family+heritage

Book 1

I feel more connected to the family that I know about that lived in the united states. For example, I feel connected to my great grandmother family on my mom's side for a few reasons. I was born on her birthday and later was named after her; on my sixteenth birthday I received the ring she received on her 16th birthday 84 years before. Therefore in my mind, I really only think about the family that lived in the united states. I have attempted to find my ancestry on ancestry.com, but unfortunately I had little patience and there are a lot of Bakers that lived in New Jersey. I know that my family is from Europe; however, I am under the impression that I have some irish, english, and german in me, I not exactly sure where they came from and when. (this is all on my mom's side). My great aunt did make a family heritage book in the early 2000s and it tells me: that she can trace our family back to 1798. We came from england, scotland, Norway, germany, and switzerland.She goes on to write about some of the people we are supposedly related to. All of this may seem interesting and I would love to see records that show how she got to this man or woman in history. I am still a little skeptical of information and I think that is why I don't relate as much to these supposed ancestors. I see myself as an american, cliche i know, but i think that i am a 'melting pot' of all these people and that is how they are important to me, i would be here without every decision they made in their lives.

A taboo is a custom that is socially accepted or forbidden. When they are broken, there is a reaction. In some ways i think taboos are good for society, they keep things peaceful and safe. For example, most people accept the fact that a person should not be able to take another person's life. But then there are the customs that are not as helpful for the acceptance of all people in to the society. Another example, which is someone different now that it was a half century ago or even more recent, is society's view on homosexuality. It was not the norm and when someone broke that norm but publically showing their homosexuality, the public didn't know how to react and those that did react only used extreme punishments, for lack of a better word, to avoid the fact that someone broke taboo. Recentlty, however, society has done a complete 180 and it is now taboo for a person to be a homophobe rather than be a homosexual.

Pg 64, “It was the custom in those days for passengers leaving for America to bring balls of yarn on deck. Relatives on the pier held the loose ends. As the Guilia blew its horn and moved away from the dock, a few hundred strings of yarn stretched across the water. People shouted farewells, waved furiously, and held up babies for last looks they wouldn’t remember. Propellers churned; handkerchiefs fluttered, and up on deck, the balls of yarn began to spin. Red, yellow, blue, green, they untangled toward the pier…Passengers held on for as long a possible, maintaining the connection to the faces disappearing onshore. But finally, one by one, the balls ran out. The strings of yarn flew free, rising on the breeze.” I think Cal uses this passage to show the reader what his grandparents were feeling when they were on the boat when they were leaving their homeland. They want to hold on their Greek heritage while learning to adapt to American culture. Which is seen in the yarn connecting to family members but then the line string runs out and they look ahead. Key words in the passage, churned, fluttered, untangled, free, help Cal show the reader what his grandparents were feeling. Their minds churned as the propellers started, their minds worrying about leaving, contemplating their decisions to leave. Their stomachs fluttered with the unknown ahead of them. They are hoping that this journey and new life in America will untangle their messed up and confused life. And now they are free of the Turks, for now, and now they are free of their Greek family, Desdemona and Lefty can finally be together without anyone knowing there are family.

Lefty and Desdemona sleeping together for the first time. I think its very interesting how Lefty thinks Desdemona looks so different when she is in her mother’s corset. It is very interesting how lefty finds Desdemona so, for lack of a better word, sexy when she has something that is from the past. This is Cal’s subtle way to remind the reader that his grandparents are siblings and that the past will always catch up to them. Even though Desdemona and Lefty go through all the effort to convince the people on the boat and themselves that they are new lovers that met on the boat, Cal remind us that in his story through the corset, that they past will circle around and haunt them.