What makes a novel "a classic"?

I think what makes a novel a classic is how old it is and how popular it was during it's time. If someone were to mention a book and you had no idea what it was then it probably wasn't a classic. Usually classics are well-renowned, even maybe in a different country. Classics are usually known by older people, because they come from before their time, and maybe as I grow I will be exposed to more classics.

Wuthering Heights Anticipation

An adopted or foster child will never be accepted as a "real" member of a family.

I answered this statement to be true. It sounds extremely harsh to say, but in reality I feel that when a child is adopted, it's very hard for that child to adapt. If I were to adopt a child, I would immediately accept them as one of my own, but I feel that they may not feel as if they were truly apart of the family. Naturally, when you grow up not being a foster child, you don't think about your family accepting you because it's basically implied. In one of my favorite shows, 90210, Dixon is a black adopted teen living in a white wealthy family. The family is so close and the parents have the same sense of compassion between each of the kids, but there's a feeling in Dixon's heart where he doesn't feel at home. He was never exposed to his own culture and he just feels out of place. There's a difference between being accepted by others and accepting yourself. Clearly everyone around him accepts him as a "real" part of the family, but it's hard for him to accept himself when he doesn't look like everyone else. In a sense I'm contradicting the statement I agreed to, but I'm just twisting it around a little. In conclusion, a foster child will, without a doubt, be accepted as a "real" member of the family, but inside that child may always feel like that's not truly where he belongs.

Blog Comments

eric-
This blog is just super. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I completely agree with you. I remember reading about a cult that was similar to the one you mentioned, if not the same one. People get so crazy when it comes to religion and their religious figures, because I guess in some cases, it's what people live for. They follow this one person and follow his/her every move. It gets scary. Thats why I enjoy the fact that in our religion(although you don't necessarily go to temple) there's a rabbi, and he is our greatest religious figures but we use him/her as a guide, not someone to imitate. (to eric; ibloghard)

Hey Alyssa!
I was just going through people's blogs and this one really caught my eye. I couldn't believe how personal of an aspect you put into this post. I'm envious! It really was a moving post, so good job! Although I can't necessarily relate to Christianity itlse,f I can truly relate to the fact that you tried to act like you were above it all and cursed and made crude remarks. I do the same thing and I am completely with you when you say you are envious of Malcolm's relationship with Allah. We all need a little faith just like he has. (to alyssa; alyssaxoxoxo)

I loved loved loved this blog. When we were talkig in class about this, I was thinking the same exact thing. To me, I thought racist could be any person against another, not just higher power vs. lower. It stretches to religion and gender and sexual orientation. I'm completely against it all, because I try to stay open minded, but some people aren't quite like that. The blog that you had a link to really actually taught me something new. It makes sense that stereotryping and racism are used interchangeably sometimes, and now I realize that the little comments I hear from people around me are just stereotypes, not racist remarks. I'm beginning to wonder what else people can possibly stereotype nowadays. It seems as if it just never ends. (to caylin; cayscrazyblog)

Malcolm must really be into the NOI to accept Muhammad after he committed adultery. I truly don't know how he looked at him the same way after that. Elijah Muhammad is like a saint to Malcolm, he' a descendent of God for crying out loud, and he went and committed a crime like that? I would probably lose all hope. It's like he's the one who got Malcolm into Islam and now he's slowly ruining it. The fact that Malcolm did accept him though, proves how much he's changed and how badly he wants to see the good in people. It's a good characteristic, don't you think? oh and p.s-the article was pretty funny, I didn't see the movie so it's hard to relate but from reading the article, it seems the weaknesses in this case definitely did outweigh the strengths, or lack there of. sam :] (to josh; techmanjones)

X. pt 5

Reading Malcolm X had it's ups and downs. At times I was completely entertained, but at other times I was completely falling asleep. As I read though, and as I read comments Malcolm made about Martin Luther King. Jr, I began to think about the two leaders. Which made a bigger impact on our world? Well, both were seemingly controversial, but acted in completely different ways. To be honest, before we were asked to read the autobiography of Malcolm X, I really didn't know who he was. I heard the name but had no idea who he was or what he achieved. Then I was thinking about another black civil rights leader, MLK Jr. and I totally knew who he was. Ever since I've been little, I've been taught who MLK Jr. was. But why have we been raised learning about MLK Jr. and not Malcolm X? I tried to compare the two and one of the only things I could come up with is the fact that MLK Jr. seemed to act more peacefully when it came to promoting black civil rights. Malcolm was very obsessed with hating the whites. He was almost in a state of paranoia when it came to everything. This link is people posting what they think about MLK Jr. and Malcolm X. Most of them say that both leaders served for one cause, but others they thought that for example, Malcolm X just wanted to be a leader because of the extreme authority he gained. 

http://www.helium.com/debates/79776-was-martin-luther-king-jr-or-malcolm-x-a-better-leader-for-civil-rights-for

X. pt 4

When our class took a field trip to Harlem, I didn't really know what to expect. Everything was fun and I did learn a lot, but nothing compared to the Islamic mosque. Considering my family raised my jewish, I was never exposed to any other religion. Many of my friends study Christianity or Catholicism, but even then I never had been in a church. When we walked into the mosque we all had to take our shoes off, and the girls and boys had to enter in different doors. It was strange, but i was taking it all in because it was very exciting. The room was peaceful and empty. Just as many temples and churches do, they were very into community service and providing food for people who needed. The man who was giving us the tour of the mosque was African American and I started to think, "Wait, when I think of Islam, I stereotypically think of a woman all covered up or a man with a turban, I didn't know other people studied Islam too." It seemed so conventional to think of it that way, but I couldn't help but question it. Are we all so wrapped up in ourselves and our own religion that we are surprised when we see something out of the ordinary? The thing is though, this wasn't out of the ordinary. There are many blacks who study Islam and even whites. The tour guide was explaining the difference between religion and culture. You can study the religion and not necessarily wear clothes that cover all your flesh. I didn't know that and I'm glad we went, because it truly opened my eyes. 

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560115/black_muslims.html

This is an overview of Black Muslims and their history. You don't need to read it all unless you're interested, but the first sentence of the last paragraph caught my eye because it just shows how far the Islamic religion has come. They use to think whites were the devil and now people are sharing the same religion. It's amazing to me. 

X pt. 3

Elijah Muhammad is considered to be a descendent of Allah, the Muslim God. In the Jewish religion, we don't necessarily have a descendent like that to look up to. We do however, have rabbis,  just as Malcolm has Muhammad. It's really great to have a religious figure like Muhammad, rabbis, priests, or ministers to look up to. It makes you feel like you're that much closer to god, and he's really not that far away. Instead of praying and believing that god is really there, we have these tangible human beings to go to for help. The only difference between the rabbis in my religion and Muhammad in the Muslim religion is that I don't fear my rabbi. Although I don't go to him for personal problems, or issues with guys, or conflicts in my household, I feel like if I really really needed to, I could. Malcolm X fears Elijah Muhammad. It's like he doesn't look to him a descendent of god, but as god himself. "My adoration of Mr. Muhammad grew, in the sense of the Latin root word adorare. It meant much more than our 'adoration' or 'adore.' It means that my worship of him was so awesome that he was the.  first man whom I had ever feared-not fear such as of a man with a gun, but the fear such as one has the power of the sun" (Haley 216). 

X pt. 2

You hope to go through life without being discriminated against for whoever you are, but sometimes you just can't escape it. Just people say derogatory remarks are said to Malcolm and African Americans in general in the 19040's, a case like this happened to me and my friends. Hanging out at the local Starbucks in town is typical for high school kids. One day last year though, made me not want to go back there ever again. Around holiday time, my friend was in Starbucks and casually asked why there weren't any Hannukah decorations up. The cashier responded saying, "Well how about we throw some pennies on the floor, and then your kind will come?" My friend was outraged and yelled at the guy. After telling me what happened I stormed in there and yelled at the guy myself. Considering the fact that I'm jewish myself, it really offended me. He brushed my comments off his shoulder like they meant nothing. If he didn't say he were quitting the next day I would have written a strongly worded letter to the manager. Now that I think about it, I still should have written that letter. After I left Starbucks I went outside and drew jewish stars on the window just because I was so furious. It was indescribable how the comment made me feel so I can relate to how Malcolm felt. 

In addition to an instance like this one, I even hear insensitive comments within the school. It's always "just kidding around" and although I don't want to be hypocritical, it is funny sometimes. But it gets to a point where it's not, and considering things like this that have happened to me, I know how bad racism hurt African Americans during Malcolm X's time, and even today.

Here's a link of a summary of someone's essay on Jewish discrimination. It is the epitome of what Jewish discrimination is and has words and phrases that people hold back to say because they are so insulting, but all things considered, people DO say them. 

http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/90570.html