The Alchemist?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the Alchemist and its meaning. I cannot wrap my head around the idea of a personal legend, because if the worlds greatest lie is that your fate is set, then how do you make your own fate? Isn't your personal legend your destiny or fate? Of course you can choose whether or not to pursue your personal legend, it is what you are fated to do. I guess I just have a hard time grasping the notion that you can have a fate that is destined for you and choose whether to pursue it or not, because if something is destined for you then you really don't have a choice, because it will bother you your entire life. If it was true that you could make your own personal legend, then there wouldn't be omens pushing you towards it, because it would be your decision where you are going, not where your personal legend tells you to go. I mean, I get the whole follow your dreams thing, but it seems contradictory to me if your dream is already picked for you. What if Santiago wanted to see the great Wall of China? Would his personal legend prevent him from doing so? What makes the pyramids so special? It would be different if he really wanted to go there, but when he has some supernatural force pulling him towards the pyramids, that doesnt mean that it was his dream to do that. I just feel like the author kind of went in circles and tried to convey the same idea throughout the entire book. It was kind of cliche. like he leaves the girl finds gold and goes back to her and they live happily ever after. that isnt how it works in real life and it makes me kind of mad that that is how the author chose to tell the story. I mean i enjoyed the book, but it could have been a lot better if it was mroe realistic than how he portrayed it.

Cancion of the Pirate

My treasure is my gallant bark,
My only God is liberty;
My law is might, the wind my mark,
My country is the sea.

These few lines demonstrate the meaning of the poem. The passion for liberty and treasures trumps everything else in this pirates life. The poem creates a sense of motivation for freedom. After reading Jose de Espronceda's biography, it was clear that this poem represented something more than just a pirate. Espronceda was tied to political conspiracies, and was forced to flee his country because of it. It is as if the pirate in this poem represents the person he is. He says that his only "God is liberty" and his "Country is the sea." These phrases are significant, because they show how Espronceda does not consider himself as being connected to one specific country, which is understandable because he was forced to leave his. The only thing that he believes in is freedom and will follow the wind where ever it takes him so that he can be free. It is interesting how the poem has an underlying meaning to it. When the first time I read it I just thought it was about a pirate in the 1800s, but after reading the author's biography I realized that it meant much more than that.

YouTube Found Poem

In case it didn't work on the blog. I put my video on youtube. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWRbL-MgjNM

Clinton Aplology Poem

This is a speech that was given by Bill Clinton on December 11, 1998. It was given minutes before the House Judicary Committe voted to pass the first article of the President's impeachment. It was interesting to look back on the speech and see what really happened, because at the time I was only 8 years old. I didn't really know why the President was in trouble when I was younger, but it became evident later in my life. I don't really know what sparked me to turn this speech into a poem. I was just surfing the web and came across Bill Clinton and thought it would interesting to recite one of his speeches.

The Mulatto Millenium

I couldn’t help but google the author after reading this essay. I was extremely surprised when I clicked on the link to her name and a white woman appeared on the screen. If the author is writing from own experience then this creates quite a dilemma. I was expecting someone with at least vague features of either an African American or a Mexican. But I guess what she says in the reading is true “If it had been based on the appearance, my sister would have been black, my brother Mexican, and me Jewish” (16). It is just hard for me to imagine growing up in a culture that doesn’t reflect what you look like. If I were the author it would be hard for me to refer to myself as African American when my skin is as white as day. But I guess it is all based on how you are raised. Another thing that caught my attention was when the author talked about the M.N. officials and how they questioned her. They say, “But why black? I mean, why didn’t you identify as white if you were gonna identify as only one thing? Isn’t that reverse racism?” (20). It is intriguing how the author continues to try and identify herself as black even though the favorable race at the time would have been white. The M.N. officials don’t understand her reasoning at all. But for the author it is very simple. She believes that multiculturalism is about confronting racism and power. The authors views are very interesting and caused me to think a different way.

Poetry Reading ELizabeth Bishop~Sestina