Blog 082914

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Blog 082714

    In chapter 4 called "The Garden" I thought it was very interesting how the author talks about her fathers pride in the garden being grown in their home in Minneapolis.  I think that the garden somewhat represents her parents marriage because her father takes so much control and pride in their garden that he begins to control it much like her parents marriage.  Then later we find out that they split up and I believe that it was caused by he father being too controlling.  I also thought that it was very interesting when the Norris family moves into their home in Minneapolis most of their neighbors flee the area and more black families into the neighborhood.  It is very important to the Norris family that they always look nice and act in a respectful way.  This shows that the neighbors who moved away from their family never really had anything to complain about the Norris family besides the color of their skin.

    Also, in chapter 5 the author seems to go into detail about her father life in Alabama. The sense of community and family in Birmingham is shown a lot in this chapter by the way they speak to each other.  One of my favorite parts in this chapter and this book is when her father compares his brothers to the seven dwarfs.  The way that her father jokes about their looks and temperament relating to the seven dwarfs just fits with his family's stories.  I think that these chapters really focus on her dad's life and his story and how he was always a hard worker and trying to put others before himself.  Even at the end she describes her father as a cheerful man who was always smiling and trying to cheer others up and make then feel better.