“I was afraid to make love to her without the conversations and laughter from the false universe playing in our ears, because I didn’t want to get to

“I was afraid to make love to her without the conversations and laughter from the false universe playing in our ears, because I didn’t want to get to know her very well, and didn’t want to be bridging any silences with our eyes.”

-Denis Johnson

I feel this is exactly what a man would say. Here, Denis Johnson says he is afraid to get to know a woman very well. Why do men think that way? Why are women seen as scary creatures from the underworld who are impossible to understand? We're not impossible to understand we just portray our emotions, thoughts, and feelings more outwardly than men. Believe it or not, men have strong emotions too. Men are sensitive too. Heck, at times, men can be even more sensitive than women. The second part of the quote throws me off. Why would they be bridging silences with their eyes? Does this mean Denis wanted to get down and dirty? Did he just want to make love to her quickly, and then just leave? Silence in the eyes reminds me of when you are having a conversation and you can tell someone is hiding something from you, or not telling you something. It reminds me of the saying "I can see it in her eyes." Something she has inside but she won't tell me. Did Denis not want to sit down and get to know her better? The story was confusing because Michelle seemed like she was being thrown around like a play thing. First, it talked about Michelle and Denis in the abortion clinic, then at the end Michelle is given to another man, John Smith. And then somehow in the very end, she winds up dead.

-Peenaz Devani

“I was afraid to make love to her without..."

“I was afraid to make love to her without the conversations and laughter from the false universe playing in our ears, because I didn’t want to get to know her very well, and didn’t want to be bridging any silences with our eyes.” Denis Johnson

With love comes intimacy. Knowing a person in and out. No secrets between two bodies. People can sometimes be afraid of this. They fear someone knowing the absolute truth about them and so they don’t love. Any guy can say they slept with a girl but sex isn’t love. Here Johnson is saying he is afraid of loving because he doesn’t want that person to know everything about him and in return he doesn’t want to know everything about someone else. Why be afraid? If you don’t love yourself how can you expect someone to love you.

-Katherine J

"celebrity is the chastisement of merit and the punishment of talent"

I would guess this is saying that celebrities spend too much time on their appearance or whats being said about them in the media instead of putting more time and work into their talents. For example, musical artists would waste time spending money instead of sitting down and working on a way to create an album that's not like every other song on the radio. No one, in my opinion, has any unique style right now. Everything being sung or rapped is either about getting down in the sheets, getting high, heartbreaks or bragging about how paid they are. They just throw in some bass and it becomes the number one club hit for some reason or make a collaboration and gain a title as a rockstar! Celebrity is a punishment! unique and original music is dead.

C.D

Loving Her For The Moment

Prompt: "I was afraid to make love to her without the conversation and laughter from the false universe playing in our ears, because I didn't want to get to know her very well, and didn't want to be bridging any silences with our eyes."

This is the description of the typical guy that just wants to have sex with a girl and call it a day. He doesn't want to have any emotional connection with her, maybe because he's scared that someone might have more control over him than himself. I'm not talking about the kind of control in which a woman runs your every move, like you're some sort of puppet, but the kind of control that makes you think about that special person before you think about yourself. But this fella, here, doesn't want that, he wants someone that is DTF, like the very wise cast of jersey shore would say. Someone to spend the night with and then call her a cab and say adios.

-Beatrice Mendoza

Celebrity.

You don't really have to specialize or have any talent to become a celebrity. You can become a celebrity over something negative, or based off a rumor. I think people especially artist, have a very hard time trying to adapt in the spotlight. Inside they want a regular lifestyle, go to the store, movies, mall, without being noticed or bothered. Today being a celebrity is harder then the yesteryear. I mean with all the youtube, TMZ, etc. folks will do just about anything to gain footage, they will also cross the line, even if it's disrespectful to do so. It's no more privacy, never has been. I'll rather be extremely talented and out of the limelight, then to deal with all the idiotic acts of others that are out of my control. As long as I'm financially stable to take care of my family, and doing something positive, I'm content. I will endeavor into many business and investment opportunities which will open more doors. Being a celebrity is not cool as it may seem, in public you have a colgate smile, but behind closed doors you are crying. You are a prisoner of your lifestyle, is that fun? Is this really what you want? I doubt it. Talent doesn't get recognize, it's not even a factor, you have to have more then talent to succeed. It's almost like you have to be a politician.

The Government Generation

The philosophy of the school room in one generation means our kids today, their views, their theories, and their curiosity will be tomorrow’s government. We are building tomorrow leaders having them think for themselves. Their ideas and creative nature will hopefully build a better tomorrow. What we learn we pass on to our family, friends, colleague, we give each other these thought, these idea, these point of view and it stick to one person then that one tells someone else which lead to getting your point out there. We might not see our kids now as the next president,
congressperson, or politician but one day they will be and their ideas have value in our government next generation.

One of the hardest things in life is watching someone you love, love someone else.

They always say if you truly love someone you should let that person go and if they truly love you back, they will come back to you. I always reply: if they come back, I will slam my door in their face. I don't exactly understand why people are shock when I say this because to me it is the wisest choice to make. If you truly loved me you wouldn't leave me in the first place. As a matter of fact, you would not even think about thinking about somebody else. So, I'm just suppose to see you walk away from me like we had nothing and when you come back, welcome you back as if I was not hurt. As if you did not break my heart. No. It's either me or nothing. If you have to think about it , I guess it's not met to be. To me, love should'n t hurt that much. If you love someone else, I can to do the same too. I guess seeing you walk away would have hurt if only my love for you was bigger than my apathy.

Flo!!

Chelsea's Prompt

"In this country we are obsessed with making people celebrities before they'e actually done anything."

Lately it seems like everyone is trying to be a part of the entertainment industry. Every time I log into Facebook some random person is telling me to like their music page or check out a song. In fact, the amount of "rappers" on Facebook has increased greatly in the past year. ASAP Rocky comes to mind instantly. I remember a few months ago I was with a couple of friend at the dollar pizza spot on St. Marks when this awkward male with braids enters the door. My friend Isaiah, an avid underground music listener, immediately started to hyperventilate. "T-that's ASAP Rocky!" he yelled, running over to him for a picture. I sat there confused. I had no idea who the guy was so I sent a disinterested head nod his way and continued to eat my pizza. After ASAP left my friend began to play his music. Honestly, I thought it was okay. ASAP Rocky was a funny looking character and I figured he would never make it big. But here we are four months later and all the NYC hype beasts are obsessed with him. Life is weird.

“A man’s illness is his private territory, and no matter how much he loves you, you stay an outsider. You are healthy.”

When my Grandpa gets sick, he’s fine, better than ever, healthy as an ox. Are you sure you’re okay, pop? Yes, yes ‘tis nothin’ Catherine. I know Catherine isn’t my name, but he doesn’t – he’s been calling me Catherine for years, even when he’s not sick. I chalk that off to old people problems; they’re allowed to do shit like that, it’s a senior privilege. So, throughout all of the coughing, intense dosages of medication and secretive surgeries that no one “wants me to worry about,” he’s really just fine. Maybe if they would have told me he was sick I would have said a Novina. Maybe. Who knows, it might just be the weather up here, how do us Yankees’ do it? Florida is calling by late December, and after we celebrate our Christmas goodbyes, I don’t get to hear his cough or have him tell me he’s fine for about a year. I just hope they have some good doctors down there.

Heart breaks are not that bad!

Prompt: one of the hardest things in life is watching someone you love, love someone else

It seems as though broken hearts are not as bad as people make it seem. Take Adele and Drake for example, both went through heart breaks and are now Mrs. Grammy and Mr. Grammy. If that's what heart breaks do, fill you with fame and fortune to the extend where you're taxed 6 figures, then you may rip my heart away...go on don't be shy. Anyways it's not like I care, I mean it has always been money over niggas. I can't say love is all that bad because I've never been heartbroken, I've been the heartbreaker...but I know it will happen one day. Let's just hope that auto tune is developed enough features to make someone like me sound good on an album.

-Beatrice Mendoza

The Kimmel Center View

The joy of writing is that you can write wherever you are.

The park looks really bright.
The washington square arch is ever so white.
The trees stretch their arms to protect it.
The wind blows.
whoooo whoooo,
the arch adapts to it.
The rain falls.
Dump dump dump,
The arch endures it.

Mr. Arch, aren't you tired?
Been there for hours?
How do you keep your skin so glossly white?

I'm Solid and unyielding.
Defeat is drowning in the fountain.

This arch shows spirit;
one arch, perseverance.

- Chun Wah (Angela) Hsu

“Who being loved is poor?” Oscar Wilde

I try to think of a person that would fit this description, a person that is poor and loved by someone. Wilde is implying that this person simply doesn’t exist. If I were to ask a homeless man on the street if he considered himself poor I think he would say yes. If I asked him why I doubt he would reply because no one loves me. People tend to consider poor as the definition of not having money mostly above anything else. Food, clothing, or all the other stuff follows. Wilde can say that poor can just mean lack of something. If you lack love than you are poor by logic. Now that Valentine’s Day is hours away I can’t help but notice yet another holiday filled with gift exchange and consumption of everything chocolate. If I make you a card instead of buy you one does that make me poor or make me love stronger? No it still makes you poor but honestly who doesn’t have enough money to buy a stupid card. Love can’t keep you warm, love doesn’t keep your stomach full, love doesn’t make you who you are. But now that I think of it I guess it does in a way.

-Katherine J

Not everyone that shares one's blood should be considered family.

True that! It's not because I'm related to you that makes you my family. Were you there when I was in need? Did you comfort me when I was crying? If not you are no different than someone I just know.

You pretend you love me. You claim that you know me but when I need you, you are nowhere to be found. Yes, we are related, bloodwise, but you are not my family. Family is not something that you should claim to be. It's rather a title given to the people, not necessarily relatives, that supported you no matter what. Did you do that? Aren't you the one that pulled me down that mountain when I was reaching for the top? Aren't you the one that told me I will never make it? That I will never see the stars because I am not important? Look at me now. I had risen through the strangers that pushed me to the top. Strangers that are now family to me because they did what you could not do. Now that I am standing above you, you are reaching for my hand? Why don't you walk away like you usually do because I am to busy gazing at the stars.

Flo!!

Each generation thinks they know it all and that they are on top of things. Truth be told, each generation comes with new and innovative ideas. The only online my generation knows about, is going on line in a supermarket line, on line in a bank, or the conga line. This generation is all about technology, I remembered when apple and Black berries were only fruits.

This generation sees themselves as wiser than the ones before them because they intend to take technology to a higher level. I ask myself do I want to be around when cars fly? Do I want to be around when we no longer use cell phones because there is a chip in the palm of our hands with a telephone pad? No... But that would be their generation and the world they live in. By now you all can tell I am from the generation when the telephones were rotary and stuck to the wall, typewriters were all we had. Back then that was the ultimate lifestyle. Gone are those days never to be returned.

The Posteverything Generation

Interpretive question-

why are our generation so reluctant in demanding change?

Has the internet gain control on the way we protest?

Evaluative question

how is moveon.org better compared to the way change was made possible in the 60's?

by 2020 will the technological revolution be as profound as the 1960's revolution?

By. Nieves

"You can't regret the life that you dind't lead" Junot Diaz

I do not agree with this quote. It just doesn't make sense at all. Not being able to lead your own life should give a good reason to be regretful. Not everyone can be a leader, that I understand. But everyone is capable of leading their own life. We have a lot of complainers in this world. Specially in wealthy countries. I remember a picture on facebook about a young man carrying a big bag of rice with one just arm because he lost the other. What brightened the picture was not only his courage but the smile on his face. There was another picture that showed African women carrying their goods. And underneath that picture it said: "If hard work truly gave success, every African women would be a millionaire." My point is that the people that should be complaining are the ones shutting their mouths and just doing what has to be done in order to survive. Their work might not give them anything lucrative but at the end they know they have done everything they could to find comfort.

So, yeah!! you should regret the life that you didn't lead because your existence might be insignificant.

-Flo