I wonder if anybody ever wants to see the truth.
Or, at least the downsides of things. I think that it depends on whether you're an optimist or a pessimist. I feel as though optimistic people always try to block out the bad things, because to an optimist, almost everything has a solution and that solution will solve the problem they're dealing with, so they always look on the bright sides of things (or at least this is what I gather an optimist to be). There is always a positive outlook, a.k.a, the glass is half full. A pessimist is pretty much a person who looks at the downsides of things, the cons, the things that could go wrong with any theoretical solution to this theoretical problem. Me, being just that, always look for problems with things before getting my hopes up, thus resulting in the opposite of the phrase for optimistics: the glass is half empty.
I'm not saying that these are solid set types of people. Plenty of people are in-between, some are extremes in either, and some sit comfortably in one of the two. But I wonder if authors give clues to what the rest of the book is about through these groups.
So far, my answer is yes, even if it's not directly through the character in their dialogue or thoughts.
For example, Persepolis. The main character tells one of her mom's friend's daughter, "when people say that people are away on a trip, doesn't that mean that they're dead?". This was after the other girl, told the main character that her dad was on a trip.
To me, this statement is pretty pessimistic. Not only because it's obviously telling this girl that her dad is dead, but that it's said so casually, like it should be expected that he's dead because of the revolution. It's weird, because I was thinking that the main character was pretty optimistic. She "talks" to God, wanted to become a prophet, and always offered up solutions to problems.
But in books, most things aren't what you think they are. Looks can be deceiving.
Just like the lipeic tree in The Zookeeper's Wife.
First off, let me clear something up. I did not finish the book, so I don't know what happens at the end, or past around page 28. But I can tell you that I'm almost positive that the lipeic tree, a kind of lilac shrub, is a symbol or representation of something throughout the book.
The zookeeper's wife talks a lot (about a page and then some of font this or this big) about the lipeic tree. She talks about how it's beautiful, it makes her home beautiful, it makes her town beautiful. It makes everything beautiful and perfect in her life. Its flowers, its scent all make the lipeic tree beautiful and breathtaking.
I absolutely love what the author did next. Okay, I know that sounded super-corny but let me tell you, it is probably the most genius thing ever, because it's just like when magnets don't attract each other and wind up pushing each other away and you see the magnets move and sway without either one of them touching each other and your fingers barely moving.
What she said next was that the local slang for white lies was lipia.
Lipia. Lipeic.
Lipia. Lipeic.
Lipia. Lipeic.
I think it's pretty neat how she incorporates this seemingly small detail into her story with one sentence. While the Lipeic tree is supposed to be this beautiful, calming tree, something so similar is the opposite of what it actually is.
Like in Persepolis, a dad being on a trip is so innocent, but the fact that he might be dead brings doubts into your mind. Doing something big or small may not seems so simplistic or innocent anymore.
Anything can have two sides, and most things do: the optimistic side or the pessimistic side.
So which one do you beleive?
Showing posts with label society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label society. Show all posts
Friday, December 10, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Research Entry #2
- "Students who describe themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered are five times more likely to miss school because of feeling unsafe. 28% are forced to drop out. --National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, "Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization," New York, 1984.
- The vast majority of victims of anti-lesbian/gay violence - possibly more than 80% - never report the incident, often due to fear of being "outed." --New York Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project Annual Report, 1996.
- 85% of teachers oppose integrating lesbian, gay and bisexual themes in their curricula. --"Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth," 1993.
- Due to sexual orientation discrimination, lesbians earn up to 14% less than their heterosexual female peers with similar jobs, education, age and residence, according to a study by the University of Maryland. --Badgett, M.V. Lee, "The Wage Effects of Sexual Orientation Discrimination," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, July 1995.
- 42% of homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. --Orion Center, Survey of Street Youth, Seattle, WA: Orion Center, 1986.
- More than 84% of Americans oppose employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. --Survey Conducted by Newsweek, January 1997.
- 75% of people committing hate crimes are under age 30 - one in three are under 18 - and some of the most pervasive anti-gay violence occurs in schools. --New York Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Report, 1996.
- Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are at a four times higher risk for suicide than their straight peers. --Gibson P., LCSW, "Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide," Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1989.
- A survey of 191 employers revealed that 18% would fire, 27% would refuse to hire and 26% would refuse to promote a person they perceived to be lesbian, gay or bisexual. --Schatz and O'Hanlan, "Anti-Gay Discrimination in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Physicians," San Francisco, 1994."
(And all other links).
It really shocks me how much being gay or lesbian can affect your life. It can ruin or give you a detriment on your career, get you bullied in high school, and even make you drop out. So many gays or lesbians commit suicide, or have hate crimes committed toward them. How would it feel to have someone who was homophobic treat you as if you were a different species?
I think that this would be a good topic to write about, because it really shows kids that no matter who you are, you should still be able to live a happy life and be treated as equally as others.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A Bird Cries, A Damsel Sighs...
When Art Spiegelman wrote the life-changing graphic novel, MAUS, he wrote about anything but a fairy tale. Portraying the characters as different animals, Spiegelman tells the story of his father's experience in the Holocaust.
Right away, I saw a connection between this book and Terrible Things. Not only are they both stories of the Holocaust, but both show the characters as animals, but I think that they both did so for different reasons. Eve Bunting, the author of Terrible Things, had different animals being discriminated against to show the reader the ridiculous things that people in real life discriminate against, and how differences don't matter.
In MAUS, I think that Spiegelman did something very clever with which people from the Holocaust he put as each animal. Spiegelman, his father, his family, and all the rest of the Jews are drawn as mice. Later when he draws the Nazis, if you look closely, you'll notice that they're cats. This says a lot about what happened in the Holocaust. The Nazis and Jews were just like cats and mice: cats hunt mice, and unlike in Tom & Jerry, the cats win the fight in real life. They mice are their prey, small, weak, and helpless. But cats seem like lovable, friendly creatures, a companion, a pet. But to most people, mice, rats, or just all rodents in general, are rabid, nasty, garbage hoarding, dirty, foul beasts, and that's exactly what the real Nazis in the Holocaust thought about the Jews, although the Jews were innocent victims of their power. But the real-life version is the cat is the exact opposite of what the Jews thought of the Nazis. To the Jews, Nazis were killers, liars, men to be feared.
The fact that sometimes animals like mice or rats, playing a human role or not, can be misunderstood, relates back to an entry way back on this blog. This particular entry was about Templeton. Remember him? The rat from Charlotte's Web? I don't think that I'll ever let the idea that he's the real victim of discrimination in Charlotte's Web leave my cerebrum. Throughout the whole book he was described as a nasty, mean and dirty. I find that not only were the animals in the barn discriminatory toward Templeton, but also E.B. White!
I wonder why people think that rats or mice are such abd creatures. Is it because they've had to adapt to be dirty or live in subways because of what us humans have done to the world? Modernization, construction, pollution....what could have made the difference?
Right away, I saw a connection between this book and Terrible Things. Not only are they both stories of the Holocaust, but both show the characters as animals, but I think that they both did so for different reasons. Eve Bunting, the author of Terrible Things, had different animals being discriminated against to show the reader the ridiculous things that people in real life discriminate against, and how differences don't matter.
In MAUS, I think that Spiegelman did something very clever with which people from the Holocaust he put as each animal. Spiegelman, his father, his family, and all the rest of the Jews are drawn as mice. Later when he draws the Nazis, if you look closely, you'll notice that they're cats. This says a lot about what happened in the Holocaust. The Nazis and Jews were just like cats and mice: cats hunt mice, and unlike in Tom & Jerry, the cats win the fight in real life. They mice are their prey, small, weak, and helpless. But cats seem like lovable, friendly creatures, a companion, a pet. But to most people, mice, rats, or just all rodents in general, are rabid, nasty, garbage hoarding, dirty, foul beasts, and that's exactly what the real Nazis in the Holocaust thought about the Jews, although the Jews were innocent victims of their power. But the real-life version is the cat is the exact opposite of what the Jews thought of the Nazis. To the Jews, Nazis were killers, liars, men to be feared.
The fact that sometimes animals like mice or rats, playing a human role or not, can be misunderstood, relates back to an entry way back on this blog. This particular entry was about Templeton. Remember him? The rat from Charlotte's Web? I don't think that I'll ever let the idea that he's the real victim of discrimination in Charlotte's Web leave my cerebrum. Throughout the whole book he was described as a nasty, mean and dirty. I find that not only were the animals in the barn discriminatory toward Templeton, but also E.B. White!
1rat noun \ˈrat\
1
a : any of numerous rodents (Rattus and related genera) differing from the related mice especially by considerably larger size1mouse noun \ˈmau̇s
: any of numerous small rodents (as of the genus Mus) with pointed snout, rather small ears, elongated body, and slender tail
Friday, November 5, 2010
Equality, And I Will Be Free.
Equality
You declare you see me dimly
through a glass which will not shine,
though I stand before you boldly,
trim in rank and making time.
Equality, and I will be free.
Equality, and I will be free.
-Maya Angelou
The first time I read this, I thought about African Americans, and how there was so much segregation in the United States involving them and whites. It all seems so long ago, but there was still segregation in the US when your grandparents were alive, maybe even your parents. I decided that the poem talked about how the African Americans were fighting for equality and acceptance in society when there was segregation. Maya Angelou is speaking to the white people that aren't accepting. She speaks of their ignorance toward her race, how they know that there should be equality and that they know African Americans wish for it, but don't want to stand up and take action against segregation.
This reminded me of the children's book that we read recently in class called Terrible Things, by Eve Bunting. It's an allegory of the Holocaust, and takes place in a quiet forest, until the "terrible things", which represent Nazis, come and start to take animals that have certain features away. When the terrible things wanted animals with quills, they take porcupines. When they wanted animals that swim, they take the frogs and fish. And each time an animal is taken away, the rest speak badly about it, even if they were friendly before they got taken by the terrible things. In the end, the last survivor thinks, "I wish that I could have stood up against the terrible things."
I think that this moral relates to the poem Equality, because it teaches readers to stand up against people, or even "things", that aren't doing the right thing. The poem teaches readers not to take ignorance as an answer, and to always fight for what you beleive in, which in both cases is equality, for all different types of people or animals, and the African Americans and the whites during segregation.
Another childhood book that the poem Equality relates to is Horton Hears A Who. Horton Hears A Who is about an elephant and his companions that are so small they live on a speck of dust. Others in the forest think that his friends are non-existent. In order to prove that they are real, the beings that live on the speck of dust gather together to make a loud enough noise so that the animals in the forest can hear it. All the villagers beat their drums and shout and scream and blow their whistles and play their loudest instruments. Still, the noise is not loud enough. The mayor runs all around town, in search of one more villager. Finally, he finds one: a little boy named Jojo. When this boy yelps, he makes the noise loud enough for the animals in the forest to hear, and finally their voices are heard, the animals in the forest accept them for who they are, despite their shock that such a small creature could even exist, on a piece of dust no less!
All three authors are telling the reader the same thing: Stand up for what you beleive in, because without a person that's willing to speak their mind toward a person who's doing the wrong thing, their voice will never be heard.
You declare you see me dimly
through a glass which will not shine,
though I stand before you boldly,
trim in rank and making time.
You do own to hear me faintly
as a whisper out of range,
while my drums beat out the message
and the rhythms never change.
Equality, and I will be free.
Equality, and I will be free.
You announce my ways are wanton,
that I fly from man to man,
but if I'm just a shadow to you,
could you ever understand?
We have lived a painful history,
we know the shameful past,
but I keep on marching forward,
and you keep on coming last.
Equality, and I will be free.
Equality, and I will be free.
Take the blinders from your vision,
take the padding from your ears,
and confess you've heard me crying,
and admit you've seen my tears.
Hear the tempo so compelling,
hear the blood throb through my veins.
Yes, my drums are beating nightly,
and the rhythms never change.
Equality, and I will be free.
Equality, and I will be free.
-Maya Angelou
The first time I read this, I thought about African Americans, and how there was so much segregation in the United States involving them and whites. It all seems so long ago, but there was still segregation in the US when your grandparents were alive, maybe even your parents. I decided that the poem talked about how the African Americans were fighting for equality and acceptance in society when there was segregation. Maya Angelou is speaking to the white people that aren't accepting. She speaks of their ignorance toward her race, how they know that there should be equality and that they know African Americans wish for it, but don't want to stand up and take action against segregation.
This reminded me of the children's book that we read recently in class called Terrible Things, by Eve Bunting. It's an allegory of the Holocaust, and takes place in a quiet forest, until the "terrible things", which represent Nazis, come and start to take animals that have certain features away. When the terrible things wanted animals with quills, they take porcupines. When they wanted animals that swim, they take the frogs and fish. And each time an animal is taken away, the rest speak badly about it, even if they were friendly before they got taken by the terrible things. In the end, the last survivor thinks, "I wish that I could have stood up against the terrible things."
I think that this moral relates to the poem Equality, because it teaches readers to stand up against people, or even "things", that aren't doing the right thing. The poem teaches readers not to take ignorance as an answer, and to always fight for what you beleive in, which in both cases is equality, for all different types of people or animals, and the African Americans and the whites during segregation.
Another childhood book that the poem Equality relates to is Horton Hears A Who. Horton Hears A Who is about an elephant and his companions that are so small they live on a speck of dust. Others in the forest think that his friends are non-existent. In order to prove that they are real, the beings that live on the speck of dust gather together to make a loud enough noise so that the animals in the forest can hear it. All the villagers beat their drums and shout and scream and blow their whistles and play their loudest instruments. Still, the noise is not loud enough. The mayor runs all around town, in search of one more villager. Finally, he finds one: a little boy named Jojo. When this boy yelps, he makes the noise loud enough for the animals in the forest to hear, and finally their voices are heard, the animals in the forest accept them for who they are, despite their shock that such a small creature could even exist, on a piece of dust no less!
All three authors are telling the reader the same thing: Stand up for what you beleive in, because without a person that's willing to speak their mind toward a person who's doing the wrong thing, their voice will never be heard.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Stereotypes
All womenAre skinny And weak
And have long hair
And pretty
And have children
All men
Are muscular
And strong
and handsome
And have short hair
And have children
Women do chores
And men go to work
Women like men
Men like women
All one society
A "perfect" society.
1per·fect, adj \ˈpər-fikt\
This is not perfect.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Social Awareness Journal - Day 5
Day 5
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Abortion: Pro-life, or Pro-Choice?
"Abortion: the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus"
"There are two many answers to the question of abortion access. They can be grouped into two basic positions:
Those promoting a pro-life or anti-abortion position say that the government should override a woman's decision to have an abortion in some, many, or all cases, and require her to continue her pregnancy to childbirth.
Most pro-lifers base their stance on the belief that human life, in the form of an ovum and spermatozoon, becomes a human person during the process of conception. Thus, a human pre-embryo, embryo and fetus are all persons entitled to fundamental human rights, including the most basic right: to be allowed to live. The lives of two humans are being considered here: that of the woman and her the life of the pre-embryo, embryo, or fetus.
Those promoting a pro-life or anti-abortion position say that the government should override a woman's decision to have an abortion in some, many, or all cases, and require her to continue her pregnancy to childbirth.
Most pro-lifers base their stance on the belief that human life, in the form of an ovum and spermatozoon, becomes a human person during the process of conception. Thus, a human pre-embryo, embryo and fetus are all persons entitled to fundamental human rights, including the most basic right: to be allowed to live. The lives of two humans are being considered here: that of the woman and her the life of the pre-embryo, embryo, or fetus.
Those promoting a pro-choice position say that the government should not interfere with the woman's decision, or should do so only under very rare circumstances. She should be able to have an abortion in many, most or all cases.
Most pro-choicers base their stance on the belief that human life becomes a human person at some time after conception -- perhaps when the embryo's heart starts beating, or when the fetus first looks human, or it becomes sentient, or it has half emerged from its mother's body, or is born, or is severed from its mother and is functioning independently. They feel that a woman should not be forced to go through a pregnancy and childbirth if she does not choose to do so. She should be allowed to have an abortion if it is done before her embryo or fetus attains personhood."
Abortion has become a major way for people of different opinions to clash. As you read in the article above (cited below), there are two different point of views on abortion. I, myself, am a pro-choicer, because I beleive that a woman has the right to do what she wants to do with her own body. But, at the same time, pro-lifers beleive that a baby, even as a fetus, is still living and deserves a chance at life. Pro-lifers think that no woman should have an abortion.
www.m-w.com
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abofund.htm
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Abortion: Pro-life, or Pro-Choice?
"Abortion: the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus""There are two many answers to the question of abortion access. They can be grouped into two basic positions:
Those promoting a pro-life or anti-abortion position say that the government should override a woman's decision to have an abortion in some, many, or all cases, and require her to continue her pregnancy to childbirth.
Most pro-lifers base their stance on the belief that human life, in the form of an ovum and spermatozoon, becomes a human person during the process of conception. Thus, a human pre-embryo, embryo and fetus are all persons entitled to fundamental human rights, including the most basic right: to be allowed to live. The lives of two humans are being considered here: that of the woman and her the life of the pre-embryo, embryo, or fetus.
Those promoting a pro-life or anti-abortion position say that the government should override a woman's decision to have an abortion in some, many, or all cases, and require her to continue her pregnancy to childbirth.
Most pro-lifers base their stance on the belief that human life, in the form of an ovum and spermatozoon, becomes a human person during the process of conception. Thus, a human pre-embryo, embryo and fetus are all persons entitled to fundamental human rights, including the most basic right: to be allowed to live. The lives of two humans are being considered here: that of the woman and her the life of the pre-embryo, embryo, or fetus.
Those promoting a pro-choice position say that the government should not interfere with the woman's decision, or should do so only under very rare circumstances. She should be able to have an abortion in many, most or all cases.
Most pro-choicers base their stance on the belief that human life becomes a human person at some time after conception -- perhaps when the embryo's heart starts beating, or when the fetus first looks human, or it becomes sentient, or it has half emerged from its mother's body, or is born, or is severed from its mother and is functioning independently. They feel that a woman should not be forced to go through a pregnancy and childbirth if she does not choose to do so. She should be allowed to have an abortion if it is done before her embryo or fetus attains personhood."
Abortion has become a major way for people of different opinions to clash. As you read in the article above (cited below), there are two different point of views on abortion. I, myself, am a pro-choicer, because I beleive that a woman has the right to do what she wants to do with her own body. But, at the same time, pro-lifers beleive that a baby, even as a fetus, is still living and deserves a chance at life. Pro-lifers think that no woman should have an abortion.
www.m-w.com
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abofund.htm
Social Awareness Journal - Days 3 and 4
Day 3Sunday, October 24th, 2010
Poverty, And Its Effects On People Worldwide
What is poverty, anyway? Poverty is "the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions". While many people around the world can afford everyday expenses such as food or clothing, 97 million of the 471 million people living in Eastern Europe and Central Asia live on less than 2 dollars a day. Also of those 471 million, 24 million live on less than 1 dollar a day. Nearly 50 percent of sub-Saharan Africans live on less than $1 a day, and the number of people in South Asia who live on less than 1 dollar a day reaches almost half a billion. In South Asia, 240 million people don't have access to safe water, and half a billion don't have proper sanitation.
The poverty rates don't even end there. There are tons of families, children, and adults living in poverty in the United States. In fact, 37 million Americans are living in poverty, and nearly 35% of the poorer population in the US is children. The ratio of children who live in poverty in the US, is 1 to 6.
The fact that there are so many people who live in poverty around the world is so depressing. Here I am, typing this on a computer, in my own room, in my own house, with my own family, who makes an average amount of money each year. We're certainly not in poverty, but we're not rich, either. And the funny thing is that I never really remember thanking anybody for what I have. I know that on my birthdays, when people give me gifts, I say thank you. I say thank you when I get presents on the winter holidays. But have I ever thanked anyone for what me or my family has? Or what we don't have?
Day 4
Monday, October 25th, 2010
Sexism...
sex·ism - noun \ˈsek-ˌsi-zəm\: prejudice or discrimination based on sex; especially: discrimination against women
2: behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex
Sexism exists. As you read above, sexism is the belief or attitude that one gender is inferior to, or less valuable than the other.
Sexist statements include things like, "women can not play sports such as football or 'fight'" or "men can not go to salons or get their nails done". These statements discriminate against certain genders; male, or female. "But what's wrong with sexism?" someone might ask. To be short, sexism is just another form of any other kind of discrimination, no worse than racism or other types.
Sexism exists. As you read above, sexism is the belief or attitude that one gender is inferior to, or less valuable than the other.
Sexist statements include things like, "women can not play sports such as football or 'fight'" or "men can not go to salons or get their nails done". These statements discriminate against certain genders; male, or female. "But what's wrong with sexism?" someone might ask. To be short, sexism is just another form of any other kind of discrimination, no worse than racism or other types.
Just like what I said on my point of views of gay suicides and the people who bully people who are gay, I just don't understand it. And I don't understand this. Why would someone feel that they're more superior to someone else just because of their gender? I appreciate women who stand up against sexism toward women (although there is sexism against men, as well). I especially love feminist artists, and how they express their ideas about sexism and feminism in their artwork. It says a lot about how some people in our society today think about sexism.
I'd like to give a shout out to Kiki Smith, my favorite feminist artist, as of...yesterday. ;)
Cite: wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
http://www.npc.umich.edu/poverty/
globalissues.org
http://www.nccp.org/topics/childpoverty.html
thinkquest.org
savethechildren.org
Social Awareness Journal - Days 1 and 2
Day 1Friday, October 22nd, 2010
Gay Suicides - The Pressure that Society Puts on People Who are Gay
Recently, whether you read it in a newspaper or heard it on the news, you've probably heard about Tyler Clementi's suicide. Tyler Clementi was an 18-year-old gay freshman at Rutger's University, who committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge on September 22nd. Clementi committed suicide after some of his classmates posted footage of him having a sexual encounter with another man. People were shocked, and still are, by his suicide. What some people aren't aware of though, is that Clementi's suicide is just one of many that have been committed over past few months. On September 9th, 15-year-old Billy Lucas hanged himself "[after] what classmates reportedly called a constant stream of invective against him at school."
Then, just a little less than 2 weeks later, 13-year-old Asher Brown shot himself after he told people that he was gay. And, around a month ago, another 13-year-old named Seth Walsh hanged himself, after being "apparently unable to bear a relentless barrage of taunting, bullying and other abuse at the hands of his peers."
My reaction to this? What has the human race become? Who are we to make fun of, and put down, other people because of their sexual orientation? What's the motivation? Or satisfaction? Why do people think that it's okay to push people's emotional limits, so much, and so far, that they commit suicide? That they take their own life, because they're not "socially acceptable"? Think about that.
Day 2Saturday, October 23rd, 2010
Injustice: What it Means To Be Small, Be Susceptible, Be an Animal
Have you ever seen commercials on television about how many animals are abused each year? What about the ones that tell you how many animals are put in shelters, how many are used for fur, or how many are used for testing make up products or drugs ? In case you haven't, or you've forgotten the number, I'll tell you. Millions of animals are abused each year. Approximately 6-8 million dogs and cats in the United States are put in animal shelters, and of those 6-8 million, approximately 3-4 million are euthanized. In 2006, more than 350,000 baby seals were killed for fur, including more than 30 million mink, foxes, chinchillas, and other animals that are killed on fur farms each year, by electrocution and poisoning, as well as approximately 2 million dogs and cats worth of fur that's exported from places worldwide, and mostly labeled as fake here in the United States, also unaware that some of these 2 million are skinned alive.
In animal testing, approximately 25 million vertebrate animals are tested in the United States every year. If you include invertebrate, the number goes up to 100 million.
The thing that disturbs me the most about how many animals are abused or put in shelters every year, just in the United States, is that so few people actually know about it. Yes, we all know that animals are abused and put in shelters, and that some are killed for fur or testing, but people never really tend to look at the number. I can compare it to an ordinary person: they find a fatty snack that they really like, but never bother to look at the nutrition facts, and eat it almost every day. Over time, they get more and more obese, but they never notice. Then, one day, bam! They look at the scale, and their whole situation just blows up in their face. It's the same this. People never really look between the lines so see the facts that they're missing, and then, all of a sudden, they realize what's wrong, just when it's too late. What's going to happen when the animals that humans hunt become extinct? Or shelters are overridden with animals? Or, no animals are even left?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Happily Ever After
I'm pretty sure that we have all heard a story that begins with "Once upon a time." Usually it contains a story about kings and queens, knights and dragons, and a damsel in distress. The Tale of Despereaux is one of those books. Although it does not begin with "Once upon a time" and doesn't contain dragons, but a dungeon, it makes me think deeply about what Kate DiCamillo is trying to really say. It also makes me think about the message that she is trying to send to the reader and the depth of the story. Like in real life, is there really such a thing as happily ever after?
Despereaux's life reflects so much upon what a human's is like. Sometimes he is in doubt, and along the way he deve
lops bravery, and the courage to stand up for the Princess Pea. Unlike any other mouse, he is brave enough to face the "real world"- one that is complete darkness, and only lit by Despereaux's love for Pea. But unlike the other mice who cower in fear, he wants to be that knight in shining armor, honoring and protecting the princess.
I guess Despereaux's actions really reflect on his feelings, and what he thinks is right or wrong. Most of all, he stands up for what he loves. Maybe we can learn from Despereaux: It's not a sin to stand out from the crowd in which you thought you once belonged- maybe it's time to move on. Maybe you were always different, like Despereaux, and you were always being pressured about being a certain way. This, in fact, happens all the time, non-stop in today's society. Being pressured about how you look or how you act are things that are considered "important," or at least seem to be. Are they, really?
This brings me also to think about Chiaroscuro, too. As a character, he is so much like Despereaux, but at the same time so different. He is the only rat in this book who likes the light, he thinks that it's beautiful.
Roscuro brings me to Miggery Sow. Although it does mention that she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, her story is probably one of the sharpest in the kitchen. Her longing and wanting to be a princess, though, gets her into trouble with Roscuro who persuades her to capture the Princess Pea. In the end of course, everything is fine--she and her father are reunited after he sold her for a cloth, a chicken, and a handful of cigarettes when she was younger. And of course, things with Despereaux, Pea, and Roscuro are sorted out. Like happily ever after.
"Stories are light." This is what Gregory the jailer said to Despereaux. And I myself am pretty sure they are, too.
Despereaux's life reflects so much upon what a human's is like. Sometimes he is in doubt, and along the way he deve
lops bravery, and the courage to stand up for the Princess Pea. Unlike any other mouse, he is brave enough to face the "real world"- one that is complete darkness, and only lit by Despereaux's love for Pea. But unlike the other mice who cower in fear, he wants to be that knight in shining armor, honoring and protecting the princess.I guess Despereaux's actions really reflect on his feelings, and what he thinks is right or wrong. Most of all, he stands up for what he loves. Maybe we can learn from Despereaux: It's not a sin to stand out from the crowd in which you thought you once belonged- maybe it's time to move on. Maybe you were always different, like Despereaux, and you were always being pressured about being a certain way. This, in fact, happens all the time, non-stop in today's society. Being pressured about how you look or how you act are things that are considered "important," or at least seem to be. Are they, really?
This brings me also to think about Chiaroscuro, too. As a character, he is so much like Despereaux, but at the same time so different. He is the only rat in this book who likes the light, he thinks that it's beautiful.
Roscuro brings me to Miggery Sow. Although it does mention that she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, her story is probably one of the sharpest in the kitchen. Her longing and wanting to be a princess, though, gets her into trouble with Roscuro who persuades her to capture the Princess Pea. In the end of course, everything is fine--she and her father are reunited after he sold her for a cloth, a chicken, and a handful of cigarettes when she was younger. And of course, things with Despereaux, Pea, and Roscuro are sorted out. Like happily ever after.
"Stories are light." This is what Gregory the jailer said to Despereaux. And I myself am pretty sure they are, too.
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