Freedom to read

I am a stepmother of 4 teenage boys ages 15-19. The oldest 2 of the boys are by one mother and the youngest 2 by another. The oldest 2 boys have been kept from everything. The main thing they read growing up was the bible and was only allowed to watch Christian television. They weren’t allowed to have friends that didn’t attend church on a regular basis. The oldest boy got into a lot of trouble when he was 17 and dropped out of school and has a baby on the way and his brother is headed down the same path with bad grades and lying every time we turn around. The younger two boys have always been allowed to read and watch whatever they want. They both are in college classes in high school and are involved in several different clubs and are very active in the bad. They have both scored over 30 on the ACT and already have colleges sending them letters to visit. The boy’s mother and father told them right from wrong and they know they can ask questions and get a straight answer. So from my experience from the last 11 years of watching 2 completely different families grow in my home I think the freedom to read whatever they want is a wonderful idea. There is no reason to try to hide the world from kids because they are going to eventually have to see it for themselves so the parents might as well get them informed on what is going on. Sex is starting very early these days so kids should be aware of what to expect so they can make an “adult” decision because that is what sex is. I think parents that are keeping the bad from the kids are going to regret their decision in the end. Books help their mind to grow.

Blog #5

Discuss the symbolism of the wallpaper in Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

I will be doing my paper on The Yellow Wallpaper. The story was very hard to follow but in the end it started to all make sense. What bothered me the most was the fact that her husband was a doctor but I felt that he did nothing to really help her. I believe that she is suffering from post-partum depression. Her husband thought it would be a good idea for her to not see her baby while she was still ill. So instead of seeing the room as a prison in which it is, she sees it in the eyes of the things she misses so she imagines that the room is a nursery. The wall paper is torn because of children ripping it, bites on the bed from children playing, rings on the wall and bars on the windows because it was a playroom and gym. But in all actuality it is like a prison, where they were chained to the bed. There were rips because that was as far as the someone could reach while tied down, and the rings on the wall to be chained, bars on the windows to keep the person from escaping, and the gated stairs just in case they got out of the room. It was a prison that she could not see because her imaginative mind kept her from looking into actuality because she was too interested in writing and missing her child to see it as anything but a nursery.

Blog #4

When I read the code of Hemingway I almost felt as if my husband had wrote the rules. 1) He believes that it does not matter how hard he tries or no matter what he does something or someone will be in his way to push him back down. 2) When it comes to death all he says is “Everyone dies at some point it is a part of life”. 3) My husband does not for any reason show his emotions. If he does tell you how he feels it is very short and to the point. 4) He does his own thing, never depending on others. He has been let down so much in his life it is very hard for him to commit, he is always surprised at how long we have been together but I overlook his flaws and understand why he has them. 5) He is very honest, if you are afraid of getting your feelings hurt then it is best not to ask. He keeps his word, if he tells you he will do something then he will. 6) This one is half true. He is very brave and courageous but he hates to travel, maybe once or twice a year we go on a mini vacation. 7) My husband is not religious mainly because of science is what I think. He does not put people down for being religious and he usually does not say anything to anybody who wants to talk to him about religion. Everybody is entitles to believe what they want.