Hello There!

We are now starting our new unit on Christianity. For a comprehensive day by day break down of the class, here you go. Other than that, I am also available for questions, extra help or to look over a paper. There is a ton of information available to you about this topic, you just need to be ready and willing to go out and find it. Also remember that there is a lot of misinformation printed about this topic on the internet and everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Use your judgement and if you are unsure, I am always here to help. There is one other main place to go for information concerning this topic, for a list of articles and my favorite websites about this topic, follow this link and ENJOY!!!

My Heritage

Although many people automatically think that I am Irish (Murphy seems to be a dead giveaway), I actually am not Irish at all! My former last name is in fact German and Austrian which is where my grandfather's family immigrated from. My grandmother is all Italian and with a maiden name like Marinari, it's hard to mistake her for anything else. But when looking at a picture of my family, it is very difficult to discern what nationality we LOOK like. My older brothers both have red hair, one is extremely pale-skinned with blue eyes and the other is olive-skinned with brown eyes. My mother has dark hair and dark eyes while my father has dark hair and blue eyes. I have been told I have a blond hair, although I don't agree, but I know I have brown eyes. With a group like this, it's hard to figure where we are from. I guess you could say I'm a mutt.... and that's the way I like it.

I am Now the Teacher!

Hello There to My New Student!

In the novel Native Son by Richard Wright, Bigger is a poor black boy in a white man's society. Bigger lives a life he hates, with people he hates, in a world that hates him. His unfortunate circumstances, lead to actions that Bigger can never take back and set the tone for the rest of the novel. His longing for a real human connection with someone who actually cares about him deeply is frustrating and ultimately goes unfulfilled as he realizes almost everyone is against him. The serious oppression of the 1930/1940s leaves Bigger to fend for himself in a society that couldn't care less if he was dead or alive.

Does this topic interest you? For all of you who didn't read this novel, you will be doing this WebQuest to try and get an understanding of the novel!

Being Black in America!

Although America is a country that is constantly expanding, progressing and moving forward, many people still face difficult obstacles. African Americans are still trying to be equal in the eyes of all Americans and this proves to be a trying task. In the world of black people trying to make it in a “White America,” many celebrities speak out on what it means to be “Black In America.” Whoopi Goldberg believes that the white people are trying too hard to make blacks part of their community, “if [they] pat me on the head and tell me I’m articulate again, I’m going to chop [their] fingers off. People don’t understand why that’s not a great compliment!” (“Black in America: Celebrities Speak Out”). All the celebrities agreed that it is definitely good to be black and Vanessa Williams called it a, “badge of honor,” even though she stills feels racism “feel[s] racism daily.”

The idea of being black in America as a good thing and especially a “badge of honor,” has definitely changed over time. Back in the times when the novel Native Son by Richard Wright was written, being black was scary and foreshadowing. “Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape.”(Wright Back Cover). Unlike, being black today, Bigger Thomas never had a real chance to live a life of happiness. It’s unfortunate how unhappy and scared he is. Today these celebrities don't face these same hardships; their challenges are less about segregation and prejudices (like separate bathrooms) and more about trying to get the same basic privileges (the same jobs and amount of money).

Although there are some basic similarities between being black in 1940s and being black today, many ideas and beliefs have changed. Even the celebrities realize that their ancestors have paved the way for them to become who they are; their ancestors have fought for the right for African Americans now to have many more opportunities. This proves that America does have the ability to progress and move forward, but is it possible that at some point this progression will stop? Everyone is a little bit racist and although this is necessarily abnormal, it poses a threat to any true integrated community. 

Works Cited:

"Black in America: Celebrities Speak Out." CNN.com. 12 June 2008. 18 Mar. 2009
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We Both Had the Veal Piccata and She's Gay!

As a society, we tend to subconsciously judge the people around us whether unintentional or not. This is evident in the realm of homosexuality and one of the best examples is in a fictional world which most of us indulge: TV. Although the younger and more open-minded generations have for the most part accepted the idea of homosexuality, it is not always portrayed kindly on TV (if depicted at all). The show that I picked is Two And A Half Men, a very funny comedy about two brothers (Alan, an about-to-be divorcee with a child and Charlie a lifelong bachelor/womanizer) living together in a beachside Malibu apartment. The pilot episode does in fact face homosexuality and a bunch of the subsequent complications but in a very different and messy way. As Alan's marriage crumbles, he deperately tries to change to please his wife, who in turn tells him that she believes that she is gay. After twelve years of marriage, Alan is obviously shocked at his soon-to-be ex-wife's conclusion (similar to the Jim McGreevey scandal). He cannot believe that he didn't notice anything during any of the time that they were together. He is also completely embarrassed, had he turned her gay? Was this his fault? This episode broke that homosexuality barrier, one of the most controversial topics on television, on the very first episode and although this didn't evolve into much of a storyline, it did make for some good laughs and even more self-evaluating. In Charlie's words, "Judith's turning gay," showed many heterosexual privileges that Judith no longer would have. As evident in Alan's reaction, she would no longer be able to expose her sexuality without fear of judgement or negative consequences. This would also have an affect on her son, a ten-year-old who has already having a tough time with his parents separation. Although this show is a comedy and lives up to that genre every week, it did tackle the issue of homosexuality and did so in a funny but meaningful way.

Sexuality (Socratic Seminar)

Heyyy girllss,

I am thinking about a few of the ideas that were brought up in class over this past week and I hope that I can incite a good discussion for us =) Our other discussion was good, but we can do better with me as the leader (no offense Marisa). Look at these questions and get started:  

1. What show did you pick for this blogpost and why? What kind of relationships are portrayed in your episode?
2. The Twilight Zone episode about Janet was interesting and thought-provoking. Why did it have to do with our topic of homosexuality (beauty is in the eye of the beholder)?
3. The ideas in the article we read called Heterosexual Privilege deals with the idea that heterosexuals take their sexuality for granted? Is that a fair or correct statement?
4. In both the Six Feet Under episode and the Coming Out episode the main characters come out of the closet, how were they similar and how were they different?
5. In the article Not Just Another Prom Night the two girls are extremely excited and happy with their sexuality how is this similar or different to David in Six Feet Under?
6. Margaret Cho makes fun of her family and even sexuality a little bit, what did you think of her comments about her father and his friend? Do you think it would have been more acceptable had it been two girls?

Learning To Accept Differences

Many different types of people seek acceptance in today's society. Although their ways of life are different and too many seem wrong, it is still important to try to understand what drives them to do what they do. One such group is cross-dressers who are also widely known as transvestites. Cross-dressers are a widely misunderstood group and unfortunately are often mistaken for transexuals or homosexuals. The blog "Crossdresser Heaven," was developed by a cross-dressing male with a wife and a family whose goal is to help other people with their struggles while educating the world about cross-dressing. She (the writer of this blog is in fact a transsexual whose goes by the name Vanessa) and many others like her feel the need to cross-dress because they, "feel more comfortable wearing woman’s clothes’” (Vanessa 4). Although many -especially the media- associate cross-dressing with a sexual perversion, for many people the urge to cross-dress has nothing to do with sex and came at an age before before they knew what sex was. Sometimes there is a feeling of sexual excitement, but most men just want to feel and pass as a woman (Vanessa 3,4). One specific blogger who wrote a response to Vanessa’s post shed an interesting light on his cross-dressing experience. He found out that not only does he cross-dress but also his son and his father are cross-dressers (Phil). This raises the interesting question of heredity; the unfortunate truth is that even if this is a hereditary occurrence, many men would never admit to wanting to dress in women’s clothing for fear of being ostracized. Although it feels right, their subconscious tells them that there is something wrong with it.

These are not men (or sometimes women) with gender dysphoria; they do not necessarily want to be the opposite sex or have any problem with their own gender, they just have the urge to wear clothing that is not associated with their sex. I find them to be drastically misunderstood and prejudged. One idea I had not thought of was "cross-dressing is a way of offering a challenge to society’s preconceptions about gender" (Marcy). This argument seems to make sense and be very logical. They feel the need to break the barrier and do something unexpected or even something that is widely thought of as wrong. They want to show, if only to themselves- that they do not fit into a nice and tidy category but instead can fit into a variety of categories almost like the story of Baby X. I also think that the idea of heredity is interesting and adds a lot of insight to the subject. Maybe these people are suffering in silence when they could have a family member struggling just as they are. Could it be that the answer to why men cross-dress is in our DNA and is entirely human instead of being thought of as weird or different? The negativity they face causes a tragic internal struggle in which they grapple with whether or not to expose themselves as who they are or suppress their urges to dress in women's clothing and keep this part of their life secret. Personally I believe the most prevalent reason that people cross-dress is simply what feels natural as is said by one blogger, Monica. This bloggers also asks the question why don't non-crossdressers dress like the opposite sex? Any male asked this will answer that it is because he is in fact a man, but so are most crossdressers so this does not make sense. But maybe, cross-dressers are not in fact men, but instead are a varying degree of male and female which means that they are dressing exactly what is right for their "gender" (Monica). 
Cross-dressers are often placed in a group (homosexual or transsexuals) to which they do not belong. The truth is that these words are sometimes used interchangeably. There is a distinct difference that needs to be recognized in order to be understood. . Most have given up the hope of acceptance in most communities and instead seek acceptance only on the Internet and with people who can relate to them. The only way for this group to reach acceptance/understanding is for more people to step forward and tell their stories. This will only occur if society grows more tolerant of different gender associations which will only happen if more people tell their stories. This is a vicious cycle which forces people to suppress their urges and suffer instead in silence. This blog has some very interesting links that helped to clarify some important differences and define the most important terms. Some may do it for comfort, some may do it for the fashion statement, and some may do to break barriers but the one thing that do have in common is that they are looking for one thing from all the people who see them as the walk down the street; acceptance.

Poem... Ry Posty Style

Everyday we live by rules that govern our lives and actions; most of the time it is because we are afraid of breaking apart and doing our own thing. We are involved in groups to which we are a part of and conform to so that we won't be outcasts. This is very evident in the novel 1984 by George Orwell. In these groups there are always rules that we follow in order to belong. We recently read "Girl" by Jamiaca Kincaid in class, I used this as a reference and wrote a poem in this style. My poem is about one of my classes and specifically one of my teachers, and the rules that are involved in being in his class. He is a very good teacher and a great man, with a few... quirks. 

Ry Posty

You must always ask lots of questions even if you don't have any; you must never eat in class; don't ever drink in class; don't be disrespectful, or text; don't wear a hat; don't be ashamed of your hat hair; you must never put your foot up on the desk; don't allow him to lose his train of thought because he definitely will; always always always let him speak even though his explanations go for about five minutes and overexplain everything; there is always something useful within his explanations; you will get a nickname and you must love, love, love your nickname; don't be Nick Gutgarts; don't sleep or even put your head down on your desk; don't be or act like Steven Lerche, nothing good will come of that; don't argue things whether you are right or wrong especially if they are meaningless and stupid; be David Nathin; be a little bit nerdy but a lot cool; always have good intentions; you must not love math, but worship math; always laugh at lame jokes; don't ever question him; let him dance and sing in class; don't try to have pencil or pen out when going over the midterm; feel his energy; idolize his intensity; don't be a plant when there is no sun out to osmosisly learn stats; be awake during first period, he sure will be; don't EVER be late, like Eric Muller; be ready to start class... before the bell; don't open the window because he will freeze; realize you are in an A.P. class and work accordingly; do your work even when there is a sub; love his lessons; ignore the weird hand motions; you must always communicate; try to understand his explanations; go for extra help, he loves the interaction; did mention to embrace your nickname?; go with him on his journey; go to Starbucks to study for the midterm, going with Dave Nathin is a bonus; don't just smile and nod if you don't get something; you must always have many different ways to explain the same thing; learn how to clap really loud; don't get flustered when he calls you an unexpected name, i have already warned you about the nicknames; always pay attention to him, you are bound to miss something important if you don't; always be ready to help or finish his sentences; always remember that you are taking the AP test at the end of the year; always remember that Caroline is a secret genius, with a bad attitude; wearing an oversized backpack is just natural so don't be ashamed; allow him to make up ridiculous songs about math/functions and enjoy them; keep raising your hand even though it never seems like he will get to your question.