15. Tomorrow is not the End

I cannot believe that 15 weeks just flew up. One part of my heart says: "OK. That's enough, you need a holiday" but the other part says "Oh, no. You are leaving and you will miss here." I wish there were no exams and we just come to school . A nice but impossible dream. :) I should admit that I passed a really beneficial and enjoyable time on Eng102 course. However, last week, I read on facebook that Sonja is not as happy as me because of the idea that there are distances between her students. I don't say it just to say it, but I can feel very relaxed and friendly next to you Sonja. Moreover, if I compare this semester with the previous one, this semester is really great. I remember that on the first day of our class, Sonja had asked my name and on that lesson, she had remembered my name. That was very crucial for me because It makes me feel that she gives importance to us. For your importance that you give to us, For your care for us, For your wish of lucks before our exams.... Thank you very much Sonja. Tomorrow is our last day together, but I don't think that it is an end. Hope to see you also in the next semester and make discussion after my new blog posts. :)

14. The Presentation of the Blue Team

Last Monday, we finally made our presentation with Hazal and Sevda. The schedule of our presentation was very suitable for us because we had finished all of our midterms before the presentation. Thus, we could focus on it adeqautely. I remember that when I first came to school, presenting something to class was not an easy process for me. Hopefully, now I can feel more relaxed, at least I don't have stomachache before presentations. :) With these feelings, on a nice Saturday, we met as blue team in Cafe Crown. We didn't want to spend our time at campus, so our meeting point was Cafe Crown, and that was a very very nice idea for all of us. During that day, we enjoyed for being together as well for preparing a good presentation. We wanted to make something different to make our friends remember us. For this reason, we tried to find a song related to the Bluest Eye or we also looked for interesting photos. When we finished our presentation, all of us were really pleased. :) Then, on Monday, we presented our work to class. The only thing that could make our presentation better is more interacting among our classmates, in my opinion. I don't think that we asked boring or complicated questions, but if we had asked more generalized questions, the interaction would have been more. Nevertheless, some of our questions could be considered general subject. From blogger, I thank my lovely team-mates :) They were always concerned about our work and made really great contributions. It was a joy for me to study together :)

13. The Rainbow Coding in the Bluest Eye

While i was searching for our presentation, i found a really different search about the colours in the Bluest Eye. Actually, when i first read the novel, i thought that there might be a connection between these colours. However, i couldn't relate them and we did'nt focus on them in class. With this analysis, i became happy :) As known, Morrison refuses to streotype human beings and to criticize and also emphasize on the idea that black have the strength in their communities instead of power or beauty, she uses "White is beautiful." For this reason, she uses the colour of black or white often. However, there is not a connection between the rainbow coding and these colours. Bonnie Shipman Lange explains the coding in a detailed way. Firstly, the blue and white. Actually, blue and white are opposite colours. This contrast is used by Morrison by the example which is "Pecola drinks up three quarts of milk from a "little blue-and-white Shirley Temple cup." (p.23) This is a best example because Pecola is denied nurturing and care from her parents. The second focus is on red which alarms tension. Related to this tension, Morrison uses this alarming in Pecola's first menstruation experience. As well, pink as ominous part of red, it is used with white children in pink dresses. For example, little white girl Pauline wears pink in the novel. When red and blue come together, "when Pecola wears a blue dress with red sweater, she was raped by her father"(p.106). As a contrast to red, green is the symbol of the nature and balance. With this contrast, Cholly's violence is represented. For instance, "When Cholly breaks a watermelon (red and green), what remains is the meat of the watermelon"(p.135) Again, i have to mention that these are not "my ideas". I have just encountered while searching and found it really interesting. Thank you "Bonnie Shipman Lange" for this analysis.

12. The Bluest Eye

The bluest eye is a famous novel by Toni Morrison. It is really difficult to interprete this book because there is a lot of themes to cover. The ones who live their blackness in the World of White's or the effect of this blackness on people..or women in society and also the discrimination among people..

First, we should look the book in a more detailed way. This novel is about a black girl named Pecola whose only dream is having blue eyes or may be the bluest eye in the World. So, why? It is because of the imposition of white beauty in society. Individuals should have blue eyes, light skin and also blonde hair. If you don't have or worse you are black, you will fail..

Similarly, in the book Pecola is believed by the others that she is ugly. As well, her blackness is not the only problem she encounter. She is also raped by his father and becomes pregnant. Even this situation is considered as Pecola's fault among society..Neither her mother not her friends try to help her on this subject.

It should be a surprise for the ones who didn't read The Bluest Eye, yet. However i think there is no one who didn't read..Then, at the end of this book, Pecola goes mad and she starts to behave as she has blue eyes, the bluest eye in the World.. All of these are told us in Claduie's perspective with a realistic language by Morrison. Who knows she may tell us her own experiences? :)

11. Lalalalalaa

Yemyeşil bir doğaa,
Bahar kokan otlar,
Kuşlar, çiçekler ve mutlu inekleer :))

Whenever it becomes sunny or blossomes, i croon this song. It means in English, very green a nature; herbs that smells spring; birds, flowers and happy cows. I know it probably mean "nothing" in English but means to me. :) With this song, i am full of the joys of the spring, as happening nowadays. i passed all of my midterms and in a holiday now. That's fantastic for me after stressful days!

However, i try to value time by reading some books or watching TV series not to be stuck in the future. Wish everyone wonderful holidays again and hope to see you on monday again. :)

10. An Elephant vs. Imperialism

George Orwell mentiones about a police offices who is forced to kill an elephant, in his text. However, his aim to write this text is really different than it seems. In this short story, Orwell criticizes the imperalism in the World, and especially the imperialist country, England. To reflect the negative sides of imperalism, he uses an elephant. Then, he talk about the death of elephant. In my opinion, the death of elephant symbolizes the death of happy and peaceful societies, as a result of imperialism. The relation between the end of peaceful process and imperialism is indicated by police officer who kills the elephant. The crowd and he are the ones who symbolizes imperialism and its supporters. Moreover, the death of elephant is described as a painful and slow process. This idea also gets us to the idea that the death of imperialism signals the collapse of peace of people. This story was nice and for the first time i could guess the final of the story. Actually, the death of elephant may noy so much suprising, so it may not symbolize my success :))


**What a contrast to use "pink" colour in a such story, isn't it?? :)

9. Blue Lottery

Last week, blue team had a mini-presentation of "Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Then, who is blue team? Hazal, Sevda and me :) Although we had very few audiences, we enjoyed the presentation very much. We tried our best in our midterm week and our relaxation was inestimable at the end of the presentation. I hope final one will be better! :) The story was like a puzzle that you follow hints to reach the result. Therefore, we needed to make a lot of researches and from these searches we got really interesting ideas. As it was my own responsibility, i searched about the symbolism part. When i realized that the surnames in the story were more than a surname in the story, it was funny for me to guess their implicit meanings. For example, Mr. Summer was the respresentative part of the story, whereas Mr. Grave signals the death. Again, hope to see on better final presentations. =)

8. This is not Fair

This week, we started our mini presentations. Nowadays, fresh students are really busy with exams, papers and more, but the final work of presentations were really good. However, the one that influenced me very much was "Hanife".

During the presentation, some data were shown and one of them was indicating that honour killings occur in Istanbul every week. Imagine, once a week! In just a week, a girl who has dreams is killed only as she pursues her happiness. However, all the human being do have the freedom to live what they want or wish. This freedom can neither be prevented nor considered as a guilt. Unfortunately, some people arenot aware..In my opinion, we live in an isolated life, every one lives his own life without considering the surroundings. This is not fair..

Therefore, as Martin Luther, i have a dream that one day everyone can pursue own happiness. I have a dream that one day, every one can have a freedom to give own decisions freely. I have a dream that one day we don't have any other Hanifes.

As well, i have another dream that one day all our exams and our papers will end up and we can pursue our own interests :))

7. A Party Down At The Square

Today, we discussed or rather tried to discuss "A party down at the square". If you think about the story's name, you may get an idea that the focus of the article is a party, where people are having fun. Yes, your guess is right! However, these people's entertainment style is different from the ones who chooses dancing, singing or having conversations to have great time. Unfortunately, these people come together to burn someone, who is black. Only because of his colour, they are lynching him. Only because of his fate that makes him black, they are burning him alive. In my opinion, this event is shame of humanity. Nevertheless, can we consider these people as humanity, who consider themselves superior to another, only because of their colour? I think this is not fair, somebody should stop this oppression on black people and let them live as they desire. We are all humans that desire to live peacefully.

In this article, Ellison is really successful in awaking these ideas in readers. He is also a black people and point out this terrible situation explicitly. Beside from the importance of the message of this article, the techniques that Ellison is using is also crucial. He uses symbolism such as the "Bronz Statue" or "Phenix City"? Do you wonder the meaning of these? I realy wonder, but i haven't got enough idea about them, yet. However, i will try to find in my first free time when i get rid of all my exams. :)

6. The Blue Team

This week, we formed the seminar presentation groups. I am in the blue team with Sevda and Hazal. :) Firstly, we will present "The Lottery" as a practice and later move on to our final presentation. We aim to reflect "the Lottery" through the blue team perspective in a best way. The practice presentation and the final presentation will be on 5th April and 17th May respectively. I think it will be beneficial for us to begin analyzing our short story not to become stressed. Beside from these, i really love my blue team, both Sevda and Hazal have different view points that make our presentation fantastic. As well, i really love preparing power point presentation as a hobby, when all these come together, i hope the final work will be desirable. :)

5. Four Weeks Together

I am awared that days are just flowing but days never flew like this before. I feel myself as a machine that is responsible for doing lots of things at the same time. However, i will overcome. :)
During these four weeks, we first analyzed the adolescence which is a part of the identity topic and then we moved on the racism part. Last week, we interpreted two texts which are "Hailing while black" and "Black men and public sphere". These texts were examining the same issue, the stereotyping of blacks while these two writers approach to policy were really different from each other. Whereas the former writer support was conservatism, the latter one was a supporter of liberalism. Nevertheless, the distinction their political views is not an obstacle for them to engage in the same problem, the problem of blacks. To be honest, being a black person might be really difficult and scaring. I cannot imagine a situation that everyone cares with my colour. This is really difficult to handle. As well, to make these people cope with this situation is also scaring. After reading these texts, i started to examine why people avoid accept these differences. Then, i got the answer and confirmed it during our class discussion. The answer is really open, we afraid, but from what? From losing our authority. We all think that what if they come and demand for more rights. Therefore, most of the people tend to make blacks feel as abnormal. This is really painful and no one desires to feel this pain.
Beside from this racism issue, we interpreted these two texts deeply in a pub quiz. The quiz was really good and i had a chance to understand the contexts in a better way. I hope to have another pub quiz in the future. :)

4. Research Paper

This week, we learnt our research paper questions. I think researching about most of these questions will be interesting. However, i preferred researching about "domestic violence". I plan to correlate poverty and domestic violence and compare the rate of violence in a wealthy country and less wealthy country. During my research, if i encounter with anything more interesting, i will also use them. I hope to have a good job. Good luck to everyone.

3. In Dreams

Teenage girls generally try to find their princes with their white horses in dreams and they really want to meet their love of their life in one day. These girls engage in this dream so much that they assume that the first people they met is the love of their lives. In the short story which is named as "Where are you going, where have been?, we encounter a girl like these teenage girls. Her name is Connie, who is and 15 year-old, beautiful but also irresponsible girl. She always care about her appereance and wishes boys to care about her appereance, too.

One day, while she was dreaming again while listening to music, a car comes to their home. Without thinking the other step, she goes towards this car and gets into it. There were two men, and as Connie thought that these men were interested in her beauty, she did not see any harm to talk with them. After a while, she discerns the danger, but it was too late. Then, she first thinks about her mother and her bed. That is to say, while Connie is behaving as an adult by caring about her outfit and boys, as a child, she still depends on her mother.

To sum up, "Where are you going, where have you been?" is a crucial embodiement about the coming of age and its affects. As i read from some sources, Carol Oates wrote her masterpiece by the inspiration of the news that some teenagers girls were kidnapped. She may draw attention to the dangers which teenagers might encounter. On the other hand, isn't it possible that Connie is still dreaming?

2. The Graduate

Few days ago, we watched a film named "The Graduate" which is related to our focus, adolescence. The main character of the film is Benjamin Braddock who graduated from the school and in the summer holiday. However, his parents or the people around him always try to give him advice. From these lines," i'm just a little worried about my future", it can be understood that how he is nervous about his future. Benjamin is not only worried about his future but also he wants to be different in the future. He wants to be different from his family or his family's dreams. As Benjamin's parents always want to Ben be perfect and use him as an issue that they are proud of, Ben is really oppressed. As well, the camera techniques also symbolize his anxiety. Benjamin's diving into swimming pool and his only breathing while the audience can understand his feelings can be a best example. Moreover, the camera sometimes focus on the darkness like the darkness in Benjamin's feelings. Due to his doubt, he starts a sexual relation between an elder woman, then he falls in love with that woman's daughter. After this, the story becomes more different. Finally, one thing that is unforgetable for the Graduate is the scene when Benjamin attacks people with cross in the church. Although the cross in crucial in christianity, he uses the cross to attack the people in church. These people are the ones who generally make pression on them. Therefore, the attack with this cross may reveal his anger these people, the anger that he is not discourage enough to show to his family or others.

1. Welcome to 102 !

After a nice holiday, we have already returned to the school. Although it is very enjoyable to be with friends again, getting used to school again sometimes take up time. Luckily, this time seems to be different as i have already got used to. However, it is apparent that our new semester requires more effort, this means that study, study and study more! At least, we can alleviate ourselves by thinking that only four months left for the summer holiday. :) All joking aside, i hope we will all have a great semester.