MALE PRIVILEGE CHECKLIST

          

     As a girl reading this checklist my first impression was, this is totally true! My mom always tells me that I need to work hard to get a good hob and to rise about the rest…men. Number 6 states this perfectly, “if I do the same task as a woman…chances are people will think I did a better job” (p. 536).  I have experienced this personally in my life. I was mowing my grandpa’s yard with my cousin; he’s a boy and my same age. My cousin mowed the front yard and I mowed the back. My cousin did a horrible job, and I thought I did a pretty good job. My grandpas came outside and he immediately yelled my name and told me that I have to fix the front yard! I was so mad! He assumed just because I'm a girl that I can’t mow lawns. My grandpa felt pretty dumb after I told him my cousin did the front lawn.

                Another male privilege that really made me kind of mad is number 24, “even if I sleep with a lot of women, there is no chance that I will be labeled as ‘slut’’ (p. 537).  This makes me furious. If a girl is dating guys just to see what she wants in a guy, she is automatically degraded and labeled as a slut because she can’t stay with just one guy. On the other hand, if a guy gets with a lot of girls he is a hero in the man world. All guys want to be like him. So it is acceptable for guys to get around but not for girls.

                Men do have a lot of privileges, as well as disadvantages. But these days’ women are expected to be able to do things men can do because we’re trying to become a more equal country.

A SHOCKING STORY

 

I could do nothing but gasp in awh by the time I finished this story. I find it horrifying that two white men would be so racist enough to kill a 14 year old boy. Why did they do this? This 14 year old boy that goes by the name of Bobo hit on one of their wives as a dare. All he said was “how about a date baby?”(p.605) The two men found this reason to be good enough to beat and kill Emmett Till. This case was blown way out of proportion. It did not have to get to the point of killing the poor black boy. What disgusts me even more is that the two men that killed the boy were not persecuted.

                 The Emmett Till death is but a straw in a haystack of racial crimes. Still today racism goes on. I have witnessed it in my own life as in lives of others. My mom is Latina and she does have an accent but she speaks English probably better than most Americans. Well, we went to the mall one day to buy some school clothes. We were walking around the store and I found some shoes I like and my mom brought them up to the counter with me by her side. Immediately the lady helping us looks at me and asks if I would like to translate for my mother. My mom was furious! She was like “excuse me I can speak English just fine”. Then the young lady gave my mother attitude by rolling her eyes and mumbling things under her breath. Immediately my mom grabbed my hand and we walked out of the store. It really sickens me seeing how many Americans put people into stereotypes without giving them a second chance.

LANGSTON HUGHES

Out of all the poems I like the poem “I too” the best. I did a tiny bit of research and when he wrote this, Blacks were still being discriminated against. All he is doing is speaking his mind in this poem. In the first line when it says “I too, sing America” (p. 594). Here he argues that he is just as American as anyone else.

Later in the poem he bluntly describes the disrespect from the master to his servant by sending him away when visitors come. What the servant does after is what surprises me. “I laugh” (p. 594). He finds this funny?! It doesn’t faze him; he also says he “grows stronger.” Here, no matter what pain he goes through he will not let it kill his spirit.

After he shows bravery when he says “tomorrow … nobody’ll say to me eat in the kitchen.” Here he understands that his body can be overtaken BUT his mind can’t be conquered.

Overall this poem “I, Too” shouts for equality and freedom. The message is obvious blacks need to have the same freedoms as whites, and also to take a stand when needed. More importantly the title “I, Too” is great because, it implies that more than one race make up the face of America and not only whites. 

 

LOVE STORY

 

Sometimes when two fall madly in love they tell themselves “no, leave it… pull yourself together; do not take any notice of it.”(p. 303) Love is an emotion that is meant to be shared not ignored. When it is shared good things come to pass. This story tells the account of a man who didn’t ignore his feelings.

Love never came easy to me; in fact I have never been in love. I’m a shy guy, the average Joe, the smart guy everyone cheats off of. Yea…that’s my life. Girls would never give me much attention. Throughout high school I was short like an oompa loompa and as lanky as a string of spaghetti. I never had the high school romance I’ve always dreamt of; it all remained a dream until her.

                A few years passed and I found myself on a mission in the beautiful tropical land of Honduras. I grew a few feet by then and developed a nicer, more toned body. I guess you could say it was a new me. Except I still had no hope for love; but love was something I couldn’t concentrate on at the time.

                One sunny afternoon, we were invited over to a family’s house to have lunch in their new kitchen outside. It was just like any other day full of funny stories, laughs, and the preaching of my faith.  Then she walked outside. As soon as I saw her my heart skipped a beat. Seeing her face in the shining sun made her more beautiful than she already was. I wanted to talk to her. I resisted that strong urge as she sat down at the table. We made eye contact and I knew she was the one. Her smile was priceless and so welcoming;  girls never smiled at me like that. I carried on my conversation with the rest of the family trying to ignore my heart screaming at me to say something to her. I knew she was listening, and watching me (of course she would, I’m the only 6 ft blonde blue eyed guy in this whole country!), and giving me attention that was unusual for me. I would always catch her staring at me with those gorgeous big brown eyes of hers; I couldn’t help but stare back. By the end of lunch we were talking like we’ve known each other for years. Then she asked me to go on a date to the beach. My heart dropped. I wasn’t there to meet a very lovely young lady, I was there to preach. I was heartbroken when I told her I couldn’t go. What hurt even more is when she said it was ok if we didn't talk anymore.

                Time came to go back home. By now I have pushed the memory of the girl I knew I loved to the back of my head. I went home and resumed my boring life of a college student. She was on my mind constantly; I was always picturing her stunning smile and welcoming personality. I couldn’t let her go so I decided to take a chance. I bought a ticket back to Honduras where my love was.

                Soon I was in front of her house again. I heard her laugh. She was home. My heart was pounding, cold sweat trickled down my neck, my breathing was rough but I had to tell her how I felt. I stretched out my hand and knocked on the door. A couple seconds went by... then she was in front of me.  She smiled and a tear fell from her eyes that I dearly loved. I couldn’t help but stretch my arm out to comfort her. Then it happened. She threw her arms around me with happiness and told me how scared she was that I would never come back. She fit perfectly in my arms and I knew I should have never questioned my heart again. She looked up at me and stood on her tippy toes (she’s barely 5 ft tall) when I saw her eyes I could see that she loved me just like I loved her. I picked her up and the corners of her mouth creased into a slight smile as she leaned toward me. My thoughts were racing and my mind went blank then we kissed. I felt her breath as she whispered what I wanted to hear…I love you.

TRISTAN

The story of Tristan starts off by saying “he that never had sorrow of love never had joy of it either.”(p303) Immediately it lets the readers know that love is tough and it won’t come easy. But at the same time someone in love must go through hardships to feel the fullness of it.  At the beginning of the story Tristan and this young lady Isolde drink this love potion and they fall madly in love with each other.  They both rejected the feeling of love. Tristan would say to himself “no, leave it… pull yourself together; do not take any notice of it.”(p. 303) he would try so hard not to think about her but love is a strong emotion and it wouldn’t leave him. Isolde was thinking the same exact thing she would tell herself to “change this desire!”  But there was nothing but love left for her as well.   In the end they had to leave each other but their love had such a strong bond, and no matter how long they were apart there love would still be there. 

 

 

This story reminds me a lot of my parent’s story. My parents met each other when my dad was on his mission. He was always going to my mom’s house for dinners because her family was very involved in the church. He always tells me that it was love at first sight and she says the same. But, they could not do anything about because he was on his mission. So they both ignored their feelings, they would tell themselves things like “there’s no such thing as true love” or that the other person is “too good for them”. Finally when my dad got off his mission he took a chance and went back to see my mom. They both immediately started dating and they admitted their love towards one another. To this day they are still madly in love. Yes, they have their hardships but through them their love grows more.

CREATION MYTH

The day was perfect, the night was darkening, and the stars glistening, but among this perfect atmosphere, trouble arose in the sky. On the eve of his wedding with Lysandra, Vincent was terrified to find Lysandra’s body floating amidst the clouds. Horrified, Vincent soon knew of his brother’s evil doing. Lucius had been planning to kill Lysandra before Vincent’s wedding. This is because Lysandra would gain control of half of Lucius’ powers. Lucius wanted the power to be all his and he either wanted it all to himself or to share it with the love of his life Lysandra, he couldn’t have her so he got rid of her. 

Vincent could do nothing but rage, his beloved wife to be was gone. So in his anger he created a stone like object hard enough to hurt Lucius. He confronted Lucius and in fury he started throwing these rocks at them. Lucius was quick, he kept dodging so the rocks would fall and they started creating the earth.  Vincent started to get irritated so he made the rocks bigger, still he kept missing. The bigger rocks fell down to the earth making beautiful mountains. The two men did nothing but fight for hours creating a place where man could start a life.

What Vincent and Lucius didn’t know is that Lysandra was not dead. She was watching the two men fight the whole time. She was seriously hurt so she couldn’t move. The only thing she could do is watch and cry. Her tears fell through the sky and onto the earth that Vincent and Lucius created. She couldn’t stop crying because she loved them both. She was a very loving woman and her tears carried the love of a mother. Her tears carried all the children she would have bestowed but she could never have.  Her tears fell down the mountains creating beautiful waterfalls… and to this day she still cries. All her children on earth come to see the stunning attraction made from above.

the place is Niagara Falls