Blog Reflection

       Overall, I enjoyed having a reading blog and learned a few things about myself as a reader in the process. In creating my blog, I used the name of a book I grew up with that also happens to include what I believe to be my spirit animal in the title:) Most people would probably not know that I love cats, so it is almost like I'm creating a new identity--but not necessarily a fake or warped one, but one that is closer to the actual "me," rather than what I may feel more comfortable with in person. It's like how you act around your good friends versus people you feel like you need to impress. In person, you might feel too vulnerable and revealed if you act like yourself, but acting that way online makes you feel safer simply because you can't see anybody's reactions or judgements. I'm not saying that this is how you should feel, but truthfully it makes me feel this way. I want to be able to be the person I am online in real life, because I believe it is a more accurate representation of me most of the time. However, when you are online you might also feel pressured to create the identity of who you want to be, but aren't. On social media, I mostly only showcase the positive things in my life, the things I want other people to know about me. So while this isn't portraying anything false, it is picking and choosing to make my life seem more interesting and desirable, which I'm sure many other people do too, either consciously or not. 

       Writing about my reading online was a new experience, with both positive and negative aspects. When I'm writing online, I'm more careful with conventions and the style of my writing because it feels much more professional and important than just writing in a notebook. However, I believe my writing style often shifts between casual and formal because I'm stuck between trying to write a journal entry with my emotions as a reader and a formal essay. When I'm writing in a notebook, I feel more free to write whatever comes to mind without restrictions or the need to center everything around one idea. My blog is pretty much the opposite, and I can easily spend an hour to two hours slaving over one post. In a notebook, I would probably get all of my thoughts out onto paper and just expand in my head, which I think is more valuable than having to pick only one point and write something that reminds me too much of test prep. As you can probably tell, I would prefer a casual reading journal to a reading blog, but it was still fun to have one. If I were to make another blog, it would have to be something I am very passionate about or I will loose interest, like I do with a lot of things. I still believe blogs are a good way to express yourself to a large and diverse audience through various medium, but I don't think I could incorporate one into my everyday life. 

The Virgin Suicides { philosophical post }

       Now that I have finished The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, I have more philosophical insight on the plot, characters, and themes. One point I want to discuss is about the neighborhood boys/the narrators, who are fixated on the Lisbon girls and their story. They spend their whole lives watching the girls, then studying what the they left behind after they are gone. But what the boys realize later is that they barely knew them at all. The Lisbon girls' suicides on the eve of Cecelia's suicide attempt brings up a philosophical point because of their willingness to assist each other in the case that one of their attempts fails. If it came to this point, is it murder? Does it matter that they are sisters?
     
       The boys have a gallery of things relating to the girls, ranging from photographs to diaries to brassiere. Because of all of this, the boys imagine that they know the Lisbon girls very well. In fact, they don't, which may be why they still don't know the truth about the suicides. Probably the most crucial moments in the book occur when the boys are invited to the Lisbon's house on the eve of Cecilia's attempted suicide. They don't know exactly what to expect, but what they never saw coming were Bonnie's shoes swinging from a rope and Lux's dead body, shotgun, in her mother's car. The boys' realizations are summed up in two lines: "We had never known [them]. They had brought us here to find that out." But how do you know when you know someone? The boys had a huge scrapbook of the girls' lives, and seemed to know and care even more than Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon. But the boys were always on the outside, looking in, while the girls' parents knew them on a more personal level. This is related to the question about what your "self" is. Are you more your body or your mind? Of course our minds control our bodies, but can you know somebody just because you know what they look like? If somebody asks me if I know a certain person, I will say yes if I've seen them a few times and maybe talked to them before. The boys have done so much more than that, but I'm still not sure if you can say that they knew the girls. To really know someone, you have to know their personality and the things that go on inside of their head that they wouldn't tell just anybody. So while I would tell somebody that I know the person, I'm really just saying that I know who they are referring to. The boys know the girls only on a certain level, from watching them over the years, with only fleeting glances of what was actually going on inside their heads.

       The same scene where the boys realize that they never knew the Lisbon girls is a very different philosophical dilemma from the girls' point of view. Suicide is obviously a very prominent presence in the whole story, and captured my attention on the first few pages when I learned of the Lisbon's religious beliefs. The boys (along with the whole town and reader) question why the girls commit suicide overall, but I want to focus in on the fact that they all killed themselves together, not one by one. That means that they planned it, and that makes me wonder if they all wanted to do it, because we know in the end that they all have different personalities; they're not one unit like they seemed at the beginning. One line that stuck out was: "They were ready to assist one another, if need be." This is related to assisted suicide, but is it different because they aren't medical professionals? Because they are young? Because they are sisters? I think being young makes it worse, because they aren't as wise and cultured, especially because they are locked up in their prison day after day. They probably don't realize that it could get better if they tried hard enough and/or waited it out. On the contrary, I think being sisters makes it better because I would assume they would do what was best for each other, because they are blood. I have still not come to a conclusion about how I feel about their willingness to help one another, but I know that I would have never been able to assist one of my sibling if it came to that.

       I really enjoyed this book and the philosophical ideas it presented, with suicide and self being only two of many.

The Virgin Suicides

       I am at the beginning of the novel The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides but I have already noticed a lot. It is beautifully written yet still maintains the point of view of young boys intrigued in the neighborhood beauties--the Lisbon girls. It is no secret that all five girls commit suicide (it is stated in the very first sentence--and the title and blurb, for that matter). I believe that Eugenides didn't keep their deaths a secret for two reasons. First, the book is really a collection of memories told by the boys, and the suicides are really the most important part, so they wouldn't wait for the events to catch up to get to the climax. But secondly, the reader is enabled to focus more on the girls' actions and try to understand what drove them to kill themselves because the reader already know their fate. 
       
       I noticed that Eugenides describes the small town in Michigan as very dreary and the people in it homely and unattractive, all except the Lisbon girls, who are painted as very sophisticated and beautiful. This makes the girls stand out even more. For instance, Eugenides writes as the boys, "No one could understand how Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon had produced such beautiful children...Whenever we saw Mrs. Lisbon we looked in vain for some sign of the beauty that must have once been hers. But the plump arms, the brutally cut steel-wool hair, and librarian's glasses foiled us every time." And of Mr. Lisbon, he was thin and boyish, with a high voice and "girlish weeping." Other people were also described in quite a negative light: "We found Mrs. Buell much aged and hugely fat," and "...dark circles under his eyes and his mammoth hips..." This all accentuates the Lisbon girls' attractiveness and how they are so different from everyone else in the small suburban town.

       Another way in which the girls are separated from the rest of the town is because of the words used to reference the girls and the boys. The girls are always "they" and the neighborhood boys are always "we" or "us." But it seems that the whole town is actually behind the two small words that normally represent the boys, because the whole town is curious about the girls and enraptured in their mysterious beauty. The Lisbon girls are cut off from the daily life of teenagers because of their over-protective parents, and this makes them even more isolated. The boys and the town are on the outside, looking into their short, secretive lives.

       I am looking forward to continuing this novel. Although I already know the Lisbon girls' fate, I am still interested in analyzing their actions to attempt to understand why they would commit suicide. I wonder if the girls and boys will ever interact, and the "us" and "them" will dissolve into one.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

       The novel Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is about a young adult named Clay Jannon, who begins working at a mysteriously intriguing bookstore. In the front, it just looks like a normal bookstore, but as you dig your way deeper, you discover ceiling-high shelves with obscure volumes that make up a sort of lending library that only strange repeat customers want to look at. Clay doesn't question anything, not wanting to stir up trouble by being too suspicious, and wanting to keep the job he landed after being laid off as a web-designer. But curiosity gets the best of him and he begins wondering what exactly the strange customers are checking out. Although I am at the very beginning of this book, I have noticed Sloan's clever writing craft that uses loose metaphors to relate to the plot and what Clay's emotions. The examples I noticed had to do with Clay and the mysterious bookstore.

       Early on in the book, we are introduced to Mat, Clay's roommate who is a movie set designer and eccentric artist. His latest project is "Matropolis," a miniature city made out of boxes, cans, paper, foam, wire, packing peanuts, glass--anything you can think of. Clay admires Mat's work-in-progress, although it does take up almost all of the living room. I think this city of scraps relates a lot to Clay and the bookstore. For example, the strange combination of materials is like Clay's knowledge and understanding of what happens in the store, little bits of odd information, like the fact that the customers are always in a hurry and the volumes they look at aren't even English or any recognizable language whatsoever. Plus, Mr. Penumbra always makes Clay keep detailed notes of what the customers are like when they arrive, from their attitude to what they are wearing. None of this makes any sense, to either the readers or Clay. Mat's different mediums come together nicely as a piece of art, but we still have to unravel the bookstore's mystery.
       
       Another example of the use of metaphors also has to do with Mat's Matropolis. Clay picks up a remote he finds on the couch, and realizes that it controls a miniature helicopter that flies around the small city. He tries to get it to land on the roof of the mini Empire State Building, but he says, "I can only make it bump against the windows" (24). I interpreted this as Clay's desire to figure out what is happening at the bookstore, but it is difficult because he doesn't want to jeopardize his job. Another metaphor that I believe has the same message is when Clay is at a party through video chat while actually working his shift at the bookstore. At first it started out okay, but as the party continued, the person lugging around the computer put it down and started a conversation with another person, who she seemed to be quite interested in (which wouldn't have been so bad if Clay hadn't developed a crush on his computer-lugging, party-throwing friend). Clay had to mute them while helping a customer, and was shocked and hurt when he found that they had muted him also. I thought this showed yet another example of how Clay was denied access or more information to something, like the curious library in the back of the bookstore. 

       These subtle metaphors may not even be on purpose, but I believe that they are a clever way to provide insight on the story. I am looking foreword to reading the rest of this book, and finding more interesting writing crafts that Sloan uses.  

Suicides Mounting, Golden Gate Looks to Add a Safety Net { non-fiction critical analysis }

       The article "Suicides Mounting, Golden Gate Looks to Add a Safety Net" by Carol Pogash was published one month ago in the New York Times. It described the recent progressions in the debate about adding a safety net onto one of the most famous bridges in the world. The Golden Gate Bridge is famous for its architectural beauty, but also because it is the most popular suicide location in the nation, and one of the top in the entire world. These factors have spurred the controversy about putting a up a safety net that has been going on for sixty years, while more and more people jump to their deaths.              
       I view the debate about putting up a safety net as ethics versus aesthetics. State assemblyman Mark Ammiano is appalled that a net hasn't been put up yet, describing the bridge as "a public health hazard." A record of 46 people committed suicide by jumping off the bridge just last year, and 118 more attempts failed as they were stopped by bridge workers. Putting up a safety net that would save so many lives seems like a very good thing to do, but the directors of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, have disagreed for 60 years, "reflecting the live-and-let-live ethos that animates this city," Pogash writes. Another point against the net is that it may mar the majestic bridge's beauty, which is where aesthetics come into play. The last point against a safety net is simple logic: if you really want to end your life, you're going to go find another place to do it. The counterargument is that the suicide impulse is transient, and the bridge provides such an easy way out that people don't have time to think it over as they should. 
       Carol Pogash definitely supports installing the net, and wants the reader to feel the same too. I can tell because she provides a lot of convincing support about why it is needed, using both statistics and stories that tug at your heart strings to her advantage. Pogash uses astounding facts to engage the reader and prove her point further, like when she states that there was a suicide or suicide attempt nearly every other day in 2013 on the Golden Gate alone. I was blown away by this tiny piece of information that highlighted the need for a safety net. Another fact was that the largest group of jumpers went down from 35-45 years to only 20-30 years, showing how "young people think the bridge is the perfect place to go." Pogash also includes the story of Manuel Gamboa and his son, Kyle, who committed suicide last year on September 20th at 18 years old. Manuel has attended every board meeting since, advocating for a solution with a photo of his son's smiling face framed next to him. Pogash also adds medical information that describes what happens when your body hits the water, disproving the myth that the jump is painless. "Those who jump plummet 220 feet and typically suffer rib collapse on impact, lacerating lungs and other internal organs...they die of internal bleeding or drowning," she writes, making the reader feel almost squeamish. I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone, which is probably the exact feeling Pogash was aiming to see in her readers.      
       I agree that a safety net should be put up, as it would prevent many deaths. While it is true some people might just find another way to end their lives, eliminating one of the easiest and most popular ways will make people rethink their decisions when finding it difficult to do it some other way. I am normally a stickler when it comes to how something looks, this is a matter of human life and I see no other solution. Many people will be pleased for the safety net to be installed, although 60 years was too long to wait and they can never get their loved ones back. Pogash's convincing and strategical writing influenced my opinion and taught me a lot, but I still want to know how exactly the net would work and if after the fact, other bridges or forms of suicide would become more popular.

Link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/us/suicides-mounting-golden-gate-looks-to-add-a-safety-net.html?_r=0

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

       The novel The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman recounts one Polish couple's brave attempts and successes of turning their zoo into a part of the Underground for Jews during the Holocaust. All of the animals from the zoo are killed or escape quite early in the story, but there are times when humans act like animals and times when you can see the connections between them. Antonina, the zookeeper's wife, "felt convinced that people needed to connect more with their animal nature" (34). The ideas and themes that Ackerman presents go along with Antonina's philosophy.
      
       Throughout the novel, humans are associated with animal-like phrases and perform behaviors that are common in animals. One of the first examples of this is early in the story when Ackerman writes that "the Żabińskis invited artists of all stripes to come and uncage their imaginations"(35). Obviously Ackerman literally means that the Żabińskis welcomed a diverse population into their zoo to help them use their imaginations, but by comparing people to animals she supports Antonina's theory that all humans have an animal nature. Another instance of this is when Ackerman writes, "like other animal mothers, [Antonina] grew desperate to find a safe hiding place for her young" (55) in the midst of the war. This show how people embrace their animal instincts in times of need. An ironic example of when humans showed animal characteristics was when The Żabińskis hid Jews in their zoo, so the people almost took on the roles of the murdered animals. Ackerman writes, "[the zoos] inhabitants mastered the martial arts of stealth: tiptoe, freeze, camouflage, distract, pantomime. Some villa Guests hid while others hovered, emerging only after dark to roam the house at liberty" (120). These actions of stealth, like camouflaging, seems like something an animal would do. People that emerged "only after dark" took on the persona of nocturnal organisms. These are just a few examples of the ongoing comparison of people and animals.
     
       The actions of people against both humans and animals are remarkably or horrifyingly similar. Early in the book, Lutz Heck, a fellow zoo director who happened to be German, called on the Żabińskis with the promise to rebuild their zoo as the falling bombs destroyed it piece by piece. But Heck betrayed them and invited his German comrades over to the zoo for a little New Year's gathering that involved shooting each and every animal left at the crumbling zoo. The description of the innocent animals being brutally murdered in their own home for sport is very disturbing, but not unlike what happens later in the book to people. The perfect and famous example is the Holocaust in general, but The Zookeeper's Wife actually focuses more on the situations in the Ghetto. The wall separating the Ghetto and the Aryan side often had small holes in the masonry that allowed the smallest of children to pass in and out as smugglers and traders, "who risked death daily as their families' breadwinners" (137). A German major that patrolled the walls was given the nickname Frankenstein. One Ghetto child and renowned smuggler recalled, "he loved to hunt, but I suppose he must have become bored with animals and decided that shooting Jewish children was a more enjoyable pastime" (138). He then goes on to say that when there were no smugglers to kill, Frankenstein would summon random children who happened to be around, pull out his gun, and shoot them in the back of the head. This information takes a while to process because it is so brutally raw--one can't imagine how a person could end another's life for mere pleasure, much less an innocent child with their lives ahead of them. This is how the murders of the animals and children are linked: they're both so innocent.

       Antonina and Ackerman both believe that animals and humans are more alike than most people think. The zookeeper's wife shows it through her words and thoughts, while the author shows it through her writing.





 

Lord of the Flies

       The classic novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is about a group of young boys that crash land on a desert island with no adults, and therefore, no order. Ralph and Jack, two of the "biguns" (as they had begun to call the older boys), both elected themselves leader, so they held a vote with all of the boys. Ralph won and became chief, but across the book there is an obvious power struggle between the two. People, objects, and other things can symbolize themes in books, just as these symbolize hope, intellect, and power in Lord of the Flies.
     
       As cliche is it is, the fire is one thing that represents hope, along with power. The boys make the fire and hope that the smoke will attract passing ships or planes that will save them. Of course, the young boys get distracted by more interesting things, like stuffing their stomachs with ripe fruit or the glory of hunting pigs with handmade spears. It seems that only Ralph and his trusty (although subject to ridicule) assistant nicknamed Piggy understand that their only hope is the fire. When the fire burns out, so should their hope. The fire was also Ralph's greatest contribution as leader, so when the boys abandon it they relay the message that his authority doesn't mean much to them. Jack, the losing candidate, was one of those boys. This is how the fire represents both hope for the boys and power for Ralph, and the opposite when it burns out.
     
       Another object that particularly represents power and order is a conch that Ralph and Piggy find the very first day on the island. By blowing into the shell, they create a deep, echoing sound that can be heard for miles. They use this to call assemblies led by Ralph, and pass it around to determine who is allowed to speak. The ordinary, inanimate object suddenly had a lot of power on the island. But when touchy subjects came up like the "beast" that was rumored to live on the island or the fact that people kept letting the fire go out, the boys would start to speak out of turn and become rowdy with their urge to speak their opinion. As the boys became more accustomed to their situation, these unruly assemblies occurred more and more often. While the conch itself was passed around, it was controlled and blown by Ralph. The conch wasn't respected anymore, and Ralph was losing authority. When the conch is crushed under a boulder later in the book, all power it or Ralph ever held vanished.
     
       Lastly, Piggy and his glasses represent intellect and rational thinking. Piggy is smart yet he is often bullied by the other boys, being overweight and not exactly handsome. His ideas are intelligent and realistic, but nobody ever listens to him. Even Ralph makes fun of his loyal sidekick. Piggy is technically blind without his thick glasses, and the only way the boys can make fire is to shine light from the sun through them onto a pile of leaves and branches. This makes them very valuable. But the glasses are cracked during one physical skirmish and then stolen by a rival tribe that Jack forms much later in the book. The continuous decline in the quality of the glasses and Piggy's vision relates to what the boys have their eyes set on. They are letting the important things, like being rescued, out of their sight for immature games that turn deadly. What they should be focusing on is obscured by the need to gain power. Piggy was one of the victims of the violence of Jack's new tribe against what was left of Ralph's. He was killed by a boulder let loose by one of the boys, marking the end of all intellectual and rational thinking. Suddenly, full out war against Ralph is the only thing on the boys' minds. Their actions are nothing short of savagely without Piggy and his glasses.

       The fire, conch, Piggy, and his glasses all symbolize different ideas of the text. The fire represents hope of rescue and Ralph's power, like the conch does. Piggy and his glasses represent intellect that keeps the tribe running smoothly. These subtle symbols help the reader understand the text and even foreshadow what is to come. Lord of the Flies involves many complex themes that portray our society in an interesting yet disturbing way that has changed my point of view forever.