Middlesex+journal+entry+2

I both agree and disagree with Faulkner's statement. In a way, I do not think the past ever dies because it makes us who we are today. My parent's past, my heritage, etc are all a part of my identity. In addition, I know that there are events in my mother's past (for example) that she will never forget. However, in simple terms, every day is a fresh start. It's the big events in your past and the general parts of your past that will never die. However, not doing so great on a test yesterday or something as relatively "small" as that can go away and you can start the next day with a clean slate. Without realizing the past, one will probably lose her identity (in my opinion). I have also noticed throughout my life, and noticing the lives of others, that we can learn from the past because often times history repeats itself.

1. I did not know what the "YWCA" (on page 82) was so I looked it up. The YWCA is one of the oldest and largest women organizations in America. They also helped people across the world and they still help people today. I roamed their website ywca.org for a little bit to find some more information out about their history. Camshaft: I'm still try to grasp this one, but I found a picture that helped (I found the picture and definition on wikipedia.org). A camshaft is a mechanical piece to which a "cam" is attached. A cam is a device that is usually used to transform rotary motion into linear motion (it makes "sliding contact"). A camshaft is operates in an internal combustion engine.

5. Jimmy is a jerk! I know that this time period was much more conservative and sexist than current day but when he says, "Women aren't like us. They have carnal natures. The best thing to do with them is to shut them up in a maze," I kind of wanted to punch him (113). His actions at the end of the "Minotaurs" chapter also angered me. I'm kind of confused as to why he is so angry though...

6. I thought that Lina's view of pregnancy was very interesting and definitely a view I never really considered before. She says that "Pregnancy made her feel too much like an animal. It was embarrassing to be so publicly colonized...It linked her with the lower forms of life" (114). I never really considered pregnancy to be this way..I always thought it was something more humane than animalistic. But I guess I can see where she is coming from. Also, Lina's gender perspectives on a lot of things are very intriguing and different. This may have to do with living with her sexist husband, combined with the gender views she observed/new in her past. Contrasting Lina's view of pregnancy, Desdemona has the opposite view. The narrator discusses how she "came into a physical knowledge of" the women of that came before her, "shared their pains and sighs, their fear and protectiveness, their outrage, their expectation" (113). I thought it was interesting how the narrator describes Desdemona's "hand to her belly" as her "supporting the world" (113).