Blogging through Middlesex 5 (5.17.15)

Original Creative Response: Found Poetry

It's Got To Go Off

Another gun on the wall
Just an idea that was already beginning to fade
To become part of the drunkenness
I felt all grown up
But mostly I felt sick 
A sense of having been dirtied and initiated

Another gun on the wall
My eyes going wide and scared
Regret
Sogging me down, burst its dam
It seeped into my legs, it pooled my heart
I'd lost my friend

Another gun on the wall
But my heart wasn't in it
Because I don't like you like that
The surface of the water breaks like glass
The depths open up to claim you
Then nothing more for a long while

Another gun on the wall
A poison in my system and I needed to purge it
Do you remember my frog heart?
It did something more amazing--it crept up onto land
I reached under her
I brought her up to me

Another gun on the wall
I had already left on my voyage
I was sailing across the sea to another country
My crocus wore its heart on its sleeve
My blood rocketed
I hit it dead on

If there's a gun on the wall, it's got to go off


Brief Explanation

For my creative response, I didn't want to focus on only one quote. Instead, I wanted to focus on the chapter and Chekhov's idea that if there's a gun that appears in the story, it must go off. I also wanted to tie in Callie's emotional states throughout the chapter. To do this, I created a found poem that grouped together her emotions. 

First, for every stanza (except the last one), I had the phrase, "Another gun on the wall", repeat to remind the reader that there is a gun on the wall waiting to go off. Next, I made the first stanza talk about being lost by using the words, "fade" and "drunkenness". The second stanza was about fear. The phrase, "My eyes going wide and scared", and the word, "Regret", helped to portray the feeling of fear. I then wanted the third stanza to be dark and feel as if the speaker, Callie, was empty by using phrases such as, "But my heart wasn't in it", "The depths open up to claim you", and "Then nothing more for a long while".

For the fourth and fifth stanza, I wanted to bring the negative to the positive and almost make it seem like the speaker is revived and full of energy. In the fourth stanza, I used "A poison in my system and I needed to purge it". Then I used, "Do you remember my frog heart? It did something more amazing--it crept up onto land" because I felt that a question could change the emotion of the poem. The answer to the question helped to reinforce the positive attitude. For the fifth stanza, the phrase, "My blood rocketed" gives off energetic vibes. The last line is to remind the reader that a shown gun must go off at some point of the story and the line is also to show the reader that Callie's gun finally went off.

Quotes Used

"It was just an idea that was already beginning to fade, to become part of the drunkenness in the woods of the night before" (377).

"I had a sense of having been dirtied and initiated. I felt all grown up. But mostly I felt sick and didn't want to think about what had happened at all" (377).

"Another gun on the wall" (378).

"I could feel my eyes going wide and scared" (378).

"Regret, already sogging me down, burst its dam. It seeped into my legs, it pooled my heart" (378).

"On top of panic that I'd lost my friend, I was suddenly beset by worries about my reputation" (378).

"'Because I don't like you like that'" (380).

"But my heart wasn't in it" (381).

"The surface of the water breaks like glass. The depths open up to claim you" (381).

"There was a poison in my system and I needed to purge it" (382).

"Then nothing more for a long while" (383).

"Do you remember my frog heart?" (383).

"Now it did something more amazing--it crept up onto land" (383).

"Now I was aware of what was happening" (383).

"I reached under her. I brought her up to me" (387).

 "My crocus wore its heart on its sleeve" (388).

"My blood rocketed" (392).

"I hit it dead on" (393).

"I had already left on my voyage. I was sailing across the sea to another country" (394).

"If there's a gun on the wall, it's got to go off" (396).

Work Cited

Eugenides, Jeffrey. "Book Three: The Gun On The Wall" Middlesex. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux,               2002. 377-396. Print.

Blogging through Middlesex 4 (5.10.15)

Personal Experience: Night walk in the Woods

During the 6th Grade, we had an overnight class field trip to PEEC. I don't remember what PEEC stood for, but PEEC was a camping site my middle school decided to take us to. Throughout the day, we, the students, did a lot of trust games and ice breakers. Then night fell. For the first time, star shines made their way to my corneas.

A camp guide came forward and told us our last event for the day. We were to hike in the dark woods together for ten minutes. Almost everyone became hesitant about entering the dark forest. The guide's dim light did not protect us from surrounding shadows.

We heard silence noises of unknown howls and chirps bouncing against trees as if pin balls were pinging in from every direction. The terrain was the worst of it all. Logs and bumps became obstacles. If we didn't watch where we stepped, we'd trip. Beside our trail, a steep cliff was accompanying us, and so we kept ourselves to the left.

In Middlesex, before going into the woods, Callie clearly showed she wanted no part of the activity. Since the Object was willing to follow the boys, Callie did as well. In other words, Callie follows her desires even if they go against her conscience. During her walk, Callie described her night wood walking experience with the phrase, "graveyard feeling" (369) with an "ancient" (369) swamp. Fallen trees surround her. The moon in Callie's experience shone on puddles, spiderwebs, and the Object's red hair, which gives off a creepy vibe.

If I remembered correctly, I didn't really want to venture out into a void. Honestly, I don't think anyone wanted to. We all took a step back when we heard that we would enter the woods. We hunched close together like penguins facing the cold. However, we still entered the unknown. I wonder even today if it was peer pressure or simply an opportunity to seem better than the rest. We were all in this together because no one wanted to be the oddball; No one wanted to seem weak.

Although, for my experience, the moon didn't shine onto objects well enough, I still felt an uncomfortable vibe. The darkness seemed to keep us tamed as it kept us surrounded. Just like the swamp, we sank into the darkness. Unable to see our own hands, we latched onto one another for safety; for reassurance. Even then, however, I felt alone. I felt empty and fear because of the void; because of the darkness. Something was hiding deep within the woods and the scary part was that I couldn't see it.




Works Cited

Eugenides, Jeffrey. "Book Three: Flesh and Blood" Middlesex. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux,                           2002. 369. Print.

Blogging through Middlesex 3 (5.3.15)

Key Passage Response: "The Obscure Object"

Quote: 

                  I'd never seen a creature with so many freckles before. A Big Bang had 
                  occurred, originating at the bridge of her nose, and the force of this explosion 
                  had sent galaxies of freckles hurtling and drifting to every end of her curved, 
                  warm-blooded universe. There were clusters of freckles on her forearms 
                  and wrists, an entire Milky Way spreading across her forehead, even a few 
                  sputtering quasars flung into the wormholes of her ears. (323)

Explanation: In this part of Middlesex, Callie, an eighth grader, is in her academic environment surrounded by the plants of the greenhouse. Here, she takes English with her Brazilian teacher, Mr. da Silva, and four other students. After a semester, a redheaded girl, whom Cal refers to as the Obscure Object, enters their classroom, telling the class about her transfer from a different class. The quote above is Callie's description of the girl's physical appearance, specifically her freckles.

Analysis: In this excerpt, and in many other excerpts from the novel, Eugenides uses strong diction. For this specific passage, the diction Eugenides uses is from space jargon. The first phrase Callie uses is "A Big Bang", which is known as the beginning of the universe and everything within that universe. The "Big Bang" used in Callie's description is used to explain where the Obscure Object's "galaxies of freckles" began. The metaphor here compares the girl's freckles to stars. Eugenidies then continues with the space jargon by adding in words and phrases such as "universe", "clusters of freckles", Milky Way", "sputtering quasars" and "wormholes". These words and phrases give off a sense of something not of our world. In other words, Callie description of the Obscure Object makes the girl seem as if she is "a creature" and not human. 

In addition, there are other words and phrases in the passage that uses imagery. Some of these words and phrases include "bridge of her nose", "explosion", "hurtling and drifting to every end", "curved, warm-blood", "spreading across her forehead", and "flung". Many of these visuals add to the shape and direction of the Obscure Object's physical appearance. For instance, "bridge of her nose" can be related to a curved shaped nose. Also, the verbs, "hurtling and drifting", "spreading", and "flung" shows a noun being thrown or pushed away. Readers may get a feeling of distance and space since her freckles are described as moving outwards from her nose. 

In terms of themes, being different or doing something out of the norm compared to others seems to be common. Throughout the novel, incest was mentioned and since incest is a societal taboo, committing incest was seen as wrong and different than what majority people do. Callie is different in terms of her growth and who she is. Her late puberty, her love interests, and her biological body makes her different according to societal norms. 

In this passage, Callie is the one who describes the girl as different. The first way Callie does this is by calling the girl "a creature". The word, "creature", reminds us of something not humanly and not of our world, which makes her seem as if she is a different species. Second, Callie calls her the Obscure Object. The word obscure, which means unknown, vague, and unclear, already separates what is known from what is unknown. For Callie, the girl is unknown because Callie does not know much about her besides her appearances. Lastly, by using space jargon, the description of the girl makes her seem as she is far away from Earth. In other words, she is not of Earth, and therefore, is different compared to humanity.



Works Cited

Eugenides, Jeffrey. "Book Three: The Obscure Object" Middlesex. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux,           2002. 323. Print.

Blogging Through Middlesex 2 (4.26.15)

Text to text: The Taming of the Shrew

I believe that Calliope is similar to Katherine from The Taming of the Shrew because in both texts, the two characters are considered the oddballs. 

Thinking back, when we read The Taming of the Shrew, Katherine was the unwanted one. No one wanted her for her because she acted wild like a shrew. Even Petruchio did not want her; he married her for the wealth Katherine's family had. In addition, her father, Baptista, seemed like he knew about how unwanted Katherine was. In the very beginning he says, 

Gentlemen, importune me no farther,

         For how I firmly am resolved you know—

            That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter

                   Before I have a husband for the elder. (1.1.48-51)

The quote suggests that until his first daughter, Katherine, is gone, Bianca will not be married away. Since Baptista likes his younger child, he uses Katherine as a guard because he believes that there isn't anyone willing to marry her, which means that Bianca, Baptista's favored one, will not be taken away.

In a different sense, Calliope is also unwanted. Since Calliope is not undergoing puberty like the rest of her peers, she is left behind. Before the change, everyone had flocked around Calliope because of her pretty looks. After everyone around her grew, people began to leave Calliope. For instance, prior the change, Calliope's dropped eraser had all the boys running to her. Afterwards, a dropped eraser brought her no one. 

In terms of her family, Calliope's mother and brother laughed at her undeveloped body and Calliope's father didn't even seem to pay attention to Calliope's stunted growth. 

The next connection between the two girls is their jealousy towards others. For The Taming of the Shrew, Bianca was the pretty one. Unlike Katherine, everyone loved Bianca because of her grace and intelligence. During one of our class discussions, we brought up the idea that Katherine was jealous of Bianca's popularity, which is what causes Katherine's shrewdness. In Middlesex, the girls that Calliope observed were the Biancas because their changes made them wanted and pretty. All Calliope could do was watch in envy and pray for herself to change as well. Both characters want changes of themselves to become wanted and appreciated by others.

Due to the jealousy, both females acted rebelliously. Katherine had her shrewd characteristic since her first line in the play. Her vulgar language and violent action drove the men away. While with Calliope, she developed a rebellious attitude, starting with the Mediterranean Diet. She believed that what she ate contributed to her growth stunt which made her begin to develop hatred towards herself. All in all, Katherine and Calliope had their own situations that caused them to act similarly.

Works cited

Eugenides, Jeffrey. "Book Three: The Mediterranean Diet" Middlesex. New York: Farrar, Straus,               Giroux, 2002. Print.

Eugenides, Jeffrey. "Book Three: The Wolverette" Middlesex. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux,               2002. Print.

Shakespeare, William. "Act 1, Scene 1." The Taming of the Shrew. New Haven: Yale UP, 1954. N.             pag. Print.

Blogging through Middlesex 1 (4.19.15)

Current Events: Riots

On March 18, 2015, a violent riot emerged in Frankfurt, Germany at the European Central Bank because of the population's financial struggle in unemployment. "Blockupy", which is the name of the protest group, consists of more than 90 European organizations, each with different goals in mind but still relating to the financial problem of the area. 

Although the riot only lasted until the evening that day, about 94 officials were hurt due to the protesters throwing rocks and spraying substances, which were thought to be pepper spray. Burning of police cars and personal belongings were scattered around the streets as well.

In Middlesex, Book Three took its readers to 1967, where tensions in America are brewing up many riots. Eventually, a riot strikes upon Detroit, and Milton Stephanides quickly drives to the diner, the Zebra Room, with gun in hand.

Comparatively, both riots seem to have a financial issue in play as the cause. For both the Frankfurt and Detroit riots, unemployment of the people helped to spark the violence between the officials and the people. In Middlesex, "[Milton's] vision had been to open not one restaurant but a chain. Now he realized that the first link in that chain, the Zebra Room, was a weak one... For the time being, he decided to close the diner on Mondays and Tuesdays to cut payroll expenses" (233-234). Everyone, including Milton, in the area has it rough which is why the riot started, For those in Frankfort, "The European Central Bank is supposed to ensure price stability in the eurozone, and it tries to keep inflation levels just below 2%. The region has been suffering from depressed economic activity, and unemployment remains near record highs." The European Central Bank is not doing what they told the people they were going to do. Instead, the people in Frankfort continue to suffer which causes the riot.

Although both events were labeled as a riot, one could argue these events were really an uprising because the people did have a goal; a goal to lower and end unemployment rates. Also, the Detroit riots were about racism which further adds to the violence while the Frankfurt riot was only about the unstable economy.

Furthermore, unlike the 1967 Detroit riot, guns were not used and looting stores did not happen in Frankfurt. However, fires seem to be a common weapon. In Middlesex, as the last scene in the chapter, "Opa!", Milton's diner is set on fire and he, along with Calliope, watches the restaurant as it burns slowly. For the Frankfurt riot, property, which included cars and furniture, were burned but fires no matter how big or small, sends a message to the officials. For instance, "The damage included at least seven police cars that were set on fire" which shows the officials that the people are serious and that they are not afraid to support their beliefs.

A fire can symbolize many ideas. An obvious one includes destruction. When you set an object on fire, that object burns until it is destroyed. After the destruction, nothing is left, and so one could also say that a fire symbolizes a fresh start, which could be something better than what was there previously. In a different sense, a fire can be seen as a form of protection. With the context of the riots, the reason why people used fires may be because they wanted to show the officials that they, as the people, do not feel secure and that they demand change. The fire was their way of telling officials to back off and make that change.  

Works cited

Eugenides, Jeffrey. "Book Three: Opa!" Middlesex. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2002. 232-                 251. Print.

Yan, Holly. "Protest turns violent in Germany at European Central Bank opening". Cable News                    Network. Turner Broadcasting System, 18 March 2015. Web. 19 April 2015.                                   <http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/18/europe/germany-european-central-bank-protest/>

Journal Prompt - AROOO

Journal Prompt 2: How have your emotions affected your learning?
Usually, nothing can go between me and my intent to learn. Although, there was a time during seventh grade where one of my peers thought it would be a great idea to mess around with me, unleashing great fury. Throughout the day, my personal belongings went missing one at a time and the peer, let's call him Rick, came up to me and returned them in the order they were taken. First, a pen. After seeing me panic for a while, he approached me with a smirk, handing me the pen. How idiotic of myself to fall for his so-called kindness.
During first period, our English teacher asked the class to take out our books and, of course, mine was missing. After frantically searching my school bag, Rick called my name. Looking over to him, he snickered, as well as his companions. I still thanked him, but my blood began sizzle. Ten minutes later, our teacher handed us a worksheet to complete. Before I started conscience the class work, I asked to go to bathroom. Upon return, my worksheet was gone.

Immediately, I heard the sound of roaring laughter. My veins began to burn. Feigning relief, I politely asked for the worksheet back. However, unfortunately for myself, his own self interest proved higher than my emotions. Only the ashes of my veins remain and smoke surrounded my brain. Everything was misty. My mind entered a dark void. Full of emptiness, only one thought echoed. In the blackness, a faint shout echoes, drawing myself, my conscience really, towards the sound. Louder and louder it becomes. It is my anger. The heated stares of everyone's eyes surrounded me. Even his, Rick's eyes, revealed signs of regret. I scared that fool.
I asked once more and he slowly rose. He fetched my paper from the trashcan like he’s the victim and handed it to me without an apology. Even to this day, I wonder if he ever had the slightest feeling of remorse. I took the paper silently and sat back down.

The entire classroom was affected. But outside, we heard cars whizzing by, honking at those who took too long. Time was passing by. Inside though, even our teacher was shocked at my outburst. A still air, emerging a deathly silence. Quietly, I started my work, but found myself unable to get through much of it.

My guts felt tight and I became still. A numbing sensation surged its way through each and every cell of my body. I had an urge to apologize to Rick, but the silence created an awkward aura; the silence was not to be broken. My heart pumped irregular beats, creating a strange tune. It is the only sound playing in the silence, one only I could hear internally. The external silence remained for the rest of the day and my regular self became absent.

No one apologized. As periods passed, I dragged myself into different classrooms. I was losing concentration... Drifting, as one might say, but also stumbling over thoughts. Overloaded with confusion, my mind crashes. Blankly, I stare at my papers, my notes, the board, and everything else. Not a single word was written. Not a single sound was heard. Things were only left as they were. By the end, I was not upset or angry, but instead, as I realized, completely lost.