His and Mine are the Same?

“He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”

Is this a joke? "He is more myself than I am?" That's impossible. You are you, not he is you. That doesn't make any sense!

Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate romantic stuff sometimes but this quote is sort of pathetic. 

One of the best things about relationships is that you can take your qualities, and the qualities of your partner, and just build upon them together; not overshadow them. And all this quote does is show how instead of building those qualities, the partner (in this case Catherine is talking about Heathcliff) dominates any of the other's qualities. 

That's not love.

Even if Catherine decided to go with Heathcliff, she would have soon recognized that having the same soul composition isn't necessarily a good thing.

They say opposites attract, and that's true sometimes. But the core of that saying is that it's okay to be different than your love interest, as long as you take those differences to build each other up. 

"Today you are you, that is truer than true, there is no one alive who is youer than you." Dr. Seuss

Tell it like it is, doc.

The Same Wind to Twist it

"Now, my bonny lad, you are mine! And we'll see if one tree won't grow as crooked as another, with the same wind to twist it!"

Said by Heathcliff to Hareton after Hindley died, this quote shows so much of Heathcliff's insanity. He basically tells Hareton that he will treat him just as Hindley treated him, hoping that it will end in the same result as his late father.

As insane as it is, this quote is just another reminder that Heathcliff's central reason for living is revenge, which is great than his love for Catherine. 

I think overall, one of the main points to get from Wuthering Heights is to see how intense hatred can be; what kind of person it can make you become. He has so much love for Catherine, but his craving for revenge on Hindley outshines it almost entirely. His lust for revenge keeps him from so much, from true happiness and love.

Don't hate all your life. Sometimes it's best to forgive and forget. And if you can't, then find a different solution. Anything is better than letting that hatred and want for revenge ferment inside you. It kills.

Spring in the Classroom

I am those students in the poem. I am yearning for that nature and beauty of spring. I am suffering in a dusty room while the world grows and greens outside. Sometimes that room is school or my home or my mind. But still I crave the beautiful outdoors, where ever that may be.

Spring in the Classroom isn't just a poem about children in class during the spring, it can be anyone, stuck in any situation. We all have that one "classroom" we're just stuck in; sitting, waiting, wishing, for the "spring" and all the wonder it may bring. 

I think partly the poem was written to make the reader think of their childhood days, but also to remind them that even though they aren't stuck in a classroom anymore, they are still stuck in something.

Hopefully the bell will ring and we can reach our spring.

Whatever it is.

Winter - William Shakespeare

"When icicles hand by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipped and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the starting
'Tu-whit, tu-who!'
          A merry note,
          While greasy Joan doth keel the pot."

Winter, a glorious poem by William Shakespeare, fully describes what winter is like in a mere 18 lines in its entirety. The reader experiences the cold and the vastness of the season, by reading simple descriptions of various parts of the time of year. We see how cold Dick and Tom are. We see the frozen milk, thawing by a fire. We feel the brisk elements as we hear the owl, "Tu-whit, tu-who!" And we listen. And we shiver.

We experience winter without experiencing anything at all.

A true poem.

Let their spirit remain

There's a song that quotes, "Forgive your lovers/But don't forget their names/And let their spirit remain." And that's how I feel at the end of Drayton's "Since There's No Help." It started as a simple break, that would heal cleanly. But it turned into a dull severing of feelings and history and it won't truly ever mend again. And this is true with all relationships, romantic or not. Nothing will ever be the same, because people have such a great impact on you, whether you like it or not. You won't forget everything, and sometimes it'll hurt. But you need to do something about it.

But collect your memories and learn from them and remember who you were, who you are, and who you want to be. Take those stories and write new ones with them, pages upon pages. Mold the impressions and impress upon others. Do what you need.

"Now, if thou wouldst, when all have given him over,

From death to life thou might’st him yet recover!"

Recover, but never fully heal.

Invisible perspective

While reading "The Yellow Wallpaper" it came to my attention that point of view and perspective is everything. The woman was clearly insane, but her husband didn't see it. He thinks he knows how to help her, but he just doesn't. He thinks he can fix her, but he can't.

That's the funny thing about mental illness, is that no one will ever know how you truly feel; how you're truly doing. Medical problems exist in x-rays and charts and IVs. But mental problems are invisible and show no trace and don't exist unless you tell someone.

You can think you know everything about a person, because you two are really good friends or you always said "No secrets". But it's just not a reality. And that's why point of view is so important, because from yours, they seem like they're doing fine. Everything seems normal and happy. And then they show you something that contradicts your thinking and suddenly you know everything's wrong and not right.

So we must value point of view. We must take it and cherish it and learn from it, so that we may help others, and not just help them in the ways we think need, but in the ways they show us they need.

Point of View

While reviewing for the short story test, I reread "Hills Like White Elephants" and it got me thinking about how important point of view is. In this story, we only see what the author allows us to see, so a lot of information is lost. How exactly does the girl feel? Is it possible that what she says in the dialogue could contradict her true feelings and thoughts? And what about the man... We notice that he's probably just trying to get the girl to agree with him for a personal gain, but could he be torn up about this too?

These are the questions that well forever follow point of view, and that's why it's so important for some stories to have the point of view they do. Maybe a different one would drastically change the entire story, and the true meaning could be lost...

Too much yet just enough.

The love for others, like the love Phoenix has for her grandson, has always been a popular topic. "Love can make you unstoppable," many say. If it can, successfully, take Phoenix on an arduous journey then it can help me with whatever I need aid in. And it has often been romanticized as well. Humans love to see love.

But I think sometimes it's too much.

Sometimes it's sad that there's too much love; because it's forbidden, or idealistic, or just not reciprocated. It can tear you apart; create a monster that just wants to be wanted. It can be sad and sick and desperate and dangerous. It can keep you from so much.

But sometimes it's just enough.

Sometimes it's happy that there's so much love; because it's incredible, and ethereal, and just splendid. It can build you up; create a real person that just loves to be loved. It can be happy and heavenly and blissful and bewildering. It can show you the world.

Creatures driven and derided by vanity, aren't we

"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity, and my eyes burned with anguish and anger." - Araby, page 190.

After reading this last sentence in Araby, I thought a lot about being trivial and material and shallow and vain. Everyone does it. I do it. I constantly do it and it makes me angry that I could lower myself to that kind of thinking. We often forget the things of real, honest importance in our lives, and replace them with stupid stuff of quick pleasure or temporary happiness, just to save us from a little discomfort or boredom. When will we be able to separate the two and only choose that of relevance? Will it ever happen? Or will we always be able to see ourselves as "creatures driven and derided by vanity"? Of course, the narrator is only thinking of the girl he fancies, but this thought applies to the entire world and all the creatures in it. We, as humans, were gifted the ability to reason and we should view it as a privilege, not a right. Determine what is trivial in your life and if it really makes you happy. If it doesn't? Replace it with something of real importance. 

And not from the cold for there was none.

"Standing there trembling in the water and not from the cold for there was none." -pg 141

Late Wednesday night, I had to stop. This small, jumble of words had such an impact on me, it made me stop reading. Why did this quote resonate so much within me? What did it teach me?

A physical response is not always due to a physical event, I have learned. Some might laugh because something funny happened, or cry because something hurt them, or tremble because they're cold.


However,

I respond because I feel.

I laugh because I feel courageous or confident or energetic.

I cry because I feel enraged or devastated or empty.

I tremble because I feel overwhelmed or terrified or loved. Or even all three.


As John Grady Cole looked at Alejandra, she trembled. She trembled because she was overwhelmed and terrified and loved. She didn't respond because she was cold; she responded because she felt. And sometimes those feelings have more of an impact than any physical event could ever have. React to them. Respond.


"Me quieres? she said. Yes, he said. He said her name. God yes, he said." -pg 141

Toulmin argument? More like COOLmin argument! Am I right?!

So people argue whether popular entertainment is worthless or not, but, friends; it all depends on the one being entertained. See, almost anything, including websites and music and tv shows and movie, can be taken on the path of evil or good, all depending on the person it affects. Looking at popular entertainment as a whole, it can be either a worthless resource focused on wasting time, or an empowering tool geared toward teaching and simply entertaining. It is just how one perceives it and how one uses it, as well.

Take the wonderful example of Pinterest, will you? It's basically an online pin board which one can post or "re-pin" items such as recipes, diy tutorials, pictures, fashion things, or basically anything, really. This is the perfect example to see how it can be taken for evil or good. I, myself, have some pretty stupid boards, such as "LOVELY Men" a board in which I appreciate a certain gender, and "When you need giggles" in which hilariously stupid things are found. But I also have boards like "Lovely Quotes" where relatable song lyrics, or inspiring messages are found, and "ART" in which I can appreciate beauty, something that is occasionally difficult to do. It's one of those things that the user has to decide for themselves; will it be used for evil or good?

Many will say that these sorts of entertainment are worthless because they are too distracting. Well, if you let them be, they certainly are. Don't waste your time on the internet if you need to be doing other things. Manage your time wisely. You're smart enough to do so.

Others will say that this entertainment is a good resource because it can be used as a break, and simply because it entertains. Again, if you let it affect you that way then you're correct! A five minute Facebook break won't kill you. So you want to go on Tumblr once you're done with homework? Go ahead. Movie night with friends; perfect!

Popular entertainment is a tricky topic, considering it can either lead one down a windy, wasteful road full of late nights and no productivity, or it can lead you down a fantastically fun path, full of simple entertainment and enjoyment. It's all how you make it.

The Profound and Philosophical Symbolism of the Rolling Road

"66 is the path of a people in flight, refugees from dust and shrinking land, from the thunder of tractors and shrinking ownership, from the desert's slow northward invasion, from the twisting winds that howl up out of Texas, from the floods that bring no richness to the land and steal what little richness is there. From all of these the people are in flight, and they come into 66 from the tributary side roads, from the wagon tracks and the rutted country roads. 66 is the mother road, the road of flight." - pg 79

In John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes Of Wrath, the common use of the road is a symbol for many different ideas. Overall, the road is the symbol for a journey or a quest, and in The Grapes of Wrath, that could be one of either good or bad. The road is the highway to home; which one will follow to a comforting place. The road is an avenue of hope; allowing a family the pathway to a better life. The road is the pavement of danger; a place where even a turtle can get hurt.

The first few chapters of the book describe Tom Joad finally returning home after years in jail. He rides with a truck driver who, even with a 'No Riders' sticker, drives him to his destination. When describing the drive, Steinbeck wrote, "He looked over secretly to see whether Joad was interested or amazed. Joad was silent, looking into the distance ahead, along the road, along the white road that waved gently, like a ground swell." Tom wasn't interested in the driver's stories or conversation. He was amazed with the road; the road that would finally take him home. What seemed simplistic and common to the driver, seeing as he drives the roads everyday, was actually astonishing and wonderful to Tom Joad, because it was the object that would take him back to his home, his family, and his comfort.

Later on in the book, the Joad family decides on the arduous trek for a better life. They had seen pamphlets proclaiming of great jobs in California and packed up all their goods and set out for Route 66; the road that would take them there. Steinbeck described Route 66 as "The mother road, the road of flight," meaning that it was incredibly important and allowed many to 'fly' to a better place. This is what the Joads wanted. They dreamed of the road taking them to California and to jobs and to happiness. The road gave them that hope. Unfortunately, the jobs were all taken and California was full of unemployed people. But the road still gave them the hope to go there, and even though it was already so occupied, it was in some ways better than their old life.

Finally, the road is symbolic of possible dangers. Chapter three is this huge extended metaphor about a turtle and the road it needed to cross. This is parallel to the Joads and their 'road'; the entire journey ahead of them. When attempting to cross it, the road presented dangers, to both the turtle and the family. For the turtle, it was dangerous drivers, and for the Joad family it was problems like transportation, and having enough gas or money to get where they needed to go. So even though the road can lead one to something great, they have to be wary of the dangers and obstacles that they could face while on it.

The road is a journey, whether it's a journey to home, a better life, or a place full of danger. And after analyzing The Grapes of Wrath, the road can be any of these choices, and much more.

Sexual Orientation isn't Different than Race, Age, or Gender... Oops... It is in Arizona.

The year is 2014 and Arizona has just passed a certain anti-gay law; one that is much more controversial than others. This bill has given businesses the right to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples, IF they explain to them their religious beliefs. The rule has always been "You have to serve someone even if they're different than you. This includes race, gender, age, religion, yadda yadda." But somehow sexual orientation isn't included in the list. And this isn't right. How is sexual orientation different than race, age, or gender? The quick answer is, it's not.
   
First counter to the bill: he's just another customer, who happens to have a boyfriend. It's incredibly rude and wrong to deny someone to buy an apple pie, or a geometric scarf, from a business because you don't approve of their wife or husband or girlfriend or boyfriend or gender fluid partner or whatever. They aren't there to directly combat your religious beliefs. They just want a freaking pie or a trendy scarf. They are a customer, a customer who will help the business pay their bills, on time. That's how business owners should see them. Just another customer. Who just really really wants pie. Just let them have the pie, seriously.

Second counter to the bill: sexual orientation isn't a topic to discriminate against. And hey, guess what, neither is race or age or gender. Arizona says that you have to serve old Asian girls, and three-year-old Cuban boy twins. They are individuals, with their individual races, ages, genders, and sexual orientations. Have you ever wondered what gay and lesbian couples are? Simply, they're individuals. Each with their own race, age, gender, sexual orientation. The only difference is that they are in a relationship. So you can't refuse an individual, but you can refuse certain pairs of individuals. Cool. Great logic you have there, Arizona.

Third counter to the bill: religion isn't a "get out of jail free card". Many like to use religion as an excuse for their behavior. Obviously this is wrong, because it's getting to the point that it's being used to justify discrimination; something that simply can't be justified in anyway, shape, or form. If someone tried to say that they can discriminate against boys under the age of 13 because your religion says it's fine, you would get so much flack for it, you wouldn't believe. This should be the same with sexual orientation. It doesn't allow you to be a jerk to others of a certain age or race or gender. So, it shouldn't allow you to be an even bigger jerk to others of a certain sexual orientation.

People can counter that America's freedom of religion can allow them to discriminate against some sexual orientations. Arizona inhabitants can say "no" to gay and lesbian couples, if they explain how their religion is against homosexuality. But imagine if this was the same with race? What would happen if a business owner said a Russian woman couldn't get a seat because her so-and-so religion decided it would hate every Russian ever. Too bad for the strange-religioned hostess. It's the law to seat the Russian. Not only is it the law, it's basic human rights. It's kind. Don't be judgmental. You might believe something about someone after thirty seconds of meeting them, and guess what, you're probably wrong. If a customer is willing to purchase a product from your company, just let them, regardless of race, age, gender, OR sexual orientation.

In America, we've been given the freedom to say what we want to say, worship who we want to worship (or not), yet we can't even love who we want to love without someone saying it's wrong. Hopefully Arizona will realize their wrongdoing in allowing business owners the right to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples, when in reality, sexual orientation is no different than race or age or gender. You can't discriminate against it.

Good luck, Arizona.

May your love be free and your summers a little less hot so they can be more enjoyable.


http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/21/us/arizona-anti-gay-bill/

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/22/opinion/whitaker-arizona-law/index.html?hpt=hp_t5

Grapes of Wrath: 19

Chapter nineteen starts off by describing how, before Americans took over California, the land belonged to Mexico and the Mexicans. He tells how the hungry, for food and for land, Americans simply took the land and made it theirs. More importantly, and the main point of the chapter, is that farmers became business owners and farming became industry.
Steinbeck describes the farmers as "no longer farmers at all, but little shopkeepers of crops, little manufacturers who must sell before they can make" (pg 232). This shows the mental shift from farmer to businessman; the thoughts of growing to feed a family turned to thoughts of growing for a profit, and a large one at that.
He also distinguished the change of the crops. They turned from family ingredients to crops that would "feed the world" and turn an impressive profit. The crops changed from grain to fruit trees; from simple vegetables to "stoop crops" like lettuce and potatoes (232). Again, this shows the mentality of the change from farming to industry; the want to grow more and more and profit more and more as well.
This, of course, defined America at the time. Farmers turned into business owners and farming turned into industry. However, this also defines America as of now, as well. As seen through Fast Food Nation, the world of food is now just a huge business. There are companies that indeed "feed the world", considering they are one of the very very few companies to produce certain foods, as seen mostly through livestock and meat packaging. Very seldom are family farms seen anymore. It's all just industry and factory work now. It's peculiar that as Steinbeck described the change during the Grapes of Wrath era, he would also turn out to describe the future as well; farmers are business owners and farming is industry.

Grapes of Wrath: 5

In a short summary of chapter five of The Grapes of Wrath, the owners of the farm land came to speak to the farmers, mostly to tell them the bank is collecting the land and share cropping is no longer acceptable but mainly, they drive the farmers off the land. They try to reason with the land owners. They try to explain how hard it is and how they'll go hungry if they don't stay. The landowners do nothing but apologize and blame the banks. Then a man on a tractor comes, as per the instructions of the bank, to reclaim the land. The farmers soon recognize the tractor man as one of their town and call him out on working against his own people. However, he points out that he only cares of himself and his family in such hard times. The man on the tractor then does his job.

The main theme of chapter five is responsibility through different emotions. Steinbeck uses the chapter to show the responsibility through fear that the land owners have to the bank, the responsibility of the tenants to their families through worry, and the responsibility of the man on the tractor to both the bank and his family through willingness.

To depict the relationship of fear and responsibility, between the land owners and the bank, Steinbeck uses the following passage to explain. "We know that- all that. It's not us, it's the bank. A bank isn't like a man. Or an owner with fifty thousand acres, he isn't a man either. That's the monster." Through word use like "isn't like a man" and "monster", Steinbeck shows how the bank has instilled fear into the land owners, which has the effect of making them more responsible of their bank duties, in fear that the bank will do something bad to them if they don't.

To show the bridge between responsibility and worry, with the farmers and their families, Steinbeck uses the following quotations to show both. "But what'll happen to us? How'll we eat?", "But it's ours. How will we live without it?". Just by reading these sentences, the reader can feel the worry that the tenants are experiencing. The reader can also feel how the tenants decide to become responsible in anyway to feed their families, through any means necessary, if at all possible. They are responsible for their familes' wellbeing and worry that with the land owners here, soon that responsibility will become a lot harder to manage.

Finally, to show the connection between willingness and responsibility, of that between the bank and the man on the tractor, Steinbeck explains the tractor man's situation very clearly. The man on the tractor tells the families "Got to think of my own kids. Three dollars a day and it comes everyday." This depicts the tractor man's willingness to perform his responsibilities, even if that means going against his own people.

A common idea in this chapter is that of responsibility and how it can be connected to an emotion, as shown through Steinbeck's characters like the land owners, the bank, the tenants, and the man on the tractor.

TURKEY DAY

As Thanksgiving passed this year, I realized I have a lot more to be thankful than I usually saw in my life. This is always the case though, isn't it? We spend the entire year complaining about minor things here and there... then all of a sudden, one holiday comes to remind us how thankful we should actually be.

I have a great family. They're 100% crazy 100% of the time but I know they all care about me deeply, and that's one of the only things I would want from them. Knowing I will always have someone to support my decisions (except maybe a tattoo; mom isn't keen on getting inked...) is such a great feeling.

I have truly amazing friends. I had to pause for a second while writing this because I was simply thinking of how great my friends are. They make me smile and laugh when I need it most. Or even if I don't really need it, they still make me happy. All of my friends are caring and kind, funny and fun to be around, smart, sassy, and sarcastic. They're really just great people.

I have someone to be very thankful for. Simply that, though. I'm thankful for him, for many reasons, reasons I will never forget but keep in fond memory.

I have silly things like great TV shows and colorful scarves. But I also have many non-silly things too. I have opportunity. I have bare necessities. I have education. I have support. I have friendship. I have kinship. I have love. I have pretty much everything I need to have a great life in the future; all the things which I am incredibly thankful for.