Whew! Half-way done with the semester and I still feel like the odd-one-out. Especially after reading Kim's post about both sides of her family being Mennonite. Although I'm not complaining and no one should feel bad! Of course, I have always been the odd-one-out. Sorry, I was talking to myself. I have my ideas that are very much different from everyone's in class. I am not a pacifist, I believe in violence when it is necessary. I don't care about any and all things religious. I can't even connect with any of the readings we have done in class so far! Of course, it is a Mennonite class and... Sorry, talking to myself again.
With everyone being able to connect with each other because of food or tracing their heritage back several generations or being pacifists or anything else while I can't, I feel like I am the odd-one-out. It makes me wonder if there is anyone in class who can relate to me in a way or even know what I am talking about! Of course, this might just be a topic for another day or another generation. But apparently not even for this generation.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Being Disowned/My Heritage
Has anyone in class been disowned? Is anyone currently disowned?
Well, I'll tell you that I am disowned and will be for the rest of my life. No, not me alone. It's my entire family (at least those coming from my dad's side of the family). After reading Kim's blog about being able to go back several generations in her family, I thought that I should write a blog about my own family.
It seems like everyone in class is able to trace their heritage while I can't. I can only fully get my four grandparents and only four of my eight great-grandparents. Just like I commented on Kim's blog in which I ask why I only go this far, I ask the same thing here: Why?
I'll start with my mother's side of the family. She has an uncle that has the entire (okay, a lot) family tree. When my sister and I were younger, my mother wanted to know the family tree so that she could pass it down to the both of us. Her uncle doesn't want anyone to see it nor does he want anyone to have it. It seems like the family tree will be buried with him. I told my mother (as a joke but not a joke-joke) that it seems that the only way we will be able to see the family tree is when he croaks. And she agreed with me.
Now, I will tell you about how my dad's side of the family (which will eventually include my mother, me, and my sister) came to be disowned.
My father is one of five children. His father was a Catholic as was my grandfather's siblings and parents most likely were. My grandmother was a Catholic, but only because of my grandfather. Eventually, she would find her way to being a Jehovah's Witness. After that, my grandparents split-up, but they didn't divorce. After my grandfather left my grandmother to deal with the kids, his entire family disowned my dad, his siblings, my grandmother, and her side of the family. The kids stopped playing with her kids, the adults stopped talking and hanging out with her side, the adults did not want anything to do with her kids... It was like my grandmother's side of the family and her kids did not exist at all. Only because my grandmother was a Witness and not a Catholic! So, eventually, all of us cousins and our parents (those that are not part of my dad's parents' sides of the family) have become disowned through marriage and birth.
So, anyone reading this can see why I cannot go very far in my heritage. And, I wish that I could because I would love to know my heritage in a bad way. All I know is that I am Irish (probably why I loved watching Translations so much), Dutch, German, American, Cherokee, and Norwegian. I only know that my great-great-great grandmother on my mom's dad's side of the family is pure Cherokee and my great grandfather on my dad's mom's side is a direct descendant of the Vikings. Apparently not a good combination in my family. Probably end up burning villages and scalping people.
Well, I'll tell you that I am disowned and will be for the rest of my life. No, not me alone. It's my entire family (at least those coming from my dad's side of the family). After reading Kim's blog about being able to go back several generations in her family, I thought that I should write a blog about my own family.
It seems like everyone in class is able to trace their heritage while I can't. I can only fully get my four grandparents and only four of my eight great-grandparents. Just like I commented on Kim's blog in which I ask why I only go this far, I ask the same thing here: Why?
I'll start with my mother's side of the family. She has an uncle that has the entire (okay, a lot) family tree. When my sister and I were younger, my mother wanted to know the family tree so that she could pass it down to the both of us. Her uncle doesn't want anyone to see it nor does he want anyone to have it. It seems like the family tree will be buried with him. I told my mother (as a joke but not a joke-joke) that it seems that the only way we will be able to see the family tree is when he croaks. And she agreed with me.
Now, I will tell you about how my dad's side of the family (which will eventually include my mother, me, and my sister) came to be disowned.
My father is one of five children. His father was a Catholic as was my grandfather's siblings and parents most likely were. My grandmother was a Catholic, but only because of my grandfather. Eventually, she would find her way to being a Jehovah's Witness. After that, my grandparents split-up, but they didn't divorce. After my grandfather left my grandmother to deal with the kids, his entire family disowned my dad, his siblings, my grandmother, and her side of the family. The kids stopped playing with her kids, the adults stopped talking and hanging out with her side, the adults did not want anything to do with her kids... It was like my grandmother's side of the family and her kids did not exist at all. Only because my grandmother was a Witness and not a Catholic! So, eventually, all of us cousins and our parents (those that are not part of my dad's parents' sides of the family) have become disowned through marriage and birth.
So, anyone reading this can see why I cannot go very far in my heritage. And, I wish that I could because I would love to know my heritage in a bad way. All I know is that I am Irish (probably why I loved watching Translations so much), Dutch, German, American, Cherokee, and Norwegian. I only know that my great-great-great grandmother on my mom's dad's side of the family is pure Cherokee and my great grandfather on my dad's mom's side is a direct descendant of the Vikings. Apparently not a good combination in my family. Probably end up burning villages and scalping people.
Stephen Raleigh Byler's Searching for Intruders
I did not particularly care about Stephen Raleigh Byler's Searching for Intruders. It might just be because it is in the first-person point-of-view and it is kind of like a memoir, even though it is only fiction, and probably because there is no action or anything in it. It is just about this guy's life.
I can relate to the story "Roaches." My family lived in Peotone, IL, and then in Gary, IN before moving to Nappanee. In Peotone, we lived in an apartment. In Gary, a mobile home (trailer). Unfortunately, we had roaches. For the first couple or few years after we moved to Nappanee, we had roaches because they moved with us! Since then, we have not have roaches. But, every year, the ants, flies, and ladybugs (and once in a while during winter, mice) are just terrible! So, I can relate. And trust me, we always killed the roaches (and still all of the other bugs) because we are not pacifists.
The very short story that I hated was "Limp." My family has rescued three rescue dogs. Sammy, our first rescue, was always beat and his hair was long and matted. Xena, our second, was kept in a small cage whenever the owners left. Peyton, currently our third, was kept in a cage his entire life. He was only let out to go to the bathroom outside. He ate and slept in the cage. He wasn't allowed to get up on the furniture. His hair was long and matted. In mid-December 2008, we had to put Sammy down. Only a couple of years before, in one of my English classes in high school, we had to read the book, Of Mice and Men. We even had to watch the movie. In it, one of the men takes this guy's dog outside and shoots it. When I read it and watched the scene of the owner lying on his bed (you could only hear the gun go off), I had tears in my eyes because I knew we would be putting Sammy down soon because he was blind, going deaf, and he had a lump on his foot and on his back. In one of my classes during Spring Semester in college (only a few months after Sammy was put down), we had to write short stories. There was this one story where this mailman poisoned dogs and they died. I did not like it at all because we had only just put Sammy down. And it was still hard. In mid-May 2010, we had to put Xena down (only a few hours after I got out of class for the day and half-an-hour after my sister got out of school for the day). So, because of the rescues we do and us having to put our dogs down, I ended up skipping over "Limp" when I saw what happened in it. This is because I am very attached to dogs.
Another story I could (kind of) relate to was "Shooting Heads." Okay, well, maybe not the relationship thing, but totally the guns and rifles thing. My dad has two bows and arrows, three or four guns, a few rifles, several knives, a machete, and three or four swords. I have a sword, two thumb-punches, and two or three knives. Some of these are for my protection since I have a night class. Now is a "funny" story in which I make a cousin of mine jealous: In 2005 or 2006, during Nappanee's Annual Apple Festival, my aunt, her two sons, and her husband came out. My dad took her husband, my two male cousins, and my sister behind the house where we have the woods. They were all shooting the rifle at a ribbon that was hanging from a tree several yards from where they were standing. I guess they were all missing the target, except my dad. At one point, I go outside and am offered the rifle. Now, mind you, I haven't fired the rifle at all. I take it, aim, and fire. Dad told me that I hit the target. I take the rifle from my shoulder, hand it to him, and go back inside. He tells me that Tommy, my cousin who is only a couple of years younger than me, got jealous because I, a female, had hit the target and he, a male, hadn't. Dad told me later that Tommy took the rifle from my dad and fired the rifle, and still missed. I find it pretty funny. I also fired my dad's silver gun at a box several years ago when I was probably in middle school. Of course, this was in our front room during the winter. In the part where Fretz talks about an AK-47, I knew what he was talking about. In one of the books that I have, one of the guys uses an AK-47 with a silencer. In the movie, Heartbreak Ridge, with Clint Eastwood, he uses an AK-47 to scare the Marine recruits that he's supposed to be training. So, even though my dad does not have an AK-47, I know what one is. So, I can shoot the rifles and guns that my dad has. I even know how to load the bullets or pellets in them.
Everything else in the book, I can't relate to.
I can relate to the story "Roaches." My family lived in Peotone, IL, and then in Gary, IN before moving to Nappanee. In Peotone, we lived in an apartment. In Gary, a mobile home (trailer). Unfortunately, we had roaches. For the first couple or few years after we moved to Nappanee, we had roaches because they moved with us! Since then, we have not have roaches. But, every year, the ants, flies, and ladybugs (and once in a while during winter, mice) are just terrible! So, I can relate. And trust me, we always killed the roaches (and still all of the other bugs) because we are not pacifists.
The very short story that I hated was "Limp." My family has rescued three rescue dogs. Sammy, our first rescue, was always beat and his hair was long and matted. Xena, our second, was kept in a small cage whenever the owners left. Peyton, currently our third, was kept in a cage his entire life. He was only let out to go to the bathroom outside. He ate and slept in the cage. He wasn't allowed to get up on the furniture. His hair was long and matted. In mid-December 2008, we had to put Sammy down. Only a couple of years before, in one of my English classes in high school, we had to read the book, Of Mice and Men. We even had to watch the movie. In it, one of the men takes this guy's dog outside and shoots it. When I read it and watched the scene of the owner lying on his bed (you could only hear the gun go off), I had tears in my eyes because I knew we would be putting Sammy down soon because he was blind, going deaf, and he had a lump on his foot and on his back. In one of my classes during Spring Semester in college (only a few months after Sammy was put down), we had to write short stories. There was this one story where this mailman poisoned dogs and they died. I did not like it at all because we had only just put Sammy down. And it was still hard. In mid-May 2010, we had to put Xena down (only a few hours after I got out of class for the day and half-an-hour after my sister got out of school for the day). So, because of the rescues we do and us having to put our dogs down, I ended up skipping over "Limp" when I saw what happened in it. This is because I am very attached to dogs.
Another story I could (kind of) relate to was "Shooting Heads." Okay, well, maybe not the relationship thing, but totally the guns and rifles thing. My dad has two bows and arrows, three or four guns, a few rifles, several knives, a machete, and three or four swords. I have a sword, two thumb-punches, and two or three knives. Some of these are for my protection since I have a night class. Now is a "funny" story in which I make a cousin of mine jealous: In 2005 or 2006, during Nappanee's Annual Apple Festival, my aunt, her two sons, and her husband came out. My dad took her husband, my two male cousins, and my sister behind the house where we have the woods. They were all shooting the rifle at a ribbon that was hanging from a tree several yards from where they were standing. I guess they were all missing the target, except my dad. At one point, I go outside and am offered the rifle. Now, mind you, I haven't fired the rifle at all. I take it, aim, and fire. Dad told me that I hit the target. I take the rifle from my shoulder, hand it to him, and go back inside. He tells me that Tommy, my cousin who is only a couple of years younger than me, got jealous because I, a female, had hit the target and he, a male, hadn't. Dad told me later that Tommy took the rifle from my dad and fired the rifle, and still missed. I find it pretty funny. I also fired my dad's silver gun at a box several years ago when I was probably in middle school. Of course, this was in our front room during the winter. In the part where Fretz talks about an AK-47, I knew what he was talking about. In one of the books that I have, one of the guys uses an AK-47 with a silencer. In the movie, Heartbreak Ridge, with Clint Eastwood, he uses an AK-47 to scare the Marine recruits that he's supposed to be training. So, even though my dad does not have an AK-47, I know what one is. So, I can shoot the rifles and guns that my dad has. I even know how to load the bullets or pellets in them.
Everything else in the book, I can't relate to.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
How Julia Kasdorf Changed My Life Essays
In How Julia Kasdorf Changed My Life, I was not able to relate to any essays except maybe one or two words in a few of them. In Daniel Cruz’s essay, “How Julia Kasdorf Changed My Life,” I related to him being 19 and going to Goshen College. In 2008 (the year I graduated high school and went on to being a first-year student here), I was 19. Also, I embrace my ethnicity (the countries I have in my blood) and my family tree, probably something most people my age will not do.
I, in a very tiny way, connected with Rebecca Rich mentioning Operation Desert Storm in her essay, “What Makes Me a Mennonite.” This is because my dad would have served in Desert Storm.
In Sidney King’s essay, “The paradox of My Mennonite Experiences,” he mentions supporting (though not himself) the United States troops. I was raised in a family where we support the troops. My grandfather on my mom’s side served in the military, my grandfather on my dad’s side would have served, my father would have served, and I would have served. In the future, if my kids want to serve, I will be proud of them and support them.
Just like everybody in class, I did not like Ted Houser’s essay, “Hans Herr and the Inescapable Lancaster County Heritage.” It seems to me that Houser was flaunting his (and his family’s) money. First off, what in the world is with the use of the word “inescapable?” Okay, maybe it is in his “blood” of having money. But it is his choice on whether or not to take the money. He could escape it. He can go work at a Burger King or something and have to physically work to earn just a little bit of money. But he probably does not want to. It must be nice to get an expensive vehicle just by being in a family that is so rich and also just by getting up at five in the morning. I would like to see how his family would make it in my family situation. My parents only bring home a few hundred dollars each but it is gone as soon as it is in the bank for the bills that we can barely pay; this June, we will have been living in the same exact mobile home (trailer) for sixteen years; I am the first one in my entire family to go to college (there was no college fund or anything for me because no one expected me to go to college because it just was not in our family so I will be paying all of the loans and grants back when I graduate); my dad is paying on three used vehicles so that we can each have a vehicle since our schedules clash…
When I hear that people have spent a hundred dollars on a pair of jeans, shoes, etc., I want to smack them on the side of their heads. I think that they should not be spending that money and spend it on things that are actually needed (bills, gas, food). This is the way I see things because of the circumstances I live in.
I, in a very tiny way, connected with Rebecca Rich mentioning Operation Desert Storm in her essay, “What Makes Me a Mennonite.” This is because my dad would have served in Desert Storm.
In Sidney King’s essay, “The paradox of My Mennonite Experiences,” he mentions supporting (though not himself) the United States troops. I was raised in a family where we support the troops. My grandfather on my mom’s side served in the military, my grandfather on my dad’s side would have served, my father would have served, and I would have served. In the future, if my kids want to serve, I will be proud of them and support them.
Just like everybody in class, I did not like Ted Houser’s essay, “Hans Herr and the Inescapable Lancaster County Heritage.” It seems to me that Houser was flaunting his (and his family’s) money. First off, what in the world is with the use of the word “inescapable?” Okay, maybe it is in his “blood” of having money. But it is his choice on whether or not to take the money. He could escape it. He can go work at a Burger King or something and have to physically work to earn just a little bit of money. But he probably does not want to. It must be nice to get an expensive vehicle just by being in a family that is so rich and also just by getting up at five in the morning. I would like to see how his family would make it in my family situation. My parents only bring home a few hundred dollars each but it is gone as soon as it is in the bank for the bills that we can barely pay; this June, we will have been living in the same exact mobile home (trailer) for sixteen years; I am the first one in my entire family to go to college (there was no college fund or anything for me because no one expected me to go to college because it just was not in our family so I will be paying all of the loans and grants back when I graduate); my dad is paying on three used vehicles so that we can each have a vehicle since our schedules clash…
When I hear that people have spent a hundred dollars on a pair of jeans, shoes, etc., I want to smack them on the side of their heads. I think that they should not be spending that money and spend it on things that are actually needed (bills, gas, food). This is the way I see things because of the circumstances I live in.
Rhoda Janzen's Mennonite in a Little Black Dress
I did not really care for Rhoda Janzen's Mennonite in a Little Black Dress book. I think that it might be because I do not prefer books from the first-person (or even the second-person) point of view. Also, I am not one for books, short-stories, essay, etc. about someone's life. Although, I did like reading J.K. Rowling's and Clay Aiken's autobiographies. One, I love J.K.'s books and her life is interesting (goes from having practically nothing to having everything). And two, I love Clay Aiken's first CD (I haven't either listened or heard much of his music since after that). But, that's it for autobiographies. I'll even say the same for movies. I only enjoy movies that are based off of something (Flags of Our Fathers, Pearl Harbor, Titannic, etc.) and not off of someone (Finding Neverland (had to watch movie in high school), Pirates of Silicon Valley (also had to watch in high school), etc.). That is my personal opinion and it may not be anybody else's opinion.
I think that there were some good details in the book. The section of chapter 3 where Janzen talks about mosquitoes was really relatable. I mean, how many of us have been bitten (probably many times in only one day!) by mosquitoes, been around a swarm of them because you had to do something, and even used things such as OFF! (you practically gag by the smell and try to get out of the area where you were sprayed as soon as possible!) to try to keep them off of you but it seems like it won't work? Yeah, I can say that I have. At one time, I even had up to several mosquito bites at once.
When Janzen mentions the McChicken sandwiches from McDonald's, I was able to understand what she was talking about. When she mentioned it, I could practically taste the sandwiches. Once in a while now, my family will go to McDonald's and get a couple of sandwiches for each of us. Okay, I think I'm making myself hungry for one now!
I can kind of relate to Janzen when she talks about the surgery she receives towards the beginning of the book. When I was about five or so when we were living in Gary, I had to get stitches in my elbow because I had fallen and my elbow went through the fan that sat on the floor (a box fan). Also, hopefully this summer, I can go in for some surgery that I need to have done. Also, this past winter, my mom had to go and have surgery done, and my dad and I waited for a few hours before we were able to leave the hospital with her.
I can't really relate to Janzen about relationships, seeing as how I've never been in one, but I did have feelings for someone years ago. Besides me, I see that my sister can never stick to one boyfriend (or as she would say, he is NOT a boyfriend). My parents will have been married for 24 years this July. When they got married, the entire family was basically placing bets on how long they would be together. Some said a week, others a month... If I recall, I don't think anybody said any time over a year. And here my parents are! Never divorced. With one of my uncles on my dad's side, he finally got married when he was 39, I think. He and his wife have two kids, going on 8 and 6. My aunt on my dad's side has a boyfriend (she had two divorces and one son from each marriage, both of whom are going on 20 within the next few months and going on 16 (I think) within the next few months also). My grandparents on my dad's side were, in a way, together but they never divorced, even though they lived in separate houses. My grandparents on my mom's side divorced when I was probably only a few years old. My parents say that my grandfather had said something to my grandmother and I told him to get out of the house. I guess that surprised him. You wouldn't think that I was like that, giving how I am now. So, even though I have not been in a relationship at all (and most likely will never be), I see how it all goes, just by looking at my family.
When I was in high school, I took three years of German. After I told my parents that I was taking German, he said that my grandfather (his father) would be proud of me. When Janzen mentioned some words in German, I was able to understand what that word meant, even if it was only part of the word (such as Kalendarblatt).
And my heritage... I am Irish (probably why I loved the play Translations so much!), Dutch, German, American, Cherokee, and Norwegian. My great-grandfather on my dad's mom's side of the family is a direct descendant of the Vikings. My great-great-great grandmother on my mom's dad's side was a full-blooded Cherokee. Apparently, with there being Native American and Viking blood coursing through my veins (one from each side of the family), it is not a good mix because "my people" scalped people (Indians) and burned villages (Vikings), and my family is a group of people you probably do not want to mess with. I may be calm and sane, but that probably is not said for the rest of my family (including my aunt). We have such a bad temper.
I think that there were some good details in the book. The section of chapter 3 where Janzen talks about mosquitoes was really relatable. I mean, how many of us have been bitten (probably many times in only one day!) by mosquitoes, been around a swarm of them because you had to do something, and even used things such as OFF! (you practically gag by the smell and try to get out of the area where you were sprayed as soon as possible!) to try to keep them off of you but it seems like it won't work? Yeah, I can say that I have. At one time, I even had up to several mosquito bites at once.
When Janzen mentions the McChicken sandwiches from McDonald's, I was able to understand what she was talking about. When she mentioned it, I could practically taste the sandwiches. Once in a while now, my family will go to McDonald's and get a couple of sandwiches for each of us. Okay, I think I'm making myself hungry for one now!
I can kind of relate to Janzen when she talks about the surgery she receives towards the beginning of the book. When I was about five or so when we were living in Gary, I had to get stitches in my elbow because I had fallen and my elbow went through the fan that sat on the floor (a box fan). Also, hopefully this summer, I can go in for some surgery that I need to have done. Also, this past winter, my mom had to go and have surgery done, and my dad and I waited for a few hours before we were able to leave the hospital with her.
I can't really relate to Janzen about relationships, seeing as how I've never been in one, but I did have feelings for someone years ago. Besides me, I see that my sister can never stick to one boyfriend (or as she would say, he is NOT a boyfriend). My parents will have been married for 24 years this July. When they got married, the entire family was basically placing bets on how long they would be together. Some said a week, others a month... If I recall, I don't think anybody said any time over a year. And here my parents are! Never divorced. With one of my uncles on my dad's side, he finally got married when he was 39, I think. He and his wife have two kids, going on 8 and 6. My aunt on my dad's side has a boyfriend (she had two divorces and one son from each marriage, both of whom are going on 20 within the next few months and going on 16 (I think) within the next few months also). My grandparents on my dad's side were, in a way, together but they never divorced, even though they lived in separate houses. My grandparents on my mom's side divorced when I was probably only a few years old. My parents say that my grandfather had said something to my grandmother and I told him to get out of the house. I guess that surprised him. You wouldn't think that I was like that, giving how I am now. So, even though I have not been in a relationship at all (and most likely will never be), I see how it all goes, just by looking at my family.
When I was in high school, I took three years of German. After I told my parents that I was taking German, he said that my grandfather (his father) would be proud of me. When Janzen mentioned some words in German, I was able to understand what that word meant, even if it was only part of the word (such as Kalendarblatt).
And my heritage... I am Irish (probably why I loved the play Translations so much!), Dutch, German, American, Cherokee, and Norwegian. My great-grandfather on my dad's mom's side of the family is a direct descendant of the Vikings. My great-great-great grandmother on my mom's dad's side was a full-blooded Cherokee. Apparently, with there being Native American and Viking blood coursing through my veins (one from each side of the family), it is not a good mix because "my people" scalped people (Indians) and burned villages (Vikings), and my family is a group of people you probably do not want to mess with. I may be calm and sane, but that probably is not said for the rest of my family (including my aunt). We have such a bad temper.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Julia Kasdorf's Sleeping Preacher
I did not particularly care for Sleeping Preacher by Julia Kasdorf. I guess I kind of liked a little bit from it, specifically the tiniest things I can relate to, whether it was something I have gone through or something I see such as commercials. Just like I had said in class this past Wednesday, I can kind of relate to Kasdorf's poem "Green Market, New York."
My parents were born in the Chicago-land area. I was born in Kankakee, Illinois, as was my sister. We lived in Matteson, Illinois, for a little bit with my grandmother on my dad's side, and we lived in Richton Park, Illinois, for a little bit with my grandmother on my mom's side. We also lived in an apartment in Peotone, Illinois, for maybe up to three years before we moved to Gary, Indiana where we stayed for almost a year so that I could go to pre-school or headstart (whichever you prefer). That was in 1994-1995. In June of 1995, my parents, my sister, and I moved into our place in Nappanee, Indiana. We currently still live in the same exact house (actually, it is a 2 1/2 bedroom and 1 1/2 bath mobile home) that we moved into. This June will be 16 years that we have lived in Nappanee.
The difference between Kasdorf and my living areas is that she moved from (I'm guessing) a small town to a big city. Me, I moved from big cities to a small area (Nappanee is technically really a city, but a small city (you wouldn't think of it as being one)). The difference between both areas is that the city is loud, noisy, crowded, fast, and busy all of the time while Nappanee is quiet, peaceful, spread out, slow (even without the horses and buggys), and not busy (although the lunch hour and the 4/5 o'clock hour can be bad at times).
My family can relate to the poem "First TV in a Mennonite Family." Okay, well, we can't relate to the "first TV" thing or "Mennonite family" thing, but I can say that, when I was about ten or so, we had our first computer. Being on the computers at school does not really count because the computer technically is not yours. So, I think that we can, in a way, relate to the "first TV" thing.
My mom can relate to the title of the poem "After the Second Miscarriage." My mom had three miscarriages in total. She had one before me, a second between me and my sister, and one after my sister. The birth years for the last four of us would have been 1989 (me), 1990 (the middle sibling), 1991 (my sister), and 1992 (our brother). Even though I personally have not gone through miscarriages (let alone a pregnancy), I can say that my mother has gone through this.
There is more that I can say from, probably, the entire book, but I don't think I am going to do so because I can probably pick out one line from each poem and write an entire paragraph. So, I think that I am going to leave it here.
My parents were born in the Chicago-land area. I was born in Kankakee, Illinois, as was my sister. We lived in Matteson, Illinois, for a little bit with my grandmother on my dad's side, and we lived in Richton Park, Illinois, for a little bit with my grandmother on my mom's side. We also lived in an apartment in Peotone, Illinois, for maybe up to three years before we moved to Gary, Indiana where we stayed for almost a year so that I could go to pre-school or headstart (whichever you prefer). That was in 1994-1995. In June of 1995, my parents, my sister, and I moved into our place in Nappanee, Indiana. We currently still live in the same exact house (actually, it is a 2 1/2 bedroom and 1 1/2 bath mobile home) that we moved into. This June will be 16 years that we have lived in Nappanee.
The difference between Kasdorf and my living areas is that she moved from (I'm guessing) a small town to a big city. Me, I moved from big cities to a small area (Nappanee is technically really a city, but a small city (you wouldn't think of it as being one)). The difference between both areas is that the city is loud, noisy, crowded, fast, and busy all of the time while Nappanee is quiet, peaceful, spread out, slow (even without the horses and buggys), and not busy (although the lunch hour and the 4/5 o'clock hour can be bad at times).
My family can relate to the poem "First TV in a Mennonite Family." Okay, well, we can't relate to the "first TV" thing or "Mennonite family" thing, but I can say that, when I was about ten or so, we had our first computer. Being on the computers at school does not really count because the computer technically is not yours. So, I think that we can, in a way, relate to the "first TV" thing.
My mom can relate to the title of the poem "After the Second Miscarriage." My mom had three miscarriages in total. She had one before me, a second between me and my sister, and one after my sister. The birth years for the last four of us would have been 1989 (me), 1990 (the middle sibling), 1991 (my sister), and 1992 (our brother). Even though I personally have not gone through miscarriages (let alone a pregnancy), I can say that my mother has gone through this.
There is more that I can say from, probably, the entire book, but I don't think I am going to do so because I can probably pick out one line from each poem and write an entire paragraph. So, I think that I am going to leave it here.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
A Cappella Poems
I did not particularly care about the poem, “How to Write the New Mennonite Poem” by Jeff Gundy. Even though it is just a poem and it is not what you have to do, but I did not like the line, “Get the word ‘Mennonite’ in at least twice.” I thought that it was weird since it goes from Mennonites from the past to sex and wedding rings to the “miles you have come…” I think that the portrait Gundy gives to Mennonites is that as long as you remember the past, you are good to go (have a CD player, a vehicle, and like sex “even when you know the people…are listening”).
I liked the poem, “Mennonites” by Julia Kasdorf. I liked how Kasdorf describes Mennonites. I just do not like some of the things that Mennonites do not do such as dance. This reminds me of the scene in the movie Footloose with Kevin Bacon where he tells the audience and city council members that David danced. He danced for the rain, crops, and most of all, he danced for GOD. Another thing that I do not like is that God is always (no matter what) first. The reason I do not like this is probably because I am not religious so I do not really see eye-to-eye with religious people (but they also do not see where I am coming from such as violence vs. non-violence) so I always place family first.
I also liked the poem, “A New Mennonite Replies to Julia Kasdorf” by David Wright. I like this because it gives a different perspective to what Mennonites do and sheds light on some of the other things. I think that the portrait that Wright gives Mennonites is that they follow God, their minds wander, and “May God bless their mind’s wanderings.”
I liked the poem, “Mennonites” by Julia Kasdorf. I liked how Kasdorf describes Mennonites. I just do not like some of the things that Mennonites do not do such as dance. This reminds me of the scene in the movie Footloose with Kevin Bacon where he tells the audience and city council members that David danced. He danced for the rain, crops, and most of all, he danced for GOD. Another thing that I do not like is that God is always (no matter what) first. The reason I do not like this is probably because I am not religious so I do not really see eye-to-eye with religious people (but they also do not see where I am coming from such as violence vs. non-violence) so I always place family first.
I also liked the poem, “A New Mennonite Replies to Julia Kasdorf” by David Wright. I like this because it gives a different perspective to what Mennonites do and sheds light on some of the other things. I think that the portrait that Wright gives Mennonites is that they follow God, their minds wander, and “May God bless their mind’s wanderings.”
God Speaks to Me - My Poem
Okay, this is just something I came up with for the poems that we had to write. I know that it isn't any good and I'm not religious, but it is something for class. Note the number of words per line.
I lay in my bed with the blankets covering me.
I remember the preacher speaking of words God said.
But does the preacher lie? God spoke to
Me late that night. He told me
Not to breathe. For I was
to lead. I could not
Believe what I heard.
For then I
Led my
People.
I lay in my bed with the blankets covering me.
I remember the preacher speaking of words God said.
But does the preacher lie? God spoke to
Me late that night. He told me
Not to breathe. For I was
to lead. I could not
Believe what I heard.
For then I
Led my
People.
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