A Streetcar Named Desire.

I really enjoyed this play. I use to dread reading plays rather than seeing them because I found it harder to get into the story. However, when I read this, it changed my whole perspective on reading them. This story is rich with detail and feeling. The characters and setting took me to a pleasant place in my mind. I liked the setting greatly. I've never been to New Orleans, but Williams painted a perfect picture of the festive city. Stanley Kowalski is a great character. He's very much of man in every way. His sense of humor is great and comes in at the right time. The language is also interesting. The local slang of the characters definitely shines. Even though swear-words were used, I wasn't offended; they were properly used and added color to the dialogue. Characters were not just swearing to fill-up dead-air, they had meaning and power behind them. I hope to discuss this play in class and get the insights of my fellow classmates.

The Souls of Black Folk.

Currently I am taking a African-American Studies class this quarter and this read went right along with it. There were somethings Du Bois wrote about that I could relate to growing-up as a person of color. One of those things  was realizing I was different from everyone else in school. I've always attended predominantly white schools and I didn't notice until the eighth-grade. For the most part, I was the only black person in my classes and having become aware of that made me feel like more of an outsider. Some of my fellow classmates welcomed diversity, if you can call one black student diverse, whereas others not so much. It seemed as though my teachers, treated my slightly different as well. Back then I thought they were doing me a favor, but now I wish that had not. Being treated differently due to racial background just to protect someone's feelings isn't doing anyone much help, in my opinion. Especially since many people in the past, W.E.B. Du Bois for example, fought so ardently for equality. Another thing I noticed in his writings were his thoughts about Booker T. Washington. It seemed as if he Du Bois was displeased with the way Washington was trying to gain equality. It was interesting to read this because I always had an idea in my mind that like-minded people agreed with each other's ideas.