Chapter 23: Graduation Speech

I feel that the graduation speech would have been a lot different if the speaker was African-American and not Caucasian. The Caucasian seemed to be talking down to the African-American students, making him seem superior to them. It was sad though because their response was putting their heads down, or not speaking up to what he said. If the speaker was African-American like the students, I feel that the speech would be a lot more uplifting and encouraging. I think that Harriet Tubman would make a great speaker for the students rather than that Caucasian man who talked down to them. Her speech would be something like .. 

"Hello students. My name is Harriet Tubman, and I'm an African-American, just like you guys. I know what you've all been through. I've seen all the cruelty and discrimination in this world like you have. I've been discriminated against, and wished I was something more beautiful than who I am before too. 

I'm here to talk to you guys and tell you not to think that anymore. If you've ever been discriminated against, look passed it. There are so many people out there who try to put us down because of what we look like, and how we're "different". Well to be honest, we aren't as different as they say we are. We've achieved a lot of the same stuff, possibly even more stuff.

There are many sports athletes, inventors, speakers, writers, and more that have been African-American who have achieved so much in the past and present. When someone is putting you down, you shouldn't give in and give up. You have to think about what's fair to you as an individual and remember that we're all the same, no matter what "color" we are. We've all achieved the same things, some better than others, but we've all achieved something and made a difference. We shouldn't be labeled on who we are, but what we do as a person. 

The next time someone puts you down, remember this. You aren't different, they are. They're the cruel ones, and they're the ones trying to make things different for us. We're the change we need to see in the world someday, and one day, things will be different. You just need to have hope, and believe that you can make a difference."

Chapter 19: Serena Williams

Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1981 and is now the 7th tennis player in the whole world. She grew up with 4 other sisters, one of them being murdered in Los Angeles, California in 2003. Serena got her first grand slam in 1999, with four straight years of grand slams until 2003. Unfortunately, in 2003 she suffered from a knee injury that made her sit out for 8 months.

"I've always said that I'm insatiable." - Serena Williams.    

This relates to the book I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings because the athlete in it loved what he did. And for Serena, when she was out because of her knee, she went right back into playing when she got back in. It was like a lot of motivation for the thing she loves. That relates to the book because he loved what he did, and he was the best at it. He beat Caucasian's at it, which surprised a lot of people since he was so motivated.                                                                                                                                  

Chapter 17 & 18: After the "Retreat" & The Revival

"The idea came to me that my people may be a race of masochists and that not only was it our fate to live the poorest, roughest life but that we liked it that way." - Page 121.

I chose this quote because it stood out to me, before we talked about it in class; kind of. This quote really ties in with the book and the African-Americans. It shows how hard an African-American's life is, and how it used to be too. It's showing how the African-Americans are 'masochists', meaning people who like pain, or endure pain in their lives. It shows how the African-Americans are so used to being put down, beaten, and scorned that they're used to all the pain. That they'd rather feel the pain, then have people pity them. 

I chose this particular quotation because it was easy to find a connection to the book and the African-Americans. It really stood out because when it says ".. my people may be a race of masochists .. we liked it that way," I got really confused. I got confused because why would you like to feel pain, and live a life like that? But then I realized not only are they used to it, but they sort of have to get used to it. It's pretty sad when you think about it, and how much pain African-Americans were/are put through.

Double, double, toil and trouble.

If I were the fourth witch, I'd put this into the potion:

A gooey booger and a bloody lip,

with moldy skin and a grandma's hip.

Ramasco's waste and a pile of poop,

with my neighbors dead dog and toenail clippings soup.

A box of fingers and a hairy monkey,

with 50 teeth and a grandpa that's chunky.

A case of B.O and a rotten plumb,

with a dirty diaper and a little kid's thumb.

Act III - Story Time

In the play Macbeth, a lot of bad things happen. The main character, Macbeth is turning into a mean person. It's not that he wants to become someone bad, it just seems like the crazy things are taking him over. His wife, Lady Macbeth, is very mean and pretends to be friends with someone just to use them for something she wants. Like say you're coloring a picture of the rainbow, and you need the Red to make the first line. As soon as your finished using the Red, and you don't need it anymore, you just put it back from where you got it. That's like with Lady Macbeth with people though, which is very bad. So, when these three Frankensteins come and talk to Macbeth and his friend Banquo, they tell them that they can see into the future. Frankensteins tells them that they both will become Kings! But that will only happen when King Duncan, the man who is King now, stops being King. When Macbeth tells his wife what the Frankensteins told him. When she hears this, she gets very excited. She wants Macbeth to become a King as fast as he can, so that she can become special too. But since Lady Macbeth is a mean person, she decides to try to get King Duncan to not be King anymore. A lot of things happen, and Lady Macbeth finally gets King Duncan to not be King anymore. She does this by hiding him in a very dark closet for the rest of his life, not being able to come out. Macbeth feels really bad for King Duncan, but Lady Macbeth's meanness makes Macbeth forget about it. 

Act II: Gorgon Reference

When Macduff says, "Approach the chamber and destroy your sight/ With a new Gorgon.." he's relating to Greek mythology. The Gorgons are three sisters, who were very beautiful. Medusa, one of the sisters was the youngest and the most beautiful out of the three. She was turned into a monster with snakes as her hair, fangs, claws, and a black tongue. 

He said that 'With a new Gorgon' .. because Medusa was so horrible looking that everyone who looked at her, turned to stone. He meant that go into the bedroom to see what happened, and you'll freeze with horror to see what is there.

Act 1: Scenes vi and vii - The Macbeths

If i were a marriage counselor I would give this advice to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth:

1. You guys rarely agree on anything, and if one doesn't agree with the other, you have to talk it out and figure out another solution to do. It's not good to go through with something that your wife/husband isn't okay with.
2. It seems like Lady Macbeth has the back bone in this relationship right now, and maybe she could lighten up and give Macbeth an easier time. It seems that she can convince him to do anything she wants him to do, or anything she wants to do; even when it's something bad like killing someone. 
3. They could talk about their problems, figure out why or how they created this problem during their marriage, talk about their fighting and arguing, and try to clear everything up as much as they can.