Photo Finish

Photos are nothing but another form of disseminating or capturing information. However, just like any other form of communication, it is subject to falsify reality. Photographs can easily be used to better understand the world around us, yet it can just as easily create a facade over the real truth.

The simplest example of how photos are used to aid our memory is with childhood albums. These albums inform us about a time in our life we might have no recollection of. Without these pictures, people would lose sight of that innocent and carefree time altogether. Sontag claims that "one never understands anything from a photograph", but what about the emotional connection it provides to bridge our daily lives to our past? How do candid photos hide the truth, if they are taken without the subject knowing? For Sontag to make such a direct claim, one could just as easily argue that our words have been corrupted too. Yet that doesn't force us to argue that we learn nothing from speech.

On the other hand, there are a handful of examples in which photos hurt our judgement of society. The biggest example of this that I have faced, along with many online shoppers, is when companies make products look much better than they are in ads and the online photo. After buying the item, you realize that it works nothing like what the company claimed. This is a perfect example of how photos can distort the reality around us. Nowadays, photos can so easily be edited and photo-shopped, that in many cases they do lose their value. Models and actors take photos in "perfect conditions" looking "flawless", but in what way does that illustrate the human imperfection we all carry.

While it is too strong to argue that photos are a "form of mental pollution" because they provide us with a important tool of recollection and storing information, there is a strong current trend which does hurt our opinion of the world. It is important that people understand this, otherwise photos might create the perception that all the world's problems have been resolved.

Planning the Perfect Training Program

This week we focused our class discussions on the subject of political correctness which lines up perfectly with our schools pledge to end the word. This is a great example of how PC language can be beneficial to society. Taking part in such an activity provides positive externalities to everyone as it demonstrates one of the few cases how we as people can all agree on eradicating the use of the "r-word". While some such eradications do seem helpful, the majority do more harm than good. For example, in source A, Kakutani illustrates through her use of euphemisms how people say things such as "'the underhoused'" to refer to the homeless. This phrase creates the false sense of hope and improvement in society, when in actuality people are still suffering in the streets without homes.

The problem does not end with creating this euphemism, later on people will try to change this euphemism to almost a point where they undermine the problem making it seemingly non existent. This would essentially distract everyone from caring from the big picture, and rather activists would work on correcting unnecessary mistakes. Kakutani also promotes this point as she points to the drive of PC to change the name of Santa Claus and even Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address.

Taking both pros and cons into consideration, it is difficult to decide whether PC is truly good or bad. Rather to succeed in positive change we must find a middle ground to accomplish such a goal.

Running Away from Consumerism

When we happen to go to a famous and beautiful nature site, what's the first thing that comes to mind for the younger generation? Of course, the gift shop. We consumeristic human beings flock to get our hands on something concrete rather than take in the phenomenon that exits right outside. We fail to take in and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, yet we succeed in buying a shirt or a hat or a nail clipper with a mediocre picture of that site on it. Our ignorance to such nature dwells from the craze for consumer goods.

The only memory I have from the first time I went to the CN Tower in Toronto was sitting in the gift shop whining because my parents wouldn't buy me some dumb toy. And obviously I would only use this toy for less than a week before it just ends up behind the couch and lost forever. I can't at all recollect the view of the skyline or the long elevator ride up to the top. The fact that even at such a young age the thought of purchasing useless consumer goods had already poisoned my mind goes to show how society slowly devalued the beautiful scenery around us.

In "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp", Williams makes a very similar point. She illustrates how we obsess over the "pizza and video shops" and maybe even a "bulimia treatment center". Her use of cataloging demonstrates the excessive nature of people to the point where they literally just throw up food contributing to the already growing food waste in the world. Williams makes the ignorance of people evident as she directly attacks these people with her use of rhetorical questions.

People need to start embracing the nature around them before it's "too late". As we grow our attention towards material goods, we are slowly leaving behind the beautiful world around. Soon all we might have are the shirts and hats and nail clippers with pictures of natural phenomenon that may cease to exist.

No Visible Finish Line

A Sikh was shot at in Seattle yesterday with the shooter yelling "get out of our country, go back to where you're from." This possible hate crime is yet another example of the inherent racism our society still faces. Similar to Staples piece, this man was profiled possibly for his religion and looks, unnecessarily associating him with terrorism. The man was minding his own business attending his car when the suspect confronted him. Staples was "suffering a bout of insomnia" when his "first victim" fled from his sights. In both cases Staples and the Sikh man were the true victims, yet Staples's irony mocks how people hold stereotypes. Staples fulfills society's view on him calling himself the oppressor when in reality he is the true victim in the scenario. People's inability to see past Staples' looks force him to the victim of prejudice and stereotypes.

Society forces people like Staples to change their own image rather than fixing their own flaw. For example, Staples begins to "whistle melodies" from classical songs to make him seem as if he is less dangerous and almost childish. This also relates to the grocery shop video we watched in first semester where the African American narrator had to resist from reinforcing stereotypes and just keep her mouth shut during the injustice.

However, for society to truly advance from this almost primitive like mindset, those with the flaws must be corrected rather than the victims. After being founded on total acceptance of others, the US continues to be far from achieving that belief.

Working Out in Weight Room

The school weight room - trust me I have been there, even though I look like a stick - seems to be controlled with the big macho football players all the time. I can hardly remember seeing a girl in there who was in there by herself. She always part of either the girl's soccer team "hell week" or the indoor track girls using the treadmills. Never, have I seen a girl in there just because she wanted to come and lift.

It's not really that girls just don't want to be in there, more that they are so fixated on their own image and the weight room has slowly become stereotyped to become the "mans man" room. It's also not that girls don't go to the gym at all, more that they avoid using the school weight room.

The one time I saw the whole girl's soccer team in there, I started hearing complaints from all those hard core lifters about the large crowd and waits to use the equipment. The social disruption created when girls begin to enter the school weight room shows why this are has become a gendered section of the school.  All the large football player sized people in weight room make it awkward for girls to go in there; these people create a sense of intimidation, which shies away anyone new to weight lifting. In a sense, the weight room is also sectioned off to only the already "big guys".

To resolve the social stigma around the "ownership" of the room seems to be a very difficult problem. The only thing between girls and the weight room at this point is their own conscious; they need to get out of the mindset that they will get judged for using the largely masculine room at our co-ed school.

Running away from the Negatives

We as people are often only drawn to the small negative things rather than all the positives around us. It seems natural, after a long practice, to just look at all the things that went bad instead of noticing how much improvement has been made. This impulse to dwell on the negative is very much similar to the impulse Didion shows in Vegas marriages.

In Vegas, people seem to just get married when they have nothing better to do. There is no thought put into it, especially the long term effects of such a sudden acceleration in a relationship. The consumer craze that is created by Vegas marriages generates the high divorce rate in Nevada compared to around the national rate. People's obsession over material items has slowly transferred to a larger range. With everyone getting married, it's almost like another item that can be bought so that you can be like everyone around you. And the way Vegas commercializes these weddings definitely adds to that. Each chapel offers "better, faster" services.

Similarly the impulse to fret over the negative is stimulated by people's desire for material goods. After buying something, everyone is super excited to use it. Yea you share good memories with it, name the thing, but as soon it breaks, it's like it never existed. You think why did I even buy this piece of crap and just move on forgetting about all the positives. This impulsive nature of people makes everything seem so dark, because as soon as you finish worrying about one thing, the next task is placed in your hands with all sorts of new negatives to cry about.

Society provides so many material and commercialized goods that people have started to lose the ability to understand the true value of everything around them. We as people need to stop fretting and start enjoying life :).

"Track"ing the impact of American Culture

For the past few months, my grandparents have been spending part of their extended visit from India at my house. Behind all the complaining about the cold weather (in India they think its "cold" when the weather drops under 55 degrees), I have noticed many small hints of not only how American culture is beginning to shape them but also how their heritage contrasts with mine.

The first thing my grandma said once she had settled in here was something along the lines of "hey Vibhi, come and teach me how to turn the TV on so I can watch my Indian dramas." Looking back this at the moment it actually seems pretty shocking how the wave of consumerism in American culture had impacts worldwide and into India. For them, they grew up with basically no technology around them. They didn't have their own cellphone until they were in their 60s and still to this day don't own a computer. This dramatic difference between the life I live with the life they grew up in characterizes the huge change society has seen both materialistically and consumeristically.

Another thing that caught my eye about them is their obsession over their iPad (a gift from my mom and my aunt). To say my grandma uses it 24/7 would be an understatement. The thing is basically glued to her hands. Never would I have thought that my own grandparents use the technology around them more than I do. The story behind the iPad actually goes back to their last trip to the US when they fell in love it. The ability to play games such as Angry Birds and watch YouTube videos all packed in one small rectangular tablet fascinated them. Their craze for American products was a signal to me of how materialism has progressed vastly through society;the feeling that once they saw something they needed it have one for themselves. Similar to how Wallace mocks the American people and their obsession over "lobster T-shirts and lobster bobblehead dolls and inflatable lobster pool toys," (665).

The sight of my Indian grandparents eating Jets Pizza in one hand and having an Apple iPad in the other will continue to shock me, but it clearly demonstrates the effect of American culture on people throughout the world.

A Life Race with your Father

While watching the Superbowl, I started to think how we talked about how fathers are the more sport-sy parent. The father-son tradition of watching a ballgame or playing catch outside supports this belief. However, what Manning fails to see is that just because his dad relates to him physically doesn't mean that he doesn't love him. His "physical" words are his way of expressing his love and feelings for Manning. Similar to how each ball thrown by a father says I love you. There are many different expressions of love which Manning is trying to demonstrate through his piece.

When you look at the whole story it is clear that the organization represents an arm-wrestling match itself. The beginning shows how Manning is always fighting and struggling to understand his father's love for him. His inability to comprehend this love shows his how he still hasn't matured. However, as the story progresses you see how Manning slowly gains strength and grows up a little. Despite the fact that he is growing up, he still doesn't understand his father and almost feels detached from him. Even though he beats his father in this middle part, it represents how the roles are reversing from the father being the protector to how Manning now has to care for his father. Finally, as the tide in the match shifts in favor of Manning, we see him maturing and how he "realize[s]...in the last hug [he said] that he loved me". This illustrates how the arms are now leaning with Manning on top. The ending, especially the last sentence, demonstrates the uncertainty that Manning has completely won as he is still doubtful about father's expression of love.

Manning's ability to replicate the structure of an arm-wrestling match in his piece makes it not only effective, but also relatable.
 

Racing in the Special Olympics

I love watching sports. It's always fun to watch some good competition, the amazing players, and enjoy the entertainment. But what ever happened to all those people who weren't born as superstars? Or had some sort of birth defect? Or maybe developed some kind of disability? Why do we as people only watch the "able-bodied" play sports when there are people with disabilities doing the same thing? In fact, according to the Special Olympics "in 2013, more than 81,000 competitions took place around the world, averaging 222 games a day and nine games an hour." Despite these astounding numbers, I must admit not once have I seen any of these games on TV. Not that I don't want to, but as people we have become so concentrated on only those who can perform at the top level disability-free.

Nancy Mairs, in her piece "Disability", brings up a very similar question about how people with disabilities are underrepresented in the media. The more we focus on just the able-bodied the more ignorant we become about the number of people with disabilities that live around us. 

When kids with disabilities watch the "able-bodied" play sports, they shouldn't feel limited. Rather they need to watch other people with disabilities living out their dreams playing sports, so that they have a role-model to look up to. The narrow-minded nature of us people force this kind of change in society to be difficult. We have so long lived in our own reality where we surround ourselves with people who are "able-bodied" making us oblivious to the 1 in 5 people around us that does live with a disability. These people shouldn't be forced into a minority role in society because of something they can't control. However, they also shouldn't be sympathized with to the point where we make them feel like they need our help. Finding the right balance between sympathy and acceptance will allow these people to live their lives freely rather 

than being in the constant struggle to try and fit in. 

Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/features/key-findings-community-prevalence.html

http://resources.specialolympics.org/Topics/Research/Program_Research_Toolkit/Demographics.aspx

Passing on the Baton of Stereotypes

The Redlining video shows how even a 100 years after gaining their freedom, African Americans were still segregated and unfairly treated. Even when African Americans were successful, they could never be happy with the societal conditions around them. They were given sub-par homes at higher prices. And when Blacks started moving in, Whites moved out which basically created these "ghettos". This scenario is very similar to the scene with Lindner. The so-called "Improvement Association" was trying to purify the neighborhood of blacks, trying to keep this white safe haven. Even after the Youngers had high hopes ready to move into this house, society tried to push them back down. Lindner's pedantic tone suggests that he too holds this stereotypical view of Blacks as being primitive. 

Now imagine if Lindner comes into the Youngers house and sees a white-looking family, like that in the White Privilege Supermarket video. His whole attitude would be different. Instead of forcing them to stay in their "own community", he would actually be doing his job as part of the Welcoming Association. The difference in attitude is a clear sign of Lindner and the neighborhood's racist ways, much like how the different protocols based on color in the video. The way that Beneatha responds "(drily) Yes- and what do they do?" just furthers Lindner's beliefs about how African Americans are rash and arrogant. This fact is what stops Dr. Joy DeGruy in the video from shouting at the cashier, as she is afraid of being stereotyped by the others in the store. 

African Americans have to act so carefully which is difficult because they are often just standing up for their given rights. Even with large efforts by society, this group continues to face injustice and stereotyping. 

Slow Down and Appreciate Life

Although money can bring you happiness, the two are not synonymous. The Diamond as Big as the Ritz shows how even with a mountain made of diamond, the Washingtons can never be truly happy because they are always so isolated and concerned over preserving their wealth. Despite the fact that they had so much money, were they "worth anything at all?" (Fitzgerald 87). Fitzgerald is trying to show how the Washingtons were built up on the outside, but had essentially a hollow center. They had such a grand showcase of wealth which makes them look almost perfect. However, as the story progresses it becomes clear how shallow and self-centered this family is. They hold no core values which Fitzgerald exposes through the course of the story.

Fitzgerald demonstrates that not only do the Washingtons use corrupt means to gain wealth, but also how they are then controlled by this corruption. They feel justified to hold aviators as prisoners and kill all their guests just to hoard all their wealth. In the end, their greed and money is what asks God for a bribe. They become so stuck in this world of money that it begins take control of their actions. The daughters, Jasmine and Kismine, show how the family has never really left this ideal isolated area as the two girls show their innocence in asking about washing clothes. Fitzgerald shows the evil nature of greed and also how money shouldn't be the center of everyone's life.

I really enjoyed reading this short story and seeing all the similarities between this and The Great Gatsby.

Running towards the Past

"He had passed visibly through two states and was entering upon a third. After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence. He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at a inconceivable pitch of intensity. Now, in the reaction, he was running down like an overwound clock" (Fitzgerald 91-92)

I really like this passage of The Great Gatsby for many reasons. It follows the scene where Gatsby and Daisy reunite after almost 5 years. This particular scene is when Nick describes Gatsby as Daisy is so overwhelmed by the mansion.

The first thing I noticed was that it shows the emotion within Gatsby. It shows how much this relationship with Daisy means to him, so much so that he is almost embarrassed or nervous to even talk to her. This points to the breaks and flaws in Gatsby, areas that his fake built-up self cannot cover. In a sense, Daisy is the "kryptonite" to Gatsby - his only weakness. This Dream, his American Dream to get rich and be with Daisy, looks to him to be in reach. Just her presence next to him makes him feel as though he has accomplished something in his life. The way Fitzgerald says "consumed ... at her presence" foreshadows that his eventual death would be the fault of his attraction for her. Gatsby takes the blame, as the so-called "savior", for Daisy's actions which leads to Wilson killing Gatsby.

Another thing I noticed was how Nick describes Gatsby to be "an overwound clock". This brings back the point about the "defunct mantelpiece clock" and how Gatsby is only in search of something from the past. His obsession with this past relationship makes him do anything to attain it. This "overwound clock" shows how he is so full of energy next to Daisy's presence, but at a point, suddenly, it will snap and lead to Gatsby's death. This also foreshadows Gatsby's death in a sense because it shows that he has reached his goal, and will now "run down". Gatsby is so stuck in the past and that is one of his biggest flaws. He fails to understand the truth in Nick's statement "you can't repeat the past". The "mantelpiece clock" is already broken which gives evidence to Nick's claim, that this relationship with Daisy is already over.

After reading the complete novel, there are so many little parts like this that foreshadow Gatsby's death which I completely missed when reading it. I really enjoyed reading and discussing this novel, and now to tie it all together WE SHOULD WATCH THE MOVIE IN CLASS! Help this cause by signing this petition.

Speeding through Life

The 1920s or the "Roaring 20s" was the start of consumerism, new technology, and materialism. It marked the birth of one of the most important additions to society: the car. Families jumped at the opportunity of buying a car, often buying on credit - which eventually led to the Great Depression. Families and individuals were all looking for this new ability to control their lives, more specifically the "speed" and pace of their lives. The car gave families the ability to spread across the country. It made weekend trips more common. And most importantly it gave people power and the ability to show off wealth.

In The Great Gatsby, there are multiple examples of how the car symbolizes power and wealth. Nick calls Jordan a "rotten driver" when she almost gets into an accident which shows that this power consumes her. It makes Jordan want to flaunt this speed that she can obtain. The carefree nature she adopts is all to showcase that she has full control. But in reality, everyone with a car has this control which Nick realizes and questions "suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself". Gatsby's Roll-Royce is a symbol of his wealth. He also shows how this power consumes him when he speeds through the valley of the ashes.

Today, much of this attitude about cars still exist. I see people driving 90 down Northfield or Long Lake to show off this power that the car gives them. Why does Jay Leno need so many cars that he has his own TV show for them? For many people the convenience of car is what attracts them to it which was its initial purpose. However, for many others its the power and wealth which drives them to buy it.

Jumping the Hurdles of Societal Standards

Both Toni Morrison and Kehinde Wiley make the difficult life of African Americans clear, as they depict the lives of African Americans amd compare to the ideal white standard. Morrison demonstrates the self-rejection of Pecola as a victim of white beauty standards; she constantly prays for blonde hair and "pretty blue eyes". While the black race is shown to be "ugly", the white race including Mary Jane and Shirley Temple are treated almost like gods for their beauty. Morrison uses this contrast to convey how blacks and minorities are at the hands of the white society. They are forced to conform to white beauty standards and societal standards. This is further exemplified when Morrison alludes to slavery mentioning "the master" who controls the black's beauty and in a sense their life.

Kehinde Wiley uses his paintings such as Officers of the Hussars (below) to demonstrate a very similar point. He mocks the original painting as he replaces the white man with a black man. He conveys that when we see a black man in a position of power, society has taught us to be shocked by that image. It looks so unnatural for this black man to be surrounded with such extravagance. However, when we see the original painting with the white man it looks normal to us. This goes to show how we have all fallen into this ideal white standard, making them superior to all others.  The black man is also stereotyped; he is depicted wearing the classic wife beater, baggy jeans and Timberland boots. On the other hand, the white man proudly wears his country's uniform. These standards have ingrained this divide between races to the extent where I see the black man as a thug in the streets, and the white man as a noble countrymen.

Through the use of different methods, both book and painting, Morrison and Wiley tell the story in the voice and point of view of a minority. The stark contrast created by each tells the audience the magnitude of the inequality in this world. They serve as a call to action; to shock us in a such a way as to change our perspective and seek change in society.

A Run Under the Bluest Sky

While reading Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, understanding the role beauty plays in society seems unfathomable. Pecola seems to be caught victim of societal beauty standards as she is constantly praying to fit in, wishing for those "pretty blue eyes". Pecola tries to do everything in her power to try and literally consume beauty. She "eat[s] the candy... eat[s] the eyes.. eat[s] Mary Jane... love[s] Mary Jane... [tries to] be Mary Jane". She also tries to get every chance to drink milk out of the Shirley Temple cup, once again trying to just consume beauty. However, because she doesn't have the stereotypical blue eyes and blonde hair she feels she'll never be beautiful. Her race also plays a factor, as it's assumed to be an ugly race, which they've just accepted. This shows how her Pecola's life has been confined by beauty standards, and she has no control over her own beauty.

When Maureen Peal is introduced, her impact is shown immediately. The reader sees the stark contrast between the treatment of whites vs blacks, and how Maureen's race allows her to be more beautiful.

Beauty being such an abstract topic, has been socially constructed. People no longer try to find the beauty within themselves, rather they try to conform and change to the standards society draws. As Toni Morrison talks about, being rejected for the way we look just leads to self-loathing. Our different features and unique traits should be what brings us together and makes us embrace each other rather than divide us. Race and beauty should be completely separate of each other; your race shouldn't define how beautiful you can be.

A Puzzling Workout

While others might say that having blue eyes shows beauty, Toni Morrison found it almost repulsive when trying to imagine her friend with such a feature. The Bluest Eye tells the story of Pecola who fell victim of racial profiling as she was mocked for traits such as her dark skin. Being rejected by society can have a wide variety of effects on each and every one of us. With the support of family and friends we can learn to cope with this pain; however, lacking this close company can lead us to shrink and become a so-called Lone Ranger. Pecola responded to the fire against her by dreaming and praying for features (blue eyes and blonde hair) which she believed would make her beautiful, allowing her to fit in.

In the introduction of this novel, Toni Morrison talks about self-loathing and breaking under the pressure of rejection. This self-loathing is often a very powerful force and even quite dangerous much like the addictive nature of gambling in a casino. The other extreme of self-loathing is the point at which one just crumbles under the immense hatred steered toward themselves, turning themselves "invisible". Beauty and conformity seem to a central reason many start to loath and hate themselves as they fail to understand that inside them they hold true beauty. 

Although this novel isn't a memoir, it is based on a conversation that Toni Morrison had with a young girl in elementary school. Morrison still incorporates "invented friends, classmates" to create the presence of truth or verisimilitude. It seems as if this novel will address the question of race and beauty, and I am looking forward to reading it.

Race not Race 🏁

When you Google "is race a socially constructed concept?" the most accepted answer appears saying "Race is not Biological. It is a Social Construct" (NY Times). While I agree that society draws the boundaries of where each race starts and ends, doesn't our genetic material make us look they way we do which allows for racial classification? With a term as abstract and controversial as race, there seems to be no one right answer to what the definition of race is.

Our in-class discussion regarding race helped me understand the very fluid nature of race; race changes as time goes on. Many times in history, race was created as a justification as domination. This very fact perfectly shows the changing nature of race. While the whites used skin color to assert dominance over blacks, Hitler and the Jews were both light skinned. So instead Hitler asserted dominance of the "Aryan" race - classifying people with their blond hair and blue eyes. But then what did mean to be a Jew? Not all Jews follow the religion of Judaism, and not all of them have the stereotyped long nose.

When asked what race one identifies with on standardized exams, what is the point if the person answering the question and the person collecting the data think race as totally different things. In my opinion looking at people's race does not provide people with that valuable of information because the term means something to almost every single person; once again it goes back to our discussion of perspective. 

I can safely say after reading Maus, discussing in-class, and writing my blog I am only more confused about what race is. At least one thing seems to be universal about race, and that is that we are all apart of the Human Race.

A Wrong Turn Reading Comics

When I heard that we were going to be reading a comic in class, I was pretty stoked. I myself have fallen into the general assumption that comics are kiddish and full of humor. Boy was I wrong about this. Maus by Art Spiegelman demonstrates the power of using words and pictures together to deliver the tragic and brutal journey of Vladek Spiegelman. Maus effectively merges the past with the present (as seen by page 45 in Volume 1 where Art's body represents the connection between the past and present) and creates the contrast of past and present through the non-linear form. The story is full of symbols and motifs (such as the smoke, swastika, jail cells) which show readers the depth and magnitude of horrific Holocaust.

While reading Volume 2, page 28 (below) really jumped out at me. Within this page we see a huge change in the tone of the piece. It begins with a very gloomy and depressed tone seen with the dejected nature of Vladek who is "worn and shivering and crying a little". Then in box three we see a sense of sarcasm from Vladek as he shows his anger and disappointment for being in such a horrid place. Finally, the last five boxes show hope. Hope and optimism are two words that probably don't come to mind while placed in a such a situation. However, Vladek's inspiration to grind and stay alive was sparked by something as simple as superstition. Vladek from this moment "started to believe" as the "saint" "put another life" into Vladek. This major shift just within one page shows the ability and effectiveness of comics and how Spiegelman is able to use this to convey his dad's story. Another thing that I noticed was how even after the Nazi's had taken everything from Vladek, even his name, giving him a number instead, he still learned how to find hope and believe. The shading on the page helps to trace the motif of order and jail cells as we see the uniform they are all wearing and also the lines in the background. I also found the very first box symbolic. The reference to the chimney traces the motif of smoke for which the ingrained memory in Vladek is the burning of people, while to Artie it is simply just something coming of his cigarette.

Reading Maus has been really enjoyable. Seeing and living the Holocaust in the perspective of a mouse was really interesting. It has also opened my eyes and has shown me the that not all comics are funny and for children. I'm looking forward to reading more of Spiegelman's work. 

Training our Minds

What is freedom? And what is liberation? This week in class we discussed two pieces which only further increased my curiosity to learn the answers to these abstract questions. However, I did learn that these terms not only are widely subject to different perspectives but also the crucial role they play in defining us as human beings. David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" and Bell Hooks' "Rethinking the Nature of Work" both opened my eyes to the strained relationship between people and the world we live in.

Dictionary.com has a whole list of definitions for freedom including "the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint". Wallace also addresses the fact that there are multiple conceptions of freedom which include "the freedom to be lords of our own tiny Wallace also addresses the fact that there are multiple conceptions of freedom which include "the freedom to be lords of our own tiny skull-sized kingdoms". However, he defines "real freedom" to be the ability to control yourself and pay attention to others. A freedom you have to fight yourself to obtain and exercise. This seems contradictory in the sense that you are limiting your own freedom. Wallace points out that it is human nature for people to be self-centered. I feel while people are all capable of caring for others, they definitely don't show it especially after the long and tiring day Wallace mentions.

The other piece, "Rethinking the Nature of Work", questioned the definition of liberation. Bell Hooks talks about how liberation is different for all women. Some women viewed work as liberation because they finally got a chance to get out of the home, while other women "quit working because the work they do is not liberating". Liberation is therefore all a matter of perspective and ideology. When people in general accept loss and take the easy way, they are inevitably risking the chance to reach liberation. So once again, we are stopping ourselves from reaching this liberation.

While trying to wrap my head around the meanings of these two words, I was able to realize that we hold the power within us to control the way we live and act. However not all of us choose to take advantage of this power, limiting us from our own freedom and pursuit for liberation.

"The Race for the White House"

With the 2016 election approaching soon, the question of voting comes up. Henry David Thoreau states "All voting is a sort of gaming... a playing with right and wrong". This statement couldn't be any more accurate for this election; on one hand we have a business man refusing to release his tax returns and on the other hand we a have a former Secretary of State who put the country in danger using a private email server. Whether the next four years are going to be lead by Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump seems to be all up "to the mercy of chance".


Watching the first Presidential Debate I was quite shocked as the to the current state of our Nation. Are people not concerned with this Nation's future? Voter turnout was 55% in the 2012 election. How do people expect their voice to be heard in the government if they aren't even expressing their right to vote. Thinking about it, about a half of the people in this country are choosing the fate for everybody else.

If people get so angered about injustices in our lives, gun violence, or the US's foreign policy, then why don't they go out and try to make a change by voting. Thoreau states "some are petitioning the State to dissolve the Union ... why do they not dissolve it themselves". President Obama also made a similar point during his speech at the Democratic National Convention: "Don't 'Boo', Vote".

This election is already a historic one as we have a female candidate representing one of the two major parties. The issue of equality for blacks seems to be as important as ever. And the threat of foreign nations seems to be intensifying by the day.  With all these major issues it seems crazy that in the end the man or women leading us through this roller coaster might be decided by "chance".