Journal #5 by Alexis Hopkins

Part one: Cisneros

My favorite chapter that I’m choosing to wright a response on is Marin. The reason why I chose this as a favorite to me is because I could relate to the chapter. I have an older cousin and growing up shed always talk about boys and try to give me tips. It also stands out to me because it makes me wonder on if that is how us girls sometimes think. Themes that I found important in this chapter is when Marin discusses that what matters is for the boys to see us and for us to see them. It was interesting to me on how she viewed that. The writing at its best to me was when Marin said, “If you count the white flecks on your fingernails you can know how many boys are thinking of you and lots of other things I can’t remember now,” a quote from the novel.  That caught my attention and what she meant by that. Made me thing how that could be a result of how many boys were thinking of you just by the simple white flacks on your fingernails.


                                                            

Part two: Role model

As we see positive and negative influences of older teens and adults in the book and neighbors, got me thinking of a role model that was to me, that influenced me in many ways. My role model was my Aunt Shelly. She did drugs, got in a lot of trouble with the law and ect. Now why would that be my role model? Shelly was my role model because what she went through, the struggle and pain she not only put herself in but others, it influenced me to never want to go down the path she did. In the town I grew up in there was a good majority of people who did drug and ect, so yes I’ve been asked once or twice about doing so. What made me to say no in the process of being asked was thinking of my aunt and what she had to go through and how that could be me by the simplest thing, just saying yes. My aunt didn’t get the outlook that I was able to, she didn’t have someone like I do to see what can happen before you start. Shelly lost jobs after jobs, being broke to the last penny, selling things just to get things in return that were less valuable for what it was worth (drugs).  Losing trust, family, friends, even almost losing her daughter. All because of one thing, which led to many more which led to almost death. I was able to visually see how hard it was for her to try and get better, how it was like pulling teeth. I didn’t want to go through the stress and the depression of it. Even though I’d walk the halls of my school or down the sidewalk of my hometown and hear gossips of how wonderful it is. It was what they thought, their brain tricking them, but physically it was running their lives.  Again I chose my aunt as my role model not because I look up to her in a way that I want to one day follow her footsteps, but to see why I don’t want to follow her footsteps. Its changed my behavior in a way to want to help people more in that need.