Crisis & Mary Elizabeth...

I didn't realize that Crisis and Mary Elizabeth were both written by the same person until after I read Mary Elizabeth and started reading the Crisis writings. The articles seemed to be written by two very different writing. Both of them were written in very different styles. The Mary Elizabeth reading was very simple and just an easy read story. When I started reading the Crisis article, however, I thought the complete opposite. Maybe it's because poems are not my best and I have to read them multiple times to break them down to find a meaning for them. The Mary Elizabeth reading was a cute story and how it ended was obviously in a good way, but it was kind of weird. It was funny how Mary Elizabeth married a Mr. Gale and Mr. Gales...I was just as confused at first at least until I read a little more into it. The story about when Mary Elizabeth was younger was very interesting. It was a very interesting turnout how the husband came back expecting Maggie to come back with her and she was remarried yet he had remarried four other times! I dont know, that was just weird to me. I did like the turnout though and how they ended up back together. I'm not sure if we're going into a different direction or what we were supposed to get out of the story; meaning and theme wise.
Ok. So the Crisis reading...I've read it over a few times and like I said poems just are not my best. I've got a few ideas but I'm not completely sure what they are exactly about, if they're all related or have to do with her family...I'm not completely sure!

CANE

These, like McKays poems, were not the easiest to understand for me. They were a little easier than McKays poems, however, I did end up reading them a few times to try to get a meaning for them. While reading them I tried to read them like we do our readings in class by breaking them down and thinking about them, I was able to come up with some basic ideas of their meanings.
After reading Karintha, I had the same thought about it as we discussed in class. As I mentioned in class as well, it was like she was growing up too soon. This young girl was desired by everyone and was not really able to be a child. While reading Reapers I tried to focus mostly on the imagery. The very first two words stuck out to me as African American workers as well as the Black horses. I was completely unsure of the Becky writing. I had a basic idea but once we talked about it, it became more clear. My confusion was where they were excluding her but at the same time helping her with prayers and food. Now that we've discussed it as a class, I understand the writing more clearly.
After talking about them in class and breaking them down they were a little easier to read and understand. The readings were not as difficult as the McKay poems but like I said I have to break them down myself like we do in class to gain a better understanding of the stories in Cane.

Autobiography Ending

The ending to the Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man was really interesting and it pulled all of us in many ways. The decision he made to "pass" could be seen as a good decision or one that offends someone who would choose otherwise. As we sat and discussed the ending to the story, I was still just as torn with his decision as I was when I read it, especially after hearing everyone else's feelings.
His decision should not be a surprise. Alot of students were saying they would make the same kind of choice. For him, the type of lifestyle that was lived in the south was something he had never witnessed before. Even reading it was extremely graphic and in a way scary so I can understand his decision. However, if we were to look at it as a person of pride and who have a huge respect for themselves, we could see them taking a different route. I definitely sympathize with the narrator as I'm sure I would make the same choice. I'm sure he felt a little regret as he let everything he fought for and his dream he had always wanted get away from him. His decision has definitely left a "what would I have done" question that I just can't stop asking. Like I said before, I would probably make the same decision, I'd be extremely scared! However, I would definitely take my pride of self and self-respect into consideration because what he was doing was definitely admirable.


I really enjoyed this book alot! It was an easy read as well as very interesting.

September 10 reading

First of all, I hope I'm doing this right!

I really do enjoy reading Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. It is a very interesting novel, not only because it isn't actually an autobiography but it's just so detailed and his story is a very interesting one.

The section we were supposed to read for this post was interesting as well. The part I mainly focused on was his fascination with the clubs. This was the first time he had heard ragtime music and it was just something new for him. He really enjoyed this because music has always been a huge part of his life. The part with the clubs and gambling just shows what it was like at the time and definitely illustrates the Harlem Renaissance. The music, art, dance, and the social aspect was portrayed alot in this section of the reading.

Hello, I am Michelle

My name is Michelle and I am a senior here at St. Rose. Due to transferring, my graduation date may be pushed back into December! I am a very busy person; always working or going to school. I just added moving on to that list, I am moving into my first apartment with my boyfriend as we speak!

I'm not really sure what we are to put in our welcome messages, hopefully this information isn't too random!