21st Century & The American Dream

The 21st Century American is living a fast-paced, hi-tech, ever expanding life. We continually learn and discover new and varied ways to fit more stuff into our lives. We tend to be materialistic and greedy. If a neighbor has something new and exciting we want to rush right out and get a better version of that item. We as a people have forgotten how to appreciate the simple things in life. There is so much going on, you have careers, social life, and family obligations that the small important things get left behind. Things like a quiet afternoon at the park with the kids or a beautiful summer day in the sun with nothing to do.
The American Dream varies form person to person but in a general sense it is still having a home, family, and a sense of security. Most people are looking for a home to call their own, somewhere that they can safely raise a family. People are looking for a family to love and care for, to have a connection with. We need the togetherness that comes with family. Everyone looks for security, weather in your career or home life. We want to feel like there is solid ground under us. This allows us to reach further in our lives.
My views on these subjects have not really changed just expanded I think. I feel that both of these themes are combined in life. We look for the American Dream by being a typical 21st Century American. I hope that everyone can achieve their own personal dream and expand the idea of the 21st century American.

Gender Roles

I think that gender roles are blurred more in today's society then ever before. Having said that, I believe that women are still looked down on for choosing to work outside the home. Women have the ability to be anything they want, a CEO, a judge, or the Secretary of State; however when a woman chooses a career like these they are expected to focus only on their work. If they try to split their time they are passed over for promotions, if they focus on work they are told they are neglecting their families. Even in today's world women are pressed to choose between work and family. When children are put into childcare the moms are told that is the reason their kids have problems in school. Women are told that the time they are at work is causing their children to have attachment issues and/or learning issues. This makes it hard for moms to do what they need to and still feel like good moms. I know this from experience, I spent most of my kid's lives as a working mom. I had to leave them in childcare and hope that they would get a portion of the attention that I would give them. When I would tell people that my kids were in daycare, I was asked why I didn't just stay home with them. I was called a bad mom for going to work right after my daughter was born, told that I should be home with my baby. I wanted to be home but had to keep bills paid, some people do not understand that.
I hope that gender roles can be blurred more in the future.

Beloved

I liked this book very much. It was a very interesting read. I found myself able to connect to several of the characters in this book. As a mother I could see why Sethe felt she had to kill her children. I don't think I could do it myself, but I have never been in a position where I felt that was the only way to save my children from something much worse. I believe that Sethe felt this way when the Schoolteacher came to get her and her children. She was a runaway slave that had nowhere to run to and no escape for her children either. I believe that if I had lived the life that she did I might make the same choice.
I feel a connection to Denver because no matter what she did her mother did not notice her. She was a very scared and lonely child, her brothers ran away and left her with a mother that showed no affection. I am the oldest of four children and I am the one my mother relies on to get things done. However I am the one that gets treated like a piece of furniture when nice things are handed out. Like Denver, when Sethe realizes that Beloved is her daughter come back, I am given the smaller portions that are left after the "baby" gets her fill.
I wonder what would have happened if the townsfolk would have warned the people at Baby Suggs, could they have hidden the children and Sethe? I feel if they would not have been so self-righteous there would have been a chance for Beloved to live. If they had not decided that Sethe was too full of pride, maybe they would have been able to help Sethe and Denver before it got as bad as it did. They called themselves good people, but could not handle a black woman having "too much pride."
I hope to share this book with others to see what they can get from this book. I understand why Toni Morrison has received so many awards. I plan to read more of her writings.

Who is the Indian Killer

I am not sure who or what the Indian Killer is. At first I was sure it was John Smith; however by the end of the book I had changed my mind. I am at a place where I am not sure of who it was, but I have two strong possibilities. The first possibility is Reggie, he had the violent childhood, he does not trust white men, and he has worked to learn more about his Indian background. Reggie was beaten by his white father, who wanted him to be more white than Indian, if he did not study and answer the "pop quizzes" he was given. Then when he went to college Professor Mathers lied time and time again, it showed him that white men cannot be trusted. When he attended college he learned more about his heritage because that was expected of him by others.
I also thought that it could be the spirits of Indians that have been repressed and mistreated since the white man came to this land. I could see this being true because nobody ever saw the killer. He was able to take the little boy out of and into his home and stand over the mother with no one knowing he was there. When the police questioned him the boy called the killer an it not a he and described his kidnapper as having feathers. The real killer is left in shadow even in the last pages of the book. I don't think we were given enough information to come to a conclusive decision on who the true Indian Killer is.

Acts of Discrimination

I try to avoid people that commit acts of discrimination; however it is not possible to stay free of all forms of discrimination. I have seen people cross to the other side of the road to avoid waling near a person of a different race. There have been times that a friend would lock their car doors just because they were in what was considered a "black" neighborhood. Some people would say that these acts were not acts of discrimination. I feel that these are some of the worst types of discrimination. There are the "jokes" that paint a certain group of minorities that are also very bad and disrespectful.
I dated an African-American guy when I was younger. Up to that time I had no problem when a guy I was dating and I would hold hands, hug, or kiss each other. One night we were out with another couple we were all shooting pool and having a couple of drinks, he and I were kissing and hugging, when the bartender came over and asked us to either quit with the public displays of affection or leave. We were told that our kissing was making the other patrons uncomfortable. I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do, the other couple were just as shocked; however my date just shook his head and told us that things like this had happened before to him. So we just left. That relationship did not work out, but I still refuse to go to that establishment ever again. I feel that they were very disrespectful to everyone in our group.