This week we discussed Virginia Woolf's "The Death of the Moth" which was quite depressing. It discusses the power and inevitability of death and discusses the nature of life. This is primarily illustrated through the short life of a moth that the narrator observes.

Before discussing the actions of the moth, Woolf first observes a congregation of rooks soaring around a tree. When introducing the rooks, Woolf describes them as engaging in "annual festivities". The rooks fly around and cause a raucous, which seems to be something that they find entertaining. Moreover, the narrator fails to question the intentions of the birds and accepts their flying around as if it is a "tremendously exciting experience".

The observations of the author, however, shift as he/she describes the moth. The moth flies around aimlessly and to the author, is "pathetic". She begins to feel pity for the moth because of its "meager opportunities". This pity eventually leads the author to avoid helping the moth when it is on the brink of death. The simplicity and purity of the moth's life yields the author to become aware that death is inevitable.

By the end of the story, it becomes apparent that the narrator realizes the power of death for all living things rather than just the moth. Woolf learns this because of the moth's capability of exposing life in its truest form. Unlike the moth, the rooks are able to express their lives more actively by flying around and making noise. The narrator does not feel pity for the rooks because they are able to mask the inevitability of death with their "festivities". However, Woolf makes her opinion towards death applicable to the rooks too by stating that the rooks fly around "as though" it were a "tremendously exciting experience". The addition of "as though" suggests that the rooks are actually not living a happy lifestyle. They are like the moth, except they have a visible way of masking the unavoidable nature of death; they distract themselves from death by flying around with their "clamor and vociferation".

By contrasting the outward appearance of the moth and the rooks, who both cannot escape death, Woolf applies the situation to humans. Humans go to school or work, play games with their friends, and participate in many other day-to-day activities. We cook, clean, play, hang, exercise, watch, tweet- and like the rooks, we kill time by creating excitement. We fill our schedules with activities in order to distract ourselves and ultimately, we attempt to avoid death. We avoid the fact that death is inevitable and feel pity for creatures that have "meager opportunities" like the moth but  in essence, no matter how big the opportunities that we get as humans compared to other living organisms, we are all going to die just like the moth.

In "Fish Cheeks," Amy Tan reflects on her past struggle as an Asian American attempting to fit in with white society. She recalls an experience in her past when she tried to hide her heritage in order to fit in.

I can identify with Tan myself; I too have attempted to fit in by blending in with society. Admittedly, in the past I tried to separate myself from my identity in order to avoid being judged. Paradoxically, I was judged for this- by Asians and non-Asians alike. Similar to Tan, I was the type of person who "wanted to disappear" whenever a family member expressed their Asian heritage too extremely and for that, I was looked down upon those by other Chinese people. However, I later realized that all of my desires to separate myself resulted not from my existence as a Chinese person, but rather the stereotypes that others correlate with being Asian; this taught me how to embrace my culture and rid myself of shame.

From a young age, I was corrupted by the Asian stereotypes within society- stereotypes that have been tossed around countless times by peers and the media. Statements like "all Asians are nerds" and "all Asians are quiet and only talk with other Asians" became something that I heard all the time. But there was a problem; I didn't want to be seen as a nerd, and I knew I wasn't a quiet kid, So in my childhood brain I told myself that I didn't want to be seen as Asian. Dang stereotypes........

However, now I have come to differentiate between Chinese culture and Chinese stereotypes. This realization allowed me to truly appreciate my heritage. Now I am aware of the beauty that culture yields and I am proud of my Chinese culture (and the food too!). The Asian stereotypes drove both me and Tan to be afraid of what others may think of us, but by forgetting about the stereotypes that drove us to be insecure with our culture, we are finally able to be "proud" that we "are different".

February 1, 2015
This week in class we discussed a piece by Nancy Mairs titled "Disability". In this article, Mairs reveals how she feels as a disabled individual in society. She claims that people with disabilities are falsely portrayed in the media. She uses an example of a woman who has MS but is portrayed without any "complexities" that make her "whole". Mairs continues by stating that this kind of portrayal of disabled people leads to  "dangerous consequences". This is because characters like the woman with MS who are characterized solely by their disability fail to acknowledge those with disabilities as real human beings. Disabled people, in turn, feel isolated form society.

Fast forward 28 years since the publication of "Disablity" and some improvements are apparent. The topic of mental and physical handicaps are presented more often in the media. An example of a television show that adopts new standards towards disabilities is Glee. Since the pilot, Glee has introduced many controversial topics by creating unique stories for its characters. One character, Artie, is a boy whose being in a car accident as a child leaves him dependent on a wheelchair to move. Rather than keeping disabilities away from viewers to preserve their "physical vulnerability," producers of Glee emphasize the struggles that Artie has to overcome during his day-to-day life. These struggles make us more aware and sensitive towards those who have disabilities. When we witness Artie being incapable of riding the bus to sectionals or having his backpack stolen by a robber who escapes by climbing stairs, we feel sympathetic towards him. Characters like Artie in the media make us more aware and compassionate towards those who are disabled. Above all, however, we admire Artie. Just like the other members of the glee club, Artie sings and even dances in his wheelchair (and it doesn't look awkward or clumsy either; Artie has some wicked dance skills). He is kind, funny, and caring. Through his personality, rather than his disability, we are reminded that Artie is more than a boy in a wheelchair. He is a real human being who deserves the same treatment and exposure in society as anyone else.