Coming of age on Mango Street

In the second half of Sandra Cisneros’s House on Mango Street, 12-year-old Esperanza starts to grow up.  In the first half of the book, Esperanza was young, insecure and unaware of others.  In the second half of the book Esperanza grows physically and emotionally more mature and wants to figure out who she is.  She starts to express herself and understand others.

In the middle of the book, Esperanza’s body and feelings start to change.  She realizes she has hips, which makes her a woman, even though she’s not yet sure how to use them (pp. 49-50).  She gets her first job but ends up befriended by a coworker who forces a kiss on her (pp. 53-55).  She starts to get more interested in boys and likes when they’re watching her (p. 48) and starts dreaming about them (p.73).  Esperanza is growing up and changing but not sure how to deal with it.

Esperanza is trying to figure out who she is.  She feels like she doesn’t belong.  Esperanza doesn’t want to be from her community.  She describes all the different women in her neighborhood. There’s Mamacita who was brought to this country by her husband and is stuck because she can’t speak English (pp. 77-78).  There’s Rafaela who is locked in her house by her husband because she’s too beautiful (pp. 79-80).  There’s Minerva whose husband beats her, leaves her, apologizes and is let back home again and again (pp. 84-85).   Then there’s Esperanza’s own mother who was smart but quit school because she didn’t have nice clothes (pp 90-91).  To Esperanza, all these women are sad and misunderstood.  Esperanza wants to be “beautiful and cruel” and powerful (p. 88).

Towards the end of the book, Esperanza starts to express herself.  She knows what’s right and what’s wrong.  She gets mad when the boys are trying to take advantage of Sally and Sally goes along with it (pp. 96-98).   She learns whom she can trust after Sally leaves her and the boys attack her (pp. 99-100).  As hard and unpleasant as her community is for her and other women, Esperanza realizes that Mango Street is part of her and has made her the person that she is.  She learns that through her writing, she can tell her stories and show her feelings and help herself and others understand her community.  By writing about Mango Street, Esperanza releases her anger and hopes to inspire others to understand and help the people in her community.

Esperanza: still a child

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is about a year in the life of a young Mexican American girl, Esperanza Cordero. The book begins when her family has moved to a house on Mango Street.  Although, it is the first house her family has owned, it isn’t Esperanza’s dream house. It’s in the middle of a crowded, poor, noisy Latino neighborhood.  Esperanza doesn’t like Mango Street or her house and can’t wait to get out.

In the first half of the book Esperanza is a child.  She talks and plays with her friends in the neighborhood. She makes two new friends and they share a bike “3 ways” (p. 15).   She loves going to the junk store with her baby sister Nenny and looking at things she wants but can’t have (pp. 19-20).  She gets in silly fights with her friends Rachel and Lucy over nothing (pp. 37-38).  One day, Esperanza and her friends walk around the neighborhood in high-heeled shoes and attract unwanted attention and end up having to run home.  Esperanza has no idea about boys and thinks “the boys and the girls live in separate worlds” (p. 8).  Esperanza looks up to the older girls in her neighborhood with their “dark nylons and lots of makeup” (pp. 23, 27).  All this shows how young Esperanza acts in the beginning part of the book.

In the beginning of the book, Esperanza is embarrassed of who she is and where she comes from.  She doesn’t like her name that she inherited from her great grandmother.  She doesn’t want to be like her great grandmother who she describes as sad and waiting (pp. 10-11).  She wants to separate herself from her Mexican family and background.  She’s ashamed of her house which is small and crumbling (p.  4).   She hates her neighborhood that others think is bad and dangerous (pp. 13, 28).  She has very little understanding of the less fortunate people that live in her neighborhood like the Vargases with their too many kids and too many problems (pp. 29-30).  Esperanza doesn’t want to belong to this sad, poor, run down community.

At this point of the book, Esperanza is a child who wants to escape her life.  She has no empathy for the disadvantaged people around her.  She doesn’t realize that this is all part of who she is and that she has responsibilities to her community.

Response to " Don't Plagiarize, it's a crime!"

Basically, the student copied from the source word for word. Even though, every once in awhile, the student changed a word, it is pretty clear that the student copied the words and ideas from the original source. The student should have either summarized, paraphrased or quoted the other person’s work and included proper citation to the source.  Something like:

One writer suggests that “Starry Night” is so popular because although it is a wild looking painting it contains familiar and comfortable images of the sky, clouds, stars, moon and a small town with a church and steeple. (“A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings”).       

A student can avoid plagiarizing by first understanding what plagiarism is: plagiarism is using someone else’s words and ideas without citation and passing it off as his own original work.  Second, if the student does not understand the material/assignment well enough to come up with his own idea and use his own words, the student should look at multiple sources.  Looking at multiple sources will usually make it easier to understand the material, gain different perspectives and spark ideas.  The student will then be able to write about the material in his own words. Third, the student should think about the topic, plan his thesis, use his own words to make his point and then either quote, summarize or paraphrase from anther person’s work correctly citing the source. The citation ensures that readers know which work is the student’s and which work is somebody else’s. This not only eliminates the plagiarism but also makes the student’s writing more persuasive because readers can see that the student’s argument is supported by other writers who have looked at the same issue/material.

Trayvon Martin case shows Florida Law needs to be reviewed

The shooting and death of  17 year old Trayvon Martin relates to the Florida “stand your ground law”.   Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by a neighborhood crime watch volunteer who followed Trayvon after calling 911 to report a suspicious person walking in the neighborhood. The PBS article“ Shooting Death of Teen Raises Questions about Florida law” made me think that the law should be reviewed. This is because the law is based on a self-defense claim, which some people can take advantage of to appear innocent when they were really the initial aggressor.

            The Florida “stand your ground law” has many problems.  First, the law allows for a broad self-defense claim. If an accused person believes they are in “ imminent danger” they are not forced to retreat and can defend themselves.  This is a problem because it is subjective which means that a person may not actually be in danger but feel and act as if they are. In addition, since 2005, after Florida passed the “stand your ground law”, 31 states have passed similar laws.  Claims of self defense in murder cases have gone up drastically.  According to a New York Times Article, “ A Florida Law Gets Scrutiny After a Teenager’s Killing”, which is cited in the PBS article, the problem is especially serious in Florida because Florida law allows almost anybody to own a gun. Therefore, the “stand your ground law” often comes up in murder cases.

Another issue with the “stand your ground law” is that it’s very hard to disprove self defense claims in murder cases. According to the New York Times article, police and prosecutors are often unable to show that a person was actually the aggressor or didn’t act in self defense.  This is because the victim is dead and can’t tell their side of the story.  In fact gang members and drug dealers have used the “ stand your ground law” against murder charges.

The Trayvon Martin case and other cases like it demonstrate the serious problems with the Florida “stand your ground law.” The law has increased the number of self defense claims but also has made it much harder for the police and prosecutors to show where people accused of murder who are not innocent are using the law to avoid being convicted of murder.  It’s really scary to think that gang members and drug dealers can use the “ stand your ground law” to their advantage. Because of these problems the law should be reviewed

In My opinion ...

My two favorite blog posts were Eliza’s and Gabby’s (and not just because they’re my friends)!  Both of these bloggers were really thoughtful and expressed their personal opinions. I’m so impressed with Eliza’s writing style it’s like I’m talking to her! I love how Gabby expressed her opinion as she described the character’s actions. I am working toward being more personal and connecting to the readers in my own blog entries.

Eliza’s blog post about misfortunes in Harry Potter and  the Goblet of Fire is really engaging and thought provoking! Her voice and tone are a real reflection of her interesting personality.  She explained complex issues in simple, understandable ways. For example, she described her thesis this way “ So I decided to analyze the difference between the two of them and see who really had it worse.” I also like how she talked directly to the readers. Towards the end of her response she asked questions and requested comments like “But what do you say readers?”  The second element that I liked about Eliza’s entry was her intriguing lead.  It drew me in and kept me reading. Her first sentence was “ Everybody in the world has baggage to carry.”  I like how she starts off with a strong text to world connection.  It is so relatable because everyone does have problems.

Gabby’s blog post on Glass is personal and detailed. I like how Gabby included her own opinions throughout the response while she explained the main character’s actions.  As Gabby described the plot and conflicts she added “ Which I find is strange,” “ It was weird” and “ The scary thing is.”  These subtle comments put her own spin on the book.  The second element that I liked about Gabby’s entry was the structure and detail.  It was well planned out with a thoughtful introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. I like that Gabby gave a lot of text evidence in different ways.  She summarized, paraphrased and quoted and always cited the source.

After reading Eliza’s and Gabby’s great blog posts, I have realized what I can do to improve my own blog entries. Like Eliza, I would like to improve my writing fluency by including my own voice in my entries as a way to connect to the readers. Similarly to Gabby, I’d like to discreetly include my personal opinion of the action as I retell it.  Both these bloggers have inspired and reminded me to express myself and include more of me in my entries because it is my blog!

Much Ado Review

I really enjoyed the Classic Stage Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.  Like many of Shakespeare’s other plays, Much Ado is very confusing with many plots and subplots, lots of characters, tricks, pretend and mistaken identities.  In Much Ado, Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into falling in love.  Don Jon tricks Claudio into thinking that Hero is unfaithful.  Hero pretends to be dead.  Claudio agrees to marry Hero’s cousin who turns out to be Hero.  But since it was a comedy, that all seemed more appropriate. 

I liked how this production made the comical parts of Much Ado even funnier.  This production was set in the 1920s and included jazz music.  The acting was exaggerated, energetic and loud. The dancing and singing made the play fun and entertaining. The costumes were unexpected with the women wearing 1920s flapper dresses.  The happy ending of a double wedding was intensified by “When the Saints Go Marching In!”  The wild and festive 1920s helped set the mood of this play.

Attending a performance of Much Ado where we could see and hear the play made Shakespeare’s words and story much more understandable.  Even though the performance used Shakepeare’s language because it was set in a more recent time period, it seemed more modern.  While I wasn’t always able to understand exactly what the characters were saying, I could tell what they meant.  Like Beatrice and Benedick were definitely insulting each other!  By seeing the action and watching the actors faces, movements and gestures, I could follow the story much better.  The  music, dancing, singing and costumes all helped as well.  Watching the play made it more alive and really the way Shakespeare himself intended it to be.

From my perspective

I finally read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.  My mother has been talking about this book after she read it for a class in graduate school on special education so I knew that the book was about a boy with Asperger’s.  While I thought a book about someone with a severe disability would be difficult to understand and hard to relate to, it actually was easy to read and I was able to empathize with the main character.

The book is narrated by Christopher Boone, a 15 year old English boy with Asperger’s syndrome.  One night he discovers that the neighbor’s dog has been murdered with a garden fork.  He decides to find out who killed the dog and write a book about it.  While it sounds like a murder mystery, it’s really a book about Christopher and another mystery about his family.

            The book is written from the point of view of Christopher.  We learn a lot about him from what he says and does and from the structure of the book. He introduces himself as “knowing all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057.”  He doesn’t like strange places or people he doesn’t know.  He doesn’t like to be touched.  If his senses get overloaded, he will curl into a ball and groan.  He hates the colors yellow and brown so much so that he can’t eat or touch anything yellow or brown.  He needs order and will do math problems in his head just to calm down.  Time is very important to Christopher.  He times everything that he does.  Over the course of the book, you know Christopher so well that you can anticipate how he will react to the events and people around him.  As unusual as he is, you understand his perspective because you are immersed in it.

Christopher’s point of view is even noticeable in the structure of the book. The chapters are numbered in prime numbers because he likes the order they provide. Because Christopher is a visual learner, he uses visuals to explain things.  The book is filled with different fonts (bold and italics) and charts, graphs, mathematical equations, pictures and diagrams.  Like Christopher, sometimes the book jumps around from subject to subject and contains run-on sentences showing the way Christopher thinks.  The book is very repetitive because Christopher is repetitive and consistent.  The author cleverly uses Christopher’s disability as a writing style to allow you to understand Christopher as well as to think and feel like Christopher.

            While Christopher has an unusual perspective due to his disability, it soon becomes normal to the reader.  By providing detailed explanations of Christopher’s thoughts and feelings about everything from physics to the supernatural, I could really understand and empathize with Christopher.  Underneath all of Christopher’s quirky characteristics, Christopher makes sense.  In contrast, the behaviors of the other “normal” characters in the book, like Christopher’s father and mother seem more odd than Christopher’s behavior.  Christopher’s mother had an affair and then abandoned him.   Christopher’s father makes up a story that his mother has died.   Christopher’s mother’s abandonment and father’s lie seem more crazy than Christopher’s peculiarity.   The book has taught me to look beyond the surface of people’s behavior and try to understand their perspective

Is it love?

Romeo and Juliet is probably one of the most famous love stories in the world.  But reading it closely, I’ve realized that I have no idea why Romeo and Juliet love each other.  I’m not even sure that they do!

Romeo first sees Juliet at a party dancing.  Before he even speaks to her, he is in love.  It seems to be that he is only impressed by her beauty.  He compares her to a jewel, more beautiful than the other ladies.  “Did my heart love till now?  Forswear it, sight, For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night”(Act 1 Sc. 5 p. 53, l. 59-60).  In Romeo’s first conversation with Juliet, he takes her hand to kiss (p. 57).  The next time he sees her, he compares her to the sun, her eyes to the stars, and to a bright angel (Act 2 Sc. 2 pp. 70-71).  Romeo declares his love for Juliet after hearing Juliet declare her love for him. (p. 73).  Romeo would rather die than be without her love (p. 75).

Likewise, after Juliet’s first conversation with Romeo, she declares her love for him.  “My only love sprung from my only hate . . . that I must love a loathed enemy” (Act 1 Sc. 5 p. 61  l. 152-155).  And the next time Juliet speaks with Romeo, she tells him of her “true love passion” for him (Act 2 Sc. 2 p. 75 l.109).

Much of the rest of that second conversation is just about Romeo and Juliet’s “deep” and “infinite” love for each other based on nothing! That second conversation ends with them planning to marry (pp. 79-83).  But despite all the beautiful words, there is nothing that explains why they love each other.  Romeo and Juliet just met.  They have only spoken twice to each other.  While they talk of love, there seems to be no basis for it.

Maybe Romeo and Juliet love each other because they are not allowed to love each other.  Their families are enemies and they are forbidden to be together.  Maybe it’s just teenage rebellion.  Children doing things that their parents won’t allow.  Maybe they are just both in love with being in love.  The book starts with Romeo being in love with someone else.  Maybe Romeo is on the rebound!  Maybe Juliet, who has just learned that she’s to be married to a rich man chosen by her parents, is looking for her own love.  How will their love develop or will it end before it grows?

Dear Maria

Dear Maria, 

I’ve just read the first scene of Romeo and Juliet and if it weren’t for your story, I would be totally confused! Even knowing your sad story (and all the songs) I’m still lost!

I’ve observed that Shakespeare’s language is much different than the language I use today and the way you spoke in the 50s.  Even though I understand many of the words, the order and way Shakespeare puts them together is confusing. It is also hard to read Romeo and Juliet because it is all dialogue and long monologues. There isn’t any narration to help me understand what’s happening. Because much of it is in rhyme it sounds nice but it doesn’t always make sense to me.

At least I know and understand the main plot. I know that the Montagues (Romeo’s family) and the Capulets (Juliet’s family) are enemies and fighting. I also know that the Prince is frustrated and wants them to stop fighting and disturbing the peace in Verona. I also know that Romeo is sad and lovesick and that his family is very worried about him.

My experience reading Shakespeare hasn’t been the greatest so far. The language is difficult, and I’m still not sure what’s happening line by line. But I know the plot and what is going to happen thanks to watching and hearing your story millions of times and that’s really helped me.

If you are interested in reading the original version of your story, you will need to really take it slow. Stop and think every couple of lines and re read when you are confused. It also sometimes helps to read on and understand the big picture instead of focusing on all the individual words. I think that the more you read Shakespeare, the more you understand Shakespeare. Or at least I hope so!

Right now Romeo and Juliet is more work than it is worth. The language is very difficult to understand, and the plot seems slow moving and boring.  I think that it helps that I’ve seen or heard of other plays written by Shakespeare. Those plays were also more interesting than Romeo and Juliet maybe because they were comedies or scary.  But I’m still wondering if I understand your story so well, why don’t understand this?

The Beauty of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130

            Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 mostly follows the general structure of sonnets.  It has 14 lines, 3 quatrains and 1 couplet.  The rhyme scheme is ababcdcdefefgg with 10 syllables per line in iambic pentameter.  The first part of the sonnet introduces the idea that Shakespeare’s lover is not typically beautiful.  The third part ends with his declaration of his love for her.  But instead of the second part introducing a turn or change, Shakespeare uses 12 lines to describe her flaws.  The first 4 lines each describe 1 flaw then the next 8 lines use 2 lines to describe each flaw.   The change as well as the conclusion both come in the final couplet.  So even Shakespeare doesn’t follow the exact sonnet structure in Sonnet 130.

            A line by line paraphrase of Sonnet 130 is:

My love’s eyes are not like the sun

Coral is redder than her lips

If snow is white, her breasts are dull

If hair is wire, hers is black wire

I have seen red and white roses

Her cheeks are not rosy

In perfume there is more delight

Than in my lover’s breath

I love her voice, but

Music is more pleasing

I’ve never seen a goddess

But my love walks on ground

And yet, I think my love is as special

As any other woman represented by these fake comparisons.

            Taken together, much of the sonnet describes Shakespeare’s lover as imperfect.  Her eyes don’t shine.  Her lips are not red.  Her breasts not white.  Her hair is like black wires.  Her cheeks are not rosy, her breath not sweet smelling, her voice not pleasing.  She is no goddess.  But although she’s no classic beauty, he thinks she’s more beautiful than the fake and clichéd ideas of beauty.  Shakespeare is challenging the traditional view of beauty.  He’s also criticizing caring just about the outside instead of what’s inside a person.  Shakespeare’s view of women and beauty is ahead of his time.  Instead of comparing women to perfection in nature his view of beauty is how he feels about women.  In Sonnet 130, Shakespeare didn’t see women as objects or symbols.  He instead appreciates women for who they are with all their imperfections. 

Shakespeare’s message still applies today.  Our society is so concerned with how people look and dress and obsessed with unnatural comparisons to models and movie stars.  Shakespeare realized that people aren’t perfect and are actually special because they are individuals.   I agree with Shakespeare’ s sentiment that we should love people for who they really are instead of what everyone thinks they should be.  Sometimes it’s hard to be different than what’s accepted but it’s important to be real and loved for who you are.  Shakespeare realized all of this and that’s another reason to appreciate him and his work.

A Sonnet for Princess

She prowls around the still kingdom at night

Her ears are up, her pounce on the ready

She keeps the world within her watchful sight

Her paws pad soft and slow and ever steady   

Head high, streamlined, white whiskers lead the way

Sharp teeth, strong claws, attack or else defend

Way back she roamed the wild, stalking her prey

House-bound she still sizes up a foe or friend

So when it comes time for going to bed

She purrs, meows, scratches at my shut door

When I give in she goes right to my head

Before I’m back she’s off to a loud snore

Of course, you know, I’m so quick to forgive

Sleeping without her now, I could not live.

Poems so far...

A Poem

It starts all jumbled up

Pieces upside down

or facing the wrong way

You’re not sure where to start

It doesn’t look like there’s enough pieces

Are some missing?

All the pieces have to fit together

for it to be done

Sometimes it looks like you found the right piece

But it doesn’t fit

You can turn it around and around

or try it in a different spot

or give it up

come back to it later

You have to stop,

Step back

Look at the whole thing

even with the missing pieces

Keep checking the picture on the box

Imagine what would fit there

Try to see it

Search for it

When you find it

See if it fits

Start with the border

Once you get that, everything else comes together

When you get enough of the pieces

The rest come easier

When it’s all done

A complete creation

Separate pieces, now one

It makes sense

Seems so easy

How could you not have seen it?

Now that it’s done

You’ll always see it

A Memory Forgotten

Does it evaporate

Like a puddle after a sun shower

Or chip away

Like a week-old manicure

Or does it wear away

Like a piece of a Coke bottle tossed by the ocean

Maybe it’s gone

Never to be seen, heard, felt, smelled or tasted

Again

Or is it always there

Always lingering

Stuck

Like a song in your head

A Peasant Feast

A wedding in a barn

hot food on a humble platter

wine poured from jugs

feasting at a communal table

noisy conversation

musicians standing

a small boy licking his fingers

a grinning bride

A peasant wedding

so different than a gentleman’s

so real and undisguised

no ornate costumes

no formal dances

no silver goblets

no polite conversation or excessive manners

instead a simple, genuine, joyous celebration

A peasant wedding feast

Pieter Bruegel: “Peasant Wedding Feast”

(despite many tries, could not upload painting -- have hard copy)

Pieter Bruegel was a great Flemish painter of the 16^th century (Venezia  3).  Very little is known about his life except that he traveled to Italy to study their great artists (Venezia 8) and lived and worked in Antwerp, Belgium (Venezia 3).  His first paintings were landscapes combining scenery from Belgium and the mountains and valleys he saw when visiting Italy (Venezia 12). He was greatly influenced by the artist Hieronymus Bosch who painted strange scenes filled with weird creatures (Venezia 11).  Later he became interested in painting people, adding more people to his works.  His paintings reflected his interest in the poor people who lived in the countryside - peasants- (Venezia 14) although he was not one himself.  He painted peasants working, playing and feasting (Venezia 16).  It is rumored that Bruegel would go in disguise to peasant celebrations (Venezia 17).  His paintings are thought to contain secret messages, symbols and images (Venezia 18). 

Bruegel’s painting “Peasant Wedding Feast” shows a marriage celebration taking place in a barn.  The painting is filled with many people and various things happening.  Food is being served.  Wine is being poured.  Musicians are playing.  People are eating and drinking and talking.  A crowd of people are trying to get in.  A young boy is sitting on the ground licking his fingers.  The bride sits alone in front of a blue cloth with a calm look.   The painting is a detailed and realistic picture of a 16^th century peasant celebration.

“Peasant Wedding Feast” shows the reality and joy of peasant life in the 16^th century.  Bruegel himself was not a peasant but perhaps he found the simple, country life to be more interesting and real than his own. Maybe that is why he would sneak into and paint their lives.  Bruegel’s interest in peasants may show not only his appreciation for their simple and merry lives but also his dislike for the fake and mannered life of the rich in Europe at the time.

Peasant Life

A wedding in a barn

hot food on a humble platter

wine poured from jugs

feasting at a communal table

noisy conversation

musicians standing

a small boy licking his fingers

a grinning bride

A peasant wedding

so different than a gentleman’s

so real and undisguised

no ornate costumes

no formal dances

no silver goblets

no polite conversation or excessive manners

instead a simple, genuine, joyous celebration

A peasant wedding feast

Works Cited

Hill, Suzanne. “Meaning in Peasant Wedding Feast.”

Suite 101.com.

31 Jan. 2012.  

            http://suzannehill.suite101.com/meaning_in_peasant_wedding_feast.

“Pieter Brugel the Elder.” The Artchive. 31 Jan. 2012. http://www.artchive.com /artchive/

            B/bruegel.html.

Venezia, Mike. Pieter Bruegel (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists).   

            Connecticut: Children’s Press, 1993. 

Dearest Elizabeth

Dear Liz, 

I can’t believe you’re alive and well!  And that you ran off to be with Will, I had no idea! You’re not who everyone thought you were. You’re not who I thought you were. This is my sister here, Elizabeth Holland, society’s treasure, who faked a death to be with her true love, a coachman.  It sounds like one of the novels I would read.

I can’t even begin to explain how devastated I was when I heard about your death. You’re my sister, my perfect sister.  Always there to please others, always doing what was best for your family and your reputation.  At first I thought it was my fault that you were dead.  I found out that you knew about Henry and me.  I was so overwhelmed with guilt. Thank you for understanding that I love Henry.  I love him so much Liz and I hope he still loves me.  I hope he doesn’t end our romance because he feels guilty for your death, as I did.  How could I live without him, he’s all I have left.      

But Liz, how could you desert us? How could you desert me? With father already gone, you left me behind with mother and her expectations for me to marry well. And you know, I can’t do it Liz. The one man I would marry  is mourning your death. We still have no money. Mother has sold everything, including your things and father’s things. Society knows about our financial state.  Soon everyone will know we are destitute. They are probably putting together the pieces about your engagement to Henry.

Currently your best friend Penelope Hayes has made quite an impression in society. You should have seen the performance she staged after your death. Always crying or something about how much she missed you and how young you were and what about Henry and this and that. I saw right through it. I knew she was a fake and was behind your disappearance for her own selfish little desires. Now she wants Henry. My Henry!  I won’t let that happen Liz.  I will put that Penelope in her place before she even tries to lay a gloved finger on him.

Please Liz, forgive me for seeming angry, I’m not. I’m so glad you’re alive and I wasn’t responsible for your death. I’m glad you’re in love. I appreciate your trusting me with your secret. I know we are different and there are things that I do that you don’t approve of.  There are things that you do that I think are amusing as well.  But we are sisters and always will share a bond. So I thank you for telling me your secret and in exchange I will keep you up to date on what is happening here.

So I have to ask you something Liz. I want your advice for once. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get our family out of this financial disaster. I don’t want mother to be upset. I don’t want us to be even poorer. But I don’t want to marry some rich snobby bachelor. I want to marry Henry. So I am asking you, the girl who always knew the right thing to do, or so I thought, to help me, the girl who never cared about the right thing to do.  She needs you now, more then ever.

                                                                        Your loving sister,

                                                                        Diana

This is a fictional letter I created between two characters in The Luxe series book Rumors. Diana writes back to her older sister Elizabeth after she learns that she faked her death. Diana is the only person who knows that Elizabeth is alive and why she had to run away.  I think Diana would have mixed emotions about what Elizabeth did.  I imagine that Diana would be relieved that Elizabeth is alive and that she didn’t cause Elizabeth’s death.  But Diana would also be upset and feel a little abandoned by Elizabeth. Elizabeth left Diana alone, with their depressed mother, and poor. The only hope for her family requires her to marry a rich man. Diana probably would feel stuck and would want Elizabeth’s advice on how she can help her family financially and still marry Henry, her true love. Diana and Elizabeth have different personalities and didn’t always get along. Diana is honest and to the point. She’s real and would tell Elizabeth that she’s upset and in need of her help. Diana wouldn’t want the responsibility of her family. She would want to do what’s good for her and marry Henry.

                                                            

Rumors about Rumors

I have just finished The Luxe and am now reading Rumors, the second book in The Luxe series.  At the end of The Luxe, it was revealed to the reader, and Elizabeth’s sister Diana, that Elizabeth who was engaged to be married to Henry wasn’t dead. She had run off to be with her coachman and true love, Will.  We also learned that Elizabeth’s “best friend” Penelope had helped Elizabeth fake her death so that Penelope could marry Henry.

I’m just starting Rumors but after reading The Luxe and getting to know the characters, I already have some predictions on what may happen in this book to Penelope and Diana.  Penelope is evil, conniving and selfish. This was earlier displayed in The Luxe where Penelope paid for secret information about Elizabeth from her maid in order to get rid of Elizabeth.  She threatened to ruin Elizabeth’s reputation by exposing her affair with Will.  She only helped Elizabeth escape and fake her death so she could marry Henry.  Now that Elizabeth is out of her way, there’s nothing to stop Penelope from marrying Henry.  I’m predicting that Penelope will try to gain Henry’s love by acting like Elizabeth.  Penelope and Elizabeth were the two stars in society, but Elizabeth was always more well liked because of her flawless manners and obedience.  Now Penelope can play that role. This will help Penelope’s reputation and allow her to work her way higher on the social ladder and into Henry’s heart.

Little does Penelope know, Henry wasn’t in love with Elizabeth, but with her little sister, Diana. I’m predicting that Diana and Henry will continue to be in love and later get married. This could happen because Diana’s family is still deep in debt and Henry’s father still needs to find Henry a suitable wife. This is not what Penelope wants so she will probably form another plan to destroy Diana like she did to Elizabeth.  She may do this by getting secret information about Diana and worsen Diana’s already bad reputation and social status so that Penelope can end up with Henry.  Penelope may even drive Diana out of town like she did to Elizabeth.

Now that quiet, sweet, and beautiful Elizabeth is gone. The evil Penelope and willful Diana will take center stage in Rumors. Penelope is fierce and determined to get what she wants. She will do whatever she has to do to get it.  Diana is determined as well as unruly.  She doesn’t care what others think and does as she pleases.  I’m predicting that there will be lots of conflict between these two girls, wanting and battling for the same thing.  

The next book in the series is called Envy, maybe that book will be about Penelope’s envy for Diana after she marries Henry or Diana’s envy for Penelope after she marries Henry.  I guess I’ll have to read it to find out!  

Decisions, decisions, decisions

The Luxe starts  off with the death of the young, beautiful , society girl Elizabeth Holland.  It’s 19^th century Manhattan, and Elizabeth was engaged to marry society’s most eligible bachelor, Henry Schoonmaker. The story is a flashback showing the reader all the events that led up to Elizabeth’s death.  Secrets are revealed that show Elizabeth’s real life, not the one everyone thought she had.

When Elizabeth learns her family is broke, she agrees to marry Henry in order to keep their high rank in society.  But Elizabeth’s heart really belongs to her poor coachman, Will. Meanwhile Henry is in love with Diana, Elizabeth’s little sister and Penelope, Elizabeth’s best friend is in love with Henry. On top of that Elizabeth’s maid, Lina is in love with Will.  As you can see it’s quite a complicated love triangle. Despite the time period, the inner conflicts that these characters face are modern. 

Elizabeth is a proper, prim, perfect society girl.  She spends her days drinking tea and attending dress fittings.  She tries to be pleasant but she isn’t very likeable.  Elizabeth whines and complains about everything. Elizabeth complains about how she has to marry Henry but accepts his proposal. She imagines running off with Will, but when he leaves for California she doesn’t follow him.  She gossips about her maid’s behavior and her sister’s inappropriate actions.  But she doesn’t do anything about any of it.  She doesn’t take control of her life or do things to make it better. Almost everything in the book revolves around Elizabeth, but she is a nothing.  I even think Elizabeth faked her death in order to avoid being disowned by her mother and publicly disgraced by her best friend.  Elizabeth doesn’t make decisions, she takes the easy way out.

Although I wish Elizabeth would take action and do what she needs to do, even if it causes others to be unhappy, I can empathize with her because she’s in a tough situation.  She struggles with her own desires including running off with Will but also cares about her family’s welfare and her own social image that she’s worked so hard to make perfect.  Although I don’t live in 19^th century upper society and I’m not faced with being disowned by my mother or publicly humiliated by my best friend, I too struggle with my own wishes, duties, and sense of self.  Sometimes I don’t want to decide between these competing things that may hurt myself or others but I want to be true to myself and be a good person and be happy.  I think this is what Elizabeth wants as well.  She wants to be with Will, take care of her family and still be looked upon highly.  But instead Elizabeth may be dead, her family poor, and a tragedy to upper society.

We all have to make hard decisions among competing interests whether we live in upper class 19^th century Manhattan, or in middle class present day Brooklyn.  Inner conflicts remain the same, and we must take our lives into our own hands and make decisions, even if it doesn’t please everyone, for ourselves.