The Great Gatsby! What a misleading novel to read! All along, I had been thinking that Jay Gatsby was the perfect man, adored by all just as much as how Mrs. Clark adored Atticus from "To Kill a Mockingbird"!
The title of F. Scott Fitzgerald's most famous novel, "The Great Gatsby," sounds just like the great magician Harry Houdini's stage name, The Great Houdini! This clever title symbolizes Jay Gatsby's magical-like abilities to conceal his true identity as a weak and nervous individual. From his dirt-poor and hopeless character of James Gatz, he has transformed himself into the affluent and well-connected Jay Gatsby. He manipulates almost everyone into believing in his vast wealth, creating a mystical illusion in the New York community. He hosts extravagant parties like advertisements for all of New York to see his infinite wealth and even (attempts to) speak like an Englishman to assert his luxurious background. However, even though Gatsby claims to have good standing like an East Egg resident, he is actually a young, insecure man who finds his fortunes only through illegal activities like bootlegging alcohol. Mr. Carraway, the honest and tolerant narrator, later reveals that Gatsby continues to live in the past as he hosts all these parties to capture the attention of his former lover Daisy. "The Great Gatsby" is a legend and a theatrical performance, but also an allegory that teaches us that the path of greed and wealth are intertwined with the path of loneliness and suffering.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
I Swear, I'm Lying to Protect You!!
Protection is a key instinct in human nature. The human survival rate is drastically higher than other animals like fish and birds due to strong parental care throughout life; after all, a parent's basic instinct is to protect his/her offspring from getting hurt. However, lying in order to protect one's offspring has two conflicting ideas. Should we protect our children from the evils of the world, or should we expose them to reality, so they can learn from history's mistakes? In the satirical poem, "The History Teacher," Billy Collins questions the reader on the extent of protection that builds up and eventually leads to lying.
There isn't a clear-cut sensor in our brain that tells us whether we should lie or tell the truth. We use our conscience to construct a mode of action suitable to the situation. If you had to lie in order to save one's life, the immediate reaction would be to lie. On the other hand, if you had to lie in order to save face, that would be immoral and dishonest. Those seem to be two completely different viewpoints, right? Now, how about telling your kids about divorce or death, which may permanently alter their behavior and personality? Can they "handle the truth?" Obviously, our own morality and integrity tells us to tell the truth... ALWAYS! Many people say lying is simply immoral and deceitful. However, there must exceptions to this moral code such as preventing harm or pain to yourself as well as others. The history teacher in Billy Collins' poem personally believes that his conscience is telling him to do the right thing in order to save the innocence of his students, but he fails to recognize that his teaching materials shapes his student's character to shield themselves from the evils of the world rather than be oblivious to those evils.
This morning, I was listening to Imagine Dragon's new hit song, "Demons." In the chorus, he sings these lyrics, "I wanna hide the truth. I wanna shelter you. But with the beast inside, There’s nowhere we can hide. No matter what we breed, We still are made of greed." This exemplifies how protecting someone through lying is useless; the truth will always reveal itself. Our conscience decides whether to lie or tell the truth. but it is important to keep in mind that lying should not impede on others' ability to pursue happiness. Innocence is a gift. Humans, kids and adults alike, should be kept innocent and happy from the true evils in this world. In the end, it truly depends on one's strong conscience to decide to act in the best fitting manner.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Punctuation: An Overlooked Subject
Even though society continues to change, it is essential to modify punctuation and its rules in order for the changing English language to convey the user's meaning in a coherent and distinct manner.
As society evolves in a similar fashion to the advancement in technology and communication, it is important to note that the punctuation rules that influence the reader's interpretations of a text will always remain important whether it be in past literary works or current literary works. In the cartoons, two identical sentences represent two utterly contrasting meanings (Source G). As shown, one little modification to the punctuation in a common declarative sentence disproportionately changes the author's original intent. From texts to statuses to articles, the rules of punctuation play a great role in a reader's interpretation of meaning. In Dolnick's article, Kurt Vonnegut accuses semicolons of "representing absolutely nothing;" however, they actually connect separate but complementary clauses together. In addition, Dolnick asserts that they are "vital tools in keeping ... the stream of thought" by communicating a meaning through an organized structure rather than a long list of vague, enigmatic statements (Source E). Dolnick did not realize that the rules had changed since the time that Vonnegut made that statement. From its original use as an unnecessary and optional punctuation mark, the semi-colon has evolved to have a meaning on its own; in fact, the usage of punctuation reveals the author's intentions in the text. Although rules are important in our world today, they will always change as man finds new rules and punctuation marks to accommodate his needs. Furthermore, rules establish a common ground for both the author and reader in order to comprehend the text. The world has evolved its communicative technology to include text messages, Facebook statuses, and Twitter tweets; tweets themselves are literary works that use punctuation to convey the user's meaning. With a 140 character limit, "users are forced to be concise" (source F); consequently, users have developed a new method and rule that will allow them to convey the essence of their tweets in quick, succinct words: hash-tags. Although Twitter users may not frequently use conventional punctuation marks like periods and semicolons in their tweets, they certainly use hash-tags (#) to provide a concise expansion of the author's thoughts. Just like how technology will always change from the old, inefficient wagons to the current, updated Lamborghini's, punctuation will always change to fit humankind's needs
As society evolves in a similar fashion to the advancement in technology and communication, it is important to note that the punctuation rules that influence the reader's interpretations of a text will always remain important whether it be in past literary works or current literary works. In the cartoons, two identical sentences represent two utterly contrasting meanings (Source G). As shown, one little modification to the punctuation in a common declarative sentence disproportionately changes the author's original intent. From texts to statuses to articles, the rules of punctuation play a great role in a reader's interpretation of meaning. In Dolnick's article, Kurt Vonnegut accuses semicolons of "representing absolutely nothing;" however, they actually connect separate but complementary clauses together. In addition, Dolnick asserts that they are "vital tools in keeping ... the stream of thought" by communicating a meaning through an organized structure rather than a long list of vague, enigmatic statements (Source E). Dolnick did not realize that the rules had changed since the time that Vonnegut made that statement. From its original use as an unnecessary and optional punctuation mark, the semi-colon has evolved to have a meaning on its own; in fact, the usage of punctuation reveals the author's intentions in the text. Although rules are important in our world today, they will always change as man finds new rules and punctuation marks to accommodate his needs. Furthermore, rules establish a common ground for both the author and reader in order to comprehend the text. The world has evolved its communicative technology to include text messages, Facebook statuses, and Twitter tweets; tweets themselves are literary works that use punctuation to convey the user's meaning. With a 140 character limit, "users are forced to be concise" (source F); consequently, users have developed a new method and rule that will allow them to convey the essence of their tweets in quick, succinct words: hash-tags. Although Twitter users may not frequently use conventional punctuation marks like periods and semicolons in their tweets, they certainly use hash-tags (#) to provide a concise expansion of the author's thoughts. Just like how technology will always change from the old, inefficient wagons to the current, updated Lamborghini's, punctuation will always change to fit humankind's needs
Saturday, November 9, 2013
She's A Strong Independent Woman
During this week, we discussed the different views of feminism between the works Deborah Tannen and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Whereas females are illustrated as the lesser and weaker gender of the two, I strongly believe that both men and women have same degrees of responsibilities and power in society.
It is important to realize that stereotyping will continue for the rest of human existence. Human nature is inclined to feel insecure; consequently, humans will always judge others to compare themselves. However, in "The Scarlet Letter," Hester's strong character allows her to become an outlier in society. Her isolated position combined with her perseverance unexpectedly give her the ability to rise from the deep depths of sin to the thriving position of a seamstress who not only sews for the rich, but also provides for the poor. She has the power to contribute to society and its demands. She has the power to change other people's views of her although she will never forget her sin herself. She has the power to maintain her moral integrity and wear her scarlet letter with a sort of pride.
An individual's power is directly derived from community's placement of power to that individual. Society will see what they believe they will see. For example, the community places such low standards to "sluts," simply from appearance because that is what society expects from a "slut." Many high school students or even adults regard individuals, especially women, with skimpy and revealing clothing to be considered sexually promiscuous, in other words, a slut. People are inclined to stereotype these certain ways because there are actual prostitutes or promiscuous individuals in our world today, and humans have a nature to compare and contrast with other humans. However, women should not be confined to these lowly opinions; they are part of the human race with equal rights and equal power, whether "marked" or "unmarked". Women are leaders in the world, whether from household environments to professional environments. Every human in the world, both man and woman, has and always will have the capability of substantial power and responsibility.
It is important to realize that stereotyping will continue for the rest of human existence. Human nature is inclined to feel insecure; consequently, humans will always judge others to compare themselves. However, in "The Scarlet Letter," Hester's strong character allows her to become an outlier in society. Her isolated position combined with her perseverance unexpectedly give her the ability to rise from the deep depths of sin to the thriving position of a seamstress who not only sews for the rich, but also provides for the poor. She has the power to contribute to society and its demands. She has the power to change other people's views of her although she will never forget her sin herself. She has the power to maintain her moral integrity and wear her scarlet letter with a sort of pride.
An individual's power is directly derived from community's placement of power to that individual. Society will see what they believe they will see. For example, the community places such low standards to "sluts," simply from appearance because that is what society expects from a "slut." Many high school students or even adults regard individuals, especially women, with skimpy and revealing clothing to be considered sexually promiscuous, in other words, a slut. People are inclined to stereotype these certain ways because there are actual prostitutes or promiscuous individuals in our world today, and humans have a nature to compare and contrast with other humans. However, women should not be confined to these lowly opinions; they are part of the human race with equal rights and equal power, whether "marked" or "unmarked". Women are leaders in the world, whether from household environments to professional environments. Every human in the world, both man and woman, has and always will have the capability of substantial power and responsibility.
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