Tiger Woods: the New Ghetto Spokesperson

The photo shoot done by Annie Lebovitz reaffirms the public's opinion of black men: ghetto, muscly thugs. Even though Tiger is black, white, Asian, and Native American, he is known as black. The photo shoot also checks with the public's view of men in general. Men are supposed to be fit, trim, and athletic. They are supposed to be less emotional-and Tiger's grr face does just that. It's a shame that the media portrays men and women based on the stereotypes accepted by readers and viewers. Ms. Lebovitz has had her fair share of controversial magazine spreads (Miley Cyrus's raunchy shoot) and makes a great deal of money for them. Because of this, I believe that she put out a picture that would stir up some controversy and help make her an even more famous photographer. Keep in mind the Tiger obsession with his recent affairs and it appears obvious that Vanity Fair was just using an old picture to make some greenbacks! While it is pathetic, Vanity Fair was able to have a successful ($$$) photo shoot because frankly, a mean, ghetto, hawt black man is who we want to see as an adulterer. Not a nice typical man.... Congrats to you Annie Lebovitz- you gave the world exactly what it wants.
xoxo
Charlotte

Race vs. Culture: One Heated Debate

In good ole' college literature we were discussing the importance of one's race. Did it indeed impact how people lived? It was my personal belief that culture influences people more than race does. For example, a black person growing up in McFarland will have totally different experiences and develop a different lifestyle than a black person growing up in downtown Chicago. It is the culture that differs so the person grows up with different ideas, experiences, opportunities, etc. Lydia also brought up the fact that a person who grows up in an extremely Polish household will have similar upbringings regardless of their race. Many members of the class did believe that culture more heavily influenced how a person grows up than race did. It was a thought-provoking and (sometimes) heated debate. It reminded me of Birdie and the experiences she had. At school in Boston (Nkrumah) she acted one way to fit the culture around her. She started wearing clothes accepted by her black peers and started using black slang to fit in. When she moved to New Hampshire, she had a totally different experience. She did a 180 to fit in with the people there. She started listening to metal and wearing cheap make-up. While her race technically changed, it was the culture that changed her- and the need to fit in.
xoxo
Charlotte

The Part of the Book Where Nicholas Turns Into DAN BROWN

I always had a little inkling that Nicholas and Birdie would do something like this. She had a little innocent crush on him, and she was entertaining to him. When Nicholas offered Birdie the weed I wasn't really concerned. Her mom and dad's friends were pretty open with their drug use so she was familiar with drugs. Then after they were high, Nicholas started kissing Birdie. A little alarm went off in my head and I was alarmed for Birdie. She was 12 and was making out with a 15 year old!! I thought that Nicholas was gross and was using Birdie. He knew that she would go along with it. The pivotal moment was when Birdie didn't want to perform oral sex on Nicholas. On page 203 she says "But touching him felt too real, proof that the game had gone too far. It wasn't Birdie, but Jesse, who lay beneath him..." This is important because Birdie realizes that she is morphing into a new person--this Jesse person, yet she knows that it is not her. Birdie decides right then to stick with Birdie and to not fully transform. She decides to not be like her mother who allowed herself to become someone else entirely and lost herself in the process. Birdie realized that this was a 'game' and that the prize was big. She can't yet see the finish line, but she knows that Papa and Cole will be waiting for her. I was very proud of Birdie when she refused Nicholas. She stayed true to herself and risked losing her only friend in NH. If Birdie keeps up this behavior, she will make it through this ordeal just fine...
xoxo
Charlotte

Introducing the New and Improved (?) Birdie Lee

During this reading, Birdie has gone through many changes. This new Birdie doesn't have the spring in her step that the Birdie who attended Nkrumah did. She has lost all the joy in her life and has paranoia instilled in her. She has become more and more dependent on her mother, but with this new man in her life, even her mother seems to be fading away. Birdie is extremely quiet and keeps to herself especially when accosted by the mean girls in town. This reminded me of her behavior when she was new at Nkrumah--only now Cole isn't there to help her. Birdie is lonesome and misses Cole desperately. I can't imagine living without knowing where my sisters were or if they were alive. Also, I believe that the chances of Birdie seeing Cole again are very slim. Her mother keeps mentioning that they'll all see each other again and that they'll go home right when Cole's plane touches down. I doubt it... Birdie's new friendship with the Marshes' son is turning into something. Perhaps it'll play a bigger part later on. I think it's nice for Birdie to feel some happiness even if it's with a 14 year old boy... While this Birdie (or Jesse) is certainly new I feel she is worse off then she was back home.
xoxo
Charlotte

It Doesn't Matter if You're Black or White. Or Both

Here's to you Michael Jackson... This blog is all about racial (in)equality. Caucasia is filled with racism by both white and black folk. It really makes it a difficult read for me as I find it embarrassing that people are judgemental over the color of skin. The scene where the elderly couple brought the police officer over to Birdie and her father made me cringe. It was blatantly obvious that Birdie's mother was a radical activist with her secret meetings and her paranoia with the government and the F.B.I. She had many secret meetings throughout the book and they got more frequent and intense as I neared the stopping page. I think that she and her cohorts were planning a big rebellion. I believe that she planned a big uprising and intended for violent action. I believe that the bags that Cole and Birdie saw being brought into their basement late in the night had weapons in them. Those weapons were to be used and distributed to those participating in this 'demonstration'. While I respect Birdie's mother for standing up against racial inequality, I have to say that I don't respect the way she is going about it. She has her children to think about, and uprooting Birdie, and having Cole move to Brazil with her father will have a big impact on her life.... Just how big we'll have to see.
xoxo
Charlotte

Tying the Pieces Together

So this isn't going to be one of my upbeat blogs. It's depressing actually. Perhaps it's due to my lack of sleep due to Model UN, regardless, here it is. The Book Thief mentions Dachau numerous times. In the book, Liesel witnesses Jews being marched on the streets (what they called parades) to the Dachau concentration camp. It was really hard for me to read that part of the book because I had been to Dachau when I was in Germany. It had a gate with "Arbeit macht frei" (work makes us free) on it, and was depressing to say the least. Inside the camp, I saw the markers of every unit that Jewish people lived in. Three of the units were tested for medical purposes and were basically lab rats. Two model units were up and I went inside. The bunk beds were stacked up to the ceiling and were so small that it was almost impossible to imagine a person fitting on them. There was a crematorium along a rocky path, but I didn't have the strength to see it. A beautiful sculpture was there symbolizing unity and had been made in the last couple of years. After experiencing Dachau, I feared for Max's life and was hoping that he would make it.

Onwards and Upwards

****** of important note: if you are in the other College Literature class, you will be confused about this blog, don't worry. Your time will come.

Chello! I have started my choice novel the Book Thief, and let me tell you I love it! It is narrated by Death who is actually a nice guy. He describes things in ways that I have never read before. He describes what color the horizon is when he picks up dead people (vulgar sounding I know, but really, he words it better than I). He mentions that the horizon was the color of milk, cold and fresh. He narrates by adding in a lot of side-notes that give the reader the straight up personality of characters or secrets of their past, without making the reader read a biography on the person! He also gives definitions to some of the German terms that are used throughout the book. His interesting perspective makes the 550+ page an enjoyable read. He tells the story of a girl named Liesel who is growing up in Nazi Germany. Liesel lives with her foster parents (mama and papa as they are affectionately known) and he describes her trials and tribulations. The story intensifies when we (the reader) find out that papa sneaks a Jewish man into their home in order to keep a promise. I would keep raving and praising the book on my blog, but frankly, I'm going to keep this short so I can keep reading!!
xoxo
Charlotte