ivory soap.” I related to the poem “White Lies” because I did similar things as the narrator growing up, and my punishment was the same, my mom washed my mouth out with soap in front of my friends, which was embarrassing, but I learned my lesson.

The sonnet “How Do I Love Thee” and the greeting card “Why do I Love you so much?” speak of love. The sonnet comprises fourteen lines, while the greeting card has eleven lines, and the shortest line, “As well as my,” doesn’t catch the reader’s attention and has four syllables. The greeting card has some repetition, such as “Why Do I Love You So Much?” used twice. The greeting card doesn’t have rhymes, but the sonnet sometimes rhymes. There are a couple of examples of imagery in “How Do I Love Thee,” such as “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height” also “With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath.” In my opinion, I think the greeting card is more prose, while the sonnet is more concise or direct than the greeting card.

Identify the author and the literary work you are focusing on for your research essay. “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Please share the actual word-for-word thesis statement of your research essay in your post. “The story illustrated the power of imagination and creativity as the villagers create a life story for a dead man they never knew.” Explain what specific kind of secondary source information you feel will support your thesis. The literary critique is the secondary source of information that will support my thesis. Identify the BMCC databases you have explored to date and what the results have been. I’ve explored the JSTOR database, short story criticism Online, and the direct link posted under our week two lesson, which we covered on “The Handsomest Drowned Man” that had the PDF of the literary critique and the Biography of Gabriel Garcia Marques. I’m still researching and haven’t decided what’s the best fit.

The reading “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, surprised me when Mrs. Mallard excused herself to her room to be alone; I understood she was grieving and, yes, she would need her space, but it made me question at her age, she would want to be around family and friends, but not knowing she secretly was celebrating in silent. Her weeping intrigued me, but she had joy deep down inside her soul. Thinking when two people become one, it’s because of their love and affection for each other. This shows us that in society, not even the person we commit our lives can put our trust in them. The death of Mrs. Mallard was puzzling after she saw her “dead” husband, her renewed life she was happily celebrating in silents, ended up being a dream that she would never wake up from. My Jamaican Patois says, “Donkey seh worl nuh level,” be careful of what you wish for.

The story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Conner not surprising to me. I felt I had an idea of what to expect. It gave me the feeling of society precisely what’s going on in the 21st century. There is a saying that says, “history repeats itself.”  O’Connor’s story reminds me of a family with a grandmother that always seems correct. Because we respect our elderly, we tend to do as they say because they always say they have more knowledge than anyone younger. It shows that the grandmother’s request to visit the old house killed the family. The grandmother was manipulating her family by using her evil tricks to fool them, and because her only child wanted to please her and get the kids to be quiet, he fell for it. Sometimes we put ourselves in a particular predicament, saying, “if I did know.” But as for the grandmother, when she remembers the house they were about to visit was in Tennessee, she kept it to herself; that drives me so much anger. In society, we have families that portray the same attitude as the grandmother, which usually causes arguments and disagreement, which could lead to death. After the vehicle crashed, a car came from nowhere, which seemed like it was just waiting for something like that to happen. It was like a movie scene; I was predicting what would happen. As I guess it was the Misfit, there goes O’Connor describing the men, nothing good they were up to, and unfortunately, they were being honest, but at the same time, it was a bit of fun for them. The grandmother uses Christianity words, which she might think would save her, but doesn’t show any goodness towards the story; there is violence. I think it’s like […]

Several timeless experiences and behavior displayed in the play are relevant in society today. We tend to live off our fate and free will, which is essential to us. But, when we think about it, someone always influences our life daily. As the play showed how King Oedipus wanted to find closure to know the truth about the killing of Laius, little did he know that he was about to get shocked in his life to know that Laius was his father and his wife Jocasta was his mother. As a human, and I’m a victim of this, I must say that we always dig deep when we want to find things out and sometimes don’t agree with the outcome, which could cause pain and sorrow. That’s what the saying said, “what you don’t know won’t kill you. “Finding out how you were bought into society the way King Oedipus did would have drawn an everlasting burden, causing depression, questioning oneself, there are thoughts of suicide, just to be shamed and having that guilt will just want not to be a part of society. King Oedipus begged that he be hidden outside the country, killed, or thrown into the sea, just to be out of the sight of others. Could we imagine all the vulnerable young adults in our society that experience these traumas and don’t have the support or the correct tools for assistance? The shame and emotional reck just scared me for my life. Oedipus tried his best to be strong, but he had no control over what happened to him.

While Oedipus showed his dedication from day one when he was praised for coming to save the city and free the citizens, it is stated in the story that “Oedipus is the greatest in all men’s eyes, here falling at your feet we all entreat you, find us some strength for rescue” (46-48). He had gained respect and was honored; the citizen had found reassurance and strength in him. Chorus 718-719 states, “his words are wise, king, if one fears to fall. Those who are quick of temper are not safe.” I have chosen this passage because the citizens’ voices speak of fear, justice for finding the killer, and loyalty to the King. But, because of anger, hot-tempered people tend to regret their behavior after the act has been committed because it was used before weighing options. Humans often don’t think before they act, and it’s natural, but our actions can devastate others; therefore, Oedipus must regain his calm and not let his emotions get the best of him.

“Araby” by James Joyce is a story about an Irish boy who lives on a quiet street but has an “uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbors in a square ground.” The “wild garden behind the house as an apple tree and struggling bushes.” After reading this story, I picked up some confusion from the young boy. He has some romantic observations of his friend’s sister, whom he described as her “figure defined by the light, and her dress swung as she moved her body while her hair tossed side by side.” There is something about lights throughout the story; it seems he doesn’t see the bright light at the end of the tunnel for him. The young man is shy when the young girl is nearby, “when we came near the point at which our ways diverged, I quickened my pace and passed her.” He is an inexperienced young man who had no preparation when going to the Bazaar; he was expecting his uncle to provide him with funds to purchase something for the young girl. His emotion got the best of him when his “eyes were often full of tears but doesn’t know why.” His daydreaming and desire towards the young girl were seemingly getting unreal; his impatient and expectation didn’t coincide with his feelings. He seemed lost in the story and needed to use this experience as a learning lesson for himself. He would need to disconnect from his fantasy to be recognized; he needs self-love at this point.

The two characters from “The Lesson” I’ll be comparing their response to the experience of the FAO Schwarz toy store is Sylvia and Mercedes. Sylvia was taken out of her comfort zone, the ghetto, to get a first look at what the different experiences in the upper class could feel like. Sylvia seems to be a kid that speaks her mind with no apology behind it. Sylvia was exposed to how minorities and the more privileged were treated, which was unfair and unequal. An example from the story states that Ms. Moore expresses how money isn’t divided equally in this country. And I agree with her statement from centuries ago and still today, minorities, especially women and women with children, are underpaid. It also goes by where you live; some women barely make the minimum wage and make ends meet for their families. Sylvia questioned, “who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for a toy sailboat? What kind of work do they do and how do they live, and how come we aren’t in it? Once the community you are living in is underdeveloped immediately, you are looked at differently. You are paid the same way and looked at the same. The trip Sylvia was experiencing could be a learning lesson for her and her friends, for them to take their schoolwork seriously and attend college to have some degree so that people don’t look down on her because she is from the ghetto. After all, it’s not where you’re from; it’s where you’re going. Sylvia’s demeanor and outspokenness can be a future advocate for her community. Sylvia has the power to lead her destination if she takes all the pieces of advice she got from Ms. Moore. Mercedes didn’t feel how the other […]

In the story “On Salvation,” Langston feels pressured; his perception of believing he will see Jesus is not understood as how an adult would. As a child, he was being curious and excited at the same time to see Jesus right away. I assume not everyone his age would understand the meaning of being saved from sin. Just as in the Bible, Jesus was baptized at the age of 12, but the difference is that Jesus knew what his mission was, and of course, he was led by his father, “God.” He might have understood better if he had been taken by his aunt and had a better conversation and explained more to him. As quoted, “they held a special meeting for children to bring the young lambs to the fold” (pg. 5). Many times, children are led by example and follow or feel pressured by their peers and sometimes family, and in his case, he felt pressured by both. I believe that because his aunt spoke several days ahead, he felt obligated and didn’t want to disappoint her. Despite not being saved, Jesus is always in our lives, but we must take that extra step to believe, have faith, and get a clearer understanding. Sometimes we as adults say things or even promise children something just because we want them to do something, which could portray something terrible in the long run for that child. Langston believes that because his friend Westley lied in the temple and he saw that God didn’t punish him, Langston feels that if he lied too, nothing would happen to him, so he went ahead and stated, “Jesus had come, and get up and be saved” (pg.8). Langston understood that what he had done was not right, and it made him feel terrible. Langston’s […]