6
May
2009
Chauvinism:
An attitude of superiority toward members of the opposite sex, also behavior expressive of such an attitude.
Sexism:
Belief one sex is inferior.
Stanley Kowalski:
“Can understand no relationship between man and woman except a sexual one, where he sees the man’s role as giving and taking pleasure from this relationship.”
Well what do we have here, some lovely definitions. As a class, we have started reading A Streetcar Named Desire. I could tell this was going to be a good read by just looking at the cover. After reading through a few scenes of the play however, I developed a distaste for a certain character. Want to take a guess who? Well I’ll give you a hint: It’s not Blanche…
Stanley Kowalski. His attitude and demeanor screams “I’m a pig!” I can’t help but be completely disgusted with his character. Today we got to the poker party scene, where he hits Stella. I was so shocked. I mean, he never really treated her like royalty, but I had gotten the idea that he did indeed love her. I don’t care what he said later, he hit her in front of all his friends and Stella’s sister. Since when was that okay? Maybe I’m thinking from a modern point of view, the play did take place in the late 1940’s I suppose. Stanley’s actions only showed one thing, his disrespect for women. His behavior is exactly the type of thing so many organizations are trying to help abused women through. AVDA is an organization to help end family violence. A fact on their website states “Domestic violence cuts across all economic, ethnic, religious, educational and urban/suburban lines.” Obviously, there are a lot of “Stanleys” out there! The definitions listed at the beginning of my blog are both characteristics that can contribute to the profile of an abuser. Now, I’m not saying that all males that are sexist and chauvinistic hit their wives, I’m simply pointing out there are characteristics that can be linked to such behavior.
I found some really interesting facts that tie in with Streetcar:
A likely victim of abuse
- Has poor self-image.
- Puts up with abusive behavior.
- Is economically and emotionally dependent on the abuser.
- Abuse alcohol or other substances.
- Have been previously abused.
- Are pregnant.
- Are poor and have limited support.
- Have partners who abuse alcohol or other substances.
The characters Stella and Stanley seem to showcase the “model” for abusive relationships. Stanley really is an amazing example..
OF EXACTLY HOW NOT TO ACT!
Works Cited:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chauvinist
Microsoft Thesoraus
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/A-Streetcar-Named-Desire-Character-Analysis-Stanley-Kowalski.id-115,pageNum-43.html
http://avda-tx.org/v2/
http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/who-are-the-victims-of-domestic-violence/
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29
April
2009
So is it just me, or is EVERYONE talking about “Swine Flu”?! The “pandemic” or, epidemic over a wide geographical area, seems to be the talk of the town. Personally, I’m a little worried. A type of virus that’s symptoms are flu-like that is capable of killing? That does not sound like a walk in the park on a Sunday afternoon. Instead, it sounds horrifying and makes me want to sterilize every item I come in contact with. Swine Influenza killed about 150 people in Mexico and 50 Americans have been diagnosed with the virus. The article I read in Newsweek however, insists that because we have been forewarned about the illness that we will be able to avoid it affecting our population. The precautions that are being taken at hospitals nation wide are quite extensive. Apparently, any patients with cold or flu like symptoms are being closely observed. Even with the major precautions and extra measures for safety, I am still worried this might turn into something huge.
This Little Piggy poem
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went…
“Wee wee wee” all the way home…
Hospital representatives are coming forward and saying that they are well prepared to deal with this kind of occurence, even if it turns out to be nothing. According to the article “Should We Panic?”, because of the anitterrorism efforts brought forth due to 9/11, we are better prepared to deal with a pandemic. That part of the article intrigued me. Because of the September 11th terrorist attack, we might actually be better off when it comes to having up to date medical attention and knowledge? That is certainly an interesting concept. I had truly never thought anything positive was going to come from that attack. It brought disastrous distruction physically and emotionally to all Americans. Now, eight years later, we may actually grant the attack with some credit as to why we are able to fight off a killer virus.
It is interesting how two seemingly unrelated events in history can actually be joined quite closely. Now, I don’t mean the Swine Flu is the doing of terrorist. Instead, I am proposing the opposite. Due to that horrific day in history, millions of people may be saved from the Swine Influenza. If that attack had no occurred, we may be nohere near prepared enough to face a national health crisis. This plus certainly is not a justification, but it is ironic how good things can come from bad things. It reminds me of a phrase that my dad repeats to me in Italian all the time. The rough translation is, every wrong bears something good.
Hopefully this Swine Flu will turn nonexistent like a silly nursery rhyme. If not, I guess daddy’s theory will be proven wrong and we’ll all be saying “wee wee wee all the way home.”
If you’d like to learn a little more about Swine Influenza..
works cited:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/195302
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=define:+pandemic&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/this_little_piggy.htm
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22
April
2009
“ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME. Its all about me!”
Okay, so not very many people in our generation come out and say that on a daily basis, but the general sense is that we are the most narcissistic group of ever. Wow, what an honor. The most self-centered people in history? That’s not exactly how I want to be remembered, and I doubt you do either.
However, I cannot say that I’m guilt free of the “narcissistic view”. While reading a Newsweek article called “Generation Me”, I came to the realization that unfortunately, it’s true that we really are too self-centered. In the article, one 21 year old college student stated that she loved herself, and that it was a good thing. I have to agree, I think a healthy love for yourself is important and self hatred is ultimately the most destructive thing. I do, however, have to wonder if loving yourself too much can make you conceited and unaware of your surroundings. A lot of names have been given to people who seem so wrapped up in themselves that they don’t appear to care about others. Cocky, conceited, arrogant, egotistical, big headed, self-important, snotty, stuck-up, fake, and vain can be used to describe someone who is narcissistic. None of those names are too endearing, but no one on the receiving end of the name calling really seems to care. The article states that the narcissism affects our behavior and leads us to be reckless and inconsiderate. It’s kind of ironic that the narcissism they are accusing our generation with is such a huge deal to older generations and doesn’t phase us in the least. I agree that being too self-centered is unhealthy, but I have done nothing to change the way I behave. I get the feeling I am not alone in this. We are truly a generation of “me”. Maybe every group of young adults is narcissistic and we have simply been given a bad wrap..
Either way, everyone grows up eventually. We won’t be reckless young adults forever, and life experience definitely shapes a person into who they are supposed to be. Life experience can change the narcissism, and this article really made me think about the affects of my behavior and way of thinking.
For more info about our culture of narcissism, check out this link…
Works Cited:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/194640
http://thesaurus.reference.com/the?q=conceited&search=search
Picture:
http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1538/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1538R-56400.jpg
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7
April
2009
“Some people say the Sichuanese women are tramps; the men are jiaohua, sly. These are, of course, familiar stereotypes to anybody who is an industrious and determined migrant in any part of the world…” (Hessler, p.250)
What an interesting observance. It’s true, there are many stereotypes placed on people who migrate to foreign nations, where their customs and behaviors are misunderstood. What stereotype do you place on people you come across in your daily life? Is there a stereotype you feel is placed on you or a family member of yours because you are in immigrant?
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1
April
2009
“Beauty is pain, pain is beauty”, a quote that most young girls are familiar with. But when exactly did beauty become expensive. I never really gave this subject much thought, but after reading through a Newsweek article and doing a little research, I have stumbled across some startling facts.
“The lifetime total of a modern diva is $449,127″
Not only is the expense of being “beautiful” outrageous, all the focus on vanity is depleting the self-esteem on many young women growing up in this age. Girls are being taught to always want an “upgrade” according to Jessica Bennet, Newsweek. There is also a drastic emphasis on sexuality and as a result, young girls are oversexualized. In other words, sex sells and tweens are being taught ways to make themselves sexually attractive. And for the record, a tween is characterized as being between the ages of 8 and 12 years of age. Is our society really teaching 8 year olds how to be sexy?! Unfortunately, the answer is yes. My next question is, how will this effect these girls later on in life? Once all the procedures are finished, will these girls have a genuine respect for themselves and appreciation for their natural gifts? I don’t see it as possible to instill that beauty is all about store bought products and laser hair removal and then expect the girls to feel beautiful on the inside. I may be a contributor to the statistic that states the crazy amount of money is spent on “being beautiful”, but I was still taught that beauty comes from the inside first and then radiates out to your appearance. I hope that other young women have that realization as well, if not, we are truly building a society on the verge of emotional disaster. Check out this interactive graphic on the cost of modern beauty.
Work Cited:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/187758
http://www.newsweek.com/id/191247
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25
March
2009
Looking through a Newsweek article, I stumbled across something that sent shivers down my spine. The quote claimed that the Twilight “book sucks” (http://www.newsweek.com/id/190042). I was appalled at this statement. I personally think the whole saga is amazing! I feel like many of my fellow classmates will agree with me on this. The article claimed that the Twilight movie proved itself to be super successful, but the book itself was less than worthy of praise. I am a little unnerved by the fact that Newsweek would place such an opinion inside such a widely distributed magazine. Everyone is given the right to an opinion, just as I am expressing mine now through my blog, but who is to say what is right and what is wrong? I totally disagree with the stand the magazine took on the widely acclaimed bestseller. It begs the question, WHO is writing the material for this magazing?! Maybe I am just being overly dramatic, or maybe I am right in being outraged. Regardless, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that is what makes us Americans. (But most Americans love Twilight!) Check out more Twilight information for yourself if you have trouble seeing my side of this argument.. http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html
Citations:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/190042
http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html
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18
March
2009
“Nature provides a universal moral grammar, designed to generate fast, intuitive and universally held judgements of right and wrong.”
Well, what is right and wrong? Truth be told, there are NO clear cut answers. What seems right to one person can mean something very wrong to a different individual. Morality is a very tricky subject to address. After reading a Newsweek article called “Is Morality Natural?” , I got to thinking.. How do I define right and wrong in my life? Is it the values my parents have instilled in me? Is it the rules set in place for me in my school environment? All these questions, but not a whole lot of answers. I do believe that the way you were raised and taught has a great effect on the decisions you make later on in life. But those values certainly cannot define a person’s moral character. We all think differently and have a mind of our own. Yet there is a certain level of similarity to what most people believe to be right and wrong. After reading the article, I found out a really interesting fact. Emotions have little to do with moral decision making. In other words, your feelings are not the driving force behind what makes you want to help that person in desperate need. If our emotions don’t control our decision making, and our values play a role but do not define our morality, then I am lead to believe it must be our human nature. I still don’t fully understand the exact meaning behind that, but hopefully over time I will learn.
Take the Moral Sense Test!
http://moral.wjh.harvard.edu/
Works Cited:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/158760
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11
March
2009
Okay, was anyone else in my English class repulsed by the story we read?! Tom Walker & The Devil is definitely NOT an ideal bed time story. Between the husband and wife loving to fight and the setting of the story itself (marshy lands filled with mud and darkness), the story for sure didn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. The main character, Walker, had no remorse for wanting to make a deal with the devil. The fact that the deal would please his wife however, was the deal breaker. WHAT?! In what marriage is that okay? I mean, I know she abused him, and I totally agree that she was a bitter woman, but that is so twisted! The man would rather strike up a bargain with the d-e-v-i-l than so something that his wife could benefit from. Thank goodness this story is just folklore. FYI, before today I had NO idea what folklore was, so heres the definition: “Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group.”
I also thought it was really interesting that the main character tried to make up for his years of stealing and cheating people to be saved from having his soul being taken. After making the deal with the black, ash covered man he spent the remainder of his life stealing money from his customers. He literally used conniving, tricky means to take money that wasn’t rightfully his. He acquired all the material possessions he could ever imagine, but when it came time for him to die, he was scared. He knew his fate, he was fully aware that along the lines of becoming wealthy and getting a nice big house and fancy clothes, he lost himself. He still had his twisted mind, but his soul no longer belonged to him. I doubt he had a very big heart to begin with, but still. It really makes me take into consideration my behavior..
Reading this story not only revolted me, it also made me do some self-evaluation. Will all the material possessions that Im blessed with matter to me later on in life? Will I still feel having nice clothes and driving around a big car is a vital part of my life? The reality I need to accept is that the answer is no. When Im on my deathbed, the material things will no longer matter. What will matter are my experiences and the people I have loved. Walker had only bad experiences and loved only himself. If anything, this story taught me not to “sell my soul”, figuratively speaking of course, to the world’s material aspect. Invest in things that will last forever, like love. I did a little research and found this great article called Effects Of Materialism. The first paragraph really spoke to me and related completely to my blog.
“To evaluate the effects of materialism, let’s first examine what materialism promotes. In the most austere sense, materialism states that all that exists is physical matter — negating thought, feeling, human will, and faith. In a more subtle course, materialism promotes the idolatry of possessions or material wealth. Possessions are believed to fill all human need and characterize quality of life. For a godless society, the philosophy of materialism may seem plausible. ”
Check this out if you have a chance, it makes a lot of sense. And has anyone else felt the same way about this subject? Id like to know if Im the only materialistic person in the class ; )
http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/effects-of-materialism-faq.htm
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore
http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/effects-of-materialism-faq.htm
https://www.gatwickexpress.com/websites/GEX/const/images/money.jpg
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4
March
2009
Okay, so I’m going to be perfectly honest. I tend to fall asleep during class quite often. I’m not sure if it’s purely do to the warm atmosphere and the lack of movement or if there is an underlying problem such as sleep deprivation. Whatever the cause, I am a constant culprit of falling asleep during third and fourth period during the school day. These two classes are Social Justice and Honors English III.
Third period is probably the easiest to sleep in. Due to the course subject that falls short of being riveting and exciting, I put my head down on the desk and totally zone out. I sit in the very back and I have not been called out by the teacher yet. Fourth period is a little more challenging. I sit in the very front, but somehow always manage to doze off. However, this effort never goes unnoticed and I seem to always get caught. It seems like a very vicious cycle. It makes me wonder if other teens are facing similar issues. Am I the only one to constantly feel the need to sleep in class due to total exhaustion? I think not.
I found an article from 2001 by Jeff Farley called the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Teens. The first two symptoms and effects named are:
“* Your teenager complains of being sleepy during the daytime
* Your teenager has trouble staying awake in school”
I thought it was super interesting that the very top two things the list named are the same things I constantly complain about. The articles goes on to name several other symptoms of sleep deprivation and they include having trouble getting out of bed (check), fatigue (check), and irritability (check!). So basically the article was a huge checklist and I fit into most symptoms and effects of sleep deprivation. If you’d like to take a look at the article, here’s the site. I recommend checking it out.
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Effects-of-Sleep-Deprivation-on-Teens&id=1436001
I know I’m not the only person to constantly want to sleep during class time. I think it’s a growing epidemic, teens are too tired. What can we do to alter our life habits and patterns so that we don’t want to sleep when we’re supposed to be learning?
I welcome advice : )
Work Cited:
Jeff Farley, 2001
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Effects-of-Sleep-Deprivation-on-Teens&id=1436001
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25
February
2009
Bribery, what does it mean? What does it entail? What are the consequences?
A recent event in class brought these questions to mind. As an English essay deadline approached, the class became desperate for more time to finish the assignment. A certain genius who sits behind me made a marvelous suggestion; she offered to make the teacher brownies if the teacher extended the deadline. A plot that no one expected to work. Well, we were WRONG. As the deadline got postponed three days and the promise of brownies came, the classroom was filled with screams of joy (yes, i squealed) and smiles were across everyones face. Who knew a teacher could be persuaded with such a simple offer? Most of my classmates were in shock. This form of bribery was magnificent! As amazing as it was, it raised several questions in my mind. How often is bribery used? How successful is it? Well after doing some research, I learned that I am not the only one curious about this subject. FRONTLINE is doing a ten week investigation into international bribery. A documentary called Black Money will air April 7th with the findings. You can find more information on the documentary at http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bribe/
Now, the bribery that went down in my honors english classroom was fairly harmless. It does beg the question though, how much bribery that goes on IS NOT harmless? By definition, bribery is “a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient in ways not consistent with the duties of that person or in breach of law.” That sounds pretty accurate, the gift of brownies is definitely not in the student teacher handbook of the school. I doubt our teacher could face hard consequences for accepting the bribe of brownies, but what if the circumstances were different? What if, instead of the student behind me making the suggestion aloud to all the class, she asked the teacher in private when no other student was present? What if the student also tried to bargain in a better grade than she deserved? What if my teacher accepted? Now, I doubt this scenario would arise with said teacher and student, but what if this corruption happened elsewhere? Like at a large company? Wouldn’t the consequences be on a much grander scale?
I personally do not have a problem with the bribery that occurred in my English classroom, the brownies were delicious and I needed those three extra days desperately. Bribery can be a useful tool, if used to the right things.
Sites referenced:
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bribe/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bribery
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