Journal #1

One line that really stood out to me was "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" (page 4). This stood out to me not only becuase the title of the book is "A room of ones own" but because she was pointing out something deep, I am not completely sure what this line means but if I had to take a guess I would say it is about being independant and doing things for yourself rather then depend on someone else. Such a simple and small line stood out to me with a bigger meaning that I would have thought and I can say I took a lot from it and it gave me a better understanding of the next chapter when I remembered it. 

Journal #2 

When reading "The Yellow Wallpaper" I think this story is about a woman who is suffering post-partrum depression and being mistreated in many ways by who I think her husband is John, he treats her like a child and never listens to anything she has to say, he uses him being a doctor as a way to make her feel delusinal about any of her opinions which I find to be very disrespectful, he also cotnrols basically everything she does like where she lives, and when she sleeps. When reading the changes of the wallpaper this to me seems like a women who is trapped by the world it was ripping apart a womans control over her life and leaving it to John to take over as much as he could get. The ending was a shock for me when her break down got her to see the truth of it all. 

Journal #3 

Growing up in a 100% Polish family, I relate to “All American Girl” because I also experienced the tension between cultural identity and American expectations. With my grandma speaking Polish fluently, Polish traditions were not optional in my household but a normal part of everyday life. Celebrating Polish holidays, foods, and customs shaped how I saw myself, even when those traditions felt different from what my friends experienced. I am not saying I did not have a normal American childhood because on my dads side it was always the traditional American Catholic Christmas, like the speaker in the poem, there were moments when my background was overlooked or seen as weird by others who assumed I fit well into an “American” label. Alvarez’s poem helped me see that holding onto cultural traditions is not a burden to belonging, but an important part of understanding who I am and who I want to be. 

Journal #4 

Dear Carissa I remember how nervous you were starting track and lacrosse at the same time, wondering if you would be good enough or able to keep up since everyone has been doing it there whole life and you just started.  I know It felt scary trying something new, but choosing to show up every day already meant you were braver than you realized. You were patient with yourself and always focused on improving a little at a time. You realized you did not have to be perfect or know a lot to belong. The hard work, friendships, and confidence you made will matter more than any single performance. Keep going and use this mindset at Saint Mary's. You’re capable of more than you think.

Journal #5 

In "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Angelou shows Maya starting to find where she belongs as she gets older and more independent. When Maya moves to California and spends more time with her mom, she slowly becomes more confident because her mom pushes her to believe in herself. You can see her sense of belonging grow when she becomes the first Black streetcar conductor in San Francisco. Getting that job makes her feel proud and like she finally has a place in the world instead of relating it back to her childhood of being neglected. These chapters show Maya realizing that belonging can come from believing in yourself and not giving up.

Jounral #6 

When close reading the graphic novel "Persepolis", there was a lot of things I noticed such as the feeling of isolation throughout the story and another thing that I noticed was how much the images spoke to me while reading without needing a lot of words to describe. It made me sad when she looked at her parents one last time and I thought about if I had to do that I would not know what to do without mine. Another thing I noticed while reading was how the book was in black and white, it makes everything seem more serious and lasting because when I think of black and white I normally think of something old. I feel like the simplicity of the images actually make the emotions stronger because there’s nothing distracting from them. Through what I read, she shows that separation isn’t just physical. It’s emotional too. 

Jounral #7 

When watching the film Persepolis there was many parts that stood out to me but the main one that did was, the clip when Marjane tells her parents she wants to become a prophet when she grows up. She imagines talking to God in her bedroom. I saw it as her  innocent goal she wanted to achieve. She wanted to help people and fix injustice. This stood out to me because, it shows Marjane’s strong sense of justice and curiosity about the world it seemed to me she alaways wanted to help and cared about others, like when that boy riding his bike and she did not care his father was a murder. These also show her imagination and innocence before things become more serious.