The story My Name is Margaret by Maya Angelou is about an African American girl who works for a white old lady and how she faced an act of oppression from the white old lady. The white old lady, Viola Cullinan, called Margaret Mary because it was shorter and so in order to get out of this difficult situation, Margaret did what she had to and broke one of Mrs.Cullinan's favorite casserole dishes and 2 green glass cups. I understand why Margaret did what she did because there was a time in my life where I was oppressed and my grandma always told me how to dress and how to act.
Did you agree with Margaret's choice to break the casserole dish and two green glass cups? Yes I did agree with Margaret’s choice to break the casserole dish and the two green cups. I believe she did what she had to do. The time frame that this story takes place in really explains why Margaret broke Mrs.Cullinan’s most prized possessions. African Americans have gone through so much from slavery to Jim Crow Laws and for Mrs.Cullinan to go and call Margaret Mary was just utter disrespect. I don’t care how young Margaret was or what color she was, Mrs.Cullinan should’ve respected Margaret as Margaret respected Mrs.Cullinan. If I was in Margaret’s situation I would’ve done the same thing. Margaret couldn’t tell her mom she wanted to quit her job because she brought in income for her family and she tried to do things the wrong way so Mrs.Cullinan would complain about her but that didn’t work. Margaret’s only other option was to make Mrs.Cullinan angry with her so, she broke Mrs.Cullinan’s most prized possessions so that she didn’t have to deal with a name that a white old woman gave her. When have you made an important choice to either resist or not resist oppression, challenge the status quo, or refuse to obey an authority figure? A time I did not resist oppression was when I used to visit my grandma very often and she’d tell me how to act and how to dress. When I was younger I used to be more of a tomboy I wasn’t into fashion or make-up. I am more than willing to admit that my clothing choices were not the best, but I didn’t care. Every time I went to visit my grandma she’d always have something to say about my outfit or my looks. She’d say things like “That outfit is not appealing to the eyes” or “Do you need to go clothes shopping?” It made me self conscious to think that my own grandmother was making bad comments about my outfits so, I started wearing outfits that were more feminine and even though they made me uncomfortable I knew they’d please my grandmother so I wore them. I do not wear fancy, dressy outfits anymore and as bad as it is, I only visit my grandmother on holiday’s because I don’t like hearing her comment on my outfits or the way I look. My grandmother not only told me how to dress, she also told me how to act. I had basic manners when I was younger, but she wanted me to cross my legs every time I sat down and expected me to put a napkin on my lap every time we ate a meal. While I’m sure these are good mannerisms to have I didn’t like being told what acting “like a lady” meant. Again I only visit my grandmother on holidays because I don’t like hearing her telling me how to act.
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Everyone has a different writing style, these are some quotes from authors and myself on the writing process.
Teaching Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray) It is the process of exploration of what we should know and what we feel about what we know through language” (Murray 2). “The writing process itself can be divided into three stages: pre-writing, writing, and rewriting” (Murray 2). “Next by placing opportunity for discovery in your student’s hands” (Murray 3). The Daily Writing Routines of Great Writers (Maria Popova) “Then I start the next day by redoing all of what I did the day before, following these evening notes.” - Joan Didion “And keep on retyping it, each time making corrections both by hand and directly on the typewriter, until I don’t see how to make it any better.” - Susan Sontag “I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind.” - Haruki Murakami Bird by Bird: Some Intructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) “Very few writers really know what they are doing until they’ve done it” (Lamott 5). “The person may not have an answer to what is missing or annoying about the piece, but writing is so often about making mistakes and feeling lost” (Lamott 9). “Almost every writer I’ve ever known has been able to find someone who could be both a friend and a critic” (Lamott 13). My Writing Process “Get your ideas down first, don’t worry about spelling and grammar at this point just write all of your ideas” “Keep rewriting and making corrections until it’s good enough to be published” “Write about what you’re passionate about, not what’s popular in today’s society The Proust Questionnaire
__1.__What is your idea of perfect happiness? My idea of perfect happiness is hiking with a loved one with not a worry in the world. __2.__What is your greatest fear? My greatest fear is snakes. They don't have legs they can move faster than you and they can kill you in one bite. __3.__What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? A trait that I don't like about myself is the fact that I'm not social and because of that it prevents me from making new friends. __4.__What is the trait you most deplore in others? A trait I don't like about other people is when people are inconsiderate to other people's feelings and just say what they want without thinking. __5.__Which living person do you most admire? The person I admire the most is my mom. She's done so much for me and my sisters I don't know where I'd be without her. __6.__What is your greatest extravagance? My greatest extravagance was probably buying my car. __7.__What is your current state of mind? My current state of mind is indifferent, I'm not happy but in not sad I'm just going with the flow of things. __8.__What do you consider the most overrated virtue? The most overrated virtue is wisdom – yes, it's nice to be wise but I feel like it's not always the best virtue to have. __9.__On what occasion do you lie? I lie when I don't want to be mean or when I don't want to do something. __10.__What do you most dislike about your appearance? The thing I dislike most about my appearance is my face – it's really oily and acne prone __11.__Which living person do you most despise? I despise Donald Trump he is not making America better again. __12.__What is the quality you most like in a man? The quality I like the most in a man is loyalty. __14.__Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Words I overuse the most are "literally" and "like." __15.__What or who is the greatest love of your life? The greatest love of my life is my little brother, Alex. I'd do anything for him. __16.__When and where were you happiest? I was happiest in the summer of 2017 hiking at Green Hills Preserve. __17.__Which talent would you most like to have? A talent I'd like to have is the ability to be creative/ artistic. __18.__If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I'd change my ability to be social. I'd like to be able to interact with anyone and everyone without being so awkward. __19.__What do you consider your greatest achievement? Getting accepted into Berks Career and Technology Center. __20.__If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? I would come back as a dog with a good home because I feel like their life is so simple I'd get to make my family happy. __21.__Where would you most like to live? I would most like to live in London. __22.__What is your most treasured possession? My most treasured possession is my car. __23.__What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Being all alone, having no family or friends to talk to and you just feel trapped. __24.__What is your favorite occupation? Neurosurgery. __25.__What is your most marked characteristic? I'm really funny once you get to know me. __26.__What do you most value in your friends? Honesty. __27.__Who are your favorite writers? John Green and JoJo Moyes. __28.__Who is your hero of fiction? Will Traynor. __29.__Which historical figure do you most identify with? John F. Kennedy. __30.__Who are your heroes in real life? My mom and Barack Obama. __31.__What are your favorite names? Sarah, Lilah, and Violet. __32.__What is it that you most dislike? When schedules/plans change. __33.__What is your greatest regret? Not talking to people when I wanted to due to my social awkwardness. __34.__How would you like to die? In my sleep. __35.__What is your motto? "Live life to the fullest." |
Gabrielle Heck
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