Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
January 31, 2008
Journal #15 Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton
Quote:
"I feel very sure that San Diego County will be selected for fruit and grape-growing. In two years grape vines begin to bear; the same with figs, peaches and other fruits"(Ruiz de Burton 97).
Summary:
Don Mariano is trying to persuade the European settlers to grow fruits instead of grains in their recently acquired land.
Response:
It's amazing just how right Don Mariano was about what type of crop to produce in San Diego County. It's funny how a story in a book written over one hundred years ago can be so right about our current agricultural system. I find it amusing that the white farmers are so intent on growing grain in a land that they do not know. Don Mariano is a rich and successful man with a plethora of knowledge about San Diego. Yet the white farmers are being stubborn and sticking to their grain. The best part of the whole story is how the white farmers accuse Don Mariano's cattle of destroying their crop when in actuality it is the climate of San Diego that is the culprit. What I wonder is how did Don Mariano know just how successful fruits would be in San Diego County. It probably has to do with how long he spent raising cattle on his land.
One thing I do not quite understand is just how helpful Don Mariano seems to be. He has had his land taken away yet he is making all kinds of offers to the farmers that have taken his land. He offers to sell him his own cattle interest free. He just sounds to good to be true. He is making way to many compromises considering the situation he is in. Although on one hand He does not have much of a choice, especially after the Treaty of Hidalgo granted the America so much land. It must have been extremely difficult for the Mexican and Spanish landowners to give up their land unwillingly.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Trail of Tears
Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
January 31, 2008
Journal #14 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
"I looked North and South and East and West, and saw nothing but dust, and I heard a great weeping. I saw woman crying , and I saw my men shot down by the white people"(Winnemucca 506).
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca is describing the cruelty that the Native Americans faced when the whites came onto the Native Americans land.
Response:
This quote reminds me of the Trail of Tears. An unfortunate movement made by the Native Americans when they were forced to migrate onto new lands. Thousands of Native Americans perished. This quote shows just how cruel and unforgiving the whites were. They had absoulutly no compassion for the Native Americans. It can not begin to imagine what the Native Americans felt after existing on their land for thousands of years only to be kicked off and systematically killed by the whites. The one thing that I find so hard to believe is how Winnemucca's grandfather would tell the story of the long lost white brother. Even after they were treaded terribly her grandfather still gave the whites the benefit of the doubt. I'm very pleased that Scott has taught us so much about California's history that you do not get in conventional by the book classes.
Winnemucca's life, seen form just a few chapters in her autobiography, is an amazing one. The one thing I do not quite understand is why people would argue that she was mostly self promoting. To me it seems that she was speaking for her people and trying to rally for the Piute's lost land and rights. I know there is the argument of the Indian princess but that argument just does not hold enough ground for me. She may have dressed up in the stereotypical dress just so that the white people would accept her and listen to her words. To me she is doing whatever it takes for her cause.
English 48B
January 31, 2008
Journal #14 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
"I looked North and South and East and West, and saw nothing but dust, and I heard a great weeping. I saw woman crying , and I saw my men shot down by the white people"(Winnemucca 506).
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca is describing the cruelty that the Native Americans faced when the whites came onto the Native Americans land.
Response:
This quote reminds me of the Trail of Tears. An unfortunate movement made by the Native Americans when they were forced to migrate onto new lands. Thousands of Native Americans perished. This quote shows just how cruel and unforgiving the whites were. They had absoulutly no compassion for the Native Americans. It can not begin to imagine what the Native Americans felt after existing on their land for thousands of years only to be kicked off and systematically killed by the whites. The one thing that I find so hard to believe is how Winnemucca's grandfather would tell the story of the long lost white brother. Even after they were treaded terribly her grandfather still gave the whites the benefit of the doubt. I'm very pleased that Scott has taught us so much about California's history that you do not get in conventional by the book classes.
Winnemucca's life, seen form just a few chapters in her autobiography, is an amazing one. The one thing I do not quite understand is why people would argue that she was mostly self promoting. To me it seems that she was speaking for her people and trying to rally for the Piute's lost land and rights. I know there is the argument of the Indian princess but that argument just does not hold enough ground for me. She may have dressed up in the stereotypical dress just so that the white people would accept her and listen to her words. To me she is doing whatever it takes for her cause.
A strong voice
Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
January 31, 2008
Journal #13 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
"You call my people bloodseeking. My people did not seek to kill them, nor did they steak their horses, -no, no, far from it. During the winter my people helped them(Winnemucca 504).
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca flips the savage stereotype that is given to the Indians by the whites and places the stereotype on to the whites.
Response:
For a Indian woman to say such true words takes a courage beyond measure. Not only was Winnemucca the first Native American published but in her first publication she calls out the white people as savages. I love how she completely flips the savage stereotype onto the true savages. If you listen to the word it even sounds harsh and demeaning. The word savage has a very strong and precise pronunciation that makes the impact of this word feel a lot stronger. It's funny how the European settlers received so much help form the Native Americans and taught basically how to survive, in these new lands, yet the whites have the nerve to call the Native Americans savages. The Native Americans were anything but savage. They lived in a lot more peacful communities, they shared all their land and they bathed and maintained their hygeine. It was the Europeans who had poor hygiene, smelled horribly and practiced in private ownership of everything. The irony of who is calling who a savage just overwhelms me. Every time I read about the European treatment of the Native Americans it simply startles me.
I wanted to end this blog entry by saying just how courageous Winnemucca was in calling out the whites as savages. The Piute people should be proud that they had such a strong voice in their community that spoke out for her people.The only unfortunate thing is that it has taken so long for scholars and readers to recognize the importance and impact that Winnemucca's writings had. The part that speaks to Winnemucca's positive influence is how Norton's Anthology and their scholars put Winnemucca into their anthology.
English 48B
January 31, 2008
Journal #13 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
"You call my people bloodseeking. My people did not seek to kill them, nor did they steak their horses, -no, no, far from it. During the winter my people helped them(Winnemucca 504).
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca flips the savage stereotype that is given to the Indians by the whites and places the stereotype on to the whites.
Response:
For a Indian woman to say such true words takes a courage beyond measure. Not only was Winnemucca the first Native American published but in her first publication she calls out the white people as savages. I love how she completely flips the savage stereotype onto the true savages. If you listen to the word it even sounds harsh and demeaning. The word savage has a very strong and precise pronunciation that makes the impact of this word feel a lot stronger. It's funny how the European settlers received so much help form the Native Americans and taught basically how to survive, in these new lands, yet the whites have the nerve to call the Native Americans savages. The Native Americans were anything but savage. They lived in a lot more peacful communities, they shared all their land and they bathed and maintained their hygeine. It was the Europeans who had poor hygiene, smelled horribly and practiced in private ownership of everything. The irony of who is calling who a savage just overwhelms me. Every time I read about the European treatment of the Native Americans it simply startles me.
I wanted to end this blog entry by saying just how courageous Winnemucca was in calling out the whites as savages. The Piute people should be proud that they had such a strong voice in their community that spoke out for her people.The only unfortunate thing is that it has taken so long for scholars and readers to recognize the importance and impact that Winnemucca's writings had. The part that speaks to Winnemucca's positive influence is how Norton's Anthology and their scholars put Winnemucca into their anthology.
Friday, January 25, 2008
The difficult choice
Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
January 25, 2008
Journal #12 Mark Twain
Quote:
"All right, then, I'll go to hell"-and tore it up.
Summary:
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", reaches the books climax when Huck Finn chooses saving his friend Jim and hell over heaven.
Response:
There is not much I can write that will give this quote enough justice about it's impact and tremendous meaning to the book and its audience. The power that this quote holds is just enormous. What I find interesting about Huck Finn is how much of a believer he is in the Christian heaven and hell. Everyone, especially Tom Sawyer, calls out Huck Finn for being ignorant and not very smart. Yet what they do not see is just how incredibly bright Huck Finn is. Granted it took him almost the whole book to come to the realization that blacks are humans too but in this point or race relations seeing a black person as a human is the last thing that is going through the thought process of a white person. It's funny how Miss Watson was trying to "civilize" Huck when it actually turns out to be the person that everybody would have least expected.
The above quote is the moral highpoint in the life of a child that has no family and is cast into society as a no good vagrant. Yet even in these terrible circumstances Huck Finn is able to achieve a level of moral enlightenment that almost no one knows. Its just amazing how one line of a book can have so much emotion and feelings attached. Huck Finn is breaking all of societies rules by helping the Jim escape and still Huck finds it within himself to throw away societies and religions preconceptions about Jim and make the right choice. Huck Finn at this point in the book is leaps and bounds ahead of everybody in terms of his morale standing. Even though he honestly believes that he is going to hell for his decision , Huck Finn has no idea that he just bought himself a guaranteed spot into Heaven.
English 48B
January 25, 2008
Journal #12 Mark Twain
Quote:
"All right, then, I'll go to hell"-and tore it up.
Summary:
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", reaches the books climax when Huck Finn chooses saving his friend Jim and hell over heaven.
Response:
There is not much I can write that will give this quote enough justice about it's impact and tremendous meaning to the book and its audience. The power that this quote holds is just enormous. What I find interesting about Huck Finn is how much of a believer he is in the Christian heaven and hell. Everyone, especially Tom Sawyer, calls out Huck Finn for being ignorant and not very smart. Yet what they do not see is just how incredibly bright Huck Finn is. Granted it took him almost the whole book to come to the realization that blacks are humans too but in this point or race relations seeing a black person as a human is the last thing that is going through the thought process of a white person. It's funny how Miss Watson was trying to "civilize" Huck when it actually turns out to be the person that everybody would have least expected.
The above quote is the moral highpoint in the life of a child that has no family and is cast into society as a no good vagrant. Yet even in these terrible circumstances Huck Finn is able to achieve a level of moral enlightenment that almost no one knows. Its just amazing how one line of a book can have so much emotion and feelings attached. Huck Finn is breaking all of societies rules by helping the Jim escape and still Huck finds it within himself to throw away societies and religions preconceptions about Jim and make the right choice. Huck Finn at this point in the book is leaps and bounds ahead of everybody in terms of his morale standing. Even though he honestly believes that he is going to hell for his decision , Huck Finn has no idea that he just bought himself a guaranteed spot into Heaven.
Tom Sawyers wild imagination
Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
January 25, 2008
Journal #11 Mark Twain
Quote:
"He said there was loads of them there, anyway; and he said there was A-rabs there, too, and elephants and things. I said, why couldn't we seen them, then? He said if I warn't so ignorant, but had read a book called "Don Quixote," I would know without asking"(Twain 116).
Summary:
Tom sawyer is criticizing Huck Finn for not reading Don Quixote. As the reader we see where Tom Sawyer's adventurous thoughts come from.
Response:
The genius behind Mark Twain is his ability to write a book that is both for adults and for children. Many scholars argue over who Huck Finn was written for. I would like to think that Twain intended the book to be read by both adults and children. The book appeals to children because of the adventures that Huck Finn and Jim go on. While at the same time appealing to adults because they can read deeper into the words and see the maturation of Huck Finn. I can also see why this book was banned by so many school systems. It shows apologetically a runaway kid who smokes, steals and lives on the streets. I'm not sure a parent, especially of a young boy, would want there child reading this. Although if I had a little bot I wouldn't mind because I know that boys have there adventurous fantasies and reading this caliber of book would just help them to become a more creative and active child. As I said before the book also appeals to an older audience because of the deep themes that pop up in the great story. Just as Scott mentioned he read "Huckleberry Finn", as a kid and later an adult. I'm sure that both times he got to completely different interpretations of the story as well. I'm really impressed by the range and depth that Mark Twain has shown me as a reader. He can go from writing something serious and thought provoking to humorous in a split second. While maintaining the integrity of the story.
English 48B
January 25, 2008
Journal #11 Mark Twain
Quote:
"He said there was loads of them there, anyway; and he said there was A-rabs there, too, and elephants and things. I said, why couldn't we seen them, then? He said if I warn't so ignorant, but had read a book called "Don Quixote," I would know without asking"(Twain 116).
Summary:
Tom sawyer is criticizing Huck Finn for not reading Don Quixote. As the reader we see where Tom Sawyer's adventurous thoughts come from.
Response:
The genius behind Mark Twain is his ability to write a book that is both for adults and for children. Many scholars argue over who Huck Finn was written for. I would like to think that Twain intended the book to be read by both adults and children. The book appeals to children because of the adventures that Huck Finn and Jim go on. While at the same time appealing to adults because they can read deeper into the words and see the maturation of Huck Finn. I can also see why this book was banned by so many school systems. It shows apologetically a runaway kid who smokes, steals and lives on the streets. I'm not sure a parent, especially of a young boy, would want there child reading this. Although if I had a little bot I wouldn't mind because I know that boys have there adventurous fantasies and reading this caliber of book would just help them to become a more creative and active child. As I said before the book also appeals to an older audience because of the deep themes that pop up in the great story. Just as Scott mentioned he read "Huckleberry Finn", as a kid and later an adult. I'm sure that both times he got to completely different interpretations of the story as well. I'm really impressed by the range and depth that Mark Twain has shown me as a reader. He can go from writing something serious and thought provoking to humorous in a split second. While maintaining the integrity of the story.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Huck Finn Like Holden Claufield
Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
January 24, 2008
Journal #10 Mark Twain
Quote:
"Then I sat down in a chair by the window and tried to think of something cheerful, but it warn't no use. I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead"(Twain 110).
Summary:
Huck Finn had been taken in by the widow Miss Watson. Huck Finn finds the civilized life boring and not to his liking.
Response:
This quote dives deep into the internal struggle that plagues Huck Finn throughout the novel. He had a very troubled childhood which is what led to the lifestyle that he is accustomed to. His father was an alcoholic who constantly beat him and showed him no love. This is what Huck Finn really wants, is someone to care for him and love him for who he is. Huck Finn finds this in a Miss Watson's slave, Jim. All the time they spend drifting on the Mississippi river forces Huck and Jim to grow and develop a close and caring friendship. The above scene with Huck Finn staring out his window and wishing he were dead reminds me exactly of the narrator of my favorite book, "The Catcher in the Rye". From the first time I read this book I knew it was special and I have read it many times over. Holden is a young teenager that is very antisocial. His antisocial behavior stems from his view of everybody being "phony". A reoccurring thought that Holden has is wishing he were dead. Just as Huck wishes he were dead. I think the connection here is that these two characters are a lot more deep and sensitive then people give them credit for. They are both the kind of person that will not go out and seek help but rather they would keep their problems stuffed inside away from peoples ridicule. Its striking to me how both of these characters seem to be reaching out for the love and caring hand that they never knew while growing up. Yet there is no one there for them when they need it.
English 48B
January 24, 2008
Journal #10 Mark Twain
Quote:
"Then I sat down in a chair by the window and tried to think of something cheerful, but it warn't no use. I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead"(Twain 110).
Summary:
Huck Finn had been taken in by the widow Miss Watson. Huck Finn finds the civilized life boring and not to his liking.
Response:
This quote dives deep into the internal struggle that plagues Huck Finn throughout the novel. He had a very troubled childhood which is what led to the lifestyle that he is accustomed to. His father was an alcoholic who constantly beat him and showed him no love. This is what Huck Finn really wants, is someone to care for him and love him for who he is. Huck Finn finds this in a Miss Watson's slave, Jim. All the time they spend drifting on the Mississippi river forces Huck and Jim to grow and develop a close and caring friendship. The above scene with Huck Finn staring out his window and wishing he were dead reminds me exactly of the narrator of my favorite book, "The Catcher in the Rye". From the first time I read this book I knew it was special and I have read it many times over. Holden is a young teenager that is very antisocial. His antisocial behavior stems from his view of everybody being "phony". A reoccurring thought that Holden has is wishing he were dead. Just as Huck wishes he were dead. I think the connection here is that these two characters are a lot more deep and sensitive then people give them credit for. They are both the kind of person that will not go out and seek help but rather they would keep their problems stuffed inside away from peoples ridicule. Its striking to me how both of these characters seem to be reaching out for the love and caring hand that they never knew while growing up. Yet there is no one there for them when they need it.
No More Woman!!
Gustavo Quintero
English 48B
January 24, 2007
Journal #9 Mark Twain
Quote:
"Mighty soon we'll have the cave so cluttered up with woman, and fellows waiting to be ransomed, that there won't be no place for the robbers"(Twain 114).
Summary:
Tom Sawyer has discussed his intentions as his group of outlaw "men" is formed. Ben Rogers points out that holding all these people for ransom will take up space in their cave.
Response:
The funny Mark Twain strikes once again. Every time I read this quote it brings a smile to my face. I can imagine a group of preadolescence kids going over plots of robbing, killing and kidnapping. All in an attempt to live out their childhood fantasies of cops and robbers. The best part of this quote is that it reminds me of the little rascals. The little rascals had a secret hideout that they called,"The He-man woman haters club", where they would discuss various points in their agenda such as the local soap box derby race and assignments to certain positions within the group. I remember watching the movie and finding it how funny it was that these little kids were so disgusted by girls. If any of the other members such as Spanky or Buckwheat caught you even looking at a girl then a club meeting was immediately called into session. This kid like nostalgia is the theme that Twain is trying to create for his readers of "Huckleberry Finn".
Apart from the playful innocence of these kids there is also the scary realization of just how disturbing these kids imaginations were. Tom Sawyer talks about killing people and robbing them and marking there forehead with a cross so that the public knows who killed the person. Although I highly doubt they would do such a thing these thoughts are none the less a little disturbing. When I was a kid I can remember playing cops and robbers but It never even crossed my mind to even mention killing and robbing a person. After this said I do not think that the intention's of Twain was to showcase the violence that these kids could conjure up but rather show the playful innocence that is associated with these preadolescence kids.
English 48B
January 24, 2007
Journal #9 Mark Twain
Quote:
"Mighty soon we'll have the cave so cluttered up with woman, and fellows waiting to be ransomed, that there won't be no place for the robbers"(Twain 114).
Summary:
Tom Sawyer has discussed his intentions as his group of outlaw "men" is formed. Ben Rogers points out that holding all these people for ransom will take up space in their cave.
Response:
The funny Mark Twain strikes once again. Every time I read this quote it brings a smile to my face. I can imagine a group of preadolescence kids going over plots of robbing, killing and kidnapping. All in an attempt to live out their childhood fantasies of cops and robbers. The best part of this quote is that it reminds me of the little rascals. The little rascals had a secret hideout that they called,"The He-man woman haters club", where they would discuss various points in their agenda such as the local soap box derby race and assignments to certain positions within the group. I remember watching the movie and finding it how funny it was that these little kids were so disgusted by girls. If any of the other members such as Spanky or Buckwheat caught you even looking at a girl then a club meeting was immediately called into session. This kid like nostalgia is the theme that Twain is trying to create for his readers of "Huckleberry Finn".
Apart from the playful innocence of these kids there is also the scary realization of just how disturbing these kids imaginations were. Tom Sawyer talks about killing people and robbing them and marking there forehead with a cross so that the public knows who killed the person. Although I highly doubt they would do such a thing these thoughts are none the less a little disturbing. When I was a kid I can remember playing cops and robbers but It never even crossed my mind to even mention killing and robbing a person. After this said I do not think that the intention's of Twain was to showcase the violence that these kids could conjure up but rather show the playful innocence that is associated with these preadolescence kids.
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