In having read the books of BLU Anthology and Giovanni’s Room I have been able to reflect and get two main ideas that the authors have portrayed as messages to the audience. These two books show a lot of being same sex attracted. One of the messages that I have found is a big part of these two books is that society has a big influence in what happens to the characters. The other message is that people have an internal conflict in accepting their own sexual identity. These two messages are portrayed in these two stories and we are able to see how they make the stories more interesting.
The way in which society has a big influence in what happens to the characters is shown in Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin because it shows that David and Giovanni both have to hide in order so that they would not be discovered. This is a big deal because it shows that sometimes we are afraid of what society has to say and so we have to find a way to hide our real self. The other story that I feel that shows this same idea is in the BLU Anthology in the story of “Blessed Assurance.” This story shows this when the dad wants to send his son away because he does not wants anyone to find out that his son is homosexual. The father is the one that worries about what society would say and he does not want anyone to find out.
The other idea that I felt was brought out was the one of characters feeling internal conflict in accepting their own sexual identity. This idea is shown a lot in Giovanni’s Room with David because he really does not know what he wants with his life and cannot accept the fact that he likes men. In the BLU Anthology it is also shown in the story of “Vanishing Rooms” because Lenny cannot accept his own homosexual feelings. The way he does this is by beating on a guy who his friends believed that touched him so that he could feel better and not worry about his homosexual feelings. In this idea you are able to see that people have a problem with the person that they truly are.
In both of these ideas a lot of who the character really is because it brings out the person more and we are able to get to know them. These ideas give more to the book because it makes them more interesting and I actually enjoy reading it. In this two you are also able to see that we really get a lot from a character because of some of these ideas.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Giovanni's Room
In reading the novel of Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin we meet the protagonist David an American who lives in France and is having an intimate relationship with a man and a woman at the same time. The author gives two important messages about the act of having sex. One of the messages is the fact that David believes that having sex should only be between a man and a woman and not two men. The other is that David feels that when he does have sex it is because of love. These two messages are shown a lot in the story of Giovanni’s Room.
The first message about sex that we see is when David begins to talk about his first experience with a man named Joey. He begins by saying, “But Joey is a boy. I saw suddenly the power in his thighs, in his arms, and in his loosely curled fists. The power and the promise and the mystery of that body made me suddenly afraid. That body suddenly seemed the black opening of a cavern in which I would be tortured till madness came, in which I would lose my manhood.” This shows that he feels that the only way in which he could accept having sex is if it was with a woman but not with a man. David does have feelings for this boy but he still cannot accept what he just did because he was always taught that this was wrong.
This message is important because it shows that sometimes what is expected from society in the way that a person has to be is what causes us to ignore what we are truly feeling. This is what happened to David because he fell into having to show his manhood and felt that if he did have sex that it would decrease his manhood. This is just showing that sometimes also gender roles play a big part of this.
The other message that is given by the author is that David the main character feels that sex should only be between him and people that he feels he loves. This is shown especially when he actually does have sex with someone who he knows that he has no feelings for and so after having sex he feels bad. David says, “I also approached Sue as though she were a job of work, a job which it was necessary to do in an unforgettable manner.” This showed that because he had no feelings for her, he felt that she meant nothing to him and was also not worth anything. On the other hand with Giovanni he felt that it made him feel loved when they were actually having sex. This is shown when he says, “When it was over, I lay in the dark and listened to his breathing and dreamed of the touch of hands, of Giovanni’s hands, or anybody’s hands, hands which would have the power to crush me and make me whole again.” The comment he makes here is just so much different from the one he makes of Sue because here he feels that Giovanni makes him feel loved and that he likes this feeling.
I think that this is important to the audience reading the book because it shows that sometimes we do things just because we have to but really don’t enjoy what we do. The message is given to us so that we could really make sure that we are able to think before we act because David did not really think about it and then he just felt bad.
In the theme of sex we have seen that for one love plays a big part in this act and also that sometimes our own life brings us to believe what is good and bad about it. This is why I really feel that the author made sure that we noticed these ideas about this theme because it gave a better understanding to David. It showed that by him becoming aware of these things he was able to get to know himself better and grow as a person.
The first message about sex that we see is when David begins to talk about his first experience with a man named Joey. He begins by saying, “But Joey is a boy. I saw suddenly the power in his thighs, in his arms, and in his loosely curled fists. The power and the promise and the mystery of that body made me suddenly afraid. That body suddenly seemed the black opening of a cavern in which I would be tortured till madness came, in which I would lose my manhood.” This shows that he feels that the only way in which he could accept having sex is if it was with a woman but not with a man. David does have feelings for this boy but he still cannot accept what he just did because he was always taught that this was wrong.
This message is important because it shows that sometimes what is expected from society in the way that a person has to be is what causes us to ignore what we are truly feeling. This is what happened to David because he fell into having to show his manhood and felt that if he did have sex that it would decrease his manhood. This is just showing that sometimes also gender roles play a big part of this.
The other message that is given by the author is that David the main character feels that sex should only be between him and people that he feels he loves. This is shown especially when he actually does have sex with someone who he knows that he has no feelings for and so after having sex he feels bad. David says, “I also approached Sue as though she were a job of work, a job which it was necessary to do in an unforgettable manner.” This showed that because he had no feelings for her, he felt that she meant nothing to him and was also not worth anything. On the other hand with Giovanni he felt that it made him feel loved when they were actually having sex. This is shown when he says, “When it was over, I lay in the dark and listened to his breathing and dreamed of the touch of hands, of Giovanni’s hands, or anybody’s hands, hands which would have the power to crush me and make me whole again.” The comment he makes here is just so much different from the one he makes of Sue because here he feels that Giovanni makes him feel loved and that he likes this feeling.
I think that this is important to the audience reading the book because it shows that sometimes we do things just because we have to but really don’t enjoy what we do. The message is given to us so that we could really make sure that we are able to think before we act because David did not really think about it and then he just felt bad.
In the theme of sex we have seen that for one love plays a big part in this act and also that sometimes our own life brings us to believe what is good and bad about it. This is why I really feel that the author made sure that we noticed these ideas about this theme because it gave a better understanding to David. It showed that by him becoming aware of these things he was able to get to know himself better and grow as a person.
Vanishing Rooms
The book Black Like Us is a book with short stories written by African American gay, lesbian, and bisexual fiction writers were we come to a story by Melvin Dixon, called “Vanishing Rooms”. Vanishing rooms is about a man named Metro who was killed by Lonny and his friends because Lonny told his friends that Metro had touched him because of his homophobic fear. In this story we are able to see how sometimes we are afraid of our own feelings that we say or do things that get other people into trouble.
The character of Lonny who is the protagonist is a gay white man who is insecure about his feeling. While on the other hand Metro is the antagonist even though he does not seem like a bad person. The story takes place in New York City. In this story we are faced with some of the different conflicts that we have seen in some of the other stories. One of those conflicts is the one between people because Metro is faced with having to get beat up by Lonny’s friends. This conflict also occurs when Cuddles starts talking about Lonny’s mom and so they also get into a fight because Lonny is offended. The other form of conflict is inner because Lonny is having a hard time accepting the fact that his friends killed Metro and he did nothing to help him. Another way in which he shows this is when he is thinking a lot about the conversation that he has with Metro when he asks him his name and he wants to know why he feels that way.
One of the passages that I feel that show why the author wrote this story is when Lonny says, “I was hot standing there thinking about Metro and hating myself for letting him talk like that to me.” In this passage it tells a lot about what he is going through and gives the impression that he is going to wan to do something to Metro because he feels uncomfortable around him. This shows how homophobia takes place into this character just like any other person and they will do anything to make the other person feel inferior. Another phrase that really gives me a better understanding of this story is when Lonny says, “I lay down in the shape of the dead man, fitting my head, arms, and legs in place. I was warm all over.” In this passage what the character mentions is that by being in that place he feels connected to dead guy because he knows that it could also be him. This is also a form of showing the significance of why the author wrote this story because he shows that we are all humans with some of the same feelings.
I really like this story and felt that sometimes we judge people because of the way that they come up to you. I feel that I have learned an important lesson with this story which is that no matter our race or our sexual orientation we are all the same. We have the same feelings and we can also have some of the same interest but we don’t notice them because we judge each other all the time. If Lonny would have just gotten to know Metro then maybe they could have something in common with each other.
I personally would recommend this book because a lot of people are very judgmental about others just because of the way they interpret things. This book would be a great opportunity to show people that homophobia is around and that sometimes we ourselves are at fault. I think that sometimes I am even at fault sometimes without noticing it. So we really have to be careful of doing this and it would be a good for people to see that this violence still exists.
The character of Lonny who is the protagonist is a gay white man who is insecure about his feeling. While on the other hand Metro is the antagonist even though he does not seem like a bad person. The story takes place in New York City. In this story we are faced with some of the different conflicts that we have seen in some of the other stories. One of those conflicts is the one between people because Metro is faced with having to get beat up by Lonny’s friends. This conflict also occurs when Cuddles starts talking about Lonny’s mom and so they also get into a fight because Lonny is offended. The other form of conflict is inner because Lonny is having a hard time accepting the fact that his friends killed Metro and he did nothing to help him. Another way in which he shows this is when he is thinking a lot about the conversation that he has with Metro when he asks him his name and he wants to know why he feels that way.
One of the passages that I feel that show why the author wrote this story is when Lonny says, “I was hot standing there thinking about Metro and hating myself for letting him talk like that to me.” In this passage it tells a lot about what he is going through and gives the impression that he is going to wan to do something to Metro because he feels uncomfortable around him. This shows how homophobia takes place into this character just like any other person and they will do anything to make the other person feel inferior. Another phrase that really gives me a better understanding of this story is when Lonny says, “I lay down in the shape of the dead man, fitting my head, arms, and legs in place. I was warm all over.” In this passage what the character mentions is that by being in that place he feels connected to dead guy because he knows that it could also be him. This is also a form of showing the significance of why the author wrote this story because he shows that we are all humans with some of the same feelings.
I really like this story and felt that sometimes we judge people because of the way that they come up to you. I feel that I have learned an important lesson with this story which is that no matter our race or our sexual orientation we are all the same. We have the same feelings and we can also have some of the same interest but we don’t notice them because we judge each other all the time. If Lonny would have just gotten to know Metro then maybe they could have something in common with each other.
I personally would recommend this book because a lot of people are very judgmental about others just because of the way they interpret things. This book would be a great opportunity to show people that homophobia is around and that sometimes we ourselves are at fault. I think that sometimes I am even at fault sometimes without noticing it. So we really have to be careful of doing this and it would be a good for people to see that this violence still exists.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Stages of The Journey
In reading "The Journey" found in the blog Adventures of a Maverick Author by Frankie Lennon. There are stages of The Journey which are exemplified in the book The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life, also written by Frankie Lennon. One of the stages which I found in the book from the blog is The Threshold (Crossing) of the narrator when she goes from an old world and into a new or different world. The second stage that I find in the book is Tests or Road of Trials in which the narrator confronts challenges, tests and enemies, by setbacks, hardships endured and dangers encountered by the tests. These two stages are reflected a lot in the book but in particular in some of the stories of the book.
The threshold stage is presented to us in the story of “Baptism” because it shows how the narrator changes in which the narrator begins to see things differently because of what she is experiencing. For example in the story it talks about things in history that were happening like the slaughter of president Kennedy and how the narrator was living in this time. This shows how now the narrator is faced with new and different world because she is not in her own safe place anymore. Another story in which the concept of threshold is also presented is in the story “Tribes” because now the narrator is faced with trying to accept the fact that she can really show who she is as a lesbian and not have to hide it like she did before. I find it to be a great example because in the story you are able to see how the narrator goes from keeping her same sex attraction feelings a secret to actually going into a world in which the people around here are also the same. This stage is very well interpreted in these two short stories.
The next stage that I find is always exemplified in most of the stories of Mee Street is the one of test or road of trials because the narrator is always faced with some sort of a challenge that she has to deal with in her life. One of the stories that I find she has to deal with a challenge is in “Fever” because she is now in a same sex attraction relationship but has to deal with hiding the person that she truly is. I see it to be a part of this story because it shows how sometimes we are faced with not being able to show ourselves amongst others because we do not fit the norms of society. This is a challenge for the narrator because she does not have the relationship that she hoped for and she also has to deal with losing the person she was with because of this. Another one of the stories that I think fits into this category is the one of “Scotch on the Rocks” because in this story the narrator has to face her alcoholism. This is a big test for the narrator because she does not want to accept the fact that she needs to help and it also causes her to begin to lose herself in the alcohol. These stories show how the narrator is faced with test and challenges in her life that bring her to learn from them and become an even stronger person.
I find that in the Mee Street the narrator has a life of following a journey and really showing that sometimes we are faced with some of the same stages ourselves. The two stages that I found were only part of what a journey really is in life but we are not all going to find some of the same stages in the book. This is why I really enjoyed both the blog and the book because it shows how sometimes we all need some sort of pathway to guide the person that we would like to be and the things that we would want to achieve.
The threshold stage is presented to us in the story of “Baptism” because it shows how the narrator changes in which the narrator begins to see things differently because of what she is experiencing. For example in the story it talks about things in history that were happening like the slaughter of president Kennedy and how the narrator was living in this time. This shows how now the narrator is faced with new and different world because she is not in her own safe place anymore. Another story in which the concept of threshold is also presented is in the story “Tribes” because now the narrator is faced with trying to accept the fact that she can really show who she is as a lesbian and not have to hide it like she did before. I find it to be a great example because in the story you are able to see how the narrator goes from keeping her same sex attraction feelings a secret to actually going into a world in which the people around here are also the same. This stage is very well interpreted in these two short stories.
The next stage that I find is always exemplified in most of the stories of Mee Street is the one of test or road of trials because the narrator is always faced with some sort of a challenge that she has to deal with in her life. One of the stories that I find she has to deal with a challenge is in “Fever” because she is now in a same sex attraction relationship but has to deal with hiding the person that she truly is. I see it to be a part of this story because it shows how sometimes we are faced with not being able to show ourselves amongst others because we do not fit the norms of society. This is a challenge for the narrator because she does not have the relationship that she hoped for and she also has to deal with losing the person she was with because of this. Another one of the stories that I think fits into this category is the one of “Scotch on the Rocks” because in this story the narrator has to face her alcoholism. This is a big test for the narrator because she does not want to accept the fact that she needs to help and it also causes her to begin to lose herself in the alcohol. These stories show how the narrator is faced with test and challenges in her life that bring her to learn from them and become an even stronger person.
I find that in the Mee Street the narrator has a life of following a journey and really showing that sometimes we are faced with some of the same stages ourselves. The two stages that I found were only part of what a journey really is in life but we are not all going to find some of the same stages in the book. This is why I really enjoyed both the blog and the book because it shows how sometimes we all need some sort of pathway to guide the person that we would like to be and the things that we would want to achieve.
Fever
In the book The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life by Frankie Lennon we meet a young black girl who is the narrator. At this time there has been some form of integration in which black people and white people were allowed to go to the same college. All of this brings us to the story “Fever” in which the narrator brings another character into the book called Stacey. In this story Stacey and Frankie become great friends and Frankie begins to fall in love with Stacey. The more these two characters spend time with each other they begin to share more and then one day Stacey finally expresses the feelings that she has for Frankie. In this story we have seen conflicts between people, between a person and a force, and internal conflicts as well.
As the story progresses we notice that these two characters face conflicts. One form of conflict that comes out is internal because Frankie is afraid to speak out and tell Stacey how she feels. This happens when Stacey is telling Frankie that they should meet boys and she does not say anything because she does not want to make matters worse. Stacey also has an internal conflict because she feels that they cannot act like other couples do because they are different. Stacey shows this when she tells Frankie that they cannot be like them because if they will try to act like them they will be bull deaggers. This leads to show how social norms and society have an effect on her decisions. Frankie also begins to worry about whether or not the relationship that they have will last forever. Frankie shows this because she is afraid that Stacey will never come back if she dates Ned.
Another conflict that is faced in this story is between people because of the conflicts that Frankie and Stacey have together. They face a conflict in not being able to spend a lot of time together because they are not a normal couple since they are lesbians. This comes into consideration when they are almost caught by Lynn and so they stop acting like a couple. The last kind of conflict that we see in this story is between a person and a force because of the homophobia that people have. This brings conflict to the narrator because it makes Stacey and her begin to separate from each other. So we also that with this they have to begin to date boys again because they do not want anyone to find out that they are lesbians. This is how the society has a lot to do with this conflict because it was taught that only a man and a woman could have a relationship.
I find that with this it brings the narrator to really learn from her experiences and notice that even though some things were changing the expectations of the society were always going to be around her. These conflicts were what dealt with a lot of the relationship that she had because they were the leading cause. I am really curious to learn what other things the narrator begins to face in her journey to develop more as a person.
As the story progresses we notice that these two characters face conflicts. One form of conflict that comes out is internal because Frankie is afraid to speak out and tell Stacey how she feels. This happens when Stacey is telling Frankie that they should meet boys and she does not say anything because she does not want to make matters worse. Stacey also has an internal conflict because she feels that they cannot act like other couples do because they are different. Stacey shows this when she tells Frankie that they cannot be like them because if they will try to act like them they will be bull deaggers. This leads to show how social norms and society have an effect on her decisions. Frankie also begins to worry about whether or not the relationship that they have will last forever. Frankie shows this because she is afraid that Stacey will never come back if she dates Ned.
Another conflict that is faced in this story is between people because of the conflicts that Frankie and Stacey have together. They face a conflict in not being able to spend a lot of time together because they are not a normal couple since they are lesbians. This comes into consideration when they are almost caught by Lynn and so they stop acting like a couple. The last kind of conflict that we see in this story is between a person and a force because of the homophobia that people have. This brings conflict to the narrator because it makes Stacey and her begin to separate from each other. So we also that with this they have to begin to date boys again because they do not want anyone to find out that they are lesbians. This is how the society has a lot to do with this conflict because it was taught that only a man and a woman could have a relationship.
I find that with this it brings the narrator to really learn from her experiences and notice that even though some things were changing the expectations of the society were always going to be around her. These conflicts were what dealt with a lot of the relationship that she had because they were the leading cause. I am really curious to learn what other things the narrator begins to face in her journey to develop more as a person.
Monday, February 2, 2009
ROLAND'S VALUES
Coffee Will Make You Black a book by April Sinclair is a story about a young girl named Jean Stevenson also known as Stevie. Stevie becomes friends with this young boy named Roland who throughout the book goes from being quiet to fighting for what he believes in. Roland not only changes a lot in the way he acts but his values also differ from when he was in middle school. Roland now values things that make him who he is and the values are being outspoken, being honest, and also the black power movement. These three values show that he has changed his way of looking at the world and wanting to change things.
He is first an outspoken person when he finds out that Stevie was going pee with Yusef and gets there just in time to save her because he lets her know that Yusef had told all of his friends what they were going to do. Roland shows that he is an outspoken person when he is one of the persons that start the riot at the high school that he and Stevie attended. He is the one that walks into Stevie’s history class dressed in a dashiki with a teke around his neck and wearing a big fro. Then he says, “It’s time for a new generation of black men to rise up and seize control!” This is way where it shows that he values being an outspoken person and that he feels that he has to be the leader.
Another one of his values was that he was a very honest person and said the truth to the people around him. When Stevie says that she knows Roland likes her, it shows that he did not like to hide anything even if it was something personal. Another way in which it shows that Roland is an honest person is when he calls Stevie after she stood him up and asks for an explanation. One of the things he says to Stevie is, “What is the meaning of what you did this afternoon?” and he was showing his honesty by being sincere in what he was asking. This is a value that is kept by Roland as the story progresses.
The last value that Roland has is that he values the Black Power Movement because he feels that he can connect to the things that are happening and want to be a part of it. Roland wants to be a part of it when he tells Stevie that he is going to join the Afro American club because he wants to be able to stand up for the injustices that they are facing at the time. Another way that he shows that he is really about the black power is when he wants Stevie to sign the manifesto because he believes that they should demand things that will make them feel comfortable in their own school. He feels that the school should have a black principal and vice-principal. Also Roland wants a black nurse and black guidance counselors, which shows that he wants to change things because of his black power belief. This shows that he wants a lot changed because he feels that there are a lot of injustices.
Roland shows a lot of change throughout the novel because he goes from being a quiet boy to expressing what he wants and rioting for the same cause. He also is braver because he fights for his rights instead of doing the right thing. The only person that I find Roland faces some sort of conflict with in his values is Stevie because she does not always agree with what he is doing and questions it. Also because Stevie has different values than Roland and does not appreciate his point of view.
Roland has gone from being a nerdy kid to finding a place to which he belonged to and felt the need to do things. He has been able to transform a lot and I feel has had the most impact on me as a character because he changed into a whole different person. The only thing now is expect to see more of his strong feelings and desires to change things that are happening to him.
He is first an outspoken person when he finds out that Stevie was going pee with Yusef and gets there just in time to save her because he lets her know that Yusef had told all of his friends what they were going to do. Roland shows that he is an outspoken person when he is one of the persons that start the riot at the high school that he and Stevie attended. He is the one that walks into Stevie’s history class dressed in a dashiki with a teke around his neck and wearing a big fro. Then he says, “It’s time for a new generation of black men to rise up and seize control!” This is way where it shows that he values being an outspoken person and that he feels that he has to be the leader.
Another one of his values was that he was a very honest person and said the truth to the people around him. When Stevie says that she knows Roland likes her, it shows that he did not like to hide anything even if it was something personal. Another way in which it shows that Roland is an honest person is when he calls Stevie after she stood him up and asks for an explanation. One of the things he says to Stevie is, “What is the meaning of what you did this afternoon?” and he was showing his honesty by being sincere in what he was asking. This is a value that is kept by Roland as the story progresses.
The last value that Roland has is that he values the Black Power Movement because he feels that he can connect to the things that are happening and want to be a part of it. Roland wants to be a part of it when he tells Stevie that he is going to join the Afro American club because he wants to be able to stand up for the injustices that they are facing at the time. Another way that he shows that he is really about the black power is when he wants Stevie to sign the manifesto because he believes that they should demand things that will make them feel comfortable in their own school. He feels that the school should have a black principal and vice-principal. Also Roland wants a black nurse and black guidance counselors, which shows that he wants to change things because of his black power belief. This shows that he wants a lot changed because he feels that there are a lot of injustices.
Roland shows a lot of change throughout the novel because he goes from being a quiet boy to expressing what he wants and rioting for the same cause. He also is braver because he fights for his rights instead of doing the right thing. The only person that I find Roland faces some sort of conflict with in his values is Stevie because she does not always agree with what he is doing and questions it. Also because Stevie has different values than Roland and does not appreciate his point of view.
Roland has gone from being a nerdy kid to finding a place to which he belonged to and felt the need to do things. He has been able to transform a lot and I feel has had the most impact on me as a character because he changed into a whole different person. The only thing now is expect to see more of his strong feelings and desires to change things that are happening to him.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Stigma on Homosexual People
In reading the book Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair I have noticed how some of the characters have a problem with a girl named Willie Jean who according to everyone is funny. Funny is the word that Carla one of the characters used to describe Willie Jean to Stevie who is the main character. In the book the characters show a stigma towards being a lesbian because they are in some way homophobic. In chapters 8 and 9 it is shown how Carla tries to show Stevie what a person like Willie Jean is and why it is problem to be like her.
In chapter 8 Carla and Stevie encounter a conversation with Willie Jean about basketball in which Carla makes it obvious that she does not like Willie Jean. Carla also tells Stevie that she should not even think about playing basketball because it is a sport for guys. Willie Jean tries to explain that girls can play to and still be able to go out on dates. This shows that the playing of a certain sport can classify you as either being a lesbian or not. This shows that there is a stereotype in which all girls who play basketball are lesbian. I think that sometimes we are driven to believe things because it is what we our influences like friends teach us.
The other incident that occurs is in chapter 9 after Willie Jean makes Stevie look bad in class after giving her the wrong answer. They begin to talk about Yusef Brown who is the boy that Stevie likes. In their conversation Willie Jean expresses her opinion about the boy and tries to give advice to Stevie. In the end Carla tells Stevie that Willie Jean is funny just because she gives her advice. I think that sometimes just because we are given advice it doesn’t mean that you should judge the other person because of their opinions. The stigma with the whole being a lesbian is mentioned a lot because of the way that Willie Jean is looked at.
In these incidents it shows how Stevie is just not aware that Willie Jean is a lesbian. Stevie is also learning that a person is looked down on for being that even though she is a nice person. Instead of following Carla and doing what she says Stevie should try to be friends with Willie Jean. This also shows that our influences make us the person we are and sometimes discourage us of the person that we would like to be.
In chapter 8 Carla and Stevie encounter a conversation with Willie Jean about basketball in which Carla makes it obvious that she does not like Willie Jean. Carla also tells Stevie that she should not even think about playing basketball because it is a sport for guys. Willie Jean tries to explain that girls can play to and still be able to go out on dates. This shows that the playing of a certain sport can classify you as either being a lesbian or not. This shows that there is a stereotype in which all girls who play basketball are lesbian. I think that sometimes we are driven to believe things because it is what we our influences like friends teach us.
The other incident that occurs is in chapter 9 after Willie Jean makes Stevie look bad in class after giving her the wrong answer. They begin to talk about Yusef Brown who is the boy that Stevie likes. In their conversation Willie Jean expresses her opinion about the boy and tries to give advice to Stevie. In the end Carla tells Stevie that Willie Jean is funny just because she gives her advice. I think that sometimes just because we are given advice it doesn’t mean that you should judge the other person because of their opinions. The stigma with the whole being a lesbian is mentioned a lot because of the way that Willie Jean is looked at.
In these incidents it shows how Stevie is just not aware that Willie Jean is a lesbian. Stevie is also learning that a person is looked down on for being that even though she is a nice person. Instead of following Carla and doing what she says Stevie should try to be friends with Willie Jean. This also shows that our influences make us the person we are and sometimes discourage us of the person that we would like to be.
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