Travis' Diary

     "Gaaaaalleeeee"! This week's been right crazy! That check come for Grandmama and it had the right number of zeros- four of em! She sure was rich! If I ever got a check with so many zeros I'd go out and buy myself some new marbles! I'd be so happy to be rich, but Grandmama "don't want to be rich" and I don't know why not. Don't everybody want to be rich?
     Grandmama went and spent some of her dollars on a new house- gaallee a house- for all of us! Our very own house! I can't hardly wait to see it! Maybe I'll have my own bed with a mattress and everything! And Grandmama will have a garden and she can wear that nice hat I bought her. And maybe all them grown-ups will stop with their yelling and fighting and be happy now that we have a house!
     Mama says I'm goin to be a big brother- she's havin a baby! Gaalee! I wonder if that baby is gonna be a boy or a girl? They better not love it better than me. Where do babies come from, anyways? I think I'll go ask Mama right now.
     From,
          Travis Younger

Here's a picture I drew of our new house!

The Story of Fake Moses

     The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of a family who achieves great wealth, ultimately leading them to hold people captive in a pit near their mansion and murder their summer guests. This is clearly not your typical fairy tale or short story, starting with "once upon a time", and ending with "and they all lived happily ever after", with its strangely convoluted plot. However, like many children's stories, it was written with a specific intent: in this case, to show the corrupting effect of materialism on humanity, using rhetoric to subtly motivate the audience to think of the consequences of their greed.
     What started as a seemingly normal story quickly turned stranger than a parade of pink elephants, as the main character Unger arrives at this house that is literally on a diamond as big as the Ritz, and is exposed to crazy riches. The backstory of the inhabitants of the house is revealed- the mountain was discovered by accident giving the Washington family a plethora of wealth of diamonds. As money always does, they were corrupted by their newfound source of power. The Washingtons kept slaves, held prisoners in a big hole, and killed people so that they would not be discovered. The discovery of their diamond would make it worth nothing, as "if [their] secret should transpire ... [the Government] might take over the claim immediately", causing them to lose their wealth. This would clearly be disastrous; wealth is everything to this family. And of course, nothing ends well- a lot of people explode, but not after the homeowner climbs to the top of the diamond mountain to talk to god, "[lifting] his head high to the heavens like a prophet", as if he thinks he's Moses about to receive the Ten Commandments or something. But no, the mountain is still bombed by airplanes. Oh well. Sorry fake Moses. So here we see how wealth corrupts, and sometimes causes large explosions.
     Even in the world of today, the corruption of wealth surrounds everyone. It may not cause the blowing up of unrealistically sized diamonds, but it definitely has an effect of a lesser scale. And in a world like this, a world primarily motivated by money, its not surprising to see the terrible happenings on our screens. We are privileged in that we don't experience these travesties first hand, but we should use the maybe over exaggerated, but maybe not, story of a giant diamond to remind ourselves the perils that could become of this material driven world.

This is Real Moses.

Gender Roles... In Relationships??

     Gender has always played a significant role in society, from the ancient times of the male hunters and the female gatherers, to the more recent dates with women expected to stay at home and raise the kids while the men go make a living. Gender does not only affect societal roles, however, but also relationships, as a male and female usually can't have a close, platonic relationship without people insinuating that they are together in a romantic way.
     For example, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, when Daisy begins to visit Gatsby alone, her husband Tom was "perturbed at Daisy's running around alone" (103), even before he had realized that they were in love. It can be assumed, however, that Tom would not have had the same suspicious reaction had Daisy been going off alone to meet a girl. Although Tom's suspicions turned out to be correct, this still demonstrates the great impact of gender on relationships and how they are viewed.
     Another instance of this is the new internet phenomenon, (which has also translated into the real world), "shipping". Shipping is mostly used in fandoms to mean that a person wants two characters, many times a male and a female, to get together in a romantic relationship, even if it has been made clear that the characters' relationship is purely platonic. An example lies in "The Walking Dead", (big surprise right?), with the "shippers" of the fan favorite relationship Daryl and Carol, dubbed Caryl (sorry to any Caryl shippers). According to the actors, some viewers of the show, and myself, Carol and Daryl have a deep and beautiful friendship rooted in shared experiences of abuse, but nothing romantic will come of it. (Because come on, we all know that Daryl is head over heels in love with Beth). Of course, it's 110% okay to ship your favorite fictional couple, platonic or not. It would be hypocritical of me to suggest otherwise. This is just another example of assumptions being made about male/female relationships.
     The fact that a male and a female can't have a purely non-romantic relationship without people wanting it to become something more is pretty frustrating and detrimental to those that it affects. It can sometimes cause uncomfortable situations and discourage platonic friendships between males and females, as they can't hang out without hearing about what an incredibly cute couple they could be. And I think that we can all own up to doing this, at some time or another. The question is, how can we stop? (Don't stop shipping though- shipping is awesome.)

Shipping, basically.

The Lies of Holidays

     When does protection become lying? This is a question brought forth in the poem "The History Teacher" by Billy Collins, who describes how a certain teacher's ignorance, although with good intentions to "protect his students' innocence", can hinder the understanding of history for his students, therefore causing the past to repeat itself. This is shown through his use of understatements, ("the Ice Age was really just the Chilly Age") and blatant lies ("The Spanish Inquisition was nothing more than an outbreak of questions"). Not only do his teachings delegitimize these important historical events, but also change the way these children view history.
     Naturally, this discussion lead the class into a debate of the ethics of parents teaching (or lying to) their kids about Santa Clause. I wasn't heartbroken like some people when my parents had finally admitted that yes, Santa Clause was, in fact, a lie. In fact, I had figured it out myself years before- the whole idea of it just wasn't logical to me. How could a man watch millions of kids at once and always know what you are doing? How could he travel the world in a sleigh in only one night? Not to mention the flying reindeers. And wasn't it unethical to make the elves slave away making toys for children? In fact, isn't the whole idea creepy? A fat man sneaking into your house at night and eating your food? And why do the poor kids get less presents from Santa than the rich kids? Clearly I was a joy to have around during the holidays. But anyways, what seems like a white lie designed to make kids behave well around Christmas does have its repercussions. The Santa lie teaches kids to associate the holidays with material items rather than the gathering of family. It teaches kids to be good only for the promise of a beautifully wrapped gift sitting under a tree, that being good is not something that should just be expected, but should be rewarded.
     Lies also can be found in other, more historically significant holidays. Take Columbus Day for example. A fact that we all know is that "in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." As young children, we were taught to idolize this guy, being told that he was the first explorer to discover America. Actually, Leif Erikson was. Columbus merely discovered the Bahamas, where according to Femspire.com, he spread plagues, demanded food and gold from the natives, enslaved them, and raped the women. If anyone failed to appease the explorers, Columbus would have the natives' noses removed as to remind them who was really in charge.
     Thanksgiving is another example of a holiday being glossed over with lies. The Pilgrims were not all that great and peaceful after all. Around the time of the first Thanksgiving, many of the Native Americans were being killed by deadly diseases, brought by, you guessed it, the Pilgrims. According to popularresistance.org, while the Indians were celebrating their annual green corn dance ceremony, the Pilgrims were actually celebrating the massacre of the Pequots, a Native American tribe. Now, of course, it can be argued that while the holiday had stemmed from such horrible events, it has evolved to mean something else. Sure, maybe. But when you're cutting into that turkey this Thursday, be sure to think about the origins of Thanksgiving.

Let's Eat Grandma! How Punctuation (Or Lack Thereof) Can Lead to Cannibalism

     Punctuation has been around for centuries, and while it has undergone minute changes, the basis for the rules has remained the same. Similar to an old house, the foundation of the punctuation rules must remain put, or the whole of it would fall apart. Punctuation rules as they are are used to make writing better understood and clearer, especially in pieces defined by logic and objectivity that cannot be left to interpretation (imagine a brain surgeon interpreting instructions on how to perform a dangerous surgery- that might not end well). The essay "Notes on Punctuation", written by Lewis Thomas, scientist and Harvard graduate, conveys how the adherence to traditional punctuation rules can "[clarify] meaning" (Punctuation, Social Media, and Evolving Rules of Communication) by serving as "indicators of tone" (Notes on Punctuation). Tone helps the reader to better understand the meaning of a piece of writing. If the correct usage of punctuation can convey tone, then it is useful in discovering the purpose of a piece of work. Each piece of punctuation has its own unique connotation. The semicolon has an especially strong connotation, as shown by both "Notes on Punctuation" and "Semicolons: A Love Story". What is special about the proper use of a semicolon is that it tells you "that there is still a question about the preceding full sentence" (Notes on Punctuation), which gives the reader a "pleasant feeling of expectancy". This can help to clarify the meaning of a sentence, therefore giving the reader a better understanding of what the author is trying to convey. In addition, even with following the traditional rules, semicolons have "pleasing possibilities" (Semicolons: A Love Story) in how they can "so compactly [capture] the way in which our thoughts are both liquid and solid, wave and particle" (Semicolons: A Love Story). This is a prime demonstration of how punctuation is not restricting, but instead another outlet with which writers can express themselves while still adhering to the foundation of punctuation rules. These rules of punctuation that the English society have upheld for so long are important to provide clarity and purpose to a piece of writing. Without them, understanding a piece of work might prove to be much harder, and many might go misinterpreted.

Follow punctuation rules- save a grandma.

"A Winged but Grounded Bird"

     "The damage done was total. She spent her days, her tendril, sap green days, walking up and down, up and down, her head jerking to the beat of a drummer so distant only she could hear. Elbows bent, hands on shoulders, she flailed her arms like a bird in an eternal, grotesquely futile effort to fly. Beating the air, a winged but grounded bird, intent on the blue void it could not reach- could not even see- but which filled the valleys of the mind." (Morrison 204)
     The passage starts out with irony- Pecola's "tendril, sap green days", which should be supple, unbreakable, with "delicate, showy hopefulness"(97) and wrought with life, are instead filled with the broken spirit of a girl who has lost her sanity. Her insanity is further described as she jerks her head "to the beat of a drummer" that wasn't actually there. Then, Pecola begins to exhibit birdlike qualities, representing her "futile" longing for blue eyes, for beauty in the eyes of white people, and therefore herself. The beauty of this passage lies in the vivid description of a young girl's insanity at the cost of her achieving the beauty she had yearned for, in the use of the purity of nature to portray Pecola's complete loss of innocence, and in the image of the rebirth of summer to show the falling apart of a child, cast out by not only society, but her own family. By using this imagery to portray something as ugly and horrible as the psychological destruction of a young child, Morrison is able to yet again provide contrast. There is something beautiful to be found in the metaphorical representation of Pecola as a flightless bird, still trying to reach "the blue void" that she could not even see.

This bird, like Pecola, is most often seen as ugly by society. It is also grounded, black, and has blue eyes.

When Dreams Don't Come True

     I can't be the only one who thinks that chapter two of "Spring" in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is one of the most (if not the most) saddening chapters we have come across in this novel so far. We get a name and a backstory to the character we had only known as "Mrs. Breedlove", Bad Mother and Wife. This adds new depth and dimension to her character, a woman whose tragic past has now been made clear to us.
     We all know what it's like to have a dream. Pauline dreamed for "a someone" (113), someone who "understood" (113) and would "lead her away ... forever." (113) Her dream was realized by Cholly Breedlove, and they "loved each other" (115). It was seeing this dream come true, a dream that Pauline had yearned for for years, then slowly get taken away, that was so sad for me to read, and really helped me understand the place she is in when we see her in "Autumn".
     While reading this chapter, I also noticed a similarity between Pauline and the mother from The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Both mothers had a dream, one that was taken away from them. And while I don't agree with the way they treat their children, is it really that hard to understand where they're coming from? Is it that hard to understand how Jeanette's mom hid the "huge family sized Hershey chocolate bar" (174)  for herself, or how Pauline kept her life as a servant "for herself, a private world" (128)? Because sometimes, when things don't go the way you intended them to, when your dreams are in no way getting fulfilled, the small victories like chocolate or a clean house mean everything. And when you're living a life like that, sometimes you need to keep those small victories to yourself, so that you do not fall apart completely.

Carl from "The Walking Dead" clearly isn't living the life he had wanted to as a child- he's in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Here, he celebrates a much needed victory, however small, by eating 112 oz of chocolate pudding all by himself.

Typical

     What is it about blonde hair and blue eyes that is so appealing to the public? Both "The Bluest Eye" and "Our Barbies, Ourselves" demonstrated how those two characteristics are generally seen as desirable.
     Barbies, at least the classic ones, are notoriously known for their blonde hair and blue eyes. These toys are given to children at a young age, when they are the most apt to be influenced, perhaps causing them to wish for the sense of normality these physical characteristics will give them. Even her boyfriend, Ken, has blond hair and blue eyes. In the future, maybe Barbie and Ken will have a typical family of beautiful blond haired, blue eyed children, living together in a Barbie dream house.
     Another example of the glorification of blonde hair and blue eyes lies in the popular children's series referenced in "The Bluest Eye"- "Dick and Jane." For those who didn't have those books read to them as a child, the Dick and Jane is a childrens series that describes a perfect family, some with- you guessed it- blonde hair and blue eyes. This again sets a standard for the American family to live up to.

     Shirley Temple is yet another media representation of the perfect blonde haired and blue eyed American, as described in "The Bluest Eye." Shirley Temple is considered to be perfect in the eyes of America, giving people joy in the time of the Great Depression, and again setting a precedent for the typical American family.

The Other

     The "othering", or discrimination of others is clearly a huge problem in today's society as people are singled out for their race, gender, and religion. We see this "othering" demonstrated in the real world, as well in literature and media. The type of discrimination that I most identify with, however, is gender discrimination. This has helped me to relate with many of the authors whose pieces we have read in 11AP, such as Brent Staples, Deborah Tannen, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Elizabeth Stanton.
     Brent Staples, who wrote "Black Men and Public Spaces," talked more about being "othered" for his race than for his gender. However, as Tannen, the author of "There is No Unmarked Woman," would argue, the fear directed towards Staples wasn't only the result of him being black. If a woman were to come across a black woman at night, it is likely that she would be less afraid than she would be had it been a black man. Here lies an example of gender discrimination- the belief that men are inherently more powerful, and therefore more dangerous than women.
     In The Scarlet Letter lies another example of gender discrimination- the difference in how Dimmesdale and Hester are seen for their crime of adultery. While both Hester and Dimmesdale are literally "marked," in the words of Tannen, Hester's mark is worn on the outside while Dimmesdale's is well concealed. There is also a huge difference in how society views their adultery. While the townspeople spent years shaming and excluding Hester, when Dimmesdale confessed to his sin, the townspeople made excuses for him, and some even denied that his confession even happened. This problem is still so common today, under the name of "slut shaming."
     These examples of gender discrimination against women are outlined in Stanton's "Declaration of Sentiments." She states that "He has endeavored, in every way that he could, to destroy her confidence in her own powers," and that "He has created a false public sentiment by giving the world a different code of morals for men and women, by which moral delinquencies which exclude women from society, are not only tolerated, but deemed of little account in man." This document, having being written in the mid 1800's, illustrates problems that are still abundant today. It appears that we have come so far, and maybe we have, but we still have so much further to go.
     Here's an amazing video illustrating the discrimination against women: A Very Realistic Military Game

Quests for Revenge

     In honor of the return of my favorite TV show tomorrow (!), here is a very The Walking Dead centric blog post. (SPOILER ALERT)
     While reading The Scarlet Letter, I couldn't help but notice how similar Chillingsworth is to the Governor. The Governor, for those who don't actively follow The Walking Dead, was one of the main villains in seasons three and four. He had set up a town, a refuge of a sort, named Woodbury, and appeared to be a heroic figure. However, Woodbury, the supposed sanctuary, had it's dark secrets, as did the Governor. These were well concealed by his intelligence and cunning nature. It was revealed that the Governor had been hiding his zombified daughter in his apartment, and when Michonne "killed" the already dead girl, the Governor developed a personal vendetta against Michonne. This started a war that I won't go into detail about, but suffice it to say that the Governor conned his town into fighting with him against good people. Twice.

(Spoilers and some violence)

     Chillingsworth happens to display many of the same characteristics of the Governor. He too is primarily motivated by revenge. He makes it his life's mission to repay Dimmesdale for the affair Dimmesdale had with Hester. However, to the public, it appears that Chillingsworth is a good and noble man. His intelligence aids him in his quest for revenge. 

     The downfall of these two characters shows what happens when one is primarily vengeful, harboring a deep vendetta inside of him or her. Inevitably, the hunger for vengeance will cause destruction, to not only an enemy, but to the holder of it him or herself. 

To Conform or Not to Conform

     Now that it's Sunday, I can breathe a much needed sigh of relief- spirit week is finally over. Why do I have such a problem with spirit week? What's the big deal? Well, the answer lies not in the idea of spirit week itself, but the avid, almost obsessive participators in it. It's a nice idea in theory. However, a week designed to single out and ridicule people who don't conform to the designated dress style of they day tends to get old (at least to me), very quickly.
     I wasn't always this critical about spirit week. I used to take part in it myself, mainly freshman year. However, sophomore year, I wondered what would happen if I didn't participate, just for one day. I didn't expect it to be such a big deal- mainly I just didn't want to have to put together a special outfit, but instead sleep as late as I could and put on whatever I first found. But, when I got to school, I found myself being singled out, not only by my friends, but by absolute strangers. That year turned me off to the idea of spirit week as a whole.
     This year, however, was even worse. A large majority of the junior class was obsessed with winning, stating that we "HAVE" to win all four years. So, when I showed up to class dressed in whatever I grabbed as I rolled out of bed, I was met with an astounding amount of criticism and degrading comments. It got so bad that people were attempting to physically change my appearance so that I fit in the guidelines for the day. I suffered through having a white piece of paper duct-taped to my shirt, a japanese food held up next to my face, and my face being painted.
     Similar to Hester Prynne and in the words of Deborah Tannen, by not wearing the designated spirit wear for the day, I had been "marked". I had been singled out, admittedly by my own choice, for the sole reason of being different. If it bothers me so much that people are isolating me for not participating, why don't I just suck it up and conform? Because I believe that I shouldn't have to wear a certain color not to be ridiculed by my peers. So yeah, I might be the kind of person you hate and curse at when the junior class loses spirit week for the day. But at least I'm not mindlessly conforming to a social standard, and at the very least, I get an extra five minutes of sleep.

Love, Hope, or Sin?

     It's that time of year again- homecoming. Not a day goes by without me seeing pictures of an overly dramatic "proposal" (it's just homecoming, not a wedding) or overly excited girls toting around a bouquet of colorful flowers. After all, that's what the current culture uses flowers to symbolize- love. Beautiful, fragile, easily killed. However, these words could also be applied to the concept of hope. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a rosebush located outside of a decrepit prison is used to symbolize hope, "or some sweet moral blossom" (Hawthorne 46) in the otherwise sorrowful book.
     The Scarlet Letter isn't the only dated story that uses flowers as a symbol of hope. The Legend of the Cherokee Rose tells a story about the Cherokee tribe, traveling the trail of tears. Supposedly, the mothers of the tribe were grieving, as their children were not surviving the hardships they were forced to face. Flowers began to bloom where the mothers' tears fell, giving them the strength to carry on and hope that they would find a better future.
     While on the topic of the symbolism of flowers, I found it interesting as well that in The Scarlet Letter, Pearl claims that she "[has] no heavenly father" (Hawthorne 95) but was instead "plucked by her mother off of the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door" (Hawthorne 108). This is, in fact, the very same rosebush used to symbolize hope. But, as we discussed in class, Pearl's name implies that she came from nature, implying that she is resemblant of sin. This fact could be applied to flowers as well, having risen up from nature, and not created by a 'heavenly father'. How is it that such a simple concept as that of a flower can symbolize not only the cliche love it is used to mean today, but also hope and, shockingly, sin? Something to think about the next time you feel the need to swoon over a bouquet of a beautifully represented symbol of sin.  
     And because no post of mine would be complete without a reference to The Walking Dead...

"It’s a Cherokee Rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much ‘cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers’ spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow where the mothers’ tears fell. I’m not fool enough to think there’s any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl." -Daryl Dixon, "Cherokee Rose"

Still

     This week in class after reading "Black Men and Public Spaces" by Brent Staples, we discussed how black men tend to be "perceived as dangerous"  by others, especially females. I personally can attest to this statement- last Saturday while waiting outside for a concert in Detroit, some black men were walking by, and my first instinct was to be afraid. Should I have been? Is it logical to think that every black man that passes by in Detroit is out to get me? Probably not. However, unfortunate as it may be, stereotypes govern how we view things in our society.
     One stereotype that is particularly deplorable to me is the belief that women are weaker than men, not as powerful as men, and need protection from men. I find that to be ridiculous. A person's strength and self worth should not be defined by which chromosomes they happened to be born with. Yes, women lack the testosterone levels that men have. But that doesn't mean that we can't be strong and protect ourselves.
     This doesn't mean that all women need to trade in their sweaters for leather jackets, singing for football, their femininity for masculinity. That's besides the point. We need to realize that we can be both feminine and strong. In The Walking Dead, there is a wide variety of self-sufficient female characters, ranging from the katana wielding, stoic Michonne, to the optimistic Beth, a girl who still sings, who still believes in good people. While these characters provide good examples of strong females, hopefully it won't take a zombie apocalypse for us to conquer this stereotype.

"I'm not Michonne. I'm not Carol. I'm not Maggie. I survived, and you don't get it 'cause I'm not like you or them. But I made it!" -Beth Greene, "Still"

Fire!

       This week, fire played a big role in our class discussion of The Glass Castle as we discussed its many symbolic resonances. What stood out to me the most, however, is the realization that not only does fire symbolize destruction and chaos, but it also can be used to represent rebirth and renewal. This is shown in how one of Jeanette's first internships shortly after starting a new life in New York "was at The Phoenix" (Walls 248). The phoenix is a bird derived from Greek mythology that is said to burst into flames at death, then be reborn from the ashes. While it may be purely a coincidence (maybe Jeanette really did intern at a newspaper place named after a symbolic bird), I found it to be fascinating. Jeanette manages to escape her life of poverty to start anew, almost being born again as a totally different person.
       It's strange to think about this- fire, a source of potential destruction, helping to renew. Where would an idea like this even come from? The answer to this question, as I find that most answers do, comes from science. Volcanos to be exact. According to Oregon State University, when a volcano erupts in an explosion of fire, most of the plants around it are burned down. However, the volcanic ash mixed with the soil is very rich, which allows the plants to come back healthier than ever. Almost as if they had been reborn.
       I spend a lot of time thinking about the idea of fire figuratively destroying your past, allowing you to start over. That's when I went on tumblr to take a break- and I ended up finding the perfect (in my mind, at least) example of rebirth by fire: The Walking Dead. I guess procrastination isn't always a bad thing. In the clip from one of my favorite episodes, conveniently located above this post, two characters, Beth and Daryl, burn down a house. Daryl, having been abused as a child and raised by his drug addict brother, has a terrible past, one that he has had trouble moving on from. As the two survivors burn down a house that reminded Daryl of his childhood home, lighting money that symbolizes his past of poverty and theft, Daryl is allowed to start anew. He lets go of his past and embraces his new life, a life in which he has a purpose, in which he can be good.