Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Epilogue?

Not many auto-biographies end with a Epilogue but Obama ends "The Audacity of Hope" talking about his days up to giving the keynote address at the 2004 democratic convention. Obama also talks about how he had to get used to being spotted out in public, his new found fame and how he wondered how all of this really came about. By the end of this chapter he thinks of his old friends advice that had really helped him along the way:
"It's not that compromise is inherently wrong. I just did'nt find it satisfying. And the one thing I've discovered as I get older is that you have to do what is satisfying to you. In Fact that's one of the advantages of old age, I suppose, that you've finally learned what matters to you. It's hard to know that at twenty-six. And the problem is that nobody else can answer that question for you. you can only fingure it out on your own".

This auto-biography was a interesting read. I expected a different feel to it. I thought it would be more of Obama recalling memories and his life growing with his mother and his dad being gone and then eventually his grandmother, but it was'nt it was him recalling his life in politics and how it changed his life and how it forever will. 

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Family

              Family is the 9th chapter in "The Audacity of Hope" this chapter, Obama talks about his own family life and the common challenges that he and many Americans has faced. Obama also talks about how both he and Michelle were working parents that needed to balance there home and family commitments with there business commitments like many families in society. Saying this in chaper 9 he goes on to challenge republicans saying that having the "traditional" family lifestyle is not big idea anymore, he goes on to say "traditional family is under assault from hollywood movies and gay pride parades--with tales of women consigned to permanent singlehood, me unwilling to make lasting commitment, and teens engaged in endless sexual escapades"(381). Obama makes a good point, the "traditional family" barely exists anymore just because of all those things he previously listed and because many people know what they want and what they dont't want, with technology being as advanced as it is, people have the opportunity for those things. Theres no denying that American's lifestyles have changed in the past 50 or so years and they always will.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

OTW

In On the Water Front the characters all disagree on what they think a traitor and what a whistleblower is. Terry (the main character) thinks that being a traitor is a bad thing, that your "ratting" out your friends in the beginning of the movie, but when it came to Idy and Idy's brother died he starts to change his mind about the definition about a traitor. Terry does the right thing and tells on Johnny Friendly and is true to himself. He risked his life, job, friends, and everything just to do the right thing.

I personally think that its ok to be a tattle tale when it comes to life or death like Terry in On the Water Front. I believe that he did the right thing because someone died because of him and he should feel bad for what he did. I believe that its ok to speak your believes because everyone is entitled a opinion, whether one agrees or not is not the issue.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

blog Question: All My Sons

In All My Sons, the characters in this play make choices based on the needs of their family and the needs of society. Every Character is different to which one is more important to them individually. Joe Keller tells Annie's father to just cover the cracks on the engine heads and send them off because he did not want to jeopardize the business for his son. He wanted leave something behind all for his son. On the other hand Joe Keller's son: Chris, would never have done that. He believes in telling the truth and in being in the war, he doesn't want to cause anymore harm to the soldiers and to society. Chris shows this by offering to take Joe to the slammer. 

I personally think that one should think about what choice has the most impact and how significant it is on either the family or society. If one was to put there family first and it killed many or it hurt the country somehow then its not the time to put ones family first. In Joe Keller's position I think he should have told the government that they're were cracks because those twenty-one pilots did not have to die so Chris Keller would have a company and some money. I think it was a poor decision that not only impacted them as a family but the families of the fallen fighter pilots. 

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Race

In the Audacity of Hope by: Barack Obama, one of the chapters talks about Race. Obama being mixed with a unique racial background, his mother being white and his father kenyan, then also living in many different locations such as Hawaii, indonesia, and in America it has giving him many different outlooks on life and the social order. Obama talks about how America has come far but there are still racist acts, and that he calls upon not only the colored people of america to step forward but to everyone to clearly disapprove of these acts. 

I really like this part of the book, being a bi-racial citizen this impacts me, I need to know how are president feels and how he will act on the issue of race and racism in our country. Its not just a touchy subject but something that should be handled seriously. I also like chapter because are country is growing everyday and its not how it was anymore. The minorities are becoming the majority, and so race is obviously going to play apart. 

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

in-sight to his presidency?

In the Audacity of Hope its the auto-biography on his political career, not of his whole life much to my displeasure but this is also interesting and something I think we should all read. We should get to know as much as possible of our presidents past, present to learn from our countries mistakes. I think that this book would give us a in-sight into how he may run the white house and how these next four years will turn out.
Right now in the book, Obama is talking about his new career into politics and he is just getting into the rythem of his new senate position schedule. He talks about all the things that are in his scheldule, but what jumped out at me was a small comment, he wanted to catch a flight home before the girls went to bed. Reading that I thought "He really cares about his family if one: he thought to do that and two: he would remember that and want to put that in his book, third: he puts so much into family, that I think that he will definitatly be thinking of our nations families and what they need/afford. 

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Audacity of Hope.

Barack Obama wrote The Audacity of Hope, This book so far is unlike any other autobiography I have ever read because it is so straight forward on how he thought and acted on certain situations he also talks about what he did to try to make his ideas and goals come to life. This novel has a lot of voice and the reader can really understand the emotions that Obama went through, and the determination to succede.

One thing I think is interesting in this book is that it has a prologue and a epilogue. The prologue was just setting up for the whole book and what its about. What I got from it is that this book is based on the conversations that he has had with all of the people across the country about politics while campaining. The first chapter is "Republicans and Democrats" here he just talks about how America is very divided and that most people don't have time to worry about politics because there just trying to make ends meet, and what to do to change that.