Eye of the Beholder

Why is beauty such an important thing going on in society right now? There are many people that are so prejudice in society depending on how someone looks, what they wear, or where they come from. In the episode they are discriminating this young women who wants to be beautiful. The doctors are saying that this is her last chance. That they did so many surgeries that her body wouldn't be able to take it anymore. When someone is discriminating that means the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. Why this was so interesting is because they were wanting to get rid of her to another location with everyone else that was "ugly", and she needed to be with her people, and to stop fighting it and go with the rest of them. Even when it was the main president talking to the world and saying that his way was right and how they should all be normal like himself.

The episode was mainly dealing with the lady she was bandaged all threw her whole head. She was just in surgery and she dreamed about living normal life. Wanting to be accepted with everyone. While she was getting unwrapped many people were watching for the reaction. When it was all done she was in reality beautiful. She was getting surgery to make herself ugly. That all the medicine, work, and professional, none of that worked and she was still beautiful. Everyone around her was ugly or had a dis formed. Everyone from the doctors to the president where ugly. But in the episode they were beautiful and the girl was ugly. I think that beauty is what the independent person feels confident with. It does not matter who thinks what who cares what anyone believes and do what you want to do it all depends on what you are confident about and no one else to care.

Two Lovers in The Tortilla Curtain By Tina, Desiree, and Jesell Perez

Two Lovers

Mary Wells was considered the Queen of Motown. Motown was important in popularizing soul music. Born in Michigan, Wells skyrocketed to fame in the sixties. She had many signature hits, but “Two Lovers” is her most relatable. It’s about a woman who loves a man, but he has two different sides to him. On one side, he is kind and on the other side he’s horrible to her. However, the woman still loves him regardless of how he treats her. She loves both sides of her lover unapologetically. Smokey Robinson wrote this song. He was inspired by an old movie, Mojo. Smokey believes, “Love doesn’t have no boundaries, no formulas, and no rules.” Those words come across as Mary sings her heart out on this song. Mary Wells was not only the voice of her generation, but also the many generations to come. The song’s audience is every woman who has ever been in her situation. Men do have two sides to them, not all but most. The same can be said for women. What “Two Lovers” is saying is that it is okay to love somebody like that. Love doesn’t have to be perfect. People don’t have to be perfect. Relationships don’t have to be perfect.

Two Lovers, Mary Wells	The Tortilla Curtain, T.C Boyle
Well, you know he treats me bad, makes me sad Makes me cry but still I can’t deny	She threw it all at him, angry, hurt, terrified; and then he rose up of the blanket and slapped her. Hard. (83)
Darling’ well, don’t you know that I can tell Whenever I look at you that you think that I’m untrue?	If she was lying to him it was to spare him, he knew that, and his heart turned over for her in his drunkenness. (187)
He’s sweet and kind and he’s mine all mine He treats me good like a lover should	Nothing bothered him now, not his lip or his cheekbone… thinking of the beer and the turkey and America… And she smiled. She actually smiled. (264-265)
Cause you’re a split personality And in reality, both of them are you, baby	-He clowned for her, danced round the sand spit with the bird atop his head, doing a silly jog. (282) -Angry, frustrated, his face turned into an expression that would have terrified him if he caught sight of himself. (207)

Reference: www.songfacts.com
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The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

Desiree Perez

                

 This book is called “The Outsiders”, written by the talented S.E Hinton. I had to read this amazing story in my eighth grade English class of high school. My English teacher recommend it due to the fact that we had to do assignments on them all the time. The book was about two groups of people. One was called the greasers, who did not live rich, and had torn jeans, leather jackets, and slick back hair. 

           The greasers were middle class. The other group was called the Socs. They were rich spoiled kids who dressed nice had the money and cars to show for it. They lived on the west side, and always looked for a fight with the greasers knowing they will get away with it. But on this cold late night they had another thing coming to them. There were brothers of three soda pop, pony boy, and Darry they were orphans. One night pony boy left with his best friend Johnny and a soc came and picked a fight one thing led to another one of the Socs boys died. 

        They left to their friend’s house two-bit and told them where to hide and what to do till things get cleared out. One of my favorite parts is when they have to dye and cut each other’s hair while surviving only on bologna sandwiches. I would recommend this book to classes and schools that have problems with labeling and treating kids differently due to the economic differences. It shows that just because someone is not rich doesn't mean that there rude or are any different then a person who has money.  

Greaser vs. Socs

Two ways to Learn

Desiree Perez

        In my analysis there is a teacher who is juggling two different types of teaching methods. Her hands are chalk writing on the boards showing how difficult it would be learning as well as teaching in both languages. 

       Her body is much slouched in a leaning back method from the heavy loads that she is dealing with. Her knees are very bent but yes at the same time holding there/her ground not wanting to give up teaching what she loves to do. By writing English with one chalk and Espanol in the other chalk hand shows dedication. She is leaning back writing those words as if she is starting to notice how much of a progress it is going to be.

What grabbed my attention first was how the teacher’s hands were white blocks of chalk. The chalk seemed to be to white as if the message written on the board was to be acknowledged form the moment you look at the picture. They want to read what is on this picture first before wanting to look at all the other small details.  The message I got from this photo is simple but yet very important to readers by knowing how hard it is to be bilingual teacher in an English class. The picture shows in black and white which makes the letters stand out way more.

 There’s a black board with already chalk there instead of using her hands. The teacher herself seems normal height she has: short black curly hair, white long sleeve shirt, black pencil skirt, black stockings, and some basic black heels on her feet. The teacher is slouching in a way of keeping her balance, but at the same time losing it as well showing the difficulties of learning and teaching both languages on either side.   

Waiting and Waiting, For what?

                                                    Desiree Perez

The labor exchange had a huge effect in the story, nor only for Candido and America, but for Delany, Kyra, and his whole community. On one side you have Candido and America who need work to hopefully save enough money to have “The American Dream”, in the United States. America who is pregnant during most of the book needed money to support for all of them, due to the fact Candido could not work because he got hit by Delaney car. During the book the labor exchange did not help Candido and America not enough to get out of the woods, but enough to have food and clothing for a while.

            On the other side of the Delany had paid no attention to the labor exchange until Kyra had mentioned it. The only reason Kyra did something about it was because it was getting in the way of her business. Why the labor exchange was so valuable is because no matter how differently both sides were living they were still both really affected it for different ways. Kyra didn't know that by her wanting to take the labor exchange away how difficult America and her unborn baby as well as Candido were going to survive in the woods. Instead the labor exchange was something both sides had to deal with. One side wanted the exchange completely gone to help their business, and side wanted it for a better life.

            My idea about the exchange is mutual. Yes, I feel like everyone has the right to work for a job. So, I feel like if you are working at the exchange then you should get paid for how hard you work for it. America had spent eight hours straight scrubbing Buddha’s with harsh chemicals that were peeling her arms. She stated in the book “All this for twenty- five dollars”. But then I feel like if there are many Mexicans in one spot and is hurting their business then that should be fixed. People work just as hard as the people standing there for tucks to have their own business and should not feel the need to have it ruined by other people.

            What I got out of this book was that people work hard for what they want in life. It may not be the right people that get it but to never give up on what you want. As well as some people just have bad luck. 

From One dream to Another

Desiree Perez

 There are all sorts of tattoos out there to show the expression, creativity, and emotion towards getting them. Tattoos are something that will be there for a long time. They are very permeate on your body. Tattoos are an art form that is very important now. It was strange to see a women with a sleeve that is all tattooed, but not when it comes to men. It shows how much we have changed in order to express ourselves. The tattoo that I want is a dream catcher. I have always found dream catchers all my life. No matter how young or old I was there was always one hung up. Dream catchers are very simple to get especially with the size and color. Then there’s the reasons as well as the placement, and how to describe the picture of it.

            The tattoo I dream of is declared by the size, color, and the versatile it is going to be. The dream catcher that I want is a small two and a half inch tattoo on my thumb. It won’t be that to hide if I have a job interview or at a meeting or anything important. It’s a small tattoo with a lot of meaning behind it. The color that I would want would be a dark brown as well as black, to match the dream catcher in my house. The tattoo will be versatile due to hiding it and can be what color and style you want it to be. It can changed into a tiger, lion, words, and many other things. I have seen many amazing ways people have changed it instead of having a basic dream catcher.        

            This tattoo would help with how comfortable I would be in my life knowing how much it represents. Dream catchers are very important in my family. When we were all smaller in my old house we lived in there was a lot of bad spirits, so we always used dream catchers as a way to clean it.  Ever since that day no matter where we go there are always a dream catcher no matter what room where in. This tattoo is such a big part of my life I feel protected, comfortable, and happy. When getting this it allows me to be more comfortable with everything. I know that no matter where I am at in my life knowing a piece of my life, family, and tradition permanently on me is very comforting. So by having it on my thumb instead of my foot or back I will be able to see it more closely and every day. What’s the point of getting a meaningful tattoo if you can’t see it?

            There are many ways to describe what a dream catcher looks like. I have seen people use it as a word phase or an animal claw. There are so many people that get it so different to have their own personal touch to their own tattoo. For me it would have to be my parents dream catcher in their own room. I have seen that dream catcher all my life. I remember seeing it when I was smaller I would see it hanging in my room. The dream catcher is brown and purple. What a dream catcher looks like is interesting. There is one huge circle that looks like a spider web, then there’s three bottom strings that can either be fanned out by beads or feathers. Then there are three smaller circle spider webs connecting to the bottom. There are ones that have beads inside of the spider webs. A dream catcher is a small hoop containing a horsehair mesh, or a similar construction of string or yarn, decorated with feathers and beads, believed to give its owner good dreams. Dream catchers were originally made by American Indians. Dream catchers are very important and I cannot wait to get that tattoo.