What makes a novel "a classic"?

To me classic is something from a long time ago that contains information that is valuable for people to learn in present times. I feel like it literally refers to things that are old and from ancient times, but as time progressed more people began to see it as information that ought to be carried into the present. 

Posts to other people

To Jamie:

I totally agree and I was also considering writing about this topic. I had a very close friend for a reallyyy long time who I used to be with allll the time. But as we got into middle school and especially high school we have become very different people and we don't really have much in common at all. We both went our separate ways and this showed me that no matter what you might think, outside of your family you never can know for sure what friends will always be around. 

To Caylin:

I agree too Cayy... even if we both do have mental disabilities. I think that the points you brought up about both topics were accurate. Specifically the first one made me think of all the times in movies and books when the child feels responsible for their parents' actions. They feel as though it is their fault that their parent drinks or smokes or has a bad temper. But I completely agree that no matter what it is never the child's fault. A parent's job is to guide their child/children for their first eighteen years teaching them what to do and what not to do. It is solely the job of the parents to set a good example and if they fail to do so that can never be blamed on the child.

To Margy:

I agree one hundred percent! When a child is adopted they are adopted in an attempt to make them one of the family. Of course they would be treated by their foster parents just as a biological child would be treated. I know someone who was adopted too and he is treated just the same as I am. He has other brothers and sisters who were adopted too and they are all treated so equally and just like any other family that at first I never even knew he was adopted. I believe that in the majority of families with adopted children, the kids are treated just like anyone else because if the parents did not want it to be that way, why would they have been adopted in the first place?

Wuthering Heights Survey

While completing this survey, the questions that stuck out to me most was number 6. #6 said: All rich people are stingy and selfish. This reminded me of all the things we have been talking about lately in regard to racism and prejudice. I see this as just a stereotype. It has always been said that rich people have all that they could possibly need and that they don't care about anybody else...blahblahblah. As we learned when discussing the prejudices against black people, ignorance, laziness, child-like behavior, many of the stereotypes are not true for most people. In fact, most are very far off. River Vale and Hillsdale are both considered fairly wealthy towns, not rich rich with super huge mansions and everything, but most people have a decent amount of money. Considering this, us well-off (as my parents always say we are) people are not snooty to one another. There are so many sweet people that go to our school - and school is such a small representation of the towns. There are definitely many other very nice and caring people in town. So although where we live might not be exactly what the question was speaking of, I think it serves as a good example of how stereotypes are pretty much all inaccurate. While there are people who do fall into the category their stereotype puts them in, there are always many people who are examples of the opposite of their stereotypes.  

My Comments to Others

To Jamie: 

I think all that you wrote about your race was so meaningful. I guess being white I will never see the world with its different races and prejudices exactly how you see it, but I read your analogy and thought it was amazing. It honestly gave me chills. It was sooo deep! I mean obviously I've heard a lot of the things that are said about Asians, but it hasn't effected me personally. What you have said about how these comments effect you and how you related them to a cut that will always leave a scar really opened my eyes. I now see so much more clearly from someone who has had their own first hand experience how much of an impact these hurtful things can have on someone. I think it is very important for everyone to read things like what you blogged about because if more knowledge is spread about the harmful effects certain words can have, maybe they will be said less!

To Maja:

I totally agree with you too! Really I don't even know what else to say because you've said it all and I agree with it all! God is meant to be divine someone that cannot be exhibited in a human form. When a person is given a position that turns them into a human form of God they really are on a path to disaster. This is also why i found it extremely fascinating that mosques don't have any images. I totally agree with that I think that it makes the most sense and worshipers should be able to take it upon themselves to come up with the way that they think God should look to them. I feel like were definitely learned that in history... maybe last year? It was that either Islam or another religion did not believe in depicting images of God for this exact reason. 

To Jen:

I didn't end up writing a blog about the trip because i was out on the history field trip, buuut if I had written one it probably would have been quite like yours! I agree very much with what you said about Neil. He was so cute i loved him and it was very touching how meaningful all of us being together was for him. He was honestly and truly amazed and loving every minute of the time that we all spent together in that room and he continued to reflect on it for the rest of the day. Also, I loooveedd Billy! He was so passionate about his job, you could tell that he really loved what he was doing. It was so cute that he sang all of the songs of all the black musicians depicted along the wall. The Apollo Theatre along with the trip to the mosque opened my eyes too to how much different their culture is and why it is that way.

To Danielle:

I strongly agree with Danielle and sorry Rachel love you but i disagree. I look back at slavery and am ashamed at the way that my race treated those of other races, especially blacks. But, that does not make all whites wrong, certainly not devils. I do not see any right in the way that Malcolm refers to all whites as devils. I don't see the way he speaks as courageous. Rather, I view it as uneducated talk. I think this relates to the phrase "practice what you preach" and this is something that Malcolm should have learned to do. He spoke so furtively against the way that his people were discriminated against. He retaliated through his own racist acts against white people. That's just the way that I see it. To me he was pretty much arguing that it is absolutely not okay for white people to treat blacks poorly, but since the blacks have already been hurt by the whites it's fine for them to return the mistreatment. How can these two wrongs ever make a right? Returning racism with more racism does not seem to make any sense to me.

Malcolm X: Masked (5)

Not to relate to a movie again, but I couldn't stop thinking of how chapter 16 was related to the movie White Chicks while I was reading it. In White Chicks two men dress up as white women and live their lives pretending to be these two women, the Wilson sisters, until they are caught. Once it is discovered that they are not who they've been pretending to be, there is a sense of betrayal from some family and friends. Of course the movie ends with a happy ending, but I think this directly relates to what happened to Malcolm with the Nation of Islam. It, along with Muhammad, wore a mask (like in the movie) and they pretended to be what, in reality, they were not. Malcolm had always seen this group of people as loving and welcoming and it was very hard for him to accept the fact that they had been out to get him for a while - even to kill him. "For example, it was being said that 'Minister Malcolm is trying to take over the Nation,' it was being said that I was 'taking credit' for Mr. Muhammad's teaching, it was being said that I was trying to 'build an empire' for myself'" (Haley 296). Those were all of the things from the beginning that should have hinted to Malcolm that danger was to come. But instead, he looked past it and did not let it bother him. This appeared to be the right thing - to not let the negative bring you down - but in this case it left Malcolm blind to the attack that he would suffer from later. 

This idea of wearing a mask also reminded me of the poem that I think we've looked at this year and we had to analyze last year for our English midterm. "We wear the Mask" talks about how people hide who they really are. They put on fake smiles and happiness to appease the world while they are really dying on the inside. 

Poem 

Both of these examples relate to my life because I live in a world where people feel like they need to be just as the media tells them. As much as I try to be my own person and not act just other people do, I believe that everyone gives in to this influence at one point or another. Many people put up a front or a facade in wearing the popular clothes or shoes. This takes away what makes everyone individuals and it makes everyone look close to the same. I believe that people put on their mask to blend in with everyone in fear that who they really are might not be accepted. Everyone spends soooo much time worrying about what other people think of them while those people are really only worried about how others view them too! I am not proud to admit but I think at times I am definitely a victim of this, too concerned about what other people think of me. 

The facts about how people spend too much time worrying about others' opinions. 

I also found it really interesting how Muhammad Ali came to be!

Malcolm X: Tiananmen Square (4)

The part at the end of chapter 13 stuck out to me because it was the beginning of Muslim impact on the United States. When the police attacked a Muslim man Malcolm and other Muslims showed up and demanded that he be brought to a hospital. They were all tried of this type of situation. "The crowd was big, and angry, behind the Muslims in front of Harlem Hospital. Harlem's black people were long since sick and tired of police brutality. And they never had seen any organization of black men take a firm stand as we were" (Haley 239). This group of Muslims refused to leave until they were sure that the man was properly taken care of. 

When I was reading this I thought of something we had learned a while ago, first in middle school history. The incident that took place in Tiananmen Square in 1989 also involved a similar kind of situation. A man stood in front of tank refusing to move because of what he believed in. It was unknown who this man was, but the point is that it did not matter who he was but instead the act of heroism that he displayed in not allowing the tanks to pass him because he did not believe that they should be allowed to. The similarities between these events show how there are always people around the world who will do anything to defend what they believe in-even die. I think that this is definitely a good thing. Although sometimes these people are shut down and ignored, I think that without them a lot of things that have been created in today's world would not exist. The world needs people to be persistent and continuously fight for what they believe in because, like in the case with Malcolm, eventually it pays off and respect is earned. 

This link further explains the happenings on June 4, 1989. It speaks of the students before the incident, what actually happened, and what kind of effect it has had on today. 

I also see how this type of drive can be very negative in the world. In my life I can say that I have lived through a lot of history, some good and some bad. September 11, 2001 was also the result of a mass of people fighting for what they believe in. Terrorists, those that took part in this incident specifically and others, were/are so passionate about killing Americans that they were/are always willing to sacrifice themselves for the supposedly amazing afterlife they will experience in which they can live peacefully and eternally with Allah. This also shows another connection with Malcolm X because majority of terrorists are indeed Muslim. What does this say about the way that Muslims still view the white devils of America? 

 

This article supports the fact that the 911 hijackers were Muslim and it also goes on to talk about how the terrorists try to defend their unforgivable act. 

Malcolm X: Integration (3)

Malcolm spent a lot of chapter 15 talking about integration. He thought that this is what the white people wanted while the blacks wanted separation, which according to him was different than segregation. "...the most bitter anti-white diatribes that I have ever heard have come from "passing" Negroes, living as whites, among whites, exposed everday to white people say among themselves regarding Negroes - things that recognized Negro never would hear" (Haley 282). Saying that white people as a whole believed in integration just proves how wrong Malcolm’s theories have been. When I was reading about integration I immediately thought about what we have been learning in history. On the issue of slavery there were two different sets of beliefs and they were represented with two groups of people. There were immediatists and gradualists. Immediatists were people who believed that if done slowly, the emancipation of slaves would drift off into never and the slaves wouldn’t be freed. This is why they were called immediatists, obviously, they wanted the slaves to be set free soon. The difference between immediatists and gradualists didn’t just have to do with how quickly slaves were to be liberated, though. Immediatists were also in favor of integration along with racial equality, but the gradualists were strongly opposed. This alone contradicts what Malcolm has said about whites as a whole. There is documentation defending these facts about immediatists and gradualists and Malcolm only has his word backing him up. These are facts that display just how incorrect Malcolm’s statement was about what all whites wanted and if Malcolm was so wrong about one topic like this one, how can we believe that all of his other teachings are true?

This relates directly to me because I read this book constantly listening to someone bash my race. I think that this bit of information is a great aid in seeing how far off this man was in his statement and possibly statements. After reading the facts contradicting something like this I think it would really make people question who they are listening to and looking to as their idol. In my opinion, Malcolm spoke and preached his entire life with inaccurate and contradictory facts as he himself was a racist against whites. 

Malcolm X: Blue-eyed Devil (2)

For a while when I was reading Malcolm X I had no idea how I could possibly relate to anything in Malcolm's life. When I started to get to the part about whites being the devil I became pretty disgusted and frustrated that we even had to read this book. What made me even more mad was the fact that they kept referring to blue-eyed, blonde haired, white devils. "Conducting the class was a tall, blond, blue-eyed (a perfect "devil") Harvard Seminary student" (Haley 193). That is what Malcolm said about a man who lectured to a class that he was in and as soon as Malcolm walked into the room he didn't like him. This led to Malcolm's questioning him about things like whether Paul and Jesus were black or white just to embarrass him. Isn't this the same kind of discrimination that Malcolm spent his life preaching against? How can someone feel so strongly about something yet be such a hypocrite while he serves as an example of the people he calls "devils"?

This connected directly to me and while it made me feel more hatred toward Malcolm and people who followed him, it was also able to open my eyes a little bit to the way that many black people feel. People judge them and make assumptions about who they are as a person based solely on the way they appear.

Not to repeat what Mattessich said to me, but we are going to Harlem next week on our field trip. So, how are many of the people there going to see me? Times have changed and not as many blacks are discriminated against, but many people still have racist feelings so what's to say that people in Harlem won't still see me as a devil? The way that I would feel walking among a crowd of black people is the same as the way blacks feel walking among whites. If someone can tell me where the difference between these two examples of discrimination lies, I'd love to hear it. There is nothing that I can do to change my eye and hair color because just like the color of your skin, it has to do with genetics. Sure I could dye my hair or get colored contacts, but I don't see why I would have to. This is just like the way Malcolm talks about how blacks conked their hair; he also felt that blacks should not be forced into changing their appearance and being ashamed of who they are. So again, where is the difference?

People talk about reverse racism, but if you actually think about it how can there be a such thing? The definition of racism doesn't state that racism is only the discrimination against blacks. Racism is racism, so the negative way that Malcolm began to see any white person is the same as the way he claims whites have viewed him.

Definition 

Malcolm X: Never trusted (1)

"Full time hustlers never can relax to appraise what they are doing and where they are bound. As is the case in any jungle, the hustler's every waking hour is lived with both the practical and the subconscious knowledge that if he ever relaxes, if he ever slows down, the other hungry, restless foxes, ferrets, wolves, and vultures out there with him won't hesitate to make him their pray" (Haley 112). 

This quote stuck out to me because while reading I continued to find more and more examples of how this statement was true in Malcolm's time, and even in our time today. For example, when Malcolm slapped one of Sammy's girls Sammy came running after him with a gun ready to kill him. This showed me how even though Malcolm had considered him one of his best friends, he clearly could not be trusted. It was about survival of the fittest and Sammy was interested in protecting himself and, in this instance, a woman he seemed to care about. He was a pimp who cared about his own well-being and even though he made Malcolm think that he cared about him, he did not. To me, this seemed like an extreme turning point for the way Malcolm looked at Sammy along with other people he knew. Malcolm said, "We soon made up - on the surface. But things never are fully right again with anyone you have seen trying to kill you" (Haley 118).

This topic of not being able to fully trust anyone outside of your family, including those who you think are your friends, directly relates to high school life. I have been through a bad experience in the past with a group of friends who proved not to be friends at all. While I have made many new friends in coming to Pascack Valley, I am now always aware that only a few close friends can always be trusted with absolutely anything.  

An example that defends this is the movie Mean Girls. Regina believes that Cady had become her friend when in reality she is just pretending while actually sabotaging her life.

Mean Girls 

Ethnic Notions - Black people in white minds

For me, this movie really depicted how horribly blacks were treated so many years ago. I always had some knowledge of the fact that they were treated extremely poorly, especially during the time of slavery, but this was honestly the first visual aid that I have ever encountered that really relayed this message clearly to me. The things that stuck out the most when I was watching were "The Brute" and "The Pickaninny". The black people were actually seen as savage animals. It seems so ridiculous to me that people can actually believe that. They are obviously humans just like everyone else, the only difference is the color of their skin and it is astonishing what an impact that had on people. People really thought that if there was no slavery the emancipated slaves would run wild just like animals. The idea of a pickaninny is absolutely horrible to me as well. Poor children who obviously had no control over what they were born into were seen as no better than small animals. The greeting cards of them being nearly eaten by alligators was disgusting, they are babies! I think racism has decreased and become much less violent since this time, but it is definitely still present today. People aren't as public about their feelings and saying things like "nigger" is no longer tolerated. There are still a good amount of people who believe many of the stereotypes that originated so long ago. For example, blacks as a whole were seen as a lazy group of people and today i think that still applies to some blacks, but it also applies to many whites. I know that a common feeling that some whites have towards black has to do with Welfare. It is believed that blacks live on Welfare and continue to have children without having to worry about how they are going to support them. I think that many of the stereotypes, especially those originated years ago, are barbaric but i see that some honestly apply to some groups of people. 

Malcolm X Chapters 3 & 4

Within these chapters, what I noticed most was how well Malcolm adapted to his new life in Boston. I was surprised, but pleasantly surprised at how easily he made new friends. I found the slang that he and Shorty used to be really funny and sometimes confusing to follow. The part that I found to be most shocking was what happened to Laura, I did not see it coming at all! "The next time I saw her she was a wreck of a woman, notorious around black Roxbury, in and out of jail. She had finished high school, but by then she was already going the wrong way. Defying her grandmother, she started going out late and drinking liquor. This led to dope, and that to selling herself to men. Learning to hate men who bought her, she also became a Lesbian" (Haley 72). 

Malcolm X Chapters 1 & 2

So far I see very clearly how difficult Malcolm's early life was. The first traumatic incident that he had to live through happened when he was very young, only six years old I believe. His father died in a very horrible way, being nearly cut in half. "Negroes in Lansing have always whispered that he was attacked, and then laid across some tracks for a streetcar to run over him" (Haley 10). His family then suffered greatly, his mother never being able to recover from the loss of her husband. They were offered monthly Welfare checks, which his mom reluctantly accepted only because if she hadn't her children would have starved for sure. The whole family had to deal with a lot from the state Welfare people. "They acted as if they owned us, as if we were their private property" (Haley 13). They unnecessarily talked to all of the children separately trying to get them to talk down about their siblings, trying to turn them all against each other. This line meant a lot to me because it just invoked pathos so easily. With no other choice, the family was forced to endure years of this horrible way of life. Malcolm's mother hated that her children had to grow up this way, but there was nothing left that she could do. She had no provider, no protector, and she was unable to hold a job because of her background. It was against her beliefs to have her family eat pork, so when she was offered a whole pig by a neighbor, that was the final straw for the state Welfare people in declaring her insanity.