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I was raised in Reading, Pa.

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Upon graduation, I left Reading and joined the U.S. Army. Basic Training was a blast!

The Army wasn't all bad...

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Army Drill Sergeants Launch Shark Attack On New Recruits

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I lived in Europe, specifically Germany, for nearly six years (off and on), spending over two years in Nurnberg (my favorite city in Germany).

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Nuremberg, Germany in 4k cinematic | Views of this beautiful historic old town – Travel Germany

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It was in Nurnberg where I started college in earnest. I attended the University of Maryland in Europe. Go Terps!

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I travelled across Europe, going to Spain, France, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland.

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10 Best Places To Visit in Europe in 2020 | THE TOURIST

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Being in the Army wasn't all fun and games; I had a job to do. As a military policeman (not me, a generic picture), I was responsible for providing security and law enforcement operations where ever I was stationed or deployed.

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My most memorable mission was being apart of Operation: Joint Endeavour. We deployed to Bosnia Herzegovina in January of 1996. It was cold, at times, very difficult, but immeasurably rewarding; we were doing something that matter. My perspective on life was forever changed.

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After I left the Army (1999), I went to Chicago to go to law school. Although I loved the theory of law and the city of Chicago, I realized that being a lawyer wasn't for me. So, I left law school and...

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I moved to Miami and became a teacher! I taught high school English at Miami Northwestern High School, and I loved it! I had found my true passion in life!

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Eventually, I moved with my wife and daughter back home to Pennsylvania. I have been teaching ever since.

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Now, over thirty years later, I can reflect on my life experiences with perspective and wisdom that have not only enriched my life but my teaching, as well.

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As in life, examining literature through various lens provides varying perspectives in which to see things for the first time. Being opened-minded to incorporate different viewpoints (such as this class) is part of the fun!

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Literary Connections with Gender in Literature

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Literary Connections with Gender in Literature

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Beyonce's Lemonade attacked the societal oppression and stereotyping woman, as a whole, have endured forever. Although I am not a huge fan of Beyonce, I feel that motive was to redefine a woman's narrative. Yes, her videos were provocative, but more importantly, they were meant to be empowering, asserting a woman's place at the front and demanding respect, if not outrightly taking it.

Lemonade felt like a manifesto for womanhood. It wasn't simply shouting out, "hear me roar," but more "get the hell out of the way." Lemonade illuminated the complexities of not just black women, but all women, of the pressures of being expected to play multiply roles, to weave in and out of a purely patriarchal society to "get ahead" without coming off as a "bitch," or "cutthroat," instead of running parallel with men and afforded the same consideration that they are given.

I felt Hook's analysis of Lemonade, although insightful and for the most part, accurate delved too deeply into the monetization of black women and their bodies, instead of appreciating Beyonce's attempt to create a newer and needed narrative of women and the demand to be treated and viewed equally, in all manner of social and societal expectations.  What Beyonce did was raise the conversation about the lack of equality and the persistent stereotyping of black women, specifically, and women, in general.

In her own way, Beyonce has pried open the bleary eyes of indifference and given us all a new set of glasses from which to look out upon.