Ash's Blog

Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, Lady Murasaki, Bell Hooks, and Gloria Steinem were all women authors. Emily wrote over 1700 poems. Often Emily’s poems were about death. Virgina Woolf was a feminist and a writer. Virgina wrote short stories about women struggles for independence. Lady Murasaki was a Japanese writer who began writing after her husbands death. Bell Hooks was an American author, feminist and social activist. Bell also published over 30 books. Gloria Steinem was a feminist activist, writer and lecturer. Gloria had a best seller book called Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem.

Each of these women were feminist. They all talked about feminism from a different view. For example Bell hook stresses class while Virginia Woolf focused on race. The also were authors of so me sort. Emily expressed herself in poetry and Gloria did it in book.

Dear Marlen,

Hi how are you? Me? I’m great! This class has surely has been a handful. This is the first class that I have had this much work. Its more so the readings. I think I’m doing pretty well. I have really been working my hardest. This is my hardest class. At first I was thinking to myself that I’m done with this class on the first day. Then I kept coming and now it is like I cant get enough. I really enjoy myself and I still don’t know why I am still here. This is definitely an interesting journey for me. How about you? Is every class different for you?
I really love being in the groups. It helps you not only stay focus but you have that extra push you need at times. If you forget something you can always look to your group. My group has been a great help. I don’t think my journey would be the same without those mixtures of people in my group. I really couldn’t wait to read the Color Purple! I saw the movie and wondered how different the were. Guess I will see which I like best. Which did you like best?
Although i am enjoying the class I do have something I think I need I need to work on. I have been working hard but I feel like I have just a bit more to give. I want to thank you for challenging me More. You class made me earn a lot about myself. I am aiming for the Dean’s list this semester and I believe your class will get me there.

Lots of Love
Ashley C. Stinson

Ashley Stinson

English 121

10-19-2009

There were many different topics that I wanted to do my paper on but nothing stood out. Until I thought long and hard and the topic was in front of me the entire time. I have decided to talk about my journey with my second family my “Step” family, and there archetypes and how they are growing. The more I thought about it my life’s journey would not be the same had they not been in my life. They were a big impact in my life as well as me in theirs.

I really was not feeling the idea of another family. She already had three children, Shaquetta (Quetta), Shondalaya (Shonnie), Keysheria (KK). I didn’t think I was going to like them at all. To be truthful I was secretly thinking of how was going to break them up because I didn’t want to share my daddy. Yes it may have been wrong but that is the truth. My Destroyer archetype was definitely rearing its ugly head.

The first time I met my “step” family was about a couple of days before my dad married my step mom. I was not looking forward to this meeting but I was sort of open minded. As soon as I walked in the door we all hit it off. I started to help with dinner and I immediately felt a connection so strong it literally scared me. After leaving all I could do was talk about my new family and how much we had in common.

The day before the wedding I and my step mom’s mother had a huge falling out and I decided not to be in the wedding. I felt just like Siddhartha when his father refused to give him his blessing. That woman just didn’t like me. Not that I cared but I was not going to be somewhere I wasn’t wanted. She just didn’t give me the blessing of being a part of the family. So I decided I didn’t need to be.

On the day of the wedding I was debating on whether I should go but I really didn’t want to but I said for the sake of my father I will come. As soon as I got there her mother was waiting at the door and gave me an apology. It must have been the Sage archetype in her because she knew the truth and that she was in the wrong.  After that we got along great and the wedding was beautiful I even shed a couple of tears because I was so happy for my dad.

As the first year went by we grew so close you would have thought that we were blood relatives. With my little sisters my caregiver archetype took over really quickly. I was ready to step up and be the big sister they needed. I and the oldest Quetta hit it off from the start. Her personality definitely showed her Innocent archetype.  The middle child Shonnie and I also hit it off with a great start. I immediately felt her Warrior archetype begin to show. The youngest one KK and I did not work out so well. She was used to running things and getting her way and I was not having that. She definitely had the Ruler archetype.  My dad and I have always been on good terms. His Lover archetype takes over and off lot. He is just on big loving teddy bear.  My step mom and I were a little shaky but okay none the less. I without delay saw her Warrior archetype take over.

As three more years went by we grew even stronger. I knew that no matter what trials and tribulations we went through we where a family and would work it out as such. I saw their archetypes change very often. I saw each one of them grow more and more as a person.

This recent year we got an addition to our family. Her name is Heaven (Muffin). When we first found out my sister Quetta was pregnant was the biggest shock of our lives. That was an even bigger journey inside of the journey we were already in. Throughout her whole pregnancy was the biggest I have ever seen my caregiver archetype take over.

On the day of her birth was the happiest of my life. The only people at the hospital were me and my step mom. This was also another time that brought us all closer together. Seeing my sister in that much pain really hurt me. It felt like I was stuck underneath the Owsla like the rabbits in the book Watership Down. I knew that I could not take that pain away from her because it was something that had to happen.  But through those 4 agonizing days something beautiful came. When I saw her beautiful face with those ten fingers and toes I felt so complete. We all laughed when we seen her but her hand on her head as if to say “Why don’t people leave me alone”. It was really a riot to the whole entire Jefferson hospital staff.

Muffin’s archetypes began to how quickly. I could definitely see how strong and dominant she was. I could see her Warrior and Innocent archetype really take over her. When she came into the house she changed everyone an awful lot. It was sort of like when the youngest son in the Brocade story took the responsibility to help his mother. That is how it was when she came home. Everyone was making it there responsibility to help take care of her. With this new addition made everyone’s Caregiver archetype take over.  She was the last entry into our family but with her now it has made our journey go to a whole new level.

I chose to write about my second family because the journey I have been on with them has truly been a rollercoaster. This journey with them has made me a better person. So far in life I can say that this journey out of my many has truly been the most rewarding.  They have taught me so much about myself. They bring out the best and worst at times in me and it doesn’t make me love them any less. Our journey is like the rabbits in Watership Down even though they were often in the “belly of the whale” they did reach happiness as a family.  I can’t wait to see where our journey that is still continuing will lead us

*Your not the boss*

He think he can always tell me what to do.

He doesn’t understand he is not the boss.

Every time he yells it just makes me feel blue

Sometimes there is a line he shouldn’t cross

He doesn’t get the love I share with my boo

This is entirely to much chaos

Me you daddy used to be as tight as glue

I this does not end in a loss

Sway Seductively

Tempting me with every move

Pulling me from left to right

I know that its wrong

But it feel so got damn right

Temptress I give IN!

I have two main topics I may want to my paper on. One is on the book The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I chose this book because I can relate it to so much. Not only can I relate to it, I can relate most of the topics in our class to it. The main character Pecola can be compared to to the archetypes, the archetypal situations that most of the characters we learned about go through. The other topic may be on my archetypes and how they effect everything that I do. I will talk bout how it has helped me and how much I have learned from them. Also archetypes have affect my learning and readings.

To help my paper if I do it on the book I plan on using mostly the book. I will also get help from google and papers the book. If I do it on the archetypes I will use myself and the books. I will take all that we have learned and make use of that also. These  things will help in both papers actually.

This is really quite a change from the usual stuff we have been doing. At first I was a little skeptical  about watching the movie. I thought it was going to be boring. I thought really wasn’t going to want to watch it. Then I thought about it knowing Marlen Im going to love it. He always picks something interesting  and there will  have to be something I will have in common with it.

There are many similarites to all the things we have worked on in class. When the grandmom and the daughter were inside the belly of the wolf is just like Odysseus  being in the cave trapped by the cyclops. When everyone was in the woods reminds me of when the rabbits from Watership Down, when they were in the woods trying to make there way to accomplish something.  When the rabbits from the other warren who kept there rabbits  in check and basically hidden reminds me of the witch that kept Rapunzel hidden in the tower. The way the baker and his wife act together reminds me of what Joseph Campbell said about marriage and love. They are an example if how to sacrifice each others egos and becoming one.

I also noticed a lot of archetypes and archetypal situations in the movie. Jack could be know as the Fool because he is easily fooled to give up his cow for some “magic Beans”. Cinderella could be known as the Innocent and the Seeker. She wants to remain safe but yet she wants to seek for a better life.  Everyone faces the departure as they prepare to go into the woods. They even go into initiation where they are al confronted with a series of challenges on there roads of trials.

Belly of the whale

Captured by these obstacles.

Can I escape them?

Or give up?

Understanding the Belly of the whale was easy for me because it has a deeper meaning to me. To me, it means being in the dark and trying to find your way out of a a really big situation that is troubling you. For example in The Odyssey Odysseus and his men are trapped in a cave by a Cyclops. They had to fight their was out of it.  Also when they where at sea and they had to fight to get away from Scylla and Charybdis. They were not exactly in side the belly of the whale but they were fighting to not get suck into the belly.

In Watershipdown, all of the rabbits in the generals warren were in the belly of the whale. They couldnt go anywhere until it was the proper time. If they tried to leave and would be torn to shreds. They needed a hero(Hazel and the others) to help them to escape the horrible warren. They had to fight to get out of that dark warren. In the poem Sence You Went Away by James Weldon Johnson he speaks of a person who is feels lost now that some has left them. He believes that the sun isnt shining bright and it has lost its light. This person feels like they are in the dark .

In Beowulf Beowulf fought his  people out of the belly of . He came killing people at night. Unlike Odysseus Beowulf did not use a weapon to fight his way out of the darkness. He uses his hand because he was proud. Ev en though Grendel got away from the fight he was still awaiting death because his arm was torn off from the battle. When in the belly of the whale mostly everyone fights re way out and usually succeeds.

Its time Its time yelled my sister (Heavens Coming)

It was time to go to the hospital

I knew she would pop soon that little

girl wouldnt wait any longer

my sisters in pain im trying to be stronger

the doctor says push

and the blood began to gush

out popped her head

and the doctor said

you did very well

no stitches i can tell

Its a girl

what a beautiful pearl

We felt great relief

and no loner was there grief

because she had ten fingers and toes

and a cute little button nose.