Not-so-all-together. (Creative post)

“Can I have this, Mom?”
“I need this, Dad.”
“The one I have now is old.”
“This one is better.”
“This is the last time I’ll ask for something.”
“It’s not that expensive.”
That’s all I hear when we walk into any store.
My siblings wanting, yearning, begging for more than what they already have;
It’s too much.
Satisfaction can never creep its way in and settle in their hearts.
They want it all.
Why?
Because it’s always given to them,
Always handed to them,
Always without hesitation.

What do I ask for?
None of it.
Why?
I know I won’t get it.
I’m always pushed to the back seat.
I’m only allowed my fair share.
But they always get more.
Why?
It’s not fair.

Competing with striking good looks,
And a lifestyle to match.
They have it made.
I sit and watch.
I watch them get what they ask for,
Consistently.
Why?
I have no choice.

I must accept that this is how life is,
How life is supposed to be.
They take and take,
While I give and give.
What do I get in return?
Loneliness.

If only the roles were reversed.
If only I had everything that I always wanted.
Would that make me happier?
Who knows.

They don’t know I feel this way.
I never let it show.
Why?
It wouldn’t do any good but to cause annoyance.
I don’t want to be annoying.
I just want to be cared about enough,
Enough for them to notice that I need attention too.

Even after they’ve been gone, they still get what they want.
I’ve been here the whole time,
I still get nothing.
They ask for something,
They get it at the drop of a hat?
Why?
It’s still not fair.
Are they favored more than I am?
Am I not good enough to receive what I desire?
I feel like I need to know.

Just once I’d like to be important enough to be in consideration.
Just once I’d like to be asked if I want something.
Just once.
Will it ever happen?
Who knows.

Oh my chains, I can't disengage. (Creative post)

Poem/story from the woman's point of view.

It can’t be ignored.

The thoughts, feelings, pains I feel.

I tell them, but they don’t listen.

Don’t I matter to them?

They say I’ll be fine, but I don’t know how to believe it.

I don’t feel fine.

I feel weak, weary, hungry for understanding.

I can’t get rid of it.

All I have are my words;

My secret words that fill my secret pages in this not so secret tomb of silence and solitude.

And this wallpaper, this horrid yellow wallpaper.

The hideous color – a smoldering, unclean yellow – faded by the sunlight.

The torturing pattern - irritatingly flamboyant – outrageous and contradicting.

I could never spend more than the necessary time here.

Thankfully, John has only rented the house for three months.

Why do they let me stare at this all day?

I’d much rather look at my child than gawk at dreadful “decorative” materials.

But they won’t let me.

They keep me here.

They keep me here against my will.

They keep me here to rest.

How much rest does a woman need?

I’ll rest if they say I must, but they can’t keep me from writing.

I don’t want to, and I don’t feel able to.

But I must find some sense of relief!

He tells me I’m getting better.

I’m trying my hardest to believe it’s true.

They keep looking at the paper.

Why?

They’re not allowed.

They try to study the pattern, but no one shall find it out but myself!

I’m feeling better.

I’ve gained back my appetite.

I’ve grown quieter.

But I don’t think she’s okay.

I know she’s there.

I’ve seen her.

She crawls, she shakes, she wants to be free.

I want to be free.

Freedom can’t come for me yet.

I’ll find it on my own.

It’s the last day.

She was shaking last night; shaking and crawling.

I helped her.

I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled.

Before the dawn, most of the paper had been cleared off the wall.

John is at the door.

I’ve locked it.

I’ve thrown the key.

He wants to get in.

I want to get out.

He can’t put me back in!

I just want to be free.

She works hard for the money.. but not really. Reflective post.

It’s funny to think that thirty, forty, fifty, even sixty years ago, people were struggling with the same issues we face and try to overcome today. In “A Raisin in the Sun,” the Younger family is struggling with money and each of the family members suffers from the lack of financial stability. For Walter, he had a dream to open a liquor store with two of his buddies, but had no resources to do so. Beneatha was a student in college, wanting to be a doctor. Travis had no bed, not even a room of his own. Ruth got news that she was expecting another child. Mama wanted her children be happy and be good people, living for the Lord.

Most of the story revolves around everyone’s concern for money; not necessarily that they all want to be rich, but they want enough money to be able to live how they want to, without having to worry about how they're going to make the next payment on whatever is needed.
In the text, we see that Travis needs money to bring to school. It was only fifty cents, but his mother was unable to give him what he needed.

The story had an interesting twist, though. With everyone's financial concerns, a large sum of money was placed into the hands of Mama - the money from her late husband's life insurance policy. Walter desperately wanted that money in order to fulfill his dream of partially owning a liquor store. Beneatha hoped to get some to pay for her college tuition, although she didn't make her desires known. Each of the characters have a use for the money, but there's only so much that's able to go around.

Even though money isn’t the cause of happiness, it’s relevant to the emotion. Many people in the world are lacking much wealth, but some can find happiness in their situations if they accept it and don’t dwell on the badness of it. Those who don't find happiness, though, struggle being content with the little that they do have. 

I once read a quote that said "A person's happiness depends on his disposition, not his circumstance." If we can see the good in everything that's not all that great, or even see a faint light at the end of the bleak tunnel, we'll be okay.

God blesses those who bless Him, although not necessarily with money.

The Devil is a Liiiaaarrrr.

All throughout the play, we see a plethora of examples of lies and deceit. The characters lie, not only to other characters, but to themselves. Some prime examples of this are Willy lying to almost the entire community about the success of his children, Biff lying and saying he was a salesman for Oliver during previous years, and Willy's affair with The Woman. Each situation is different, but a lie is a lie, no matter how severe or far from the truth they may be.

I don't understand how people think it's okay to lie. It's one thing if it's to protect someone or for someone's safety, but it's something completely different if it's because of selfishness, pride, or greed.

People lie because of all different reasons: pressure from others, fear of reaping harsh consequences of telling the true story, or sometimes even for no reason at all. 

In the story, we saw that with every lie, there was an awful consequence for the characters. With Willy lying about the accomplishments of his sons, it hurt himself and both of his kids, Biff the most, because they all realized that they never reached their full potential in life and it was disappointing. I'm sure Willy also received judgment from others because of his false words. When Biff kept tricking himself into believing that he was a salesman for Oliver, he made himself look like a fool asking for a favor when Oliver didn't know who he was. Lying to his family about The Woman he was having an affair with, Willy destroyed the trust he had with Biff when he discovered what his father was doing behind his back, and the rest of his family. Willy also hurt the three people who knew about the affair. After Biff found out, he burned his shoes and pretty much threw his life away because he lost the trust he had in his father and lost all hope to make anything of his life.

Trust isn't easily gained so when it's lost, there's not a whole lot of hope to gain it back. You're constantly thinking about whether or not that person, or any person for that matter, is telling you the truth. You wonder and worry if you've only been fed lies. Losing trust ruins many relationships. Losing trust makes life more difficult. Losing trust breaks everything.

The Bible has a lot to say about liars. It describes liars as having no value, being wicked, deceitful, an abomination, and fools, just to name a few. John 8:44 says, "'Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.'" The devil is the father of all lies and deceit and is the reason for all lies. The Bible states many times that God cannot and does not lie, because he is the father of all goodness and perfection. Satan makes it seem so easy to lie, but in reality, it ends up coming back to destroy some part of you and/or your life. Jeremiah 23:32 says, "Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err be their lies, and b their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord." God isn't going to bless those that lie because they don't glorify his kingdom.

It's not only in stories and movies that people get in trouble by the actions of their lies; it happens in real life. God hates liars, and us as human beings aren't too fond of them either. Sometimes it's hard to tell the truth, but it's better to tell the truth and not lose trust than to lie and have to face the possibility of regrettable consequences of your falsehood.