Youruba Girl Dancing pg 155-185

Summary

At the start of chapter 10, Remi is getting accustomed to her new school. She already has a best friend named Phoebe Vincent who called Remi’s father a nut for unknown reasons. She meets and befriends a German girl named Herr SchÖfbeck. Remi visits Germany for a short period of time and when she got back, phoebe asked her how Germany was, she says it was ok and that Germans had so many questions to ask her about Africa. It has been a couple of years that Remi has been in England and now she has finished high school and is now looking for a college to go to. She decided to apply to London University, but don’t know if she got accepted or not. She falls in love with a man named Akin Williams who she had met during Sisi Bola’s weeding (back in chapter one). She is going to a party with Akin and there is where our journey ends with Remi.

Quote

“Is there a sight more beautiful, the older women said, than a Yoruba girl dancing?” (Bedford 185)

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This quote, to me, was the most important quote of the book. Well not only because it has the book’s title in it but also because it shows that she was the person who stood out, the most beautiful. She used to be the girl who every one made fun of, the girl who everyone ran way from, but now she has become a beautiful sight.

Yoruba Girl Dancing pg 122-155

Summary

At the beginning of chapter eight, we meet Gerald, Remi’s cousin, who at first hates a Tarzan game, but now wants to play the game. At school, the girls start to become friendlier to Remi. When Remi said her dad would flip if he sees her report card, she said she was an ambassador for her race but she was English. The other girls tell her to stay true to her heritage, but Remi stands firm in being an English girl. They invite her to play on the school team and to audition for the school choir. While auditioning for the school choir, Miss Byngham, the piano teacher, said Africans, like Paul Robeson, have lovely voices. But after auditioning Remi, Miss Byngham finds out that not all Africans have a beautiful voice. Miss Valentine, a teacher that hates Remi and Remi hate her equally, takes her out of the school and leaves her speechless outside the road. Later, Remi finds out that her parents are coming to visit her in UK and Remi is very excited by this news. When her parents arrive, they transfer her from Chilcott Manor to Dove House School. When Christmas comes, Remi’s father goes back to Nigeria and when they go to church, Remi describes the church place as an old fashioned Nigerian Cathedral.

Quote

"'She said you was as English as the rest of us now'". (Bedford 122)

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This quote was a bit confusing for me. A few pages ago, Remi kept saying she was Nigerian, and she would continue to say she is a Nigerian, but right now, she's English. What happened to the saying once a Nigerian always a Nigerian, or at least that's how I think the saying went. I see Remi as a round character who continues to change in every chapter. I think the change is due to her new environment. Before she moved to England she was among people who understood her, but now she's among strangers so she had to change for people to understand her better.

Yoruba Girl Dancing pg 83-122

Summary

At the beginning of chapter six, Remi starts to feel lonely as she sits alone in her dormitory. Her matron, the person that is suppose to help Remi get familiar with the school, introduced her to Jessica, Sarah, Miranda and Anita. The name of the school is Chilcott Manor School. When the supper bell rang Anita tells the other girls not to touch Remi for if they do “The black comes off” (Bedford 86), and thus beginning the start of a long horror movie. The other girls start to talk about her because she is, in fact, the first African they have seen. The make fun of her speech, her skin, her heritage, and the fact that she may never see he parents again. While in French class, Mademoiselle, the French teacher, explains to everyone why people have different skin color and why a skin color won’t come off, thus ending the relatively short nightmare. She goes to Uncle Theo and Aunt Mavis’ house where she gets a little lecture about the difference between a ‘darkie’ and an African.

Quote

“‘Yes it does’, said Anita. ‘My aunt Jane said so. She told my brother that if he didn’t behave himself she would send him to Africa and the black would rub off all the people there onto him’”.

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The first reaction I had when I read this was a bad one, I am unable to write done due to its vulgarity. Then I started to think, this is how some people actually believe. It might be a small group of people, but some people actually believe that when you touch a person of color, the color rubs off on you. I’ve never heard anything like this before, so it came as a shock to me to here one of London’s finest to talk like this. I had to stop and think about this for a while because it was really…surprising.

Yoruba Girl Dancing pg 40-82

Summary

As we continue on I find out that the main character’s name is Remi. We are also introduced to a new character, Bigmama. She is the one to take Remi to her new school in England. The excitement around Remi’s big move continues to grow stronger everyday, but Remi doesn’t think so. Bigmama gets overexcited and buys Remi a raincoat and some jewellery. When the day of departure finally arrived, everyone that knew Remi came bearing gifts and wishing her well on her endeavors. They go in a ship heading towards England and on the ship they meet Miss. Smith. Miss. Smith tries to teach Remi a thing or two about English ways but that became a failure. When they finally make it London, she starts to miss her home and family. They arrive at Uncle Theo and Aunt Betty’s house. When they get on a bus, it was pretty obvious that Remi and Bigmama were foreigners because they drew so much attention to themselves. Remi is about to start school. Let’s see how the first day of school will be like.

Quote

“ ‘Remi’ she said, ‘you are going to England. Your father has found a very good school for you…”

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This quote is important because it shows the beginning of a new thing. It tells the beginning of how a girl became a woman. Without this quote, this book would be meaningless. This quote also reminds me of me when i was a little boy. My parents told me i would be going to an American school, which was a good thing for them but a bad thin for me. I personally did not want to go to a foreign school, but to make my life better i had to which was...i have no idea, but i didnt like it.

Yoruba Girl Dancing pg 1-40

Summary

As i start reading the book, I meet the main character, whose name is not mentioned yet, I am also introduced to Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Delma, Aunt Rose, Uncle Geroge, Patience, Uncle Henry, Nimota, Yowande, and some foster children. The book starts during the evening as Grandpa and the main character are about to read a section of the bible before eating dinner. Then, I learn that Grandpa is the richest and most important man in Lagos. She goes to a market that is forbidden by her parents with her friends and while they were on their way, some girls called them "Oyinbo" which means 'white person' (this brought back old memories of being made fun at school for being the lightest Nigerian in the school. When they get back from the market, Grandma asks where they went and they lie to her. Grandma questions them some more and eventually she finds out and punishes them by whipping them (usual Nigerian punishment). There is going to be a wedding and Nimota put a curse on Yetunde that wont make her get married anytime soon. The curse starts to take affect and Yetunde becomes ill. Later on in the book, there's seems to be a rush to get to Lagos. Patience is forced to get the few items she can carry and leave for Lagos.

Quote

"She was right, in our house we spoke four languages, and two of them were English". (Bedford 1)

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This was a very humorous quote to me. The spoke two types of english which is what my family also speaks. When i first read it, I started laughing because English is one language and they spoke it in two types. See in my country there is two type of English. There's "oyinbo english" and "Pigeon english". Oyinbo english is the american styled english, the one americans speak at home. Pigeon is however different. Pigeon is just like the regular, but people who speak it add words. For example An oyinbo would say "I am coming" but someone who speaks pigeon english would say "I dey come". It means the same thing but its said differently.

Lucky: Memoir 180-251

Summary

As I approach the resolution of the memoir, Alice gives an ‘Oh my God’ moment that makes people wish there was continuation to this book. The trail continues and the defense attorney continues to ask questions that does not prove Gregory Madison’s innocence. The defense lawyer tries convey her to the jury as a racist by asking how many black people does she see a day. The next few pages go on and on with the simple yes or no questions asked and the simple yes or no answers. Eventually Madison is found guilty for his actions and sentenced to 8 1/3 – 25 years to jail on July 13, 1982. Yes! Jusitice is served. The man is behind bars and everyone moves on with their happy little lives, right? Wrong. Just when everything is starting to pick up, Alice’s boarding room at Syracuse is broken into and her roommate is raped. Just hen you think everything will go back to normal, her roommate gets raped. Then instead of taking legal actions like Alice did, she decides to ‘let this one go’.

Quote

“But it is later now, and I live in a world where the two truths coexist; where both hell and hope lie in the palm of my hand” (Sebold 251)

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This quote is the last sentence of the book and it has some meaning to it. This quote brought up a couple of questions. She lives in a world where the two truths coexist. What world and what truth is Alice talking about? This is what makes the ending of the book so interesting. Alice gives a quote that makes us want more, that makes me want to search for her and find the answers to my question.

Lucky: Memoir pg 126-180

Summary

Finally, Alice Sebold’s rapist is caught. A man named Gregory Madison. Officer clapper, an officer at Syracuse University, arrests Mr. Madison. He is taken to court to account for his deeds and Alice is needed to testify against him. She is asked some stupid questions that aren’t even relevant to the trail. Seriously what kind of lawyer cross examines a witness by asking her “Do you need your license” (Sebold 129). Anyways, Alice’s lawyer does a good job of proving that Madison is guilty by giving evidence taking from his DNA and the hair they found on her the night she was raped, and they match. The defense attorney tries so hard to prove Alice wrong by bringing out every little weakness in Alice’s testimonies. He tries to make Alice’s testimonies false by pointing out that she wears glasses and it was too dark, which fails. The trail continues and well I don’t find out the verdict yet…

Quote

“I was thrilled. I stood in my single at Haven and shook with it. I called my mother and told her. I was moving forward. The trial seemed imminent. Any day now” (Sebold 157).

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The significance of this quote is that it shows the excitement Alice must’ve had when she found the person who raped her. She had dreams, no, nightmares about torturing this man. Putting him in jail is the closet she can get to doing just that. Now that the police have found him, she can make that nightmare a reality.

Lucky: Memoir pg 80-125

Summary

As I continue reading more about Alice Sebold and her life before the traumatic experience of getting raped, things start to get a little strange. Her father actually becomes a fun man. Mr. Sebold who believes "Fun is boring" actually played a board game with Alice. During this time, Alice was a senior in high school and was visiting Emerson College in Boston. She applied to two other colleges as well. Alice view of Emerson college differs from her father's. Alice saw the college as a school "where long haired students called throwbacks...smelled like true authentic rebellion. They smelled like pot." Now, i wouldn't want to go to a college where pot and rebellions rule the land, but Alice describes the school as "my kind of place". While her father makes her consider Boston College, whose campus was far more nicer than Emerson, she sets her mind on Emerson. She later visits Syracuse college and falls in love with the college. We are then taken back to the day she moves from New York to Pennsylvania. Weeks after the rape, she sees her raper and she immediately notifies Syracuse Police and the Police immediately take action by combing the area for any one that could fit the description given to the police by Alice. And now the search for Alice's rapist begins!

Quote

"That night I had a Dream. Al Tripodi was in it. In a prison cell, he and two other men held my rapist donw. I began to perform acts of revenge on the rapist but to no avail" (Sebold 121).

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This quote shows the effect of the experience on Alice's mentally. She has dreams about this man and she wishes to torment him. Normally, people wouldn't have dreams about tormenting others in a prison cell, but because of the experience she had, things like that start to come up. This quote shows the anger Alice has. She actually wants two man to bind this man together and she torments him. She gives no thought about forgiving him, whoever he is, but actually to torment him. But, she has endured alot though, so it will only be normal for her to feel this way.

Lucky: Memoir page 43-80

Summary
As I continue to follow Alice Sebold on her life after the experience of being raped, she takes us to her childhood. I start to learn more about Alice and what happened to her while growing up. I learned that her mother used to be an alcholic, and is still. Her mother's alcoholism changed her and her sister, Mary. Sometimes during the night, she would wake up to hear her mother making "horrible noises" and when she goes to her parents room to find out what's going on, she sees her mother spewing out blood. Her mother also had these "flaps", when her mother gets crazy. These flaps occured anywhere and anytime. Sometimes when the went to the store to buy gorceriris, Alice's mother would be rubbing inappropraite body parts and Mary would yell hat her to stop doing what she's doing. Alice finds out that her family as 'weird'. Not weird as in the sense of 'koko' but weird as in the do not do what other families in the community typically do, just like the Bradleys in TO KILL A MOCKINBIRD. She noticed that most fathers would drink beer, mow lawns, or play with thier kids. Her father, however drank sherry, ate raw meat, read a huge Latin dictionary and spoke spanish on the phone. When her friend, whose name is not mentioned in the memoir, tells her that her family was considered weird in the community, Alice begins to cry and evaluates her family and starts to see that the community is right, her family is weird in a sort of way.


Quote
"But I watched my sister develop from a child who thought the world would fall apart to a young adult who resented how the flaps made us different, exciting stares and comments in public" (Sebold 48).


Reaction

This quote shows and symbolizes the effects of Alice's mother's "flaps" on their childhoods. I can't imagine going to school and with everyone knoing that my mother was a crazy drunk. It must have had a huge toll on both of the girls. Not only was Mary, Alice's sister, affected, but Alice as well. While Mary was being the bossy "Don't do this in public" or "Don't Do that in public", Alice was being the kind and caring duaghter, sothing and comforting her mother whenever needed, which was most of the time.

Lucky: A Memoir pg 1-42

Summary

Lucky a memoir by Alice Sebold starts out with the day she was raped. Alice Sebold was coming back from a end-of-the-year party from Syracuse University in New York. Alice Sebold was grabbed by a man she has never seen before and was forced to sleep with him. When it was all over the man who raped her slept for a while. He wakes up when Alice tries to escape and starts to apologize for what he did. He starts to be sincere and ask to carry her book or if she needs a ride home. She refuses his help and goes to the University clinic where every boy and girl stare at her because they see blood running down her legs. The Nurse gives her some Demerol which is suppose to relax her since she is shaken up by the the event that has taken place. Mary Alice, Sebold's friend, comes to visit her at the clinic. The doctor, nurses, and police start to search and examine her body for evidence. The police find a lock of hair left from her attacker on her body and use that to try and identify him. Alice refuses to tell her mother what has happened fearing her mother would have a major panic attack. Alice takes a shower and starts to have visualization about the man ho raped her. She starts to get mental images of the incident that occured earlier. Alice Sebold later decides to prosecute the man who did this to her. I wonder what happens next? If she finds the man and if the man pays for what he did?



Quote

"Leaving with anything other than what he had: all of me, except my brain and my belongings. I wanted to leave the tunnel with both of them" (Sebold 22).

Reaction

This quote shows that the man who raped her, still unidentified, took everything from her, except he brain and belongings. He took her virginity, he took her pride, and her security. She might not be comfortable to go out alone with any boy because of what happened. This quote shows the damage that the man has done to her. Even though the man might see it as something that happened 'mistakenly', Alice sees it has him taking everything from her.

Found New book.
A book called Lucky: A Memoir by Alice Sebold
It's about...well you'll find out later

Looking for a New book to read.
Last one was dnied.
5 grade reading level.

Beginning of Assingment.

Today is Thursday September 17, 2009
I have Created My Blog and will try and get Assess to Malcolm X : by any means necessary : a biography.