Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The KONK
The Konk was written by Puerto Rican/Cuban Poet Piri Thomas. He grew up in Spanish Harlem which is part of Up-town New York City. This story is on ECAMS under readings. Instead of questions this time, I would like for you to compare the last two stories we read. I expect at least 3-5 paragraphs. If you are wondering what story I'm refering to it is 'Behind the Facade of the Modern Home. Make sure you have a thesis, Body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. I want you to write your essays here on the blog. SOOOOOO.....I suggest to do it first on Microsoft Word then copy and past it to the blog. This way you can eliminate spelling errors! This will be due by next class!
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stephanie
ReplyDeleteIn life we need to be patience, because everything in life couldn’t be that easy because we need to pass through good and bad things. Like in Juan’s case maybe he never need to wake to rush to do all the things he needed to do before he goes to work because his wife wasn’t felling well. And also be anxious because it was he first day of work.
And in case ok the story Konk the boy of fourteen year old he needs to also be patience because everyone says something about his hair, calling him raisin hair
Until he decided to make a change in his hair. There are people that always are talking and making people feel bad. The boy felt much better when he makes his changes in his hair. Because his curly weren’t how was before he went to the barbershop. Know he felt that his friend will stop calling him names.
I realize that we need to be comfortable how we are, how we look, we shall never be ashamed of hoe we are, because God created us beautiful, no one is better then any one, we all are the same. I compare this two story with patient cause in both they needed patient to handle thing in life. Not everyday will be perfect, there will be always some of stress and moment that you never imagine. Patience
is what we always need for everything in life.
Jessenia Marie Figueroa Cortes
ReplyDeleteEverything in life is never as easy as it seems. We all need to be prepared to go thru good and bad things in our lives. In both story’s I found that the main characters had a similar issue. Both characters don’t have much confidence in their selves. They were always worried of what everyone was going to think or say about them. Also, they did not know how to be patient in their stressful lives.
In both stories Juan and Piri did not have confidence in their selves. In Juan’s case he was nervous because he was thinking he was going to be late for work. Juan would make everyone in his house nervous too. He didn’t realize that his wife Marta was feeling bad. Marta had headache and it was not her fault. Juan’s kids were getting ready to go to school and were also going to be late. Juan and Marta’s kids were nothing like their father. In Piri’s case he didn’t have confidence in his self either, but it was due to physical appearance. Piri went to a barbershop to change his hair style. Knowing that it was dangerous for his hair, but he didn’t care. He was thinking that his hair was going to look great.
In the first story Juan was nervous because it was the first day he was going to meet his new boss. He was trying to make a good first impression. As the story tells us as why he was so stressed like he was. He was afraid of what his new boss was going to think if he was late for work. In the second story Piri changed his look, because his friends were always calling him names. One of the names was “raisin hair”. This is what drove him to make this dangerous treatment for his curly hair. After he changed his look everyone made him feel bad, because they were all laughing at his new look including his neighbors, brothers and sister.
The morning that Juan was so stressed was because Marta asked him to do her a favor. She was not feeling well that morning and sent him to the pharmacy for her headache medicine. Juan knew he was going to be late for work. This is something that was not going to happen every morning. He should learn to be more patient and less stressful if he would have called his boss and advised of his being late to work. Piri should be patient and wait to be more adult to make changes in his life. They will always be malicious people that don’t have anything better to do in their lives but try to make people feel bad. These kinds of people will make you do things that you don’t want to do.
How I say not everything in life is easy, but we need to be patient and try to do the best. Also, do things without stress and being nervous. Always try to make decisions that in the future you will not regret and feel bad about. Before we do something we should think about the people who love us. For instance in Juan’s life he has his family that are the most important people in his life. Piri has his mom supports him in everything he does. She also makes him feel better and happy. Never think about what others are going to say about you. This is your life do what you like without thinking what others are going to say.
Jessica Ortiz
ReplyDeleteSometimes we live on impressions which sometimes don’t make us feel good. In both stories they feel obligated to try and make better impressions on themselves, one because his job could depend on it and the other because was being called names. They both felt bad, one because he was going to be late and could loose his job and the other because no matter what he did he was being called names.
In both stories although very different there is a similarity going on about the two main characters which is that they both want to make good impressions. In the first story Juan wanted to get early to work so he could make a good impression on his boss. His plans didn’t turn out to be what he planned and probably didn’t make a good impression on his new boss. In the second story this guy named Piri has “pelo malo” or “pasas” which means that he has bad hair. People made fun of that fact and made him feel bad which made him want to get “the konk” to look different and so that people stopped saying thing to him.
They both didn’t feel good at some point in the story. Juan had to get painkillers for his wife and then he encountered a lot of obstacles. He was on a race against time and then realized he was not going to be on time to work which made him feel bad/sick. Piri was being called names because of his type of hair. This made him go and get the konk. He wanted to be different and to people to stop calling him names and making fun of him. It didn’t work and people made more fun of him because of it, even his little brothers.
Everyone at some point in their lives try to make good impressions. If it’s so you can keep your job I say go for it, but if it’s because someone is making fun of you, don’t mind them at all, there are people that will want to bring you down. Just do whatever you want.
Do you have wanted to be someone who you really aren't? Can I say that all people in the world in occasions had used a fascade to hide theirselves? Do you are "true" with your friends, companions, neighbors and other people around like your family? People around us has a wrong perception of our lives and how we really are. Everybody feel fear to "face up" or show others their true identity.
ReplyDeleteEveryone want to impress others using a mask to hide their weaknesses. In the story "Behind the fascade of a modern home" we can see a new and pretty house but that is not a reflect of happiness lives. We can observe the external fascade but nobody know what happen inside. The same thing occur in our lives. Appearances is not always the reality. In "Konk" story we see at Piri with an internal conflict because he wanted be like a white people. Nobody can take out the spots of a leopard. You can try to hide it but always the spots are there. The two stories have in common the theme of appearances. The stories have a similar message although the narrative is completly different.
Definitively, a new look don't reflect sentiments or abilities. A new and pretty home is not a guaranty of love and familiar unity. The happiness don't depend of a house or a new look. Everyone needs to learn that all people attributes are special. Each person is diferent and unique. God knows our lives and minds. We don't have masks or fascades in front of God. When you try to deceive others about your appearance, you deceive yourself. Everybody has their own useful virtues. God created eachone exclusively and exceptionaly, unique. Be authentic! Be true always!
Milagros E. Malave Gonzalez
Aracelys Astacio Ruiz
ReplyDeleteBoth stories show the reality in which we live. Many times we live appearances to look good to society. Behind the appearances, there are sacrifices that only those who experience them recognize it. Appearance often goes hand in hand with self-esteem, as in the history of “The Konk” and is very important to know how to differentiate. The appearance is what others see and esteem is how you feel or think of yourself.
In the story "Behind the fascade ..." The family lives in gated urbanization and has two children. For the world is a middle class family with the ability to live there. For them to live there is a sacrifice because both parents must work to survive, all the money they receive is committed, not their abundance. In the case of history, the day the mother got up sick, he found it difficult to father prepare to go to work and be on time cause anxiety and headaches. Again demonstrates the importance of appearances, because the thought of how it would be before his new boss if he was late, it causes nausea. Again demonstrates the importance of appearances, because thinking about how it would be before the new boss if he was late, causes it nauseas.
In the story of "the konk" Piri is carried away by the appearance of "white boys" and not feel good about himself, smoothed his hair and straightening it. In this case in addition to being influenced by the appearance (within the concept and importance had to bewhite boys) it is clear that he wants to pretend it is not. In the barber who attended he was a "whitey" and Piri stared the straight hair of the barber. Although there was no money, he was very happy and comfortable with his new hair and touch it would not stop.
Both stories were very interesting because they deal with a reality in which we live today. In daily life one way or another we all live appearances. The mere fact that a person looks at us and think something about us, we was a appearance for that person, because that person think what it want about the impression that we made in the moment.
In our lifes there are certain things that aren’t as they seem. We need to prepare for every issue that comes. Both people in both stories weren’t confident in themselves, so they were trying to make a fascade so that other people in their lifes could see something that they are not. There is where you start thinking that all you do is messed out, because that is not the real you.
ReplyDeleteNone of the two in the stories were confident at all in themselves. Juan was trying to push his family to put a fascade on, because they were all acting crazy and each of the family members weren’t always acting like that in a normal day, so Juan just pushed them so that he could be good at his work. And Piri was living on a fascade too. He went to the barbershop knowing that a change on his hair wouldn’t be good for him, and, knowing that, either way he went and got a changed look.
Juan was nervous because it was his first day at work with his new boss on command and he wanted her to see a good employee on him so that he tried to make a fascade for her. Juan was stressed because of what he thought his new boss would think about him. In the second story Piri changed his look, because his friends were always calling him names. This is what drove him to make this dangerous treatment for his curly hair and have a change in his hair. After he changed his look then everyone started laughing at him again, but this time it was because he made that change to his hair.
we cannot be always trying to make a fascade in our lifes because then we cannot live our lifes as we should because we are always going to be worried about what people is going to say about us. Is better if we try to impress people with the good things that we can do and still be us. Being fake does not make us better persons because in this world we will never be able to print a good impression in everyone that we meet, but its better to be us and always try to make a fascade in our lives.
Miguel Angel Rodriguez A.
Jose N Hernandez
ReplyDeleteNot always changes are good, but been your self always paid off. In both storries shows diferent situation but cain of similar filings the little kid fels disapointed as Juan in the other storie.There both for different reazons expect a result that they never saw on their loves ones. They both wan to be differentat others.
Juan in the story Facade of the modern home tried at all time for his family to fallow rules in time in orther for him to be able to do his stuff.He didn't expect for that morning his wife been sick and all his routing been change. It seen the Juan wan for his family to come toguether on the new situation they are having. In the little kid situation he expects for everybody likes his new hair style wich he did because it was the fation at the time wan to be white.
In both stories i can see the both Juan and the little kid are trying to impress somebody, family friend or new boss at work in the case of Juan. They are not satisfied for whom they are the present other stuff and hide the reality. In Juan cased he hide the real situation at home , he tried to show his boss like his live is perfect not errors on his family that hi's the happiest person on the plannet, on the other part the little kid whant to be like everybody at the time trying to been white because that was the fashion at the time. He tought that if he straight his hair everyone would it liket but dindt happen like that , everyone laufh at him .
We shouldnt have to tried to impress others trying for them to like us , we should been our selfs and do our best, been us is the best satisfaction the we can have and knowing that people likes you for who you are is the best fealing in this world.
STEVEN N. DEL ROSARIO
ReplyDeleteADVANCED ENGLISH II [HUEN123LF6]
Behind the Facade of the Modern Home & the Konk story
Juan’s story, as Piri’s story, shows up the reality behind the façade of every community. “Normal people” in their “normal life” are not different as a family full of troubles. As they both are struggle to keep a good image, inside they feel miserable for not been satisfy with what they have. Is not that bad keep a conservative image of his person. Everybody do something of façade, when their looking for a job, or are having a date, or the first day of class; everyone somehow experience that.
Juan’s family are a simple family of four people (in the story), a good home, pretty hose, healthy kids, two cars, a good job and a nice urbanization. They seem an excellent home; perfect. But Juan just tells us how creepy the day could be in that house. Nobody is the same behind the mask, and Juan’s family knows that very well.
A façade is easily visible in a person that has two environments. For example: are one person with its friends or partners and another person with its family and home. That is what just happens to Juan’s family. The good to know this is that people straggle themselves to control as max their lives, trying to be the most “normal” family ever. But the reality is that this is the normal family (Juan’s family). People struggle to be perfect, or nice, or just admirable; but they don’t know that to be happy it only takes to be your own. That’s what Piti had to learn in a difficult way. He wants to be cool and that cost him pain, and his dignity.
Do not believe that you need always a façade. A façade is ok in a small portion, in a responsible way. No one is perfect, so don’t fill like different or obsolete. Everybody has problems so don’t fill like living in hell. Everybody should live happy with what they have, not conformist, but ambitious nether.
Cynthia Montalvo Santiago
ReplyDeleteIt's so frustrating when you want to be your own or want to be like you and people do not help but put disrespectful names. In order to continue to forward in this life to forget what they say and give to enforce or change.
The story behind the facade of a modern home described the classical type of family often live in the U.S., the typical busy and stressful life. Many times people want to be who can not be and put in a situation that they themselves can overcome. This story is seen and described those who want to look and have what cannot. People should learn to be who they are and not wanting to appear false. It's sad when you cannot have what you want but even more is when you try too hard and not give supply.
Konk The story identifies me because I always wanted small straight hair and I have at least riso Thank God. It is so horrible that people will put on names that do not like. As a child my worst nightmare was going to school, by all names I put on. Piri know how she felt her hair, at least I do not identify with that part but as I was criticized as him. At the end after changing his brothers tease having straight hair, and is much more frustrating when the family is fun. But mothers always know what to say and raise self-esteem.
If anything I learned from these readings and life is, never make a change for anybody but because you desire. People must learn to love them and so look as they are not because someone tells you. Many times people tell us to do any changes for our good and when one comes to fix it because they were jealous of you look better.
My motto is: God make us like him and for what we are beautiful just as we are.
Edwin Toro Garcia
ReplyDeleteEssay: Behind the Façade of a Modern Home
The Konk
Our life is one of changing. Every day the world is part of the constant hard work that human need to pass in this society on this day’s. The human’s are changing the ideology of the true meaning of what we call life. Most of the people lives with stress and with rush. They have an intinerary in theirs minds that can’t change. Sometimes the hard work or be working with an important company take a lot of time of our life. This new era is one of technology and new advances and that advances is the reason why people have their own world in this world.
In this two stories we can see how two different person’s pass by a bad situation. We can see Juan a man which had to sacrifice in the morning to go to buy some medications for his wife. Despite the fact that was a morning very hard, not surrendered and was unable to reach their home. Despite the fact that was late continued playing with the time in order to arrive in time to his work already to be imagined to his head annoyed by the people who arrive late. Eager to get to work is a series of obstacles that delaying more. Knew he achieved in time, but he fought until the end by able to reach their work regardless of what move. In the other history we see as a young wants to change his style of hairstyle and be in the fashion with the of the time. Excited by their exchange, returns to his home. But unfortunately the impression of his family was not the that he expected. Began to put other names which dropped its self-esteem. But learning that we should not be equal to the other but try to be oneself and to know what we really have inside.
Our life is a high and low. There are times which we depressed and make us feel as if you aren’t important in this world. Day to day we learn from our mistakes and sometimes we must sacrifice in order to get something beneficial to our lives. Learn day to day to be as good human beings. Get to know what is called life. Forget the past, but the most important thing learn of the past for that in a future don't be victim of the circumstances.
Who? Have not done something like this. I think everybody had. Who have not dress nice in a date to impress the mate on that night. Who have not made what everybody do or want in order to be accepted? Who have not dress his appearance so no one knows who really is? Who in life have not experience low self stem?
ReplyDeletePeople through the world have experienced and done something similar to Juan and Piri. These characters have things in common. It can be said that both have a façade. In Juan story we discuss that the facade or mask was the “perfect family”. In the Piri story the façade was his hair physically speaking. Piri was trying to change himself in what he wasn’t born from black to white. All was an appearance.
Try to live a life full of appearance not really make yourself enjoy the meaning of life. Trying to be accepted but you haven’t accepted yourself. That is just being a dull of others opinion. That is just giving all the importance on “what they will say?” Juan and Piri were both trying to impress other and accept thing how they are is what make us gain our own character.
KEVIN DEL ROSARIO COSME
Laura Bayron Laracuente
ReplyDeleteSometimes as human beings we face situations in which we must be patient when confronted, I mean both stories, as each one of them have an important role. The first was that John wanted to arrive early to give a good impression, and he arose a sudden and I can not arrive on time. and the second is that he felt bad because Pri mocked him. but these stories have a enseñansa that no matter the obstacle that comes your way in this life should be faced without leaving your pride aside. because God hiso similar to the should not avergonzarno anything.
Behind the Facade of the Modern Home, The konk
ReplyDeleteWell one of the major similarity I see is in each story there try to be something there not. Many people have this problem and other make it their goal in life. Like in the story behind the façade of the modern home they where pictured as the perfect family. The story basically showed what the family was really like a complete mess from the time they get up to go work. Then in the konk, piri wants to get a hair style called the konk because everyone keeps making fun of his nappy hair. The konk is a hair that would make you look more white man. Like I said everybody put on façade whether it’s an appearance or the way you talk. Another similarity is the pressure like in the first story the wife pressures her husband to go get her aspirin. Then in the konk peer pressure causes him to change his hair. These are the similarities that make each story even though the stories have nothing to do with each other.
Jorge Ramirez Ortiz
093-33-0421
Sonja M. Fernandez Cruzado
ReplyDeleteAppearances can be deceiving, not everybody is the way they seem. Some people will take on appearances to impress other people, others just to fit in. This is the case for both Juan from “Behind the Façade of a modern Home” and Piri from “The Konk”. They both want to fit into their society resulting in them trying to be something they are not. In Piri’s case, he is a young Latino boy living in New York and under the pressure of being white or at least pretending to be so that society accepts him. Juan is a modern day dad going about his daily routine trying to uphold the perfect family appearance although his family is everything but perfect, trying to hide their imperfections he sets about his days as any “normal” American man would.
Even though they don’t live in the same timeline or same neighborhood, they both have a lot in common. Juan is a Latino man and like Piri he wants to fit in to the white man’s world. However Juan is hiding behind a façade of the perfect family, trying to portray this image of what people think should be a “normal” household. He doesn’t express well what he is feeling in hopes to keep everyone happy, hence making it appear as if he had the perfect family. Piri on the other hand is hiding behind his physical appearance. See, Piri has what’s called nappy hair and in order for him to fit in with other white people and be like them he went to a barbershop. There he got what’s called a “konk” which is basically a hair straightening treatment, but if done wrong can lead to the person losing all of his hair. At first Piri was exited with his new look, he finally resembled a white man, but soon after he realized that trying to be someone that you are not doesn’t make other people like you any more than it does if you act like yourself.
Both troubled by their incessant need to fit in, but only one realized that it were not worth losing his identity. Many people like Piri and Juan try to keep up false appearances in order to fit into their societies and/or surroundings, and sadly lose their confidence enough to let themselves be manipulated by other people. Therefor every time you meet someone new and try to keep up a false appearance, that person is not really meeting you only the mask in front of who you really are.
In life things are not as easy as it sounds and as human beings we must be prepared for things that come to our life. In the stories we studied, we can realize the lack of confidence that the two characters had in themselves and we can see how easy they were influence by the group pressure and that's not good. We can not be happy in this life if we live it thinking in what our friends will think on what i am doing.
ReplyDeleteHaving fascades makes our life's unhappy that why we are going to talk about juan and piri.
Juan was trying to push his family to change the everyday routine just because he wanted to impress his new boss, and this fact put the family on rush making the kids and the wife work under stress which is not good. This rush that juan was putting had some consequences, for example one of the kids had an accident coming out from the bathroom and the wife had a huge headache.
In the other story we find the case of piri who was a boy, that all what he do was thinking in the group in one occasion, his friends began to make fun of him because of the haircut that hi has haircut, so because his friends didn't like it he went to a barbershop to get a new hair style , Even thought he Knew That the haircut he was going to get wasn't good for him.
We can not live in a fascade, Because because we wont have a real life, we are going to be living for the people no for our happiness.
Being fake is not the right solution to our life's because we can not make a good impression in everyone and no Mather how good you behave your self people are going to talk about you.
Harol Gomez Sosa
Spnia M. Borrero
ReplyDeleteThere are similar things in both stories. Firstly The Konk history has a kind of desperation with the hair, however in another story has despair with the family. This shows that you have many difficult situations in life.
Another similarity is that both John with his family, as with the problematic of the hair in the beginning they could not solve the problem. That's why they had to develop patience and perseverance. At this point I can see that there are challenges in life.
I also understand that in the two stories they were not alone, that with regard to the main character, because but he was involved the family were friends. They therefore had to adjust and use different strategies to reach what they wanted.
I can also see that these stories are developed in a typical environment. In other words, it is what we live on a daily basis. Therefore this shows us that we have to live in an organized and optimistic way.