The soloist final

To acknowledge a sickness, especially as severe as Nathaniel's, takes a lot of courage. What differentiates a person with courage from a who acts on that courage determines a leader. Nathaniel has acknowledge his sickness and instead of dwelling on it, he decides, after obtaining help, to become a music therapist. One can argue that a person who needs help can't help anyone else. How this may be true in most cases, I dare to say that this a special one. For someone who has made the advancements in life as Nathaniel and benefits from the "therapy" of music, his music, that would not apply. Nathaniel is one of thousands of people that have realized that there are therapeutic remedies in music.

As a result to reading this story, it has occurred to me that Lopez is not the only hero and leader in this story. Nathaniel can be acknowledged as a hero in his own right as well in the rights of others. Nathaniel did not have the means by which he could provide opportunities for himself. That was Lopez's job. This among other things is what made Lopez a leader and hero. Nathaniel's claim to heroism and leadership is due to his decisions. As the old saying repeats, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make you can't make it drink it". Lopez opened the doors for Nathaniel but he had to choose whether to take advantage of it. Like most people, Nathaniel needed persuasion and substantiated reasoning to ultimately decide to take advantage of the opportunities set before him. At the end of the day, when you look back at how far Nathaniel has progressed and acknowledge his ultimate goal for his redefined life, a leader and a hero vaguely describe the person Nathaniel Ayers has become.

This book has opened my vision to the power of music. As a student that has made music a part of life, I have become more appreciative of my ability and opportunities. The story of Nathaniel Ayers has added an extra passion for playing and has provided new inspiration to use music as a form of public diplomacy.

Comment as you desire

Lopez vs. Ayers/ part 3

Steve Lopez appeared slightly weird to me in the beginning because of the way he approached Nathaniel. However, Lopez is now showing how smart and positively manipulating he is. Steve Lopez has shown to have a way with words and to provide compelling arguments. Lopez has so far convinced Nathaniel to do all that he wanted to do. One can take that and say that Lopez is trying to force Nathaniel in to doing things or just doing things his way. I used the term positively manipulating because despite Lopez doing so, he is doing it for the good of the Nathaniel. Even though final decisions are up to Nathaniel, Lopez has an instrumental position in the making of his decisions; in a way it can be said that Lopez is making the final decisions.

The way in which Lopez is capturing the "weak" side of Nathaniel can be described as the basic rule of friendship. Most people side with their friends on most positions and decisions. In such cases, the most persuasive friend can always capture their friends vote. In Nathaniel's case, his friends are limited but more so inactive. This leaves Nathaniel with Lopez who is of sound mind and good intentions. Therefore, Nathaniel ends up subjected to the reasoning of Lopez and ultimately listening to him as well. It can also be attributed to Lopez's superior writing ability. Because of this ability, he can eloquently persuade Nathaniel into going with his reasoning, thus Nathaniel gaining things to benefit him. As is the case of the room and lessons, Lopez was able to convince Nathaniel into taking the room. As a result of this, Nathaniel could no longer be deemed homeless and acquired lesson to advance his gift.

The Soloist 2

We live in such an un predictable world. We do not have control over some of the things that happen in life and for Nathaniel Ayers, this holds true on a higher level. Nathaniel seemed to be a promising musician. But that career wasput on hold by a diagnosis of schizopherenia. Thats it!!!, is what went off in my head when this was revealed in Lopez's story. Now I realized what made him stick out to the point of writing a story about him. This disease is what ultimately landed Ayers in the position that he is in. In a way, I could almost feel his pain. As a musician, anything that threatens your career, brings great pain and distress. This left me with the question, " What could have been"? What could have been the outcome of Ayers' life had this sickness have remained dormant.

At first I was skeptical of Lopez. Lopez's job by nature is to find out information. It seemed as though Lopez was using Ayer. It slightly came across as Lopez taking of advantage of a sickness by trying to write a good story. As the book unfolds Lopez's kindness and genorsity begans to break through. I also noticed that Lopez gravitates to the stories which provide an inspiation for others. Lopez appears to be one who seeks to help others.

You can pick one or both, consider that they are 2 seperate thoughts

The Soloist

By far, the soloist has to be one of the easiet books to read and comprhend. This is made possible because LOopez is a modern writer, therefore the word choices and writing style are of today. So far the story of Nathaniel Ayers, reads as it was intended; a feature story. The book obviously explains things in greater detail, however, it still reads a story that is being written for the purpose of "reporting".

The actual story grasps my attention from musical aspect. So far we realize that Nathaniel Ayers is a street musician. My initail thought was, "Okay big deal". We live in a world with alot of those so I didn't really catch why he was so important. As I began to read further, Lopez's observation of classical training, began to make me want to know. This was mostly because I could relate to Lopez's observation. There has been plenty of times when I have heard musicians and could tell wether they were trained to play music. At this point my mind begins to wonder, "What is going on"? This question came to mind due my knowledge of music and the buisness. One of the biggest challenges for musicians is their ability to read music. Especially in the classical world, you have to know how to read music or it will be hard to land a job, even more so when you are called to fill in for someone at the last minute. Because of this, I wonder why Nathaniel Ayers was a street musician. If he studied at Julliard, I'm sure he read music so what happened.





Please respond a you see fit.

Catcher and the rye

This one, That one, and everyone else. Holden is quite a picky person and seems to think that the only one perfect is him. He constantly take notice of those who appear to be fake and un-real. He basically leaves school because he doesn't like the people. I would like to pose the idea that He is the problem. IT is quite true that there will always be someone around that you can't co inside. However, I do not think this holds true to everywhere you go. If this is the case, one can argue that the discoverer of all these "false" acts is the problem. In my opinion, these don't seem like things big enough to act on, let alone switch schools however, Holden sees fit to do so.

One can ask the question, " Is there an underline current to Holden's behavior"? It can be concluded that Holden seems to be a un-happy, more or less non content. The way he behaves could be an testament to his dis -gratification with himself instead of people. The characteristics he finds wrong with people may be the ones he wishes he had.


I would like you to respond with perspectives that agree and disagree with this view of holden

Fitzgerald to Willy

Willy, in my opinion, portrays the mindset of F. Scott Fitzgerald. In the Great Gatsby, I believe that the plot of the story was based upon the life struggles of the author. Fitzgerald may having been dealing with trying to decide the type of life he wanted to live. It didn't seem at first that Fitzgerald had expertise in a particular trade. Through further investigation of Fitzgerald's life, we find that he wanted to be a famous writer. I believe the problem came when it was time for him to decide how to do it and what to do with the earnings. One can venture to say that he had a discipline issue when it came to money.

As Fitzgerald parallels to Willy, this may have been a shared quality. Its seems that Willy had a successful career as a salesman. I believe during his prime, he could sell anything. Due to this, i believe he always had money, however, this became a problem. Throughout the play it seems that Willy could be easily persuaded into anything and as a result, it ended with senseless spending on his part. This ultimately would put him in a financial bond therefore preventing him from making insurance payments and so forth. Eventually he gets to a play where he is trying to kill himself. Willy just as Fitzgerald couldn't handle the pressure. Fitzgerald from what I know didn't intentionally try to kill himself but did have a severe drinking problem. In both cases, I believe that these cases stem from the incapability of handling the pressure of the time, especially with money.

Both men elude to some greater struggle during their time. What was so hard about keeping and controlling money? It seems that when this problem arose, people with the problem cracked under pressure and tried to do themselves in.

Reflections

Blogging has been a great help for me. It has me in the aspect of thinking as it pertains to proof reading. Because we as the commenters must provide good and serious comments. This forces us to pay close attention to different thigns including grammar. This has provided practice on proofreading. This also has forced me to pay close attention to what I write; so that I don't make the same, senseless, or any mistakes. This method of communication has strengthened my ability and tolerance for reading long pieces of writing. I always stray away from reading long pieces of writing, however I now count an honor and priviledge to read the work of my peers, despite it's length. As a thinker, it has opened up another point of view in my way of thinking. I now understand and relate to my peers alot more in more aspects besides music. I now find myself connecting with different ones in a higher intellectual, academic, political, and societal level.

A concern with the blogging is the gap that seems to still exist. In our attempt to restore and even establish a bond with 11-1, I don't feel that it has been accomplished as of yet. Not excluding myself, it seems as if we are not commenting as much on the work of our extended peers. When given the direction to comment, I see that will still manage to comment within he class. There is no problem with that, however, when trying to break the communication barrier between the two classes, I don't think we are moving closer to that goal. Perhaps instating the stipulation that it is mandatory to comment on works of the other class will get this accomplished.

Overall, blogging contributes to the overall success of communication we now have within class. I find it as an enjoyable experience and quite helpful to me. The ability to read, comment , and reflect on the work of my peers has helped me substantially.

F. Scott Fitzgerald/ The Great Gatsby

“Riches have never fascinated me, unless combined with the greatest charm or distinction.”
–Letter, Aug. 1936, to Ernest Hemingway

In comparison and in context to the Great Gatsby, this quote by Fitzgerald is portrayed through the story. In this quote, Fitzgerald is basically saying that his fascination with riches is only constituted by charm or distinction. In the Great Gatsby, their as a true distinction between riches. In a way, it was a comparison to the right way to get money and the wrong way. In one corner there was Tom and Daisy who's wealth was gained in the "right way" and in the other corner you have Gatsby who's wealth was gained the "wrong way".

As it pertains to Tom and Daisy, there was no doubt that their wealth was substantial and would last. Tom coming from a rich family ensured that his wealth would be their to stay. There was talk about how he made investment decisions and all sorts of things to save. Daisy was also apart of this wealth. She received all the benefits from Tom's wealth and throughout the book it was quite clear that she was happy and "charming" to all. This is one type of wealth Fitzgerald would be interested in because it brings happiness, joy, and a charming demeanor. As the book progressed, a question of Daisy's happiness and charm began to develop. Was her happiness and charm her justification. Was she just trying to hide her true feelings in the charm of her wealth? If this is the case, how could Fitzgerald possibly be interested in it? In the documentary it was learned that Fitzgerald had a severe drinking problem. This problem was the ultimate source of his demise. IF Fitzgerald lived a life style like that: probably under the assumption that drinking could heal some type of pain or put on a fake image of happiness, he would probably justify he happiness in the "charm of his wealth".

Distinction!! When this word is used or thought of the word different comes to mind. Set apart, separate, and not the same all come to mind when trying to define this word. Gatsby was certainly different and the way he operated was certainly not the same as Tom and Daisy. Fitzgerald said his other fascination with charm comes from distinction. He doesn't want to be like someone else; in this case he doesn't want to have the same type of wealth as someone else. Some may venture to say that Fitzgerald wanted to be a pioneer in entrepreneurship, however I am not fully persuaded that this is the case. In the Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a man, an ominous man and a man of wealth. However, the way he received his wealth was surely different than Tom. Gatsby was an unauthorized dealer of alcohol. One of the things that made Tom wealthy was the fact that his wealth was substantial. Gatsby had to continuously go out and get his wealth. He was not set up for life. His wealth was also not guaranteed. At any given point in the day, his wealth could be taken away from him. As this relates to Fitzgerald, I believe he would have also gone with this type of wealth. It seems that all he wanted was happiness or distinction. He seems that he would do anything to be rich and would not be concerned at how he was viewed nor his true feelings. As already stated, he was an alcoholic. In many ways this could have been a sign to a lifestyle that he considered.

Fitzgerald seemed like a man who struggled with his identity. He didn't quit know what he wanted to do, how to do it, or who he was. The Great Gatsby, now appears to me a internal conflict he was having with himself: debating on the lifestyle that he wanted. In this book he does an excellent job of showing the pro's and con's of each side. I am lead to believed that these were the two lifestyle in particular, that Fitzgerald had in mind while deciding his life. Charm and distinction was what he wanted and the Great Gatsby described both of which he would pursue.

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby Chapt. One

Main Characters:

Nick
Daisy
Tom
Ms. Baker
Mr. Gatsby

Nick- from the midwest, lives with his parents, came to the east to get involved with the stock world

Daisy- Nick's distant cousin, married to Tom

Tom- went to college with Nick, very arrogant, very wealthy, strong, physically in shape, non-content, cheating on his wife

Mr. Gatsby- mysterious, lives on the west egg

Ms. Baker- friend of Daisy, plays golf

The first chapter gave explicit details on the characters except Mr. Gatsby. He seems to be very mysterious. Nick seems to contradict himself. Even though he doesn't openly judge, his does in his mind. He still lives with his parents and doesn't have much to his name. Tom is very stuck up and extremely prideful. Daisy is also prideful and just talks about all she has done and seen.

Poetry Supermarket/ Momaday

http://www.hanksville.org/voyage/poems/Tsoai-talee.html

1. N. Scott. Momaday, was a Native Amercian ; and in his writings, especially "The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee", it is quite evident. That poem starts out as a "Where I'm from" format: the phrase "I am" is continuosly repeated throughout the first half of the poem. The things and phrases that are used to describe who he is, pertain to; if not directly to, someone of Native American decent. Momaday grew up on a reservation. Statements such as " I am: a feather on the bright sky, the shadow that follows a child, the evening light, the lustre of meadows, an eagle playing with the wind, and a cluster of bright beads", elude to his Native culture. Throughout readings of Native Amercian literature, they always pay tribute to and in some way write about those things that symbolize their culture. Momaday calls himself the bright sky, feather, wind and bright beads; all of which describe how the Natives lived and dressed. In a way, Momaday can be viewed as a contemporary romanticist: by the way his writings appeal to nature and his surroundings. For this poem makes references to the setting of a reservation.

2. The theme of "The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee", in my opinion is identity. In this poem the repeatitive use of the phrase " I am" shows someone making a declarative statement. Momamday or the narrator is declaring who they are. By the declarations it can be assumed that this person is Native American. Nevertheless, their nationality is not stated, therefore we are just left with the though of someone affirming thir identity and letting us know what they are but not whom. Despite this being not being a speech, a use of emotinal rhetoric is being used. As it was already pre-stated, the phrase "I am" was used in a repeatitive fashion. This is use of rhetoric appeals to the readers emotions. The repeated phrase grabs the attention to the reader. If it were a speech, listeners would have attached themselves and began to reapet the phrase along with them as is was given. This poem could possibly be deemed as motivational, with hopes that the phrase "I am" would motivate someone to declare who they are and become confident.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/angle-of-geese/

3. In the " Angle of Geese", Momaday once again makes a referance to is Native Amercian culture. In the latter part of the poem, he talks about hunting for geese. It can be assumed that this is a reference to his culture because of what is known as "general knowledge" of the Natives. It is known that the Native men were to hunt for the food for their families. It is also known that the Natives lived in reservstions or on a plain. Particularly for them, geese were a common abundance for them as food. In the earlier part of the poem Momaday is illustrating a real life situation. Because of the verbage being used, you can assume it is an American situation. He is talking about the death of a child. The assumption comes from the play on words when he uses the term wake. A wake is something that is affiliated with catholicism, that follows death. Most Amercians are catholic, thus the assumption being made. He also beings to discuss the American dialect; how it differs from others. He talks about how the typical American would verbally express remorse and saddness toward this particaular happening. Now he begans to show his "true" American influence by writing about maybe what he may consider a problem for Americans. He also maybe trying to show the difference between Americans and other; maybe trying to prove whether it is better or worst, more advanced or less advanced, more emotional or less emotional.

4. Nothing distictinly makes the author American by their works. However, in a way, it eludes to it. The history of America is quite rich and America has been known as a "melting pot". Because of this identity, their are various types of Americans. I believe that the acknowledgement of their own culture and discussion and theme of American society shows that they are American poets. More so with " Angle of Geese" in comparison to " The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee", this thought is prominent. Momaday took an situation, explored the American way the situation would be handled, and compared it to a more cultural situation of his time. This seems to be the way American poets are identified without or outside of stating that the poet is American

Romanticism to Realism

1.) The writings of Kate Chopin compare to the Romantics in a sense of simplicity. Between the two stories, Kate Chopin has the main character picking up on and dealing with the simplest matters. In "lilacs", the mother superior is constantly noticing and identifing those things thats have changeed and show to be different from her last visit. In "a pair of silk stockings" the main character is deciding how to spend money. Despite the change in era, it seems as though the idea of bringing magnification and attention to the simple things in life is re-occuring. As the proggression is made, the writings are changing from people realizing and dwelling in a imaginative place nature but people realizing the little things in the social world with everyone else.

2.)In "a pair of silk stockings" and "lilacs", the presence of a theme was equally dominant. In " a pair of silk stockings", the main character was contemplating about the proper way to spend fifteen dollars. The theme that seemed to be present was one of wisdom. I belive that Kate Chopin was trying to convey a message on how to use wisdom in even the simplest of situatuions. In a way, this could have been her way of saying that: judging by the way the nation is being run and the decsions being made, wisdom and contemplation is not being put to use.

In "lilacs", Kate Chopin is showing the essence of living a true life. The story is centered upon a woman who is living two different lives. The story results in the woman being banned from a place in which she enjoyed belonging to and visiting. Perhaps Chopin could be sending a warning message to the society saying that those things that are done in secretivity, and are contrary to the way(s) of life you choose to live; the truth will be revealed.

In my opinion, each of these "ideologies" of how and what society should be like tie in to each other. A person should live one life and stay true themselves. They should not live a life full of facades; for they wil be exposed. However, applying wisdom and a moment of contemplation, will help that person in their proceedings during life.

3.) While reading the two passages, it appears that Chopin is a feminist writer. It seems as though she is writing to women to help with their empowerment and to pass along wisdom. However, Chopin writes for, in my opinion, a society of people that need guidance in how live a "normal" life. Her writings give "advice" and serve as a thinking point for all those who are filled with ambivalence. Her writings force the reader to do a self examination and change their way of living. Furthermore, it can be concluded that she writing for all who apply.


4.) As a reader, Kate Chopin has added on to the life lessons that I have been taught thus far. Before making any decision, you must consider all the possible choices and options. Think about each choice; understanding whom it affects and benefits. In the long run, the decision is yours and you should decided for yourself and no else however, you must keep in mind others and realize that even the simplest of things impact people. Just as those decisions impact others, they impact you. The decisions you make impact your own life and you must decide which road and lifesyle is good for you. You have to pick one life to live because you will be exposed.

5.) The initial attraction to Kate Chopin was the fact that her story was the shortest. However, after reading, I found that her writing was very symbolic and left good messages and concepts. "But Adrienne could not sleep. She did not greatly desire to do so. These hours seemed too precious to be cast into the oblivion of slumber. Are you asleep, Adrienne? No, Sister Agathe. You know it is always so the first night. The excitement of my arrival-I don't know what-keeps me awake"

Because of my religous up bringing, this statement was more spiritual than anything else. To me this statement expressed some of the affects of trying to hide something. She could not sleep; to me that seemed to be a paranoia of hers. When you know you are hiding something, simple life procedures become hesitated. You constantly feel uneasy and you do not know what it is. You constantly find yourself trying to justify its happening. When you enter into a place that you are that is foreign to your life style and differs than your usual dwellings, you don't feel right. You will begin to feel conviction, especially when the foreign inhabitance is the better choice and solution, you will constanly feel troubled. In the end result someone will always find out. You now will be forced to make a decision about which way you choose to live.

The message it brought about for me was that you can't run from God and your wrong doing will catch up to you, thus leaving you in worst shape than when you began. When you find yourself in a place that conflicts with your spirit man, you will always find confusion. Living the right life will always benefit you and it will keep you out of trouble.

Can writing enact social change?

Writing can truly enact social change. On a daily basis one will hear stories about how people have read something, agreeded with their ideas, and now are trying to implement them into their daily living. Ultimately, as they have taken heed to what they have read, it will begin to impact their life annd actions. This now affects the way they contribute to society; thus the changing of the society, especially if the idea grabs more than one person. Dr. King a perfect example of the this societal changed, based upon readings. Mohondas K. Ghandi was a person King followed dearly due to his beliefs. Dr. King followed these ideasand changed the face of the nation. THe bombing of Baghdad was a wonderful piece: in which I believe could changed the views of society. This poem was quite harsh yet sweet and to the point. She made it very clear, to me, that their were no pleasure of war. They were bombing everyhing and everybody. This poem should and could stir people to stop and oppose un-warranted war.

The Price of a Child

What is price? Who dictates it? How accurate is it? Is it a feasible price? Are you willing to pay it? The “Price of a Child” is a novel, in which the reader is faced with a constant question; on which the entire story is based. This story is about a mother faced with determining the price of a child. Ultimately the comparison is the child or freedom.

Price is defined as the sum or amount of money or its equivalent for which anything is bought, sold, or offered for sale. Could any amount of money be offered for a child? Can a monetary bounty be placed on a child? By the rules and regulations of that time, five-hundred dollars is the price of a child. It is clear that this price was dictated by the slave owners of that time. Who can say whether the price was accurate? Its feasibility at the time was not exactly available at the time. By the end of the story, however, a way was made to make that monetary demand feasible; which introduced the price of a child. It can be assumed that this was a price that Mercer was willing to pay. Throughout the story it was evident that Bennie remained at the back of Ginnie’s, now Mercer’s, mind. Thoughts of guilt and worriment often traveled through her mind. By the efforts of Mr. Still and his helpers, they saw it as a price they and her alike were willing to pay. But does this substantiate its true price?

Judged by Pryor’s actions, the price of a child is worth fighting over in the court of law. Pryor showed it to be very clear that all and any efforts were necessary to regain a child, and in his case, his children. This price was dictated by his ownership. Because he owned,in the father sense, those children; he decided that all he could possibly do was the price he would pay for his child. It was clear that it was a feasible price. Being in the land where restrictions was placed on the vigilance comities; all he had to do was build the story and the court would have deemed him victorious, and he was willing to accept it. But did he truly give all he could? If it weren’t for Nicaragua, could he have actually come out on top?

The price of a child is putting you’re life on pause and on the line. Mr. Still and the vigilance committee put there lives on the line so that they would not loose a child of freedom to the wiles of slavery once again. Mr. Still even faced days of imprisonment with efforts of freeing someone. This was a price that was dictated by morals and ethics of all types of people, particularly the ones involved in these efforts. Zilpha, Tyree, The Quicks and so forth all agree that their price was dictated by morals and ethics, thus their price of a child valuing up to helping someone else. This was a more that feasible price. Despite the restrictions placed on the vigilance committee, the law of the land made it possible that all blacks were entitled to freedom. With this, all they needed was an open confession and an act backed by free will and not by force. This made it possible for them to gain a child of freedom. But was it enough?

Freedom would be the price of which a child’s life would be equated with, according to Mercer. There comes a time where tolerance and patience has been obliterated and you must do whatever it takes to ensure your own happiness; this was now her time. Who is to say whether this accurate or not? This decision is made based upon the times and living conditions of the said time era. Its feasibility was extremely high to the point where it was obtained. Despite the continuous thoughts of guilt and worriment, it was indeed a price she was willing to pay. It was proposed to her by governing law of the land but she was the ultimate dictator of the price. The choice made determined the price she paid but was it a price worth paying? Was the constant heart ache worth it? Was the feeling of guilt and the thoughts of worriment worth it? The secrecy from the rest and the embitterment of Pryor, was it worth it?

I believe that the price of a child is all you have. All you can do, all you can give. Sometimes that mindset can get clouded by the daily experiences and struggles of you’re daily life. However, was the feeling of guilt and worriment, imprisonment of others, help from others, and law actions of others worth it? For her it surely was. In the end result she was able to determine and fulfill the price of her child, but it was already done. The people surrounding her showed their view on the price of a child. They assisted and did all they could to cope with the cost of the child. Mercer in my opinion had every intention on getting her child back and did everything she was told and had to do to fulfill that ultimate goal.

This is the price of a child, all you have, can give, can do, and can bear to ensure their care.