Orbiting by Bharati Mukherjee

After attending class on Monday and hearing about her first work that we were supposed to read, it helped with better understanding this second reading. The plot surrounds itself around the narrators family coming to her home for Thanksgiving dinner. The family is not only being hosted by her, but is also meeting her new love. The narrator Renata is Italian American and her new boyfriend is Afganhi. This is the start of the true plot and meaning behind the story. Multiculturism is not only difficult to accept but it is also out of the norm for most. When I am bringing home a boy to meet the parents, I honestly do not know how they would accept me bringing home someone of a different race. In high school I was friendly with someone of the different race and I was immeadiately warned that I need not take it farther than a simple friendship. To me, this is very frustrating and I do feel for Renata. I feel now-a-days it is much more common for my generation of peers to have different views on Multiculturalism than our generation of parents. Anyways this entire story brings together in reality Bharati's true views on what being an American really is. Her dad first brings over the turkey and then continues to tell her that she needs to grow up. Points out that she doesn't have the right funiture and is simply not mature enough for her age. He thinks she needs to fit into what he believes and does not regard that she is still young. In the story Rindy says "All over the country, I tell myself, women are towing new lovers home to meet their families." This quote shows that she is comparing herself to women across America and sees this act as no big deal. She doesn't divide that everyone is with different races or any division at all. Ro apparently comes from a "macho culture" and likes to see Rindy be hit on by poor lonely men and then come sweep her away. This also shows a difference in culture.

Glengarry Glen Ross

The first half of the play was strictly focused on the robbery that occured. The second act and half of the book is focused on looking into the robbery. The whole play is really focused on men arguing and making sales for the better of the company. The arguing and anger that is present is really intense though and I don't exactly enjoy reading it. I feel like Roma is just looking for fights and doesn't care to get along with anyone in his office. One quote I felt that had a lot of importance to the play was said by Roma, "I swear it's not a world of men it's not a world of men, Machine it's a world of clock watchers, bureaucrats, officeholders what it is, it's a fucked up world there's no adventure to it. (Pause.) Dying breed. Yes it is. (Pause.) We are the members of a dying breed." This quote means that the "men" of the play are a dying breed because no one is doing meaningful things like those salesmen. He feels that the people in high positions aren't doing anything especially when he refers to clockwatchers and and officeholders in the same sentence. 

The Same River Twice

During our last class, we didn't have much time to discuss this book by Chris Offutt. It didn't take me long to see exactly what I would write about. It's funny to say but by reading this book, my biology class and english class are finally overlapping!! It's great to know that I can finally apply knowledge from one to benefit from the other. Chris is a man struggling to find his true purpose in life I feel like. He is always looking for more and seems to have high hopes and dreams that are so important to him that he can't even settle with his wife on having a baby. Fortunately Chris decides that he will agree to take part in babymaking, and even so, they still cannot get pregnant. They go to the doctor and physically they both check out as capable adults who can produce offspring. This is where my bio comes in! Just yesterday we have been learning about the female and male reproductive system. We learned certain techniques that would even give parents a better chance of making a girl or a boy if they wished to choose. That being said, none of these tips are always the case but sometimes it helps. Chris mentions that he was going to start wearing loose boxers, and we learned yesterday that it would more likely lead to having a son! After I read on, we will have to see what sex the baby will be, if they do end up having one! Also,  he talked about how when the testes are cold and hot, it makes a difference in sperm. This is true- we learned that the sperm like to live in a colder temperature environment as opposed to the rest of the body. That means that if Chris had been wearing tight boxers, they would be sitting in a much too warm environment to produce enough or healthy sperm. There are obviously many factors which the two adults attempting conception should take into consideration but I thought this was very interesting being as I had just learned about it yesterday! Now to find out if they can conceive and what sex this baby will be...

Guest Blogger: Maria Condatore

America is all I've ever known, but that is soon to change.
I love this place and the opportunities it provides
But I want to experience other places, and I will next spring.