When I was younger my mother had custody on my two brothers, sister, and of course me. At this time we lived in Norfolk, Nebraska. Barbra, my mother, would get fucked up everyday keeping a distance toward her kids. Barbra would go to her "boyfriends" house and sometimes take my sister and I with her. I remember standing outside for hours while my mother was in the house with another man. My father at the time was out of town working so his children could live.
My father was sick of not seeing his kids so he took my mother to court for custody. Barbra didn't even show up, which gave my father all custody of his kids. Around the age of six I moved to Milan, Tennessee with my grandmother. Moving into my grandmothers house really changed my life. Every night my grandmother and I would cook and read chapters in the Bible. Around the age 13 I was presenting lessons at churches with my brother Patrick. :>
My father works seven days a week and sun rise to sun set. He works on the outside of your house like vinyl siding, windows, and trim. He has been doing this work for 27 years and is still counting. The only thing that kept him going was seeing his boy play the game of football.
My oldest brother Justin played football most of his life since he was five to twenty-five. He played college football at Wayne State and Cumberland University. My other brother Patrick played in high school and won two state champions back to back. Later on Patrick played with Justin at Cumberland University for two years. And of course my present career.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Under the Influence
When I read Under the Influence by Russell Sanders the bottles kept standing out to me. My mother had a drinking problem when I was real young. Reading the text brought me back to my childhood because I experienced the same as Russell Sanders. My Mother would drink bottle after bottle and then pass out on the couch.
One day I was playing out in the yard and stabbed my hand against a cactus. I started running for my Mother and was stopped by a locked door. My Mother was passed out from beer in bottles. It seemed like the bottles were causing my Mother and I not to have a relationship. If you decide to have a kid you have to accept the responsibility.
My Mother and Russell Sanders' Father felt sorry for themselves and answered it by drinking. The one thing I learned about my Mother was put your kids first and selfish acts later. I realized having no Mother made me stronger and motivated me more to parent my kids.
One day I was playing out in the yard and stabbed my hand against a cactus. I started running for my Mother and was stopped by a locked door. My Mother was passed out from beer in bottles. It seemed like the bottles were causing my Mother and I not to have a relationship. If you decide to have a kid you have to accept the responsibility.
My Mother and Russell Sanders' Father felt sorry for themselves and answered it by drinking. The one thing I learned about my Mother was put your kids first and selfish acts later. I realized having no Mother made me stronger and motivated me more to parent my kids.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Lacking of Father
Keenan Bratcher
10.12.07
As you can see David is lacking a good example at the father role. The "father figure" was a huge part of my life growing up as a kid and teenage years. My Father is the reason why I'm living a healthy life and going to college. The problem in The Rake is that David had no father to show him the right way in life.
Everychild in this world should have a father figure around them during their childhood. Not just a man who only pays bills, but a loving father who shows care for his children. Every house should have a strong father figure who sets rules and never disobeyed by his children. The mother is a very important to the kids life, but the father needs to be there to keep his role.
The Stepfather gets under my skin a little bit during this story, because he was a violent man. The Mother should have not let the step father take controll over her kids. He has no right parenting those kids if he is going to beat them. David was in a situation where he had to put up with it, and it showed later when he hit his sister in the mouth.
My parents split up when I was at the age of two. When I was younger my Father was out of town working, and my Mother had her boyfriends over in our house. Sometimes my Mother's boyfriends would try to teach me something, but I never paid any attention to them. I had a father that taught me right from wrong.
In conclusion, the father figure is something that stucked out to me in this story. The father has to set good examples for the children around him, because the kids will follow your actions.
10.12.07
As you can see David is lacking a good example at the father role. The "father figure" was a huge part of my life growing up as a kid and teenage years. My Father is the reason why I'm living a healthy life and going to college. The problem in The Rake is that David had no father to show him the right way in life.
Everychild in this world should have a father figure around them during their childhood. Not just a man who only pays bills, but a loving father who shows care for his children. Every house should have a strong father figure who sets rules and never disobeyed by his children. The mother is a very important to the kids life, but the father needs to be there to keep his role.
The Stepfather gets under my skin a little bit during this story, because he was a violent man. The Mother should have not let the step father take controll over her kids. He has no right parenting those kids if he is going to beat them. David was in a situation where he had to put up with it, and it showed later when he hit his sister in the mouth.
My parents split up when I was at the age of two. When I was younger my Father was out of town working, and my Mother had her boyfriends over in our house. Sometimes my Mother's boyfriends would try to teach me something, but I never paid any attention to them. I had a father that taught me right from wrong.
In conclusion, the father figure is something that stucked out to me in this story. The father has to set good examples for the children around him, because the kids will follow your actions.
Street Haunting
Keenan Bratcher
Wendy Sumner-Winter
10/11/07
After I read “Street Haunting: A London Adventure” by Virginia Woolf I noticed that there were a lot of different views. I personally consider myself a person who can adapt to any environment around me. In high school I would not sit at a certain table, because I was friends with everyone. Of course I had my best friends who I could trust with my own life and always depend on them. My friends varied between very heavy set good kids to cocky jocks who love to party. In my eyes we are all the same but have different personalities.
Appearances about you are very important in the society today. On television you always see beautiful skinny people selling a product. If you see a person over weight they usually tell you a product that helps you lose weight. If you really think about it we all have flaws on our body that we just dislike or would like to change on us. Another subject that stood out to me was about the dwarf in her story. The dwarf was self conscious about her height. We all are self conscious about our self in ways like height, weight, hair, and teeth.
When you see someone in public you usually judge them an individual by their appearance. Descriptions go through your head about the person like age, sex, gender, and their color. As you meet someone you can’t get to know them off of their appearance, because that’s not who they truly are inside. If you meet me in town you couldn’t notice that I’m self conscious about myself but I am. My personality shows who I truly am instead of what I look like.
I hate when people think they know a person by how they physically look. The dwarf looked different then the other people, but in reality she is more special then the rest of them In the world we live in we should just accept people for who they are, and watch what they can do with their life’s.
Wendy Sumner-Winter
10/11/07
After I read “Street Haunting: A London Adventure” by Virginia Woolf I noticed that there were a lot of different views. I personally consider myself a person who can adapt to any environment around me. In high school I would not sit at a certain table, because I was friends with everyone. Of course I had my best friends who I could trust with my own life and always depend on them. My friends varied between very heavy set good kids to cocky jocks who love to party. In my eyes we are all the same but have different personalities.
Appearances about you are very important in the society today. On television you always see beautiful skinny people selling a product. If you see a person over weight they usually tell you a product that helps you lose weight. If you really think about it we all have flaws on our body that we just dislike or would like to change on us. Another subject that stood out to me was about the dwarf in her story. The dwarf was self conscious about her height. We all are self conscious about our self in ways like height, weight, hair, and teeth.
When you see someone in public you usually judge them an individual by their appearance. Descriptions go through your head about the person like age, sex, gender, and their color. As you meet someone you can’t get to know them off of their appearance, because that’s not who they truly are inside. If you meet me in town you couldn’t notice that I’m self conscious about myself but I am. My personality shows who I truly am instead of what I look like.
I hate when people think they know a person by how they physically look. The dwarf looked different then the other people, but in reality she is more special then the rest of them In the world we live in we should just accept people for who they are, and watch what they can do with their life’s.
Hashish in Marseille
Keenan Bratcher
Wendy Sumner-Winter
10.12.07
I personally did not like the story. The only thing that stood out to me was love. I am in a serious relationship with a girl name Delana who I love very much. The story reminds me to see the world differently or in a different view. Right after I started dating Delana I knew I had to change my ways and see the world differently.
Before dating Delana I would get high after school and party all night long not doing my homework. I was having the best time partying and getting messed up. I saw my world as being perfect, but I soon realized that I had only just begun my journey through life. My girlfriend pushed me every night to complete my homework, because she wanted me to go to college.
The relationship between love and being "high" really reached out to me, because of my old actions and how they connected. The love growing between Delana and myself made me a better person and more thoughful. Love took over a horrible action to help me succeed, and keep me out of trouble.
Wendy Sumner-Winter
10.12.07
I personally did not like the story. The only thing that stood out to me was love. I am in a serious relationship with a girl name Delana who I love very much. The story reminds me to see the world differently or in a different view. Right after I started dating Delana I knew I had to change my ways and see the world differently.
Before dating Delana I would get high after school and party all night long not doing my homework. I was having the best time partying and getting messed up. I saw my world as being perfect, but I soon realized that I had only just begun my journey through life. My girlfriend pushed me every night to complete my homework, because she wanted me to go to college.
The relationship between love and being "high" really reached out to me, because of my old actions and how they connected. The love growing between Delana and myself made me a better person and more thoughful. Love took over a horrible action to help me succeed, and keep me out of trouble.
Taylor Bradford
Keenan Bratcher
10.02.07
Around ten o'clock Josh and I came back to the apartments and notice police cars all around the campus. Well a current football player told us what had happened to Taylor Bradford. The football team spent about three hours standing in the parket lot trying to figure out the loss. Later on the police made us go to our rooms and put us in lock down.
The day Taylor got shot was the actual first day I carried a conversation with him about his phone. The one thing learned from this tragedy is you never know whats going to happen. People take the wonderful life for granted, and pay no attention to the important things in life.
I was not very close to Taylor Bradford, but Taylor and I were teammates. We both experience the hell in football together. The hours we put in and off the field. People now days will do anything to get money, so be aware of your surroundings.
10.02.07
Around ten o'clock Josh and I came back to the apartments and notice police cars all around the campus. Well a current football player told us what had happened to Taylor Bradford. The football team spent about three hours standing in the parket lot trying to figure out the loss. Later on the police made us go to our rooms and put us in lock down.
The day Taylor got shot was the actual first day I carried a conversation with him about his phone. The one thing learned from this tragedy is you never know whats going to happen. People take the wonderful life for granted, and pay no attention to the important things in life.
I was not very close to Taylor Bradford, but Taylor and I were teammates. We both experience the hell in football together. The hours we put in and off the field. People now days will do anything to get money, so be aware of your surroundings.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The Rake: A few scenes from my childhood
Keenan Bratcher
09.11.07
In class we discussed the essay The Rake: A few scenes from my childhood. We shared several different subjects that we saw in the essay and how they related to us as a individual. We were told to pick one subject and share how it affected us in some way. The blood and the rake were the only two things that got my attention.
In The Rake the paragraph about the rake really stood out in this story. The story is structured to make us think about violence, and the rake David uses is a violent approach just to gather leaves up. The rake has claws on the tip, and scratches the ground as you pick up leaves. David uses the rake as a main part, because the rake harms and cleans up the yard.
David shares many times that his sister was beating by their step father. The pain the sister is is experiencing is showed off by blood. Blood is decribed all though this story to show the audience the real image of pain. Blood is something that I would rather not see, because some kind of pain is usually involved.
09.11.07
In class we discussed the essay The Rake: A few scenes from my childhood. We shared several different subjects that we saw in the essay and how they related to us as a individual. We were told to pick one subject and share how it affected us in some way. The blood and the rake were the only two things that got my attention.
In The Rake the paragraph about the rake really stood out in this story. The story is structured to make us think about violence, and the rake David uses is a violent approach just to gather leaves up. The rake has claws on the tip, and scratches the ground as you pick up leaves. David uses the rake as a main part, because the rake harms and cleans up the yard.
David shares many times that his sister was beating by their step father. The pain the sister is is experiencing is showed off by blood. Blood is decribed all though this story to show the audience the real image of pain. Blood is something that I would rather not see, because some kind of pain is usually involved.
Textual Anaylsis
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Will correct this textual analysis
Keenan Bratcher
English 1010
Mrs. Sumner-Winter
09/25/07
Textual Analysis
The Fourth of July
The article "The Fourth of July" was written by Audre Lorde. A simple concept that Lorde stresses in this article is color. The variation of colors and the different ways Lorde uses in her sentences conveys this simple concept. Lorde’s sister was denied the opportunity to attend her class trip to Washington D.C. The reason for this denial was because she was black. Lorde's father decided if the white administration at his oldest daughter's school wouldn't allow her to travel to the nation's capital, he would take her, along with the rest of his family.
During her trip to Washington D.C., Lorde experiences situations that hurt her emotionally but make her stronger in the end. Audre Lorde describes different foods and items by detailed colors. The pattern in this story stays consistent with the contrast of the adjectives of colors. The arrangement of these colors was used to relate to the racism of black and white. An example of color description is when she was standing next to a white marble counter, and their skin reflected off of the white surface. Another example of the adjective in the word color is ‘little violently yellow iced cakes’ which vividly describes the color.
Lorde also shares how her parents will not allow her to have sunglasses, because of the product and expenses. She could not see the monuments in Washington D.C., because of the brightness caused by the "white" of the capital. Lorde noticed that it was "lighter" in Washington D.C., and it was "darker" at home in New York. She compares these two shades to symbolize racism between whites and blacks. Her experience made her realize that her race is not allowed to do some daily tasks, because whites did not let it happen.
I think Audre Lorde learned from this experience because she didn’t let that stop her later in her life. Lorde did something immediately after her experiences in Washington D.C. Lorde's attitude toward this experience led her to write an angry letter to the President of The United States.
In conclusion, Lorde's word choice was very understandable. Further into the story, one begins to comprehend the message she is trying to present. Color symbolizes racism, because the author would describe the different shades of brightness between two different states. Everything in Washington, D.C., was centered on the color white. Lorde really thought about what she was writing to make this story a complex structure.
Works CitedEscholz, Paul Alfred Rosa Virginia Clark. “The Fourth of July.” Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers, 9th Edition 2005: 567-570.
Will correct this textual analysis
Keenan Bratcher
English 1010
Mrs. Sumner-Winter
09/25/07
Textual Analysis
The Fourth of July
The article "The Fourth of July" was written by Audre Lorde. A simple concept that Lorde stresses in this article is color. The variation of colors and the different ways Lorde uses in her sentences conveys this simple concept. Lorde’s sister was denied the opportunity to attend her class trip to Washington D.C. The reason for this denial was because she was black. Lorde's father decided if the white administration at his oldest daughter's school wouldn't allow her to travel to the nation's capital, he would take her, along with the rest of his family.
During her trip to Washington D.C., Lorde experiences situations that hurt her emotionally but make her stronger in the end. Audre Lorde describes different foods and items by detailed colors. The pattern in this story stays consistent with the contrast of the adjectives of colors. The arrangement of these colors was used to relate to the racism of black and white. An example of color description is when she was standing next to a white marble counter, and their skin reflected off of the white surface. Another example of the adjective in the word color is ‘little violently yellow iced cakes’ which vividly describes the color.
Lorde also shares how her parents will not allow her to have sunglasses, because of the product and expenses. She could not see the monuments in Washington D.C., because of the brightness caused by the "white" of the capital. Lorde noticed that it was "lighter" in Washington D.C., and it was "darker" at home in New York. She compares these two shades to symbolize racism between whites and blacks. Her experience made her realize that her race is not allowed to do some daily tasks, because whites did not let it happen.
I think Audre Lorde learned from this experience because she didn’t let that stop her later in her life. Lorde did something immediately after her experiences in Washington D.C. Lorde's attitude toward this experience led her to write an angry letter to the President of The United States.
In conclusion, Lorde's word choice was very understandable. Further into the story, one begins to comprehend the message she is trying to present. Color symbolizes racism, because the author would describe the different shades of brightness between two different states. Everything in Washington, D.C., was centered on the color white. Lorde really thought about what she was writing to make this story a complex structure.
Works CitedEscholz, Paul Alfred Rosa Virginia Clark. “The Fourth of July.” Language Awareness: Readings for College Writers, 9th Edition 2005: 567-570.
Prime Directive
September 19, 2007
When I read this article I notice that the author was trying to write in modern words that we use today. The words like lame, contacts, and flip really jump out to get you more interested. Once I got more into the story I became really confused, because the author would jump subject to subject. Once I read the entire thing and had a classroom discussion I understand his message. He writes about popular subjects, but shares both sides of the subject.
The subject that really stuck out for me was Halloween. When I think about Halloween I picture the younger groups of children look at it as a fun night were you get to eat candy. The children will dress up like their hero or favorite monster going around screaming and scaring other kids. Then I see teenagers who might be absolutely terrified of Halloween, because they have had a bad experience. Also, the young groups attempting pranks and creating scary haunted houses. The point I got behind this story is a person saying one subject can fan out to many different ways.
There are many different examples in the story that shows that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Some of the subjects meant the exact opposite of the meaning. The writer was really putting in a lot of thought into his story, because it relates to many different subjects. Sometimes I look at my direction in life one way, and I can be completely wrong.
When I read this article I notice that the author was trying to write in modern words that we use today. The words like lame, contacts, and flip really jump out to get you more interested. Once I got more into the story I became really confused, because the author would jump subject to subject. Once I read the entire thing and had a classroom discussion I understand his message. He writes about popular subjects, but shares both sides of the subject.
The subject that really stuck out for me was Halloween. When I think about Halloween I picture the younger groups of children look at it as a fun night were you get to eat candy. The children will dress up like their hero or favorite monster going around screaming and scaring other kids. Then I see teenagers who might be absolutely terrified of Halloween, because they have had a bad experience. Also, the young groups attempting pranks and creating scary haunted houses. The point I got behind this story is a person saying one subject can fan out to many different ways.
There are many different examples in the story that shows that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Some of the subjects meant the exact opposite of the meaning. The writer was really putting in a lot of thought into his story, because it relates to many different subjects. Sometimes I look at my direction in life one way, and I can be completely wrong.
Hatred on cats 1010
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Cats are a mysterious animal who can take care of themselves. These animals love roaming the night sky to look for there prey. One thing I hate the most about cat is they always jump out of a trash can when you least expect it. It is also a fact that cats cannot be in the same room with a young child, because it will suffocate it. Now I'm sure the cat does not have intend to harm the baby, but it can easily happen. Our group agreed that we were a dogs best friend, and never owned a cat in our lives. We will be sharing our personal experiences in this blog to show you our point of view our hatred of cats.
I kept noticing a big black cat looking at me as if it had a problem. Curiously, I walked over to the cat trying to give him loving. He froze like the wind and swiftly clawed my hand. Suddenly the other claw came and he coiled up as if he caught his prey.At this time I was very mad, and the only thought that came to my mind was throw it.
As I tossed the cat over my shoulder it ended with a loud thud. It just so happens that my friend and her aunt were out of the room. They rushed in wanting to know what the noise was. The little beast and I met froze eyes as I explained that the noise was my foot. The cat walked off as nothing happened. We both knew that there will be another day were we will finish our friendly conversation.
Cats are a mysterious animal who can take care of themselves. These animals love roaming the night sky to look for there prey. One thing I hate the most about cat is they always jump out of a trash can when you least expect it. It is also a fact that cats cannot be in the same room with a young child, because it will suffocate it. Now I'm sure the cat does not have intend to harm the baby, but it can easily happen. Our group agreed that we were a dogs best friend, and never owned a cat in our lives. We will be sharing our personal experiences in this blog to show you our point of view our hatred of cats.
One weekend I went to visit the river just to calm down and relax. We went to my friends Aunts house, because she lives on the river. Now this Aunt is a huge pet lover and had a couple of cats.
I kept noticing a big black cat looking at me as if it had a problem. Curiously, I walked over to the cat trying to give him loving. He froze like the wind and swiftly clawed my hand. Suddenly the other claw came and he coiled up as if he caught his prey.At this time I was very mad, and the only thought that came to my mind was throw it.
As I tossed the cat over my shoulder it ended with a loud thud. It just so happens that my friend and her aunt were out of the room. They rushed in wanting to know what the noise was. The little beast and I met froze eyes as I explained that the noise was my foot. The cat walked off as nothing happened. We both knew that there will be another day were we will finish our friendly conversation.
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