Summer is almost over...

Wow, I can't believe I haven't been on here in months. Nor can I believe that the summer is almost over!! I will be starting my last semester in college in 6 days! I am nervous excited about the whole thing. Nervous about getting a job, especially with the economy the way it is. Excited too, that I will finally be finished with college and moving on to something bigger and greater!

Well, I better get back to doing laundry and such before going to work...

Mixed Blood American

Growing up in a predominantly white community with many ethnicities and without much family around, I never knew what it was like to be an immigrant. My dad grew up in New York City as the grandson of Italian immigrants and my mom grew up in Indianapolis in a family that was already established in the States for many generations. My maternal grandfather was a salesman and his wife was a stay at home mom. My paternal grandfather owned and ran a gas/service station and his wife worked in a few jobs. A few years before beginning their families, both of my grandfathers fought in World War II. The similarities end there.

The biggest differences between my two sides of the family begin with my great-grandparents. Unfortunately, both of my grandfathers passed away when I was young, before I was old enough to understand and appreciate their stories of growing up. I would love to hear my maternal grandmother’s story of growing up on a Native American Reservation in Montana, but since she lives in Indianapolis and I live here in Pennsylvania, it has been hard for us to have any kind of conversation.

Over the years though, I have heard bits and pieces from my paternal grandmother about growing up as the daughter of immigrants. I have had the opportunity to talk with her about growing up.

My grandmother’s name is Rose and she began the conversation by explaining to me that it took 30 days for her mom to come over to America on a boat. She traveled in the section of the boat for poor people, in steerage, and she was sick the entire trip. My great-grandmother’s name was Maria Anna Victoria Francescone and she was 25 when her brother sponsored her to come to America. She did not speak or write English so Rose must have learned English at school. Her father, Luca Francese, worked on the trolley lines as a laborer and doesn’t remember much about him—only that he was quiet and worked hard to support the family. He unfortunately passed away when she was only 11 years old—he had come home early from work one day so her mom went to Bloomingdales on the trolley that was on the next block. He was eating lunch and a piece of food went down his windpipe. She and her sister and brother were home, but couldn’t save him because they didn’t know how.

Parents worked hard to support their families in those days. They did not take them to sports games or activities or anything like that or “fun stuff.” They did not have toys because they were on the poor side. Fun to them was playing outside with neighborhood kids. Rose and her older sister Louise had a tea set that was made of china, but they had to take care of it because if it broke they would not have anything to play with.

My great-grandmother worked hard extremely hard to keep the family together and put food on the table. They did not have any “nice” food like steaks or things like that. They had very basic food like homemade pasta. She was a very loving mother. It did not matter that she could not read, write or speak English—she had a lot of love for her family and was a remarkable woman. She raised five children essentially on her own. She raised my Uncle Al, Uncle Joey, Aunt Louise, Grandma Rose and Uncle Genie. My grandmother remembers her mother in a positive way, “When I think of how hard she worked and how much she accomplished, she never complained. She was extremely, poor but she never complained. She worked so hard and she never ever complained that anything was too hard for her. I remember she had a lot of headaches, but she would just say she had a headache and then take an aspirin and continue working. It never stopped her from what she had to do. She just kept going on,” she said. My great-grandmother Maria Anna Victoria was a wonderful woman.

To help her, when Rose and her siblings started working, they would turn over their salaries to their mother because she did not have anything. My grandmother was barely 16 when she graduated high school and not many people were hiring people that young, but she finally got a job at a dry cleaning place making about $12 a week and most of her earnings went to her mother. Her sister Louise worked at a coal company and she eventually went to there too. When WWII broke out she got a job working as a civil employee for the US Air Force.

Grandma Rose’s brothers Joey and Al left high school to work to help the family. They were living with a man they called Uncle Joe Joe who rented the apartment to them. Uncle Joe Joe was like a father to them and took such care of them, but that did not stop my great-grandmother from working hard—she scrubbed floors and did what she had to do to earn honest money. She never complained and never said she was tired or could not do it—it just was not in her vocabulary to complain. The family never went on vacation because they did not have money. Everything that is available now just was not available then. Once my grandmother grew up, got married and started family of her own, she was able to take her own mother on vacations and to picnics, especially because she was such a good sport—she was so wonderful with her grandchildren (my dad and his siblings).

My great-grandmother Maria Anna Victoria Francescone was from a small town called Campochiaro in the province of Molise in Italy. It is located on the eastern side by the Adriatic Sea. My great-grandfather Luca Francese was from Salerno. My grandfather’s parents were also from Salerno. His mother’s name was Palermia Gaglione and his father was Clemente Napolitano. They were married and had their first two sons before they came to America. My grandfather’s brothers Andrea and Imberio were born in Italy. Imberio was named after his grandmother, my great-great grandmother, Imperia. My grandfather Mario was the youngest and his brother right before him, Crispino, were both born in the States. His mother was able to read and write in English and she was an accomplished dressmaker. She was so talented she didn't need to follow patterns. She was able to make wedding dresses from scratch. She came from a family that was not necessarily poor but not necessarily wealthy either.

Mario’s family ended up in a community that was predominantly Italian so they were able to keep all of their traditions within the community, but Rose’s family grew up in Historia, NY. It was a melting pot, a wonderful neighborhood with Italians, Greeks, Irish, Polish, Jews, Germans, everyone. Rose explained that it was very nice to grow up that way because there was no prejudice and one group did not hate the other because they were all mixed. They just learned to live with everyone and everyone was equal. Rose said to me, “We had to go to these places to continue these traditions. We had to go out of our community but because we lived in such a mixed community we were able recognize all of the other communities. We didn’t think one was better than the other.”

Even though my grandmother grew up poor and her mother was a poor immigrant, she still turned out well. My whole family turned out well because of the wonderful work ethic that my great-grandmother had when she came over from a country that was so poor. She worked hard mostly because she wanted to put food on the table. It was extremely important for her and many of the other immigrants to work hard to make a better life for themselves and their families, especially because they started with nothing.

They were determined to prove themselves to the greater society that they could make it, that they were capable of making something of themselves and of their families. I consider myself 3rd generation American born, but 4th generation American citizen and I’m proud of my heritage, of my roots. I’m proud to say that my family is so hard working and determined to make something of themselves and their family.

Growing up in a community so far away from both sides of my family, I always felt like I stood out, like I was an outsider, especially because no one else in the area had the same last name as me or even the same last name of my mom’s maiden name of Dullaghan. People almost always know that I am Italian when they hear my last name and know my family because we are the only ones with the name within the community. I am often asked if I speak Italian, where in Italy my family is from, and if I have ever been to Italy. Only if I mention that I am only half Italian do people know that I also identify with other heritages and ethnicities.

Because I am half Italian, I often identify myself more strongly as Italian than anything else. When I think of my dad’s side of the family, I think Italian American. But when I think of my mom’s side of the family, I think American. Thinking of myself, I think American because being of mixed heritages and ethnicities is what makes someone American. Our country was founded on immigrants and my family began with immigrants (and even partly of native Americans).
The only time I know that I am celebrating something that is distinctly Italian, Irish, Native American or another ethnicity is if I am celebrating St. Joseph’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day or even when I look up and see the dream catcher hanging from the ceiling in my room. Both of my parents were raised Roman Catholic, and then so was I. They were most likely raised Catholic because of their ethnicities, but in a way, my religion does not have anything to do with my ethnicity because I am also part English, Scottish, French Canadian and Native American. Somewhere along the way, I had to have had someone in my family who was not Catholic. The ethnicities who had more power, dominated the choices that were made of what religion to practice or what foods to eat or other activities that are participated in.

I see myself as a true all around American girl. My family is completely and fully assimilated into American culture. It took many years of suffering and hardship for many of my ancestors, but my family has made something of our name. We have proven not only to ourselves, but to society that we can make it in this world. We have taken what our ancestors have worked so hard for and made something out of it. With each generation, we continue to work even harder to improve upon what parents could not give us. We will not forget where we came from for if we do, we lose the direction of where we are going.

I will forever remember that I have mixed heritages and that is what makes me truly an American child.

Star Image Review

Sylvester Stallone is a talented, well-known filmmaker. His star image developed mostly from his acting, which in turn also created his star image as a writer and director. As an actor, he is often thought of as a tough guy because of his portrayals of Rocky Balboa and Rambo. Despite having more than 10 actor credits to his name since Rocky V came out in 1990, Stallone has not been in the spotlight until recently when Rocky Balboa hit theaters in 2006. Rocky Balboa was a comeback not only for Stallone as an actor, but also for Rocky Balboa, the character within the film. The film as a whole brought Stallone back into the picture by using his character image of Rocky as a way to do that. Within the film, Rocky comes out of retirement to fight the newest heavyweight champion and uses his boxing fame to make his restaurant successful.

Stallone’s star image as an underdog was created when the first Rocky film gained success when it debuted in 1976. Rocky was his first real big break into the business. His tough guy image came naturally through the storyline about the character—an underdog who never gives up and is full of determination. The film gained Stallone great success in Hollywood as a star and audiences throughout the nation cheered for the underdog character he portrayed, even though the fight was declared a draw because the winner was undecided. Rocky the character gained popularity by proving himself through determination. The film audience fell in love with him because they recognized that if he could do what he did to Apollo Creed in the boxing ring, he had every right to have their respect and admiration.

Every few years after Rocky, Stallone continued the saga with new segments to the story with Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, and Rocky V. Each time a new addition to the saga was produced, Stallone was increasingly more popular, especially with the introduction of the Rambo films. During the 1980’s Stallone seemed to be constantly criticized for the roles he played, especially in Rambo, and somewhat in Rocky because of the violence and political issues of the time. His career as an actor needed a positive uplifting, which gave him good reason to resurrect the “Italian Stallion.” Through Rocky’s resurrection every few years, Stallone’s star image received a boost and kept the audience’s love and admiration for Rocky alive.

In 1990 though, Rocky V seemed to be the end as Stallone pursued other options as an actor. Straying away from his usual tough guy, underdog personas he took on a few different other types of films, which were not nearly as successful as his beloved Rocky. It seemed as though audiences struggled to see him attempt to play in genres such as comedy, a futuristic/comic book style story, drama, and family/kid friendly films such as Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.

After over a decade of pursuing other venues as an actor, Stallone decided to bring back our favorite underdog, Rocky, in 2006 when Rocky Balboa hit theaters. As a film, Rocky Balboa was a comeback for Stallone as an actor, writer, and director. He was able to redeem himself as a well-rounded filmmaker. His star image as the successful underdog was recreated through Rocky.

Rocky Balboa was also a comeback for the character, especially since it had been 30 years since Rocky had been discovered on the streets of Philadelphia. He started out as the underdog—young, determined, naïve, and just trying to make it in the grueling business of boxing. Unbeknownst to him, he was supposed to lose against Apollo Creed but he refused to give in, to give up and so he fought his way through and proved himself worthy of the fame and the attention that would come his way because of his skills. He did this through every film, consistently proving himself worthy of his dream—much like how Stallone proved himself worthy of praise as an actor through the success of each Rocky film.

In Rocky Balboa, Rocky proved himself once more by coming out of retirement and putting up a fight despite the odds. He was disadvantaged again, but this time he wasn’t naïve, nor was it through lack of experience. This time, age was his enemy instead of his friend. He had calcium deposits in most of his joints, so his health was failing him too. Balboa could not move as easily as he once could and so throughout the film, there was the constant debate about who would win—the “Italian Stallion” or Mason “The Line” Dixon. This debate is what finally drew him out of retirement and back into training. Once they fight, neither boxer won by a landslide; it was a close match—much like Rocky’s first fight. He was not the favorite in either his first fight or his last, but he proved himself—he proved that he could hold his own and that the underdog should never be doubted. It took him 30 years, but he finally gained the personal satisfaction he had been looking for all along. But did he really need to prove himself to his fans? At the fight, the noise is deafening because almost every single person in the arena is shouting “Rocky! Rocky!” In the end, it may have just been himself he needed to convince he could do it all along; that even though he’s a champion, or a star, to his fans, he just needed to be happy with himself and his accomplishments in the end.

In Rocky Balboa, he is trying to keep his legacy, and Adrian’s memory, alive through his restaurant that he had named after Adrian. Once the fight was over, it seemed as if he realized he did not need to try all along—his legacy as Rocky already existed.

This interpretation of Rocky’s attitude of himself can be applied to Stallone as well. He is sending a message that he has tried other things, other possibilities, and it all comes back to the same thing: he is comfortable with what has brought him success because this is what he enjoys the most despite what people may say about his work.

Both Rocky and Stallone have overcome obstacles in the last 30 years and both have finally reached a point in their lives where they can look back and know they have accomplished something phenomenal. In a sense, Stallone is Rocky because when we see or hear the name Sylvester Stallone we think “Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!”

The underdogs have proven themselves worthy of our respect, our admiration, and our praise for making their dreams come true despite the odds.

Film Review: Disney’s The Jungle Book

Left in the jungle as a baby, raised by wolves, befriended by a panther and a bear, Mowgli’s life is now threatened by the return of Shere Khan, the tiger, and king of the jungle. Don’t worry; this movie has very little violence for it is a classic story based on Rudyard Kipling’s story about a boy who is raised by wolves. Rating: 8/10.

Mowgli's animal family refers to him as the “man cub” and he is happy living in the jungles of India, but once the tiger Shere Khan finds out he is there, he will no longer be safe. Bagheera, the wise old panther, decides to take Mowgli to the nearest man village, even though the boy doesn’t want to leave. Throughout their journey, they encounter Kaa, a hypnotic snake, and an army of elephants, and Baloo the bear, who is widely popular for his “Bare Necessities” song. Mowgli is tempted by Baloo’s lovable, laid-back way of life, but when Mowgli decides he likes being a bear and the two ditch Bagheera, the pair run into trouble.

Some crazy orangutans kidnap Mowgli and take him to their king, Louis Prima, who then tempts him with an offer he can’t refuse. Shere Khan finds out there is a “man cub” in his jungle and is hot on his trail. Somehow, Baloo and Bagheera find a way to team up to protect the boy.

Once the unlikely duo rescue Mowgli from the orangutans, Baloo angers him by mentioning they must take him to a man village and he runs off. He eventually encounters the barbershop singer group made up of vultures and they cheer him up. Danger strikes when Shere Khan appears and attempts to capture Mowgli. Baloo comes to his rescue by distracting the tiger so he can get away, but the tiger attacks Baloo and knocks him unconscious. Bagheera then ties a branch engulfed with fire to the tigers tail and he runs off.

Once Shere Khan is defeated in the film and Baloo recovers, the trio treks on and only by chance does Mowgli leave the jungle. At the bittersweet ending, Mowgli is lured by his human instincts when he sees a girl for the first time and follows her into the village.

The Jungle Book is filled with songs you can’t help but sing along to and with jungle animals you can’t help but fall in love with, even Shere Khan’s voice is charming. Enjoyed by children and adults alike, this charming film is Disney’s 17th animated feature and the last film Walt supervised before his death.

I enjoy this movie every time I watch it, especially now because it reminds me how much I loved it when I was a kid. Every character is appealing to viewers in some way because they are all so diverse and in it’s own way, the film does teach children even though it wasn’t necessarily created for educational purposes. Children can learn that even if someone may look or act differently from them, they can still get along. By the end of the movie, Bagheera manages to loosen up enough to give in to Baloo’s care-free way of life. They can also learn about teamwork through Baloo and Bagheera and that it’s not okay to kill someone even if you don’t like them.

I would certainly recommend this film to children, parents and even teachers. Teachers may find the new edition very useful for educational purposes because it is interactive. Parents and children may also find the interactive aspect a plus because kids can then interact with their favorite characters through games. The 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition just came out this fall, with many special features such as music videos, deleted scenes and songs, long lost characters, backstage features, games, and more.