Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin did not have a loving relationship with his father. There was not much communication between the two, and for a long period of time he felt hate towards him. All the negative memories of his father made him feel enraged, but he realized in order to hate someone or a group of people like the “whites” you have to be ignorant. People hate each other because they block out all the positive thoughts and only think about the negative thoughts and actions they have committed. Baldwin and his father were not able to confront each other because they had to much pride. Similar to the "whites" they build an invisible wall between them. The wall separated them and kept them from communicating.

Even though Baldwin and his father did not socialize with one another they both found ways to release their high tensions. Baldwin prefer expressing himself through his writing rather than preaching. Unlike his father, who enjoyed talking negative about others who where different than him.After his fathers death Baldwin wished to have been patient with his father and got to know him better.

Baldwin realized his father made some mistakes, but remember a kind things his father had done for him when he was young. For example, Baldwin's father comfort Baldwin when he had scrapped his knee on the footrest of the barber's chair when he was getting a haircut. Baldwin learned people who make mistakes are not all bad people, and should be given a second chance. Although, it was too late to bond with his father, he learned a valuable lesson that will help him keep his heart free from hatred.

Notes of a Native Son

James Baldwin did not have a loving relationship with his father. There was not much communication between the two, and for a long period of time he felt hate towards him. All the negative memories of his father made him feel enraged, but he realized in order to hate someone or a group of people like the “whites” you have to be ignorant. People hate each other because they block out all the positive thoughts and only think about the negative thoughts and actions they have committed. Baldwin wished to have been patient with his father and got to know him better. Although, it was too late to bond with his father, he learned a valuable lesson that will help him keep his heart free from hatred.

A Positive Attitude

I was able to relate to the story "The Code". I imagined how the author must have felt having an aunt like Helen because I also had a cold hearted aunt. Whatever my mom and I did was never good enough for her. According to my aunt her cooking was better than our cooking. I didn’t understand why she didn’t appreciate my mother and I. I felt anger when Aunt Helen didn’t approve of the box cake for Uncle Frank. How dare she look down on someone for taking the time of doing something thoughtful for another person.
Aunt Helen made me realized people who criticize others are the ones who are unhappy. She had nothing better to do but, to talk bad about others even people in her family. Maybe it was jealousy Aunt Helen felt, but I believe people shouldn’t let others put them down. The more confident people are the more anger the other person will feel knowing they cannot bring them down with their words.
After reading the story I felt bad for Aunt Helen she was divorced and lonely. She seemed to always have a negative attitude towards life. I hope one day she learns to appreciate and love life. We only live once and need to live our life to the fullest. I enjoyed reading the story not only did I realize I wasn’t the only one with an ungrateful aunt, but I realized how lucky I am to be able to maintain my cool and not let people put me down.

My Reflections on a Beauty Blog

I love make-up, and like most girls I enjoy pampering myself with creams, lotions, and shampoos. Everyone is unique and we all have different skin types, hair type, and style. Choosing the right product for your skin or hair type can be difficult, but the blog site www.yummiebitez.blogspot.com makes it easier for people to choose the right products. I was fascinated how the writer provided costumers with make up tips on how to apply make and other products with videos or specific directions. The writer is very honest and detail about the products on her blog. She describes the quality, prices, the ingredients, and her on personal opinion about the product, which I enjoyed reading.

My Reflections on Another Blog

Brett Blumenthal has a passion for music, which she describes in her blog http://www.sheerblog.com/. The title for her blog is “Please Don’t Stop the Music” and it definitely caught my attention because I love listen to music myself. Brett and I feel music is much more than a nice beat. Music is my passion and in some song’s I find them to be my personal theme song telling the story of one moment in my life. Every minute of everyday my mood, my feelings, and my emotions are captured in music. Music is my inspiration and helps me get through the day.

My Choice

My Saturday night did not go as I had planned, which was very disappointing. My friends and I went to a club in the city of Tarzana.We were all excited to go to the club and were dressed to impress. However we were not expecting to see our old boyfriends there with other girls and dancing with them. Our Saturday night quickly became a humiliating night where we were faced with a hard decision. We could have decided to stay and dance with other guys so they can know how we feel or leave and go to another club. We decided to not lower ourselves in front of our old boyfriends and leave the club. We were not going to let our old boyfriends destroy our Saturday night by getting us jealous.

Making a Difference with my Words

Writing helps me express my feelings, and get a point across to those who read my writing. For example, I could write about my family problems on my blogs. Not only does it help me express my emotions, but someone who reads my writing can relate to some of my problems. I love writing because I feel every one can benefit from each others stories. Together we can make a difference in each others lives with our words.