# data[].attributes.headline
Leslie Marmon Silko's "Yellow Woman" and Maxine Hing Kingston's "White Tigers" 

# data[].attributes.subject
Leslie Marmon Silko's "Yellow Woman" and Maxine Hing Kingston's "White Tigers" 

# data[].attributes.body
What I found most interesting in Leslie Marmon Silko's "Yellow Woman" and Maxine Hing Kingston's "White Tigers" is the cultural aspects as well as the folklore present within these stories. Both of these stories depict the lives of the protagonists by telling the stories that exists in their culture. Through these "analogies" we are able to see the internal struggle within each character as well as the conflict each one has with their culture. For instance, in "Yellow Woman," we see a lot of creative symbolism that explains the contrast between her real life and the experience of being kidnapped. For instance, the mountains, river, food and the time she spent with Silva- both of these depicts a sense of freedom that does not exist in real life. In "White Tigers," the narrator struggles with self identity as well as acceptance and by telling the story of the brave woman warrior of Fa Mu Lan, it shows how much the character wants to be her because she is everything that she "can't" be. She has such a strong desire to be like Fa Mu Lan that she actually trains herself to be her. Although both of these protagonists struggle with themselves, they (in a way) owned up to it by taking action and admitting to their desires

# data[].attributes.body
This discussion was one of my favorite to partake on because the meaning behind these folklores hit a little bit close to home. Growing up in a particularly traditional and conservative family, I always felt like my life was pre-planned, as if I had no choice but to follow this cookie cutter of a narrative that my family had forcefully assigned to me. In "Yellow Woman," I found it enticing that the protagonist creates a sense of escape. I see this a lot happening not just through me or my peers, but also through many women across the world. I know this because I see it so often, hear of these stories but also portrayed through means of entertainment such as movies and books as well as social media. After moving to America from Indonesia, I started noticing something that I thought would never happen. I was blooming into a warrior, like Fa Mu Lan not like a flowerlike my mother as well as the other females in my family wish I would. I didn't really realize that I was Fa Mu Lan until I read the story. Instead of focusing on makeup and the etiquette of a woman, I decided to partake in sports. My mother was upset, wishing I could be like "her friends' daughters'" feminine, delicate, petite. But instead, I went after something I was passionate about. I loved competing and I love every aspect of sports. Most importantly, I loved how easily I was able to connect with these stories.

# data[].attributes.headline
 Scott Fitzgerald's “Bernice Bobs Her Hair" (1920) and  Ngugi Wa Thiong’O’s “Minutes of Glory”(1975)

# data[].attributes.subject
 Scott Fitzgerald's “Bernice Bobs Her Hair" (1920) and  Ngugi Wa Thiong’O’s “Minutes of Glory”(1975)

# data[].attributes.body
In both F. Scott Fitzgerald's “Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and Ngugi Wa Thiong’O’s “Minutes of Glory”, the two common themes present is the act of self acceptance between the protagonist herself and acceptance in society. In “Bernice Bobs Her Hair", Bernice's desire to be wanted and popular is strong because of the pressure imposed by men in society. In “Minutes of Glory”, we see the same theme prevalent because although the desire for acceptance doesn't necessarily exist in acceptance by men, it focuses more on the act of making herself look like those of the "superior" gender by changing her looks into those of white females. I think it's interesting that although efforts today, even, are made to diminish this, this will continue to be a problem.

# data[].attributes.body
F. Scott Fitzgerald's “Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and Ngugi Wa Thiong’O’s “Minutes of Glory”, are probably the one discussion board that I wish I dove into more. Both of these stories are so relatable, especially being a woman in society. A woman of color that is. In "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," the problem lies in the fact that Bernice is a young, growing and unique lady that suffered from the inflictions brought to women by society by their structural standards. If she didn't look, act and say certain things she will be deemed 'un- attractive" by her peers and most importantly, by men. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has heard the words come out of their mother's lips "if you don't dress this way, boys won't like you" or "if you don't paint your nails or do your hair, you will never find a husband" my ears have heard these words since I was a very young girl. To see that the struggle of self acceptance is present in society, in different decades says a lot about the world we live in. In "Minute of Glory," I felt bad for the protagonist because I know how she feels. When I moved to America, we moved to a town where the majority of its inhabitants were Caucasian. Twelve year old me wanted to have light skin and blonde hair so badly because that's what I was surrounded me. 10 years later, here I am standing proud with my brunette hair, dark features and brown skin.

# data[].attributes.headline
Zora Neale Hurston’s The Sweat" (1926) and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper"(1892)

# data[].attributes.subject
Zora Neale Hurston’s The Sweat" (1926) and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper"(1892)

# data[].attributes.body
In both Zora Neale Hurston’s The Sweat" (1926) and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper"(1892) both are stories focusing on women's roles in society, their expectations as well as outcome brought by their advancement. Although in both stories, male dominance is asserted, it is clear that the women in these stories experience a breakthrough by fighting the struggles they have faced. The husbands of both protagonists clearly try to control these women. Although the setting and plot of these stories are different from books done by the Bronte sisters, it kind of reminds me of Wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre. Women are driven "mad" because of their gender and are constantly oppressed since such a young age, which shows  in the development of their character throughout the book. I am wondering if these types of stories will continue to grow and portray the struggles women face, or will more books be written exemplifying the growth of women?

# data[].attributes.body
Expanding on my claim that Zora Neale Hurston’s The Sweat" (1926) and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper"(1892) both remind me of the work done by The Bronte sisters, Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea. The protagonist in all four of these stories have suffered through major oppression. A lot of times, actually almost all the time, women is portrayed as the irrational, erratic and condescending being. Rarely do people ever get to know how or why or what caused these women to be this way. For example, in Jane Eyre, Rochester describes the woman in the attic as a psychopath. A monster who is dangerous- no sympathy there. In Wide Sargasso Sea however, we get a whole revelation on what happened to 'Bertha Mason'. It's all about perspective- until you get both sides of the story, who are you to judge what kind of character each person holds? This is very prevalent in our society because women are always targeted and often unable to speak up because of their oppressor.

# data[].attributes.headline
Doris May Lessing – “To Room Nineteen" (1963) and Junot Diaz – “The Sun, the Moon, the Stars (1998)

# data[].attributes.subject
Doris May Lessing – “To Room Nineteen" (1963) and Junot Diaz – “The Sun, the Moon, the Stars (1998)

# data[].attributes.body
An apparent connection that I've speculated from reading both Doris May Lessing "To Room Nineteen" and Junot Diaz's "The Sun, the Moon, the Stars" is the theme of relationships, specifically, the chain reaction that lies in the exchange of connection and how each relationship involved circulate, including the aftermath each one brings.  In "To Room Nineteen", although Susan's life seems perfect, she is unhappy- I think this is because her married life is too "cookie-cutter" like. She finds herself unamused because her life is too scripted- she eventually resents her life so much she decided to end it. In "The Sun, the Moon, the Stars", we see quite difference when comparing it to Lessing's work. A broken relationship is portrayed and all efforts are made to fix it- however, it is unrepairable. This relationship is messy, unlike the relationship in Susan's life. Both of these stories portray the type of suppression that rise from different dynamics of relationships.

# data[].attributes.body
In reading Doris May Lessing's "To Room Nineteen" and Junot Diaz's "The Sun, the Moon, the Stars", I see yet another resemblance to the building block of our society. The flaws of personal well- being as well as in relationships. "To Room Nineteen" reminds me of almost all the characters in Desperate Housewives, as silly as that sounds. In the beginning of the show, we get introduced to Mary Alice, a perfect (or so it seems) house wife that committed suicide. Everyone on the block was shocked. Her friends, neighbors, even her husband and son. As the show goes on, we find out that her life wasn't so perfect after all, as she had been carrying the guilt of a murderer upon many other things. This is a commentary on society as "not everything is as good as it seems." Even in "The Sun, The Moon and The Stars," another broken relationship. Another couple trapped in a relationship that they either don't want to be in, or don't deserve to be in. We see the inner-workings of this type of relationship, which, again is reflective upon our society.

# data[].attributes.headline
 Edgar Allen Poe – “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”(1841) and Franz Kafka – “A Report to the Academy”(1917)

# data[].attributes.subject
 Edgar Allen Poe – “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”(1841) and Franz Kafka – “A Report to the Academy”(1917)

# data[].attributes.body
After reading both Edgar Allen Poe's “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and Franz Kafka's  “A Report to the Academy” I believe there were significant similarities in these stories not because both introduce the frenzy that comes in wild animals such as orangutans and apes, but the meaning behind the chaos cause by them. I believe that both authors are making a commentary about society and individuals and what happens when 'minorities' or living things with 'lesser' value is mistreated, caged, and suppressed.

# data[].attributes.body
The stories web read for this discussion board are by far my favorite out of all of them. In Edgar Allen Poe's "The Murders in Rue Morgue", we see a wild and 'can't be tamed' being act out, murdering two innocent ladies. There is way more to that than what the surface puts out. I believe Poe is making a commentary upon the nature of human being. It is not accident that an Ourang-Outang is the one who committed the murders, a being in the same species as human. Yes, the primal instinct of this Ourang- Outang was to attack. Why? not only was this being kidnapped then trapped, once he got out trying to do 'normal' things, one of the women shrieked in horror. The Ourang -Outang who has been suppressed for so long is now experiencing rejection. If a human being experiences the same thing he would most likely react in violence as well. "A Report to the Academy" is also making a commentary upon society as this primal and wild being is trying to fit into society but cannot. There's always a reason behind chaos, uncertainty and the lack of acceptance and these stories reveal that.

# data[].attributes.body
When I signed up for this course, I thought that I was taking this class for the sake of bettering my knowledge of the English language and for the sake of credit fulfilment. I signed up for the class late, because I had no idea what class to take. The last time I took a class involving a lot  reading, I had a hard time. Mostly because I had suffered from social anxiety, did not enjoy the content of the class as much as I’d hoped and as much as I hate to admit this, I felt small. This has been happening for most of my educational career. Why? I moved to America when I was 12 years old. I did not speak English well. The fact that I could not speak English well and had an accent was already hard enough, but I also looked a lot different than most kids in my school. Fast forward a couple months, I was tired of sinking in my chair. Going to the library became a daily thing. I would read 4-6 books every week and I loved every minute of it. Soon these books turned into a key; a key that granted me access to the enchanting world called escape. Even when I barely understood these books, I would sit down and look up words over and over again, if I still didn’t understand what the sentence was saying, I would simply reread it, over and over again. It got to the point where my father would take away my night like because I would stay up until 4 in the morning reading these books. It was in these little moments that I realized I wanted to one day write a book. If not a book, something of that sort. I wanted to inspire people, the way these books inspired me. Fast forward to my college years, here I am. A student at THE Florida State University. The reason I started with the story of my childhood is to emphasize the love I have for the English language (even though I am still learning) and the appreciation I have for the written words in different forms of codex. I did not expect to actually be a part of this class. In most of the previous classes it almost felt like I just existed in it, I didn’t live it. The stories I read in this class reminded me of the sole reason that I am here, majoring in EWM at FSU. I am pursuing a passion of mine, a huge one that is. Not only do these short stories show the complexity and uniqueness that lies behind well crafted words and sentences, but they reflect if not upon me personally, it reflected upon society, which made the discussions in this class enticing. Through our daily discussions, especially the ones held over zoom, it didn’t feel like whatever words I spoke was listened to, my voice was actively heard. The engagement in these discussions made me wish the class would last forever- so for this class, I am thankful to be reminded of my passions, and the beauty that lies in the English language. If I learned anything, it’s that creativity exists in many different forms and interpertations.