Science Has Taken Over My Life

     After spending a good portion of the day studying for tomorrow's AP Biology test, I guess now is as good of a time as any to write a blog post about science! It's not like I'm tired of it or anything. *Sarcastic laughter*...  So. Anyway. I really enjoyed reading the piece "A Measure of Restraint" by Chet Raymo, because I found the style to be beautiful, and also because it is about science, which is a topic I generally enjoy (just not after cramming it into my brain for hours). But, I did not fully agree with the claim of the piece, which was essentially that "the unexamined quest for knowledge is hemmed with peril", and that we must be hesitant when forging for new scientific discoveries (11). Of course, this makes sense, logically. Putting ourselves at risk in order to make new discoveries may not be the best idea in theory, and human curiosity can be detrimental. However, hesitation in this world of broadening scientific opportunities could prevent groundbreaking discoveries for which the benefits could, in fact, outweigh the possible dangers.
     One part of the piece "A Measure of Restraint" that really stuck with me was the story of Marie Curie, probably because she is a really admirable scientist who committed herself to her work. And, of course, it was that commitment that caused her death. This was one of Raymo's central examples for his argument that restraint should be used in scientific discoveries. However, when I was scrolling down tumblr the other day, I found a quote that suggests that Marie Curie herself may disagree. She states that "nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less". This implies that even though Curie's work lead to her death, she does not regret the discoveries that she made, even though they had great costs to her own health.
     With the fields of science providing more opportunities for research than ever before, it is important to take into consideration the risks of taking advantage of such opportunities. But perhaps more important is to listen to the words of Marie Curie, a woman who threw herself so completely into her research with no hesitation, and who still, even after realizing the consequences of her actions, rallies for scientific discoveries to continue.

Of Maus and Metaphors

     On page 43 of the graphic novel Maus, Art Spiegelman further expands his mouse metaphor. Art now appears as a child, illustrated through how small he appears in his chair, as he states that "sometimes [he doesn't] feel like a functioning adult." This depicts his mental regression caused by his deep immersion in the past and worries about the future. Here, the mouse metaphor serves to represent not only his Jewish heritage, but also his current unstable state of mind. Art continues to mix the past and the future, as he discusses how he is going to be a father in a few months, then recalls how his "father's ghost still hangs over [him]." He then mentions that he is going to his appointment with a therapist, implying how haunted he is by his fathers tales of the Holocaust. The fact that his therapist is "a Czech Jew" and "a survivor of Terezin and Auschwitz" further indicates that Art is seeing him for help with dealing with the Holocaust. This is reinforced with an image of him walking to the therapist's office, surrounded by the bodies of dead Jewish people, similar to the capms at Auschwitch. Thus, by using his mouse metaphor to illustrate himself as child, and surrounding the images of himself with those of the past, Art Speigelman is demonstrating the fluidity of time. Through his combination of words and images, he proves that events from the past have a large capability to affect people in the future.

Reality or Fanta-Sea?

     Contemplating reality is always great way to start the day at 7:20 in the morning, as we did on Thursday upon reading On Photography by Susan Sontag (only after enduring the incessant "awwing" of some classmates over others' baby pictures). In her piece, Sontag claims that photographs promote a skewed, false reality, and that the camera "hides more than it discloses" (13-14). While the latter statement may be true, her assertment that a picture has little semblance of reality is not.
      The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines reality as "the quality or state of being real; a real event, entity or state of affairs". Looking at a photograph, one cannot deny that what is being depicted in the picture happened, thus making it a reality. However, there are many ways to interpret said reality, as demonstrated in Sontag's Nazi example. One's interpretation of reality does not make it any less real- it is real to them, thus becoming their own reality. So, while a photo may not show all perspectives, it does have a semblance of reality.

Me during Thursday's discussion

The Dumbest Thing of All: Meninism

     After being told the blog assignment for this week was to be sarcastic about something I think is dumb, I was so excited that I proceeded to ignore my second hour teacher in favor of making a list: "Things That Are Dumb (to Satirize)". The list was easy to write, and became quite extensive. The hard part is picking which terrible thing or idea to satirize. Garden gnomes (I mean, just why are they a thing), writing "2k15" instead of "2015" (it's the same amount of characters, what's the point, except to look ridiculous), our obsession with hair (it's basically glorified strands of keratin containing cells), the quote "do one thing every day that scares you" (it is day 1467, and the only thing left that I am scared of is jumping off of a building, I have no other choice, I jump), and the patriarchy (enough said). However, there is one thing that is more ridiculous than all of these put together: meninism.

     For those who are fortunate enough not to have heard of meninism, it is basically a movement opposing feminism by men who for some reason believe that feminism's fight for equality is taking away their already predominant rights. Still doesn't make sense? It probably never will. These men, who already have more rights and power than women, fear that women finally achieveing equality to them will lessen their control over women. And, for some reason, that is a terrible notion that warrents an incredibly dumb movement determened to undermine feminism and it's struggle for equality. They call it "men's quest for rights"- how do they not realize that they already have more rights than women? Clearly, these meninists are a bit dense; their cry-baby attitudes, fragile egos, and ineducation on feminism make them the worst kinds of people. Their super important issue of losing the control over women that they so cherish is taking away from the bigger picture: feminism's struggle for equality. No, not domination. Sorry meninists, wrong yet again. 

Meninism in three accurate and unpleasant words.

The Circumstances of Happiness

     "I don't think two people could've been happier than we've been" (The Hours)
     Richard says this to Clarissa right before comitting suicide. This makes a powerful statement about happiness, seeing as neither Richard nor Clarissa lead the happiest life. Richard lives alone in a dark and dirty room, his mother abandoned him as a child, his father and sister are dead, and he is dying of AIDS. Clarissa loves Richard but is married to Sally, she is secretly unhappy but puts on a facade in order to keep up her public appearance. She throws herself into the trivials of everyday life in order to distract her from what she can never have. However, Richard states that he doesn't believe anyone could have been happier than them.
     This contrasts with Laura's character. Her life is seemingly perfect. She has a loving husband and son and is financially well off. However, she is really unhappy with her life, and even contemplates ending it. Eventually, it is made clear that she is so unhappy with it that she leaves it all together. Thus, it is revealed that contrary to societal beleif, one's life's circumstances don't entirely dictate their propensity to experience happiness. And so, the question is raised. What does it mean to be happy?

Richard, Prior to Suicide

Prisoners of the Soul

     "...she knew nothing about them, only jumped to conclusions, as one does, for what can one know even of the people one lives with every day? she asked. Are we not all prisoners? She had read a wonderful play about a man who scratched on the wall of his cell, and she had felt that was true of life– one scratched on the wall." (Woolf 192)

      Sally's revelation about human nature reigns true to one of the critical themes of the novel: people strive to make meaningful connections, however, our separate and concealed souls make this difficult. As Clarissa compares the human soul and its ability to make connections to two separate rooms, Sally relates it to a prison cell. While in separate houses, Clarissa and her neighbor can glimpse into eachother's rooms through the adjacent windows, but cannot fully experience them. These rooms represent the human souls and our inability, due to their separateness, to make connections with those around us. However, this doesn't stop Clarissa from longing for relations to people; she often finds herself staring into her neighbor's room, representing her desire for human conntections.

     Similarly, Sally compares the soul to a prison cell and our consciousness to a prisoner, forever scratching at the walls. Because the prison of our soul prevents us from reaching our ultimate desires of human connections, we are forever trying to break free of its confinements. Thus, the soul embidies both solace and lonliness, similar to being trapped in one's own or cell.

Humanity's Startlingly Large Ego

     "One cannot bring children into a world like this. One cannot perpetuate suffering, or increase the breed of these lustful animals, who have no lasting emotions, but only whims and vanities, eddying them now this way, now that.

     He watched her snip, shape, as one watches a bird hop, flit in the grass, without daring to move a finger. For the truth is (let her ignore it) that human beings have neither kindness, nor faith, nor charity beyond what serves to increase the pleasure of the moment. They hunt in packs. Their packs scour the desert and vanish screaming into the wilderness. They desert the fallen. They are plastered over with grimaces." (Woolf 89)

     These two paragraphs of Mrs. Dalloway are definitely my favorite of the book so far- although there are many great truths revealed throughout the novel that pertain to time, love, and life, this quote about human nature is one that I find to be most genuine. As humans, we have a tendancy to put ourselves on a pedastal, looking down upon what we consider to be lesser animals, for we believe ourselves to be superior in our intellegence and morals. In this passage, however, Septimus attempts to disprove this human ideal, stating that at our very core, we are equal to, if not worse than, those very animals we spend our lives degrading. 

     Of course, this idea is one that most are hesitant to consider; we humans are very secure in our beleif of superiority, and to some, it may be criminal to think of humans as equivilant, say, to such an animal as a mouse. Septimus acknowledges this, saying "let her ignore it", refering to his wife's refusal to view humanity in this rather degrading light. Although many will desist to recognize it, everything Septimus conveys here is true. Humans are merely "lustful animals", our motivation for the good we pride ourselves so much for doing is most often intrinsic, serving purely "to increase the pleasure of the moment." Septimus further emphasizes our animalistic foundations by using words that conote them; he states that we are a "breed", compares his wife to a bird, and asserts that we "hunt in packs." That we do: we "scour" this world, taking more than we need, purely for pleasure, taking down anything that stands in our way. Our sense of happiness is rooted in our desire for success, and therefore money- we conquer our "whims and vanities" at the espense of the poor. We are selfish, no better than the scavenging wolves that Septimus sees us as. 

     Why we have grown to view ourselves as so great is beyond me. These morals that we praise ourselve so strongly for having, what are they really, but excuses to allow our conquering of the world, to believe that we have a right to what is not really ours. We build upon wild land; we lock up animals that we view as inferior to us for our entertainment. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I don't see the animals with what we consider to be lesser morals doing this. As humans, we need to take a step off our pedestal for a moment and consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, we aren't as great as we think.

Freaks

     The piece "Because My Father Always Said He Was The Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play "The Star-Spangled Banner" At Woodstock" by Sherman Alexie demonstrates how music can be used to cope with feelings of isolation. The narrator's Native American father is segregated against, due to his race. This causes him to relate to Jimi Hendrix, who, being black, was also discriminated against. Additionally, Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a distinct distortion of the usual, melodic version of the song; this is symbolic of the feelings of isolation the country makes both Jimi and the narrator's father feel. Similarly, rock n' roll is a genre of music that is not conventionally accepted, similarly to certain races.
     Today while watching a season seven episode of the TV show "Supernatural", there was a quote that reminded me of Alexie's piece. In a flashback, a girl said to young Sam, "Sam, you are a freak. But so was, I don't know, Jimi Hendrix, and Picasso. All the coolest people are freaks." Doesn't this have some semblance of truth? People that are considered freaks by society are people that go against the norm, people that do things that are not conventionally accepted. But without freaks, we wouldn't be where we are now. Throughout history, it has been the people that had dared to go against the norm that have accomplished the most.
     Jimi Hendrix was definitely considered a freak, what with his unique music interpretations and lyrics. In one of my favorite Jimi Hendrix songs, "All Along the Watchtower", he illustrates an inflexible power hierarchy from which outsiders, namely the Joker and the Thief, two archetypes that are generally isolated from society, are secluded from. This relates to the constant struggle of races to achieve equality in the rigid power structure that is society.
     The Walking Dead is returning in a few minutes, so I'm going to end this post with a powerful quote from Jimi Hendrix: "You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven."

"All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix

   

Media Representation (And How it Sucks)

     The media plays a huge part in our lives. It is everywhere, and it greatly influences the way we view many of the major issues in the world. The impact of media on our lives can be a good thing, like with the social justice blogs that have educated me and many others on important issues. However, it can also be a huge disaster, a prime example being the nonsense propaganda that Fox News babbles about, and that somehow people (old, straight, white men, usually) internalize. In "Disability", Nancy Mairs comments on how the media's representation of people with disabilities can be overall harmful, stating that the lack of dynamic characters with physical disabilities causes "self-degradation and a subtle kind of self-alienation" to be experienced by the disabled.
     This type of effacement does not only occur with physical disabilities, but also with mental ones. It is rare in today's entertainment industry that you come across a well-developed, correctly portrayed character that suffers from a mental illness, but is not defined by it. And on the rare occasion that this character exists, chances are that they are not given the justice that they deserve.
     Take Beth Greene from "The Walking Dead" for example. When the reality of the zombie apocalypse set in, she went into shock, followed by depression, which ended in a failed suicide attempt. Her decision to live, along with her unwavering hope and strength took her from a background character to a dynamic, perfectly developed representation of a woman who had struggled with depression and made it- in an apocalypse no less. This gave many people who had struggled with depression hope as well- if she could do it, why not them? However, due to terrible writing, (SPOILER ALERT), she was shot and killed (probably), dying along with her my admiration for the show. (I mean, it killed off the two characters that had suffered from depression for shock value..? A++ representation AMC.)
     Media portrayal is very important- it gives the people represented a role model and feelings of normalcy and belonging. The entertainment industry has improved, but it still has quite a long way to go in terms of the representation of females, sexuality, people of color, and people with disabilities. In short, it kind of sucks. Really badly. I need to start watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Orphan Black" to get my fill of representation, because these mainstream media shows just aren't cutting it.

"It's just so pointless"

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.