The Active Chase to Fish Cheeks Reading

In "The Chase", Annie Dillard shows us the importance of putting everything you've got into anything you try to accomplish. Through her elaborate chase, she reveals that she, Mikey, and even the adult enjoy the run. At the very end, the adult has an almost pleased, elated aura about him, and commences with his "You stupid kids..." speech as a formality. She compares this chase to the race of life, and how we must put conviction and true heart into it. Her ultimate purpose is to show that although the ending is enjoyable, the true adventure lies in the chase, in the run, in the fact that you put in 100%. At the end of every track meet, we may or may not win trophies, but the journey to that point in itself is incredible, with the friendships made and  life lessons learned.

On another hand, we read about Amy Tan, an American-Chinese, and her experiences during Christmas in "Fish Cheeks". As an angst-y teenage girl set on pleasing her American crush, Robert, the whole of the narrative is written from the American perspective. She describes her favorite foods as being disgusting and unappealing because she doesn't think that Robert would enjoy them. This is understandable (though not in that way); I would feel a little sick if I were to bring "Red cooked pigs-feet" to school and eat them with relish in front of my horrified table-mates. She all but faints when her father burps and encourages the minister to do so too. In the end, Amy's mother comforts her with a miniskirt, and after Amy has grown up and become wiser in the ways of the world, she understands her mother's true intent. I think that as an Asian-American girl, these cultural differences become more defined in the teens. You want to please others and identify with the "group", so when your parents do Asian things, you feel embarrassed and lash out at your parents and blame everything: your culture and the fact that your parents don't have perfect English. As you age, you begin to realize that it doesn't matter what others think, it's what makes you happy. {I feel ashamed for being so mean to my parents now and I have apologized to them numerous times for being such a dishonorable daughter.} You mellow out, become less self-conscious, and identify with both the American and Chinese aspects of yourself with no bad feelings, and in fact, it's even exciting to learn a little more about both sides. {It was only last year that I finally mustered up the courage to ask an Anglo-Saxon American what they really eat everyday, other than the hamburgers, pizza, pasta, and steak I think they eat.} You think "I do what I want. They can take me or they can leave me, but I won't change or feel bad for who I am." 

--Maybe one of these days I will bring pigs-feet to school and stand in the middle of the cafeteria screaming into the microphone, "I like eating pigs-feet Chinese style and there is nothing you can do about it! Call me strange, call it disgusting, but I will still eat pigs-feet!"--

I would end on a short anecdote regarding the Chinese experience, especially on Chinese New Year's Day (Happy Year of the Snake, by the way! And the picture to the left is actually two people in a lion costume.) Maybe I could recount a tale of sitting down to a table laden with noodles, dumplings, rice cakes, oranges, squirrel fishes and more. But, I ate American last night because my parents didn't feel like cooking, so unfortunately, nothing here.

I can only hope that my Mom and Dad make up for this by making some serious eats tonight. 

...And we're back!

It took me about two hours just to wait for the internet to post this and it is driving me nuts and I've been clicking the publish button at least 9000 times and that is why I am writing in run-ons and if this does finally publish I will be so glad...
We start off Semester Two through critical reading, and contrary to what I thought, the close readings really do take about 1-2 hours.

“Champion of the World” by Maya Angelou revolves around Joe Louis, the Black Bomber, and his faraway fight. She relives the tension and the agony revolving around that single radio, so in a sense, the story was not so much focused on the fight itself, but rather the emotion that it evoked. As African Americans, it is difficult for them to reach a position of power; because they are constantly reminded of their history, they cannot move past and start anew. When Joe Louis emerges on the international scene, an immense feeling of pride overtakes them as they realize that against all odds, an African American man, son of an African American woman, has emerged the victor. It’s as if he represents their whole race and his movements in the arena dictate their rises and falls. Some people in our class discussion wondered if these people were placing too much importance on Joe’s actions, and I’m inclined to say that perhaps these people in Angelou’s story didn’t have much to place hope upon. The whole event seemed like one of the biggest events in their lives, with overindulgence and splurging, so this suggests that Joe is who they look up to, and who they see to hold the power in a white man’s society. When you’re a member of a minority, there’s a feeling of overwhelming pride when one of your kind stands up to fight for the rest. At those moments, you act as support and encouragement, much like these African Americans in the Store, and you can hope that his actions make a difference.

Maya Angelou’s recollection of Joe Louis’ fight draws striking parallels to another true story I watched. Fearless was about a man, Huo Yuan Jia, who fought his way up to fame through his amazing martial arts skills. I’m not quite sure how much of it was real, but his story went like this: After attempting to drown himself—his only child and mother are killed by a vengeful man—he is saved by a group of farmers. At the same time, China grows weak from attempts by Western countries to colonize it, and Chinese people are relegated to a minority status. Yuan Jia returns to make a statement for the Chinese people, and to demonstrate that China is not “the weak man of Asia”; he defeats numerous opponents and draws attention from both sides to his victories. The Chinese people rise up to support this single man and cheer him on from the stands. Tragically, during his last battle, he falls ill after he is poisoned by the westernized Japanese, yet he is declared the victor nonetheless. As he lies dying, his disciples ask if they should seek revenge, he answers that revenge is not the answer and that they should all try to make a difference in life. ~Fin.~ This movie proved that someone can stand up and make an indelible impact upon those they touch.

And yet, winning the battle does not necessarily mean winning the war. Although Yuan Jia’s victory and death made him a martyr and instilled a sense of national pride, it was much later that China was able to muster up force to drive out foreign influences. Similarly, the African Americans in Angelou’s story can’t even walk home without fear of being lynched.

A Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred? In A Raisin in the Sun, each character holds onto their dreams of transcending their problems and improving their situation. Mama reluctantly gives in at the end, wondering if dreams perhaps were never meant for people of her status. However, Walter becomes a man at last, realizing that money is not worth losing pride and dignity, all associated with his manhood and dream of being the man of the house.

Walter Younger fantasizes day in and day out about his glorious future and acts recklessly, innocently handing over the insurance money to fulfill these hidden dreams. Mama chides Beneatha for being too hard on her brother, and not understanding how many times he has been denied those dreams. Walter's desperation stems from the fact that he does not hold the position as the man of the house, and cannot provide the bacon for his family. This is seen in Act One where Walter gives his son a dollar easily, angered by his wife's blunt remark that the do not have the money. Walter hands the money without question to Willy (who we never see), because he wants to display his ability and manliness to his whole family. Ultimately, Walter's manhood is linked to his hopes, and by not being able to come to terms with them, he remains subservient to the women in the household. At the end, he breaks free of this and becomes the man his father was, realizing that there are other forms of happiness in the world.

Those Weary, Lonely Blues

Minorities have always had a long history of being ostracized for their differences, and it's not just African-Americans that I'm talking about. Jewish people have been shunned from almost the beginning of time, women only received voting rights in 1919, and there have been numerous "anti-" laws against immigrants from Europe, Asia, etc. How do the ones without a voice speak up? Through jazz, poems, and other forms of media, they prime the audience to slowly begin accepting them as equal individuals.

Women began to express their discontent quietly through poetry, like the poem from Le Beau Monde about a woman's repulsive husband; this was not unusual, and African slaves had long expressed their sorrow in gospels. This led the way towards The Harlem Renaissance, which was a complete explosion of jazz, literary works, and art, covered with and representative of their rejection, loneliness, and a desire to be seen as equals. While jazz entertained the upper crust of white society, it also brought them closer to each other, allowing whites to realize that African Americans as a whole were a force to be reckoned with, and not as ignorant as first believed. It is at this time that Hughes and others became a prominent figures in literature, expressing the suffering of their people and the hopes that someone can rise and change the tides.

This idea runs deep through the veins and rivers of America. Thoreau's Civil Disobedience stressed the need of a single individual to work against the machinery of society and to stand up for his/her beliefs; his work inspired many civil rights activists to do what was right. I feel like Hughes' and other African-American poets' works appeal not only to the whites who deny equality, but also to their own people. His poems appear innocent to the untrained eye, but reveal themselves to be calls to action, imploring everyone to make a difference. Martin Luther King Jr. was successful in that he "stood on the shoulders of giants" such as Langston Hughes and other African American revolutionaries.

American Dream

Where do I begin? The Great Gatsby has been a jumble of events that ultimately shook me forever; you can always tell that you've enjoyed a book when you're left thinking about it on sleepless nights. What I realized in the very end was that "a dream is a wish your heart makes", and the material gains are simply ways of keeping score. The American Dream is abstract. While we can get close to it, it is impossible to attain our desires without wanting more. Likewise, it is simply impossible to turn back time and rewrite history (unless, of course, you're Stalin). 

Gatsby, a poor Westerner, moved to the East years ago in order to make his fortune in New York City, a name which has become synonymous with the American Dream. He comes into the acquaintance of a "nice girl", and obsessively makes her his goal to attain. Because Daisy is so glamourous and the "it girl", she in effect becomes linked to Gatsby's dream. In some corner of his heart, Gatsby understands that he can never get Daisy, yet he uses her as his raison d'être and begins to rise up, trying to achieve everything that he never had before. He creates a new persona for himself in all of the colors he wants to use, presenting himself as an ideal character who has it all.

However, Gatsby has been living in the past for so many years that when he finally gets his golden girl, he realizes that it's not the same as five years ago; Daisy has moved on and the situation is different. There is nothing left for Gatsby because his idealistic past has gone by, and he can't prepare himself for the future. Unlike the classic Humbert who has destroyed his dream, Gatsby has been destroyed by his. Overall, The Great Gatsby has been a novel of lost dreams and hopes, with romance and partying tossed in for seasoning; it is a representation of our society and our American Dream. Gatsby becomes the romantic hero because he has grown so attached to his innocent wishes that he can't expose them to the hard, cruel reality, resulting in his ultimate downfall. 

Like Zarrin states, "Anyway, I enjoyed reading it, and that counts too, can't you see?" 

  

The Glitz and Glamour of the Ritz

We begin with the mysterious Mr. Gatsby, who everyone seems to know and not know at the same time. Gatsby is almost an enigma; Nick Carraway observes the coming and going of visitors on party nights, yet sees Gatsby stretch his arms lovingly towards the bay. There are several points in the conversations that Nick hears rumors that Gatsby was a German spy or murderer, and Owl Eyes is thoroughly surprised that the books are real, even though the parties seem like stage tricks. Although Nick finds his company pleasant, he questions whether or not Gatsby is "real", because of his refined manners and almost "searching" glance during parties. Despite the glamorous people who pass in and out of Gatsby's parties, Gatsby seems not to know anyone personally, a mere spectator and mastermind in his elaborate performances.   

I visited New York City, the backdrop to the novel, for Thanksgiving. I wanted to see this "West Egg" and "East Egg", to better understand the novel. Unfortunately, I didn't really know where it was (though I suspect it was at the tip of Long Island), but I could understand Nick Carraway's reaction to the city. It was fast paced and flashy, crowded with people waiting for the parade; however, there was an empty feeling to all this material wealth, as if the people were pining for something else. I pictured Gatsby's mansion as sprawling, much like Breakers in Newport, and a hollow shell. I envisioned Gatsby as a clean cut, lonely man broken and sorrowful inside--despite his charisma and self-confidence--with a wistful look directed across the bay. Perhaps material wealth can't buy everything, and we will never be satisfied; at the same time, we are always waiting for something to happen, pawns in the grand scheme of life. 

Sanctum

We are the result of our heritage and culture. Despite what we act like on the outside, we will always turn towards our native roots and cherish the past, however painful. What's more, we are all related to each other (which reminds me of the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon I learned in math the other day). 

In Nikki Giovanni's Sanctuary: For Harry Potter the Movie, she shows us that we are are connected in some way. Even though Harry Potter lives in a magical world, and whose parents died saving him, we are no different. In the poem/allegory, Giovanni links Harry to the baby elephant from the beginning, showing the instinctive efforts of the parents and herd to protect the child. The herd wants the baby to remember and pass on their history, much like how African slaves sang gospels of their native lands, and how Native Americans expressed their culture through folktales. It's the reason why Harry Potter refused to call Voldemort "He-who-must-not-be-named"; he understood the power of letting go. How simple would it be to conceal the past and go alone with everyone else? While we may be connected to each other, we are made unique through our heritage.

This reminds me of the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. The key theme was remembrance, even though the Holocaust was a tragedy. Survivors were urged never to forget, and to teach their children and others about the Holocaust. At first I felt it was slightly sadistic to irritate old wounds and to expose these traumatic events to the next generation, but I quickly realized that trying to bury the past only made pain and anger fester deeper. Through becoming educated and coming to terms with what happened in the past as well as our inborn nature, can we prevent things from happening in the future. We must embrace our cultures and pass down what has been bequeathed to us so that we may live on in memory.