Post 2

Dear Bobo,

I was slightly confused about your memoir at the beginning. There were some details that I didn't care to hear and felt like they were pointless in the plot. For instance on page five where you are talking about the loo, "We debate the merits of flushing the loo[...]." You spent basically the whole page describing the toilet. I don't think that helps draw the reader in, or even help develop the plot to the story. I understand that was your way of telling the reader you didn't have very much money, but I still think there are other ways to describe your poor lifestyle without grossing out the reader. I did however like the way you described mom when she is intoxicated. I found it humorous and rather entertaining. Usually when you read about stories where one of the adults is constantly drinking, it tends to lead to the abuse of a child. It is really depressing to hear these kind of stories, especially when they are non-fiction. So I found this a nice change of pace. Sometimes when I am reading your memoir I feel almost angry about your life. As funny as it is that your mom was a ditz when she drank, I pity you because your mother's poor behavior forced you to grow up at a young age. No parent should ever make their child have to miss out on enjoying childhood. Your father was no help to this cause either, due to his support of you smoking. Actually it wasn't that he supported you smoking, it was more that he didn't care if you became addicted, and he would supply you with cigarettes. Anyways those are my thoughts on the book so far. I hope that your life progesses in the right direction.

Disappointed,
Lauren

Blog 1

Vocab:
contortion(5)/contort: To twist, wrench, or bend severely out of shape.

stimuli(10): something that incites to quickens action, feeling, or thought.

Appeals: "My God, I am the wrong color."(10) In this quote Alexandra feels she needs to have different colored skin. She is a white female growing up in an African American society where only her family is white. The kids at school are picking on her for being white. This quote provokes a disturbed feeling in that no matter what color you are, anywhere in the world, if you look different you stand out.

"I say, 'I'm African.' But not black. And I say, 'I was born in England,' by mistake."(10) It sounds like she is almost ashamed to say she is born in England. One should have pride in thier country no matter where they are from. This qoute also shows that she doesn't quite know what race to say she is. When most people think African they think black, Alexandra is trying to include where she is living now as part of her race without saying false information about her ethnicticty.

'"You hated England," I point out.[...] 'But I love Scotland.' [...] Mum hates Scotland."'(11) This goes back to the issue of being proud of the country you are born in. Mum is proud that she is from Scotland even though her daughter says she hates England. This sends mixed feelings towards the reader. Who should we believe? The five year old daughter or the drunk mother?

Qoute:
"The way I stand out against the khaki bush like a marshmallow to a gook with a gun. White. African. White-African."(10) Alex doesn't feel like she fits in with the rest of her African society. In her mind she feels that she doesn't belong to this community because of her white skin. I like the way she compared it to the war her dad is currently fighting in. She may also show concern for her dad in this qoute because she may feel he will stand out with his white skin.

Themes:
One of the themes in this book is confusion. Alexandra is confused on how to describe her ethnicticity. She can't decide if she is white or black. She wants to say she is African American because she lives in Africa with other black societies, yet her skin color is white because she is from England. This creates confusion about her race.

I created my blog. Hopefully this works. I never go on my computer.