Under the Feet of Jesus: Isolation

     I think that this book was full of imagery and symbolic naure. It was very easy for me to visualize scenes such as the baseball game and the barn. I think that throughout this book, it is easy for Estrella to feel alone and isolated. I think that it can be hard when members of your family are migrant workers. I felt like in some ways that it was easy to relate to her isolation feeling.
     Being away from home, I can really relate to how sometimes you just feel like you are alone in this world. I think that this feeling happpens for a lot of girls and not just Estrella. I feel that most of the main characters in these books that we read have a similiar feeling that they keep inside of them.

Under the Feet of Jesus: Fitting In

Each story we have read has not only focused on life of the female characters, the readings have also focused in one way or another on trying to fit in. Fitting in is not just something migrant workers or immigrants try for. Everyone in one way or another, or at one point or another tries to fit in. In Breath Eyes Memory (Edwidge Danticat) we have a strong female lead that doesn't feel comfortable in her own skin (for a variety of reasons). Not only does she not feel physically comfortable with herself, she is not certain where she actually belongs in adulthood. At the end of the story it seems like a small realization that she belongs home, but home is unknown still or developing.

19 Varities of Gazelle the author, Naomi Shihab Nye is basically defending her culture after 911.While she is defending her Muslim heritage she is also trying to show the reader that she is Muslim and American. Bone  (Fae Myenne Ng)and Lakota Woman  (Mary Crow Bird) again focus on this idea of not knowing where or trying to figure out where one (in our case female) belongs in society. For the women we have been reading about their lives are so greatly affected but not only where they actually are, but who they come from and where.

Under the Feet of Jesus (Helena Maria Viramontes) follows this premise in the eyes of a 13 year old becoming an adult and trying to place herself in the world. For her the world is very scary not only because of her youth, but because she actually has a scary, unpredictable life. Parents and relatives are in theory suppose to be comforting and provide a stable environment, for this young lady there is none of that stability.

Feet of Jesus: Comparing

         In looking at this novel compared to the others we have read in class I am beginning to notice that thus far, all of the novels have been written by women, and for the most part involved main characters as women. I like the age of Estrella in the novel, and that it doesn't jump around as much as others such as Breath, Eyes, Memory. I have found the descriptions in this novel to hold more weight in my mind, when giving imagery to a topic. I have liked the way she is always talking about fruits, colors, and lushness of things, but of course it never usually involves her personally.
        I have liked that it focuses primarily on her thus far, and that we really get into her head and her thoughts. The other novels have bounced around in focus, and I have enjoyed this style a lot. I also like learning about this part of California, compared to San Francisco in "Bone". I have also found a connection in this reading, as today Spanish and Mexican immigration is still a large focus that is discussed a lot, so this topic has been tied down for me in more than a few ways.

Under the Feet of Jesus

     To go off of what Jen was saying about the dolls, I personally did not enjoy reading about it. I think that dolls are creepy in the first place, and to read about a little girl shaking the dolls head saying no? I wanted to stop reading right there. I have to admit that I am not entirely interested in the book so far, I feel like the other works that we read have been a lot more interesting. However, knowing that we are supposed to include similarities between the works that we have read, I will focus more on that aspect.
     As I had said in my previous blog, all of our books seem to have a pattern of young women trying to grow up in a changing or rough surrounding. Some of them have to deal with rape, a terrible guardian situation, poor neighborhoods, war, or depression. Those issues I would have a hard time dealing with now as an 18 yr old; I couldn't in a million years know where to begin if I was 13 and struggling with those topics. I think that this book can be related setting wise, to Bone because of the fact that Estrella and her family are in California. I think that it can relate to all of the other books because it is about a story of a girl who is realizing that she is becoming an adult.

Feet of Jesus: Baseball

       Something I really enjoyed about this novel was the realistic-ness of the characters. I liked their descriptions, their references and I found it all so relatable. One of the instances in the story that I found interesting was when Estrella is at the railroad tracks and begins to discuss the lights from the baseball field.
     In the moment that the lights from the field turn on, Estrella is worried that it could possibly be border control, but then goes on to discuss what happens in baseball. Questioning as to "where is home", I felt that the baseball analogy made for a much larger metaphor. This brings up the question of where "home" is for Estrella herself, which may not actually be where her family is. When watching the game she on the field she describes the ball being hit in violent manners, "a ball, a blunt instrument, hit against the skull". Which could also allude to other things, such as the trials of finding a home, or being in one that is not the right one.
    I also liked her description of the ball as a peach. In talking about the players and questions their "hunger" which could allude to many other things. She also discusses one of the players as being a "stunned deer" in the lights of the field, which I felt alludes to her fear of being caught in the lights of border patrol. Overall I felt this passage exemplified how alienated and controlled the people in the novel must have felt. Seeing as if I came upon the same scene Estrella did, I would have enjoyed the view and watched a nice game of baseball, but to her it was foreign, violent, and based on survival.

Under the feet of Jesus: Ch 1-2: The naked doll

Estrella is a young girl traveling with her Chicano migrant worker family in California. The story it self did not really capture me thus far. It seems to be a young girl becoming an adult or realizing she has to become one. One key moment for me that stands out demonstrating this is when her family arrives at the first place we encounter them working and she ask her naked doll if she is ok and Estrella shakes the dolls head no (page 7). The doll is one many small girls, a lot younger than 13 year old Estrella, would play with. Unlike most young girls dolls this doll is naked which gives me the impression of it going through the same hardships as the family. Estrella shakes the dolls head no, which seems to references that she is not well. Which is very understandable, who could really be ok or well traveling around for work and being forced into labor? The doll also stands out to me as a little creepy. Horror movies and sad parts of books also have the small childs naked doll. It really stands out against even the words of the story as this is a hard, sad situation.

The other thing that captured me in this story was the very vivid imagery being described. The fields are given so much lush or yummy sounding detail with all the fruits and veggies available and yet not available to the family. It's like life is hanging in front of the family but they can't have it.

Citizen: A Picture Lasts a Lifetime

            This week really opened up my eyes to what happened while many were imprisoned in the Japanese internment camps. The way that Otsuka represented the people and the family in "When the Emperor was Divine", was by making them all vague, to symbolize the larger population. Yet, Okubo, goes into all of the details. I felt that through the drawings not only did I get a real graphic sense of the places and the setting, but I felt she did many things when them to get her point across.
             I felt that she represented each Asian character a little differently, to show the diversity among the race, and to prove that they were not all the same. This is ironic, because Otsuka put everyone in the same category to make a point, and Okubo did the exact opposite. Okubo also does this with details of the situation, but in more blatant ways. I felt that because of the drawings, the language was obviously much more blatant in the graphic novel, which gave something so emotional, a different approach.
         Overall, I felt that both novels captured what happened at this time in very different ways, but very successfully. I feel that I gained a greater knowledge on the topic, and was interested in finding out more. That especially happened in "Citizen 13660". There were many things that made me want to explore the topics. I had never heard that they were issued numbers, just like Jewish internment camps in the Holocaust. This really made it real for me on all levels, showing how awful it must have been. It was eye opening, and interesting, and I enjoyed both of the novels with all of the differences they had to offer.

When the Emperor Was Divine:Name less

Julie Otsaku keeps the names of "characters" from the reader while Mine Okubo gives everyone, place, and thing a name (most I can't pretend to try to pronounce). Which for me gives a very striking distinction to each writing. For Otasku while she is reflecting on events she did not experience, but rather shedding light on them, she allows the reader to place names to her situation. Maybe making it more personal? Otasku also seems to want to reader to realize this was a large event that effected many and maybe nameless people makes that more real. This was a situation they all faced not just one family.  Okubo is reflecting on lived events and giving the reader the reality of the situation with little room for place one's own ideas into the situation. Okubo does however provide short details which I feel made one desire google to clarify or elaborate.

Both authors also talk about Utah. Otasku makes the situation seem more trying then Okubo did actually living through it. I'm not saying Okubo played down the situation, but seemed to be more like this is reality and I am going to get through it where Otasku wanted people to mourn the situation.

Citizen 13660

    Even though this may seem juvenile, I enjoyed this book over some of the other readings because of the pictures. I like that the author was able to put drawings inside, because it took my imagination and created a picture for me. I thought that it was really sad when Miné's mother passed away. For some reason, I thought back to Breath, Eyes, Memory. I feel that throughout these books that we are reading, there are clear similarities.
     All of these woman go through drastic changes effecting their lives. Whether it be a passing of a family member, an emotional and personal change, or self discovery, I have found that their stories are all relatable to each other. I thought that it was really heartbreaking to read that her career as an art student came to an end after Japan attacked the US. I think that it is easy for us to be able to read about these moments in history through research, but seeing it through the eyes of  real person can be really moving. I couldn't imagine going through half of the things this poor girl had to.

Citizen 13660: Mine Okubo

This story for no logical reason reminds me of "A Long Days Journey into Night", probably because it's short burst of a story on each page which is how I feel the above mentioned book was (although the above book is a very short story). Citizen 13660 is a very quick read, but full of a lot of information, most of which makes you feel like pulling up google. Evacuation order #19 orders all Japanese regardless of citizenship in the United States to be sent to camps (which is interesting because also very much like the German camps the United States protest). Two thirds of Japanese individuals sent to camps were citizens (pg. 16). What a startling number and unimaginable. People today get mad if they feel any of their personal space is being invaded and shout for their rights, now imagine havign every inch of your personal space invaded because someone of the same cultural background did something.

13660 is the family number given to Mine and her brother (pg. 19). Mine and her brother are sent together as a family of two and through some debate are allowed to live together. Camp life is very hard, everything needs to be sought through hardship or waited in line for. Eventually the Tranforan Camp individuals decide they want to self govern themselves and try to have that allowed, but nothing comes of it. Which is odd to me because they live in a camp because of their national heritage and lost all rights, but some how thought they could get their own government?

Eventually Mine and her brother are moved to the Utah Central Relocation Project, another camp. This would be the last camp for each. Eventually they would both get out because they were considered loyal after examination and found jobs. This entire book is such a startling situation. I have been aware of this event in history, but I still find it mind boggling. Everything in these camps from eating together, working on the camps, going to the bathroom together, and showering together is the same as the German camps. Except when the Japanese showered they surivived. This also reminds me of our current situation. Since Septemeber 11th there has been this fear expressed in the media of Muslims. It seems that through history for any event that arises someone of some cultural decent will be found to blame and all those associated with that culture or heritage will be found at fault as well.

Emperor: POV Choices

         I was really interesting and intrigued by the way Otsuko chose to change the point of view every chapter, and have only one chapter for each. It was like it was not just one person's story, but the entire family's and possible even their entire culture. I enjoyed getting to see the story through all perspectives, because it seemed different each time.
         Ostuko also did not give each of the character's names, which I thought also spoke towards the fact that when discussing the family she was speaking for all Japanese-American's at that time. The store was subtle and very down to earth, and I found myself speeding right through it. But when I got to the last chapter, when the father spoke, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. In the last chapter the man rambles off a list of grievances, of things that would be expected of him by Americans. He "admits" to all of the crimes he was suspected of in order to go. And suddenly, I really understood the position of these people. They had pride too, they had their own ideals to uphold; and they were treated like none of that mattered. While the conditions of the camps, and the awful situation gave me a look into what had happened, the last chapter really pulled it together for me.
         I think Otsuko did this completely on purpose. How can someone look at a man, who is just trying to do well for his family and accuse him of all of these things, based on something so vague? While I felt like three years was a lot to cover for the length of the book, I really enjoyed reading it and felt like I gained a better understanding of the topic.

When the Emperor Was Devine

While reading this book, I found that there were many things that I could never imagine going through. For example, I don't think that I could ever kill my dog or let my pet bird fly away. I could never just pack my bags and go with my mom without knowing where we were going. I think that the mother has to be the strongest character in this book. Although the second her children are in bed, she cries and drinks, it must take a lot of courage to pack away everything you've ever known while taking care of two children.
     I found it very interesting that the author decided to narrate this book through the eyes of the parents and the children. I also found it intriguing that she chose to keep their names a mystery. I thought that it was very sad how the little girl lost her identity when Pearl Harbor was attacked. I couldn't fathom being a character in this book and I think that one of the themes is being able to find the strength inside of yourself.

Lakota Women: Family Traditions

It is a world tradition to destroy culture and even more fascinating to me because everyone talks about preservation or in history form goods, but all in one way or another seek to alter each bit of society. Even those who state they are the most excepting or friendly. For the Lakota it was and could be said still is the white christian. Which shouldnt be that big of a shocker since it has been the white Christian impacting most change. The point of family traditions that most stuck out to me in "Lakota Women" is chapter three. Mary Crow Dog compares what happened to Idian children with what happen to victims of the Nazi's (28). A very senestative subject for many but a statement filled with a lot of truth. Mary then goes on to reference how traditionally children are cared for with love and surrounded by love while they are allowed to grow (29). When the whites take the children this is all changed. The children are taught how to grow with no love surrounded by steel. The family traditions of how a child should be raised and cared for is gone.

Lakota: Generational Differences

            In Lakota Woman, I noticed some interesting occurrences between Mary, her siblings, and their mother. It was so interesting that Mary's mother was raised a Christian, as she was from the generation of Native Americans that were forced to conform to Christianity. Her mother having Christian values really throws a wrench into the works of Mary trying to find a place in the world. Not only is her mother more old fashioned than her, but she is also much more Christian.
           When talking of her sisters' pregnancy's I felt sorry that Mary's family not only had to deal with the hardships of being singled out in society as Native Americans but also with their mother not accepting their way of life, which often was more Native American than their own. The generational differences in the story are not just similar to typical mother/daughter relationships, but have other people tampering with their relationship. Mary's mother was forced into Christianity, and new ways of life, and Mary was trying to rebel against all the forces that had made things this way.
         There is also the issue of no real permanent father figure for Mary, at least when we meet her. Her husband Leo eventually becomes the most positive and permanent man in the story, but to me, that was Mary once again creating her own fate. I think she went out and changed what she wanted to for herself and her life.
        It is interesting however, that Mary ends up following many of the ways of past Native Americans, while her mother never truly did so. It may attribute to the fact that times were harder on her mother, or it may even be because Mary had a fighting spirit her mother never did. Regardless the differences between Mary and her mother are not just gerational, they are national.

Lakota Woman: Family Issues

     As I was reading I felt like a lot of the main character's problems all came back to family issues. I think that her and her sister Barb ended up doing a lot of drugs and drinking a lot because they started at a young age with their step dad. I also believe that a lot of her emotion problems stem down from her mother not being the right kind of parental figure that she really needed her to be.
     When Mary acts out in school, I feel like her mother has no sympathy for her, even though she should completely understand. I think that the fact that the mother is almost non-existent, except for arguments, really affects the way that Mary turns out. Whenever there are problems between children and parental figures, there are going to be issues in the long run.

Lakota: Blood

        In "Lakota Woman"it seems that there is always an issue of blood. Mary is not fully Sioux and so in all aspects of her life she feels out of place. She is not considered white enough to be treated like some of the "mostly white" girls when she is in school. She is also not Indian enough to be respected by full blooded people. It seems that whether she is lashing out against whites or trying to make peace she is never fully accepted.
       Also, the issue of blood comes into play in other ways as well. It seems white people wanted those of mixed race to be political officials rather then full blooded Indians. This was an insult as the tribe already had chiefs and elected officials, but when the government stepped in they chose the more "white" of the reservation.
      Another example of mixed blood scenarios is also when discussing alcohol in the towns. It may not be ironic that Mary, being of mixed race was represented as one with the least problems with alcohol later on in life. While she was exposed to it and use it at a young age, so ends up abstaining from it later on while many people acquire serious problems with it.
     It seems that the issues of "bloodedness" are of high concern to the people of the Lakota's just as in the history of African Americans. I had always looked at both "races" as being oppressed but never considered the blood aspect of Native Americans. I have always imagined that it would be hard to tell exactly how much of one is white or Native American, so it never really occurred to me until reading this book.

Bone: Truth Behind the Story

     Even though this story is told through the eyes of Leila, the oldest daughter, I find myself asking if this story is even about her at all? It seems to me that she focuses on talking about Leon. She searches to find him to inform him that she is married, and then proceeds to tell the readers about the bones of Leon's father. She explains that because of the fact that Leon never sent his father's bones back to China, bad luck would follow.
     Throughout the novel, several terrible things happen to Leon. His wife has an affair and he has a hard time finding jobs because he has so many fake birthdays and identities. He ends up starting a business with one of his good friends, only to find out that it dead ends. He then finds out that his favorite daughter killed herself by jumping out of a building after dating a man that he disapproved of. Not only does he lose Ona, but he also in a way loses Nina, because she moves to New York as soon as she can. The only person in this story who stays loyal to Leon is Leila, who isn't even his real daughter.
     I do think that the family as a whole has issues, but I it all boils back down to Leon. If he would have taken his father's bones back to China, they wouldn't be having any of the bad luck.

Bone: values of family and community

The character's within Bone all want to be in America and have the life of wealth they thought America would bring, but they want to be Chinese. When they move to America, they settle in China town. They continue to go through all the cultural traditions and situations they would face in China, but it is Americanized. Sending bones of individuals who die in America back to China is also very important and for Leon, not sending his fathers bones back to China seems to be the curse of the family (in his opinion) and the reason all bad things happen. So maybe, the title is based on this because the author is also suggesting the bones are the curse that causes the bad karma in the family?

Mason, Leila's boyfriend has many comments that struck me. It's important, it seems from the book, for Chinese individuals to still be Chinese and not American. Mason calls his cousin Dale to white (Page 40, Ng) and then likes to call places in China town to Chinese (180, Mg). Which is kind of confusing to a reader and to me demonstrates his own struggle with being simply himself and yet being defined by his culture. Which might and seems to be the struggle for all the characters in the book.

Bone: Role Reversals and Family

          There were many interesting aspects of Leila's family, and felt that it was a large theme of the book. Family ties, omens, relationships, mishaps all seemed to be key to the story. If someone was making good on the family name, then someone was else was shaming it.
           It is mentioned that Leon and Ona had a strong bond, and that he was much closer to her then the other sisters. While we do not see this as much as we see his interaction with Leila, we can assume that his relationship with Ona was much different. It is ironic that then she is the one that betrays him and dates the son of his new enemy after the business mishap. It seems that everyone Leon loves, (Ona and Mah) hurt him in the end. Before Leon is given the chance to fix things with Ona she moves out and eventually takes her life.
          This is not the only relationship faulted by Ona's death. It is also mentioned that Ona and Nina have a much better relationship then the other combinations of sisters. This points toward the fact that Leila has a different father, which makes her relationship with her family different. Ona and Nina's relationship is also traumatized with Ona's death, therefore Nina eventually leaves for New York. This leaves Leila with no sisters to lean on for support or to help with her family.
          This now leads us to see Leila's role reversals with her parents. She abandons her husband to move in and take care of her mother. The role reversal is also characterized by her mother's "irresponsible" affair  and affirms this switch. She also takes care of Leon as she tries to figure out his paperwork and occupation. This also emphasizes Leila's role as an impromptu parent while she ironically has no children of her own, and also does not have a relationship with her real father.

Bone: Lucky or Unlucky

             It seems that throughout the novel, the ideas of superstition, luck, and misfortune are brought up a lot in regards to the family, and Leila. The symbol of the "bones" always refers back to an instance of unluckiness. While "bones" seems to refer to the doves that were cooked in the three sister's childhood, it could also refer to the family's past and the "skeletons in their closet". Bones could also literally represent the dead bodies of her sister Ona, and her sister Nina's child. In the novel it is said that each member of the family carries the responsibilities of the family's past with them. This is a lot to take on as a family member.
          It also seems that when something goes wrong for the family it is blamed on their bad luck or misfortune as well. They also refer to numbers such as 3 as unlucky (as in the three sisters) one killing herself, and the other getting an abortion exemplify that. Also when clinking glasses in New York, they clink them three times. Ona also jumped from the 13th floor of the building to kill herself, which is an American unlucky number. The irony is that it is mentioned that in Chinese dialect thirteen sounds similar to "to live". This compares the cultures and their and beliefs in interesting ways. It is also interesting that Ona killed herself directly before the Chinese New Year, which is another key time in their lives. The guilt that lies in the feelings of of bad luck also takes a toll on the family.
         Leila feels the guilt from her sister's death and moves back home with her mother. There is also a role reversal in the way that Leila takes care of her mother like a mother. She does this because the family blames the sisters' misfortunes on Leila as she is the eldest. There is a lot of superstition involved in the Chinese culture that is slowly revealed as the book carries on.

Bone: Generational Differences and Familial Roles

     While reading this novel, I noticed that Leon and Leila's mother are both very needy people. I feel like they both need to be taken care of in some sense and they both need their children. I think that after the death  of Ona, they both lost a little piece of their heart,and in turn fell apart. They both are also very culture related. They stay focused on the Chinese background of their lives, and while Leila appreciates where she is from, she stays more focused on life in America. She ends up being the translator for parents and she also seems to live an American lifestyle while her mother takes a trip with Nina. She gets high, she smokes cigarettes, she drinks, and she has sex.
     The main event that has happened in this book is the passing of the middle sister, Ona. It is very hard for the whole family, but it seems to be the most tragic for the mother. Even though Leila stays with her mother to keep her company and to keep her together, Mah is never happy. I think that as the novel goes on we will find out that one of the main reasons that Leon left Leila's mother is because of the death of Ona. Not only are both parents torn up over the loss, but Nina takes off and leaves everything behind.

Bone-Familial Roles Represented

This story has plenty of underlining emotional family drama. The two biggest effects on the family relations are the parents ( Mah and Leon) and the suicide of Ona. Both have effected and broken apart the main structure of the family, however the death of suicide of Ona was the major fracture. After Ona commits suicide everything changes, all the fractures in the family that were holding are shattered and every family member seems to be searching for the reason why. The story follows the family structure of three sisters, the oldest Leila is the narrator, Ona is the middle child, and Nina the youngest. Leila is whom the parents rely on the most for everyday things to rebuilding their relationships.Leila has in some sense become the parent in how she manages her parents life and feels she can't leave their side. Ona is placed to be the middle child (think Brady Bunch, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha"). Leila watched all this as the youngest and left the situation when she was old enough.