It can happen to everyone

This was a really interesting short story, and I am not sure how I feel about it. It was really weird how the story was all about the adventure on the bus and the people she and Juilian interacted with. The plot was mainly just on the bus and in the streets when they were on the way to the Y. But I think what really touched my heart is at the end O'Conner writes something along these lines.

No I am going home. Tell Grandpa to come get me. Tell Carolina to come get me.

Even through we the readers had no knowledge of knowing that these people had already passed, it was seen between the lines that she was talking about going home to heaven.

I have never experienced someone telling me that it was their time to go by wanting someone to come get them. But I can imagine that it would not feel good to your heart. Something happened and she knew that she was about to die, so she let it all out. And all she wanted to do was give the little boy a penny, but instead she was rejected and then thrown down. This may not have been a big deal if she had been in good stands with her health, but since she was sick and dying everything made her feel like she was being degraded.

Julian had to deal with his mother not being healthy and then having her drop to the ground dead and him not able to do anything about it. It would be very intense and not something that I would want to experience because I am not sure that I would be able to handle myself. This story really does not interest me and I am not sure how to blog about it, because it does not jump out at me or grab my attention. It is almost something along the lines of a creepy story because she is alright and on the bus and then drops dead.

The Matureness of Ellen

As a child, have you ever had to buy your own Christmas presents, wrap them and then wake up the next morning to be excited for gifts you already knew about? I for sure know that I have never done this, and when I was young I am pretty sure that I would not have been mature enough to do this. This amazed me, that she was able to do this and handle this. Most children that we can think of, believe in Santa and know that Santa is going to bring them whatever they want for Christmas. Eventually in Ellen's life she went to live with her aunt Nadine and cousin Dora. It came time for Christmas and Ellen was asked what she wanted for Christmas. What she asked for, was all she got! Santa did not bring her surprises or anything special, as Dora said would happen. She simply got a pack of white painting paper. As a young girl Ellen already knew that there was no Santa, and she knew that being mature was important to enjoy Christmas. This is just one thing that Ellen did that amazes me.

Ellen, unlike many children was very, very mature with everything that she had to deal with. At a young age Ellen was faced with a sick mother and a father that did not care, but rather was worried about drinking booze. Ellen experienced three people in her life dying. She was laying with her mother, when her mother died. The county had finally stepped in before her father died, but he was found dead in the house. And her mama's mama died before Ellen's eyes while she was taking care of her. Ellen dealt with making sure the money that was given to her and her father was used for important things such as having food in the house, water, heat, and energy working in the house. Even though Ellen worked through all of this, she had a friend that is of color, but her friends family was very good to her.

Starletta was a younger girl than Ellen, Starletta, Starletta's mom and father lived together in a one room house with the bathroom outside and worked in the fields all day. They were a black family, but this did not bother Ellen to much. She always felt that she couldn't eat after them, or sleep in their beds, or use their bathroom, but over time this changed. At the end of the book Ellen made it clear to all the kids at school that she was Starletta's friend and that it was okay that they were friends.

This book was very interesting to me and I am glad that i read it again. I am pretty sure that I have read it before, but I am also sure that I did not catch some importance that I caught this time of reading it. The author wanted to make sure that it was clearly expressed to the reader all the struggles that Ellen went through but how relaxed she stayed. She knew she needed to get out, and she found a way. But Ellen always knew that she had a true friend that would always be there for her. Starletta was someone that enjoyed hanging out with Ellen and sharing stories that they faced every single day. Starletta was not as lucky as Ellen, but she knew that she had a good momma and father. That is what was important to Starletta. Starletta was a special friend to Ellen, and I hope everyone got the impression that I got from the author sharing with us that no matter color two people can be true friends.

Ellen just amazes me. I do not even think that I can express how Ellen makes me feel through words in this blog. I am amazed that family members of Ellen did not see how strong this girl was. How important it was to her that she was independent. That she dealt with death, three times, while by herself. Ellen just amazes me.

Love and secrets

So in my journals I talked a lot about emotion, and how the book made me feel. So starting this journal out that makes me have the emotion of love and relationships. On page 67, at the top the bees of the world quote, "Honeybees are social insects and live in colonies. Each colony is a family unit, comprising a single, egg-laying female or green and her many sterile daughters called workers. The workers cooperate in the food-gathering, nest building and rearing the offspring. Males are reared only at the times of year when their presence is required."

This quote really begins how one simple emotion can be spread out in many different ways, and I really enjoyed how this book could do that for me. Continuing on through the book and the emotion of love is expressed on page 83, with the honey song that May taught Lily.

Place a beehive on my grave, and let the honey soak through.

When I;m dead and gone, that's what I want from you.

The streets of heaven are gold, and sunny but I'll stick with my plot and a pot of honey.

Place a beehive on my grave and let the honey soak through.

I believe that May shared this song with Lily because she was accepting her as part of the family and this is true love.

Love can be expressed in so many ways, that it is not even possible to demonstrate all the ways that I saw it in this book, but I am going to share a few that really hit home for me. These next two are more in the relationship category between a boy and girl. No matter the age of two people and any other issue, love can hold them together and pull them through any problem.

On page 116, Lily simply thought to herself, "If he was shocked over me being white, I was shocked over him being so handsome". This was something that has happened and can happen anytime with any situation, but I liked how the author stated Lily realized that he was shocked and then that she was shocked. As Lily and Zach began to not see each other as much, they had a conversation that sent chills down my spine.

"You are one-third my friend, one-third brother, one-third bee partner, and one-third boyfriend." They continued in conversation and then Zach said, "We can't think about changing out skin, we have to think about changing the world, thats how we gotta think".

This conversation made me realize that the author of the book, was trying to express that there is so many things in this world that make things a challenge and an obstacle. I really like how the interaction of the two main characters were able to express this obstacle so sweetly in the middle of the book and maybe not even be said plain. But be said in an almost juicy way.

Lily had a goal with her whole life, and even though I do not think she knew what it was, it was in her gut. Her goal in her life was to find out about her mother, and why she felt such a lost from her. Lily always wanted her mother to send a sign down to her telling her what to do, and finally toward the end of the book (which of course when it should happen) the sign was shared. All it simply was, was a sign that she was loved by her mother. This may not seem like much, but to Lily it was a huge sign.

And lastly as I finish up my blog I would like to pull a sentence out of the middle of page 148. Bees have a secret life we don't know anything about. Even though this is true, it also is true that there were stories inside stories that were remembered and shared as the bees were seen. At August's where there were bee stories, there was also so much more that came out. This I think is where the title comes from.

Jim faced his life

Jim and his story are very touching and does not hit home for me but I can imagine it hits home for many other people. The story begins when he is nine years old and then only pans until when he is eleven years old. The story does not go over a long period of time, but has a short period of time with a lot of information. It shows that young boys lives’ can be so packed full of information and can bog down a young boy. Jim is very close to his uncles and his mama, and enjoys hearing what he can about his father. I think this is very important for readers to understand is that just because a child is young does not mean that they cannot handle information that adults love through.

The story about the Panther is a very creepy story and sent chills up my spine as I read it. It was a very good story to tell Jim about his father, it is story that boys needed to know especially if they have grown up hunting in the woods. The panther or a haint, I am not sure what it is, cannot talk, unless it is an imaginary creature. I am not sure that it seems like a true story it almost sounds like a myth that Jim’s father shared and wanted to get attention with.

Jim’s mother and father seemed to be a true married couple and very devoted to each other. Even after Jim’s father died, his mother wanted to keep her commitment to her husband. There are not many relationships like that are now, many get separated in arguments or for other reasons and do not keep their commitment. Marriage is a very important thing and is very loyal situation.

“Let there be light”, I love that part of the story and really enjoyed how they talked about Jesus in the book. That Jesus said that phase and that it was about when Jesus Christ was born. Christmas Eve was the night Jesus was born and that Christmas morning was when they celebrated the day Jesus was born.

This story was really enjoyable and I am really glad that is was a book that was required for English. It opened my mind to many things and showed me that young children can be taught many things about their family history and know so much. It can harm them, but it also can benefit them to know the knowledge and be able to be a true part of their community. Jim faced a lot, and when he went with his uncles up the mountain to see his grandfather everything rushed to him. He had a moment to realize what all was going on and that it was a big amount of information for such a small child. His unless lifted his spirit by sharing that yes he is a small boy in this big world but he also is a small nephew to four uncles and his mama.

What is an artist?

So to me this story is not very uplifting it is quite depressing. I am not sure why Lee Smith decided to write this as a story and I am not sure what he is trying to get across to his readers. I did enjoy though the relationship that was presented between Jennifer’s dad and Jennifer’s grandfather. There are not many fathers to son relationships that are this strong. I think it is interesting though that the father went to get his dad a past girlfriend and that his father was married to someone else. These are situations that happen today and did not happen in the olden days, showing that this is a somewhat recent story.

Jennifer’s grandmother was big into art and encouraged Jennifer to continue with her art and to work hard at it. As Jennifer’s grandmother aged and lost her memory she replied to Jennifer one afternoon while they were watching television and it was a car race. When Jennifer asked her grandmother what she was watching she replied, “it is art my daring Jennifer”. I think this shows a very good taste of how art can be expressed in many different ways and it is not just something that is made.

This story was not an uplifting story like what you would expect something with the title Artists. I was expecting something that had a magical part, but I guess that’s a prime of don’t judge a book by its cover and instead open the book up and read it so that you get the full affect that the author wanted to show their readers. This story was rather something that is shared down through generations and told to grandchildren, I am not sure that I would have written as a story to share with readers, but I guess if it is special to you then you feel that it is important to let others hear.

"Anything worth doing, is worth doing well." I really like this quote from Jennifer's grandmother that is in the second paragraph on page 146. It can be pushed and pulled into any life situation and I think can be used to teach young adults that pushing to become something is very important so that everything you do is done for a reason. I interrupt that quote by saying that if you are willing to take your time to do something then you should do it the best you can so you have no way of failing.

Heirlooms!

Alice Walker right about a heirloom that is in her family and very special to her grandmother. It is important to Dee that the quilt goes to her because she believes that she will take care of it better than Maggie. The quilt is made up of pieces of fabric from the great grandmother of the family of clothes that she wore and things that were special to her. The quilt was handmade without a sewing machine. Everything was stitched by hand and had its own way it looked of how it had been loved. Many family members had cuddled with it, and used it for warmth. Dee assumed that Maggie would just toss it on a bed and not treat it with the correct respect it should get. This caused an argument. Alice wanted to two quilts to go to Maggie, because she had always planned that, that is who was going to get it when she married John Thomas. This upset Dee.

I think it is very interesting to see how family members are protective of an heirloom but it is a special item with many memories. All families have that item or two that has stories, memories, and love that is expressed through it to all generations to come. All family members know who they think should get it, but it is up to the one who either first had it or it was passed to, to decide who is going to carry it through generations until they then pass it on again.

I think it is important that readers see how this quilt was handled and given to Maggie. It had already been decided that she was going to get it, and that it was going to be her that had it in her house and grew with her and her family. I think Alice is trying to show that even simple things like a handmade quilt is much more special than a quilt that has been made with a sewing machine. Fabric does not matter most of the time, what is special is how much work and time was put into creating such a special thing.

This family deals with some greediness and not wanting someone else to get the quilt and making bad remarks about that person. I understand that Dee wanted to quilt and did not want Maggie to get it, but I do not think it was right for Dee to make bad remarks about Maggie and how she was going to treat the quilt. Gladly in the end Maggie got the quilt handed to her, to someone who deserved it. The grandmother had always planned that she was going to get it, and it would have disappointed the grandmother and broken her heart it Dee ended up by taking it just because she did not want Maggie to have it.

Black?

Randall Kenan is a very true man, he made his point very boldly about what is black and how is it determined. That question needs to be thrown out there more than it is, to the common people. I am not black and I do not completely understand the problems and complications that they have dealt with while growing up and over the years. It is interesting though for me to read them, from someone that was in school and dealt with them. Chapel Hill would have been truly honored in my point of view, for allowing Randall to come back and speak to a group of people, as he was a black male of eight hundred, while there were twenty thousand students at the school at the time. It was a big deal and he wanted to make sure everyone understand what he went through.

Randall made a good point, from where he was from there are still many that struggle, and are like his grandfather who has lived in one place his whole life. That is a man, that has known his land and is passionate about where he lives. Randall on the other hand, like he said has changed his address many more times in that past year. He is able to talk to friends all over the world, and just because he is black he is not determined to be something he is not.

I think it is very important for people to read a story like this and see that some good came out of some of the people that grew up in a poorer income family and now is writing stories about his life. I believe that he wants others to learn from how he grew and for boys that are struggling to figure out if they fit in, to read his story and learn that they can find a way to fit in like he did.

I thought it was interesting when he said he tutored black boys but it may not have been because of the fact that he was helping them, but more for the fact that he was helping himself, and seeing other black people while he was in college. I cannot imagine being one of few in a position that you are not included in on everything and commonly left out just because you are of a different skin color. I also cannot imagine telling someone where I was from and having their eyes get big, and then relate it to somewhere where my forefathers may have been from, but for me it was somewhere local and was my hometown.

I can know more understand from reading this what some people went through. Everyone is taught in school and in history, but to fully get an understanding from it, from reading a story that was written by a man that dealt with it, is a true learning experience.

Cuba High School

Bonnie Ann shares her story of when she was young. She remembers growing up with her best friend and they drama they got into. Bobbie Ann had an interesting life, as a young girl she was hit with a big issue. Her friend and sort of boyfriend lost a younger sister while the brother Glenn was off at a basketball championship. When communities are hit by a lost of a child, it is remembered, but because something so more interesting took place it caused the community and citizens to forget about what happened. As I was reading, I was sad to read that citizens lost such a tragedy that took place, but I can also see where the excitement was replaced as their high school basketball team returned home with a trophy. I would have acted like Bobbie Ann did as the bus pulled up at the town square of the members from a basketball team that won a trophy and her ‘boyfriend’ was coming off the bus. Her best friend and her mother who had lost the three year old from a car accident. I would not have known what to do, if I should react to both parties, or just act like I saw nothing that was going on.

Bobbie Ann’s life seemed simple and peaceful, but she lived a tough life. She had to go through the pain of a friend losing a little sister. Bobbie Ann made the best of life, and enjoyed all of what she could. I am glad that she wrote this story and shared it so others could read and understand. Understand that life is not easy, and when a death takes place so many are touched. As Bobbie Ann walked over to the grave yard with her best friend and watched her tend to the pill of dirt that her little sister was buried under. She should have been a comforter, let her known that she was there if she needed a shoulder to cry on and if she wanted to talk she was there. A story like the Bobbie Ann has shared with us demonstrates what some people had to live through and deal with in the past.

As I read along, one thing I sort of noticed was that she always was with her best friend, there wasn’t much talk about where her own parents were. It almost was like she was writing a story that did not include her parents, but that could have just been how I read it.

Harry and tobacco fields

Harry did not get to participate in pulling the worms off of tobacco plants, his mother thought he was too young. But on the days that he would work in the fields with his dad, he would ride the tractor and pull off worms that he would keep to later play with. Harry had many days that he sat under the tree with his best friend, Sam the dog and watch as his friend Willalee, Willalee's mother, and Willalee's father would work with his mother and father in the tobacco field. Some days it would think about how much fun it would be if he was out there collecting the worms. Depending on Harry's mood he would either break them in half, killing them, or keep them to play with later. Toward the end of the story, I learned that Willalee and Harry were of different color. They played together, and had fun together but Harry and his family were while, while Willalee and his family was black. I think this made an interesting aspect to these families. For some reason they allowed their children to play together and for them to work together.

I am not sure why these two families worked together, but I think it shows that it was okay. Henry and his mother and brother went to church with and Aunt and Uncle and their children. His dad did not go.

It stands out to me that here are two families that lived in the past, but for Harry it made an impact on his life, enough of one that he was used in a book talking about modern southern literature. His life growing us was significant to him, and I think he wanted to make it clear to others that all children can have a significant life no matter how their life growing up is. Children do not have to have a wonderful rose bedded life to see the good things in life. Harry’s father had a problem with drinking Whisky and his wife continued to tell him he was going to die from it. Henry did not see a problem in this because he loved the smell of it. Children up until they are young teenagers do not see dangers in life, unless their parents set them up to them. Here is a pure example of two families, one white and one black that allowed their children to grow and play together. Unlike some white families that would have completely looked down upon any black families, or black children that wanted to play with their children. I really admire Harry’s parents for allowing this to happen and then I admire Harry for writing about it and sharing it with others, so that people see that it was okay to have a black and a white family working in the fields together.

All over but the Shoutin'

Many people may consider this a sad story, but I instead consider it a life experience. In some ways it was sad, but in many others it was a happy story. Many people live lives like that, and have no chance to share their story like Rick Bragg did. He was able to get in to journalism at a young age, and then eventually get a Pulitzer Prize winner for the New York Times instead of becoming just someone working in the cotton mills. Rick wanted a point in life from a very earlier age, and wanted to do something that would make his momma happy. All children can do things to make their mommas happy but Rick felt it needed to be something really special.

The family went through a lot. The brothers’ father was a true drunk and left the family many times without enough food and warmth, but momma always worked something out for the boys even if they meant she had to go a meal or two without food, or not have pants or a sweater. Parents always say they will do everything they can for you, but this normally means buying something and providing for their children. This women and mother did not have the money to buy the things her children needed, rather she got clothes given to her that had been worn, and food that was old. This is a true example of what a mother will do for you when in time of need.

Later in life as Rick got richer in money, and not in family, he helped his mother grow. He was going to New York to accept the Pulitzer Prize and wanted his mother to go with him. Through a few man-made struggles they made it, and from that time on momma talked about that time she flew to New York. Trips that are taken by people are sometimes not valued as an experience that is special when some people have never even thought about flying on a plane or going on a trip.

It was a very good book to read to understand that not only blacks lived in the south and were poor but there were also whites. Having this book being written in the last 20 years, allows young adults to react to it and understand that many people live this story daily but get unnoticed by society, because they had nothing special in their lives happen. You do not have to have an eventful life to live a good life. Like Rick and his family, they did not have a eventual life with money, but they did have an eventful life dealing with a father that was drunk and struggling to stay warm in the winter and having food to eat. I have never dealt with thinking about if I was going to be warm on a winter night when I sleep, or if there is going to be enough food for my whole family on the table tonight. I respect all those people that live with these worries and struggles on a daily life and am thankful for all I do have.

Mary Mebane

After I read and thought about the story from Mary Mebane, I began to understand what I think she wanted to get across to readers. It wasn't the part about her mother not giving her a smile for the simple things Mary did, but rather how Mary acted even though her mother may not have realized how she felt. Mary wanted to have a special role as she was growing up. Every day she was told to make dinner, and then wash the dishes. Mary decided that she wanted to learn how to play the piano. Without help from her mother, Mary found herself a piano teacher, and asked to make arrangements to work for her lessons. She caught on quick and played in a recital for only the best ones. Each night as she was cooking, she also read, and some nights she got distracted by her book or magazine and forgot about her cooking. This one night it made her mother snap, her mother was so frustrated with her that she told Mary, she was going to have her father whip her. Mary was close to her father, even though her father was sick. Her father allowed her to help him with little tasks. With the frustration at her mother, Mary decided to leave. I think Mary wants to get across to the readers that you don't have to have someone telling you how to do everything. Some things must be done with your own head. It stands out to me, that Mary was not a happy young women while her mother fussed at her and never gave her a smile, but Mary did not let this get the best of her, she continued to do what made her smile. This was why she picked up piano lessons, because one day she said, "I am going to be a famous piano artist."

There is nothing in this story that lines up with my experience in life. I can not imagine doing some of the things I do, like dancing and playing a musical instrument and not having my mother stand behind me. There are many people in this world that are like Mary, and they have to be strong for what makes them happy, not for something that makes someone else smile. For Some, like Mary, music makes all better, and because of this, Mary was able to get out of the house some time of the day, and go and learn something that was part of her. She was able to work for the time she was taught and then show others and let them give her smiles of how well she played piano.

Looking back at my journal that I took while reading the book, I can see that I did not fully understand the true point of what I was reading. I read the words on the page, but did not dig deeply into what was on the page. Mary wants us to read not just what is on the page, but also everything that is written from her heart, in between the lines, and to get inside of her as you read the story. I went back and read it again, and was able to dive into the words and sentences to get a true feel of the story.

Introducing myself.

Hi I am Elizabeth Norris, and I am a freshman. I am looking into possible a double major in elementary education and special education and maybe a minor in communications. Yes, it is going to be a boat load, but I am ready. I enjoy being outdoors and especially love dogs. I am known to volunteer a lot with non-profits and helping out in school systems. I am looking forward to this class.