Reflection 5: A walk to the Jetty of Jamaica Kincaid

The story “A walk to the jetty” for me was a very interesting story. It is about a girl, 17 years old and as said in the story all groaned up, named Annie John that was going to be send to England by her parents, to study to e a nurse, even though she didn’t wanted to go there or study to be a nurse. In the story she talks about those last moments she spend at her house and neighborhood until she arrived to the jetty and left the shore into the sea to go to England. She described and talked about things she used to like and do that she never thought she was going to someday miss so much. She also talked a lot about how important was to her when little her parents, how much she loved them or used to and also about how they had changed almost seeing for her as if they didn’t love her no more, specially her mom.

This story for me was really interesting and touching because it made me think a lot of how important are the things that surround us that we sometimes know we love and like but never actually notice or press too much attention to them and then finally end up missing. It also made me reflect on how important are parents affections to their child’s and family. In this story Annie felt as if her mom didn’t love her much because of her mothers actions but I think that she should really reflect on why she thinks that because people change and also she really doesn’t know how important is her for her parents, for her mom. Maybe the reason they were sending her to study wasn’t to get rid of her maybe it was more because she wanted good for her daughter for her education and the reason they didn’t showed her that they love her was to make easier that time when she leaved to study. But frankly we really don’t know the reasons why things happen, because of that we should reflect on the things in life and try to make the best of them.

Reflection 4:Columbus in chains by Annie John

The story “Columbus in Chains”, chapter 5, is about this girl called Annie that was telling us some of her childhood stories and things she used to do at school. In the story she told us that in school she used to be one of the most outstanding students and almost in all her classes. In one of the days at school while Mrs. Eduard was asking her usual quiz questions Annie was reading some pages of her book when she saw a picture of Columbus sitting locked up in chains. She reflected a little about it and mentioned how ironic was that Columbus was in chains. Days after that Annie got in trouble because of the songs and things she used to do after school because Mrs. Eduard discovered them. She got punished and some things changed for her.

This story was interesting because it mentioned us some crazy things that all the kids do, like singing songs at lunch time or after school and playing with your friends. Also because of the ending that I really enjoyed, it said that Annie’s mom was laughing so hard and with her mouth all opened that she almost looked as if she had turned to be a crocodile. i liked this sentence that appeared on the ending of the story because of how it related a woman, we can say also a human, to a crocodile that is a animal than can be consider also as one of the most scary ones because of his mouth. But besides of this things I didn’t liked much the story because of some of the things she used to say and specially because of the part when she said that after school she used to go with her friends sing bad songs and other things that for me they were a little rare. Like how she talked about a friend of hers as if she liked her friend.

Reflection 3: "To Hell with dying" from Alice walker

This story is about a family that had gained affect for an old diabetic, alcoholic and guitar player man that was his neighbor named Mr. Sweet. He used to drink a lot until he was almost dying and then come to the family or the family to him and kept him from dying. Since the kids were little they used to go and help Mr. Sweet and hear him play his guitar and keep him from dying. They used to enjoy playing and spending time with Mr. Sweet and also help him every time he needed help. The family when they went to help Mr. Sweet they always used to hear when the girl’s father telled Mr.Sweet “To Hell with dying” that meaned for them don’t give up that here still people that loves you, every time when Mr. Sweet seemed like he was almost to pass out and the kids used to help him fell better every time he was like this, talking to him and listening to what he had to say. After a few years she already groned up and was almost ending college, her family called the girl that was studying in college to far away and told her that after a long time Mr. Sweet had one of his episodes. She rushed from college and went see Mr. Sweet to help him again. Finally when she arrived that everything was almost all right and peaceful, Mr. Sweet died on his birthday and the girl all gowned up confessed that Mr. Sweet had been her first love.

This story was really interesting how a family had gained affect for a man a neighbor and helped him in everything they could, specially keeping him alive. The only thing I really didn’t like was the ending because since almost the beginning I noticed that the little girl hat too much of affection for this all man and for me that special type of affection was a little un appropriate. But besides that is good to see how there were people willing to help those that aren’t family and only neighbors and gain affection for them no matter what.

Reflection 2: "Everyday use" of Alice Walker

The story “Everyday Use” of Alice Walker is about the times in which families can only afford to pay one of their child’s, the outstanding one, to go to school and important places. In this story Dee was the outstanding child and her sister Maggie was the resignated child. For Dee her parents have gave everything they could to help her in her future. She never learned the world no. Meanwhile Maggie was pushed to aside. In the story Dee was already ground up and also she had moved out of her growing up house. Maggie still lived in that house because she was still young. The story tell us of one of Dee’s visit to the old house were she used to live and Maggie and the rest of her family still lived, and tells us of a lot of unselfish things Dee did and all of the things that she wanted to take for memories from that house that were still in use.

What most shocked me about this story is that Maggie was pushed aside and Dee got always all she wanted and for me that is just unfair. I think that no matter what situation is presented the entire members of a family should be treated the same and also they should be given all the same opportunities, no matter what. I also know that this equality is hard to have in these families because of their economical needs, but I still think that there’s ways to help each of the members of the family without making one better than another.

At the doctors office with 18...

Since little we all have to go visit the doctors office because we have to check our health and cure us if we have any disease. Afortunally for this girl I meat haven’t never been scared of the doctor or of the needles or anything like that. One day already 18 years old Noni had to go to the doctors’ office to ask for a birth certificate. The doctor told Noni that in order to get her health certificate she had to do first a tuberculin test and what’s a tuberculin test, it is a test in which the doctor injects you a little amount of the dead tuberculin bacteria and if it comes out giving you a rash or itch or something probable you have tuberculin, if everything comes out right and you don’t itch or something well you are well and then you can have your health certificate. When the doctor her she had to allow the doctor to put some dead bacteria in her body, she got afraid because she started thinking that she could get sick if they injected that bacteria to her body an it weren’t well killed, she could get later that disease. When doctor Casiano came with the needle with the dead bacteria to do the test, Noni started crying like crazy and didn’t wanted to let the doctor put the injection. Isn’t that embarrassing crying in the doctor’s office with 18 years? I think it was. Finally her dad and doctor convinced her to let the doctor do the test. Days later she went again to the doctors office to check if everything was all right and the test had came out all good. So Noni cried for nothing. But the craziest thing of all of this is that this Noni, is really me.

Reflection 1: "A use of force" of William Williams

This story is about a little blond girl that had been sick for days. Her parents decided to pay 3 dollars to a doctor to go check her on their house. When the doctor arrived and triyed to check the little sick girl she didn’t allowed him so the doctor started trying to trick her so she allowed him to check her and she didn’t fall for it. So the doctor then started using his own force to obligate her because he new that if she had diphtheria, that was the illness he was thinking she was going to have because of the symptoms, she would probably die. Finally the doctor had the chance to look at her throat and noticed she really had diphtheria, so the doctor new he hadn’t fought with the girl for nothing, but he also said that he had enjoyed a little fighting with the girl.

This story for me was kind of confusing because of the doctor’s reaction towards the little girl and how he sometimes referred to her. But in some ways I agree with some of his actions because if he didn’t force the girl to let him check her, she will probably die. But I don’t agree with him when he says he in part enjoyed fighting, or using his force to try to check her thought because enjoying fighting with someone for me is kind of bad.