Q2 Outside Reading #2

The beginning really goes into detail on Frank's life.He and his brothers spend most of their days at the park across the street. His mother is always taking care of Margaret, his little sister, and doesn't have time for him and his brothers. They go to the park to play and are yelled at if they come back before she tells them. We also see another side of Frank; he beats up his neighbor, Freddie. Before this I always thought of him as a scrawny, pathetic little boy but here he is beating up kids. Another tragedy hits them and Margaret dies. Margaret had brought many good changes to the family- Malachy had stopped drinking and the family got along better. Once she died, Malachy was gone for days drinking and Angela lost it mentally. She spent her days laying in bed not talking. Angela's cousins come and help her out and end up shipping her off to Ireland with her family.

The family arrives in Ireland with practically nothing and no money. They go to Malachy's parents house in Northern Ireland and spent the night, but his parents don't want them staying. Then they travel to Dublin to see if Malachy can collect his money he's owed for having served in teh army. They won't give him the money and so they are stranded. Finally they make it to Angela's mother's house. It's very crowded there and her mom makes it clear they aren't very welcomed.

Outside Reading Post #1

I am reading the book Angela's Ashes. It's a memoir of Frank McCourt, a little Irish boy that grew up in poverty. His life was a constant struggle. Frank's life was harder than it would have been had his parents not been forced into their marriage. The McCourt's grew up in a poor neighborhood. Because his father was a drunk, his siblings and he suffered. His father, Malachy, was never able to hold a job. Angela questions, "Are you coming home so that we can have a bit of supper or will it be  midnight  with no money in your pocket...?" (McCourt 26). When Malachy knocked Angela up, he was not prepared to be a father or husband. He was constantly drunk and knew he wouldn't be able to support his family. Angela's cousins forced him to marry her when she could have done better. She could have married someone else who held a steady job and would bring his wages home. Malachy spent all his wages in the pubs and as a consequence his family never had enough food to eat or even clothes to wear. 

He also suffers because his mother is weak. She's not physically weak, but emotionally. Angela grew up poor in Limerick, Ireland, and traveled to America in hopes of a better life. Angela's cousins chides, "That's what you get for being such a fool" (McCourt 19). Angela hooked up with Malachy right after arriving in New York. She let the excitement of being in a new city, being around new people, and being free from her old life, influence her to do something rash. She ended up paying for it dearly and it affected her children too.  Angela resented being tied down to a drunk and having five children on top of it. She was never really a caring, loving mother that young children need. Had Frank grown up with a mother that truly cared for him, he would not have been so self-conscience. Both his parents made poor ethical choices; he drank himself stupid and she was too weak to say no.

Outside Reading for Visual Literacy Unit (Fourth Outside Reading)

"Recalling a Mission to Capture an Era's Misery" New York Times. 17 October 2008. nytimes.com. 22 October 2008

This article is about the photographers helped shaped a nation. During the Great Depression, Roy Stryker was working with the government to show the poverty going on. He turned these photographes into something monumental. His photos showed the rest of America the hardships everyone was going through, especially the farmers. Today, most of these pictures are in the Library of Congress. They helped define a generation and also photography. This relates to what we're studying in visual literacy because Roy Stryker helped advance photography. A lot of what we study today, he expanded upon.

Neighbor and Sister in Leaves

Third Outside Reading

"The NFL Thrives on Mayhem, and the Brutality has Increased" Star Tribune. 9 October 2008. startribune.com 9 October 2008

This article is about the growing violence in the NFL. More and more these days, players are sacrificing their bodies to win and end up badly injured. It explores how the game has changed from when it started and how much more physical it is. One theory was expressed that people today love to watch because of the violence. This relates to The Iliad because the whole story takes place during the Trojan War. It's all about killing, and blood and guts. 

Second Outside Reading

"Tot Called 911 to Slaying Scene, Cop Testifies." CNN. 3 October 2008. CNN.com. 5 October 2008

This article is about the murder of the Steven and Michelle Andrews. Three years ago they were brutally murdered. Their son, two years old at the times, called the police. They know it was him because when the police showed up the boy had a phone in his hand and because they can hear his voice calling out to his mom in the 911 recording. They caught the killer and he's now in court. If convicted guilty he faces life sentence or death. He killed them because his girlfriend was cheating on him with Steven Andrews. This relates to The Odyssey in several ways. The little Andrews boy could be compared to Telemachus. Telemachus is trying to watch out for his mother and help her. The little Andrews boy was the one to call the police to inform them of the murder. Also, in The Odyssey, Agamemnon is killed by his wife for having cheat on her. While Steven's wife didn't kill him, there were still tragic consequences from the situation.

Is Homer sexist or feminist?

I believe that Homer is a sexist. While it is true that some women, such as Pallas Athena, held some power, the majority of women from The Odyssey didn't have any power. In the Odyssey, Calypso is viewed as the temptress or in modern day terms, the "house wrecker". Calypso kept Odysseus on her island, preventing him from getting home. We place blame on Calypso for keeping Odysseus, but some part of him wanted to stay. He claimed passionately he wanted to return home and see his family, yet he still slept with Calypso. Another example of Homer's sexism is how most of the powerful immortals are men. Yes, there's Athena and Aphrodite and Hera, but none of them have the supreme power. Zeus holds all the power, then his two brothers Poseidon and Hades come next. Hera is also the child of Cronus, so why doesn't she have just as much power? It's because she's a female. 

Another way that Homer presents himself as sexist is how he portrays Penelope. While she stays faithful to Odysseus, there are suitors lined up wishing to marry her. Homer doesn't have her stand up to the suitors and tell them to go home. He doesn't write that Penelope defends herself. Odysseus has to come home and save her from the suitors because she's just a helpless woman. Throughout The Iliad and The Odyssey men were warriors ransacking cities. They took home troves of treasures such as jewels and gold. They also took home women. These men treated women as slaves. It didn't matter that they were already married, they were possessions now. The women were forced into slavery, treated badly, and were usually raped.