Kathya Guevara

My name is Kathya Guevara, I currently finishing my freshman year here at CSUN. This semester I took English 113-A, B as my English course. I was pleased as soon as I realized how much I enjoyed taking this class, and how much I have gained since first semester until now. It's a bittersweet feeling that it is coming to an end, but I am not walking away empty handed.

Throughout my blog you will be able to see all of my quality work that I have done in and outside of class. I have integrated my abilities to use this blog as part of my grade for this class by adding pictures and making my blog look like my personal space. My first assignment this semester was called Project Text, when we read the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. We learned how to read, annotate, and write a paper about this and/or any piece of literature. Second assignment this semester was Project Space, when we did the ethnography project and talked about different spaces in our world such as, cyber, mental, public, etc. We wrote a paper regarding all these things together, and how a space can be much more than what it seems. Our last project we did this semester is Project Web. Project Web is us, individually working on the blogs we created back in the beginning of first semester. Instead of doing a portfolio with all our work from this semester in an actual folder we will post all our essays, assignments that lead to the paper and some pictures to explain in our blogs, as you will see. I hope that you will enjoy looking at my blog, and seeing my work and assignments. Thank you.

Project Text Social Class: Persepolis

In the world social class falls almost everywhere. People are treated and seen differently because of their social ranking. But is that what really defines us as humans? In the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, social class is a big issue in the country of Iran during this period of time and even today. The author speaks about the experiences she lived; Satrapi sees how her high position in that class affected the way she interacted with people around her. Throughout the book she tells stories about specific times where social class is one of the reasons behind all the chaos and suffering that occurred during this period of time in Iran.

The author speaks about the time the boy she liked was leaving Marji. Like many others, people were leaving because of the country’s state of mind. During this period of time, much chaos was going on politically. People were frightened and didn’t know what else to do but to run. “He’s going to the United States! My parent’s say it’s impossible to live under an Islamic regime, it’s better to leave. I think I really liked this boy…I actually liked him very very much. It was the end of the world!” (63) Marji’s family isn’t worried like the others about what was going on, she happened to be too high class. The boy she really liked had to leave instead, because his family felt unsafe.

In the chapter “The Key”, a powerful story is told and it has social class written all over it. “The key to paradise was for the poor people. Thousands of young kids, promised a better life, exploded on the minefields with their keys around their necks” (102) The first frame on page 102, shows how the kids exploded with their keys on. It’s sad and unfair to think about how these soldiers talked them into joining the military services for the wrong reasons. The kids were so naïve and desperate of the fact of having a better life. They were promised way too much, too much to die like that. On the same page you see the second frame, and it’s Marji that party she got invited to. It’s powerful due to the fact that the higher class is having a blast at a party while young boys are being killed with the intention to survive and live a “better after life”.

Social class can touch any aspect of the world. In the chapter “The Key”, Marji talks about how the government allowed and recruited young, poor men to fight in the war. These kids were naïve and believed everything they were told. They were promised richness, women, food, etc. Of course a poor man with all the struggles he’s lived, he’s desperate enough and would take anything that was handed over to him. I personally find this unfair. They just brainwash the young men for personal benefits, “They come from the poor areas, you can tell…First they convince them that the afterlife is ever better than Disneyland, then they put them in a trance with all their songs…” (101) even the soldiers that have more experience knew about the things the government was doing to the young men. “Its nuts! They hypnotize them and just toss them into battle. Absolute Carnage.”(101)

In the chapter, “The Letter”, Marji tells the story about how her maid fell in love with her neighbor. Marji’s neighbor Mehri she liked Marji’s neighbor, but they neighbor did not know that Mehri was Marji’s maid, Marji had told him through “love” letters that Mehri was Marji’s sister. Shortly after a couple of letters, they both fell in love with each other. As soon as he found that the sister story was untrue, he didn’t want anything to do with Mehri because she was just a maid. “Ok, I’ll get straight to the point: I know that Mehri pretends she is my daughter. In reality she is my maid. (36) “Really? Do you want to continue seeing her? Ehh…” (37) This conversation that the father of Marji had with the neighbor in order to inform the neighbor, and also protect and look out for his maid somehow, ended up doing just that. I believe Marji’s dad knew that the neighbor didn’t really care about Mehri but was just playing with her feelings. Regardless of that, this is seen as another example towards social class because the neighbor didn’t really like the maid, he didn’t want to keep seeing her right after he found out he wasn’t really Marji’s sister but her maid instead. He judges her completely on her social class. Mehri, the maid didn’t even know how to read or write, tells you much about the way she grew up. “She was only eight years old when she had to leave her parents’ home to come to work for us[…] she was just ten years old when I was born…she took care of me.” (34) The maid had to grow up so quick; her family couldn’t afford to take care of her. She had to move out at such a young age and start working right away as the only way to survive. School wasn’t even an option for Mehri. Makes total sense that she didn’t know how to read or write, she never got the chance to learn either on her own or at school. Marji tried teaching her a bit though.

Social class is a big issue, just like it was for Marji while growing up. She saw directly with her eyes the way things changed, how other peoples’ perspectives change when finding out what class you are. Luckily, for her, she wasn’t the one dying with a key around her neck, or the one running to another country in order to feel safe. She did lose some people in her life though. She lived some experiences where social class was highly visible all around. Social class is one of the main reasons behind all the chaos and suffering that many people went through while this period of time in the country of Iran.

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York: Random, 2003. Print.

Project Space L.A. Zoo

My group and I decided to visit one of the well known places in Los Angeles, our city zoo. The Los Angeles Zoo is known for its attraction to tourists. The L.A. Zoo is visited a lot by local schools in the county as an educational place and also by locals to come enjoy a day “in the wild”. Though the animals are caged and able to be seen from afar, it doesn’t take anything away from children to feel like they’re outdoors in the animals’ habitats. The Zoo consists of a big and open space, with lots of trees to give it that outdoor, forest look. The Los Angeles Zoo happens to be placed in some of the hills of the local Griffith Park, definitely is a plus for the animals’ home. The Zoo is placed there in the hills of Griffith Park it can also be a negative call, since it makes it more difficult for the zoo to extend the space or size.

As I entered the L.A. Zoo in order to do my ethnography project I had to close my eyes and pretend that I was no longer at the zoo but at an unfamiliar place. I was able to do that and see the zoo in a different form and way. The way it became to seem to me was that this place looked like a park or somewhere in the outdoors with all the trees and green plants surrounding it. The use of the space sure fits its purpose, makes the animals feel possibly much more comfortable and at a more stable place to call home. It also helps the people who visit as tourists, students, or just locals get a complete feel of what it might feel like if you were in the wild with all these animals.

Though the park being placed on the hills of Griffith Park gives an extra feel for the outdoors, it can also be a negative thing. I’ve seen how the L.A. Zoo is considered very small for many people. It could have a lot to do with the fact that they no longer have the space to try to extend the park. Extending the park would allow possibly more animals to inhabit the park and more people to visit for the more attractions. Since the L.A. Zoo does not have so much space now it shuts down the opportunities to have more attractions. This is a result of a negative state because the zoo is used as an educational place, but people forget about the real reasons that the zoo is there. The zoo is a home for animals, where they could be taken care of and fed and feel like they are free. But reducing the space of the animals isn’t fair, and I believe that the animals shouldn’t be taken for granted just because they can’t speak out what they really feel.

Some may say that the L.A. Zoo represents Los Angeles as a city but I personally couldn’t agree. Los Angeles isn’t really represented by the Zoo, but you can realize the diversity that there is if you visit the Zoo. You see different types of people, different ethnicities, races, ages, etc. That would be a good way to represent L.A. because Los Angeles is a very diverse city. There are even small parts of Los Angeles named after big countries like, Little Armenia, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Little Italy, and Little India. The city of Los Angeles is marked by many countries in which all these people now call home. At the zoo I saw that the souvenirs shops all had different names, represented by different countries or continents around the world. For example Australia, South America, Africa, etc. They all had different types of souvenirs for sale. This could have been a great way to represent Los Angeles, considering the fact that Los Angeles is definitely diverse. There is a connection with Los Angeles as a city because you see all the different races being represented as well.

The Los Angeles Zoo was a great place to visit for this ethnography project. I was able to look at the different aspects of it by removing myself from a public place and thinking about this place as no longer a zoo but an unfamiliar place. In the book, Convergences, there’s a section on all the different types of spaces. For example, public space, cyberspace, sacred places/spaces, etc. I consider and label the L.A. Zoo a public space because the zoo is a space where anyone who purchases a ticket can come in. Just like in Los Angeles you see all the diverse and different cultures everywhere; you see the same in public spaces. It’s a place where people feel welcomed and comfortable enough to call it a place they love or enjoy going to. Los Angeles is home for 9,830,420 people. There are people of different countries all over the city of L.A. All the people who populate the city are people of different ages, races, ethnicities, color, etc. Other things that I noticed while being at the zoo were the pamphlets they give out at the front gates when entering the park are both written in English and Spanish. Knowing that most of Los Angeles’ population is Hispanic you realize that maybe most of the visitors are Spanish speaking. Other things that were brought upon me were that the map of the zoo is laid out in a global tour way. For example Elephants of Asia, Dragons of Komodo, and Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains.

Los Angeles is a public space; within that space is where we find places like the L.A. Zoo. Los Angeles is a diverse city, the zoo is a diverse and a public place filled with different visitors, from different cultures, places, cities, countries, etc. You see how the places within Los Angeles are similar to L.A. all together as one.

Project Web Last vs. Today

English 113 last semester was such a rush, I was extremely excited to be an incoming freshman at CSUN. Things like class and homework haven’t changed much, but my attitude has. My excitement has lowered down like the needle pointing to the “E” for empty of my gas tank. The only thing I could say I’m excited about is summer vacation, and finishing my first year of being a freshman. Frankly I cannot just give up like that, I know I need to finish strong and leave the procrastination behind. Everything seemed new and crisp last semester, I loved writing essays and reading long hours while acquiring it and letting all the information and knowledge sit in my brain in order for it to last and help me memorize when tested. Now, I can actually compare and just see how I’ve changed, and grown as a student and a person.

Last semester in English 113-A, we did a lot of reading, writing and annotating. With a short period of time in this class, I learned new habits and new tricks to become a better reader and writer. As a class we read a poem named, “It’s a Woman’s World” by Eavan Boland. A poem that emphasizes on the differences and rights women don’t and do obtain by our society in the past years and even today. Last semester while reading this poem, we didn’t just read and write an essay at the end, we were able to build up our knowledge by doing shorter writing exercises. Some of my favorites were writing letters to the author, where we could compose a paper as if we were talking to the author and hope that we would get a reply back. I talked about my mom and how I consider her being an independent and hard working woman. This assignment helped me integrate myself and my life in order to understand the author’s point of view differently. This part of last semester helped me become a better reader and writer because I went deeper within just a poem and I was able to put myself in a different position than usual.

“I really got to see what it was all about, not just any poem, but one with an important message behind it. Reading it inspired me to write this letter to you, and tell you how I can easily compare it to our society today, and cultures that involve my family and culture, which can relate to your piece."

Engaging in a text or a piece of literature is something I learned that has become important for me to try and do every time I get a new book or a new piece to read and write about, because it makes it easier for me to understand what I am reading and to also be able to write a better paper. It allows much more emotion to go in my words as I write a paper. For example, writing that letter to Eavan Boland talking about my mom was something very important to me, I felt as if I was really communicating with the author and telling her about where I came from and who my mother was and is today. I find that engaging yourself as a person and connecting yourself with not only the author but the words, gives the piece your are reading and the piece you are about to create much more value.

Second semester has come along great, it is almost over, just a few more weeks left and summer vacation it is. Its felt like a long semester in English 113 more because it’s a one year class, so there hasn’t been an end to the class yet, just breaks in between. This second semester in 113-B we read a book called Persepolis by Marjane Setrapi and worked on “Project Space” which consisted of many other small assignments. My favorite assignment we worked individually this semester was “Project Space”, where we did an ethnography project. The Ethnography project was either with a group or individually visited any of the suggested areas in Los Angeles. My group and I chose to visit the L.A. Zoo where we were able to break down the L.A. Zoo into much more than just a zoo or any public space and make its own space. We were able to digest the space and categorize it into the different types of spaces that were referred to in the book Convergences. There are different types of spaces like public, sacred, mental, and cyberspace. The Los Angeles Zoo was categorized as a public space in the city of Los Angeles, but also can be said to define the city by the diversity represented in the zoo with the different languages in their pamphlets, the souvenir stores, and just by the visitors that they get each and every day that this zoo is open. I learned from this project that any space is much more than what it seems to be. As I wrote in my Ethnography Paper, I changed my views of the local zoo by just defamiliarizing myself. It is important having the ability to de-familiarize ourselves sometimes because that way we see things differently and we are able to see certain situations from different point of views. Like in Project Space I defamiliarized myself from an actual space, but you can also use it when reading a piece of literature and wanting to see the author’s point of view or being aware of the reader’s point of view. I learned many things from Project Space this semester but using what I learned through this project and putting it to work for other assignments in and out of English class, is a big gain for me.

As a whole I can definitely say that English 113 has helped me grow into a better student, as a better reader and writer. Being able to annotate any piece of literature was always a struggle for me as a young student, I was never sure of what I should make a note of, what to underline, and which points were important for me to remember. Gradually, I have now become really good note taker, and a great annotator. Learning such skills, like those and being able to not get intimidated by the amount of reading that us college students have daily, are some things that I have recently made permanent in my life as a student. I have become stronger in both, having that load of work and having that excitement of being in a new school, and entering a new stage of my life has helped a lot. Transitioning from being a graduated senior into a college freshman was something I was looking forward to my whole senior year. There were some things I already knew, like the loads of work I was going to have, and being on my own without having someone there pushing me and telling me what to do. I can say now that taking AP English classes back in high school for three years definitely paid off. I was able to get accustomed to the classes much easier. I have now gained different skills that I didn’t have before last semester. These skills and strategies will help me throughout my years here at CSUN and beyond. I’m excited for next semester in my English class, to see what that has in store for me, and how much more I will grow. I’m excited to see how by the end of this semester English 113 has helped me mold into the college level of studying, and excited to know that I have a lot of space to fill in still.