Express Yourself

Do you ever stop to think about how much the world has shaped you? People are so absorbed in worldly possessions that they lose who they are during their lives. Every character in the novel A Raisin in the Sun possesses some sort of dream in their lives, however they are unfulfilled. One character who particularly sticks out is Beneatha. She tries to get a hold of herself and not be immersed in other worldly items that are causing her family to break apart. While people in society in the novel craze over money, wealthy men, and anything that creates wealth, Beneatha wants to find out what kind of person she truly is. She doesn't want to please anyone but wants to get the most out of life by trying to be who she wants to be. Her brother Walter constantly asks her the question about "how [is] school coming?"(Hansberry 36). She is frustrated about how her family seems to only worry about her decisions in becoming a doctor for the money that she will be making. Studying to become a doctor, despite all the hard work needed, Beneatha wants to seek her inner self, putting money aside from her life problems. 

She also serves as a sane individual when others around her are always craving endless wealth. "Walter, give up; leave me alone--it's Mama's money"(Hansberry 38). I view Beneatha as a very respectable character for she is the one person who tries her best in being different while others around her are living for one sole purpose: more wealth and happiness. It's not that she doesn't value these things but she prioritizes her purpose in life to the max. Individualism shapes her character to a big degree and made her stand out as a meaningful character.

separating from society's "norm" is a better option to take at times

The Orgastic Future Ahead of Us

The most beautiful passage that occurred in this novel was the fabulous ending. The ending of the novel sums up the story's main idea and theme simplistically. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And one fine morning----So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past"(FItzgerald 189). There is a significant tie between the past and the dreams of the future. Humans constantly try to achieve goals and strive for better purposes by trying to relive or recreate the past in the present. The past is the past and people have to understand that when living in the present, you've got to think about the now and later, not the past. The characters in this novel, like Gatsby, are so attached to the good times in the past that he cannot move a step forward in life. His mind is stuck in the past and he is literally like a boat stuck with currents moving against him. Gatsby spent all his life trying to bring the past back into his present life to be with Daisy but didn't get anywhere in approaching his goal. The past events in one's life stays in one's mind throughout their period of a lifetime but people need to learn to move away from the past and make it just a part of their memories. Living in the present and deciding what to do with one's life is more important than being mentally stuck in past moments. If Gatsby lived out of his past mind, he would've been able to live a calm and a non-corrupted life. 

Kookie Isn't Self-Centered So Others Shouldn't Be!

While reading The Great Gatsby, Gatsby left an impression on me of extreme self-centeredness. "The modesty of the demand shook me. He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths so that he could 'come over' some afternoon to a stranger's garden"(Fitzgerald 83). He seemed like a very kind and friendly man who is close to an "ideal" friend to people. As soon as I read Tom's perspective on what Gatsby's sole purpose of acting close to him and acting all ideal was, I felt the reality of how people tend to act in the world. I truly thought that Gatsby was a real friend to Tom but this is clearly proved wrong. "'You see he's a regular tough underneath it all'"(Fitzgerald 84). Human ties in this world can form spontaneously yet it can break at any second. Each person in a bond has to support the relationship, yet in this case, Gatsby's past love for Daisy was the only inspiration to keep the relationship between him and Tom to continue. 

Don't think the world only revolves around you!

Although there are probably many more traits behind Gatsby's personality and more reasons behind his motives, I felt the need to express the frailty of human relationships through his actions. Friendships, personal/private relationships, family ties, and such are all beginning to dissolve easily. This brings out the self-centeredness of people in the world. Using others in order to get to a better position in life can provide one with happiness for a certain time, but consequences follow. Society must always consider both perspectives which will lead people to understand the true value and importance of real relationships and bonds between people. Everyone in society has an important position and purpose in life. Nobody should be replaced, but should feel like he/she belongs in some place.

Kookie has an amazingly important position in life and so does everybody else!

You're My Fire

FIre is a very consistent and frequently mentioned word in The Glass Castle. Fire carries many different kinds of connotations, two specifically being positive and negative. Fire can give warmth and life to things in this world, which shows off its positivity. Walls uses fire in a more negative manner compared to the positivity it provides. Although Walls says thigs like "I became fascinated by it"(Walls 15) and "I was always on the lookout for bigger fires"(Walls 15), fire in the book represnts the spontaneity and over-threatening power that it contains. Fire can cause huge demolitions and damage to people's lives. Tragedies, horrors, traumatizing events can arise out of nowhere. A tiny spark can cause a fire to become huge and do a lot of damage in its surroundings. It can appear out of nowhere. Jeannette Walls has sudden sparks of changes in her life in a very random and sudden manner. Walls tries to make an inference that life is like fire. You never know what will spark changes or you''ll never know what will happen in your life, whether it be tragic or good. Her life throughout the storyline was very unpredictable in her perspective. Her family was always on the move and such.

"bad" fire

"I wondered if the fire had been out to get me. I wondered if all fire was related, like Dad said all humans were related"(Walls 34). Fire is spontaneous and can happen without notice, but human actions can cause bigger fires in life at times. In the end, fires and humans are more related than people think they are. Human relations in this world are just as unpredictable as spontaneous formations of fire. Although not all the time, humans cause their own fires in their lives. 

Sing Your Heart Out Kookie

Many characters in the novel are portrayed in a sympathetical view. Many might be wondering how in the world are people who sexually abuse and rape others sympathetic? It would only make sense to perceive these individuals as "bad" and a shame to society. Characters such as Cholly Breedlove and Soaphead Church please themselves by raping others who they think have no power over their bodies. They feel sudden urges of power and take action over the women's/children's bodies. "When Cholly was four years old, his mother warpped him in two blankets and one newspaper and placed him on a junk heap by the railroad"(Morrison 132). Toni Morrison might be conveying that even characters like Cholly and Soaphead can be sympathetically viewed by throwing the given out that when they were young kids, they felt no love or compassion in their lives. One must grow up with strong love and protection from his/her parents in order to grow up and face the world with reasonable actions. Cholly had no mother and his father was not there for him. Soaphead lost his mother and his father was "a schoolmaster known for the precision of his justice and the control in his violence"(Morrison 169). Each character faced hardships at a certain point in time of their early stages in life. The coldness and love that they missed out on is most likely the reason why they make such irrational decisions in life. This brings out the importance of love that each child needs in order to become a "fruitful" person in the future. 

They had no "voice" or say in things and this led these characters to keep holding in all the comments and thoughts in their heads of whatever the situation was. They had none to a limited amount of people in their community to share or express feelings with. All these compilations of thoughts in mind that couldn't be expressed are all thrown out as rage and sexual violence to others. After a long long time of compressing their feelings, their voice had a significant loss in life. Once they became adults, they acted out in disturbing ways to let out all the frustration and anger that they carried along with them in life for the past years of life.

Cholly didn't have the opportunity to experience the true "happiness" and peaks of life as a child

Nothing's Wrong With Black Eyes Kookie

Blue eyes? Brown eyes? Black eyes? What's the difference? Pecola longs to have blue eyes to such a big extent. "Each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes"(Morrison 46). Pecola's family was black. They had dark skin and dark eyes. They were simply born like that. Pecola's strong desire for blue eyes is unrealistic, but it shows how the cruetly and judgements she witnesses ties in to how she is seen by others. If she was the one who possessed blue eyes, maybe others would want to act in a perfect manner and never in an ugly way in front of her. "He does not see her, because for him there is nothing to see"(Morrison 48). She is characterized lower than anything when she is talking to the man in the store. Pecola and her family are discriminated because of their skin color, specifically. However, Pecola doesn't mention anything about wanting to change skin color, but she would rather have blue eyes. This proves how Pecola wants to see things in a new perspective as much as she wishes to be seen differently. It is truly sad to see how she goes to the extent of "blinding" herself in order to convince herself that she is just as beautiful as others. Everyone possesses beauty but in a world filled with harsh, blue eyes that make others feel as if they are shrinking, the definition of beauty is distorted. Having blue eyes doesn't always make an indiviudal any "prettier". Interior beauty has to be acknowledged more and more nowadays. The connection between how Pecola is seen by others and what she sees has a tragic impact in her life.

Blue eyes don't always make the person "pretty"

Glad You Didn't Get Plastic Surgery, Kookie

What is the meaning of true beauty? Some people may think that true beauty is just physical appearances in their everyday lives. People can encounter pretty or handsome faces just by driving down to a grocery market to buy some groceries. But is true beauty all and only classified for "beautiful" physical appearances? I think not. 

There is so much more to the meaning of beauty besides physical qualities, such as internal characteristics. Kindness or acts that portray a positive image of the person is beauty. What's the necessity of plastic surgery when you come with your own unique set of beauty? People need to understand the fact that beauty doesn't always come with literal physical qualities. Innermost qualities is what matters. If a person appears to be a beauty and acts like trash, how would you explain that? The interior core of a person is the key to beauty that people are missing out on. Many people try to change their physical appearance through surgeries or literally removing themselves from the rest of the world. The unjust and discriminating society is shown as truly cruel when it causes people to be ashamed of their looks. What's the point of having a pretty face when the inside is rotten? "...Barbie, in feminist terms, is definitely her own person"(Prager 354). Everyone is unique and should stick to being who they are instead of trying to change and always trying to fit into the stereotypical cliques of society. Maybe people should try to visit the 'inner beauty salon' instead of regular visits to literal 'beauty parlor shops'.

Kookie's Masked Vs. True Identity

Masks serve as a means of protection. Masks are worn in order to not be found and so that one can be hidden from certain things. In both volumes of Maus, characters wear masks in order to disguise themselves. In volume 1, the scene depicts how Vladek and Anja are trying to prevent themselves from being seen by the Nazis. "'I was a little safe. I had a coat and boots, so like a gestapo wore when he was not in service'"(136). By disguising themselves as Poles, the individual characters tried to be represented with one group's identity. Why did Jews have to be the ones discriminated against society? Blending in within one specific group helped Vladek and Anja to feel a bit safer and judged less from society. Jews aren't a type of race but people who believe in a specific religion. Not any group in society should be judged to the point where people feel so cornered and desperate that they have to wear masks in order to feel a sense of protection.

In volume 2, Art is wearing a mask looking very depressed and unsure of what to do. "'Lately I've been feeling depressed'"(41). All Spiegelman wanted was to be able to gain information and share his views of the Holocaust to the rest of the world. Once Maus became a big hit to the public, people just wanted more and more. Spiegelman didn't know what to do because of his guilt towards his father. It seemed as if he was just making money off of his father's story. By wearing a mask, he tries to hide himself from the rest of society. The mask gave him a sense of protection and a break from his thoughts. Spiegelman portrays that masks can't hide a person from the world for a long time but they can give people a sense of protection and safety for a little while.

Don't Be Traumatized, Kookie!

What is trauma? Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that can cause a person to have deep injuries either mentally or physically. One of the most traumatizing events in world's history is of The Holocaust. Artie constantly brings up his unending questions and interests about The Holocaust that his father has been through. How did he survive in the end? Was it just luck or pure acts of intelligence? Trauma has a big impact on people's lives. A person who undergoes a very traumatizing event may turn into a totally different person. After the horrors of The Holocaust, Vladek has certain systems of keeping his sanity in place. From counting pills to being obsessively neat and organized, Vladek constantly tries to keep his mind busy and constantly has to be doing something. "'I cannot forget it...ever since Hitler I don't like to throw out even a crumb'"(Spiegelman 78). His memories of The Holocaust will haunt him forever and he will never be literally "free". Every moment in life will be revolved around the details of the past. This is why people who survive such traumatizing events are simply not the same as before and are very sensitive to their surroundings. Even while living in the present, for Vladek, the methods of having to eat so little and survive during The Holocaust still impacts him. Chapter 4 in Maus II, is titled "Saved". Even after the Americans came forth and helped stop the Nazis rule, the flag of freedom portrayed in the book is only a background image. The recurring images, flashbacks, and memories will always be a burden that the survivors will have to carry around for the rest of their lives. Trauma leaves a person in shattered pieces. Trauma holds the human in place and simply never lets the person escape the vivid memories of the horrendous situations.

What Should Your Role Be In Society, Kookie?

There seems to be a constant conflict between men and women with the thought of men dominating over women. Kingston depicts a male-dominated society in her writing. Many people feel the need to express that men always have the say over women and such. However, at times, men are not the actual ones who are oppressing women but it is a power of tradition that women carry throughout their lives. "But I am a useless, one more girl who couldn't be sold"(Kingston 52). Kingston's mother constantly makes her feel as if she doesn't mean anything to the world and this makes Kingston feel meaningless unless she became an amazing warrior like Fa Mu Lan. In this case, Kingston's mother is more of a dominating figure over her rather than specific men. Men in her writing was portrayed in a helping manner throughout her battles and wars. Yes, women can be strongly sexist as well, however in this case, I think that her mother is trying to gain the potential title of "the mother of a perfect child". Many parents these days believe that sending their kids to a very good university gives them the title of an amazing mother, but after gaining the title of this so-called superiority, what comes next? Of course parents stress how important it is for their kids to get 4.0 GPA and perfect score on the SAT and ACT. The point is that they don't really get how stressful and burdening it is for their kids. Many students might indeed feel as if true domination lies within their mothers or fathers. Yes, males can be depicted as very oppressive and dominating to women even to this day, however, men might not be the only "oppressive" ones in the world today. Kingston felt as if getting straight A's wasn't even satisfying to her mother. People always want more and more and more and their hunger is never satisfied. People must understand the importance of no oppression. Both the feminist article by Bell Hooks and Maxine Kingston's writing expresses how they don't want any oppressing sides. How nice would it be if the world had no oppression or dominance over anything or anyone?

This Is Kookie Jar

How does one live a compassionate life? People live their lives not truly understanding the environment that they are surrounded in. They unconsciously walk through their daily lives without much thoughts, just like how David Foster Wallace depicts in his fish story. It is very ironic that people are surrounded with same things in their lives, but they don't truly understand their surroundings and just take them for granted. We, humans, must be aware and conscious of our environment. People must start to take control of their thoughts and give compassionate actions to others in the "water". Instead of living our long and orderly-structured lives, Wallace teaches the audience about a new perspective that all people can have in life. Just by thinking about other people's perspectives can change a person's attitude to a big degree. "Maybe that person is in more of a rush than I am." Just a slight thought like this can cause a person to act differently and think more positively. 

Humans have a built-in hard-wired default-setting inside their bodies since the day they were born into this world. Life tends to make people slip naturally into the habit of being irritated or frustrated. People judge. People think negatively. People become angered easily. People believe that the world revolves only around themselves. Thinking that they are the center of attention in the world is the reason why people only think about themselves and never think about other people's perspectives. We are all too self-centered and too absorbed into our thoughts. Wallace says, "It is unimaginably hard to do this, to stay conscious and alive, day in and day out"(Wallace 238).We all need to take the time to understand the fact that in this world, we are not the only busy and frantic ones, but others are just as busy and frantic. It's not going to be easy to try to not fall into the natural habit of the built-in default-setting in ourselves, but the effort to do so will be the first small baby step in changing the world to be filled with more compassionate people.

You're not the only person fighting a hard battle.

The world needs to be filled with compassionate people.

Kookie Questions July Fourth

What is the true meaning of freedom? Many families celebrate Fourth of July by watching fireworks, having quality time with families, and even having barbecues. People tend to forget why they celebrate. Fourth of July marks the day of freedom for Americans and is therefore, a national holiday for the people. The question is, why aren't the Negros mentioned anywhere in this so-called freedom and equality? Others may be celebrating but the Negros cannot since they didn't gain their liberty and freedom. Celebrating and bringing forth overfilling joy brings out the inhumane mockery and irony towards the Negros. The mournful wails of millions of people who haven't had the chance to celebrate the freedom of all people is simply miserable and unfair. Respect has to be shown to everyone, especially since the Constitution and The Bible even stated that "all men are created equal". By celebrating only for themselves, the Americans have brought forth how false and fake their actions are. Negros have just as much equality as any other people and should be provided with the same freedom that Americans have celebrated. In this sense, Fourth of July is just like any other day to the Negros since they haven't earned anything. It is just a day of injustice and cruelty to them. The Declaration of Independence alluded to God and said that He has created every man equally and that Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness are secure rights to each men. How ironic is this? The American people all respect and follow the lines stated in the Declaration of Independence, yet they still don't do anything about the sins that they are committing. Continuing slavery and not putting forth the fact that even Negros have the right to be equal like any white people are just simply cruel acts of man. True freedom is when every man is given equal rights and there is no discrimination between people in this world.

Kookie, What's Your Story?

Motifs, being literary devices that have symbolic meanings of the text, help readers to think about O'Brien's writing in a new way. One of the important motifs in the novel is storytelling. O'Brien continuously told and listened to stories during and after war, which was a strategy for him in order to deal with the challenges of the war life. Storytelling holds great meaning and power to both the teller and the listener. The second image shows how a bunch of people are gathered around and one person is sharing his story. Everyone can share and learn about situations that they never knew about. Knowledge can be gained by storytelling. Storytelling, whether it is fictional or realistic, has a deep and rich meaning. In "How to Tell a True War Story", although Sanders story was made up, the story held a big resonance to the listener. Sharing stories can provide great imagery to others listening and there is no literal negativity by sharing your point of view of a topic. The first image pictures that whenever a book is opened, each page consists of an amazing view of what the author wants to present to the readers. Stories depict how they are just like real-life situations. Storytelling is like a mechanism of patience or cope in O'Brien's novel. It serves as a means of communication with people in life. If you don't have any stories to tell, how are you going to communicate with the public? Just like how the fourth picture shows, every different person in the community provokes conversations by telling stories with one another. When storytelling, the teller has his point of view on a topic and the reader reads the story with his/her own point of view. Throughout the storytelling, there are points in time where the teller and the listener's opinions and thoughts come together and share similarities. The venn diagram picture shows the differences and connections that the teller and listener can share together with. Storytelling also has another linkage between the teller and the listener. When a reader is reading, he/she can relate to the teller with emotions and feelings. The last picture depicts how the words hold a true meaning to the listener and the listener can relate directly to what the teller is saying. Whether the person dealt with a situation in the past or the present, emotions can connect listeners and tellers to a big extent.