My reservation though

In the absolutely true diary of a part time Indian, Junior's home becomes a place where people have become to comfortable with their conditions and stay there forever. However, Junior knows to achieve to success he has to get away.
       Throughout my short life, I have had to flee places of comfort in order to find my potential and better myself. The first time I can recall would have to be in 6th grade. I remember being taken out of class with a few of my fellow peers. I remember being a little on the fence because when you're a sixth grader you kinda always have something to be worried about. Did they hear me swear? Did they saw me hit Cindy? Did she actually tell? Well, none of this had to do with me being taken out of class that day. I was told due to my high test scores, I had the ability to test my way into a better school to have the chance to get into a selective enrollment. I had forgotten to say my dream was to go to Whitney Young, just because the kids there were the smartest of the smart (now I know the real truth buuuut, anywho...). Well, it turned out I was the only one interested in taking said test. None of my good friends wanted to take it with me and it really hurt me. I would have to start a new social life in a different school, every child's worse nightmare, that is, if I was even accepted. My mother had said it was up to me to decide, and so I did. I took that test and honestly, I did horribly and didn't get accepted into any school, the first time around. Once the second round began, I had been accepted to Lenart and Kenwood Academic centers. Despite my uncertainty, I decided to go to Lenart and leave behind my friends. (I am lowkey really happy I left because afterwards everyone got really ratchet and tried to be ghetto. Like pah-leez stop, you're not cool.)
      After 8th grade, we were forced of the new comfortable living we got used to in 7th and 8th grade. Once again, I had to choose where to go for high school. I luckily got into Whitney Young and decided to go there. However, I left behind my entire clique except for one. Out of 32 students, only 7, including me went to Young. I only talk to 3 now.
     After high school began I could no longer hide my raging homosexuality. I mean, lots of people were very good looking at Young. I had to leave behind the disguise of being a heterosexual male to both my friends and my family. Luckily for me, I was surrounded by people who loved me no matter what. However, the moment I came out was so heart stopping despite how anti-climatic it was. (I kinda just came out at a restaurant and then the food came and everything was cool.)
     I can't compare myself to Junior and his limitations because I have been very privileged and lucky. But I guess there is darkness in every bright situation.

Twerk Some Bigger: Native Son

      The introduction of Max as a character towards the end of Native Son was quite refreshing to me. I was sitting there and as I read the argument presented to the courtroom in attempt to save Bigger, my views on Bigger were swayed. I feel this is because Max was able to say things that Bigger himself said had confused him. He was able to basically sum up the entire argument one had based on Bigger throughout the book in some pages of the book. The justifications presented for Bigger's crimes were quite solid and very thoroughly explained. All the reasoning there could be is presented and is placed there for both the jury and readers to elaborate on. However, in the end I felt that he still indeed did do the crime (murdering anyway) and justice was served. Did he deserve the death penalty? Honestly, I would say so. Bigger Thomas is not a changed man. If he were to be given jail time and released, he'd go out and do more crimes. I find the whole theme of excuses very irritating as I read the book. Call me the bad guy or think whatever you want, but to me oppression should fuel determination not hatred and bitterness.
     I feel like Native Son was the best books we've read in English class as it brings up questions that we can all relate to and see in effect today. It had many plots twists that I was blind to and the end had me a bit confused, but still an interesting read.

The light, the yellow halo and Church Steeple

"There was nothing to look at from under the tree except Gatsby's enormous house so I stared at it like Kant at his church steeple, for half an hour."

I never really got to express my ideas on this quote to anyone besides Mr. McCarthy and not like anyone reads this but here I go. Now the irony in my analysis is I am agnostic, yet I always seem to interpret literature through religious allusions I see fit. As we have discussed in class, the quote is positioned in such a way that one could easily brush over it with little thought as it seems to be Nick daydreaming outside. However, this all changes when Kant is alluded. When Kant stared at the steeple, he was thinking very deeply about morality and realty. This means that Nick too is not just looking at the mansion, but he is so enraptured in his thoughts he can't look away as the mansion invokes a symbolic representation. The representation is ambiguous of course. Basically, The mansion relates to that of a steeple where Gatsby is God, often rumored over and sought to find the truth laying behind the man. However, the advocate for god or Gatsby is Gatsby himself, lowering his credibility that much of the author, Nick. Getting back to Nick. This quote is an important development of the character as he is questioning something like Kant has. What that is exactly, not quite sure maybe industry and capitalism during that time period or whether he should do something in the situation of the love triangle between Gatsby, Daisy and Tom. And finally once again, the quote is placed in an odd position in the story as we are more intrigued about Gatsby and Daisy getting together. However, adultery is a sin and while the reader is very tempted to continue reading about the lovers, we are taken to Nick and sort of brush over this quote. While this quote is pure, to an extent, as it alludes to a God like figure. So the author used a clever mind game that most of us probably fell for. #TemptationGotMeLike

That's basically it. Hope you had your mind blown or something along the lines of that.