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.

December 21, 2014
"We come from people who had a lot of pride... We are very proud people."
I will never forget the day when my father said that to that old Mr. Lindner. At the time I really hadn't an idea of what he was saying. All I was thinking to my childhood self was how excited I was to tell grandmama that the moving men came. Took a couple years but grandmama told me about what really happened on that day that changed our lives. I still remember what grandmama been telling me about how father almost gave up the whole house for the money he lost. But even now I can still remember that that day my old man changed. He changed how he raised our family and how he raised me, and even though he ain't here anymore, what he taught to me later on changed how I lived and how I treated the children of my own.
From that day on mama and papa and grandmama and even aunt Bennie changed. They stopped caring so much about the money and the taking and started caring more about the love of the family. Papa raised me to be honest and to have integrity, just like that moving day a long time ago. We stopped worrying about the money and focused on pride, something that's been in this family for seven generations now. My father taught me to be strong and take care of family more than anything. He showed me that money ain't nothin without the people that you love, and to this day I believe it. I even raised my own kids that way, with pride and honesty. And even though being a black kid in a white place made it hard to fit in, hard to show them white people who I was as a person, I wouldn't go back to change any of it. Cause it was people like my dad and me who made the possibility of whites and black being equal.


Thanks mama and papa, grandmama and Bennie. For everything.
-Travis (not so) Younger

While others might say that Langston Hughes utilizes his poetry solely to emphasize blacks' points of views during various time periods, all of his poems-"I,Too," "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," and "The Weary Blues"- tell stories that elucidate the struggle, oppression, and ultimate beauty of blacks and black culture in history. In "I, Too," Hughes narrates as a defiant black man who is determined to have people "see how beautiful" he is. The narrator is determined to witness the end of the ongoing racism and to experience triumph. Like Morta of the fates, he is determined to see the end of a life. But unlike Morta, who cuts the thread of life and determines death, Hughes is determined to "cut" a life and mentality in society that is characterized by segregation."The Weary Blues" is a poem that documents the firsthand experiences of the solemn nature and emotion that a jazz musician expresses. The impact of jazz, unlike the high-volume rock n roll music of Jimi Hendrix, was of sorrow and dismay, leaving black American community with a constant feeling of hopelessness. In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" Hughes describes himself as one who has experienced the "rivers" of oppression throughout history that causes his soul to grow "deep". The oppression following blacks across history is similar to the fire that follows Jeanette Walls in The Glass Castle; both blacks and Walls want to rid themselves of their troubles. However, unlike Walls' motif of fire, Hughes implies that there has not been a complete end to the oppression of blacks. Although he witnesses "the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to the New Orleans," Hughes repudiates the full understanding and appreciation of African Americans.

Blacks have experienced oppression and struggle throughout history and still do today. With each of his poems, Hughes questions the prevalence of black oppression in today's society as well as in history. He challenges our understanding of beauty of black culture and questions whether racism is a thing of the past or a matter that is ongoing like the infinite essence of outer space.

"What place does a dream have on one's life?"

We all have dreams. Whether it is to become a doctor or to become a star on Broadway, we all want things, and we dedicate our lives and our time to fulfill them. The goal, of course, is to achieve,to overcome obstacles and become successful. Our visions and dreams drive us to try time and time again until we succeed. But what happens after we do succeed? What happens after we get the job or when we receive the letter of acceptance to our school of choice? Everyone likes to believe that the answer is eternal happiness. Once we achieve our goals, we are content and blissful. But this is often not the case. Unless our dream is fulfilled the moment before we die, we all face life after success, and during this life we continue to want more and more and to have the desire for perfection, which leads to a sad truth; simply fulfilling our dream is never enough.


Gatsby experiences success when after five long years, he finally finds his way back into Daisy's heart. They fall back into love with each other and Daisy agrees to leave Tom for Gatsby. Gatsby's vision to be with Daisy is fulfilled and his dream comes true, but like many who succeed, this simply is not enough to make him happy. He needs more. Not only does he need Daisy, he also needs her to convince herself and others that she never loved Tom. Gatsby's longtime vision makes him hungry for everything to turn out perfectly, and consequently when Daisy says that she did once love Tom, but that she loved Gatsby too, her words "seem to bite physically into Gatsby" (133). Gatsby cannot grasp the idea that not everything worked according to his desire, and at that point he loses Daisy.

We like to believe that success makes us happier and accomplished, but often success drives us mad; it makes us obsess over perfection. Desire for success can motivate us, but after fulfilling our dreams we are never quite satisfied. Like Gatsby, we are accustomed to need our visions to work out perfectly. Whether the person who got accepted into a top college or Gatsby himself, we all have the desire to want more, and desire can often be costly.

Throughout 11 AP, we have read many books and passages about women in society. In The Scarlet Letter, we witnessed an adulteress in a Puritan society, which shames her and deems her a sinner. In The Bluest Eye, we witness Pecola's as well as other black females' oppression that results from the judgments of a society ruled by white beauty standards. In both instances, women are oppressed by societies that are dominated by beliefs held during specific time periods. Within the first couple of chapters, it becomes apparent that The Great Gatsby is yet another novel that, like The Scarlet Letter and The Bluest Eye, emphasizes how women are oppressed in a community where unfair standards persist.
In The Great Gatsby, it becomes apparent that Daisy's husband, Tom, is cheating on her. In today's society, we would be surprised if a woman were to stay in a relationship with someone who is unfaithful, but in a setting during the period of Modernism, where people began to become more and more materialistic, the reason for Daisy's choice to stay with her husband is quite evident. Daisy reveals her knowledge that women in the 1920s are oppressed. She tells Nick that the best thing a girl can be in the world is "a beautiful little fool." By expressing her belief that women can only have value if they possess beauty, she reveals that knowledge and wisdom are irrelevant; the only trait that matters is being beautiful, for men will choose to marry those who are. I began to question Daisy. She is aware of the shameful idea that women are seen as objects of physical attraction just like she is aware of her husband's cheating, yet she never feels the need to leave Tom. As quick I was to hate Tom, with his "supercilious manner" and his hubris, I realized that it is not just Tom's fault that Daisy lives an unhappy life, but rather the materialistic nature of women during the time period of Modernism and Daisy herself. The only thing that keeps Daisy in her relationship with Tom is her obtainment of the luxuries that Tom offers. She is comfortable with her lifestyle because she has been given riches.
 
After asking myself why Daisy can't just leave Tom, I began to realize that Tom, whose riches are shared with Daisy, isn't forcing the relationship to continue, but rather Daisy's need to live a high-end lifestyle. Like many women during the 1920s, Daisy's life revolves around the riches that are provided by her husband. The influence of materialistic needs during Modernism keep Daisy trapped in her unhealthy relationship and oppressed women like her.