Portfolio 2

Coverage

Here are the links to all the blogs assigned this semester based on our readings and novels. There is a total of 7 blogs, all of which have been completed.

Blog: Talking Back

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/10/aint-i-woman.html

Blog: Klaus Barbie

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/our-barbies-ourselves.html

Blog: The Beauty Myth

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/beauty-myth.html

Blog: Blame it on Feminism

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/just-your-average-samantha-jones.html

Blog: Extract Deconstruction

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/rough-commentary-falling-women.html

Blog: How Fiction Works

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-fiction-works.html

Blog: Review on The Road

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/dystopian-or-post-apocalyptic-review-on.html

Depth

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/10/aint-i-woman.html

I chose this blog for depth, because not only was it my longest blog, but also because I felt it was the most thoroughly analyzed. I went very in depth when analyzing the two feminist essays, comparing and contrasting them in great detail. I also compared such treatment of wives to the Hindu tradition of ‘Sati’, which is a tradition that still horrifies me.  I used secondary sources to learn more background information on this custom, so that I could provide it as an example of the mistreatment of wives in India.

Interaction

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/just-your-average-samantha-jones.html

I chose this article for my ‘Interaction’ post because my ideas were influenced by both Jorina’s blog and Julie’s IOP presentation. Jorina and I started a discussion on her own blog, and the ideas presented in this discussion really helped me elaborate on some of my thoughts and connections. In addition, many seemed to find parallels between this blog and their own ideas on the ‘Blame it on Feminism’ article.

Discussion

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/dystopian-or-post-apocalyptic-review-on.html#comments

This blog of mine seemed to spark a lot of controversy about The Road. It is a very unique book: you either hate it or you love it. It seems as though my harsh and critical review on the novel evoked a discussion between my peers.

Xenoblogging

http://hlenglishmonique.blogspot.com/2010/10/talking-back-and-sins-of-silence.html#comments

My comment on Monique’s blog, I felt, was very thorough. I spent quite some time analyzing her ideas, and comparing them to my own. I feel that my comment on Monique’s blog was quite meaningful, and received a good amount of feedback, for it was followed up with replies from both Monique and Aishwarya regarding my ideas.

Wildcard

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/12/fisherwoman-vignette.html

This piece was a vignette I wrote some time ago. I am quite proud of this piece, and I felt that it related to the feminist essays we’ve been reading. It is a scene of two girls in the bathroom, and I felt that it illustrates many of the key aspects portrayed in the feminist essays we have been reading. This idea of beauty and make up is portrayed greatly in the novels and essays of this semester, and I thought that a personal adaptation of these aspects in a high school environment would be a good expansion on this concept of feminism. 

Fisherwoman: A Vignette

The second floor bathroom reeked with the smell of hand sanitizer with a hint of lemon. The lighting was dull apart from the stream of yellow sunlight shining through the top window. A tanned girl stood in the corner, wearing a short red dress and gladiator sandals. Her back was arched forward, and her face was angled towards the mirror. Her mouth was slightly open as she carefully lined her eyes with blue eyeliner, stretching the skin underneath her eye with her left hand.

The door creaked open and a redhead girl walked in. Her sneakers squeaked slightly against the floor. She wore baggy jeans and a flimsy top, hanging loosely on her reedy body. She ducked her head down so that her long red hair would cover her face, and meandered over to the mirror. Her back was slumped forward, eyes restricted to the sink as she slowly washed her hands, taking her time to lather with soap. The tanned girl gave the redhead a half-hearted smile and said, “I really like your top” in a tone more enthusiastic than her smile.

The redhead adjusted her top and muttered a ‘Thank you’. She ducked again so that her red hair would hide her face. The tanned girl coughed and ran her hands through her hair, scrutinizing herself in the mirror. She turned sideways and pinched the sides of her hips. She looked at the redhead through the mirror and whined, “Oh god, I hate my love handles so much. I hate you, you’re so skinny.”

The redhead smiled awkwardly. “You’re really skinny too…” she muttered.

The tan girl made a hideous face in the mirror, and then laughed abruptly. “Shut up, are you kidding me? Ughhh, why am I so ugly?” she carped.

The redhead chortled uncertainly. “You’re not ugly! Don’t say that!”

Instead of responding to her comment, the tan girl put away her eyeliner and muttered “Whatever.”

The bell screeched loudly and broke the silence in the bathroom. The tan girl quickly put her make-up away and picked her cloth bag up off the floor. She looked at herself once more in the mirror, scrunching up her hair. “I’ll see you later,” she said as she walked out the door.

The redhead responded with a slight head bob, and listened to the door shut behind the tan girl. She lifted her head, and straightened her back. She adjusted her top once again, pulling it down over her jeans. She lifted her head so that her red hair was not completely obstructing her face from view. She then walked out of the bathroom quickly, her sneakers still squeaking against the floor. 

Dystopian or Post Apocalyptic? A review on The Road

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, is an intense post apocalyptic novel about the journey of a boy and his father. I read this book over a span of two to three hours, which is quite fast at my reading pace. It was fast moving, descriptive, emotional an interesting. This book depicts the true horrors of human nature, to the point where cannibalism is a general day-to-day fear. McCarthy uses vivid descriptions to set the tone of the book, which extremely grim. His writing style is quite peculiar, making it extremely unique. His descriptions of the father-son relationship seem quite bland, but through the use of diction he paints scenes between the lines that portrays the underlying message of their relationship. Their short, one-word answer conversations has to much depth, demonstrating exceptional use of diction on McCarthy’s part. Overall this book was a quick, face-paced read with excellent writing skills by Cormac McCarthy.

However, in all honesty I have to say that I hated this novel. Yes, I did read it much faster than I would any other novel, and yes McCarthy’s writing still was excellent. But, I still felt that the plot line and overall story was relatively dull. The plot line was extremely predictable, and it seemed to repeat itself. There was a constant rollercoaster of good and bad events: they would nearly get eaten- they would run away, the father would get sick – then he’d get better, the boy would get sick – then he’d get better, they’d nearly starve – and then they’d find a house full of canned goods. There seemed to be several climaxes in the story, with extremely predictable outcomes. With such a story line, the death of the father at the end of the novel was inevitable, an event I predicted would occur when I was merely halfway through the novel. Additionally, although this story is supposed to be about the loving relationship a father and son have, I saw simply a fragment of their relationship. I’ll admit that McCarthy was adept with his use of language; however, I feel that it is impossible to depict the true father-son relationship in such isolated circumstances. Their only relationship was the love they shared to keep one another alive; apart from this factor there were no other psychological connections that could have been depicted in this book.

Adding on to this idea of isolation, I feel that I did not enjoy this book because it seemed – for lack of a better word – too lonely. I find it interesting to read and analyze books with several characters being developed, and with interestingly developed plotlines. Normally, a character faces many hardships that help develop the kind of persona they carry. In The Road, the only goal they had was survival. I did not enjoy reading a book that was solely based on the survival instinct of human nature, for I prefer to read about the psychological and political tendencies of human beings when placed in a society. This is why I think I enjoyed reading dystopian novels more, for they provided a warning rather than a depiction of how it will be when everything fails. I don’t see the point in writing about a failed society, with no development, where the only goal is survival. 

How Fiction Works

Last year in English 10, I wrote a 10-page story about a serial killer. In my opinion the plot line was great and the story was really creative; however, I received a 6/12 grade. I drove myself crazy trying to find out what it was that I had done wrong, for I thought I had written an excellent piece. After reading this article, I realize it was not my story that had received the failing grade, but the way in which it was written. I have never been a very strong fiction writer, and I think it is because of the very reason that Wood describes in his article. There has to be a certain bridge between the author and the character, and it is not possible for a story to survive without it. My story lacked this ‘free indirect style’, and instead moved choppily from author to character voice.  For so long I had thought that writing fiction existed only in the elementary sense, but upon deeper analysis I can see there is so much more.

This concept of ‘free indirect style’ is what governs most of the books we read nowadays. Books such as ‘The Catcher in the Rye’ and ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’ are classic examples of literary masterpieces achieved through the use of successful ‘free indirect style’. What makes a book deep, and what allows one to analyze in a book, is the development of character. Free indirect style demonstrates the use of indirect characterization, where the author can express descriptions from his/her own viewpoint, as well as the view a character has about him/herself. Wood brings up a concept called ‘Mock heroic’, which I found to be very interesting when it comes to the author describing how a character feels about him/herself through free indirect style. It takes great skill to portray a pompous man, without direct description of his pompous nature. Instead, the uses of subtle adjectives are used to depict this aspect. When reading this essay, it seemed as though Wood went through a lot of analysis to extract how a certain adjective conveyed a certain message; however, great authors (such as authors of the books mentioned above) have used similar tactics, which seem to easily convey their message to the reader.

Although Wood went into great analysis of how a single word can change the entire viewpoint of the speaker, the thought that the authors were doing this unknowingly occurred to me. Is it really possible that all great authors put in so much thought into their work? Or is it simply habitual that their thoughts start to mesh with the thoughts of their fantasized character? I also wondered whether this habitual trait occurred, because authors on general tend to write from personal experiences. One of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Wilson, writes books that every teen can relate to. However, it seems as though there is a similar voice in all her stories, perhaps entailing that there is more author than character in her writing. Even in her biography, she took on a similar tone of voice that seemed to carry the same air as her characters do. It got me thinking; can an author truly write about a character (through the means of successful free indirect style) that he/she has absolutely no connection to?

A Rough Commentary: Falling Women

During a scene in Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, Offred has a discussion with her commander on love. Amidst one of their frequent ‘scrabble sessions’, the commander brings up the topic of love, sending Offred on a long tangent down memory lane. Love had almost become extinct in Gilead, due to the strict rules placed on women. The mention of love therefore caused Offred to reminisce about the beauty and pain that love is capable of bringing. Through the use of diction, metaphors, and imagery, Atwood describes every woman’s battle with love through Offred’s eyes, an everlasting memory despite the dominance of their loveless society.

Offred draws upon the commonly used expression ‘to fall in love’.  Here, Atwood uses diction to associate the emotion of love to the “downward motion” of falling. The verb ‘to fall’ is repeatedly mentioned as she describes how “falling women” were “falling in love”. The use of associating love with an act like falling, gives the reader a sense of the freedom and unruliness that comes with being in love. Not only is it “lovely, like flying” but it is also “so dire, so extreme, so unlikely”. Only an act like falling can connect the excitement of being in love to the uncontrollable path it may take. It is both dangerous and exhilarating. By calling women in love “falling women”, Offred ties together the act of falling and the impact it has on the woman. The constant repetition of the verb ‘to fall’ brings significance to the fact that it is a constant process. Women in love are continuously falling, and are continuously facing both the thrills and turbulence of being in love. Offred herself can relate to this continuous falling, for even though she is separated from her loved one, she is still a ‘falling woman’.

Atwood presents a juxtaposing image to ‘falling’ in her comparison of love to God. Her metaphor, ‘God is love’ provides an interesting twist to the ideology of love. They twist the saying ‘God is love’ to portray the spirituality of love, and how it is a belief and a power rather than an emotion. Through the use of diction, Atwood portrays how the roles have reversed, and how love is now the dominating power. Offred stated “the more we believed in Love”, where the capitalization of the term ‘love’, and the concept of believing in it rather than experiencing it brings to it a religious sense, that Love is more powerful than any other emotion. By calling a loved one an ‘incarnation’, religious power is brought to a loved one, where a partner becomes the embodiment of the spiritual belief in Love.  The image of love being heaven juxtaposes the idea of falling in love, for now the falling women are falling upwards, toward heaven. These two contrasting images, of up versus down, give the reader a sense of the rollercoaster women face when dealing with love.

Through the use of abstract pronouns, Atwood uses diction to make a connection between Offred’s rant, and her own love life. When describing the pains of love, Offred uses ‘you’ instead of I, when it is clear that she is speaking from past experience. She says that “You would be filled with wonder… and you would know too why you friends had been evasive about it”. The constant use of ‘you’ rather than ‘I’ disconnects Offred from the subject she is speaking of; however, such emotional statements can only be formed from past experience. Atwood also uses diction to create the disconnection by using ‘they’ rather than the name of a man. Offred asks, “Who knows that they do… Who knows what they say… Who can tell what they really are?”. It is apparent that these descriptions of so-called hypothetical situations were formed from some previous memory of Offred’s, for no hypothetical situation can be described with such detail. Through the use of abstract pronouns, Atwood adds a sense of obscurity to the scene, showing how love holds an enduring mark on the memories of ‘falling women’, even when forced to abide by a loveless society.

Atwood’s use of diction and metaphors in this excerpt portrays the prevalence of love in a frigid world. Although societal regulations can prohibit the act of love, the memory and power still withholds in the memory of those that have experienced it. This ‘act of falling’, this ‘spiritual power’, is too fierce to be forgotten. Although trying to form a disconnection, it is still evident that Offred’s previous experiences with love have made their mark. In a loveless society like that of Gilead, holding on to the memory of love, and continuing the act of this ‘downward motion’ are all that falling women have to hold on to the emotional thrills of love. 

Just your average Samantha Jones

When I first began reading this article I felt a wave of frustration for those that blame the feminist movement for women’s issues nowadays. The article discusses how women were enslaved by their own liberation. I felt that this photo demonstrated one of the key concepts discussed in the beginning of this article, for it is saying that one cannot have the best of both worlds without facing some emotional instability. The insecurities women face are cause by problems dealing with men, fertility, and their biological clock. Although these articles are all extremely prevalent in modern society, the article continues to discuss how this is not an affect of feminism, but instead a hallucination of issues created by the media.

An example that struck me when reading this article is Liz Lemon from 30 Rock. A highly successful single woman living in New York faces issues when it comes to getting married and having children. Although her position of power is one to be respected, she puts her career over her social life, therefore ‘lowering her emotional state’. Likewise, on TV shows like Sex and the City, the issues women face when juggling careers with their love life, and how they are related. Samantha Jones, one of the main characters, is an extremely powerful publicist, one who is unaffected by what men think, or how fast her biological clock is ticking. Even though she may be the ideal portrayal of a feminist, her achievements have demonstrated how a woman can still be powerful without facing all the other issues discussed in this article.

The essay continues to discuss how it is in fact not the feminist wave that has caused these emotional issues with women, but in fact the failure of being able to achieve complete inequality. Faludi describes the issues dealing with job discrimination, sexual harassment in the workplace, and violence dealing with women on the streets. These issues are much more prevalent when discussing the inequality of women as opposed to the modern woman feeling depressed because of marital issues etc.

In my opinion, I think that people have put the blame on this feminist movement for their issues because they need someone to blame. Although women have gained so much power, we are the type of creatures that always have to find something wrong- it’s the only way we can survive. Men being the far less emotional species don’t understand a woman’s need to create problems for herself, for it is in fact seems necessary to create these problems to maintain the balance of the universe. This act of ‘stopping women before they reach the finish line’ is definitely based on societal discriminations, but may also be due to man’s power hungry nature, or women’s insecurities and influence under the media.


I also felt that this essay provided several connections to The Handmaid's Tale, of which this photo also illustrates. Jorina and I have shared discussions and similar thoughts on the relation of 'Blame it on Feminism' to this novel, and I feel her blog (as well as the preceding discussion) helped formulate my own ideas. Her blog (http://jorina-hlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-dont-need-man.html#comments) works off of the idea that women are seen as vessels in The Handmaid's Tale. This relates to the concept of a woman's constant worry over her biological clock, except for the fact that it is exaggerated to matters of survival. Jorina brought up an interesting idea, that women mask their more prevalent issues with petty problems. This idea was also presented in Julie's IOP presentation where she discusses how men are consistent in their ability to control women, due to the fact that women are still in constant battle with each other over the attention of men. Maybe if women chose to forget these petty problems, and instead chose to go against the men and the media, we may actually win this feminist war. 

The Beauty Myth

"There are only two questions that human beings have fought over, all through history. ‘How much do you love me?’ And ‘Who’s in charge?’"

- Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert

I feel that this quote from Eat Pray Love exemplifies the underlying concept that determines all actions of women. Call it a biological instinct, but the majority of women’s’ decisions and actions are based on gaining the love of a man, or men in general. The Beauty Myth demonstrates both these issues regarding women, in a very logical outlook. It is in fact a woman’s need for a mans attention that takes away this power they are fighting for. The influences that men and society have over women are strong enough to toy with their self-esteem, thereby removing a large aspect of their power.

Although this essay provides many viable points, I do not think it is merely women’s increasing power that has led to this new form of ‘private reality’ as a form of influence. I feel that this aspect of feminine nature has always been prevalent- the need to please men and look pretty. Although it has found many forms throughout history, it has always been a woman’s aim to get a man to answer the question ‘How much do you love me?’ and not as much ‘Who’s in charge?’. Women of all statuses and beauty levels face this insecurity, whether men desire them or not.

I found Wolf’s economic and history connections to the ‘beauty myth’ very interesting. When looking at history, the differences in ideals are quite surprising. It is sad that women are viewed as such objects of power in so many cultures, yet the common stereotype of man holding power still prevails. Wodaabe men, as Wolf described, would be seen as ‘gay’ or ‘homosexual’ in modern society, even though this behavior is what is expected out of women. The use of women’s insecurities as an economical tactic I also found interesting, for it is common in society to link sex, money, and politics.

Even though I completely agree with the notion that women are brought down in society by this ‘beauty myth’, I don’t feel that it only applies to women. Although status and money are a greater part of defining a man, the male youth are still influenced by this beauty myth. Boys are also looking to impress girls, constantly feeling insecure about how muscular they are, often resorting to steroids or excessive work out patterns. This is similar, although not as extreme, as what women go through to gain the acceptance and love of a man.

These two questions, as Gilbert said, have defined human behavior both emotionally, politically, and economically. Humans have learnt to play on the insecurities of the opposite sex in order to get what they want- both men and women. The women are just more emotionally and economically affected by it- being seen as the inferior sex. Perhaps it is necessary for society to have some influence over its society, in order to maintain some sort of organization. 

Our Barbies, Ourselves.

Ever since I was a child I have played with Barbie dolls and read Cosmo Girl (and other such magazines). The media’s influence on girls’ self esteem nowadays is a constant and pressing issue that is not being dealt with. The market knows how to appeal to a certain group of people, unfortunately influencing this low self-esteemed group of teenagers into thinking they are not pretty enough, not skinny enough, or not white enough. When reading these essays, I felt empathy for the authors describing their “terrible turning point”, and how the media’s portrayal of the ‘perfect girl’ influenced the way they feel about themselves.

Gilman’s article about Barbie dolls is one of many addressing the issue of how these dolls are influencing young girls. As a child I used to have a collection of Barbies; including mermaid Barbie, Ken, Kelly, even Indian bride Barbie. As described in this article, although the company tries to explore a range of diversities, the classic Aryan look is still present. Although the idea of the classic blonde, blue-eyed, ignorant, and gorgeous cheerleader type girl is still the clichéd version of the ‘ideal woman’, these stereotypes are still existent in our society.

America’s Next Top Model, Miss World Pageants, and Cosmopolitan magazine are all forms of media directed at insecure teenage girls. Higginbotham’s article described the tactics used in these magazines so accurately it was nearly shocking. After reading this article I took a look at my own stack of Cosmo Girl magazines, and realized that every racial and physical discrimination presented in this article holds true to these magazines. Although they try to exemplify a sense of diversity, all girls are equally skinny, equally gorgeous, and have the same ‘I’m-better-than-you’ expression on their face. Even when watching Miss World Pageants, which is supposed to be a celebration of diverse beauty, inside and out, the superficial nature of the event is still evident. All women have the same stick thin bodies, perfectly toned stomachs, and a perfect boob-to-ass ratio.

This idea of the ‘perfect girl’ has tortured the souls of a million teenage girls worldwide. The media forces them to believe that the reason they are not ‘finding love’ is because they don’t satisfy the statutes of what it takes to appeal to teenage boys. Dolls, magazines, and TV shows are all telling girls that if one is not a classic preppy blonde girl, one will never find love. I much prefer Gilman’s descriptions of her new and improved Barbies, ones that actually depict women in real life – rather than a fantasy that all men wish women were. No longer should women have to fit this image of perfection, perhaps not to the extent of that in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, but perhaps to the extent where women can be seen as equals rather than objects to be toyed with. 

Ain't I A Woman?

I have always enjoyed reading women empowering books, which make me feel proud to be a woman. I found Hooks take on how women were meant to be silent very interesting, for she explained that to be the causation of her desire to write. She describes how it was the mothers and sisters of her family that truly spoke with poetry and wit, rather than the male preachers that society were forced to listen to. Since Hooks got into trouble for saying what was on her mind, she decided to keep a diary, which was what sparked her love for writing.

She describes her path to becoming a writer, describing how speaking her mind was an act of courage and required her to overcome many criticism and claims to being mad. Her sense of passion was apparent when describing the power for the spirit of writing, and how dangerous oppression can be to the existence of creativity. It is those that have been oppressed who have something to say, and whose words are those that people should actually listen to. It is not the preachers’ words that one must listen to, but the words of a sassy grandmother that have something worthwhile to say and listen to.

She related everything back to the idea of ‘talking back’, which is something that our generation does most often. We do not think it is wrong or ‘insane’ for a girl to speak her mind, showing the relative improvement from people in the old days. There are millions of famous women authors, whose words have impacted the majority of our world. Although these standards have definitely improved, there are still traces of these old beliefs. Some men still prefer a quite woman, one they can dominate over, rather than a smart woman who speaks her mind. Although there are still traces of sexism in our society, especially for women in the workplace, perhaps eventually men and women will finally be seen as equals.

Similarly, Thao explains how her mother taught her the power in silence. The idea that women should keep quite and try and avoid trouble is not foreign, and still holds true in many cultures. When reading ‘Sins of Silence’ it reminded me a lot of Mulan. Mulan was meant to act as a proper girl so that she could find a husband; however, she chose to follow her own path instead. Even though this path was not the accepted path for women in her society, she ended up with great success. As Thao said, even though there are cases where silence is beneficial, it should not be at the cost of one’s rights.

I found many parallels within these essays and the treatment of Indian wives. I have read many books about the treatment of Indian wives, which is exactly as described in these essays, perhaps even worse. The wife is meant to do everything for her husband, whether it is fasting for his health, or jumping into a fire to defend his honor. I felt that this Hindu custom, 'Sati', illustrates how in certain cultures nowadays women are still completely disregarded for who they are. I found the custom of Sati to be quite horrific, and did some extra reading on it (http://adaniel.tripod.com/sati.htm). Although the origin of this custom is unknown, it is supposed to be based on a Hindu myth. The act of Sati was supposed to be a very courageous and dutiful to their husband, but more importantly, it was their choice. There have been, however, many cases where the woman is forced to kill herself to protect the honor of their husband. It is ironic how the common conception of marriage is 'till death do us part', not 'if I die you're coming with me...'. Although such customs are no longer quite popular, it is such customs that have created this inequality in the first place. Although standards are improving, this inequality is still existent and prevalent in many societies nowadays. 

Portfolio 1

Coverage:

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/

All blogs on the assigned readings have been completed, and have been thoroughly discussed in relation to the two novels we have read and analyzed in class. In addition, I also included a wildcard blog of one of a poem I have written.

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/08/reaction-to-first-forests-in-relation.html

I felt that my blog on ‘First the Forests’ is a good example of how in depth I went with my blogs. I  began with a summary of the article, then an analysis comparing it to We as well as olden fables that support the theme of the article. I ended with a philosophical discussion of what it means to be human in relation to the theme of the article. I feel that I incorporated the three main things to be discussed, as well as my own personal analysis on what I got out of reading the article. I feel that this blog in particular demonstrates depth and understanding of the assigned reading.

Depth:

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/08/reaction-to-freedom-and-democracy-and.html

Upon writing this blog, I did not use any secondary sources; however, after looking upon this once more I can see that many sources have influenced my thoughts and arguments. Firstly, when discussing the psychology of human beings, I refer to ‘the invisible bag’. This is a conceptual term I had learnt last year in English 10, from an article we had to read called “The Long Bag We Drag Behind Us”.  We read this article as a supplement to Dr. Jeykl and Mr. Hyde, however it seems as though this concept can be applied to ideals of freedom and democracy. In addition, I also used Descartes philosophy of existence to support my argument, from which I read upon in a philosophy textbook (Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings by John Perry)

Interaction:

http://3nina.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/28/#comment-23

When commenting on this blog, I found many of Nina’s thoughts quite interesting. However, while reading her essay, many of the statements she made led me on tangents of thought that caused me to disagree with what she was saying. In order to portray my perspective, I included the link to another blog I had commented on that relates to the idea of the degradation of language, which rebuts Nina’s idea that language is ever-changing, and should continue adapting.

Discussion:

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/09/manipulation-of-truth.html#comments

This blog was based on the classroom presentations on ‘Objective Truth’. Rohit provided some very interesting thoughts and argument in contradiction to what I stated in this blog. He brings up evidence from 1984 that rebuts one of my statements. I feel that this blog provoked some interesting discussion on one of the main themes presented in 1984, the idea of what we feel is knowledge and how it is manipulated.

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/10/born-and-raised-in-north-korean-gulag.html

This blog in particular received numerous comments, and I feel it sparked a rather interesting discussion. Both Nina and Saumya commented on the correspondence of Shin’s desire to return back to the prison with Winston’s behavior in 1984. The discussion then moved on to a debate on the idea of a ‘perfect world’ and whether or not it truly exists. Piggybacking on this idea, Anuraag provided an analysis of freedom and whether that truly exists in a society without government and societal influence. In addition, Aishwarya added her own interesting thoughts on the idea that Nina proposed in the beginning about the reasoning behind Shin’s desire to return back to the prison.  All in all, this blog provided an interesting discussion with various tangents of debate, but eventually leading back to the analysis of the correspondence of Shin’s behavior to that of Winston’s.

Xenoblogging:

Comment Primo:

http://theliteraturemachine.com/anuraag/2010/09/22/writing-revolution-of-2010/#comments

I was the first to comment on Anuraag’s blog on the ‘Writing Revolution of 2010’. I began my blog with some of my thoughts on what he had written and then provided a question based upon his analysis. I asked his opinion on what a person from years ago, who is so used to Shakespearean writing, would feel about our writing nowadays, perhaps relating to a writing revolution of another time. My first comment seemed to have provided an worthy thought, for it launched of an interesting discussion on the degradation of language.

Comment Grande:

http://hlenglishmonique.blogspot.com/2010/09/born-and-raised-in-north-korean-gulag.html

I spent a lot of time working on this comment, as I felt this blogging assignment was one of the most interesting ones to write and read. Due to the fact that an interesting discussion was sparked on my own blog of this article, I had a lot to say about Monique’s discussion, and was able to link it to both mine, and Nina’s blogs on the same topic.

Comment Informative:

https://saumya22.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/lack-of-lightning/#comment-19

I was able to comment on this blog because Saumya related Shin’s experiences in the Gulag to Plato’s Cave. This concept of knowledge is a philosophy subject that I learnt a lot about over this summer, and have read many essays regarding the skepticism of knowledge. I provided some information on a philosopher’s theories that provided possible reasoning for Shin’s actions in the Gulag. This information was taken out of a philosophy textbook (Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings by John Perry)

Wildcard:

http://poojasivhlenglish.blogspot.com/2010/10/poem-apology.html

I wrote this poem a while ago, however it is still one of my favorite pieces of writing that I have produced. I wrote this poem when I was really frustrated as a way to release stress. The title of this poem is ‘An Apology’, and is an ironic declaration of frustration against one’s parents. The main emotion portrayed here is anger, however there is a slight hint of sadness that comes with the irony. The use of contrasting ideas shows how the narrator (myself) tries to act really tough, but still ends up getting hurt. Although many ideas presented in this poem are somewhat cliché, I feel that many frustrated teenagers will be able to relate to the concepts and emotions in this poem. 

Poem: An Apology

An Apology

I’m sorry, but I don’t care

I may be drunk with sins, satisfying my needs

My conscience may be rotting as a corpse

Morals never do stand in the way of my deeds

I do what I want regardless of life’s course

I’m sorry, but I don’t care

Your harsh words may sting with ice

But they will never affect my heart

Lecturing endlessly, say you’re being nice

You say that giving up is the hardest part

I’m sorry, but I don’t care

My heart may be made of stone, my mind dead inside,

And my soul may have been sold to the devil

When previous foes come looking I don’t hide

And you wonder how I can stoop to that level

I’m sorry, but I don’t care

Your opinions about me were never high

But they say the apple never falls far from the tree

I may shed a tear, but I never cry

I never surrender, complain, ask, or agree

The truth is that you were never really there

And I’m sorry, I’m sorry that I don’t care

"Born and Raised in a North Korean Gulag" vs "1984"

Nowadays we don’t imagine ourselves under any totalitarian authority. Although humans are prone to feeling that they are being oppressed by some greater power, it was never to an extent that was presented in We or 1984. This New York Times article, “Born and Raised in a North Korean Gulag” presents many shocking details of prison life that resemble that of the life in 1984. The same totalitarian ideals are presented in prison life, as well as their torture and inquisition methods. Many details in Shin Dong Hyok’s description are tangential to the descriptions in we, which is very shocking to readers including myself.

The first similarity between this article and 1984 is the relationship that each had with their mother. Shin states that he had no love for his mother due to what he had to go through because of her.  Winston similarly had a peculiar relationship with his mother, especially depicted in his flashbacks throughout the story. When Shin’s mother was being hanged, he did not feel any sadness and instead avoided his mother’s eyes. Winston, like Shin, did not understand how to handle his relationship with his mother. He was unaware of whether or not she was alive, but had no direct need to find her. Upon meeting a woman who could possibly have been his mother in the prison, Winston’s reaction was not normal for someone who may have just found his or her mother. Both Winston and Shin have relationship issues, possibly a result of the harsh circumstances they were forced to endure.

Both Winston and Shin were born into a world where there was some sort of oppression, and therefore were unaware that there was any other way of living. Shin states that he thought everyone lived this way, and therefore did not try to revolt. He said that he never found anything ‘unfair’. Shin, like Winston, was given information of the outside world. Winston and Shin share similar reactions to this information of ‘outside worlds’ and are both overcome with the need to experience it. Winston dealt with it by keeping a diary, and plotting against the government with his accomplice. Shin dealt with it by finding ways to escape out of the prison so that he could experience this ‘free’ world he had never known of.

Both Winston and Shin were in atmospheres where humans were deprived of regular human feelings and standards. Shin was used to seeing people getting beaten up, and therefore was less prone to being sensitive. Shin was also deprived of proper education, which is similar to the control over language and writing in 1984. The use of propaganda is also present in both the North Korean prison as well as in 1984. In addition, means of inquisition are also similar in the sense that they use brutal and painful methods to gain answers.  

The idea that a world similar to that of 1984 exists in our world is a scary thought. People who  have been born into such harsh conditions have no knowledge of the outside world, and therefore don’t feel that anything is wrong. It makes one wonder whether our generation of human beings are also living in the darkness of another ‘outside world’. 

Manipulation of Truth

The manipulation of truth is a philosophical matter, which can be dealt with using various intensities. During our class activity we observed that there are actually very few truths that can on the whole be seen as ‘objective truths’. Others have in some way, influenced everything we have learnt over time, including all the knowledge we’ve gained. Simple ideas such as ‘we need oxygen to survive’ or ‘I have lungs’ can be questioned to such an extent that it starts leaning more toward a subjective piece of knowledge. If such thoughts, which have been engrained in our minds, can be thought of as subjective truths, then what exactly IS an objective truth?

After listening to the various presentations and the arguments presented against each case, it seems as through ‘truths’ with the least amount of information are the most likely to be considered objective. For example, the most objective truth was that ‘An object (solid) at a given moment in time can be measured’. There are a lot of restrictions on this truth, therefore making most arguments unfeasible. Many arguments would be about the value of measurement, and that the shape of the object could change over time; however, with the restrictions these arguments no longer worked. Is it possible that a truth can only be objective if it is dissected to the very detail in order to avoid uncertainty? If this is true, then how can knowledge, which is a compiled number of ‘truths’, be considered reliable?

Due to the fact that most of what we know is subjective, and a projection of our own mind, perhaps an approach in that of 1984 is necessary. The numbers were told what was true and what was not, despite what their own knowledge was telling them. From a logical point of view, this seems the only solution to eliminating any error that might come into play, for it is only truths with numerous restrictions that are can be accepted. If forced to ignore what your own mind is telling you, knowledge is ridden of the ‘subjective’ error, due to the fact that objective truths are imposed upon the minds of humans. This illustrates the concept of ‘doublethink’, which I thought to be a very interesting concept in 1984. It requires very strong discipline of ones mind, but allows a society to be more unified in their thoughts.

The human mind is such an unreliable place of thought, especially because we ourselves don’t know very much about it or how it works. Subjective truths are impacted by each individual mind, for each person can see something differently or have a different experience when encountered with the same thing. Humans have very different ways of thinking, and who are we to say what is right and what is wrong? Maybe the idea of telling people what is right and forcing them to believe it is the only way to gain true reliable knowledge for a society, a seemingly efficient method in 1984.

Reaction to Class Exercise

During the class activity we analyzed several old pieces of writing according to the rules that Orwell presents in Politics and the English Language. Upon observation, it seems as though many errors that Orwell talks about are present in many of these writings, showing just how political the English language is. The most prevalent errors were the use of common metaphors, and the use of words that humans don’t necessarily know the meaning of. These two errors seem to be used especially when wanting to sound more formal and profound. The use of common metaphors, normally talking about life, death, and the meaning of mankind, are normally used for motivational speakers. Many motivational speeches, for example a speech made by a president to his country, use many clichés to get their point across. Even though these clichés are easily detectable, they still seem to move the audience to a certain extent. Perhaps it is the presentation and not the actual language that makes a speaker who they are. The use of words that humans don’t necessarily know the meaning of, such as liberty, democracy, and such others are used for a completely political purpose. Humans don’t really know the meaning of freedom, or liberty, perhaps because we have never truly experienced it. We have been taught that ideals of freedom are good, and it is what we should want, therefore it is used a lot in language to convey a positive message. Words are thrown around a lot, without considering the actual meaning. When a president promises freedom for all, what exactly does that entail? The problem is that society does not know, and therefore are swayed by mere language and presentation. Is it possible that some of history’s most powerful speakers, such as Martin Luther King Junior, are just following the stereotype of ‘good writing’ in order to make an impression? 

Reaction to 'Politics and the English Language' by George Orwell

Politics and the English Language, by George Orwell, provides a very peculiar outlook on the English language. Although his observations are very insightful, and supported with evidence by numerous writers, I find his idea that simpler language is better. For years we have learned that sounding pristine and astute is what made good writing. The reason why thesauruses are our best friends, and why we have the constant need to lengthen our sentences is because of the structure people expect of our writing. There have been so many times when people editing my essay will apply the exact tactics Orwell said NOT to use in order to make my essay better sounding. Young writers nowadays feel it to be necessary to use these tactics to strengthen papers, for it seems as though political language is what is accepted most in modern society.

Many writers, including myself, do not rely on simple words to construct our thoughts, for that tactic seems very elementary. I like Orwell’s theory that many people use Latin based words due to the fact that they sound smarter and more scientific. Many times, especially in scientific labs, I will use larger words and elaborate more on theories, just to give the idea that I know what I’m talking about. Kids today have managed to develop an excellent skill of writing without a clue of the actual content- a very useful skill. Perhaps the addition of larger words and lengthy sentences allow students to make their work sound more believable, and achieve the designated word count. In addition, it may also be used in order to remove an emotion from the paper, making the piece less bias and more scientific (based on facts).

What I found odd about this article was that it was written by the same author as 1984. In 1984, Orwell describes a new type of language called Newspeak, in which the English language is made simpler, as described in his article. However, 1984 seems to be a criticism of totalitarian rule, and machine like humans. He especially seems to be casting a bad light on the reduction of our nouns and verbs, for it destroys the beauty of our language. Orwell’s article seems to portray that even the lengthening and use of large worlds can lead to the dehumanization of the human language. So, in order to maintain that level of English we once had, we must resort back to a poetic style of writing, using imagination instead of vocabulary. In a sense, I do prefer this type of writing; however, only for personal narratives and stories. For essays and other formal pieces of writing, the political style of English is still engrained in my mind while writing. 

Reaction to 'The Psychology of the Novel'

The Psychology of the Novel provides an interesting analysis on the relationship between a reader and the novel they are reading. It describes this relationship, almost as two humans interacting. The way the reader reacts to the novel, deciding whether or not she feels happy with the narrator is quite similar to human relationships. The author describes how the narrator can impact the way one reacts to a novel. For example, when reading Eat, Pray, Love, I felt a very strong connection with the narrator, the author, because of her personality being displayed in her work. Her writing was funny, witty, and was easy for me to relate to. Contrarily, when reading The White Tiger, the narrator was not exactly the most pleasant characters- being a driver in India committing many disturbing acts. Although I could not relate to this narrator, it was still interesting to read from the point of view of someone that was particularly disturbing to me. Contradictive characters have always appealed to me, for they bring more character to the novel I am reading.

Another aspect of the psychology of the relationship between a reader and the novel is what happens when the reader does not particularly enjoy the novel. I am the type of reader that gets bored with books very easily, and once I put a book aside, it takes a lot for me to return to reading it. I have lost out on reading many great books, due to the fact that I cannot commit. In the rare occasions that I do decide to force myself to read the book, I end up liking it, perhaps just in the act of accomplishing the task of reading the book. I have never disliked a book after reading it, but only when leaving it halfway. In addition, when dealing with my own reading habit, I find that I am extremely susceptible. As long as something is in print, and I am reading, I very rarely doubt the accuracy of it. I have never had a problem with reading a book that is not very believable, for I take the authors writing as the final world. Essentially, my relationships with novels include a lack of commitment and easy susceptibility- not very promising bases for a relationship.

I found the deliberations on lying and gossip very interesting, especially when discussed from a literal point of view. The human mind is not a very stable basis for anything, for it is easily manipulated and not very reliable. But it is our own mind, and sanity, that keeps humanity going (an idea presented in 1984). If we accept novels to be false, how are we so susceptible to believing lies and gossip? Authors themselves are the most skilled liars, for they knew the logical trend of the ‘game’. They know exactly what it takes to make a story seem real and believable. However, their main intent is not to simply tell lies, but to deliver a message. Perhaps this is the reason why humans know novels to be false, for there is always a distinct intent of the author to be writing whatever he/she is writing.

Finally, I found the discussion of inspiration versus intuition very interesting. Some people say you are born a writer, others say you can learn to become one. I always thought that the true skill of writing is something you are engrained with, for it is a very unique and difficult way of expression. Only authors can understand each other’s language, and the readers are simply there to try and figure it out. I don’t know whether it takes a good reader to be a good author, or vice versa, but it seems as if the two skills come hand in hand. Writing is truly an art that one must master the ability to appreciate in their own individual manner. 

Reaction to "First the Forests" in relation to "We"

The article “First the Forests” brings up the question of ‘What is humanity?’ When compared to We, the two authors have very different views on what human nature truly is. We suggests that the true state of human beings is when they are in their animalistic state, for that is the reason why I-330 is trying to break through the extremely controlled environment that humans had resorted to. ‘First in the Forests’ suggests that humans are in their natural state when they have found god, and are separated from their animalistic nature. The article talks about how civilization is the true state that humans were meant to be in. Both authors provide very interesting viewpoints on the cycle of the different states of humanity.

We is constantly making references to how logic prevails over all, and how humans are in their true state when they allow logic and reason to control their lives. In the end it is logic that dominates over all, for D-305 had to receive the operation and was forced to think like the rest of the people. Zamyatin uses this tactic to show the negative effects of absolute control over a society. He does this to prove that the true state of humans is when they are in the forest, embracing their bodies in all its natural goodness. Another reference to this idea in the book We would be the physical characteristics of D-305. I-330 points out that D-305’s hand resemble that to one in the forest, suggesting that he has some forest blood in him. This could be the main theme for this novel, and the reason why D-305 was chosen by I-330.

The article ‘First in the Forest’ describes how in fables and other tales, forests are always portrayed in a negative light. The first point that Harrison brings up is that in most stories, the protagonist usually ends up in a dark scary forest that they have to deal with. This concept is presented in many children’s’ stories, including Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel. This concept is also presented in many Russian children’s stories. Harrison explores the reason for why the forests are put in such a bad light, and explored the story of Vico’s Giants. Some would say that humans were kept in their animalistic state due to forests, for the forests prevented them from seeing the sky and being connected to god. He talks about how the three elements humans need to be ‘human’ are marriage, burial ceremonies, and a type of religion. Once these animalistic creatures discovered the idea of God, and were ever faithful to some greater power was when, according to Harrison, Homo sapiens reached their true state of humanity. These three concepts can be described as civilization.

The article ‘First in the Forest’ and We share many similar concepts. Both display the human’s fascination with the sky. The reason for this fascination is unexplainable, and we still face it today for humans are still building spacecrafts and trying to learn more about the solar system. The reason for this might be because it is something we can always see, but know nothing about, and therefore provokes curiosity and the ideals of God. Harrison talks about how Homo sapiens achieved humanity when they heard a clap of thunder coming from the sky. This is what provoked their curiosity, and led to the idea of God. In We, the fascination with the sky is presented in the building of the Integral, which the people were using to learn more about the sky. Zamyatin also includes very vivid descriptions of the sky in his novel, giving the impression that D-305 has some sort of fascination with the sky as well. This also presented when D-305 experiences fog, and feels uncomfortable, possibly because he can no longer see the sky.

The idea of humanity is explored thoroughly by both authors. It brings up the question, ‘Where does everything actually start?’ Is the beginning of human kind found in the forests, or with technology and machinery? It seems as though it is a cycle, for those in the forest experience a ‘clap of thunder’ that jolts them into civilization. And those bombarded with governmental control and technology receive a ‘clap of thunder’, like the meeting of I-330 for D-305, which will jolt them back to their primitive animalistic state. Humanity seems relative, for it seems as though we can never be stuck at one point in this cycle of stages. 

Reaction to 'Freedom and Democracy' and 'Questions of Conquest'

‘Questions of Conquest’ by Mario Vargas Llosa and Chapter 7 of ‘Freedom and Democracy’ both discuss the idea of one’s personal control in regard to society. This is very closely related to ‘We’ since we is a novel based upon the idea of a utopian civilization, where power of individuals are alleviated so that the government can have more control over the people. ‘Questions of Conquest’ talks about a case in history that demonstrates the hostile nature of human beings, and the explanation for it in regards to individual sovereignty. ‘Freedom and Democracy’ takes a more modern approach on this topic and discusses how there can actually be no such thing as absolute freedom due to many factors of influence that we face when growing up.

Llosa outlines how back in the day, humans did not have that much power over their own actions because their moral and social code depended entirely on the social group that they belonged to. Nowadays we may criticize the harsh actions of the Spaniards. The article talks about how many of the Indians allowed themselves to die, which could imply that they had no control. It talks about how many of the Indians did not have the ability to make the choice between life and death due to the fact that they had to follow many rules that their culture ordered them to pertain to. Those with power turned the people into some sort of machinery, and kept strict rules in order to maintain discipline and prevent rebellious actions. There were of course many rebels, however, the harsh methods of the Incas proved to work when controlling a society.

I found the ideas in this article to be very thought provoking, for it talks about how in history there was almost no such thing has self determinism, since people were so closely tied to their community and religious rules. This relates to ‘We’ because this is the exact tactic that the Benefactor used in order to control their society. This leads me to the assumption that humans interpret history as a cycle, or some could say a pendulum. Zamyatin might have taken the idea of absolute power from history, like the example presented in ‘Questions of Conquest’. He may have thought that humans will need to return to their old habits in order to control the barbaric and animalistic factor of human nature.

The “Freedom and Democracy” chapter takes a different and more modern approach on the idea of individual sovereignty. The author looks at this issue from a psychological and philosophical point of view. The psychological view relates very much to the idea of the ‘invisible bag’ where a human being is born with a complete personality and due to societal specifications, starts putting away parts of their personality as they grow older. The first example that the author brings up is about children, and how they learn to control their hostility. It continues to talk about how humans make choices based on what they think is right or correct, and they may even base what they want on these specifications.

I found this to be a relatively harsh observation, for it is stating that there is no such thing as free will and everything is based on the idea of determinism (a philosophical term, although discussing psychology). The article explains how everything we do is under the influence of something else, meaning that humans themselves don’t have any personal say in their actions. This leads to the question of whether or not we even have a personal identity. I disliked this argument because the author is questioning my identity. The author is saying that none of the choices I make are solemnly based on what I truly want, because what I want is simply what society is making me think I want. I believe that all humans have a personal identity, and their desires are based on factors other that societal influence.

The article also looks at this from a philosophical viewpoint. This is in relation to the idea of determinism and free will, and whether or not that constitutes whether one has a personal identity. Personally, I feel that free will, although somewhat existent in our society (in my opinion), does not constitute whether or not one has their own individual sovereignty. The article discusses Descartes proof of his existence, being ‘I think, therefore I am’, and even if one doubts this statement, in the act of doubting, one is thinking and therefore they exist. I believe this is the true idea of individual sovereignty, the ability to having one’s own thoughts even if based off of certain influences.

All in all, both articles look at the idea of one’s personal existence and sovereignty in very different ways. One from a historical viewpoint and another from a modern (psychological and philosophical) viewpoint. It was hard to see their connections at first, but when understanding the main theme of both articles I was able to see the connection between the two, and the reason for the ordered reading. The idea of whether or not one is actually in control is very complex, and sometimes not too appealing to thing about; however, it is a very interesting philosophical debate of which humans will not able to draw a conclusion on for a very long time.