Extended Definition

Home: 

By definition, the meaning of home is, “The place where one lives permanently, esp. as a 
member of a family or household,” according to the New Oxford American Dictionary. The 
origin of the word “home” is Germanic, and comes from the German word “hiem.” The base of 
the formal definition is true, being that a home is indeed where someone lives. However, a home is not always permanent, and the idea of a home varies from person to person. 

In other words, having a place of residence can constitute as having a home in the physical 

sense. What this dictionary definition does not consider is the fact that many people prefer to 
have an emotional connection and established memories in their place of residence before 
they call it “home.” The word “home” can be classified as a place of residence, or just a place 
where someone sleeps and keeps all their belongings, however, the meaning behind the word 
goes more in depth. Most people won’t consider a place home unless it’s filled with memories, 
family, has a specific location, etc. 

When we break down the word “home”, we can see that the basic definition given is accurate, 
but also very broad. The definition tells us everything that is physically true about a home: it’s 
a place of resident, and more specifically, is usually a house, apartment, etc. As I said before, what makes a home is up to the person, and normally, home is a place where people feel 
comforted, and have a connection to. 

The expression “home is where the heart is” is a good way to demonstrate how people make 
emotional ties to the places they live in, and choose to call “home.”

This is what I have so far, it's very rough, but the main ideas are here for the most part. In later sections, I will discuss my personal experience with the idea behind a the true meaning of home, in my opinion. I will also compare and contrast the word while utilizing my experiences. Describing what makes a home will include some of my opinion, but I can discuss what might make others feel at home too. 

I can use all the help I can get so feel free! Thanks. 

Refleciton on Diaz part 1

I must confess I might be a bit biased when reflecting on this novel because I'm of hispanic decent (Cuban), and, coincidentally, I was born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ, which Diaz mentions a few times. So, I can pretty much understand the references, language and slang he uses.

For the most part, I think the novel is strong. There's plenty of detail, and I think the footnotes Diaz offers can help clear up some confusion the reader might have. The various pop-culture references, profanity, and sexual situations make for interesting additions, and I think they help young readers relate a lot more. 

For some though, the amount of details and footnotes might be bothersome. Readers who like straight-forward texts might find this a bit tedious, and could result in the reader trailing off or losing interest. 

As discussed in class before, there is a possible theme of the mental and physical struggle of immigrants who come to the U.S. This theme stood out to me the most throughout the novel. Diaz mentions several times how hard it was for Oscar to fit in, being that he was expected to be a certain way Dominican guys usually are. Lola can't find her place, and is switching personalities multiple times. Beli has multiple jobs on and off, and has a hard time maintaining control of her family. 

And like I said in my community post, allusion is used on almost every page. From literature and film references, to famous people both from the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. They are everywhere.