Senioritis and Our Inner Hydes

      I have found as the year goes on that Senioritis is affecting me and my friends a lot more than I ever thought it would. We are all dedicated, intelligent students, but we are falling hard to this fatal deterioration of motivation. For example, I’m writing this blog over two weeks late, which I would have never done a few months ago. Sorry about that, by the way! L I have found a connection between this so-called “Senioritis” and the inner “Hydes” of me and my friends.

                After discussing what our inner “Hydes” and evils would look like and how they would act, I found it difficult to picture what mine would be and how I would act if I lived through that side of myself, as Dr. Jekyll did with Hyde. But then I realized that I actually have been living through my own inner “Hyde” by succumbing to my Senioritis. In my previous three years of high school, I hid my inner “Hyde” by being a productive, hard-working, student, much like Jekyll hid his Hyde most of his life by being a successful, socially acceptable man. But now, as graduation nears, I have let my inner “Hyde” come through by slacking off on my school work. Much like Jekyll and Hyde, I enjoy slacking off on school work at the time that I am doing it, but once I face the consequences of procrastinating or studying less than I should, I feel the guilt of allowing my inner “Hyde” take over myself. Also much like Jekyll and Hyde, when I first indulged in the prospects of Senioritis, it was easy to go back to my studious ways soon after. But when I started to slack off more and more, it became harder and harder to go back to the good student I once was. I find this to be extremely dismaying, as I want to go back to the productive, hard working student that I once was. I believe it is part of human nature, though, to get oneself back to their past self once they have indulged in “evils”, especially if those evils have instant gratification, like not having to do homework as a result of indulging in Senioritis.

                My goal is to work my way back to the good student I once was, even though that wasn’t possible for Dr. Jekyll and he permanently became Mr. Hyde. I believe it is possible, even though it may be hard.

Define Your Own “Happily Ever After”

     As we finish up our unit on women in literature, I've come to a lot of realizations about myself and how society has affected my view of myself as a woman. One specific realization is that some of my goals seem to have been set for me, in that I’ve always had them and never really given them a second thought as to why I have these goals. For example, I’ve always wanted to get married. It’s not something I think about constantly, and it’s nowhere near the only goal I have, but it’s always just seemed like the expected thing to do. I never really considered it an option to not fall in love one day and get married. Now since we’ve started discussing this unit, I’ve started to think about why this is the way it is. Why am I planning on marriage, not ever thinking about the other options? And I think I’ve finally come to the answer – Disney Princesses. Obviously there are other things that have influenced me into this mindset, but I believe Disney Princesses have had a major impact on me since I have been watching their movies hundreds of times ever since I can remember.

            Most Disney Princesses often have one goal: fall in love with the prince, get married, and live happily ever after. I guess I always knew this, but watching a video by Jenna Marbles caused me to realize how ridiculous the ending to every Disney Princess movie is. Jenna Marbles says in this video, “They (Disney Princess Movies) also taught me that my main goal in life should be to find a prince, and marry him…the end. There’s never another plot for a chick Disney star other than, you fall in love at the end.” I think this is why I have the goal of getting married. I was a huge fan of Disney Princesses when I was little and I watched all of their movies all the time. Seeing all the weddings, all the princes, hearing the “…and they lived happily ever after…” is what I believe caused me to develop the goal of getting married. I mean, you have to admit that “happily ever after” sounds pretty good. But that’s the problem, that phrase is always associated with the princess marrying the prince at the end of the movie. There’s never a “and she became a doctor, supported herself financially as a strong, independent woman, and lived happily ever after…” ending. No, it’s always “she got married, and lived happily ever after.” 

This probably has a huge impact on young girls that watch these movies on constant replay like I used to. They become convinced that to be happy, they have to be married and be a wife. This idea is also present in The Awakening. One of the characters, Adele, is completely content as a wife and mother. Job? No. Goals? None that she openly discusses. She was raised to believe that her goals in life should be to find a man with a respectable social standing, get married, and raise their children. And I’m not saying that being a wife and mother is dishonorable in any way. I respect women that are stay at home moms. It’s a perfectly respectable job, as long as that’s what they want to do and not what they think they must do in order to be happy. Being married and having children should be an option, not an expectation. There are plenty of other ways to live “happily ever after,” and young girls should be taught to grow up and define what “happily ever after” means to them, not what it means to a fictional Disney Princess whose prince didn’t even recognize her the next morning and had to test her identity by putting a shoe on her.

*Note: The Jenna Marbles video I referenced can be watched here: http://youtu.be/2rT28Z0xM88 but the language is EXTREMELY bad. She does make a few good points though. 

To Each Their Own

     Sometimes it can be difficult to understand and accept that the way we view things can be different from how others view things. Our perceptions can differ due to a variety of reasons, whether it is our culture, our upbringing, our religion, or any other influence we experience. It was discussed in class that Adele Ratignolle, one of my favorite characters from The Awakening, could have been intended by Chopin to be perceived as either an admirable character or as something less. I immediately thought she was intended to be perceived as a less-than-admirable character because of her naïve devotion to her husband and children with disregard to discovering her true self, as Edna was trying to do. However, I soon realized that I viewed Adele in this way because of my upbringing and my culture. I was judging Adele based on my own standards instead of taking a more global and general perspective on her as a character. Even if we don’t do this intentionally, we as humans in general characterize and judge people by comparing them to our own personal opinions of how we believe they should behave.

            I, as previously stated, do not really approve of how Adele chooses to live her life in complete devotion to her husband and children without any regard to her own personal need of self-discovery. I enjoyed her as a character in the novel, however, because she allowed me to understand what women were typically like within this setting, and I could therefore clearly see how Edna defied everything the culture demanded of her. But, just because I have a somewhat negative opinion of Adele, does not automatically mean that everyone else who reads the novel will. It is very possible that, for example, a full-time stay-at-home mother in today’s American society that reads this novel regards Adele as the quintessential woman because she does not believe that Adele is lacking a self-discovery and she feels that Adele is doing exactly what she needs to as a mother and wife. Even though I don’t agree with this opinion, it is not my place to degrade this perspective and label it as “wrong” because I don’t believe there is a wrong opinion. All opinions are based off of what we ourselves believe is right, and there will most likely never be a general consensus among all humans on what is right.

          Another example of judging others based on our own perspectives is within the reality show “19 Kids and Counting.” This show follows the Duggar family, which consists of two parents, Michelle and Jim Bob, and their nineteen kids, all of who Michelle had herself.

The show receives criticism from many people, including claims that because they have so many children, the children will never have a special individual bond with their parents. However, Jim Bob and Michelle both completely believe that they are doing what they claim to be “God’s work for them.” They feel that they are doing the right thing by raising a large number of children that will each be, in their opinions, great members of society. Now, who is to say which opinion is correct? The Duggars may be judged and criticized by many people, but they themselves may criticize those who do not have a large number of children. I don’t believe anyone has the right to condemn the way other people live their lives, and sometimes I wish everyone would embrace the saying “to each their own.”

If Only...

I absolutely loved the article “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism.” I enjoy learning about other cultures and I find it frustrating when people condemn them simply because they are different from our own and what we have always known. It is almost as if we as a culture consider our society as superior to all other cultures. Imagine how much more peaceful our world could be, though, if we all respected other cultures and societies and appreciated them for the diversity they provide.

            In Things Fall Apart, a Christian ministry leader, James Smith, does exactly what irritates me the most in this type of situation. When observing Okonkwo’s tribe, he looks down on it, believing that their customs and way of life are primitive and inferior to his own. He even goes as far as to force his religion onto the people, replacing their own religious traditions with a strict demand to follow Christianity. Why could he not allow them to continue their own cultural customs as they had been long before he even came to their tribe? It is not as if their culture had any effect on him. Both James Smith and the Igbo people could have lived peacefully if he had just respected and appreciated their culture and the differences it had compared to his own.

            I’ve noticed similar behavior recently with the controversy over the new TLC reality show, “All-American Muslim.” This show is just trying to show the American public what it is like being a Muslim and being part of the Muslim culture by following and interviewing several Muslims throughout their everyday lives. And actually, if people would watch the show, they would find that the Muslim culture is not very different from the culture most of us know. Besides their religion, they live lives just like most Americans; they have jobs as doctors, teachers, and sports coaches, they get married, they have children, they watch television. However, because of assumptions and stereotypes many people associate with the Muslim culture, many have already criticized the show and TLC for disrespecting victims of the tragic events of September 11^th. The home improvement store Lowe’s has even gone as far as to have their commercials removed from the time slot during which “All-American Muslim” is being aired. But this is exactly the problem. If people would stop the criticism for just a moment and watch the show, they would realize that these Muslims do not at all share the views of those who attacked our country. They actually feel the same way the rest of America feels about the attacks. It just angers me that as a country in general, we are still not able to respect other cultures and give them a chance before we judge them based on misconceptions.

            In my dream world, everyone has respect for each other despite differences in culture, religion, or beliefs. However, it seems that this will have to remain only a dream for now.

If That's Romance, Count Me Out

          Wuthering Heights is considered by many to be one of the greatest romances in literature. Although I can definitely understand why readers see some romance within the novel, I myself do not believe that it is a great romance. In my opinion, romance should consist of more love and romance than drama and sorrow. And I think I speak for many when I say that within Wuthering Heights, there seems to be more drama and sorrow than anything else. However, this novel is not alone when it comes to using drama excessively within romance. Too often are romance and love depicted as needing drama and conflict to exist, whether it is in novels, movies, theater, or television. Romance should inevitably lead to happiness, not fighting and depression…right?

            In Wuthering Heights, none of the characters ever really reached true romance, in my opinion. I would consider true romance to be a happy, loving relationship between two people that is not constantly surrounded by or involved in drama. True romance is instead filled with love, happiness, and respect for each other. I don’t believe this label would apply to any of the couples in the novel. For example, Edgar’s love for Catherine was never completely reciprocated, in that she always had a love for Heathcliff, even when she was married to Edgar. On the other hand, Heathcliff’s love for Catherine was also never truly reciprocated because they were never actually able to be together and share their love for one another, except maybe in their afterlife, which is debatable. So, with all the drama within this love triangle, I do not see how Wuthering Heights could be considered a great romance, when really, none of these characters had what I would consider a true romance.

            I don’t live in a fantasy world where I believe that couples who have a true romance never argue or have a disagreement. Couples will argue, it’s unavoidable and in my point of view, sometimes necessary. But to constantly be fighting and upset with each other, that is not romance. That is just a couple’s own personal soup opera, and it’s not healthy. However, within every type of entertainment and media, if a romantic relationship is being displayed, there is almost always a serious conflict that is involved in the couple’s relationship. For once, I would like to go to a movie, or read a book, or watch a play, and have a couple that has not had any issues. But no, there’s always some sort of drama. It could be that the boy doesn’t want to be seen with the girl he likes because she’s different from his social group (Grease) or the girl’s father would not approve of her boyfriend, so she keeps him a secret (Dirty Dancing) or (and this one always makes me so angry) the girl doesn’t really believe in love (500 Days of Summer.) There is always drama or conflict in the relationship. Even if the couple is in a happy, loving relationship at the end, there is always something that was keeping them from being that way from the beginning. And frankly, I just think it is unrealistic. I realize that a plot needs a conflict, but does it always have to be so dramatic? And can’t it involve something else other than their relationship? I understand that there will be occasional problems within relationships, but if you go through ridiculous, exaggerated, and unnecessary drama during a relationship, it just seems not worth it to me. Can’t couples just be happy and together without having to undergo such a traumatic experience to get to that happiness? I have seen plenty of couples with great relationships that don’t recreate their own episode of Days of Our Lives every day. It is possible, and from my experiences and observations, more common.

            So, no, I do not consider Wuthering Heights to be a great romance. I also do not consider a majority of the “relationships” that media and entertainment create to be great romances either. Love does not equal drama, and drama does not equal love. Unfortunately, it is commonly portrayed that love is fueled by drama and requires it for existence. But if that’s romance, then count me out.

Trusting Fate a Little Too Much

After reading Oedipus the King in English, which I consider to be one of my favorite pieces of literature we’ve discussed so far, I began to think a lot about the concept of “fate” versus “the butterfly effect.” We were surveyed in class on how much we believe in either fate or the butterfly effect, and I was surprised at how many people seemed to favor the idea of the butterfly effect. I was the strongest believer in fate, which caused me to wonder why this was. Not that I would ever change my opinion because a large majority was favoring the opposite view, but I began to really criticize the idea of fate during my thinking.

It seems like such a simple concept, “What is meant to be, will be,” and “What is supposed to happen, will happen.” Maybe that’s why people trust the concept of fate so much, because it’s simple and it makes perfect sense. However, it seems to me that people put almost a little too much trust in the concept of fate. To be so sure that everything will work out how it is supposed to is, yes, a nice thought, but is it realistic? If I wasn’t typing this blog right now, would it be realistic to assume that if I did not do it “fate would step in and what is meant to happen will happen and I will still pass the assignment?” Obviously this is an exaggerated example, but people do seem to put a lot of trust in fate. For example, how many romance movies have you seen where the girl stumbles upon a man at an unexpected moment and, boom: she’s sure he’s “the one” because why else would she have come across him under such odd circumstances unless they were meant to be together? Oh, you poor naïve girl, just because you saw a man on a subway two days after you saw him buying a hotdog on the street corner doesn’t mean you’re supposed to marry him. I fear the media’s promotion of the classic “it’s fate” scene has also begun to effect actual women of society. Watch an episode of “Say Yes to the Dress” and you’ll probably hear the word “fate” at least once when the bride is talking about her fiancé and how they knew they should be together forever. Trust in fate is everywhere, and as a fellow believer in fate, even I’m worried about some people. I agree that we each have a general path that we are destined to follow, but I’m not about to allow major decisions to be barely thought over because I have my full trust in fate, it’s just not practical. Some of the actions and decisions are still up to you, whether you believe in fate or not.

Unfortunately, what happened in Oedipus the King is that the main characters tried to defy fate by trying to work their way around their specific circumstances, which just led them right back to their original stated fate. These characters did not have their full trust in fate, and what they were destined to do actually happened, ironically. The difference, however, is that we don’t have an oracle to ask what our fate will be. Therefore, no one knows what they’re destined to do, and it is up to each of us to make our own decisions in order to reach our own fate. Was this fate pre-determined? No one knows for sure, but we all have our beliefs. I do still believe that everything will turn out the way it is meant to, but I roll my eyes at those that lead their lives with a full trust in fate, making no effort to actually think about important decisions, such as, “Should I marry this guy just because “fate” brought us together on this subway after I saw him two days ago buying a hotdog on the street corner?” Spoiler alert: the answer is no.

Misinterpretations of Literature

     Authors write literature with an intended message or idea that they want to convey to their audience. However, somewhere in the mix of reading and reflecting on what has been read, some audience members become confused and completely misunderstand what they author was actually trying to express through their writing. I find this issue to be both devastating and frustrating, as the reader does not get the benefit of comprehending what could be a fascinating message, and others are challenged to try to explain to them the actual message.
     The Fountainhead is obviously a novel with an intended message. Throughout the novel, Ayn Rand promotes and demonstrates her theory of objectivism through various plots. To further convey her theory to her audience, she uses characters that embody the quintessential form of objectivism and others that are the complete opposite. This is where the misinterpretation can come into play. Instead of understanding that Howard Roark is who Ayn Rand would deem the "perfect man" in terms of objectivism, some readers interpret Ellsworth Toohey to be the "perfect man." Clearly this is not what Rand intended her readers to believe.
     I stumbled upon this example of misinterpreting The Fountainhead unexpectedly while watching one of my favorite movies, Dirty Dancing. When the main character, Baby, confronts another character, Robbie, about a situation he has gotten a girl into, he completely disregards the situation, explaining that he will have nothing to do with it. To verify his reaction, he tells Baby to read The Fountainhead after saying, "Some people matter, and some people don't." Obviously, he got the exact opposite message from the novel than the one Ayn Rand actually wanted her readers to understand.
     This then causes even further problems. Robbie explains his interpretation of the novel before telling Baby to read the book. So then, Baby reads the book, and based on what she heard of Robbie's interpretation, she could possibly feel the same way about the novel, and tell someone else about it. Soon, people everywhere are misinterpreting this work of literature and are not getting the intended message from it. Although the characters in Dirty Dancing are not real people, I'm sure there are people out there who have had this interpretation of The Fountainhead and this scenario could happen.
     Overall, it upsets me that some people will walk away from a great novel, such as The Fountainhead, with the wrong message while a great message lies undiscovered within the novel. Along with upsetting, this can also be frustrating for others when trying to discuss the novel with people who have totally different messages that they drew from the literature. Although there really is no solution for this issue, it would be nice if people could take the time to really reflect on what they read with a thoughtful, open mind. Maybe this would at least improve the problem.