Dear Reader,
Welcome
to my Blog, in my blog you will find the different activities I did in my
English 113B writing class. I enjoyed this semester the most because I got to
experience new things that had helped to become a better reader and writer. I
have seen my changes from my last semester; I feel that I have developed a better
understanding of things and places, a way to value life and learn from others
experiences. I learned to see the good side from places around L.A and their
bad side.
At the
beginning of the semester we did our first assignment called Project text, we
read the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. We learned how to
understand the book and read the panels in order and annotate them. We got to
use the pictures to also understand and find the meaning of what certain
picture or panel represent and we wrote a paper about the experience Satrapi
lived. The second assignment we did was Project Space; we got to do our
ethnography where we wrote about the place we visit in L.A. My Group and I went
to visit the L.A Zoo. We also got to experience the different places others in
class went to visit. Project space is built of public, cyber, mental and in
others where we got to see the different meaning of these spaces. We got to
write a paper of space and connect with our ethnography, where we explained how
space is important to us and what it represents. The last assignment was
Project Web, where got to put everything together of what we have learned
throughout of spring and fall semester. We wrote a paper of our development of
our reading, writing, and understanding of everything that we have done. We all
created a blog individually to show to others in class our class work and learn
from other and get help to become a better reader and writer. In our blogs you
will find pictures and in other things , for example videos, and link of other
stories that help get a better understanding of our blogs’ and see the different activities we have done.
I really
hope you enjoy my blog and get to see all my hard work. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ana Cuevas- Zamarripa
Project Text
Social Class in Persepolis
During the Islamic Revolution in
Iran, social class was something that changed drastically. Social class changed
in a way that it did not make any sense. In Persepolis written by
Marjane Satrapi, Satrapi writes her childhood story during the Islamic Revolution.
During that time, social class was an important issue. As a little girl she saw
the differences between social classes. She experience how social class was
unfair to people. How love was impossible, how poor young kids were lie to a
better life; and how at the end social class meant nothing. Marji felt ashamed
of having to live within social class and how things at
the end were more unfair, because those that were in the low social class went
for revenge for those in the high social class.
In the chapter “The Letter”, Marji’s
maid Mehri fell in love with her neighbor. Her neighbor wasn’t in her social
class. Her maid had lied to Marji’s neighbor that they both were sisters. They would
write letters to each other, Marji would write the letters for her maid because
she did not know how to read or write; she had been working her whole childhood
and was not able to have an education. Marji was devoted writing the letters
and happy to see her maid happy in love. For Marji social class was something
unimportant because she knew that love was something that should not have any
social class. Soon the news got to Marji’s father and he had to go talk to
their neighbor with the truth. He had to talk to him because he had to keep his
family safe. During the Islamic Revolution it was important to keep your family
members safe from everything. I know that he thought it was unfair for Mehri
because he knew she loved him, but he also knew it was the right thing to do
for Mehri and his family because of the situation they were living in. Marji
did not understand why it was wrong for them to love each other. For example,
Marji she expresses and asks her father why it had to be that way “But is it
her fault that she was born where she was born??” (37)
She thought it was unfair that Mehri
could not love someone she wanted because of her social class. Marji even asked
her father if he was for or against social class. Marji father had no other
answer; the best thing to do was to stay within their social class. Social
Class was important for them to stay within their social class to stay out of
problems with their county. Social class was something they had to follow along
with in their situation, even if it was unfair.
In the chapter “The Key”, young poor
kids were given a gold plastic key. The key was painted gold to make them think
of the good fortune and the better life they were going to. The key was plastic
because it was given to the poor. Since the plastic golden key was given to the
poor young kids it did not need to be a real gold key. The key represented a
better life, a place better than Disneyland it was for paradise. The key was
only given to the poor kids to fight for the war and none of those kids had any
idea what it was really for. The poor young kids got hypnotize with lies and
were sent to battle. One of Marji maid’s sons was given that key and was
convinced that the key was going to give him a better life. Their maid knew her
son was being lied to and she was very worried about him. Marji’s mother talked
to him and luckily convinced him to stay. Many of those young poor kids had
died. Marji stated what happen to those poor young kids that were sent to
battle with their plastic golden key. On page 102 panel 1 shows how many of
those young kids have died on the battle, a d how this matters because these
poor kids wanted a better future. “The Key to paradise was for the poor people.
Thousands of young kids promised a better life, exploded on the minefields with
their keys around their necks”. Many followed that fate for a better life and
what the key really gave them was death. The key was given to the young poor
kids for the fact that they thought of them being poor and there not being much
of difference if they were to die or not.
In the chapter “The Passport”, Marji’s uncle
life depends on his old window washer. Time has passed and the war was getting
worst and during that time social class had no meaning; and those that were in
the low social class became people with more power than those in the high
social class. Marji’s Uncle Taher was ill he was stress and worried about his
son that he has sent over the borders to protect him. He was mad at the world
he was living in. Taher had suffered two heart attacks and the third he had was
the worst. Marji’s uncle had to be sent to England for an open surgery and he
needed a permit from the hospital. The one in charge of giving those permits
was their old window washer. You might ask why social class has no meaning;
well to this point it had no meaning because what the window washer had to do
for him to be the director of the hospital, it was to grow a beard and put on a
suit. What happen to staying within their social class, in that case they
should let the maid marry the neighbor and the key should be given to those
wealthy people. Marji’s aunt went to asked for her husband permit to leave the
country, the director of the hospital
which was her formal window washer said was that it was on god’s will for him
to get better.“…The fate of my husband depends on a window washer! Now he’s so
religious that he won’t look a woman in the eye. The pathetic fool!”(121). It
was like if the low social class became the higher class because the low social
class had power over those in the high social class. What was unfair for those
in the low social class was unfair for those in the high class. What Marji’s
aunt wanted was for her husband to get well. I think the reason why those from
the low social class looked for revenge was because they saw how unfair people
from high social class treated those in their class. I think they wanted them
to see and feel what they would go through.
Social class was important for people in
Iran during the revolution. At first it meant a lot and some people suffered of
it. Marji maid Mehir fell in love with someone that could not be and that was
to protect them from danger during that time. Young poor kids were promised a
better life and were actually sent to the battle. They chose the poor kids for
the fact that it did not matter if they live because they were poor. And the
life of some one of the high class depend on a low social class window washer. Social
class was bad in many ways, some of the reasons were because there were people
unhappy and many mothers’ lost their sons because they were promised a better
life. Some looked for revenge. Marji did not understand why life had to deal
with social class; she did not know why it was unfair. Social class made her
feel bad for those like her maid and those kids. Marji was ashamed of her own
life because she was one of the high social classes. She did not feel good
having all the good things if she thought of those not having anything. Having
to live within the social class was unfair for her.
Works Cited
Satrapi,
Marjane. Persepolis. New York:
Random, 2003.Print.
Project Space
L.A Zoo
The first time I went to the L.A Zoo I
was a little girl and it was very exciting seeing all the animals at the Zoo. I
do not remember how I had imagined it but I know I was excited and I went home
happy. Now that I am older and I went for the second time I was excited at
first because I had not been there for a while but at the end I did not go home
happy. I was kind of upset how the animals were living in their small cages; it
was less exciting to see how they are living. I did not have a good feeling; we
use animals as entertainment and we do not value how the animals are living.
The
L.A Zoo is considered a public space for entertainment. People go and enjoy a
day at the park to see the animals placed in cages. But some of us do not
really value the point of the animals. The L.A Zoo also relates to the story
“Inside Miss Los Angeles” by Jerry Stahl, in this brief story Jerry talks about
Miss Los Angeles, about the women in L.A and described women having two faces.
He talks about how he met a woman that had two faces. Having two faces means to
me; someone or something being hypocritical they tell you one thing that can
sound good, but once you get to experience or get to know the person it comes
out to be what they really apparent. “Hence, to my jaundiced peepers, she
became the GWTF, the Girl With Two Faces, emblem of festive L.A beauty from
that moment on.”(2 Stahl). The beauty I
had for the L.A Zoo went away when I went back now that I am older. I actually
paid attention to the reality of how the animals were living and I was not
happy. The advertisements and websites on the internet show one thing, but once
you go and see how and what’s really going on, the L.A Zoo is not as good as
those advertisements and websites found on the internet. That is why I consider
the L.A Zoo having a two face.
The
time I went to the L.A Zoo, it was full with families and schools mostly
elementary schools. There were a lot of kids everywhere of different ages. The
Zoo is located next to the Griffith Park which makes it look more into the wild
and woods, because there are lots of trees and hills. The Zoo looks somewhat
big but it does not really have many animals. Some of the animals are placed in
small cages that have a minimum amount of space to move and relax. That was the
thing that upset me, because I know the Zoo is sponsored by big companies and
many people go to the L.A Zoo, so they make good money. They should use that
money to make the Zoo better, for example making it look more like the animals’
actual habitats.
The L.A Zoo is a public place because it
is use by families and schools. They see the zoo as an entertainment but do not
value the real meaning of the L.A Zoo. Families and students also see the L.A
Zoo as an educational place, but I feel there is nothing that can be used in
the L.A Zoo as educational source other than going and looking at animals that
are sleeping most of the time or giving their backs to people. I feel that they
should get more people to work at the L.A Zoo so that they can stand by the animals’
cages to provide information about the animals.
Workers at the L.A Zoo should come up with
things that can grab people’s attention. For example monkeys, they are very
playful and smart. Workers at the L.A Zoo should play with them and talk about
the monkeys; what they usually eat, how many hours they sleep, etc. I mean if
they are given a name why not play with them and grab people’s attention. There
can be many possible ways for people to get educated if workers at the L.A Zoo
do something about it. The only source of information the L.A Zoo provides
about the animals that you can maybe learn, are signs that are located where
certain animals are. When I went to the L.A Zoo I did not see any one reading
those signs. I only saw a few people but just to read off the animals’ name or
what animal it was.
The L.A Zoo contains many souvenir shops
where you can buy many things. I did not go in to see what kind of things they
have inside or how much the things cost, but I am sure they were expensive. Many
of these stores had signs that represent each store. For example, there was one
that was labeled South Africa another one labeled North Africa, etc. I thought
that was unique because I guess if you were to walk in that store you would
find many things from that place. Having the animals’ divide into sections that
live in those certain places can be a good idea to make the L.A Zoo more fun
and educational. It would be like if you walk into South Africa and see the
animals that you will find in South Africa, from that people can learn
something. Also there are many stores and booths for you to refresh yourself
and family members. The L.A Zoo also has a train where they show you around,
but you have to pay for your ticket which sucks because other entrainment
places you do not pay.
I was looking online and I found this
website where they describe the L.A Zoo. For example the hours they are open,
the different activities they have on certain days and times. You can plan birthday parties. One that
grabbed my attention was the Sundown Safaris, they recommend to people. You can
sleep over at the L.A Zoo! You can take your own tent or you can always rent
one at the L.A Zoo. The L.A Zoo closes at 5 and you stay there till the next
day at 9am; you are provided with food and drinks and taken on tours. You call
so that you can get well informed about it. You can also get memberships at
different prices so you can go back anytime during the year.
What really grabbed my attention about
this website were the comments at the bottom of the article. Many of those
comments related to what I thought about the Zoo. Other comments were about how
nice and fun the L.A Zoo is. For example I saw some positive and negative comments;
I left the comments exactly how the people wrote them I did not edit any of
their comments. A negative comment was “I agree with the previous post about
the LA Zoo being a sad place. The conditions the animals are in made me
uncomfortable. They don't appear well cared for. the zoo does, however, have great
gift shops if that matters. Anonymous”.
This post grabbed my attention the most because it talks about how people
like this person do not value the Zoo in a way. Why? Because the last thing
this person said was “however, have great gift shops if that matters”, when I
went to L.A Zoo I wanted to see animals. If I wanted to go shop for things I
would have gone somewhere else like the mall. A positive comment was “the LA
Zoo is a great place....many people do not realize what the zoo has done for
the animals....The california condor was nearly extinct and thanks to the zoo
they are making a slow and steady return....
there are many animals that would die in
the wild and thanks to the zoo they are still alive...they have food and
shelter and great keepers that love there animals....so keep doing the great
work that you do LA Zoo.....one more thing...ZOO CAMP ROCKS....the wave”. There
are people that see the L.A fun and a nice caring environment. Comments like
these make me think about the whole negative thoughts I have for the L.A Zoo,
but then again people sometimes do not value the meaning of the L.A Zoo.
Other comments that I read along said people
like me have to be patience to actually see the improvement of the L.A Zoo. For
example the elephant exhibit is of six acres and they are working on making it
better. The gorilla exhibit took forever to be built but they did a good job.
The only thing is that they should get those animals motivated to do things to
be active and get more attention to the animals. Some people comment about how
it was really huge and has lots of hills for little kids to walk around after a
while and few stops many children got tired and were not really in the mood of
looking at the animals. I think that if that was the point they should have got
some strollers or something that can carry the kids and to be to enjoy their visit
at the L.A Zoo.
I saw the L.A Zoo very differently since
the first time I went, and I did leave the zoo unhappy. Many of us use this
place as an entertainment and do not value the real meaning of the L.A Zoo.
People do not actually pay attention to how the animals are living. It is also
seen as an educational place but they should put more into making the L.A Zoo
more of an educational place for children. Though, I see the L.A zoo as a place
that needs improvement I also think I should have patience to see if they
improve it. Places like these have to be seen in both ways positive and
negative, but really what most people have to do is to see how these animals
are living. There are many examples like the movie Madagascar how the animals
want to escape and actually see how their real life is. Another example can be
like the people on the website that comment about how many of these animals
were saved from the wild and maybe the zoo is actually helping them stay alive.
People learn from these public spaces like me. I have learned to make a good
use of the places I visit. That if I can do something to make the L.A Zoo a
better place I should. Many places around L.A needs improvement to satisfied
people like me and feel good of the place we are living in.
Work Citied
Parents Connect.
“Los Angeles Zoo”.,http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/attraction/los-angeles-zoo-5333-zoo-drive-los-angeles-ca-90027-us
Stahl, Jerry. “Miss Los
Angeles”. Another City. (2.Stahl) Copyright by David L. Ulin
Project Web
My
Essays
The first time I started my
University Writing class in the fall I knew I was not going to like it at all,
for the fact that I dislike writing. I dislike it because I feel I never make
sense, I dislike thinking how I’m going to start my essay and even more when I
think how I’m going to end it. To think I’m going to spend hours trying to put
a paper together makes me not want to do it. I do not like writing at all! As I
started to experience the different activities we have done during the fall and
now in the spring semester, I have seen that even thou I dislike writing, I
always write more than what is asked for. I have learned many things in these
two semesters of my University Writing class. I have developed to express my
thoughts about women and how it affects me in many ways and write them down. I
have learned that I can write about anything. I have learned to see places in
different ways, and that some places or things represent many different kinds
of emotions and have changed my way of thinking. I have seen and read how
people have experienced unfairness, inequality and violence.
 |
| WOMEN CAN DO IT |
Women have overcome so many things
that have made them powerful. “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all
over you” a song by Sinatra, Nancy expresses that women will
and have overcome people to show them
they can do better than just being stuck at home babysitting , being
housewives, and treating men like kings.
Women have shown many men and people that do not believe women that they
can be better than housewives. As in today in Mexico, they have a lady running
for president. Even though there has been some drama, she has overcome to prove
many people wrong. She has demonstrated the good things about her and has shown
the power she has to run for president. Many women had shown to think like a
man and act like a lady to find their way out of things. Women are not dumb
anymore they have the guts to do whatever they want to improve their own way of
living and have a successful life. In the poem “It a Women World” by Eavan
Boland, I see that her poem states that women are always going to be the same.
They are always going to be considered as housewives and objects. I feel that
she made this poem to show women how society is talking about them. The poem is
like a push up for women to look upon things and start doing something for
themselves. I know there are women out there have changed. I’m making a
difference in this world because I come to school to get a good career. I want
to have a successful life to show many other women out there they can do it if
they try. If one day I get married I would want to have my own job and have my
own money. Living in this world now in days, you never know what can happen and
having things on your own can help you a lot on the future.
I have my best friend that got pregnant
when we were in high school; she comes to CSUN as well and has a job. She is
always busy, she does not have time to hang out as before and I miss that; but
I am very proud of her because she is able to manage school, work and her
beautiful baby girl. After some personal conflicts she has faced with her
partner she now stands alone without his help, but she is doing what is best
for her and her baby. If I was in her situation I would have done the same,
keep going with my life and do the best for my kids.
I learned that you can use anything to
write a paper. You can use a song, picture, or an object to express what you
think about it. So many things can express what they want in different ways
like for example; a songwriter can talk about his life, about a love one, or
even to give out a message. The song “Stan” by Eminem expresses obsession over
an artists and how that lead him to kill his partner, his baby, and himself.
His partner being affected of his actions was hurt in many ways mentality and
emotionality. The other song I use to express my rhetorical thinking was the
song also sang by Eminem ft. Rihanna, “I love the way you lie”. The song
expresses how love can be very challenging and have many obstacles but if there
is true love you can overcome those conflicts. The video expresses the way this
couple is handling their relationship it shows the violence and the love they
have for each other. In my point of view I feel it should not be that way; once
there is violence in the relationship a girl should walk away, women does not
need violence in their lives. I have learned there are things where you can go
in deep to figure out what they are really saying, or what kind of meaning they
have. These two songs are the example of many that can have a lot of meaning to
it.
So many things can be unfair in life.
Persepolis showed a lot about unfairness, inequality, and violence. In the Persepolis
written by Marjane Satrapi, Marji’s experiences the differences in social
class, where at the end social class really did not have any meaning because
lives of the high social class depended on people that came from the low social
class. Marji did not understand why they had to live within social class, but
During
the Islamic Revolution in Iran everyone had to stay on their social class level.
Love was forbidden for people like her maid, she felled in with someone that
was not in her social class level. A life depended on a window washer, one of
Marji’s Uncles was ill and their old window washer became the director of the
hospital and he had to give Marji’s Uncle a permission to fly out of the
country to a better hospital but after mistreats that the window washer had
back then with Marji’s Uncle, the window washer deny his permission. The window
washer left it on God’s will, to save him. Poor young kids were sent to war and
were promise a better life but it was all a lie. The poor kids were lied to
battle, they were given a plastic golden key that was going to them to
paradise, but they were actually taken to war. After reading this book it made me see life a
different way. It made me value what I have and to cherish the moments I have
had with my love ones. I am one of those persons that never ask for more than
what I have. If I want something I earn it. Why? Because I always think and
look upon what others of what they have and what they don’t have. Some have a
home, car and everything but others do not have anything. There are too many
people out there that are suffering, for example homeless people, kids
suffering from hunger and others that are in a bad position. Luckily me, I have
not been through that position, or have lived what Marji lived but when I see
others have like her, that’s when I know I should value my life even more.
Social class to me is not important I see everyone the same, we are all humans’
beings in this world. We all have feelings, we all have different ways and
styles but we are all the same. There should not be forbidden love for anyone
including for gays or lesbians, if there is love there is love. I feel that
everyone should be treated equal and there should not be any racism in this
world
There are many places in L.A that I have
not experience the beauty of it. I have live in the valley my whole life, and
when we got to experience the different places my classmates had experience I
got to see the L.A in a different ways. For example some of those places were
very historical and others were fun to go and visit. I see L.A like a two faces
because, a place can always represent something good but once you go and see
and experience that place can be not as good as its represented. I say that because I went to visit the L.A Zoo and as a little girl
I saw it like the best place ever to see animals, but now that I’m older and I
see things in a different way I saw that
it was not the best place. When I was younger I really did not pay attention to
how the animals were living. I did not leave the park happy I was upset how
animals were placed in small cages and did not really have much for people and
kids to educate. I know they can do more to make the L.A Zoo better and I know
they can fix it to make the homes for these animals much bigger and make it
look more like their habitat. I related the L.A Zoo to the movie
Madagascar, in the movie the animals want to escape from the public space and
actually go to their real home. The day I went to the L.A Zoo I felt that the
animals wanted to escape as well because of their small cages. The L.A Zoo is filled with families and
schools, kids are taken to the L.A Zoo so that they can get educated; but L.A
Zoo needs to make it more of an educational place so kids can get a good
concept of the L.A Zoo.
I do not like writing at all but I have
learned to see the good side of it, writing can help me become a better writer
even if I dislike it a lot. Writing has shown me a lot of good things, for
example you can always have something to write about even though you think you
don’t. You can express what you feel about things and people. You can write
what you have learned from things that can be historical and can help you
understand things better. When I first started my semester in my University
writing class I was given a rock, and I have wrote things about that rock, for
example what it means to me and what is has been during these two semesters.
All the activities that I have done during these two semesters have shown me to
see things in different ways and write them down; to learned something from it
and have respect for it. If I was not to write essays at all, I would not have
learned and seen things in a different way and express what I feel about them. Having
time writing about something can always bring you to learn good things from it
and I have learned a lot. I have developed my understanding of things to be
written on paper and also to see places in a different way and value them.
Work
cited
Boland, Eavan. “A Women’s World.”
Eminem. “Stan” youtube
Eminem. Ft Rhiana. “I Love the Way You Lie” youtube
Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York: Random,
2003.Print.
Sinatra, Nancy.” These Boots were made for walking”.
Songwriter: Lee Hazelwood.
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