Fitzgerald's Portrayal of Women

Throughout all of Fitzgerald’s stories, he conveys the sense that women are merely foolish objects. For example, in the Diamond as the Big as the Ritz, Kismine actually gets offended when John called her sophisticated. She even argues to show John she isn’t as intelligent as he thinks she is, “I’m very innocent and girlish. I never smoke, or drink, or read anything except poetry. I know scarcely any mathematics or chemistry. I think sophisticated is the last thing you can say about me”(Fitzgerald 11.) I personally was very shocked to read this because I would be thrilled if someone ever called me sophisticated- not take it as an insult. Kismine lists all of the things she can’t do to “dumb herself down” to John, as if being intelligent is something to be ashamed of.

In Winter Dreams, the only thing Fitzgerald describes about Judy Jones is her “merely beautiful” appearance. Fitzgerald purposely puts emphasis on the grip Judy Jones has over many men saying, “under the magic of her physical splendor the strong as well as the brilliant played her game and not their own.”

Fitzgerald also touches on young girl’s expectations in society in The Great Gatsby, through Daisy’s evident disappointment when she found out her child was a girl, “She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool – that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." Yet again, Fitzgerald conveys the sad standards of the 1920’s- girls are only necessary to become wifes. The only thing that is appreciated in woman is there external appearance.There are two ways a reader could interpret Fitzgerald’s intentions; he is either extremely degrading towards women, or he is trying to reveal the universal truth that women are expected to be nothing more than objects.

Favorite Passage from The Great Gatsby

“I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair. Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets, and I was with him too, looking up and wondering. I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life” (Fitzgerald, 40.)

I love this passage from The Great Gatsby because it literally takes Nick and puts him into another perspective, allowing the reader to connect with the story. Fitzgerald even uses the pronoun “our” taking the reader back in time, to join the life of New York City. At the same time Nick is roaming around the city, he is also confined by the chaos in his life but mesmerized by the lights and amount of people he is surrounded by. Therefore, he takes himself out of the present to investigate the “human secrecy” of New York.  Many times, I find myself doing this as well. I notice that I have been just observing people, not to judge them, but to observe the “variety of life.” I agree with Fitzgerald, it is sometimes repelling to see so much difference, because it's a rude awakening that the world just doesn’t revolve around your small problems that you perceive to be such a big deal. But I think Nick, in this case,  is repelled because he is in a room with the richest of New York and they are just blowing money, and he’s watching the other social classes cope with their situations. What is enchanting about it though, is that there is so much more life to discover. Especially in this time period, there are different ethnicities, music, social classes, sexualities, and so much more Nick just hasn’t been introduced to. I personally think it's comforting to see a family or somebody through a window because it gives you as strange sense of community in a way, even though you may have never met that person. I love the fact that Fitzgerald chose to make Nick look up and wonder at his own life. It conveys the sense that things can be so much more different than what they seem like on the outside. “Stranger” Nick, may have envied the rich people at this wild party. On the other hand Nick is looking down on the city wishing he could be the guy roaming the streets. But, instead he is confined by the chaos of Tom and Myrtle. Fitzgerald ultimately reveals the natural human tendency to envy strangers through irony and creating a different persona for Nick.

Evolution of Lies

While reading the article, “How To Talk To Kids About Thanksgiving,” naturally I had to compare Crystal Brunelle's and Rebecca Valbuena’s teaching strategies to “The History Teacher.” Both of these teachers realize that it is vital to inform these children with historically accurate info, without having to take away their innocence. There is a fine line between “softening up” the harsh truths of history and lying to students.

Throughout my life, I have been told the common lies that everyone tell their kids. For example, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Leprechauns, etc. At first, of course I had to believe my parents. I was just a kid, I would have never thought my parents would have been LYING to me. Lying when I was a kid, was unfathomable, there was no way my parents could lie to me.

When I got older, I started to question how logical Santa and all of these made up characters were. I used to constantly try to calculate the strict time schedule Santa had, and if it were even possible. I came to the conclusion that it had to be real. Why would adults pour millions of dollars into decorations, books, and movies, for it to be about a fake character? It just seemed like too much effort was put into idolizing this figure, so it had to be real. Today, I still sympathize for kids that are in that “middle stage,” that I was once in. Having the ability to recognize that this fantasy holiday world may just be a million dollar brand, is one of the most confusing stages to be in.

Even now, I still encounter these false truths that are forced upon me by adults. In school, we are taught things to be one way. For example, in our history books, there is a clear bias to America. In every war, America is looked to have the best interest at heart. In WWII America we were the “saviors” that liberated the concentration camps. But we also wiped out 129,000 humans. Naturally, teachers don’t want to spend as much time discussing the disturbing wrongdoings of America. Teachers and parents need to realize that it is inevitable that children will grow up, but it is the student’s duty to recognize the biases and lies that we have constantly been exposed to throughout our lives.

Therapeutic Chaos in The Glass Castle

Although fire may seem extremely dangerous to most people, to Jeannette Walls, fire was seen as therapeutic. The book starts off with one of her very first memories, at the age of three she was burnt while trying to make hot dogs. “I smelled burning and heard a horrible crackling sound as the fire singed my hair and eyeballs”(Walls 9.) This seemingly traumatic event was actually the least of Jeannette’s worries, and actually sparked her interest in fire. It hurt her physically, but also gave her a sense of confidence because she was praised for being strong,”She has already fought the fire once and won” (Walls 15.) This gave her a sense of achievement and positive attention from her parents.

After she burned Tinkerbell I first thought that she was a straight up a psychotic kid, but as I kept reading, I realized that any kid living in her environment would have to be a little bit crazy to cope with her family’s unorthodox lifestyle. This event showed that she didn’t care for materialistic objects, even though she barely had anything in the first place. This also introduced Jeannette as being rebellious, and showed that her inconsistent parents barely set any boundaries.

I also noticed that fire in The Glass Castle, gives a sense of order in Jeannette’s life. She definitely had a crazy childhood though, constantly moving between states, while her family was struggling to sustain a stable income. She takes pleasure into watching the flames engulf her toy, and in some odd way, is very therapeutic to her. It shows the line between turbulence and order. In that moment, she can choose to either blow out the flames to restore order, or let the fire keep burning until the brink of turbulence. It seems like her father taught her this risky habit through his actions as well. He would restore order just before chaos unleashed, by picking up and driving off to another “adventure.” Being able to control fire was the only thing that she could control in her crazy childhood.

The Destructive Social Construction

“If you're going to hold someone down you're going to have to hold on by the other end of the chain. You are confined by your own repression.” - Toni Morrison

When I heard the horrific news about Paris Friday night, I was on my way to a friend’s house. I got in the car to go, but I couldn’t help but to just sit for a second and cry. I cried because obviously I felt horrible for all of the victims and their families. I was trying to make sense of it all but then I thought of a quote from The Bluest Eye, “There is really nothing more to say-except why. But since why is difficult to handle, one must take refuge in how.” These actions are so disgustingly unfathomable, that the question of “why” is unanswerable.  Trying to answer this question can put yourself in such an evil mindset. This quote made me realize that asking the question “why” sometimes is bad for your own mental state.

On the other hand, part of my emotions was due to frustration. Here I am, a 16 year old, middle class, white girl. I have faced no major adversities in my life. No major financial troubles. No discrimination. No abusive stereotypes. I used to think that I will never be able to understand what it would be like to be discriminated against or a victim of terror. But, these attacks sheds light on the cold truth that nobody is safe in today's world. These victims were picked at random.

Reading this book and having these terrible acts of terrorism happen nearly simultaneously, I feel a sense of helplessness. Helplessness due to the fact that different religions and races have been discriminated against for hundreds of years, and this issue is still going on today. Not only this, but also the fact that these horrific acts are a result of society’s own -in Morrison’s own words- “social construct.” That is the most frustrating part, all of these deaths are due to a mere social construction that we, as humans, all have the ability to control.

Why is white beautiful?

While reading the novel, The Bluest Eye, I was really taken aback from the strong self-hatred Pecola, just a young girl, had for herself. Of course, most of her self hatred is a result of society’s extreme influence on our adolescents. Toni Morrison even says that that African American beauty is considered to be ugly, “ support for it leaning at [African Americans] from every billboard, every movie, every glance.” Although this book takes place in 1941, even today we consider white skin to be better when it comes to beauty.

Even celebrity idols that we look up to put on makeup to appear to have whiter skin. If these faces are constantly being thrown at us through TV screens, magazines, and billboards, what is that saying to african american people girls over the world? That they must try to appear to be as white as possible to be seen as “beautiful?” These women should be an example for younger girls and be  proud of their own genetic makeup, not try to cover up their true skin color.

Toni Morrison also said that, “Beauty was not simply something to behold; it was something one could do.” This quote really struck me because I had always thought of beauty as being something that someone could physically achieve. I always hear, “Her hair is beautiful,” but I have never heard that the way someone treats others or carries themselves as being beautiful. I agree with Morrison that beauty should not just be a physical characteristic, because somebody could be beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. Morrison is ultimately saying that inner beauty is what truly matters.

It is vital that the people that we look up to, like Beyonce, Nicki, and many other celebrities realize that they too are playing a huge role in the typical “beauty standards” that we set for our youth. At the end of the day, white or black beauty doesn’t even matter at all because beauty is an action, not a skin color.

Negative Influences of Barbie

In Our Barbies, Ourselves, Prager suggests that no matter what Barbie does, she would never be able to please Ken. I agree with Pager but I also find this to be ironic, considering manufacturers have designed her an excessive amount of accessories and dream houses, you would think Barbie would be just fine without Ken. Instead, the makers of this doll suggest to young girls that having a boyfriend is necessary in order to obtain a happy life.

This doll’s influences have even brainwashed adults to think that she is, in fact, perfection. Valeria Lukyanova frequently makes headlines due to her never ending amount of plastic surgeries to transform herself into Barbie. Barbie’s influence creates this preconception to children that in order to be happy, you must have the cutest boyfriend, the newest car, and the biggest closet. It is truly devastating that this toy has created our society’s beauty standard. Since when has plastic become perfection?  

As if I couldn’t have gotten any more appalled through realizing that by playing with this oversexualized doll-she had basically robbed me off my innocence. But, instead, the company blames moms for their daughter’s body issues. http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/02/06/barbie-lead-designer-blames-moms-not-dolls-crazy-proportions-for-girls-body-issues/

Barbie may look like she has the perfect life. In reality, she will continue on never being enough for Ken. Barbie is just plastic from the inside out. Her fabricated smile will never portray her true feelings of loneliness- just a deceiving image of what little girls think happiness looks like.

Guilt in Maus

In Maus, Art Spiegelman has to endure many different types of guilt; survivor's guilt, the guilt of Anja’s suicide, and the guilt of never truly being able to create a novel great enough to remember all of the victims of the holocaust. He copes with this by creating his novel, keeping himself busy, but ignoring the shame only makes it worse for him. On page 44, Art Spiegelman addresses his feelings of guilt with his therapist. The therapist blames Vladek for being the source of Art’s guilt even saying that Art is the “real” survivor. Art Spiegelman draws himself getting smaller and smaller to represent how the weight of his guilt literally makes him feel like nothing. This scene clearly depicts the true feelings of guilt, from Art’s shrinking size, his posture, and the dark shading of his surroundings.

I had never really thought of what “survivor's guilt” meant before reading Maus. It was really interesting to see how the Spiegelman family all dealt differently with their traumatic past. Vladek took his anger out on his second wife, Anja took her own life, and Art wrote a graphic novel. I never  thought that writing a mere comic book could have such a great impact on one’s mental health. In a way, Maus is therapeutic to Art because he has to face his family’s past, to truly understand his own identity.

Everyone has to do endure somewhat of the same guilt that Art has to learn to deal with too. Whether a family member dies, or you tell just a small lie to your parents, your thoughts are swarmed with, “what if’s?” The guilt of your actions shouldn’t define you, but just like Art, you have to confront your past in order to move on and live your life.

What happens to peoples’ identities when they are not considered citizens in their own country?

When people aren’t considered citizens in their own country, they are looked upon by others as enemies. They are also referred to as a whole, being stripped of any individualistic qualities they have left. In the holocaust, this means they anyone with a star on their jacket was a “Jew,” as if that three letter word described everything about them. Eventually, they became just a number that was tattooed on their arm and one of the millions of striped uniforms.

On page 83 of volume one, Art Spiegelman sketched the dead mice as the main focus of the whole page. Also, he makes the Star of David really stand out in contrast to their dark uniforms. His purpose was to show that to the Nazis, their religion was all that mattered. They even referred to their deaths as “examples.” The fact that people were killed for a mere example makes my heart drop.

The same thing is happening in the US, but on a somewhat smaller scale. During Amer Zahr TED talk, he talks about how the term, “terrorist,” is used to describe someone who is Arab and how the words, “depressed,” or “mentally ill,” refer to caucasians. His talk really made me think how even our government, our news, and our leaders are degrading other races without even considering other terms. Isn’t the United States supposed to be the “melting pot?” Aren’t we as Americans supposed to embrace other cultures? Instead, we tend to think if someone isn’t necessarily white then they aren’t American. This issue will not resolve until everyone understands that no matter what, race, religion, or sexuality, we are all American. Diversity is what makes America beautiful.

Feminism in My Life

Even though “Feminism for Everybody” is over 15 years old, Belle Hooks reveals a universal truth that still hold true to today’s feminist movement, “... women could not band together to further feminism without confronting our sexist thinking. Sisterhood could not be powerful as long as women were competitively at war with one another” (Hook 3.)

I agree completely with what Bell Hooks is saying. Not only are harsh words degrading to your own reputation, but speaking out about others can affect how others think of your friends as well. It’s our obligation as females to support one another instead of putting down each other down all the time.

Just this week, I played a football game with thirty five other girls in my grade. When we were out on that field, we forgot about all the unnecessary drama and gossip that happened before the game. We played for each other. We cheered for each other. We left everything we had on the field. When we came together, the outcome was amazing. We were the first juniors in years to beat the seniors. This is the perfect example of how girls must put the past behind us to form a “sisterhood.”

While reading “Feminism for Everybody,” I never thought that her ideals could be applied to me, especially the same day as reading it. Her words and this experience taught me that you accomplish anything with the support of others. Also, that feminist values can be found in everyday life.

The Relatable Struggle That is Life

David Foster Wallace is the Taylor Swift of literature. Both of them write about situations that just about everyone can relate to.

See? Relatable.

What I’m trying to say is that Wallace’s piece, “This is Water,” was definitely my favorite that we have read so far. For example,Wallace wrote, “It is extremely difficult to stay alert and attentive instead of getting hypnotized by the constant monologue in your head” (Wallace 234.) We are all guilty of zoning out in the middle of class, or totally forgetting that you had to walk the dog before your dad gets home (yup, just happened to me.) I think that it is so interesting that Wallace can write about something so obvious, so self-evident, and still get an overwhelming reaction from his audience.

On the other hand, I think that writing these kinds of pieces may have negatively impacted Wallace’s mental health. He definitely had a different way of thinking. He was a genius, but also analyzed everyday social situations a little too deeply. Of course, I think this piece is so compelling because he wrote about the common struggle (that isn't even really a struggle.) But now I also realize that it's dangerous to always be aware of your everyday obstacles. It seems like through Wallace’s words that living from day to day is a constant battle. When, sometimes, going to the supermarket isn’t THAT bad. Even if the line to the cashier is out through the door, at least I have food to eat. I’m not saying that we should roam through life like living zombies, but we should just take a deep breath, stop overthinking everything, and just live your life. Easier said than done, of course, but I’m pretty sure Taylor Swift would agree.

How are Minorities Portrayed in Today's Society?

Racial injustice in the US has come along way, but it is still a reoccurring and relevant issue today. Just walking through the lunchroom of Troy High, I tend to notice that different ethnic groups and genders always sit together. There is scientific evidence that we tend to gravitate towards people that have the same physical features as us.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/15/friends-look-alike_n_959145.html

This social phenomenon is also portrayed in popular films and TV shows. For example, in Orange is the New Black, the separation is a reoccurring theme throughout every episode. The minorities in the jail tend to stick together, just like the scientific evidence concluded. In the TV show, every ethnic group has their own separate bathrooms and claimed territories of their jail. The show provides a lot of diversity in the jail, ranging from; african american, white, asian, and different sexualities. It is very interesting to see how all of these different personalities get along under the poor conditions they are in. These different races are forced to acknowledge each other when they are in such a confined space. Of course, this causes tensions to be high when they don’t see eye to eye. They have to learn to cope with their racial stereotypes while still trying to create a safe community with so much diversity.

Popular entertainment like Orange is the New Black, and The Lone Ranger have a huge impact on how society looks at race. Their influences force society to make a biased judgement on the treatment of minorities. In this particular series, the show pokes fun at the stereotypes society tends to joke about.

In these particular GIFs, white women are implying that other minorities are subordinate to their own race. Unfortunately, to some, these racist ideals apply to the “real world” today. It seems like almost every time I turn on the TV, the unnecessary violence of a white police officer against an african american is being debated or protested against. If you consciously notice it or not, the media has influenced us to create an unfair judgement about minorities in today’s society.

Mimicking Style of Writing

(O'Brien 55).

Lying there in the middle of the street, looking at my parents running towards me, I felt a sudden rush of panic come over me, as if I were drowning in fear. Chunks of my own life had flashed by. I saw a five-year-old girl dressed as a cheerleader trick or treating for the first time; an eight-year-old girl running and twirling around her backyard in her ballet shoes; and ten-year-old girl lacing up her basketball shoes for a big tryout. My whole life seems to rush through my thoughts and onto the bloody pavement, running away from me, everything I had ever wanted to be.

When mimicking O'Briens style of writing, I am talking about the time I was in a really bad bike crash when I was in the seventh grade. Today, I still have to deal with the not only physical effects of the accident, but the guilt that I carry over the amount of bills and anxiety I put my family through.

Although my bike crash barely compares to the devastating mental effects of war,  I felt like my life had flashed before my eyes and this certain event in my life has changed me forever, just like Tim O'Brien's emotional breakdown on the rainy river.

In this paragraph, Tim O'Brien's grammar and syntax help to develop the deeper meaning of what he is trying to convey. To show the overwhelming feeling of fear he uses multiple semi colons instead of making his different memories into complete sentences. This creates, what feels like, a never ending sentence that represents his life. When the reader reads this, they can't help but to feel bombarded with all of his memories as well.