Kyla’s Comments (group member since Nov 13, 2019)

Kyla’s comments from the Spine Crackers group.

Sage wrote: "Kyla wrote: "Throughout the novel we are taken through Emoni's coming of age journey, portrayed through many themes such as perseverance, the strength and importance of family bonds and believing i..."
Thank you! I took the idea from the names of each section of the book though so it wasn't that clever but I appreciate it.

Jonathan wrote: "Kyla wrote: "Throughout the novel we are taken through Emoni's coming of age journey, portrayed through many themes such as perseverance, the strength and importance of family bonds and believing i..."
I believe Acevedo organized the book this way because the end of the novel was truly bittersweet, meanwhile the middle was savory and full of happiness. Spain was an eyeopening experience for Emoni, where she learned valuable lessons, cooked the Monday special at Chef Amadí's restaurant (Acevedo 291) and even got very close to Malachi (318). 'Buela has fallen in love with Mr. Jagoda (354), which is amazing for both 'Buela and Emoni who is happy for her grandmother. The last part of the novel is bittersweet though since graduating high school is already a huge change in someone's life and can bring about feelings of happiness and sadness. Additionally, Tyrone wants extended visitation with Emma ( 371). Bitter because Emoni would never want to lose time with her daughter, however, sweet because she will be able to focus more on work and her own life.

Respect is always an important and vital theme in a piece of literature and life. Even though this thread was aimed more at the beginning of the book, I would still like to incorporate this theme into the discussion. When Malachi was first introduced in the book, he seemed like a player who was all about his looks, however, as Emoni and the reader got to know him better, we learned that he is actually a kind, gentle and caring guy. We can thank his mother for instilling respect and good manners into him as his Auntie Jordyn exclaims "' Just because your momma isn't here doesn't mean you forget what she's taught you!' But as quick as she frowned she's smiling and letting Malachi go" (Acevedo 240). Not only is Malachi a respectable guy though, but Emoni also has manners, a key trait that will lead her far in life, taught to her by 'Buela.

In the chapter entitled "Chivalry" the theme of guilt and past occurrences creeping up and affecting future choices plays a role in Emoni's life. Emoni describes the feelings she has for Malachi who is so very kind to her, holding her hand and pushing the stroller with his free hand while she is in "... a web of knots" (Acevedo 244). Emoni thinks to herself, "The feelings of this growing crush tangle with the feelings of guilt and doubt about whether or not I [Emoni] should pursue this. But I wish I could strip myself of my past and enjoy who I am right now" (244). Not only is this excerpt rich writing because it is relatable to many (including me!), but it also incorporates a metaphor to give the reader a description of the uncertainty Emoni feels with following her heart or letting her mind overthink the situation and talk her out of being happy with Malachi. Later in the book, Acevedo is continuing to incorporate Emoni's feelings of hurt as a result of her past when she realizes "...the past isn't a mirror image of the future, but it's a reflection of what can be; and when your first love breaks your heart, the shards of that can still draw blood for a long, long time" (331).

Throughout the novel we are taken through Emoni's coming of age journey, portrayed through many themes such as perseverance, the strength and importance of family bonds and believing in yourself. These themes serve as the main ingredients in Emoni's life. However, cooking, even though it may seem like a key "ingredient", is really an extra spice, serving as a metaphor to understanding and navigating life with its many twists, turns, and challenges. Acevedo utilizes metaphors and similes to describe her food, as well as life, by it being either sour, bittersweet or savory. Tyrone left a sour taste on Emoni's pallet, making her nervous to even give Malachi the time of day. However, as cooking class progressed, similarly to Malachi and Emoni's friendship, her life became bittersweet. Emoni loved spending time with Malachi, however it became an issue with Tyrone who was angry about other guys being around his daughter (Acevedo 190). Despite this, Emoni feels pure joy after the Winter Dinner, raising enough money to place the deposit for the class trip to Spain and lower the cost every student had to pay in order to go (223). The savory feeling of visiting Spain, being able to get an internship at a restaurant and cook the special on her first day adds more meaning to the metaphor of Emoni's life. Through all her hardships: losing her job, not having parents in her life, and being a single mother as a high school senior, Emoni still finds joy and peace in her life and in cooking, while being able to overcome her fears, one of them being, dating Malachi (370).

Brigid wrote: "Lovely Question - maybe to add structure...

Main ingredients: theme
Extra spices: rhetorical devices
Garnish: motifs

BTW anyone start cooking now that we are home-bound? Anyone try pout one of he..."
I've been baking and cooking many different things that I have either found on social media or old recipes my mom and grandma used to make. However, I remembered there were recipes in the book so I tried out "No use crying over spilled strawberry milk" since I had leftover strawberries from a dessert I made. I thought it turned out alright, but my brother absolutely loved it!

Zach wrote: "In the chapter "Dreams" Acevedo expresses Emoni's hopes and wishes for her daughter Babygirl in a creative way. In the text it states "There's so much I want for her that sometimes I think the seam..."
Emoni most definitely desires for her daughter to be successful when she grows up, as most parents would do. With this comes the Emoni's desire to raise Emma correctly, to be a good person that does not have to deal with the negative effects of having separated parents, or parents who aren't present at all like Emoni.

In the chapter entitled "Winter Dreams" Acevedo employs some "Rich writing" in the form of a simile. Emoni thinks to herself about how "It feels strange to leave the kitchen. As if I'm naked" (Acevedo 221). Emoni is quite nervous to present herself in front of such a large crowd of people that she cooked food for, despite being proud of her accomplishments. As a chef, one rarely leaves the kitchen, especially Emoni who simply cooks at school and home, therefore leaving her with a strange feeling of butterflies in her stomach when it comes time to face the crowd, similar to the feeling of being naked: bare and without any protection from others, being the crowd of people at the dinner. Emoni is stepping out of her comfort zone to be honored for her cooking, trying new things while also attempting to follow the rules of life and Chef Ayden's recipes whilst making good decisions.

Declan wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Declan wrote: "The first part that comes to mind for me is when Tyrone comes to pick up Babygirl. Emoni describes it as "She blinks up at her father like he's a burst of sunshine ..."
Another example of the theme of worrying becoming prevalent as the story of Emoni's life progresses is when she expresses that "...the fear you have for someone else's life always eclipses the gear you have for your own" (Acevedo 137). Emoni had become extremely nervous and anxious to hear from her father Julio or any of his neighbors as a hurricane was predicted to hit the country soon. Tying into the theme of unconditional love, Emoni still cares and worries for Julio even though he abandoned her and left her with her grandmother.

Jonathan wrote: "Kyla wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "When talking about imagery in the beginning of "With the Fire on High," the first thing that comes to mind for me is when Emoni tries to find her family's features in ..."
I do agree that family ties are important to Emoni and see what you are saying. Despite that, the quote "' Emoni, yo sé, you have a lot of hard feelings about him [Julio]'" (147) and Emoni's reply "' I'll give him a call later and make sure he doesn't need anything", but instead she calls Angelica, seems to portray Emoni as not prioritizing her relationship with her dad, consequently not valuing those family ties as much as with others. Additionally, it seemed to me as a reader that Emoni was very uncaring and cold to 'Buela's statement.

Jonathan wrote: "When talking about imagery in the beginning of "With the Fire on High," the first thing that comes to mind for me is when Emoni tries to find her family's features in Emma. She includes details suc..."
The theme you stated was strong family connections, however, I beg to differ. Emoni has a good relationship with her daughter Emma and her Abuela, however, not so good of a relationship with her father, who has not been present most of her life, or Tyrone. Despite this, Emoni's good character prevails when interacting with both Tyrone and Julio. Emoni does not hold any grudges against either of them, acting civil and kind to them. With her father, Julio, Emoni is kinder than I believe that he deserves. After leaving his daughter without a mother to go back to Puerto Rico, I would not have any love or respect for him, however, Emoni still calls him every week to see how he's doing and even checks up on him when receiving news about the storm to hit Puerto Rico (Acevedo 137).

Melissa wrote: "Unconditional love for those close to you is an obvious theme throughout "With the Fire on High". Emoni loves Babygirl and would do anything for her despite the extra trouble she has to go through...."
In the chapter that starts on page 105 named "Santi", the theme you presented is clearly present. I do not know if you have gotten up to that point yet so I do not want to spoil it for you but just keep an eye out for the theme of unconditional love, no matter how rude or judgemental people are. Let me know if you read it/ when you do so we can discuss it!

Elizabeth Acevedo incorporates imagery into her literature to constantly develop the theme of coming of age. Emoni Santiago, a senior in high school, faces many struggles including not having present parents, therefore causing her to be raised by her Abuela, in addition to having a child of her own and not having a wealthy, affluent background. Despite these circumstances, Emoni is able to express herself through her cooking, being able to have her "...hands move on their own, grabbing and slicing and mincing" (Acevedo 92). Recipes Emoni follows represent life and the choices one must make, however, she seems to enjoy taking her own path, spicing life up a bit. As seen in Chef Ayden's kitchen when Emoni adds smoked paprika to the chocolate pudding even though that was not on the recipe, Chef Ayden states that it "...is delicious..." as he "...closes his eyes again as if the darkness behind his lids will help him better taste the flavors. His eyes pop open" (96).

Even though I am not the moderator I would still like to pose a question to all of you. I am pretty sure all of us took AP World II with Mrs. Tiu, who covered information regarding the various different slave systems existing between the 15th and 19th centuries. Do any of you remember studying sex slaves which were used in both North and South America and countries in the Eastern hemisphere? The conditions in which sex slaves lived were very similar to those that handmaids resided in. The sole purpose of both groups was for sexual relations that could possibly result in a pregnancy. Men, especially slave owners, valued their concubine slaves more than there skilled male slaves because they provided pleasure as well as a reproductive tool to acquire more slaves, similar to the handmaid's who were important in Gilead because they were fertile, or "fruitful" (Atwood 61) and could reproduce.

Jonathan wrote: "Kyla wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Kyla wrote: "Declan wrote: "I strongly doubt that this could happen in the future to the United States. I strongly doubt this because people are too involved in politi..."
Well, I do not think one can categorize history with only "some hiccups" and describe people "thriving". As our other group members like Eva and Abby have described, people are being persecuted to this day because of how they identify themselves and for what they believe. Slavery, discrimination (for any reason, including for religious reasons, racism and homophobia) and terrorism should not be brushed over with the term "hiccup". These and many other issues are serious and detrimental to society. Although there are organizations that work to limit prejudice and inequality, people still fear for their lives every hour of every day. I get what you were trying to say, however, the phrasing wasn't the best, sorry. I do hope though that people change for the better, the next generation of people do not know what inequality is, and peace will come.

Although this question was aimed at the first three chapters, as I continued reading I found great uses of imagery incorporated into the text. Offred is looking at Serena Joy trimming flowers while admiring the beauty of "...the irises, rising beautiful and cool on their tall stalks, like blown glass, like pastel water momentarily frozen in a splash, light blue, light mauve, and the darker ones, velvet and purple, black cat's ears in the sun, indigo shadow, and the bleeding hearts..." (Atwood 153). Atwood beautifully describes the irises in the garden with the use of imagery in this quote.

Jonathan wrote: "Kyla wrote: "Declan wrote: "I strongly doubt that this could happen in the future to the United States. I strongly doubt this because people are too involved in politics for big changes to be made ..."
I do believe that war could possibly cause a losing country, or countries, to be set back economically and politically, however I do not think that in this age anything like the extremist theocracy described in "The Handmaid's Tale" could occur. Although poorer countries in the Western Hemisphere function very differently than the United States, I think the United Nations or other countries would step in to help as much as possible to prevent a dystopian reality. At least one could only hope that the world has at least a little bit of good in it that competing countries would help each other out in dire situations. With this though one needs to take into account what Sage touched upon with the society in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and many other Middle Eastern countries which can be considered theocracies following Sharia law that oppress women.

Sage wrote: "Kyla wrote: "Throughout the first few chapters of the book “The Handmaids Tale” Atwood incorporates imagery into the text to give an in depth description of life in the Republic of Gilead. In the h..."
I agree with your interpretation of the purpose of the Latin inscription on the floor Sage. The previous handmaid living in that room believes other handmaids who come after her have the strength to push through and survive in such a strict theocracy. Even Offred realizes the importance of perseverance when she thinks "I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance. If it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending. Then there will be an ending to the story, and real life will come after it. I can pick up where I left off (Atwood 39). The previous Handmaid and Offred know that it is important to not lose sight of your value and beliefs, as you stated.

Sage wrote: "Eva wrote: "Abby wrote: "Eva wrote: "Margaret Atwood uses symbolism in the novel to emphasize a point she is trying to make about the society represented in the book. A society that bases a woman's..."
It is so mentally draining to be treated the way Offred and probably many other handmaids are treated. They are constantly beat down and treated unfairly, as seen with Serena Joy's actions towards Offred. Serena Joy dislikes Offred such much that she does not even allow her time to "...rest, for ten minutes, with my [Offred's] feet on a pillow to improve the chances [of Offred getting pregnant]" (Atwood 95). Although not allowing Offred the time to rest after the Ceremony is technically hurting Serena since the Ceremony occurred so Serena could have a daughter, she feels no respect or compassion to the handmaid who is having intercourse with her husband. Despite not having much of a choice or say in her situation, as you said, Offred is simply completing the Ceremony for the benefit of Serena, but Serena continues to be rude and treat Offred cruelly, further proving the subordinate position handmaid's hold in Gilead.

Eva wrote: "Kyla wrote: "Sage wrote: "Atwood uses certain to represent different aspects of the society in Gilead. Color is used to show the most vital characteristic of Gilead, childbirth. However, red can al..."
Yes exactly! However, I do not think Christianity in the form we know today in our society is the kind that serves as the "cornerstone of society in Gilead". As a result of the revolution that occurred in "The Handmaid's Tale" that spurred all of the drastic changes described by Offred, I believe that this form of religion is an extreme sect of Christianity. In other words, I think that the Christianity practiced in Gilead is a radical version and the government is a theocracy, structured and controlled by the rules and laws outlined by the revolutionaries.