Monday, March 31, 2014
Food Memoir: The Monkey Bread Mantra
Haley Hopkins
Ms. Nichole Wilson
AP Literature and Composition
1 April 2014
The Monkey Bread
Mantra
I hate breakfast.
My distaste for the
first meal of the day may seem strange, given my immense love of food. Perhaps
it is because even when I am not forced out of bed at ungodly hours, I cannot
bring myself to enjoy a traditional American breakfast. I am not a fan of bacon
(gasp!), orange juice makes me nauseous, and if I had to choose between having
my eggs scrambled or sunny-side-up, I would choose neither. Nine months out of
the year, though, I do not even have those options. Too often, I find myself
stumbling out the door – five minutes late – grabbing the first available
edible item on my counter.
Mornings equate to
rushing in my household. I know I am not just speaking for myself here. It is
not uncommon knowledge that Americans struggle to come together for a meal. “The
fact that American families eat together as a family much less often than those
in Europe is reflected in the difference in family solidarity in the two
cultures”(Claxton). It seems that Europeans have figured it out: bonding over a
meal leads to a more structurally sound family. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep
combined with the pressure to be punctual has left many Americans shouting
their goodbyes through a closing door, unwrapping granola bars in the silence
of their isolation, wishing for more time. I hate breakfast because I rarely
have time to enjoy it, especially with my family. After all, “eating is,
preferably, a social activity”(Cornejo Happel), but in today’s culture, our
preferences do not seem to matter in the early hours of the morning.
Maybe it is the rarity
of it all that makes the monkey bread even sweeter.
In all honesty, I would
be lying if I said my mother was handed down the monkey bread recipe, or if my
grandmother taught her how to make it. The truth, according to her, is that once
upon a time, she was looking for something sweet to eat in the morning that
could maybe, possibly force my family to sit down together and enjoy. She
browsed the internet until she found the classic monkey bread recipe. I still
remember the first morning she made it. I was not very young; at thirteen, I
was already used to dashing out the door. But on this particular morning, the
smell of vanilla wafted throughout the kitchen as my mother pulled the bundt
pan out of the oven, telling me that if I wanted to try this new recipe, I
would have to sit down with her and eat it. And so, I did; for five blissful
minutes, I allowed the savory combination of cinnamon, sugar, butter, vanilla,
and bread melt in my mouth. It was not exactly a conversation, but it was definitely
the beginning of something far more important than I had realized at the time.
My mother eventually
taught me how to make monkey bread, but she is still the one who makes it for
the family. She prepares it on random days. This is done purposefully. It is a
reminder. It forces us to ask ourselves: “Why don’t we value time as we do any
other good or service?” (Maidment). The concept of time can be tricky, but what
is commonly recognized across cultures is that time – and time spent with
family, at that – is both fleeting and valuable.
When the monkey bread
finds itself sitting on my kitchen table, my family ends up having the time we
so often find ourselves desperately craving. We use it to talk about the
upcoming day, plans for the week, or maybe even the dreams we had the night
before. It’s a short conversation – usually about ten minutes – but it is
wonderful. Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, but we
typically do not treat it as such. “You see, we often get so caught up in our
busy lives that we tend to forget just how important it is to truly live in and
experience each and every moment in its simplicity” (Peterson). Ten minutes of
simplicity, spent bonding with my family over a single dish, is all I need to
be reminded of the value of family and time. Both are priceless.
I still hate breakfast.
But I love what happens sometime around sunrise every once in a while, when the
air is sweeter and everyone is smiling, stomachs full of something that is not
quite nutritious, but fully satisfying. I love how everything slows down. When
my family sits down to share monkey bread, we are not having breakfast. We are
not rushing, scowling at the clocks we pass as we scan the pantry for the
quickest to-go option. We are valuing time; and, more importantly, the time we
are able to spend with each other.
I used to wish monkey
bread was on the kitchen table more often. But then I realized it would lose
its value. Monkey bread is not, by any means, the “glue” that holds my family together.
It is simply a reminder of the things that we tend to take for granted.
However, I am a firm believer in its mantra: family is great, time is precious,
and monkey bread is delicious.
Works Cited:
Claxton, Mervyn. N.p.. Web. 17 Mar 2014.
<http://www.normangirvan.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/culturefood-and-identity-6.pdf>.
Cornejo Happel, Claudia A.. "You
Are What You Eat." . The Ohio State University, n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2014.
<http://www.normangirvan.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/culturefood-and-identity-6.pdf>.
Maidment, Paul. "The Price Of
Time." Forbes. 29 02 2008: n. page. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/28/economics-time-price-oped-time08-cx_pm_0229maidment.html>.
Peterson, Jerrica. N.p., n. d. 17 Mar
2014. <http://thoughtcatalog.com/jerrica-peterson/2013/12/enjoy-every-moment-its-time-to-stop-taking-things-for-granted/>.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Blog Post #19 - "The Rainbow"
Part I - Original Essay:
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow," comparison/contrast combined with purposeful repetition showcases a woman's desire for something she believes is beyond the farm: knowledge.
Life on the farm is less than adequate for Mrs. Brangwen; she is through with it being "enough for the men that the earth heaved...that they helped the cow in labour..." (1-5). Nature and work on the farm are not enough for her. She yearns for "another form of life...the magic land" (21), where others have been "discovering what was beyond" (26). The men on the farm are representative of a life without true knowledge, which she believes lies in the city. However, there is someone who embodies perfection in her mind: the vicar. In contrast to her own husband, the vicar speaks "the other, magic language" and has "the other, finer bearing..." (41-42). Her husband, "in his large geniality, seemed dull and local" (51).The vicar has "power over her husband" (53-54) because he possesses knowledge beyond her own comprehension. In her mind, knowledge equates to power.
Mrs. Brangwen "craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being..."(56-57). The repetition of the word "craved" highlights her desperation for knowledge. She craved knowledge in the same way those on the farm would crave food. Even more important, however, is the repetition of the word "know." Used in many forms, it is repeated multiple times throughout the second half of the passage - it is even the final word. Mrs. Brangwen cannot seem to identify her own quest, as she asks rhetorical questions such as "...what was it?" towards the end of the passage. However, through Lawrence's purposeful repetition, her desperation for knowledge is made clear.
The quest for knowledge haunts Mrs. Brangwen, who cannot identify her own struggle, but yearns for what is not tangible. By comparing and contrasting not only life on the farm and life on the city, but Mr. Brangwen with the vicar, Lawrence shows the torn world this woman is living in; and through repetition, he is able to convey the woman's feelings of desperation for what lies both beyond and in the farm, but not in herself: knowledge.
Part II :
I gave myself a 6 on this essay. I felt that I had an adequately developed analysis, and made use of appropriate specifics of the text. I felt that my ideas were expressed with clarity, but weren’t completely and fully developed. This is what kept me out of the 7-9 range. The only element of a “6” essay I felt I surpassed was syntax and diction. I do not believe I had any errors when it came to these – but, I probably could have elevated my language. Given that I haven’t written an essay since November, though, I felt I did a decent job, and am perfectly okay with having a “6” essay as my starting point.
After researching D.H. Lawrence, I began to understand other complexities of his piece. The biggest one was probably “blood knowledge.” I noticed the word “blood” being repeated at the beginning of the passage, but could not connect it with the woman’s desire for knowledge (especially with the vicar). Had I understood it earlier, I definitely would have incorporated it into my essay. I also noted that Lawrence “believe industrial western culture was dehumanizing because it emphasized intellectual attributes to the exclusion of natural of physical instinct,” which partially confirmed my thoughts, but also elevated my understanding of the passage. I would have discussed this in my essay, too, had I previously known about it.
After reading from 5 Steps to a 5, participating in class discussions, and norming the essays, I became aware of a few things that I wished I could’ve included in my essay. The repetition of other words besides the ones discussed in my essay (ex: blood, looking) could have been helpful in my own piece, but I hadn’t been able to make strong enough connections to use them. I felt that the 8/9 essays in the packet from class were able to really “tie things together,” which I tend to do in my head, but not on paper. I would definitely find a way to do that if I had the opportunity to go back.
Simple reflection also gave me ideas of ways I could improve my essay. I could have incorporated one more literary technique into my thesis/essay. Perhaps I could have further discussed the use of rhetorical questions and/or the tone of the passage. I also feel that I could have used more elevated language and focused on things such as juxtaposition more. My introductory paragraph was short, but it was also to the point, so I'm unsure as to whether or not it was satisfactory. In the end, though, focusing on more complex literary techniques and parts of the passage is what will really help bump my essay into the 7-9 range.
In D.H. Lawrence's "The Rainbow," comparison/contrast combined with purposeful repetition showcases a woman's desire for something she believes is beyond the farm: knowledge.
Life on the farm is less than adequate for Mrs. Brangwen; she is through with it being "enough for the men that the earth heaved...that they helped the cow in labour..." (1-5). Nature and work on the farm are not enough for her. She yearns for "another form of life...the magic land" (21), where others have been "discovering what was beyond" (26). The men on the farm are representative of a life without true knowledge, which she believes lies in the city. However, there is someone who embodies perfection in her mind: the vicar. In contrast to her own husband, the vicar speaks "the other, magic language" and has "the other, finer bearing..." (41-42). Her husband, "in his large geniality, seemed dull and local" (51).The vicar has "power over her husband" (53-54) because he possesses knowledge beyond her own comprehension. In her mind, knowledge equates to power.
Mrs. Brangwen "craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being..."(56-57). The repetition of the word "craved" highlights her desperation for knowledge. She craved knowledge in the same way those on the farm would crave food. Even more important, however, is the repetition of the word "know." Used in many forms, it is repeated multiple times throughout the second half of the passage - it is even the final word. Mrs. Brangwen cannot seem to identify her own quest, as she asks rhetorical questions such as "...what was it?" towards the end of the passage. However, through Lawrence's purposeful repetition, her desperation for knowledge is made clear.
The quest for knowledge haunts Mrs. Brangwen, who cannot identify her own struggle, but yearns for what is not tangible. By comparing and contrasting not only life on the farm and life on the city, but Mr. Brangwen with the vicar, Lawrence shows the torn world this woman is living in; and through repetition, he is able to convey the woman's feelings of desperation for what lies both beyond and in the farm, but not in herself: knowledge.
Part II :
I gave myself a 6 on this essay. I felt that I had an adequately developed analysis, and made use of appropriate specifics of the text. I felt that my ideas were expressed with clarity, but weren’t completely and fully developed. This is what kept me out of the 7-9 range. The only element of a “6” essay I felt I surpassed was syntax and diction. I do not believe I had any errors when it came to these – but, I probably could have elevated my language. Given that I haven’t written an essay since November, though, I felt I did a decent job, and am perfectly okay with having a “6” essay as my starting point.
After researching D.H. Lawrence, I began to understand other complexities of his piece. The biggest one was probably “blood knowledge.” I noticed the word “blood” being repeated at the beginning of the passage, but could not connect it with the woman’s desire for knowledge (especially with the vicar). Had I understood it earlier, I definitely would have incorporated it into my essay. I also noted that Lawrence “believe industrial western culture was dehumanizing because it emphasized intellectual attributes to the exclusion of natural of physical instinct,” which partially confirmed my thoughts, but also elevated my understanding of the passage. I would have discussed this in my essay, too, had I previously known about it.
After reading from 5 Steps to a 5, participating in class discussions, and norming the essays, I became aware of a few things that I wished I could’ve included in my essay. The repetition of other words besides the ones discussed in my essay (ex: blood, looking) could have been helpful in my own piece, but I hadn’t been able to make strong enough connections to use them. I felt that the 8/9 essays in the packet from class were able to really “tie things together,” which I tend to do in my head, but not on paper. I would definitely find a way to do that if I had the opportunity to go back.
Simple reflection also gave me ideas of ways I could improve my essay. I could have incorporated one more literary technique into my thesis/essay. Perhaps I could have further discussed the use of rhetorical questions and/or the tone of the passage. I also feel that I could have used more elevated language and focused on things such as juxtaposition more. My introductory paragraph was short, but it was also to the point, so I'm unsure as to whether or not it was satisfactory. In the end, though, focusing on more complex literary techniques and parts of the passage is what will really help bump my essay into the 7-9 range.
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