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The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole shines light on many social problems we have today. These problems can be seen through racism and gender inequality. Mrs. Seacole was often judged and even forgotten in history due to the color of her skin. She was denied work positions and her talent was overlooked. Not only was she black, but she was a woman. This also brought a long many more problems due to the inequality of women during this time. We can see this today in how women are treated in the work place, schools, and even in everyday situations. Many people brush this off or overlook the situation but this is in fact the worst thing you can do.

2/27/2020

This article gives insight into women’s rights and specifically the women’s right to vote. We learn about these women who, without them, we could possibly not have the right to vote, or even appear in public. During this time women were viewed for being unfit to appear in public and remain in their house. However, middle class white women took hold of their “higher” status and began a movement for not only the right to vote, but also for the abolitionist movement. During this time we also see a rise in black women’s rights and major leaders such as Ida B. Wells who was a founding member of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). However, despite all of these movements, women still did not gain the right to vote until 1920, 100 years ago.

This text from “The Poet X” shows the importance of Xiomara’s parents age. This age gap drives a deeper disconnect between Xiomara’s personality and the life she has to live. Her rebellious and non rule following attitude sets her a part from the religious and rule abiding life her mother wants her to live. Xiomara has a free heart but being “dragged” to church by her mother, she feels imprisoned by the “splinters of pews.”

“I, Too,” by Langston Hughes is a poem of the great African American struggle of being beaten, silenced, and overrun by enslavement. However, they stayed persistent and never gave up because they knew they were greater than how they were being treated, and America would see that soon and be ashamed. Hughes tells us how slaves were sent to “eat in the kitchen.” I believe this was a metaphor for the way African Americans were (and still are) casted to the side and/or not given credit in their beauty, as Hughes would say. This reference to being casted away to the kitchen and not being able to come out is referenced throughout the poem. It could be possible that the kitchen was somewhere where slaves were sent to work, and only emerged to serve their masters food. Food they were unable to eat and needed to survive.

2/11/2020

The readers are left to brainstorm on what could possibly happen next.

For my surface to depth poem analysis, I decided to go with, “Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep,” by Mary Elizabeth Frye. I thought this poem would be fitting, due to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi’s death this past weekend. We can see a pattern in which the author seems to enjoy nature and even identify herself with it. Nature is all around us and she wants the reader to know that the person they’re thinking of may be buried beneath the ground, but they are still there with them in the nature that surrounds them. While reading the poem you also can’t help but to envision these natural scenes but also the deep meaning behind them. I believe she picked these specific nature events such as the wind blowing, diamonds glinting, and the sun shining to describe her personality.

Long Way Down Roadmap. CP4

McBee uses surface to depth by giving us a real life experience and then going in depth to explain his internal conflicts with himself and what it means to be masculine. McBee describes being in the restroom with two rather husky, leather-wearing men. McBee seems scared of these men due to possible violent past experiences and not feeling equal to their masculinity. For the first few paragraphs McBee is specifically focused on how the two men look, and because he is a trans man I can understand how he has a battle with this. McBee then goes on to question himself and have an internal battle on whether his looks are valid to pass as he/him.

My Annotations for Self-Made Man.

I will be using the Evaluation point to discuss this article. In “Self-Made Man,” we were given an insight into what it’s like to be a transgender man doing a very human thing, going to the bathroom. It has never crossed my mind that all of these thoughts can go through someone’s mind when doing such a normal act. I feel like the author battles with himself on what it means to be a man physically. He compared himself to both of the men in the restaurant and explained them as, “linebacker in size and head-to-toe in leather and flannel.” Is this his definition of a man? He even points out that people view him as a “son,” and “sir,” rather than, “ma’am.” This showed me that this still isn’t enough for him to be a “man.” He still compares himself to other men and thinks he is still not man enough. This article was well thought out and an educational read.

When I was in elementary school I would go to the library once a week and check out 5-6 books, read them all, and then do it all again the next week. I feel like I have lost my passion for reading as I have gotten older and I can’t wait to find that spark again in this class.