What makes a novel "a classic"?

I've never really thought about what the actual definition of "classic" is. I guess it's something that has great value and is recognized as a perfect example of something. I think a novel becomes a classic when, first of all, it needs to have a pretty deep meaning behind its words. It should have a lasting effect on the reader, either a positive or negative effect. the novel should cause some type of controversy among it's audience. It should be an original story, something that has never been thought of before. It can be criticized, degraded, but it can never lose its value in the eyes of it's supporters.

wuthering heights: my comments on others

hey Rhina!, 

I totally agree about your opinion on revenge. No matter how much someone hurts or insults you, revenge will do nothing but make you feels worse. sure, if someone deeply hurts you, you'll be very compelled to get them back for it, to make them feel your pain. but if you seek revenge to make that other person understand your pain, then it is completely pointless. if that person didn't care to try to understand the repercussions of his/her actions in the first place, then they're probably not going regret it even if they also feel your pain. i can't think of anytime were i got revenge for petty things, and i actually felt good afterwards. i just think if someone gets satisfaction out of watching others in pain, then they should really go see psychiatrist cause there is something very wrong with them

Alexa,

i agree with everything you said. i mean, there are people out there who consider their cats and dogs as a "real" family member! so of course an actual human foster/adopted child is part of the family. a family is a group of people who take care of each other. sure, being biologically related plays a part too, but i don't see any reason why an adopted child can never truly be part of a family. afterall, why would someone want to take in a child into their family if they aren't going to considered a part of the family?

 

hey angel

i believe in everything you said about people "living on" in our memories. when people die, the only proof there is that they existed are people's memories of them. actually, there has always been a question on my mind about this; if someone dies and no one on earth has any recollection of them whatsoever, then were they truly alive in the first place? it really confuses me if i try to think about it though. anyways, i agree with you about people"living on through love given from others". i love the worded that sentence and the sentence following it. you really bring life to those presidents.

also about childhood friends; i think for someone to become a loyal friend, you have to have complete trust in them. i think childhood friends might not be the loyalist of all friends because with the friends you made when you were young, there really wasn't a reason or need to trust friends at that young age. you just wanted to have fun with them. their loyalty was the least of you concerns! but occasionally there are a couple of friends who stick, and those are the ones you can trust, because they stuck with you even as you grew up and changed.

Dead people come back to life?

When someone dies, he or she cannot "come back from the dead". Well, technically, as far as we know, dead people can't come back to life. But it also depends on what exactly "dead" means. Does it mean your heart has stopped, you have no brain activity, or just simply that your soul has left your body (if you believe in that). I think when people refer to a person as dead, it usually means their heart has stopped, so if someone's heart has stopped then they are clinically dead, right? But I've heard and read about people whose hearts have stopped, been "dead" for a period of time, then "come back to life". So what would that be considered as? I guess they actually didn't "die" since that term has been used it describe something that is gone, never to come back. But I believe that an actual human being is not actual matter, but is a soul, like many religions say. I just think that our minds, emotions, personalities, etc. are too complex to be put into the category of matter, like a chair, or table. On a quantum level, we're all energy. And technically, energy can't be created or destroyed. So when we "die", or should I say our bodies die, I would like to believe that whatever happens the "soul", or the energy that we all are, (since it cannot be destroyed) wherever it goes, there has to be a way that it will resurface again. I believe if there is a  way to go somewhere, there is always a way to get back, even if it is not in the same form, or "body" as before. So can a person come back to life? I don't think "dead" people can just "come back to life" like zombies, but hey, I also don't think there has ever been a human out there that has ever come close to having enough knowledge to confirm anything about death.  Just because we think it never happened, doesn't mean it can't.

My comments

Kimberly-

I can totally relate to what you said about how books can be some sort of escape from reality. Like movies, books can introduce you to a totally different world and make you forget about the difficulties of your own reality. I guess that’s how Malcolm felt when he was reading his books in prison. His current state was so sad, but he was able to escape it all by reading books 24/7. Everyday I hear people claiming that books are stupid and a waste of time, and I can't help but imagine what they are missing. also, when you said "I know that especially when I am stressed, the two things I turn to are a good book and music", I realized that reading can also be very therapeutic, and even similar to meditation.

Ashley –

I agree entirely with what you said. My parents are like yours; my dad is Norwegian and my mom is Armenian. Personally, I don't care if a person is white, black, brown, or yellow. People are people, and their skin color has absolutely nothing to do with anything. People of different races are not smarter or better than each other. If everybody was blind, no one would be able to tell the difference between a black person and a white person. I also think that last quote you put " Forget stereotypes; everybody's different" shows the pointlessness of racism. You can't judge an ENTIRE race of people based on one person just because they look the same.

Shayna –

Shayna, I really can't imagine what you and your family went through when your sister got sick, but I'm happy she's doing better now. But personally, I have my doubts about life being all written down. I guess the reason that idea is so popular is that it is comforting, since, then technically, people aren't really at fault for things that happen in their lives. But I strongly believe that life is what YOU make it to be. You are in control of what happens or doesn't happen in your life. Things happen to everyone, it doesn't matter if they are good or bad; deserving or undeserving. The point is how you deal with what is in the present. The fact that your sister is all better now proves that she and everyone close to her took control of the problem and overcame it. Now I assume everyone is stronger from that trying experience.

Jamie –

After reading this, it became so clear to me how Barack Obama is a perfect example of how Malcolm said black people have to help themselves. I mean, today, a black man holds the highest position of power in the US! And just like you said, he not only inspired black people, but every minority in America. The fact that someone like Obama is president today, when about 50 years ago, he wouldn't be able to use the same bathroom as white people still amazes me. I remember in history class, it was mentioned that Obama walked down the republican hallway exit, or something like that, which Dinardo-White explained was an extremely bold move towards political unity. So he not only broke down the barriers of racism, but he also working towards uniting America as a whole. That's one of the countless reasons I respect him so much.

Malcolm's pilgrimage to Mecca post #5

After reading like 5 chapters about Malcolm's anti-white sentiment and a full 30-page chapter about his devastating downfall from the Nation of Islam, i cant explain with words how relived i felt reading about his pilgrimage to Mecca. Disregarding the minor setbacks he faced, Malcolm's experience in the Middle East was so pleasant! Up until now, all he had been thinking about were extremely stressful things. Now, when his eyes were opened to the truth, and he felt relieved, i also felt relieved! For the first time in his life he was treated with respect, hospitality, kindness, and love by people of all different colors. " All ate as One, and slept as One. Everything about the pilgrimage atmosphere accented the One-ness of Man under One God (Haley 337). This shows that Malcolm is finally understanding what it means to be a Muslim. The following quote also shows this " Love, humility, and true brotherhood was almost a physical feeling wherever I turned" (Haley 332). Throughout the entire book, i couldn't help but think that Elijah Muhammad's teachings weren't true Islam. it was all standing up for black people and blaming white people for their misfortune. In the Middle East, Islam is totally different, and Malcolm discovers this, changing his entire life. Malcolm's life prior to Mecca was technically centered around combating racism. If you break his motives down you discover that the core reason was to achieve personal happiness. So basically, as a child Malcolm was a victim of racism, then moved on to hustling and etc. to combat it and gain some control over his life, then in prison he converted to Islam, and used that to combat racism, then, finally, on his pilgrimage to Mecca, i believe that that was the climax in his life where he achieved so much happiness, that even i was happy! In a place were racism didn't exist, he was at peace. In a place where he didn't think about racism he was happy. 

Personally i feel like i can relate to Malcolm's pursuit, because i think i've been doing the same in my life. Generally, my personality is more on the shy side. When i was young, i was so extremely shy that in kindergarden i would never talk to a teacher. If i had to use the restroom, i would literally whisper to a close friend if they could go ask the teacher if I could go the bathroom. Throughout the years, i've pretty much conquered that extreme shyness, but now being a teenager, that shyness has become anxiety. My mom has become quite an expert in the field of natural healing, holistic nursing and in reiki (healing by emitting energy through your body). Her views on life have introduced me to a whole new world where i can  be in control. Where i'm going with this is that over and over again, i thought i found the perfect way of thinking, but it turned out not to be. But the more it happens, the following time i have learned what was lacking in the previous times, and applied that to the new view.  That was what Malcolm was going through. He thought being a hustler was an effective way of life, but he went to prison. He devoted himself to the Nation of Islam, but it wasn't perfect. The He discovered the new view of Islam in Mecca, finding himself. This website explains a couple od aspects of finding yourself  http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Yourself. When i went through the content on this website, i noticed most of the bullet points were evident in Malcom's life. 

Harlem field trip post #4

I really enjoyed going an a field trip to Harlem, and seeing the neighborhood that Malcolm X spent his years in. I had been to Harlem a couple of times before to visit family friends, but the school trip there showed me a completely new perspective of the place. I liked the bus tour at the beginning; Andi Owens pretty much gave a background of the area in a very enjoyable manner. I had always had a certain image of Harlem in my mind, like many others, which was almost completely replaced as early as the tour guide gave the tour of Harlem. I would have liked to walk a little more around Harlem on foot, instead of just on the bus, but i realize that would have been hard with such a big group. At the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, it was interesting to see a whole exhibit dedicated to President Obama. Even though the place was just full pictures, they really had a lot of meaning and a few were also entertaining. Also, i didn't think that a place like the Schomburg Center would exist in Harlem, so that also was interesting for me. Personally, i usually find bus tours to be boring and repetitive, but this time Neal Shoemaker, the other tour guide, really kept my attention. Even though he himself was entertaining enough, but the things he talked about were actually very interesting, especially in the way he presented them. At Sylvia's Restaurant, the fried chicken was seriously the best i have ever tasted. I actually hadn't really heard of soul food before, but i just assumed that "soul" was just a label for something relative to African-Americans. But after lunch, i understood the part where "putting your soul into your cooking " came into play. Later on, the time we spent  at the Apollo theater was really amusing. I had heard of the Apollo theater before, but i didn't think it was such a big deal. Also, for some reason, after hearing it was a  prominent landmark, i expected it to be a little bit bigger. But the interior and all the designs were beautiful. The little show Billy put on was also very entertaining. I was looking forward to going to the mosque Masjid Malcolm Shabazz, but i have to say that it was also not like i imagined it. I thought it would have a little more elaborate exterior and entrance. Actually, now that i think about it, i find it ironic that i would think that, since previously, i thought Harlem was more of a rundown  community. Anyways, in the Mosque, the separate entrances  for men and women, or sisters and brothers, was the first time i encountered such a separation, other than the usual separation of bathrooms, of course. I was looking forward to hearing th Brother talk about Islam, since I've always been interested in learning about different religions. I loved that he was so enthusiastic. 

Overall, i enjoyed this field trip because it gave me a whole new view point of black Harlem. Actually, i recently realized that my experience in Harlem was similar to Malcolm's experience on his pilgrimage to Mecca. I don't mean all the complications he had, i mean the part where his entire view of Islam was changed. Throughout his journey, his eyes were opened to what Islam truly was. All the muslims he encountered were overwhelmingly hospitable and welcoming. For me, it was almost like that in Harlem. My view on the Harlem way of life changed and everyone we met was very welcoming. Malcolm's experience also reminded me of the movie The Last Samurai. In the movie, the main character finds himself in the same situation as Malcolm. He is a soldier who has an emotional downfall, then finds support and strength in a different country which he was supposedly supposed to hate. What i mean is that both of their views were changed by another type of people who they thought were one thing, but tuned out to be totally different. 

Malcolm's anger post #3

In chapters 14 & 15, especially 15, Malcolm's entire attitude consists of anti-white sentiments. Everything he points out is against whites, let it be "integration", "assimilation" etc. That's all he's doing; being aggressive towards everyone white. As the book goes on, it becomes obvious, at least to me, that he is relying too much on anger to get things done. All throughout chapter 15, he rants about and scorns whites' attempts to integrate by digging up any and every possible explanation for it to prove his own point that white people are evil. He puts all his effort in explaining every small negative aspect about everything. Sure it might seem like he's making progress, but doesn't it all seem like he is just lashing out at white people for their treatment of black people? You can only get so far with negative and aggressive views, since that's only half of the story. What about all the non-aggressive, non-rebellious views? Only with a peaceful attitude can people overcome world problems like racism. Also when i read "...one of my principle rules, which is never to let myself become over emotional or angey" (Haley 290), i couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Where exactly did he draw the line separting a little emotional and over emotional? All that talk about the details about how white people abuse black slaves, raping their women. I don't know about you, but to me a subject like that tends to be a little over emotional at times. I feel like at first, before all the media and public speaking, Malcolm had good intentions, but as he was introduced to a world of challenge, he slowly and unconsiously exceeded his principles in order to justify his words. If you take away all the logic, all the facts he presents, all the "religious" principles, if you look down into the nature of his words, you will see that Malcolm X is a very angry man. And with anger you can't get very far, until you see the bigger view.
I got this impression while readin this chapter, but what really took away the doubt was when my mom read a couple of pages of the book. The first thing she said was "this man has so much anger inside him, it can't be healthy" Also while reading this, i remembered a movie was had watched recently, 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama. One of the Dalai Lama's principle beliefs is that only peace can achieve happiness, not violence or war. Only with peace and forgivness can you overcome hatred, no matter how strong it is. These couple of quotes demonstrate his wisdom http://www.thinkexist.com/English/Author/x/Author_825_2.htm.