Middlesex-Journal+Entry+7


 * Home Movies & Opa**

- Pg 218: Margaret Keane- American artist who mainly draws women and children- works recognizable from the doe-eyed children that are depicted in the drawings. -Pg 219: Panaghia- one of the titles of Mary, the mother of Jesus, used especially in Orthodox Christianity. -Pg 234: Thermopylae ("hot gateways")- location in Greex where a narrow coastal passed existed in antiquity. It derives its name from hot sulphur springs. "Hot gates" is also "the place of hot springs and cavernous entrances to Hades".
 * Definitions: WIkipedia**

I think that these two chapters are significant in the novel. It is the start of Calliope's life. Through out the book we have experienced past experiences through Cal's family but now we are getting his first hand experiences.This is important because we will be able to watch Cal's development and how she was raised. Both of these chapters are interesting because they incorporate a lot of history. They show what was really going on during the plot line and what the Stephanides' are experiencing. These give good background on how Calliope was raised and what her family experienced in the process of her upbringing. It explains why small strange things about her may not have been noticed when she was young.
 * 2. Significance of Chapter**

I was really surprised when reading about the riots taking place. I did not realize the extent of the violence and destruction. Everything in these chapters seems to relate to race. Even in the beginning when Marius points out that Milton gives free coffee to the policemen. Everything seems so divided based on race. Milton and other white characters are continuously making comments based on race. Milton won't even let Calliope talk to her "friend" because he is not white. There is a sense of fear in the neighborhood until it all breaks out. When the riots begin there is a lot of looting and violence. The death toll is rising and the town is being destroyed. The racial hatred is extremely present. The part that surprised me the most was when Calliope's "friend", Marius, throws a bottle that is on fire through her father's restaurant window. As he throws the bottle he screams, "//Opa//, mother..!" (249). This is when the racial hatred is extremely present. The riots, getting to the point of military aid coming in, seemed like a time filled with hatred. I have learned about riots before but reading about a story with so much destruction really displayed this racial hatred.
 * 5. Reaction**