This painting of a strange, odd and unusual building depicts a coffeepot as if it was a coal furnace. The fact that the painters of this piece of art are Cuban, plays an important role in the translation of the piece. The coffeepot seems to be expressing the items made domestically, by hand, while the coal oven seems to be depicting a modern industrialized creation. Connection the two together, making them seem as one truly shows the drastic difference between the domestic handmade goods, compared to the modern makings and the connections that grew overtime. This can be seen through a perspective that states coffee making has become an industrialized business. There are countless factories and institutions processing and packaging coffee beans daily. Numerous companies have prospered due to such a high demand for coffee. In our city, practically every single block has a store (or five) that sell coffee. Whether it’s a Dunkin Donuts or a mini mart, coffee is present. This used to be a raw material that was freshly grounded, mixed with hot water and was drank that very day. These days, this is simply not the case. We have people in countries such as Cuba, Mexico, Colombia that complete the process and we see the output at our local Starbucks. We don’t realize nor acknowledge the tremendous amount of hard work that it took for that packaged bag of coffee that we pluck off the shelf at our supermarkets. Coffee has become an industrialized business and is growing each and everyday.

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As Jacob walked out of his house with his father and brother, he felt a brush of cool air that made him snuggle in his jacket. They entered their car and drove for approximately 40 minutes from Brooklyn to Manhattan. During the duration of the ride, Jacob was forced to hear the irritating sound of the AM radio his father enjoys listening to. The subject of the annoying radio was about money, interest rates, stocks… It made Jacob think that he needs to make a lot of  money, really quickly, so that he doesn’t have to wake up this early (6:30 am) and head to school every morning. Jacob’s father dropped him off on the way to work on 6th Ave and 23rd St. He saw many people walking, running… all on their way to start their day. From there, Jacob went to the Starbucks on the corner and got a double toasted butter croissant and an iced coffee with milk and sugar (5 pumps of sugar syrup). He then plugged in his headphones, listened to music, nibbled on his croissant as he made his way classes. As he listened to the music through his headphones, the sounds reminded him of the music he was dancing to the night before at a friends wedding, it got him a little pumped and boosted his start of the day. On the way to school Jacob encountered a man named Johnny. He was a homeless man asking for some change. Jacob looked around and didn’t see anyone give him money, so it made me feel really bad. Jacob thought to himself, “why should a man like this have to suffer in the cold, famished, begging on the hard cement floor, while everyone walks by him without even acknowledging his existence.” Jacob went over to him, said “good morning” and gave him all the money he had brought for lunch that day. This incident made Jacob feel better, and was happy to make Johnny’s life a bit easier. After this incident, Jacob continued walking, through Madison Square Park, up until the entrance of Baruch College.

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Gregor Samsa wakes up one day realizes that he has gone through an extreme transformation. He has gone from a human male, to a disgusting pest. This does not go well at all with his family. At first when Gregor does not leave the house for work, this family believes that Gregor is just being lazy and irresponsible again. But when he exits his room for the first time as a vermin, the family completely freaks out. Even though Gregor was still their son, they had no respect for him at all. This can be an allegory that symbolizes the way Gregor actually felt in his everyday life, prior to being a disgusting bug. Gregor was not doing great financially, he was depressed and his family never treated him with dignity or admiration. After a while, being treated in such horrific manners can lead to depression and hating life as a whole. This is what Gregor felt, and that was what the bug represented. He felt like he was being treated as some nauseating, and sickening bug and it was hard for him to handle. His own father was trying to chase him and injure him, his mother fainted almost every time she saw him and his little sister who at first cared for him eventually wanted him out of the house. After all this hatred, tension and depression, Gregor did not see meaning to life. He did not enjoy any moment, and the vermin he transformed to, is what he felt like as he lived through life.

I found Douglass’s work to me extremely informative and revealing. It gave us certain details of a slaves’ way of living and made the reader view life through the eyes of an actual slave, Frederick Douglass. Through Douglass’s words, he exposes the moments of realization he had endured throughout his life that changed his way of thought and actions. Such realizations include the moment he realizes he would rather die than be treated as a slave. Another major and crucial insight is when he understands that a key reason to why whites were successful in making humans of black color their slaves was the power of education. The blacks were completely uneducated, giving them no power and no voice. This is extremely important to Douglass, and he realizes he must try to absorb as much knowledge when the opportunities arise. He manages to learn to read and write a bit from newspapers, and other young white kids. I concur with Douglass in that education was a key component in abolishing slavery forever. Frederik Douglass lived a tough life. He never knew or met his father, saw his mother only a couple of times, and lived through beatings, hunger and injustice. He could not stand witnessing his race being exploited, raped, tortured and abused. He was willing to give up his life in the fight for equality. His novel was like a roller coaster. There were some ups and downs, but at the end of the novel we see that he has achieved his goal, freedom.

Frederick Douglass mentions in a couple of places throughout his novel about the abuse and victimization of black women. In the beginning of the novel, Douglass describes the beating of his dear Aunt Hester. He depicts that they had stripped her of her clothing, then beat her with anger and blood throughout the scene. The article written in the New York Times states that the suffering of women, especially being raped in inhumane ways are sometimes disregarded. The articles specifically talk’s about the film, “The Birth of a Nation.” The film portrays women of color as helpless and voiceless (literally). Esther, a black character in the film, was raped and did not get to say a word in the film. Rather, she had to express her destitute emotions through facial expressions, solely. Women slaves arguably went through the worst of the suffering during the era. They were beaten, raped and brutalized repeatedly. They were forced to have sexual relations with slave owners, and carry their children (only to be sold for a profit and beaten). Douglass speaks about women that were abused throughout his narrative. Instances such as the whipping of his Aunt Hester, when his grandmother had to watch her children and grandchildren being sold like animals, or when he witnessed women being raped by men in order for Covey (slave master) to make money, all gave Frederick Douglass an extra push to fight for his freedom and the freedom of his race.

I strongly believe that the creature that Frankenstein created is more like “The Lamb”, rather than “The Tyger.” The lamb is described in the poem as beautiful, soft, and innocent. “Softest clothing wooly bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice!” The lamb is portrayed as a harmless and beautiful animal. It has a gentle voice, and the softest of skins. The lamb is peaceful and calm, representing a fresh start. This is where I see the resemblance with the creature. The creature was made by Frankenstein and then abandoned. The creature was born free of guilt, not harming anyone or anything. Eventually after it is treated poorly throughout the novel, the creature strikes back and kills a couple of humans. The lamb and the creature that Victor Frankenstein had created have multiple traits that are comparable. When the creature was “born”, it was a fresh start. It could have learned to act in which ever way it was taught to. It was innocent, and naive just like the lamb. “The Tyger” on the other hand is portrayed as a vicious animal that is ready to kill. The poem describes the animal as malicious and brutal. The poem asks what kind of being could have created such a violent animal. This animal is not comparable to the creature because the creature only learned to kill after it was repeatedly treated unfairly. Therefore, I feel that since both the lamb and the creature are born innocent, gentle, naive and free of guilt, they are more similar to each other than to “The Tyger.”

Fictional stories and stories in general are crucial to literature for various reasons. Stories educate and inform the human mind in ways nothing else can. Fictional stories allow and help us think about things through an unfamiliar and interesting lens. People enjoy listening, writing, telling and reading stories that get our brains thinking and imagining things in a different perspective. These stories aid us mentally by elevating us into a different world and allowing us to imagine scenarios that can not happen in our daily lives. Stories have the capability of expanding our knowledge by telling us who we are, where we came from and where we are going. By depicting what the past generations have lived through, we can learn from they’re mistakes and avoid some hardships that they have endured. This allows us to have a clear view of where we are headed in the future and to use the knowledge and information learned form stories. A fictional story might be a “fake” story, but can have much meaning and can teach lessons that can be applied to our present lives. In the enlightenment period people were curious and asking questions in order to educate themselves and absorb knowledge that was unfamiliar to them. Fictional stories can relate to the enlightenment period because people want to hear and read about a world that is unknown to them.

The importance of Descartes idea of “Cogito Ergo Sum” has a deep and intellectual meaning to it. It is important because it emphasizes that logic, reason and truth all come form our mind. We should not take orders and statements from authorities, or someone on a higher class level than yourself as facts, just because they are richer or more powerful. Instead we should ask the reasoning behind it, and make sure you understand and concur with the reasoning behind it. Ask questions, be curious, and look at the science, statistics and facts. Make sure you are given you natural human rights and that you and your mind are not exploited by a member of the higher class. Everyone should be entitled to the same privileges, opportunities and claims. Everyone has the right to reflect and believe in what they want. People should be able to act and behave as they want and not have to hide behind their actions. Don’t be afraid, rather make inquires and make sure you understand why you are performing certain activities, not solely on the basis of someone else’s commands. If you are able to think and have an opinion, then you obviously exist and should have the right to. The fact that he can think or anyone can think implies that they exist. Any approach of thought proves existence. Thinking is a powerful and crucial aspect of life. It allows us to find reasoning behind certain statements, laws and “facts.” Remember that reason and logic come from your mind, and if you are able to ponder and think, this evidently means you exist.