The Fourth of July

The Fourth of July

Summary

The Fourth of July, Audre Lorde told a story that had greatly changed her views

of the world. At the beginning, she didn’t realize the discrimination for black people,

her mother just told her the things that she couldn’t do is becau they are poor. When

they wanted to have a dish of vanilla ice cream at a Breyer’s ice cream and soda

fountain, the waitress moved clod and told author’s father that they could ll ice

cream to them, but, they couldn’t eat at the store. And then the author understands

tho things they faced with after the came to the fabled and famous capital. They all

the discrimination for black people, the place they lived, the special care from his

father’s friend and so on. It’s a unhappy world to the author, so as the black people,

although the civil war has won. The acceptance to black people was ubiquitous, even

in the capital of this country.

Reflection

The author writes the simple things of living to bed for the high tide lets readers

had ups and downs in their feelings. Though this clever writing way, the essay

effectively reprented a reality in the society: many people are accepting the

discrimination as something natural. And to appeal people pay more attention to this

issue that black should have the equal right as well as white people. And people who

want to have the same social status need actually to do something effective against

discrimination, not like his parents did. Of cour, the author did it in her childish

way.

Champion of the World

Summary

The article is about a boxing contest, in which a black people won the game and

the exulting from the audiences. It rves an example that how a young African

American can survive. At the beginning, many people left for other tiny things when

the host said the fowling competition was attended by some black people. But the

author stayed at her at. Then in the match, a black young man raced fast and in the

end of the competition, he won. The chord is filled with great relief and excitement.

The text disclos the racial discrimination existing in American society and express

Negroes’ indignation in their hearts.

Reflection

For the racism, I think it has existed less and less when the civil war has pasd

away about a half of a century. After many white people being the president, Barack

Obama became the first black one, which also stands for the process of equal status in

American. This voyage has weathered many rack form the beginning to now. A lot of

people sacrificed their lives, from President Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther king Jr.

to President Barack Obama. The open America needs to be more tolerate, not only in

the immigration, but also in the issue of black people who is a important part of

American society and development. Of cour, the black people need to improve their

lives’ method. Although they have treated with unequal ways for a long time, some of

their youngest need escape from the poison and adventure. Their women who are lazy

and wait for the help form the government need to be more lf-reliance, finding some

things to make living and educate their children better instead of stocking.

No Name Woman

Summary

This is a short story about the educational content in the cond American

generation. The aunt killed herlf becau the stress from the villagers and the

weakness of the man she loved. Her pregnant for another man who is not her husband

is not her own business but about the family she belong to and the village she lived.

It’s a unforgettable thing in china at that time. Though this story happened in the

author’ aunt, the mother of the author wants to educate her to be a good girl. And the

author fell into the deeper thinking about china.

Reflection

I think it’s not a wi method that her mother educated the author, but it’s should

be understand by us, after all her mother is woman who had lived china such long.

Certainly, I think the mother stand for all the first American generations, they was

deeply educated by Chine traditional culture, so in their daily lives, they did

everything following this way. As the traditional Chine woman, the mother thinks

the chaste for a woman is very important and even connects with the life. For the

author, she didn’t could understand the rude behaviors her aunt has faced with in

china. She didn’t like the culture, but how to parate what is peculiar to childhood, to

poverty, insanities, one family, a mother who marked her growing with stories, from

what is Chine? The author is finding, so as the cond American generations like

her.

A Hanging

Summary

It’s a story happened in a prison of Burma..The author was a policeman who carried

out the hanging with others. On the way, they took out the prisoner to the execution

ground; a dog rushed out and wanted to stop the execution. After a struggle, a

policeman threw the dog away and the dog died. And the prisoner’s feeling for the

hanging become wor. He called the name he admired. And then he vanished. When

the people walked around the body he left and went to the hou, there ems nothing

happened, neither the dog, nor the man. They chatted actively as before.

Reflection

It is said by Confucius that we shouldn’t impo on others what ourlves do not

desire, but things were not always as our wishes. Dating from middle ages, Rome

nobles killed slaves in the Colosum; in 1920s, as the passage telling us, the US

soldier mercilessly slaughter the local residents; in 1940s, Hitler massacred Jews.

There are too many facts about killing. And I think it’s too cruel and they only cared

about themlves. In order to satisfy their won desire they even sacrifice other

people’s lives. It’s necessary for our world to abolish the death penalty, even they did

wrest thing, and we should forgive them and give them a chance to be better.

Shooting an elephant

Summary

The story was happened in the situation where there were every person had the

feeling that anti-European in Burma. And it also describes the experience of the

English narrator, possibly Orwell himlf, called upon to shoot an elephant which

destroyed a lot around the street, even killed a collier, while working as a police

officer. Becau the locals expect him to do the job for getting the meat of the

elephant, but finally he does so against his better judgment, his anguish incread by

the elephant's slow and painful death.

Reflection



Through the two passages written by George Orwell, I felt a strong feeling

about the equal statue of creature. There is no discrimination between creatures. He is

really humanism. When he at the higher class of the society, he paid his attention to

the lower people at the other country. And in this article, the author told a story about

shooting an elephant. At the beginning, he went to deal with the issue, he didn’t plan

to kill the elephant, but, with the incitement of the throng, he did it. Finally, the dying

appearance touches his string. Whatever the elephant did before, it a living thing; it is

also weak and want to survive. Maybe the opinion of George Orwell is similar with

the Buddhist idea that A brotherhood of man in our country.

Bumping into Mr. Ravioli

Summary

It tells a girl named Olivia who always said she had a invisible friend, named Charlie

Ravioli. But Mr. Ravioli often is too busy to play with him. And then the author

suspected her daughter may have the trauma illness called imaginary companions. So

her family was worried about this matter. The mother referred books and asked help

for her sister, all of them regard the scene as normal. It is a sign that the child is now

confident enough to begin to understand how to organize her experience into stories.

It is a growth part.

Reflection

Thought the essay, I guess the author builds up such a girl who has an imaginary busy

friend and says the scene normal becau he wants to disclo a common scene in

New York society. The New York people u a wrong method to bring up their

children. They filled many lessons, homework, practice with children's life so that

they have no time to play. And they have no playmates to share their happiness and

sorrow. The parents also have endless work without companion with their children so

that the core of the children is loneliness. It is sad to have an imaginary friend for only

you have no real friend can you make one in the mind. The author stresd for many

times its normal for children having an imaginary friend. I think he wants to stress the

urgency and common of the loneliness of children.

Her world on a string

Summary

It’s written by Debra Gordon. The article recorded the process that how Nina

becomes a musician in her rolling life. When Nina was small, she was influenced

deeply by her father who was a famous musician. Even her father was died when she

was 15 years old; she also got the strength both in physical and emotional. She wants

to be a musician in the future. At the same time, she won the Prestigious Prague

international competition, but it didn’t give her the special status in the music. Then

she went to Cologne Conrvatory and Yale University to study, but for the money,

she leaves Yale. When she made the living as a model, she leaves again for the music

dream. She got the choice during her with her mother and stepfather in the London.

Then she be successful in the music field.

Reflection

After reading this article, I understand that pursuit is the fundamental part of

success. We should learn from her. And the process to make the dream come true

could not be smoothly, we need insist in it. Of cour, we also need to overcome the

allure from the society. The initial dream mostly is the best dream for us.