The Topiary Was Closed: Summary

Maya was justifiably upset at the offensive behavior of the unintroduced guest. Since a chair was not provided for him on the stage, it would appear he was not invited to sit on the stage during Mr. Donleavy’s speech. It was exceptionally impolite for him to take the principal’s seat and showed a lack consideration for the principal and the audience.

Although Maya saw her biological relation with Bailey Sr. as nonexistent, she viewed Daddy Clidell, “one more faceless name added to Mother’s roster of conquests,” as her true father figure. With Bailey Sr., Maya felt uncomfortable around him, usually speechless when they were alone together, unless spoken to. She established him to be an outsider, not true to his culture, and hid from his responsibilities. He showed no affection, just talent for reeling the oblivious in. On the contrary, with Daddy Clidell, Maya felt welcomed and appreciated, valued enough to be told the heroic tales of conning the con artists, winning “over the powerful, arrogant white.” Daddy Clidell brought the “shoulders of laughter.” He was gregarious, while

Lisa starts to fall in love with Ahkeim. As far as she knows, Ahkeim is the

When Maya returns to Stamps after spending time with her mother, she endures the shame of having been sexually abused by Mr. Freeman, her mother’s boyfriend. Maya stops speaking to everyone except her brother, Bailey. Her real mother accepts her silence at first as trauma, but she later gets angry at Maya’s “disrespectful behavior”. Much to Maya’s relief, she is sent back to live with Momma in Stamps along with her

Namely, losing her confidence when her experiment begins to fall apart. It starts to fall apart when her crush doesn’t accept her invitation to her farewell party and then when she finds out everyone’s going to Allison’s birthday party, a girl in her choir, instead. It gets worse when she messes up her solo at the choir concert and everyone makes fun of her. Maya stops talking to others and goes back to her old self. As proof of this, “Why did I believe I was anything but an inside joke?...I’m not special, I’m just a crazy girl in Grandma shoes. I don’t have balls at all...All my confidence and inner strength-how do I find it again?” (227-228).This reflects how Maya feels about herself. Maya brings herself down by letting everyone else get to her. She cancels her party and decides to give up on her experiment because she feels so bad about herself. Maya’s popularity disapears and even her friends have abondened her. Furthermore, Maya realizes that she was closest to popularity when “I was talking to people. It was when I opened up my introverted circle and allowed everyone I met in. It was when I included everyone” (230). As a result of this realization, Maya understands the true meaning of popularity. It was more then looks . It’s more than the right clothes, hair or what you owned, it was who you are and how you treat others. After determining this, Maya decides to invite anyone who doesn’t have a date to prom to go with her. Instead of excluding people like she did for her farewell party, she includes everyone. Maya beomces confident and positive again. By putting the past behind her, Maya can move forward and continue her experiment. In the end, Maya learns that to be confident, she has to let go, find that light inside of her and show it to the

This passage gives the reader an initial insight on the central conflict in the novel, Tita’s fight for freedom from Mama Elena’s suppression. Mama Elena is portrayed to have characteristics which resemble to that of the stereotypically domineering, abusive male figure. Tita must tread waters very carefully when she is anywhere near Mama Elena, otherwise she would be beaten for any reason. Yet as the novel progresses, Tita undergoes a change due to exposure and desire. With the introduction of Pedro (Tita’s lover who ends up marrying Tita’s sister), Tita experiences new emotions, desire and lust. Previous to meeting Pedro, Tita never felt the desire to defy Mama Elena, yet her new found love - lust - for Pedro gave her a reason to rebel. The introduction of the emotion of desire, a need sparked the flame of change in Tita. This concept of women in oppression finding something to strive for, even at a risk, gives women courage. As the age, old saying goes ‘if they can do it so can I’. By creating a relatable scenario, Esquivel hopes to show women that even if the task seems too great to overcome, they

Maya Angelou, the current poet laureate of the United States, has become for many people an exemplary role model. She read an original poem at the inauguration of President Clinton; she has also appeared on the television show "Touched by an Angel," and there read another poem of her own composition; she lectures widely, inspiring young people to aim high in life. Yet this is an unlikely beginning for a woman who, by the age of thirty, had been San Francisco's first black streetcar conductor; an unmarried mother; the madam of a San Diego brothel; a prostitute, a showgirl, and an actress (Lichtler, 861927397.html). Her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings argues persuasively

At the start, A.J. is an incredibly opinionated and snobbish man. In chapter one he is incredibly rude to his future wife Amelia and downright snobbish about his views on types of books. “How about I tell you about what I don’t like,” he

Although she is not able to be a full-time activist because she has to take care of Carlos, she is able to explore “Colonia La Joya” (122). The horrific conditions of La Joya, a nearby city, does not come to Elena’s attention until she witnesses a “funeral” (121) of a “newborn child”. The multiple funerals of children that Elena had witnessed during her “captivity”, sparked a curiosity in Elena. Through her house “servant” (116), Marisol, Elena learned that the multiple funerals where being caused by the sudden “diarrhea” (118) that the babies would get. Her sudden interest in La Joya was not enlightened until she witnessed a man carrying an unpainted “pine box” (121). Instead of being filled with grief, the man possessed a “proud man Mayan stare” that “penetrated” into Elena’s soul. The eye contact that occurred between the man and Elena sparked the revolutionary side of Elena that was fueled by love. The “grief” filled look that Elena received showed herself in the man’s perspective, she was a “bourgeois housewife” (122) who was “clean” and would be delivering her son in an “antiseptic hospital.” The perspective of the man displays the intersection of class; Elena is able to deliver her son in a hospital that has the proper resources while children in La Joya are forced to live off of contaminated resources. Elena understanding this message promises herself that after her son was born

After reading the article, I am now a fan of William Zinsser’s writing. He provided just the right amount of historical context, quotations, and descriptions to allow me to understand Maya Lin’s monument. What I appreciated most about the article was that Zinsser kept the document brief and did not ramble on about any one aspect of the monument. Zinsser’s organization, I believe, was the strongest aspect of this article. By starting the article in first person, Zinsser made his writing personal, and I felt he gained a sense of credibility.

“Sister Flowers” is a story of a black aristocrat that Maya idolized that brought her to be the women she is today. In the story, Maya is informing the reader of how a woman named Mrs. Flowers broke her silence and introduced her to a new found love of literature. Mrs. Flowers was a beautiful black women who carried herself with grace and elegance during a time where this was not normal for a black one. Mrs. Flowers was perfect in Maya’s eyes, and Maya was flattered by the interest Mrs. Flowers had in her. The women explained to Maya that every story has a voice, and to be silenced you will never feel the story that needed to be told. Maya tells a beautiful story of where her journey begins through a he descriptive language and tone.

Isabel Allende manages to incorporate two characterization techniques, point of view and conflicts between characters, seamlessly into this story in order to illustrate her purpose.

Maya feels caught in a trap when the attorney asks her whether there were any sexual incidents with Mr. Freeman prior to the rape. She fears rejection from her family if she admits to the previous incidents, but

Jack and Algernon start their friendship with deception and lies. In the beginning of the play, they are alone in the morning-room and the lies, between the two friends, is are brought to the table. They have both been great friends for some time now. Jack visits with Algernon in the city where he goes by the name “Ernest”. He feels that going by a different name will let him live and experience a different lifestyle. When visiting with Algernon, Jack has become very interested in Gwendolen. Jack is expressing his love for Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen, and tells how he wishes to marry her. Before Algernon gives his consent, he wants to know who Cecily is. Cecily is the name engraved on the cigarette

Maya Angelou describes what her life with her grandmother is like while constantly being discriminated against her race. She then found her father, and he leaves Maya and Bailey off to their mother’s house. There, the mother’s boyfriend rapes Maya. After suffering from psychological shock, Maya then moves back to her grandmother’s. As a teenager Maya gets nervous about her sexual identity and tries to discover it. Through these harsh times, the naïve and softhearted Maya grows to become a strong, independent woman.