Sometimes people get jealous and we turn into some kind of unpleasant beast when we don’t get something we want. It is a fact of life that this happens to everyone, no matter who you are or what you do. William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” and Nick Jonas’s “Jealous” have this similar theme in common. Although they are directed toward different people or ideas, it’s the same concept. In “Lord of the Flies” Jack is constantly thirsty for power and attention. He does anything to take it away from Ralph and have it for himself. In “Jealous”, Jonas talks about his jealousy toward other men interacting with his girlfriend. In both, “Lord of the Flies,” and “Jealous,” we learn that in life, people change their attitude, motives or actions because of jealousy and their fear of not having or being something.
In the beginning of “Lord of the Flies,” Ralph gets chosen to be chief because the group was drawn to “his size, and attractive appearance”. In the book, Jack was described as - “His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness.” Jack might be insecure about his appearance because Ralph is more attractive and, therefore, has a better chance of being admired in the group. It’s true that people tend to listen to people who are attractive to them. In “Jealous,” some of the lyrics “‘Cause you’re too sexy, beautiful, and everybody wants a taste, that’s why, I still get jealous” Jonas is referring to his feelings toward his girlfriend, this may be the complete opposite context to “Lord of the Flies” but they are similar in the cause for their jealousy. Because Ralph is more attractive, more people have the urge to listen to him which makes Jack jealous and a bit insecure about himself. He fears that the group won’t listen to him because of his appearance so instead he uses fear to help himself come to power.
In the middle, Jack’s jealousy grows more and he tries to get the boys under his power through fear. “Slowly the red drained from Jack’s cheeks, then came back with a painful rush. He licked his lips and turned his face at an angle so that his gaze avoided the embarrassment of linking with another's eyes.” This quote comes from when Jack decided to leave the group and is asking if anyone wants to join him. The quote states that the red from his cheeks drained, then came back. This is significant because it shows that he was afraid to voice his opinion to the thought of what the others reaction would be, after all, he’s only human. The “painful rush” came back because he realised that no one wanted to follow him. He was ashamed of himself that he proposed something and no one agreed.
Some people might argue that it was Jack’s fault for being cruel which is why no one wanted to join him. But what the author is trying to say is that maybe the people who are cruel or not nice is because they are misunderstood and want attention. It doesn’t always mean they were bad to begin with. He wasn’t always jealous, which means he wasn’t always a savage. He just feels left out. After being a bit ignored for a while, he starts to become more vicious. In “Jealous,” Nick Jonas felt as though he was getting ignored as well because all the attention was on his girlfriend. “I’m puffing my chest, I’m getting red in the face,” This shows what both Nick Jonas and Jack felt with no attention on them. They both wanted to seem like an alpha male so that people would listen to them so when Ralph is chief, Jack wants to seem more powerful and more like the ‘rightful’, tough leader that the group deserves.
In the end, Jack’s Jealousy gets out of control and he becomes a corrupt savage. Over the course of the story, he has gotten fed up with being misunderstood and the extra leader that he goes crazy and becomes barbaric. His jealousy made him so insane to a point where he is homicidal and wants Ralph dead. He went from an innocent little choir boy, wanting some attention, to a savage boy seeking revenge. Some of the lyrics in Nick Jonas’s “Jealous” - “It’s my right to be hellish, I still get jealous,” This is significant because it uses the word ‘right’. Is it really a right to be hellish? Jack was a bit under appreciated to begin with so maybe being jealous was okay. But turning that jealousy into something monstrous and hellish was a bit overdramatic. Jack wanted more and more. He wanted more attention than what he already had. Jealousy can spiral into something out of control if it is not dealt with.
In “Lord of the Flies” Jacks insecurity turns into jealousy and hatred toward Ralph throughout the book. His inability to capture everyone's attention changed him into a selfish, bloodthirsty beast. In addition, “Jealous,” also describes the narrator or singer (Nick Jonas) turning into something ‘hellish’ because of his jealousy. Both character/singer’s jealousy sprouted from their fear of not having something they desperately desired. It just proves that sometimes humans can go to extremes when they care or want something they can’t have.
Monday, March 21, 2016
The Complex Epitome Of Belonging
Sometimes the people we love the most are not the people we belong with. It is a part of life, questioning where you belong. Do we belong with the people we grew up with? Does our heritage complete who we are, or do our values? This theme is exhibited in both “We Were Liars” by E.Lockhart and “Somebody that I used to know” by Gotye. This specific theme is supported throughout the song and the book, both about individuals who are broken and have made mistakes and must face the consequences. Both pieces teach us that throughout life there will confusion and anxiety of which we will go through until we find the place or people we truly belong with. It is important to know that everyone goes through this because it is a part of growing up, it's not the end of the world. Even the people who are most important to us today may just be somebody we used to know tomorrow.
“Told myself that you were right for me. But felt so lonely in your company.” this is significant because in “We Were Liars” Cadence is going through a big part of her life where she can not make sense of anything. She is the eldest of the grandchildren and she will be the one to endure the family’s old traditions and heritage. Cadence feels a pressure on herself because her views do not comply to her own. “Told myself that you were right for me” this relates to how Cadence knows her destiny is set for her and she needs to continue the family’s ways. “But felt so lonely in your company” this ties to how Cadences views are different to the rest of the family’s. She does not feel their views are right however she still does not want to let them down. Gotye’s lyrics is a more straightforward version of the story.The difference between songs and books are that books tell a complex story where they want the reader to learn whatever is relevant to their lives and whatever they want to take away from a character, whilst songs teach the listener a message that is more clear and straightforward. This is the same between “We Were Liars” and “Somebody that I used to know” they have a similar message, however, the way they deliver this message is different. The effect of the different ways are that with “Somebody that I used to know” it being more straightforward helps people make their own sense of the message and relate it to their own lives whilst in the novel “We Were Liars” it is a message that is related to mainly the character and their story.
The phase of questioning who you belong with leads to different moods. Sometimes when we feel we can not escape these relationships we get addicted to feeling sorry for ourselves.“You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness. Like resignation to the end, always the end” these lyrics from Gotye’s song are significant because they address the issue of the pressure we feel when we want to belong somewhere we do not truly belong. In “We Were Liars” Cadence is feeling the pressure to belong with her family and be happy with them yet she still can not get over the fact that she has different views and beliefs than them. “It's alright for you to moon around the tiny beach, whatever you did this afternoon. It’s alright for you to give away books. But I expect you at Clairmont for supper in an hour with a smile on your face for Grandad. No arguments. No excuses. You understand me?” This conversation Cadence had with her mother is significant because it supports the fact that the pressure of expectations and beliefs of which she does not agree with gets to her and causes her to do things from her own agony. Both Gotye’s song and E.Lockhart's book are a way to help people through the difficult part of life they are facing by relating stories and songs to real life, mainly in young adults.
Some may argue that both E.Lockhart’s novel and Gotye’s song were both themed with heartbreak, love and although this could be argued love and heartbreak are some of the most common themes in songs and books in this century. Almost all pieces who have the basic theme of love or heartbreak have deeper themes hidden within the writing or lyrics. “We Were Liars” and “Somebody that I used to know” are no exception, so although some may argue that the theme is love or heartbreak if they look deeper they will find many deeper themes in both.
In both “We were liars” by E.Lockhart and “Somebody that I used to know” by Gotye the theme of questioning where we belong and who we belong with. This is a basic part of life, especially in young adulthood, however, it is a rough time many people are usually not prepared for. Both explore the effects that the pressure of becoming an adult can agonize a teenager when they are not supported, such as Cadence who is going through a difficult time with no support from family nor friends. The two deliver the theme in different ways with the Gotye’s being more straightforward and E.Lockhart’s pushing you to think deeper and explore the story. These two pieces were almost guides for young people to go through difficult times in life. This universal theme is one not commonly addressed in novels or songs nonetheless, it is as important as many of the themes in other books with many individuals able to relate to it.
“Told myself that you were right for me. But felt so lonely in your company.” this is significant because in “We Were Liars” Cadence is going through a big part of her life where she can not make sense of anything. She is the eldest of the grandchildren and she will be the one to endure the family’s old traditions and heritage. Cadence feels a pressure on herself because her views do not comply to her own. “Told myself that you were right for me” this relates to how Cadence knows her destiny is set for her and she needs to continue the family’s ways. “But felt so lonely in your company” this ties to how Cadences views are different to the rest of the family’s. She does not feel their views are right however she still does not want to let them down. Gotye’s lyrics is a more straightforward version of the story.The difference between songs and books are that books tell a complex story where they want the reader to learn whatever is relevant to their lives and whatever they want to take away from a character, whilst songs teach the listener a message that is more clear and straightforward. This is the same between “We Were Liars” and “Somebody that I used to know” they have a similar message, however, the way they deliver this message is different. The effect of the different ways are that with “Somebody that I used to know” it being more straightforward helps people make their own sense of the message and relate it to their own lives whilst in the novel “We Were Liars” it is a message that is related to mainly the character and their story.
The phase of questioning who you belong with leads to different moods. Sometimes when we feel we can not escape these relationships we get addicted to feeling sorry for ourselves.“You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness. Like resignation to the end, always the end” these lyrics from Gotye’s song are significant because they address the issue of the pressure we feel when we want to belong somewhere we do not truly belong. In “We Were Liars” Cadence is feeling the pressure to belong with her family and be happy with them yet she still can not get over the fact that she has different views and beliefs than them. “It's alright for you to moon around the tiny beach, whatever you did this afternoon. It’s alright for you to give away books. But I expect you at Clairmont for supper in an hour with a smile on your face for Grandad. No arguments. No excuses. You understand me?” This conversation Cadence had with her mother is significant because it supports the fact that the pressure of expectations and beliefs of which she does not agree with gets to her and causes her to do things from her own agony. Both Gotye’s song and E.Lockhart's book are a way to help people through the difficult part of life they are facing by relating stories and songs to real life, mainly in young adults.
Some may argue that both E.Lockhart’s novel and Gotye’s song were both themed with heartbreak, love and although this could be argued love and heartbreak are some of the most common themes in songs and books in this century. Almost all pieces who have the basic theme of love or heartbreak have deeper themes hidden within the writing or lyrics. “We Were Liars” and “Somebody that I used to know” are no exception, so although some may argue that the theme is love or heartbreak if they look deeper they will find many deeper themes in both.
In both “We were liars” by E.Lockhart and “Somebody that I used to know” by Gotye the theme of questioning where we belong and who we belong with. This is a basic part of life, especially in young adulthood, however, it is a rough time many people are usually not prepared for. Both explore the effects that the pressure of becoming an adult can agonize a teenager when they are not supported, such as Cadence who is going through a difficult time with no support from family nor friends. The two deliver the theme in different ways with the Gotye’s being more straightforward and E.Lockhart’s pushing you to think deeper and explore the story. These two pieces were almost guides for young people to go through difficult times in life. This universal theme is one not commonly addressed in novels or songs nonetheless, it is as important as many of the themes in other books with many individuals able to relate to it.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Trust, Scars, and Relationships
Everyone has something they’re not proud of. Everyone feels like their biggest flaws should be kept hidden away, where they can fester and die. In ‘Blue Gold’ by Elizabeth Stewart and ‘Speak’ by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main characters go through some difficult experiences. In ‘Speak’ a teenage girl Melinda gets raped at a summer party and calls the cops on her friends. She cuts off all communication, all her connections in school, for fear of letting her secret out. In ‘Blue Gold’, the three girls Sylvie, Fiona, and Laiping are connected through coltan, a material used to make cell phones. Each of them has a scar, a mark from their lives that they try to keep hidden from their family and friends. The two authors use a variety of different craft moves, to convey to their readers the same message. That when one mistrusts another in a relationship, that relationship becomes strained and difficult to keep, thereby making it harder to get through life together.
A common craft move both authors utilize to its full potential is character development. This development is shown through physical or emotional symbols in the character’s past, which helps the reader understand the character’s actions. This becomes especially impactful for the audience’s understanding of how vital trust is in a relationship. Sylvie, from ‘Blue Gold’ and Melinda, from ‘Speak’ both have similar scars from a similar experience and go through the same aftermath of rape. The difference here is, Stewart describes Sylvie with a “long scar on her face - from above her right eyebrow, across the bridge of her nose to her left cheek.” This scar is out in the open, where everyone can see, where “there was no way to hide it.” Because of her scar, Sylvie tries to become invisible to her community, thus making her past invisible too. Anderson uses a different kind of scar in Melinda’s story. Instead of making her scar obvious, Anderson depicts Melinda with “thoughts, whispers in my mind,” as well as Melinda’s habit of biting her lip off. Throughout the book, Melinda becomes more silent and more hidden.These scars, these symbols are significant because despite how different their scars and surroundings are, both girls are affected in the same way. Some may argue that their scars are insignificant, and only a part of their past, but through the use of physical and emotional symbols, Stewart and Anderson make the characters more understandable and relatable, thus creating a strong connection between reader and character.
It is clear that both books are powerful and grip the reader’s attention, but while ‘Blue Gold’ uses a raw, journalistic tone, ‘Speak’ uses a descriptive, fragmented style of writing to convey the same message. In the scenes that most impact the reader, Stewart uses dialogue and some inner thinking to illustrate the character’s motivations. As an example, in the end of Laiping’s story, when she loses Kai, the reader has to infer from the text what she’s feeling, and how fast the story is moving. In lines like “Laiping dug her fingernails into her palms, willing [the bus] to go faster,” Stewart uses the phrase ‘dug her fingernails into her palms’ to illustrate Laiping’s anxiety towards getting her freedom, or in this scene, reaching Kai. “Kai turned his face, bloodied and cowed to the window. He saw her, too, and his eyes filled with hatred.” At this point in the scene, the readers are just as confused as Laiping is, and words like ‘hatred’ and ‘bloodied’ ramp up the intensity. When Laiping realizes “He blames me for this! He thinks I gave him away!” she, and the audience are held in a moment of clarity. All at once, Laiping realizes where she went wrong. The main point here is Stewart didn’t use more vivid sentences to paint the picture. She wrote the story as it was, and let the reader connect and empathize with Laiping to finally understand the real story.
In ‘Speak’, Anderson uses a vastly different style to convey the same message, as mentioned before. As in one scene, Anderson draws the reader into Melinda’s shoes by writing about something her teenage audience can relate to easily. “Homework is not an option. My bed is sending out serious nap rays. I can't help myself. The fluffy pillows and warm comforter are more powerful than I am. I have no choice but to snuggle under the covers.” Not only does Anderson makes Melinda relatable, but she also changes the way the reader might think about an aspect of life, in this case, a bed. Anderson puts what some teenagers feel into the right words, and this helps the audience follow Melinda’s thinking, even though they may not have gone through the same experiences.
A more vivid and critical example of this is in Melinda’s everyday thoughts. A particularly powerful one would be “When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You'd be shocked at how many adults are really dead inside - walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It's the saddest thing I know.” By using a first person narrative here, Anderson further pulls the reader in by using the word ‘you’. It feels like Melinda is talking to the reader, instead of the reader reading Melinda’s thoughts. Throughout the story, Anderson keeps the audience nodding their heads at the text. She grips the subconscious part of their minds and brings what seems like unknown thoughts to their attention. Some argue that Anderson’s style of writing makes the story depressing or alienates the main character, but what they may not realize is how much it affects the real audience, the people who have gone through a scarring experience just like Melinda. While Anderson’s use of craft is different from that of Stewart’s, both authors have the same goal - to help the reader understand the true meaning of the story.
As both books progress, the message of the story becomes more and more apparent to the reader. Fiona and Melinda are both living in the same world, with a similar kind of community. Both of them have been impacted by that one party, which changes everything for them. They each deal with the aftermath in different ways, but eventually pull through. After Melinda gets raped at the party, all of her friends shun her, and she never tried to get them back. Slowly, near the end of the book, Anderson hints at how Melinda might be able to pull through, using the bathroom wall as a step towards Melinda’s return to society. Another factor of Melinda’s life that Anderson points out is her friendship with David Petrakis. Some believe Petrakis is there as a proof for Melinda that not everyone in her school is terrible. While this may be true, it is also seen that really all Melinda needed was for one person to understand her, for her to recognize another person knows her silence. “He says a million things without saying a word. I make a note to study David Petrakis. I have never heard a more eloquent silence.” Anderson uses the word eloquent in this sentence to illustrate how Melinda feels like he has every good quality that she doesn’t have, but could. Taken as a whole, Anderson uses Petrakis to give Melinda something to work for, something that in the end, may drive her to speak the truth. Fiona, on the other hand, has her secret known by everyone in her school and community, which should have made it harder for her. But one thing Stewart hints at is her ever powerful friendship with Lacey and Rick. Even though many of her friends desert her, she eventually realizes that it’s her who can fight back. And on the first day of school, when her friends stay with her and protect her, it’s only then that Fiona realizes how important they always were. It is also in the end that she realizes she should have trusted Ryan more, instead of firmly believing only what she thought was right.
All the main characters in these two books go through a powerful, life-changing experience, and while they lose hope at first, they work around the problem and find a way through. Sylvie, Laiping, Fiona, and Melinda are all examples of how a person can live with a scar, no matter how bad it is. Each of them deals with their losses in a different way, but a key role in their lives that helps them through is trust. Trusting their peers, trusting their family, it helps them create a new skin to pull on and walk around in. But their stories also warn the audience of the people not to trust and not to forgive so easily. The main message a reader can take away from both books is even when you feel left out, pushed away, or hidden by society, trusting your instincts, the people closest to you, and remaining open to other people are the key ways to getting back on your feet. Now the question to ask yourself as a reader is, is society really the place that puts the worst into a person’s life, or is it how that person reacts to an obstacle in their way?
A common craft move both authors utilize to its full potential is character development. This development is shown through physical or emotional symbols in the character’s past, which helps the reader understand the character’s actions. This becomes especially impactful for the audience’s understanding of how vital trust is in a relationship. Sylvie, from ‘Blue Gold’ and Melinda, from ‘Speak’ both have similar scars from a similar experience and go through the same aftermath of rape. The difference here is, Stewart describes Sylvie with a “long scar on her face - from above her right eyebrow, across the bridge of her nose to her left cheek.” This scar is out in the open, where everyone can see, where “there was no way to hide it.” Because of her scar, Sylvie tries to become invisible to her community, thus making her past invisible too. Anderson uses a different kind of scar in Melinda’s story. Instead of making her scar obvious, Anderson depicts Melinda with “thoughts, whispers in my mind,” as well as Melinda’s habit of biting her lip off. Throughout the book, Melinda becomes more silent and more hidden.These scars, these symbols are significant because despite how different their scars and surroundings are, both girls are affected in the same way. Some may argue that their scars are insignificant, and only a part of their past, but through the use of physical and emotional symbols, Stewart and Anderson make the characters more understandable and relatable, thus creating a strong connection between reader and character.
It is clear that both books are powerful and grip the reader’s attention, but while ‘Blue Gold’ uses a raw, journalistic tone, ‘Speak’ uses a descriptive, fragmented style of writing to convey the same message. In the scenes that most impact the reader, Stewart uses dialogue and some inner thinking to illustrate the character’s motivations. As an example, in the end of Laiping’s story, when she loses Kai, the reader has to infer from the text what she’s feeling, and how fast the story is moving. In lines like “Laiping dug her fingernails into her palms, willing [the bus] to go faster,” Stewart uses the phrase ‘dug her fingernails into her palms’ to illustrate Laiping’s anxiety towards getting her freedom, or in this scene, reaching Kai. “Kai turned his face, bloodied and cowed to the window. He saw her, too, and his eyes filled with hatred.” At this point in the scene, the readers are just as confused as Laiping is, and words like ‘hatred’ and ‘bloodied’ ramp up the intensity. When Laiping realizes “He blames me for this! He thinks I gave him away!” she, and the audience are held in a moment of clarity. All at once, Laiping realizes where she went wrong. The main point here is Stewart didn’t use more vivid sentences to paint the picture. She wrote the story as it was, and let the reader connect and empathize with Laiping to finally understand the real story.
In ‘Speak’, Anderson uses a vastly different style to convey the same message, as mentioned before. As in one scene, Anderson draws the reader into Melinda’s shoes by writing about something her teenage audience can relate to easily. “Homework is not an option. My bed is sending out serious nap rays. I can't help myself. The fluffy pillows and warm comforter are more powerful than I am. I have no choice but to snuggle under the covers.” Not only does Anderson makes Melinda relatable, but she also changes the way the reader might think about an aspect of life, in this case, a bed. Anderson puts what some teenagers feel into the right words, and this helps the audience follow Melinda’s thinking, even though they may not have gone through the same experiences.
A more vivid and critical example of this is in Melinda’s everyday thoughts. A particularly powerful one would be “When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You'd be shocked at how many adults are really dead inside - walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It's the saddest thing I know.” By using a first person narrative here, Anderson further pulls the reader in by using the word ‘you’. It feels like Melinda is talking to the reader, instead of the reader reading Melinda’s thoughts. Throughout the story, Anderson keeps the audience nodding their heads at the text. She grips the subconscious part of their minds and brings what seems like unknown thoughts to their attention. Some argue that Anderson’s style of writing makes the story depressing or alienates the main character, but what they may not realize is how much it affects the real audience, the people who have gone through a scarring experience just like Melinda. While Anderson’s use of craft is different from that of Stewart’s, both authors have the same goal - to help the reader understand the true meaning of the story.
As both books progress, the message of the story becomes more and more apparent to the reader. Fiona and Melinda are both living in the same world, with a similar kind of community. Both of them have been impacted by that one party, which changes everything for them. They each deal with the aftermath in different ways, but eventually pull through. After Melinda gets raped at the party, all of her friends shun her, and she never tried to get them back. Slowly, near the end of the book, Anderson hints at how Melinda might be able to pull through, using the bathroom wall as a step towards Melinda’s return to society. Another factor of Melinda’s life that Anderson points out is her friendship with David Petrakis. Some believe Petrakis is there as a proof for Melinda that not everyone in her school is terrible. While this may be true, it is also seen that really all Melinda needed was for one person to understand her, for her to recognize another person knows her silence. “He says a million things without saying a word. I make a note to study David Petrakis. I have never heard a more eloquent silence.” Anderson uses the word eloquent in this sentence to illustrate how Melinda feels like he has every good quality that she doesn’t have, but could. Taken as a whole, Anderson uses Petrakis to give Melinda something to work for, something that in the end, may drive her to speak the truth. Fiona, on the other hand, has her secret known by everyone in her school and community, which should have made it harder for her. But one thing Stewart hints at is her ever powerful friendship with Lacey and Rick. Even though many of her friends desert her, she eventually realizes that it’s her who can fight back. And on the first day of school, when her friends stay with her and protect her, it’s only then that Fiona realizes how important they always were. It is also in the end that she realizes she should have trusted Ryan more, instead of firmly believing only what she thought was right.
All the main characters in these two books go through a powerful, life-changing experience, and while they lose hope at first, they work around the problem and find a way through. Sylvie, Laiping, Fiona, and Melinda are all examples of how a person can live with a scar, no matter how bad it is. Each of them deals with their losses in a different way, but a key role in their lives that helps them through is trust. Trusting their peers, trusting their family, it helps them create a new skin to pull on and walk around in. But their stories also warn the audience of the people not to trust and not to forgive so easily. The main message a reader can take away from both books is even when you feel left out, pushed away, or hidden by society, trusting your instincts, the people closest to you, and remaining open to other people are the key ways to getting back on your feet. Now the question to ask yourself as a reader is, is society really the place that puts the worst into a person’s life, or is it how that person reacts to an obstacle in their way?
Hope for the Best, Expect for the Worse
All around the world, sometimes hope may be the only encouragement and comfort to a teen during stressful times. Teenagers often keep their worries and problems to themselves, concealing them from others. When feeling disconsolate and isolated, the only idea that lifts their spirits is the hope that in time, they will heal. In the book, ‘Blue Gold,’ by Elizabeth Stewart, three teenage girls live completely different lives, in three different continents, but all encounter an issue with hope, and strive towards their goal. In the poem, ‘To Hope,’ by John Keats, the speaker talks about in a time of bad fate, feeling lonely and with no one to comfort him, hope helps him cope through this time of loss. In both ‘Blue Gold,’ and ‘To Hope,’ we learn that in harsh times, hope shelters you from despondency and motivates you to endeavour forward.
A common theme in both texts is that hope can lift your confidence. In the book ‘Blue Gold’, when Sylvie’s family is at risk living in the unsafe refugee camp, the only hope that inspires her is that “Someday they will be gone from there. Someday they will be free in Canada.” Sylvie is sensitive and nervous to share her story with millions of people globally, since she thought “Now people everywhere could see the ugliness of [my] scar.” Even though Sylvie is scared and ashamed of sharing her story, Sylvie’s hope that someday she and her family will live in Canada motivates her to become confident, and tell the world about her life, in hope she will raise enough money to travel to Canada. Similarly, in the poem ‘To Hope,’ the speaker describes of his fears, “Let me not see the patriot’s high bequest.” The speaker is in deep despair and fears of the loss of freedom in his country. However, the speaker is given hope that the liberty of his country will not fade and the hope motivates him to believe that he can save liberty and, “stoop from heaven on wings.” Hope triggers the speaker to believe that he has the confidence to fight for his freedom giving the idea that he can ‘fly from heaven.’ In both the texts ‘Blue Gold’ and ‘To Hope,’ the characters both felt fretful, Sylvie was scared of sharing her story and the speaker was scared of losing his freedom. But hope brought the characters to have courage and determination, Sylvie had the courage to expose her scar and the speaker had the courage to fight for liberty. This makes me think that both texts shows that when you feel worried and concerned, hope boosts confidence and assurance.
In both texts the writers use symbolism to show hope. In ‘Blue Gold’, the “white blouse and blue skirt of [Sylvie’s] school uniform” symbolises the hope that education brings, the hope that one day Sylvie will become a doctor. In the book, Sylvie describes putting on her school uniform, “as she did every weekday,” and shares the reason why “She had always been a good student and eager to learn,” is because she believes that education is her only hope in making something of herself and achieving her “dream of becoming a doctor.” The first step for achieving Sylvie’s dream is to put on her white and blue school uniform every weekday and become ambitious to new learning. Stewart uses symbolism to show the characters motivation and supports the theme. Likewise, in the poem, Keats uses the symbolism of sonnets to show hope in love, the hope that the speaker will achieve love after heartbreak. The speaker describes after being brokenhearted “From cruel parents, or relentless fair” the only hope left in winning his admirer’s love would be “To sigh out sonnets to the midnight air!” Similarly to Stewart, Keats uses the symbolism of the speaker’s poems to show that the sonnet is the speaker’s only hope and the character’s motivation of love.
Another character in the book Blue Gold, Laiping, supports the theme that hope helps you to withstand arduous times. Even though “Laiping’s first month's wages had still not been paid,” she desperately needed her salary to pay for her father’s hospital fee, after having surgery from another heart attack. She continued to endure the harsh working conditions, “Her headache was worse and her shoulders were so stiff that she could no longer feel them,” in hope that the harder she works the company will pay her money back. Laiping’s hope that the company will give her money back motivates her to cope with the severe factory conditions. Furthermore, in the poem ‘To Hope’, the speaker talks about being in time of loss and mourning for “The fate of those I hold most dear.” Yet even though the speaker feels melancholy and dismal, hope lifts his spirits: “Let me awhile thy sweetest comforts borrow.” As described, hope comforts the speaker in times of sorrow. In both texts, ‘Blue Gold’ and ‘To Hope’, hope helped both character to endure tough times. This shows that in bitter circumstances hope allows you to undergo these times.
Even though both texts show the same message that hope motivates you to withstand arduous times, this theme occurs differently in the two texts. In Blue Gold, the character Laiping is motivated to endure the harsh factory working conditions. She feels in despair that she cannot work in the factory much longer due to the side effects of the factory work. The hope that she will make enough money to support her parents drives her to continue to work in the factory despite the conditions. However in ‘To Hope,’ the speaker is not going through a time of physical hardship with the lives of others motivating him, but is in a time of mental hardship. After losing a loved one, the speaker is in a state of deep sorrow and depression. The hope that in time he will heal lifts the speakers spirits and helps him in a time of discouragement. As opposed to motivating the character with the hope that others will benefit, in ‘To Hope’ the character is comforted by the hope that life will get better for himself. The difference in the two texts show that hope can help you withstand times of mental difficulty or physical difficulty.
Both writers weaved symbols in their writing to connect to a theme that empowers throughout both texts, hope. Connecting to real life situations in both of the texts, the writers prove throughout the texts the moral of the story. While some may argue that hope is just fake optimism, however Stewart and Keats both show that hope raises your confidence and motivates you through thick and thin. Providing with symbolism and characters motivation, Stewart and Keats help show us and guide us with to message that when we are feeling like the weight of the world is resting on our shoulders, we have to not give up and a little hope can go a long way. We need to keep on trying as we will never know what we can achieve.
A common theme in both texts is that hope can lift your confidence. In the book ‘Blue Gold’, when Sylvie’s family is at risk living in the unsafe refugee camp, the only hope that inspires her is that “Someday they will be gone from there. Someday they will be free in Canada.” Sylvie is sensitive and nervous to share her story with millions of people globally, since she thought “Now people everywhere could see the ugliness of [my] scar.” Even though Sylvie is scared and ashamed of sharing her story, Sylvie’s hope that someday she and her family will live in Canada motivates her to become confident, and tell the world about her life, in hope she will raise enough money to travel to Canada. Similarly, in the poem ‘To Hope,’ the speaker describes of his fears, “Let me not see the patriot’s high bequest.” The speaker is in deep despair and fears of the loss of freedom in his country. However, the speaker is given hope that the liberty of his country will not fade and the hope motivates him to believe that he can save liberty and, “stoop from heaven on wings.” Hope triggers the speaker to believe that he has the confidence to fight for his freedom giving the idea that he can ‘fly from heaven.’ In both the texts ‘Blue Gold’ and ‘To Hope,’ the characters both felt fretful, Sylvie was scared of sharing her story and the speaker was scared of losing his freedom. But hope brought the characters to have courage and determination, Sylvie had the courage to expose her scar and the speaker had the courage to fight for liberty. This makes me think that both texts shows that when you feel worried and concerned, hope boosts confidence and assurance.
In both texts the writers use symbolism to show hope. In ‘Blue Gold’, the “white blouse and blue skirt of [Sylvie’s] school uniform” symbolises the hope that education brings, the hope that one day Sylvie will become a doctor. In the book, Sylvie describes putting on her school uniform, “as she did every weekday,” and shares the reason why “She had always been a good student and eager to learn,” is because she believes that education is her only hope in making something of herself and achieving her “dream of becoming a doctor.” The first step for achieving Sylvie’s dream is to put on her white and blue school uniform every weekday and become ambitious to new learning. Stewart uses symbolism to show the characters motivation and supports the theme. Likewise, in the poem, Keats uses the symbolism of sonnets to show hope in love, the hope that the speaker will achieve love after heartbreak. The speaker describes after being brokenhearted “From cruel parents, or relentless fair” the only hope left in winning his admirer’s love would be “To sigh out sonnets to the midnight air!” Similarly to Stewart, Keats uses the symbolism of the speaker’s poems to show that the sonnet is the speaker’s only hope and the character’s motivation of love.
Another character in the book Blue Gold, Laiping, supports the theme that hope helps you to withstand arduous times. Even though “Laiping’s first month's wages had still not been paid,” she desperately needed her salary to pay for her father’s hospital fee, after having surgery from another heart attack. She continued to endure the harsh working conditions, “Her headache was worse and her shoulders were so stiff that she could no longer feel them,” in hope that the harder she works the company will pay her money back. Laiping’s hope that the company will give her money back motivates her to cope with the severe factory conditions. Furthermore, in the poem ‘To Hope’, the speaker talks about being in time of loss and mourning for “The fate of those I hold most dear.” Yet even though the speaker feels melancholy and dismal, hope lifts his spirits: “Let me awhile thy sweetest comforts borrow.” As described, hope comforts the speaker in times of sorrow. In both texts, ‘Blue Gold’ and ‘To Hope’, hope helped both character to endure tough times. This shows that in bitter circumstances hope allows you to undergo these times.
Even though both texts show the same message that hope motivates you to withstand arduous times, this theme occurs differently in the two texts. In Blue Gold, the character Laiping is motivated to endure the harsh factory working conditions. She feels in despair that she cannot work in the factory much longer due to the side effects of the factory work. The hope that she will make enough money to support her parents drives her to continue to work in the factory despite the conditions. However in ‘To Hope,’ the speaker is not going through a time of physical hardship with the lives of others motivating him, but is in a time of mental hardship. After losing a loved one, the speaker is in a state of deep sorrow and depression. The hope that in time he will heal lifts the speakers spirits and helps him in a time of discouragement. As opposed to motivating the character with the hope that others will benefit, in ‘To Hope’ the character is comforted by the hope that life will get better for himself. The difference in the two texts show that hope can help you withstand times of mental difficulty or physical difficulty.
Both writers weaved symbols in their writing to connect to a theme that empowers throughout both texts, hope. Connecting to real life situations in both of the texts, the writers prove throughout the texts the moral of the story. While some may argue that hope is just fake optimism, however Stewart and Keats both show that hope raises your confidence and motivates you through thick and thin. Providing with symbolism and characters motivation, Stewart and Keats help show us and guide us with to message that when we are feeling like the weight of the world is resting on our shoulders, we have to not give up and a little hope can go a long way. We need to keep on trying as we will never know what we can achieve.
Jealousy: Books and Real Life
In a perfect world, people would all get along in harmony. Everyone would be happy with what they have, and everyone all gets along. But in this world that we live in, some people are jealous of what other people have. Everyone is jealous of someone else. That boy living in the better house. That co-worker who makes more money than you. That leader which everyone listens to, but not you. Jealously resides in everyone. In “Lord of the Flies”, a group of boys are stuck on an island, but a boy named Jack is jealous that he doesn’t have the power he was always used to getting. Similarly, in “All Summer in a Day”, the group of children are jealous that they haven’t seen the sun, yet a child called Margot has. In both “Lord of the Flies” and “All Summer in a Day”, they show the contrast of jealously, and its varying results.
In both stories, the children and Jack start to become jealous. Even both of these books explore this idea of jealousy, the way they are portrayed and how it escalated to the state that it is are different.
In “Lord of the Flies”, when the boys are on the island, a chief was to be picked between Jack and Ralph. Other than Jack’s choirboys, the unanimous vote for Ralph as leader was the start of the problem. When deciding on who should be the chief, Jack immediately says with “simple arrogance, ‘because [he was the] chapter chorister and head boy.” (Golding, 22) Since Jack was what seems like to be born into a leadership role, he doesn’t seem to understand the importance of a chief during survival situations. All of Jack’s leadership roles before were merely for the point of having a leader. Ralph is a sympathetic ruler who understands the group of boys, and has the compassionate personality to help the boys when they are in need, while Jack, on the other hand, is the opposite.
In “All Summer in a Day”, the jealously from the other children started when Margot, as she often does, talks about the sun. Margot was the only child that remembered what the sun looked like, as she only came to Venus five years ago from Earth. The other children are jealous of the luxury Margot had to see the sun, and often mistreat her because of this. Margot is staring at the rain behind the window when she was shoved by William. But “she did not move; rather she let herself be moved only by him.” (Bradbury, 2). This shows that this has happened to Margot before and she has accepted the abuse that the kids give her. This could all stop if Margot stopped talking about the sun, but she believes so strongly in the sun that she was willing to take the abuse, just so she could prove them wrong about the sun and its feeling. But how jealously came to Margot was different from Jack’s, as Margot’s was self-inflicted, as she constantly talked about the sun, which probably led to the gradual build up of jealousy from the other children.
As both texts progress, the after effects of the jealousy is shown. In “Lord of the Flies”, Jack starts to manipulate the boys to join him out of jealousy. He uses tactics such as fear, violence, fun and threats to make the boys on the island follow him. Almost immediately after Ralph sets a task for the boys, Jack immediately goes off with his choirboys to go and hunt. After Jack comes back from hunting, he exclaims that “[he’s] killed a pig - [and he] stole up on them - [and they] got in a circle” (Golding, 69). This shows how jealousy has lead to a rebellious attitude from Jack, and decides to go against the grain. His jealousy eventually leads to the overthrow of Ralph, and he takes over the mountain top. The tribe that he has created now from the fear of the beast that the boys had. As it escalates even more, it leads to the death of Simon and Piggy.
While on the other hand, in “All Summer in a Day”, the jealousy of the children lead to the torturous scene of them pushing Margot into the closet. The children “surged about her, caught her and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying.” (Bradbury, 3) The jealousy of the children led to the imprisonment of Margot, where she is trapped and unable to see the sun. Even though Margot is trapped and it seems like it is the children who do it, the book sway to the fact that Margot is the reason why this happens. As stated earlier, this self inflicted jealousy from the children is because of Margot, as she always talks about the sun. This makes it believe that the author is trying to show that it wasn’t the children’s fault that Margot was thrown into the closet, but her own fault.
In real life, everyone is jealous of someone else. As seen in these texts,, everyone has different ways of coping with this jealousy. Other than hurting and abusing those who caused the jealousy, other solutions could be made. Often voicing your anger is a good first step for people. Both Jack and the children, they internalized this jealousy, therefore it built up to the disastrous events caused by them. The large concept of jealousy can often be overcome with the help of others, but without consultation it creates an extremely large problem.
In both stories, the children and Jack start to become jealous. Even both of these books explore this idea of jealousy, the way they are portrayed and how it escalated to the state that it is are different.
In “Lord of the Flies”, when the boys are on the island, a chief was to be picked between Jack and Ralph. Other than Jack’s choirboys, the unanimous vote for Ralph as leader was the start of the problem. When deciding on who should be the chief, Jack immediately says with “simple arrogance, ‘because [he was the] chapter chorister and head boy.” (Golding, 22) Since Jack was what seems like to be born into a leadership role, he doesn’t seem to understand the importance of a chief during survival situations. All of Jack’s leadership roles before were merely for the point of having a leader. Ralph is a sympathetic ruler who understands the group of boys, and has the compassionate personality to help the boys when they are in need, while Jack, on the other hand, is the opposite.
In “All Summer in a Day”, the jealously from the other children started when Margot, as she often does, talks about the sun. Margot was the only child that remembered what the sun looked like, as she only came to Venus five years ago from Earth. The other children are jealous of the luxury Margot had to see the sun, and often mistreat her because of this. Margot is staring at the rain behind the window when she was shoved by William. But “she did not move; rather she let herself be moved only by him.” (Bradbury, 2). This shows that this has happened to Margot before and she has accepted the abuse that the kids give her. This could all stop if Margot stopped talking about the sun, but she believes so strongly in the sun that she was willing to take the abuse, just so she could prove them wrong about the sun and its feeling. But how jealously came to Margot was different from Jack’s, as Margot’s was self-inflicted, as she constantly talked about the sun, which probably led to the gradual build up of jealousy from the other children.
As both texts progress, the after effects of the jealousy is shown. In “Lord of the Flies”, Jack starts to manipulate the boys to join him out of jealousy. He uses tactics such as fear, violence, fun and threats to make the boys on the island follow him. Almost immediately after Ralph sets a task for the boys, Jack immediately goes off with his choirboys to go and hunt. After Jack comes back from hunting, he exclaims that “[he’s] killed a pig - [and he] stole up on them - [and they] got in a circle” (Golding, 69). This shows how jealousy has lead to a rebellious attitude from Jack, and decides to go against the grain. His jealousy eventually leads to the overthrow of Ralph, and he takes over the mountain top. The tribe that he has created now from the fear of the beast that the boys had. As it escalates even more, it leads to the death of Simon and Piggy.
While on the other hand, in “All Summer in a Day”, the jealousy of the children lead to the torturous scene of them pushing Margot into the closet. The children “surged about her, caught her and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then crying.” (Bradbury, 3) The jealousy of the children led to the imprisonment of Margot, where she is trapped and unable to see the sun. Even though Margot is trapped and it seems like it is the children who do it, the book sway to the fact that Margot is the reason why this happens. As stated earlier, this self inflicted jealousy from the children is because of Margot, as she always talks about the sun. This makes it believe that the author is trying to show that it wasn’t the children’s fault that Margot was thrown into the closet, but her own fault.
In real life, everyone is jealous of someone else. As seen in these texts,, everyone has different ways of coping with this jealousy. Other than hurting and abusing those who caused the jealousy, other solutions could be made. Often voicing your anger is a good first step for people. Both Jack and the children, they internalized this jealousy, therefore it built up to the disastrous events caused by them. The large concept of jealousy can often be overcome with the help of others, but without consultation it creates an extremely large problem.
Ups and Downs Of Facing Realty
In life people share similarities with each other. Both texts “Wonder and “Tangerine” share the same idea of seeing a different world than normal kids. A desire to wanting a better life. We can understand and acknowledge that August and Paul share similarities and conflicts. They are made fun of because of their personality. We can also notice the fact that August and Paul both desperately wish that they were different and had a normal personality. August is made fun of because of his abnormal face and also the fact that he was isolated from the real world. Similarly in Tangerine, Paul is made fun of because of his sight and the fact that he wears thick goggles that people find strange. You can see that both August and Paul want to change the way they look to fit in like the other kids. But they need to learn that changing the way you look and act is not the solution to fit it. It is facing reality and to deal with what you have in your life.
In the beginning of the book, RJ Palacio represents August as a shy and low-spirited character because of the comments that people state. These comments are stated referring to his face. Even Though August has gone through many surgeries to try and fix his facial abnormality people still make fun of him. Similarly Paul started of as a shy boy but he wasn’t as depressed as August. Paul was quite high-spirited when he moved to Florida. Paul has the ability to stay as himself during school unlike August who tries to be different to what he would usually do.
“I’m sorry but there's not way we can justify putting a visually handicapped student in the goal of all places where he could get his head kicked.”(Tangerine) says a boy at football tryouts.
As Paul gets ready for his football tryouts there is a thought at the back of his mind whether he should do it or not and the reason he didn’t want to is that people wouldn’t like him to be on the team as he is visually handicapped. But he didn’t let obstacles stop him from getting on the team. In the end he does get on the team. In Wonder August doesn’t want people to judge him for who he is. So if he has an opportunity to make new friends, he doesn’t take it because he is worried that they won’t like him. On the other hand Paul is open to anyone and doesn’t let people tell him what to do because he is visually handicapped.
When RJ Palacio uses the concept of masks to symbolize that August wants to cover up his face from the real world so people won’t see his face. But Paul doesn’t want to cover up his face because he wants to reveal his true self which ideally is the right thing as you will not be judged because you try and put a mask over your face because you are worried. You shouldn’t be worried of reality, reality should be faced as your trueself. Towards the end of the book Paul ends up making friends and having great success on the football team. All you have to do is face reality for who you are and be who you are. Paul ends up gaining much more confidence than he had at the start of the book. Similarly August also gains his confidence and makes friends because he faced reality and didn’t care about what people think of him he just wanted power like all the other kids. August was always worried that people would look at his face and think that he was an alien from outer space, so he put on an astronaut helmet to cover up his face. Just like how real astronauts need their own space inside their helmet. August is the same, he needs to have his own little space away from all the people who would think August’s face would be similar to an alien's face. In both texts “Wonder” and “Tangerine”, August and Paul are trying to make friends, because they are both different from other kids they have a struggle in trying. For example in Wonder August is finding it hard to find new friends. As being the new kid in school not many people know him for his personality. Everyone knows him because of that boy with an abnormal face. Similarly in Tangerine Paul is the new kid and people don’t want to be friends with him because he is visually handicapped.
“Where I usually walked with my head down trying to avoid being seen. Today I walked with my head up looking around”- August (Wonder)
As August is in his halloween costume and he is walking in school, he feels a different emotion, an emotion that he has never felt before. He felt excited to be in school because no one knew it was him underneath the mask. In school August is known as the freak of school. When August is underneath a mask, people don’t seem to notice that he isn’t at school as August. This clearly shows the lack of respect that a majority of people give to August. But for Paul he is treated equally like all the other kids.
“I wish everyday could be halloween, we could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks.”- August(Wonder)
It is noticeable that August doesn’t want people to look at his face because it is abnormal and he doesn’t like his face himself. This is because he has no confidence in himself. He believes that because his face is abnormal he is different from all the other kids. But in reality August is just like one of the other kids. But in Paul’s case, he does have self confidence because he has a growth mindset so he is open to anything. He doesn’t care about what people have to say about him. He just likes being himself. Being who you are will bring out your true character. Towards the end of the book August does change his mindset from fixed to growth. The result from this change is that this brings out his character and August in general becomes a better person. August also makes more friends as a result of being himself in school. Paul has also developed in a way that he doesn’t see himself as an ordinary boy he thinks himself as an extraordinary boy.
In both “Wonder and “Tangerine”, RJ Palacio and Edward Bloor show how desperate August and Paul would want to change the way they look as they strongly dislike it. But both August and Paul finally stayed themselves, for once they appreciated who they were rather than dislike everything about them. August and Paul share similarities and conflicts but never were they so similar that they are basically like twins. The thing that both August and Paul learned is to be themselves and it will teach them to appreciate them for who they are and as well as other people.
As August is in his halloween costume and he is walking in school, he feels a different emotion, an emotion that he has never felt before. He felt excited to be in school because no one knew it was him underneath the mask. In school August is known as the freak of school. When August is underneath a mask, people don’t seem to notice that he isn’t at school as August. This clearly shows the lack of respect that a majority of people give to August. But for Paul he is treated equally like all the other kids.
“I wish everyday could be halloween, we could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks.”- August(Wonder)
It is noticeable that August doesn’t want people to look at his face because it is abnormal and he doesn’t like his face himself. This is because he has no confidence in himself. He believes that because his face is abnormal he is different from all the other kids. But in reality August is just like one of the other kids. But in Paul’s case, he does have self confidence because he has a growth mindset so he is open to anything. He doesn’t care about what people have to say about him. He just likes being himself. Being who you are will bring out your true character. Towards the end of the book August does change his mindset from fixed to growth. The result from this change is that this brings out his character and August in general becomes a better person. August also makes more friends as a result of being himself in school. Paul has also developed in a way that he doesn’t see himself as an ordinary boy he thinks himself as an extraordinary boy.
In both “Wonder and “Tangerine”, RJ Palacio and Edward Bloor show how desperate August and Paul would want to change the way they look as they strongly dislike it. But both August and Paul finally stayed themselves, for once they appreciated who they were rather than dislike everything about them. August and Paul share similarities and conflicts but never were they so similar that they are basically like twins. The thing that both August and Paul learned is to be themselves and it will teach them to appreciate them for who they are and as well as other people.
Personal Appearance And Personal Identity
Adolescence is a time at which people from all places and cultures struggle to form their own identity. No longer children, but not yet adults, they must forge their sense of self and come to terms with the image they project to others. For young girls in particular, self identity and image is often closely associated with physical appearance. “Blue Gold” and “ Does My Head Look Big In This?” are both coming of age stories in which young girls from different places and cultures struggle to form their own identities, and in each of the stories physical appearance and clothing play an important part in the girls’ journeys towards self affirmation.
“Blue Gold” is a three part story which confronts the issues surrounding the technology industry through the stories of three girls from very different cultures in living in very different circumstances in different places around the world. Each girl must try to find her sense of self and make a place for herself in society. “Does My Head Look Big In This?” is the story of an Australian-Palestinian-Muslim girl and her journey towards self discovery. She must reconcile her Palestinian Muslim heritage within her place in secular Australian culture. A shared theme between these two books is that physical appearance and dress are central to self identity and image.
In “Blue Gold” Elizabeth Stewart uses Laiping’s uniform to show her loss of self identity and freedom. Laiping is a Chinese factory worker, the factory uniform, identical to thousands of others, demonstrates Laiping’s insignificance in the eyes of the company that controls her. Her uniform strips her of her personal identity and transforms her into “just a factory girl, like a hundred thousand others.” Laiping loses all sense of self and self empowerment. The idea, of clothing having the power to take away identity as well as display it, is also prevalent in ‘Does My Head Look Big In This?’ Once Amal starts to wear the hijab, people perceive her differently; “Too many people look at it as though it (the hijab) has bizarre powers sewn into its microfibers. Powers that transform Muslim girls into UCOs (Unidentified Covered Objects), which turn Muslim girls from an 'us' to a 'them.” When Amal dons the hijab people view her not as herself but as a Muslim, they ignore her character and focus her religion alone. To Amal this is not the way the hijab should be viewed. To her it is a symbol of her religion of which she is justly proud, it is not meant to strip her of identity but help project it. Throughout the story, Amal meets many people who are weary of Islam and who see the hijab as the single most important thing about her. However fortunately Amal also meets people who understand that the hijab is simply a symbol of her religion, an important part of her identity but not her sole defining characteristic.
In “Blue Gold” the story of Sylvie, a Congolese girl who is trapped in a refugee camp in Tanzania, is closely linked to her personal appearance and dress.The main focus of her story is her impending forced marriage to a ruthless warlord named Kayembe. Kayembe wants to marry her because she is pretty, he has no interest in her character or values. He views her as an attractive chatel. On the day of her wedding she is forced to wear a dress chosen by Kayembe.The dress is described as being too long and having “wires in it to shape a woman’s bosom.” Clearly Sylvie is being forced into womanhood too early, she is entirely under Kayembe’s control, her identity and self empowerment are being stripped away and the wedding dress is a powerful symbol of this . Conversely while many people in Amal’s story assume that the hijab is a symbol of oppression and that she was forced into wearing it, when this is definitely not the case. The hijab is an integral part of Amal’s self identity and image. Amal chooses to wear the hijab without any pressure from her parents. She does so because she is proud to be a muslim woman, to her the hijab demonstrates her identity and self empowerment.
In “ Blue Gold” Fiona’s story is one which concerns body image as part of a young girl’s self perception and identity, which can be connected to one of Amal’s friends, Simone. Fiona’s world comes crashing down around her as a topless photo that she foolishly sent to her boyfriend is released onto the internet. She is bombarded by unwanted comments from her peers, as well as people she has never met. She loses confidence in herself and her body. The lack of clothing in the photo is not only a plot point, it is a symbol for her vulnerability. In “Does My Head Look Big In This?”, Amal’s best friend Simone also struggles with body image. Poisonous barbs from her mother and judgmental comments directed at her by other students lead Simone to loathe her own body. She tries desperately to lose weight and to achieve a perfect and unattainable figure. It takes the kindness and love of her friends to convince Simone that she is beautiful no matter what she weighs, just as it takes the love and understanding of her mother, teachers and friends to help Fiona regain her confidence and self identity.
Physical appearance and dress contribute to the way we see ourselves and others. The authors of both books understand this and harness the concept in the development of their characters and storylines.“Does My Head Look Big In This?” takes a very overt position with the clothing being a central theme of the book whilst “Blue Gold” weaves the symbolism of clothing (and even the absence of clothing) into the underlying stories.”Does My Head Look Big In This?” forces the reader to confront the issue of clothing and question whether clothes make a person or whether they are merely another layer of the character's identity. In Blue Gold, however, the theme of physical appearance and dress was largely understated however when focussed upon was both powerful, intended and well considered.
“Blue Gold” is a three part story which confronts the issues surrounding the technology industry through the stories of three girls from very different cultures in living in very different circumstances in different places around the world. Each girl must try to find her sense of self and make a place for herself in society. “Does My Head Look Big In This?” is the story of an Australian-Palestinian-Muslim girl and her journey towards self discovery. She must reconcile her Palestinian Muslim heritage within her place in secular Australian culture. A shared theme between these two books is that physical appearance and dress are central to self identity and image.
In “Blue Gold” Elizabeth Stewart uses Laiping’s uniform to show her loss of self identity and freedom. Laiping is a Chinese factory worker, the factory uniform, identical to thousands of others, demonstrates Laiping’s insignificance in the eyes of the company that controls her. Her uniform strips her of her personal identity and transforms her into “just a factory girl, like a hundred thousand others.” Laiping loses all sense of self and self empowerment. The idea, of clothing having the power to take away identity as well as display it, is also prevalent in ‘Does My Head Look Big In This?’ Once Amal starts to wear the hijab, people perceive her differently; “Too many people look at it as though it (the hijab) has bizarre powers sewn into its microfibers. Powers that transform Muslim girls into UCOs (Unidentified Covered Objects), which turn Muslim girls from an 'us' to a 'them.” When Amal dons the hijab people view her not as herself but as a Muslim, they ignore her character and focus her religion alone. To Amal this is not the way the hijab should be viewed. To her it is a symbol of her religion of which she is justly proud, it is not meant to strip her of identity but help project it. Throughout the story, Amal meets many people who are weary of Islam and who see the hijab as the single most important thing about her. However fortunately Amal also meets people who understand that the hijab is simply a symbol of her religion, an important part of her identity but not her sole defining characteristic.
In “Blue Gold” the story of Sylvie, a Congolese girl who is trapped in a refugee camp in Tanzania, is closely linked to her personal appearance and dress.The main focus of her story is her impending forced marriage to a ruthless warlord named Kayembe. Kayembe wants to marry her because she is pretty, he has no interest in her character or values. He views her as an attractive chatel. On the day of her wedding she is forced to wear a dress chosen by Kayembe.The dress is described as being too long and having “wires in it to shape a woman’s bosom.” Clearly Sylvie is being forced into womanhood too early, she is entirely under Kayembe’s control, her identity and self empowerment are being stripped away and the wedding dress is a powerful symbol of this . Conversely while many people in Amal’s story assume that the hijab is a symbol of oppression and that she was forced into wearing it, when this is definitely not the case. The hijab is an integral part of Amal’s self identity and image. Amal chooses to wear the hijab without any pressure from her parents. She does so because she is proud to be a muslim woman, to her the hijab demonstrates her identity and self empowerment.
In “ Blue Gold” Fiona’s story is one which concerns body image as part of a young girl’s self perception and identity, which can be connected to one of Amal’s friends, Simone. Fiona’s world comes crashing down around her as a topless photo that she foolishly sent to her boyfriend is released onto the internet. She is bombarded by unwanted comments from her peers, as well as people she has never met. She loses confidence in herself and her body. The lack of clothing in the photo is not only a plot point, it is a symbol for her vulnerability. In “Does My Head Look Big In This?”, Amal’s best friend Simone also struggles with body image. Poisonous barbs from her mother and judgmental comments directed at her by other students lead Simone to loathe her own body. She tries desperately to lose weight and to achieve a perfect and unattainable figure. It takes the kindness and love of her friends to convince Simone that she is beautiful no matter what she weighs, just as it takes the love and understanding of her mother, teachers and friends to help Fiona regain her confidence and self identity.
Physical appearance and dress contribute to the way we see ourselves and others. The authors of both books understand this and harness the concept in the development of their characters and storylines.“Does My Head Look Big In This?” takes a very overt position with the clothing being a central theme of the book whilst “Blue Gold” weaves the symbolism of clothing (and even the absence of clothing) into the underlying stories.”Does My Head Look Big In This?” forces the reader to confront the issue of clothing and question whether clothes make a person or whether they are merely another layer of the character's identity. In Blue Gold, however, the theme of physical appearance and dress was largely understated however when focussed upon was both powerful, intended and well considered.
Defend yourselves from bad destiny before bad destiny defeats you
Both text, Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Titanium by David Guetta, share the idea that people get up after every single fall, and that we all have the inner strength and being strong ourselves. In the book Wonder, one of the themes is to defeat yourselves independently. The song Titanium explains that you might be defeated but you are never always defeated, and nothing will stop people from stepping to the right direction. This makes me think in both texts that you have to stand firm on the ground, and fight for your own right, and defeat yourselves to do the right thing, even if everybody else is doing the wrong thing, different than what you are doing.
Both text shows the theme of standing up for yourselves, and defeating yourselves to do the right thing. The difference is that the composer for Titanium uses metaphors and symbols to explain the situations. A few of the symbols are the bullet and gun, one of the metaphor is “Stone heart, machine gun, firing at the ones who run.” In the book “Wonder”, the author uses 1st person to tell the story of August’s life, but using multiple points of view to explain the story, and how people have so much to tell and conceal. One evidence is at part 3, where Summer gave Jack a hint why August is mad at him. ‘“Bleeding scream” I whispered at his ear, and then walked away.’ This builds suspense and got the readers predicting when will Jack realize what he has done.
In real life, people get up after every single fall, no matter what is the situations. Everybody will get up after they fall, physically and/or emotionally, no matter what the situation is. In the book ‘Wonder’ by R.J.Palacio, one of the main themes of the story is that people will never always be the lowest. People will rise in different areas and do better in other areas that people at the top might not get. In the song ‘Titanium’ by David Guetta, one of the main themes of the song is that nobody will be falling forever, but bits where they will stand up for what they believe in.
At pg 266, which is one of the climax of the story, the author explains that people get up, even if the situations is people fighting because of your face, people learn to deal with it and fight back of what is correct, getting up after they fall.
In the song Titanium, the quote: “You shoot me down, but I get up.” This quote explains that people get up after they are defeated, and they will never be forever defeated.
“I’m criticized but all your bullets ricochet.” This quote explains that people will never be shot down forever, using the gun as a metaphor. The composer let the readers understand that anything can bounce back if you don’t deserve to be hit etc.
“You shoot me down, but I wouldn’t fall” This quote explains that people will not fall for something that they didn’t do, for something they are innocent at.
People to defend themselves through tough situations, easy or difficult. People hate losing, especially if it is something they believe in, or something that is right. In the song ‘Titanium’, one of the other main themes is that people defend what they believe, defend what they think it’s correct, without any hesitations, guilt or sorrow. In the book ‘Wonder’, the author explains that people defend themselves and do what is right, defeat the idea of what is wrong. In the book ‘Wonder’, the author uses a slightly older man to defeat the young mean boys. “yo, listen up. don’t mess with jack, i say really slowly, gritting my teeth, my voice all clint eastwood tough-guy. Mess with him again and you will be very, very sorry. and then i tap my fiddle case for effect.” This quote explains that people defend of what they think it is right.
In the song Titanium, the composer explains that people do not necessarily need to take the mean people’s words seriously, but its good to listen so you have your argument to defend what you believe. “You shout it out, but I can’t hear a word you said.” The composer explains that you don’t have to listen to what they are saying, you don’t necessary have to listen to the cruelty of everybody else.
“Cut me down, but it’s you who have further to fall.” This quote explains that people who are accusing you for nothing are the ones who will suffers the most.
In the book ‘Wonder, the author explains that there will always be somebody for you, somebody with you to go through life, whether is the same person or not, whether it is a group or not, there will always be somebody there with you to go through life together.
Both text shows the theme of standing up for yourselves, and defeating yourselves to do the right thing. The difference is that the composer for Titanium uses metaphors and symbols to explain the situations. A few of the symbols are the bullet and gun, one of the metaphor is “Stone heart, machine gun, firing at the ones who run.” In the book “Wonder”, the author uses 1st person to tell the story of August’s life, but using multiple points of view to explain the story, and how people have so much to tell and conceal. One evidence is at part 3, where Summer gave Jack a hint why August is mad at him. ‘“Bleeding scream” I whispered at his ear, and then walked away.’ This builds suspense and got the readers predicting when will Jack realize what he has done.
In real life, people get up after every single fall, no matter what is the situations. Everybody will get up after they fall, physically and/or emotionally, no matter what the situation is. In the book ‘Wonder’ by R.J.Palacio, one of the main themes of the story is that people will never always be the lowest. People will rise in different areas and do better in other areas that people at the top might not get. In the song ‘Titanium’ by David Guetta, one of the main themes of the song is that nobody will be falling forever, but bits where they will stand up for what they believe in.
At pg 266, which is one of the climax of the story, the author explains that people get up, even if the situations is people fighting because of your face, people learn to deal with it and fight back of what is correct, getting up after they fall.
In the song Titanium, the quote: “You shoot me down, but I get up.” This quote explains that people get up after they are defeated, and they will never be forever defeated.
“I’m criticized but all your bullets ricochet.” This quote explains that people will never be shot down forever, using the gun as a metaphor. The composer let the readers understand that anything can bounce back if you don’t deserve to be hit etc.
“You shoot me down, but I wouldn’t fall” This quote explains that people will not fall for something that they didn’t do, for something they are innocent at.
People to defend themselves through tough situations, easy or difficult. People hate losing, especially if it is something they believe in, or something that is right. In the song ‘Titanium’, one of the other main themes is that people defend what they believe, defend what they think it’s correct, without any hesitations, guilt or sorrow. In the book ‘Wonder’, the author explains that people defend themselves and do what is right, defeat the idea of what is wrong. In the book ‘Wonder’, the author uses a slightly older man to defeat the young mean boys. “yo, listen up. don’t mess with jack, i say really slowly, gritting my teeth, my voice all clint eastwood tough-guy. Mess with him again and you will be very, very sorry. and then i tap my fiddle case for effect.” This quote explains that people defend of what they think it is right.
In the song Titanium, the composer explains that people do not necessarily need to take the mean people’s words seriously, but its good to listen so you have your argument to defend what you believe. “You shout it out, but I can’t hear a word you said.” The composer explains that you don’t have to listen to what they are saying, you don’t necessary have to listen to the cruelty of everybody else.
“Cut me down, but it’s you who have further to fall.” This quote explains that people who are accusing you for nothing are the ones who will suffers the most.
In the book ‘Wonder, the author explains that there will always be somebody for you, somebody with you to go through life, whether is the same person or not, whether it is a group or not, there will always be somebody there with you to go through life together.
At pg 217 - 218, the author explains that August defended himself despite of his face, and explaining that Via has no right to not let August go, just because of his face.
At pg 266 - 267, everybody defended August like a friend, even if they didn’t really know him. Everybody started to defend him as he was one of them.
In real life, people will never be alone, even if it’s through tough situations, people will never forever fall. Both texts share the idea that people get up after every single fall, and that we all have the inner strength and being strong ourselves. Both texts teach us that we will never fall forever, we will get up, and that we will defend ourselves to what we believe in and what we know. Both authors was inspired by people getting up after failing, and that people defend themselves through tough situations, easy or hard.
At pg 266 - 267, everybody defended August like a friend, even if they didn’t really know him. Everybody started to defend him as he was one of them.
In real life, people will never be alone, even if it’s through tough situations, people will never forever fall. Both texts share the idea that people get up after every single fall, and that we all have the inner strength and being strong ourselves. Both texts teach us that we will never fall forever, we will get up, and that we will defend ourselves to what we believe in and what we know. Both authors was inspired by people getting up after failing, and that people defend themselves through tough situations, easy or hard.
Prejudice and Inequality Prevalent in Society
To Kill A Mockingbird meets The Help
Harper Lee’s award-winning classic “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” are both timeless stories about perspective and loss of innocence set in an era of deep-seated racial and social prejudices. These themes are woven into the two novels and help us to understand the life people led in the past. These two books are both stories of racial inequality, a struggle for social dominance, loss of innocence and viewing the world as a good and untouched place and then having that idea ruined by someone. Both novels also highlight the dangers for people in the more privileged classes in challenging the status quo, and the prejudice surrounding African-Americans.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that follows the adventures of a five-year-old girl named Scout, her brother, Jem, and her neighbor’s nephew in Maycomb County, in the American Deep South. It is set in the 1930s, a time when blacks and whites lived segregated lives and prejudice against colored people was widespread and tolerated by authorities. This novel tells us about Tom Robinson, a kind-hearted, African-American man falsely accused but ultimately convicted of raping a white girl and Atticus, Scout’s father, who represents him in court, to the dismay of many members of white society in the county. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, the use of symbolism, imagery and metaphors help us to understand the importance of innocence and how it plays a role in the society in which Lee was living when she wrote the book.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a novel also set in the Deep South but in the 1960s. To Kill A Mockingbird has a strong influence on this book and some of the issues raised by Harper Lee have been translated into this novel. This story follows Skeeter Phelan, a young, aspiring, caucasian journalist who was deeply inspired by her black maid Constantine while growing up. Skeeter enjoyed a privileged upbringing in the high society of Jackson, Mississippi, with a lot of friends and a position in the very sought after Jackson Junior League Club, run by her best friend and antagonist of the story, Hilly Holbrook. After watching her friends and mother treat their black maids poorly and learning that her old maid Constantine dies, she feels that it is time to make a change and progress towards racial equality. She gains the friendship and trust of a black maid named Aibileen Clark and Aibileen’s best friend Minny Jackson. Her dream is to write a collection of stories from a dozen maids and their experiences working with white women. Through much persuasion and time spent building the trust of maids and other domestic workers, she gathers two dozen women willing to share their stories.
We can connect these ideologies to real life issues. Today we still face the complex issues of racism, sexism and blatant inequality of gender, race, and religion. As the two books are set in different time periods than they are today, the lasting effect that this era had on our society is still very visible. The divide between black and white people, specifically in the Deep South of United States of America, is what is stopping our world from progressing. African American children and adults are still getting gunned down by police, Muslim children of color are still receiving hate and being blamed for ISIS and women are still earning less money than men for the same job.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, the title gives us a hint of the most significant symbol in the story, mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are the symbol of innocence and childhood. It helps us to remember the feeling of seeing the world through the eyes of a child. As Atticus explains to Jem in chapter ten why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird whilst giving him his first rifle, he says. “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. “Shoot all the bluejays you want if you can hit’s, but remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. […] They don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” Characters like Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem Finch can be compared to mockingbirds and are walking metaphors throughout the story. The reason for this is because they are all innocent people who only had intentions to help people throughout the story. Tom Robinson tried to help a woman in need, Boo just wanted to be an accepted member of society and Jem became aware of the amount of evil in the world instead of seeing it as a good place for the first time.
On the night Tom is convicted, Jem becomes finally aware of the evil that has taken place. Even after every single person in the courtroom knows Tom is innocent, yet they sentence him guilty anyways. He says to Atticus. “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep. Good night.” This helps us to understand that even though Atticus believes that what the jury has done is wrong, there is not much that he can do to reverse it and change people’s minds.
This can be compared to the characters in The Help. Although it is set in a different time period, the characters in The Help still face the same struggles that ostracized members of Maycomb faced back in the 1930s. For example, Treelore Clark died an avoidable death while trying to earn a living. “One night he working late at the Scanlon-Taylor Mill, lugging two-by-fours, splinters slicing all the way through the glove. He too small for that kind of work, too skinny, but he needed that job.” Because of his color when he was injured he was not treated with the same urgency that a white person would have been shown. Aibileen, Treelore’s mother, explains her son as a quiet, thoughtful twenty-four-year-old man. A person who was about to start his life with his fiance. Aibileen recounts what he was doing and how it happened. “He was tired. It was raining. He slip off the loading dock, fell down on the drive. Tractor trailer didn't see him and crushed his lungs fore he could move. By the time I found out, he was dead.” This shows the working conditions that African Americans had no choice but to work in.
A similarity between To Kill A Mockingbird is how alike the contrasted characters from both books are. For example, in The Help, Skeeter often compares herself to Boo Radley. On page 101 she says. "I've become one of those people who prowl around at night in their cars. God, I am the town's Boo Radley, just like in To Kill a Mockingbird." Common traits that they share are that they are both seen as outcasts, people who do not fit in with the social norm.
Skeeter is an independent, awkward young woman who does not believe in relying on a man and living your life quietly as a housewife. She has aspirations and wants to reach them and feels that people are equal, and for this reason, she is seen as a stain in her bloodline and not a proper lady. For example, when Skeeter is born her older brother Carlton explains. "It's not a baby it's a skeeter!" Thus showing that she is not your average, pretty young woman. Skeeter is almost 6 feet tall and has incurable “kinky” hair and was teased by boys for her looks during middle school. She turned to her maid, Constantine, who told her a life lesson she never forgot. “[You] gotta ask yourself this question. Am I really gonna believe all them bad things them fools say about me today?” This helps Skeeter to remember that she is not what other people say she is. Boo Radley is seen as a murderous and dangerous person by many citizens of Maycomb, adults included while in reality he is actually an awkward but kind-hearted man who wants nothing more than to fit into society. This lesson applies to Boo as well. He is not the rumors about him, but his own person.
The treatment meted out to Boo Radley, Scout’s tormented next door neighbor is another metaphor for the racial prejudice prevalent in society. He is a person who only ever wanted to contribute to society but was ridiculed by his neighbors, ostracized by his community and demonized by children. Everything that was not right in Maycomb was traced back to Boo. For example, when azaleas freeze in a cold snap, it was Boo who did it. “The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot; from the Radley chickenyard tall pecan trees shook their fruit into the schoolyard, but the nuts lay untouched by the children: Radley pecans would kill you. A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no questions asked.” Even adults would partake in the rumors, egging on the children and feeding them with lies about how Boo Radley was a bad person who went to prison.
This is very comparable to the treatment that Skeeter is given. As The Help carries on, Hilly Holbrook decides that Skeeter is no longer welcome in the Jackson Junior League and tries her hardest to turn everyone against her. Given that Hilly has a powerful command over one of the major social events and network in Jackson, her influence is enormous. Facing the prospect of losing their social status by upsetting Hilly, even Skeeter’s closest friends turn away from her. Much like Boo Radley, Skeeter quickly becomes ostracized by the other ladies. This goes to show that even though Boo and Skeeter are both white, they are still treated as divergents thus showing that you are still not safe even if you look the same as your enemy.
The vibe that Skeeter and Boo receive for being different really makes us question how our society functions. Just because we are different means that we are not allowed to be accepted? This lesson that was taught years ago has translated into our society today, and people are paying the price for it. Skeeter’s actions highlight the poor treatment given to African American domestic workers and because of the discomfort that causes, Skeeter is ostracized by her friends. It is easier to ignore the inequalities and bad behavior of a certain race when it is your own than to go against society’s prevailing norms.
Inferring from the text, it is explicit that some of the citizens of Jackson, Mississippi know that the way they treat others is wrong, that it is unfair to put yourself as a race above another and that to act like you are better is completely unjust. However, they do it anyways, and why? Because people feel it is easier to root for the “winning” side, it’s easier to go with the flow and not cause a ripple in the water. Skeeter and Scout prove otherwise, that even though things will be harder than just sticking to the norm, the results are more awarding.
The Help and To Kill A Mockingbird are stories that make you think about the impact that our behavior has on society. Lee and Stockett have both written stories that put racism into words. These books help us to understand why people feel the need to show dominance and the way that they assert their power, through fear, judgment and strong yet misplaced beliefs. This helps us understand why in today’s society we still have to deal with racist and sexists beliefs, and the reason is because of our past. These two novels show that in a world of hate and prejudice it only takes one person to start a movement, but that the challenges facing anyone who does so remain enormous.
Harper Lee’s award-winning classic “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” are both timeless stories about perspective and loss of innocence set in an era of deep-seated racial and social prejudices. These themes are woven into the two novels and help us to understand the life people led in the past. These two books are both stories of racial inequality, a struggle for social dominance, loss of innocence and viewing the world as a good and untouched place and then having that idea ruined by someone. Both novels also highlight the dangers for people in the more privileged classes in challenging the status quo, and the prejudice surrounding African-Americans.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that follows the adventures of a five-year-old girl named Scout, her brother, Jem, and her neighbor’s nephew in Maycomb County, in the American Deep South. It is set in the 1930s, a time when blacks and whites lived segregated lives and prejudice against colored people was widespread and tolerated by authorities. This novel tells us about Tom Robinson, a kind-hearted, African-American man falsely accused but ultimately convicted of raping a white girl and Atticus, Scout’s father, who represents him in court, to the dismay of many members of white society in the county. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, the use of symbolism, imagery and metaphors help us to understand the importance of innocence and how it plays a role in the society in which Lee was living when she wrote the book.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a novel also set in the Deep South but in the 1960s. To Kill A Mockingbird has a strong influence on this book and some of the issues raised by Harper Lee have been translated into this novel. This story follows Skeeter Phelan, a young, aspiring, caucasian journalist who was deeply inspired by her black maid Constantine while growing up. Skeeter enjoyed a privileged upbringing in the high society of Jackson, Mississippi, with a lot of friends and a position in the very sought after Jackson Junior League Club, run by her best friend and antagonist of the story, Hilly Holbrook. After watching her friends and mother treat their black maids poorly and learning that her old maid Constantine dies, she feels that it is time to make a change and progress towards racial equality. She gains the friendship and trust of a black maid named Aibileen Clark and Aibileen’s best friend Minny Jackson. Her dream is to write a collection of stories from a dozen maids and their experiences working with white women. Through much persuasion and time spent building the trust of maids and other domestic workers, she gathers two dozen women willing to share their stories.
We can connect these ideologies to real life issues. Today we still face the complex issues of racism, sexism and blatant inequality of gender, race, and religion. As the two books are set in different time periods than they are today, the lasting effect that this era had on our society is still very visible. The divide between black and white people, specifically in the Deep South of United States of America, is what is stopping our world from progressing. African American children and adults are still getting gunned down by police, Muslim children of color are still receiving hate and being blamed for ISIS and women are still earning less money than men for the same job.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, the title gives us a hint of the most significant symbol in the story, mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are the symbol of innocence and childhood. It helps us to remember the feeling of seeing the world through the eyes of a child. As Atticus explains to Jem in chapter ten why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird whilst giving him his first rifle, he says. “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. “Shoot all the bluejays you want if you can hit’s, but remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. […] They don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” Characters like Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem Finch can be compared to mockingbirds and are walking metaphors throughout the story. The reason for this is because they are all innocent people who only had intentions to help people throughout the story. Tom Robinson tried to help a woman in need, Boo just wanted to be an accepted member of society and Jem became aware of the amount of evil in the world instead of seeing it as a good place for the first time.
On the night Tom is convicted, Jem becomes finally aware of the evil that has taken place. Even after every single person in the courtroom knows Tom is innocent, yet they sentence him guilty anyways. He says to Atticus. “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep. Good night.” This helps us to understand that even though Atticus believes that what the jury has done is wrong, there is not much that he can do to reverse it and change people’s minds.
This can be compared to the characters in The Help. Although it is set in a different time period, the characters in The Help still face the same struggles that ostracized members of Maycomb faced back in the 1930s. For example, Treelore Clark died an avoidable death while trying to earn a living. “One night he working late at the Scanlon-Taylor Mill, lugging two-by-fours, splinters slicing all the way through the glove. He too small for that kind of work, too skinny, but he needed that job.” Because of his color when he was injured he was not treated with the same urgency that a white person would have been shown. Aibileen, Treelore’s mother, explains her son as a quiet, thoughtful twenty-four-year-old man. A person who was about to start his life with his fiance. Aibileen recounts what he was doing and how it happened. “He was tired. It was raining. He slip off the loading dock, fell down on the drive. Tractor trailer didn't see him and crushed his lungs fore he could move. By the time I found out, he was dead.” This shows the working conditions that African Americans had no choice but to work in.
A similarity between To Kill A Mockingbird is how alike the contrasted characters from both books are. For example, in The Help, Skeeter often compares herself to Boo Radley. On page 101 she says. "I've become one of those people who prowl around at night in their cars. God, I am the town's Boo Radley, just like in To Kill a Mockingbird." Common traits that they share are that they are both seen as outcasts, people who do not fit in with the social norm.
Skeeter is an independent, awkward young woman who does not believe in relying on a man and living your life quietly as a housewife. She has aspirations and wants to reach them and feels that people are equal, and for this reason, she is seen as a stain in her bloodline and not a proper lady. For example, when Skeeter is born her older brother Carlton explains. "It's not a baby it's a skeeter!" Thus showing that she is not your average, pretty young woman. Skeeter is almost 6 feet tall and has incurable “kinky” hair and was teased by boys for her looks during middle school. She turned to her maid, Constantine, who told her a life lesson she never forgot. “[You] gotta ask yourself this question. Am I really gonna believe all them bad things them fools say about me today?” This helps Skeeter to remember that she is not what other people say she is. Boo Radley is seen as a murderous and dangerous person by many citizens of Maycomb, adults included while in reality he is actually an awkward but kind-hearted man who wants nothing more than to fit into society. This lesson applies to Boo as well. He is not the rumors about him, but his own person.
The treatment meted out to Boo Radley, Scout’s tormented next door neighbor is another metaphor for the racial prejudice prevalent in society. He is a person who only ever wanted to contribute to society but was ridiculed by his neighbors, ostracized by his community and demonized by children. Everything that was not right in Maycomb was traced back to Boo. For example, when azaleas freeze in a cold snap, it was Boo who did it. “The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot; from the Radley chickenyard tall pecan trees shook their fruit into the schoolyard, but the nuts lay untouched by the children: Radley pecans would kill you. A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no questions asked.” Even adults would partake in the rumors, egging on the children and feeding them with lies about how Boo Radley was a bad person who went to prison.
This is very comparable to the treatment that Skeeter is given. As The Help carries on, Hilly Holbrook decides that Skeeter is no longer welcome in the Jackson Junior League and tries her hardest to turn everyone against her. Given that Hilly has a powerful command over one of the major social events and network in Jackson, her influence is enormous. Facing the prospect of losing their social status by upsetting Hilly, even Skeeter’s closest friends turn away from her. Much like Boo Radley, Skeeter quickly becomes ostracized by the other ladies. This goes to show that even though Boo and Skeeter are both white, they are still treated as divergents thus showing that you are still not safe even if you look the same as your enemy.
The vibe that Skeeter and Boo receive for being different really makes us question how our society functions. Just because we are different means that we are not allowed to be accepted? This lesson that was taught years ago has translated into our society today, and people are paying the price for it. Skeeter’s actions highlight the poor treatment given to African American domestic workers and because of the discomfort that causes, Skeeter is ostracized by her friends. It is easier to ignore the inequalities and bad behavior of a certain race when it is your own than to go against society’s prevailing norms.
Inferring from the text, it is explicit that some of the citizens of Jackson, Mississippi know that the way they treat others is wrong, that it is unfair to put yourself as a race above another and that to act like you are better is completely unjust. However, they do it anyways, and why? Because people feel it is easier to root for the “winning” side, it’s easier to go with the flow and not cause a ripple in the water. Skeeter and Scout prove otherwise, that even though things will be harder than just sticking to the norm, the results are more awarding.
The Help and To Kill A Mockingbird are stories that make you think about the impact that our behavior has on society. Lee and Stockett have both written stories that put racism into words. These books help us to understand why people feel the need to show dominance and the way that they assert their power, through fear, judgment and strong yet misplaced beliefs. This helps us understand why in today’s society we still have to deal with racist and sexists beliefs, and the reason is because of our past. These two novels show that in a world of hate and prejudice it only takes one person to start a movement, but that the challenges facing anyone who does so remain enormous.
The Inevitable Act of Change
In both, “Wonder” and “George”, two realistic fictional stories, feature similar concepts on what defines us as human beings. It’s who we really are, our inner emotions, our inner feelings, and that we should learn to apprehend consequences. We can understand and acknowledge the fact that in Wonder and George, everyone is different as an individual. In Wonder, we can see how August desperately wants to change his face so he can be normal. Similarly, in George, George wants to change his/her body image and personality to achieve and gain newer opportunities. This shows that in both texts, there is a strong feeling in both characters, that change is the only solution for success. Now you might believe that change is an inevitable action that can be beneficial as it makes us take risks, makes us more independent, but the truth of the matter is that being who we are, is good enough in life. So now what is true in both texts is that, facing reality and accepting the bitter truth is the most toughest act to do. If we change, then who are we.
At the beginning of the book, August is shown to be a character who is shy and depressed because of the harsh comments made by people referring about his face. As we know, August was born with a distorted face and has gone through many surgeries, and yet people, still make fun of him. Additionally, George is shown to be a mixed feeling type of character who struggles to choose who she really is. At school, George’s teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web and George really wants to play Charlotte, but, is then rejected from her teacher because she is a boy. A person and a rejection should not stand in the way of achieving our own dreams just because we are different. “Someday, somehow, George is going to tell mom that she is a girl, but this was not the day” This quote shows what kind of a character George is, from burying the fact that she wanted to tell her mother, she was a girl.
In George and Wonder, the two characters, August and George have different issues and difficulties but overall, they somehow connect to each other. August can easily relate to George as they both know that they are going through an extremely tough phase and are unable to decide their path. The more we hide, the more we add insult to injury. In Wonder, we can seem to realise that August does not want to be judged by how he normally acts, but in George, she wants a chance to be judged to prove that there is nothing wrong in a boy playing the role of the opposite sex in the school play.
By the same token, we can visualise the similar symbols being shown as a crucial role in both texts. In Wonder, Palacio uses the concept of masks and helmets to symbol August’s anonymity to the outside world, because, he gets a chance to show people who August Plaman really is. Likewise, in George, Gino uses the idea of telephone poles to show the sheer desire George craves for and that is to change her whole image, and to also show who she really is. “George stared out the backseat window, counting telephone poles. When she was little, her grandfather told her that if you count one hundred telephone poles, one day, an electric fairy would come and grant one wish” This quote proves how August and George are similar because even August wishes he could be someone else.
With all things considered, these aspects conclude and show how August and George go on living their lives similarly. From masks and helmets to telephone poles, there will always be one main idea connecting the two factors, whether if it is separating the fiction world to reality.
The Significance, Relevance and Complexity of Prejudice
Prejudice is a complex and intricate issue that has existed for a large part of human history. Because of this, many authors and musicians have written their own individual pieces in an attempt to make sense of it and its impacts. Many of these follow along the lines of believing following prejudice is somewhat of a choice. In some cases, a moment of awakening causes the prejudice to dissipate, whereas in others this awakening has no impact and prejudicial views continue to cloud one’s judgement. Two pieces that help to illustrate this are “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, a 1960s novel expressing bias in law and the awakening points that follow and “White Privilege 2” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, a 2016 song in which the narrator questions how modern day prejudice affects him. Despite their obvious differences, in both, the writers use various methods to educate us about the complicated emotions associated with prejudice, the complexity and seriousness of the issue and that it isn’t just the victims who end up being impacted by it.
Both writings explore the same theme of prejudice and it’s awakening points, however, do so in slightly different ways. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” Scout and Jem start with no idea about prejudice and are naive to how their society functions. However, after the trial of Tom Robinson, they have their awakening points, realise the effects of prejudice on their own mindsets and how “it ain’t right”. In “White Privilege 2” the narrator is aware of prejudice, however, is unaware of how exactly it affects him as a white man in the 21st century. The song starts with the narrator attending a black lives matter riot. He “wants to take a stance because we are not free” but then later questioned if “it was okay for [him] to say” because “we are not we”. This means that he believes since he’s not being personally victimised by prejudice he has no right to protest it. However when he sees “a line of police officers that look the same as [him],” he has his awakening point and realises that just witnessing prejudice can cause one to evoke it someone else. Here the differences are obvious. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” the residents of Maycomb realise the existence of prejudice during their awakening point whereas in “White Privilege 2” the narrator is aware of prejudice and realises the extent of its impacts during his awakening points. However despite these differences, there are still many connections between the two. Besides both pieces referring to prejudice’s awakening point their protagonists also become more aware of how society works in their time periods and how everyone is affected by it.
Another similarity between the two is the author’s use of analogies. Macklemore uses the analogy of burning houses to explain the thinking behind the black lives matter movement. He states that “If a house was on fire, the fire department wouldn’t show up and start putting water on all the houses because all houses matter. They would put water on the house that is burning because [they] needed it the most.” This explains the movement, giving an explanation for many who have heard about the movement online but are yet to understand what it is fighting for. It goes against the alternative the “all lives matter” movement which many have offered up as an alternative movement since they believe it is more inclusive of all. However as Macklemore believes, in the present time, it is not all whose rights need fighting for. Harper Lee also uses various analogies that connect parts of her story to real life situations in order to help better explain her theme. For example, she relates what happened during the Tom Robinson trial to Hitler and what he did during World War Two. Miss Gates, Scout’s teacher, made sure to tell them in class about “how bad it was [Hitler] treaten’ the Jews like that.” However after the trial, Scout then overheard her say “it’s time somebody taught [coloured people] a lesson” and that they “were gettin’ way above themselves.” This caused Scout to have somewhat of an awakening moment and wonder “how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home.” By somewhat comparing or relating the two to each other, this provided context for the situation and to why the theme was so relevant. These analogies also help the reader to understand that not everything around prejudice is simple and cannot be explained in a simple sentence.
Both pieces have points where they mention prejudice in, and the unfairness of, the judicial system. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is based on a trial in which a wrongful conviction is awarded due to the jurors having their opinion blinded by prejudice. It sparked controversy in its fictional setting of Maycomb, Alabama causing the mindset of its residents to change. Similarly, in “White Privilege 2” the narrator explains that he is a “product of the same system that let of Darren Wilson, guilty.” Darren Wilson was a white police officer from Baltimore who was let off innocent on the murder of the coloured Mike Brown. While it cannot be proven whether Wilson was, in fact, guilty, much of the evidence is pointed towards it. His verdict sparked controversy and riots around the country, invoking debates on the existence of racism that still exists in the United States. This shows how serious of an issue prejudice still is. If the judicial system, which is supposed to be the voice of reason and truth, cannot look past their own biased mindset, then there is still a long road to the abolition of prejudice.
In both pieces, the authors use first-person points of view to do various things. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Harper Lee does this to show the mindset of a child (Scout) in that time period and also to show her growth through the story. It is clear the struggle that she goes through as the trial goes on and also what she is thinking as her awakening point occurs. In “White Privilege 2” Macklemore does the same in order to show the inner battle his narrator was facing, to help emphasise his points and to express deeper emotions. His narrator questions himself, wondering “if it’s his place to give two cents,” and his own motives which add to the emotionality and theme of the song. Some may argue that the use of the first-person narrative creates a shrouded view and limits the reader’s understanding of the full topic to what the protagonist sees. However despite that being partially true, in these cases, it was a good thing. Often the points most important would’ve been missed if first person narrative wasn’t used. For example, when the trial was ending only Scout could “see something only a lawyer’s child could be expected to see” and states her inner thinking on the trial’s proceedings. Her following statement on Atticus ends up be beneficial to understanding his motivation and that all would not have been possible without the use of first person narrative. This first person narrative also helps to give us an insight into the inner contemplation that the characters have when they experience their awakening point, be it on how they’ve been affected, or the issue as a whole.
Both stories are similar in the fact that they are extremely relevant to and caused controversy in the time period in which they were released in. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was released during the height of 1960s civil rights movement when coloured people were still struggling for their voice and the prejudice was only starting to come to light. This time period was a pivotal point in American history and this book helped to address many of the issues on display. It educated the public including children on the issue in a way they were able to understand. However despite currently being referred to as a classic of modern literature, upon its release, many schools outlawed “To Kill a Mockingbird” due to its controversial themes and use of explicit language. In fact, it still remains banned in various classrooms across the world. “White Privilege 2” was also released at an interesting time period in which many of the issues discussed in the civil rights movement were making a recurrence. The new black lives matter movement addresses these disparities. Macklemore also name drops several people of controversy including the aforementioned Darren Wilson and the phrase “rest in peace Mike Brown” referring to the unarmed coloured man who was supposedly accidentally killed.
In conclusion, despite their obvious differences, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “White Privilege 2” both share the same theme. In order for prejudice to dissipate, one must first have an awakening point. The similarities also continue to extend beyond just the theme, including in elements of craft and the events occurring in the time period they were released. Both Harper Lee and Macklemore saw something they disagreed with in society and wrote their pieces with the intention of educating other about it. They were not wrong. The issues described in their work need to be addressed, let us as readers use their messages and make a difference. Prospective awakening points are everywhere, it just takes one to open your mind and make a change.
Both writings explore the same theme of prejudice and it’s awakening points, however, do so in slightly different ways. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” Scout and Jem start with no idea about prejudice and are naive to how their society functions. However, after the trial of Tom Robinson, they have their awakening points, realise the effects of prejudice on their own mindsets and how “it ain’t right”. In “White Privilege 2” the narrator is aware of prejudice, however, is unaware of how exactly it affects him as a white man in the 21st century. The song starts with the narrator attending a black lives matter riot. He “wants to take a stance because we are not free” but then later questioned if “it was okay for [him] to say” because “we are not we”. This means that he believes since he’s not being personally victimised by prejudice he has no right to protest it. However when he sees “a line of police officers that look the same as [him],” he has his awakening point and realises that just witnessing prejudice can cause one to evoke it someone else. Here the differences are obvious. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” the residents of Maycomb realise the existence of prejudice during their awakening point whereas in “White Privilege 2” the narrator is aware of prejudice and realises the extent of its impacts during his awakening points. However despite these differences, there are still many connections between the two. Besides both pieces referring to prejudice’s awakening point their protagonists also become more aware of how society works in their time periods and how everyone is affected by it.
Another similarity between the two is the author’s use of analogies. Macklemore uses the analogy of burning houses to explain the thinking behind the black lives matter movement. He states that “If a house was on fire, the fire department wouldn’t show up and start putting water on all the houses because all houses matter. They would put water on the house that is burning because [they] needed it the most.” This explains the movement, giving an explanation for many who have heard about the movement online but are yet to understand what it is fighting for. It goes against the alternative the “all lives matter” movement which many have offered up as an alternative movement since they believe it is more inclusive of all. However as Macklemore believes, in the present time, it is not all whose rights need fighting for. Harper Lee also uses various analogies that connect parts of her story to real life situations in order to help better explain her theme. For example, she relates what happened during the Tom Robinson trial to Hitler and what he did during World War Two. Miss Gates, Scout’s teacher, made sure to tell them in class about “how bad it was [Hitler] treaten’ the Jews like that.” However after the trial, Scout then overheard her say “it’s time somebody taught [coloured people] a lesson” and that they “were gettin’ way above themselves.” This caused Scout to have somewhat of an awakening moment and wonder “how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home.” By somewhat comparing or relating the two to each other, this provided context for the situation and to why the theme was so relevant. These analogies also help the reader to understand that not everything around prejudice is simple and cannot be explained in a simple sentence.
Both pieces have points where they mention prejudice in, and the unfairness of, the judicial system. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is based on a trial in which a wrongful conviction is awarded due to the jurors having their opinion blinded by prejudice. It sparked controversy in its fictional setting of Maycomb, Alabama causing the mindset of its residents to change. Similarly, in “White Privilege 2” the narrator explains that he is a “product of the same system that let of Darren Wilson, guilty.” Darren Wilson was a white police officer from Baltimore who was let off innocent on the murder of the coloured Mike Brown. While it cannot be proven whether Wilson was, in fact, guilty, much of the evidence is pointed towards it. His verdict sparked controversy and riots around the country, invoking debates on the existence of racism that still exists in the United States. This shows how serious of an issue prejudice still is. If the judicial system, which is supposed to be the voice of reason and truth, cannot look past their own biased mindset, then there is still a long road to the abolition of prejudice.
In both pieces, the authors use first-person points of view to do various things. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Harper Lee does this to show the mindset of a child (Scout) in that time period and also to show her growth through the story. It is clear the struggle that she goes through as the trial goes on and also what she is thinking as her awakening point occurs. In “White Privilege 2” Macklemore does the same in order to show the inner battle his narrator was facing, to help emphasise his points and to express deeper emotions. His narrator questions himself, wondering “if it’s his place to give two cents,” and his own motives which add to the emotionality and theme of the song. Some may argue that the use of the first-person narrative creates a shrouded view and limits the reader’s understanding of the full topic to what the protagonist sees. However despite that being partially true, in these cases, it was a good thing. Often the points most important would’ve been missed if first person narrative wasn’t used. For example, when the trial was ending only Scout could “see something only a lawyer’s child could be expected to see” and states her inner thinking on the trial’s proceedings. Her following statement on Atticus ends up be beneficial to understanding his motivation and that all would not have been possible without the use of first person narrative. This first person narrative also helps to give us an insight into the inner contemplation that the characters have when they experience their awakening point, be it on how they’ve been affected, or the issue as a whole.
Both stories are similar in the fact that they are extremely relevant to and caused controversy in the time period in which they were released in. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was released during the height of 1960s civil rights movement when coloured people were still struggling for their voice and the prejudice was only starting to come to light. This time period was a pivotal point in American history and this book helped to address many of the issues on display. It educated the public including children on the issue in a way they were able to understand. However despite currently being referred to as a classic of modern literature, upon its release, many schools outlawed “To Kill a Mockingbird” due to its controversial themes and use of explicit language. In fact, it still remains banned in various classrooms across the world. “White Privilege 2” was also released at an interesting time period in which many of the issues discussed in the civil rights movement were making a recurrence. The new black lives matter movement addresses these disparities. Macklemore also name drops several people of controversy including the aforementioned Darren Wilson and the phrase “rest in peace Mike Brown” referring to the unarmed coloured man who was supposedly accidentally killed.
In conclusion, despite their obvious differences, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “White Privilege 2” both share the same theme. In order for prejudice to dissipate, one must first have an awakening point. The similarities also continue to extend beyond just the theme, including in elements of craft and the events occurring in the time period they were released. Both Harper Lee and Macklemore saw something they disagreed with in society and wrote their pieces with the intention of educating other about it. They were not wrong. The issues described in their work need to be addressed, let us as readers use their messages and make a difference. Prospective awakening points are everywhere, it just takes one to open your mind and make a change.
Dealing With Stress - Advice From Blue Gold and The Help
In today’s world, people are faced with high amounts of stress and frequently feel burdened. From parents to children, young to old, individuals are often worried and feel pressure in day to day activities. Sometimes, this anger can be controlled, however at times it all becomes too much. The books “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett and “Blue Gold” by Elizabeth Stewart both portray characters that are heavily burdened and are the subject of a lot of bottled up stress and anger. In “Blue Gold”, Sylvie lives in fear of the conflict around her, and at the same time tries to support her family. Similarly, in “The Help”, Minny has to support her family, manage a job, and try to resolve conflict between her employer and an enemy. These authors provide variations of a similar idea, that expressing our feelings with others close to us to ensures people do not reach a tipping point where this stress turns into misdirected anger.
When describing Sylvie’s mother in “Blue Gold”, Elizabeth Stewart shows that unnecessary anger is the result of not sharing feelings with family. To give context, the mother lives with high amounts of stress, due to the loss of her husband. She finds herself trying to manage her household, with 4 children, and lives in fear of a war happening nearby. Stewart describes her hair as “sprung in clumps all over her head, as chaotic as the brain inside.” The conclusion can be drawn that the mother is trying to cope with the pressures of her life. The constant worries have translated into chaos in her head, which is not beneficial to her wellbeing. This large amount of anxiety translates into her being “only half with the children”, as Sylvie describes her.
Consequently, this high amount of stress then transforms into misdirected anger with family. This was evident when Sylvie suggests that they move to Canada, which has been a hope of hers for years. After innocently asking her mother, the mother cried out in response saying, “Who will help me with the children, unh?” She also “[struck] Sylvie hard across the cheek.” Some people may interpret this to be a result of Sylvie’s unique suggestion to move to Canada. On the contrary, it clearly seems that the mother is trying to cope, Stewart describing her as “Tears of ... helplessness rolled down her cheeks,” just before the slap. These pieces of evidence are significant because they illustrate the misdirected anger caused by the mother’s struggle to cope with her problems. The mother is helpless, and without knowing it, becomes overly irate. Having raised Sylvie from birth, the mother obviously has high amounts of love for her children. However, these high amounts of stress resulted in unintentional anger towards Sylvie.
Later on, Stewart shows the reader how it is essential to share our feelings and emotions with others, to prevent this anger. On a day after dinner with her family, the mother suddenly starts to cry, her “Thin shoulders heaving deep waves of pain … all of the pain of the last five years.” This crying then leads to a hug between the family members. Stewart describes the mother, “stiffen, then gradually relax.” Sylvie also thinks, “Talking about it makes it better.” These pieces of description show that when talking with her family, the mother is able to lean on others for support, and become the person that she usually is. The misdirected anger can be detrimental to relationships between family members and does not lift a burden from the mother. By expressing her feelings with others, Sylvie’s mother has lower amounts of stress and less anger when trying to cope with the stresses of her life.
A similar variation of the idea is evident in the “Help”, by Kathryn Stockett. Similar to Blue Gold, Stockett describes a heavily burdened character. However, Stockett deepens the understanding of the theme by describing a tipping point, a point when the anger becomes too much. Minny, a character in the “Help”, has many stressors in her life. She is a full time nanny, and the mother of 3 children. The frequent occurrence of problems is illustrated when Minny’s problems are described as, “Kindra and her mouth, Benny and his asthma, my husband Leroy coming home drunk 2 times a week.” Minny also thinks to herself, “When am I going to clean my own house? Wash my own kids’ clothes?” These snippets from “The Help” demonstrate that Minny has a lot to deal with in her life. These large strains on Minny may result in lack of mindfulness and attention to detail, which then can lead to a chain of more problems.
At first, Minny tries to cope with the demanding strains of her life by herself and with the help of God. Stewart describes her as “praying to the Lord and the devil” to try and cope with her pain. Like all of us, Minny tries to manage on her own.
Later on in the book, however, Minny is fired from her job, resulting in large amounts of anxiety for Minny. Unlike Sylvie’s mother, Minny is aware of how it is all too much for her to handle. She comments to her children, “Mama need to be with somebody not pulling on her for five minutes.” Instead of trying to deal with it herself, Minny realises that she has become overly stressed, reached this tipping point, and she needs someone to talk to. When going over to Aibileen, her friend’s house, Minny shares her feelings about losing her job. Aibileen comforts her, calmly telling her, “I’m sorry, honey … So what if she takes a nip or two to get through the day? Go talk to her Monday.” These words from a friend can comfort Minny, and make her realise that everything will be fine in the end. The gesture of Aibileen helping her shines light on a different perspective to her problem, one that she may have not considered before. This evokes calm, as opposed to the anger that comes from not sharing feelings. Minny talking to Aibileen shows that family does not have to be the only people we talk to. This contrasts to Blue Gold, where Sylvie’s mother talks with her family.
When describing Minny, Stockett illustrates to the reader when this tipping point is, and how it is essential for someone to relieve their stress before this crucial moment. In Blue Gold, the idea can be applied - Sylvie’s mother passed this critical moment, and this resulted in anger. She had so much chaos in her head, and stress on her shoulders, that she had to express her feelings. Although there is a difference in the way the characters act - the message is still the same. Throughout both of the books, the authors demonstrate that we need to share our feelings with family members to relieve our burden and stop this unnecessary anger.
This same idea can be applied in the daily lives of people in the 21st century. As the world continues to become very fast paced, we realise that we become increasingly stressed. We have to be aware of this tipping point for ourselves, and make sure that we do not pass it. What is critical to realise is that we all have different points where everything becomes too much. We must be aware of ourselves and our own limits, in turn maximising happiness and reducing anger.
On the contrary, some argue that expressing feelings with others creates greater dependability. Although we do sometimes become dependent on others, what critics fail to realise is that by talking about our feelings with others, we also strengthen a bond between people. Our friends and family feel entrusted with information that makes us vulnerable, and have a responsibility to help. This strong connection with people close to us outweighs the small amount of dependability that we may feel when talking to others.
Through these two award winning novels, sharing feelings is a proven way to cope with stress, however you may find other effective solutions. Remember that we are all unique people with unique needs, and maybe sharing feelings with others does not help as much. Other strategies may be writing down feelings and playing sports.
When describing Sylvie’s mother in “Blue Gold”, Elizabeth Stewart shows that unnecessary anger is the result of not sharing feelings with family. To give context, the mother lives with high amounts of stress, due to the loss of her husband. She finds herself trying to manage her household, with 4 children, and lives in fear of a war happening nearby. Stewart describes her hair as “sprung in clumps all over her head, as chaotic as the brain inside.” The conclusion can be drawn that the mother is trying to cope with the pressures of her life. The constant worries have translated into chaos in her head, which is not beneficial to her wellbeing. This large amount of anxiety translates into her being “only half with the children”, as Sylvie describes her.
Consequently, this high amount of stress then transforms into misdirected anger with family. This was evident when Sylvie suggests that they move to Canada, which has been a hope of hers for years. After innocently asking her mother, the mother cried out in response saying, “Who will help me with the children, unh?” She also “[struck] Sylvie hard across the cheek.” Some people may interpret this to be a result of Sylvie’s unique suggestion to move to Canada. On the contrary, it clearly seems that the mother is trying to cope, Stewart describing her as “Tears of ... helplessness rolled down her cheeks,” just before the slap. These pieces of evidence are significant because they illustrate the misdirected anger caused by the mother’s struggle to cope with her problems. The mother is helpless, and without knowing it, becomes overly irate. Having raised Sylvie from birth, the mother obviously has high amounts of love for her children. However, these high amounts of stress resulted in unintentional anger towards Sylvie.
Later on, Stewart shows the reader how it is essential to share our feelings and emotions with others, to prevent this anger. On a day after dinner with her family, the mother suddenly starts to cry, her “Thin shoulders heaving deep waves of pain … all of the pain of the last five years.” This crying then leads to a hug between the family members. Stewart describes the mother, “stiffen, then gradually relax.” Sylvie also thinks, “Talking about it makes it better.” These pieces of description show that when talking with her family, the mother is able to lean on others for support, and become the person that she usually is. The misdirected anger can be detrimental to relationships between family members and does not lift a burden from the mother. By expressing her feelings with others, Sylvie’s mother has lower amounts of stress and less anger when trying to cope with the stresses of her life.
A similar variation of the idea is evident in the “Help”, by Kathryn Stockett. Similar to Blue Gold, Stockett describes a heavily burdened character. However, Stockett deepens the understanding of the theme by describing a tipping point, a point when the anger becomes too much. Minny, a character in the “Help”, has many stressors in her life. She is a full time nanny, and the mother of 3 children. The frequent occurrence of problems is illustrated when Minny’s problems are described as, “Kindra and her mouth, Benny and his asthma, my husband Leroy coming home drunk 2 times a week.” Minny also thinks to herself, “When am I going to clean my own house? Wash my own kids’ clothes?” These snippets from “The Help” demonstrate that Minny has a lot to deal with in her life. These large strains on Minny may result in lack of mindfulness and attention to detail, which then can lead to a chain of more problems.
At first, Minny tries to cope with the demanding strains of her life by herself and with the help of God. Stewart describes her as “praying to the Lord and the devil” to try and cope with her pain. Like all of us, Minny tries to manage on her own.
Later on in the book, however, Minny is fired from her job, resulting in large amounts of anxiety for Minny. Unlike Sylvie’s mother, Minny is aware of how it is all too much for her to handle. She comments to her children, “Mama need to be with somebody not pulling on her for five minutes.” Instead of trying to deal with it herself, Minny realises that she has become overly stressed, reached this tipping point, and she needs someone to talk to. When going over to Aibileen, her friend’s house, Minny shares her feelings about losing her job. Aibileen comforts her, calmly telling her, “I’m sorry, honey … So what if she takes a nip or two to get through the day? Go talk to her Monday.” These words from a friend can comfort Minny, and make her realise that everything will be fine in the end. The gesture of Aibileen helping her shines light on a different perspective to her problem, one that she may have not considered before. This evokes calm, as opposed to the anger that comes from not sharing feelings. Minny talking to Aibileen shows that family does not have to be the only people we talk to. This contrasts to Blue Gold, where Sylvie’s mother talks with her family.
When describing Minny, Stockett illustrates to the reader when this tipping point is, and how it is essential for someone to relieve their stress before this crucial moment. In Blue Gold, the idea can be applied - Sylvie’s mother passed this critical moment, and this resulted in anger. She had so much chaos in her head, and stress on her shoulders, that she had to express her feelings. Although there is a difference in the way the characters act - the message is still the same. Throughout both of the books, the authors demonstrate that we need to share our feelings with family members to relieve our burden and stop this unnecessary anger.
This same idea can be applied in the daily lives of people in the 21st century. As the world continues to become very fast paced, we realise that we become increasingly stressed. We have to be aware of this tipping point for ourselves, and make sure that we do not pass it. What is critical to realise is that we all have different points where everything becomes too much. We must be aware of ourselves and our own limits, in turn maximising happiness and reducing anger.
On the contrary, some argue that expressing feelings with others creates greater dependability. Although we do sometimes become dependent on others, what critics fail to realise is that by talking about our feelings with others, we also strengthen a bond between people. Our friends and family feel entrusted with information that makes us vulnerable, and have a responsibility to help. This strong connection with people close to us outweighs the small amount of dependability that we may feel when talking to others.
Through these two award winning novels, sharing feelings is a proven way to cope with stress, however you may find other effective solutions. Remember that we are all unique people with unique needs, and maybe sharing feelings with others does not help as much. Other strategies may be writing down feelings and playing sports.
The Importance Of Acceptance
Both Elizabeth Stewart’s ‘Blue Gold’ and Gordon Korman’s ‘Ungifted’ feature a similar concept of trying to fit in as in both books, the main characters are constantly trying to integrate themselves within groups and wanting to be accepted. For instance, in “Blue Gold,” each of the girls want to be part of something bigger, such as Lai Ping, who attempts to distinguish herself from other village workers. Similarly, in “Ungifted,” both Donovan and the academy children attempt to immerse themselves into their respective groups. This evokes the idea of how acceptance is important and the lengths people can go to in order to be accepted.
At the beginning of the book, Lai Ping is shown to be a girl who came from a village seeking a job at a factory to earn money for her ill father. After arriving at the factory, Lai Ping is introduced to Kai, who informs her about the things she needed to know about the factory. Although slightly suspicious, Lai Ping attempted to strike a conversation with Kai before he was chased away by the guards. After the incident, Lai Ping is called a “Stupid hick,” by an older girl, which she realises that standing out was dangerous. Subsequently, Lai Ping became more cautious as she tried to stay in line despite her monotonous work. Some might argue that this was a result of Lai ping being scared of losing her job, but evidence suggests that she became much less daring following the events of Kai’s first appearance. Following this, in Ungifted, Donovan is cautious when interacting with the students of Hardcastle as he fears them denoting him as an outcast.
Further into the book, after being discriminated by her schoolmates, Fiona is seen to be constantly trying to move past her photo incident and restore her former image. Some might argue that this was an attempt of desperation as she became more aggressive towards those who were concerned for her. But evidence points towards her wanting to be accepted again, which is seen further in the book, where Fiona uses people with similar stories such as Lai Ping and Sylvie to get her peers to move past the situation with sympathy. Similarly, Donovan wants his peers to understand that he is gifted in regions other than academically, in an attempt to distract them, he uses different techniques to make them forget about him being different.
Fitting into groups is important for people as being shunned as an outcast for being known as different can really have an impact on people, making them feel isolated and unwanted. Blue Gold and Ungifted address these problems and depict how certain people react to these situations, as well as show how their ideas develop and change throughout.
The Weight Of Regret
Everyone has something they are guilty about. Whether it’s taking some loose change from the coffee table without asking your parents, or not giving in your homework on time. Any of these circumstances can happen to anyone, if it is a toddler, teenager, or even a parent. All these emotions of guilt, wrongfulness, etc can make any small memory unforgettable. In both Khaled Hosseini’s book, ‘The Kite Runner’ and Hasmukh Amathalal’s poem, ‘I Regret It’ there is an individual feeling ashamed of their past and their wrongdoings. In Hosseini's ‘The Kite Runner,’ the individual, Amir, is represented as a much stronger figure compared to Hassan, his servant. Hassan constantly looked up to Amir because he was literate and could write amazing stories, whereas Hassan couldn’t. As Amir matures he tries to get past his mistakes and make up for his regrets. His regrets being how he treated Hassan, and how he normally took whereas Hassan often gave for him. In Amathalal’s ‘I Regret It,’ the individual is a commoner who tries to be forgiven by “HIM.” The “HIM” being God in this context. A precept we can take away is that everyone needs to be forgiven for something, no matter who they are and the aftermath can be varied.
Initially in ‘I Regret It’ Amathalal recounts how “[he] should have acted wise but did not follow” and describes how “inwardly [he] felt something had gone wrong,” as most people guilty of doing something they weren’t meant to can relate to. The sense of achievement soon fades away when you realise the negative impact you’ve created on others and “no one is able to see your guilt.” Furthermore in ‘The Kite Runner’ Hosseini describes how Amir doesn’t follow his morals and does the wrong thing by framing someone else for a theft he committed. “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it,” says Amir as he had completed the first step, “in what [he] hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies.” Furthermore even though Amir succeeded in his plan, when he saw Hassan and Ali’s “red, puffed-up eyes” he “flinched, like [he’d] been slapped.” Additionally he questioned how he’d “become capable of causing this kind of pain.” Whenever someone commits a crime or a theft, etc, they know would have a negative impact on another individual, they suddenly start regretting the decisions they made and may start accusing themselves as Amir did by calling himself a “liar, a cheat or a thief.” Both texts help display how after anyone executes something against their morals, they tend to feel unsatisfied and disappointed in themselves.
On the other hand Hosseini describes how “ [Amir] [has] been peeking into that deserted alley for twenty-six years,” the alley that “changed everything.” Showing us that although Amir had tried to move on from his past, he would constantly go back and relive every moment. Some may argue that time heals all and is the only way to progress without anything holding you back. While this may be true Hosseini argues that “the past claws it’s way out.” Amathalal also believes the same by saying “it will constantly hurt me and bite” displaying that the guilt you thought would never affect you again, will remotely haunt you for the rest of your life throughout whatever you do. Amathalal further explores this idea and concludes that the “past may influence.” This is evident in ‘The Kite Runner’ because the reason Amir went to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, was because he realised “[he] had to do it, for Hassan” showing that although it had been twenty-six years, to repent his regrets he had to do what was necessary to help him forgive himself. All in all, both texts symbolise how throughout your lifetime you will try to redeem yourself, whether it is five years later or thirty, the past will always comes back around and to get rid of it you have to right your wrongs.
Amathalal expresses an idea of how an “immediate redress may relieve the worry,” showing that instant remedies may help rectify your past mistakes. In ‘The Kite Runner,’ while Hassan was get assaulted by Assef and his gang members, Amir “ran” showing his cowardice behaviour. On top of that Amir acted oblivious towards what had just happened to Hassan by questioning him. He was asking things like “Where were you?”, although he knew the answer to that, and defending himself by exclaiming “I looked for you!” Moreover after they reached back home Amir “buried [his] face in the warmth of [Baba’s] chest” displaying his vulnerability and showing his need for sympathy after what had just happened. Amir also states “ I [he] forgot what I’d [he’d] done. And that was good” This further amplifies the fact that he couldn’t begin to believe what he just saw and felt penitent towards it. Because of this he felt that forgetting about it would be the easy way out. Additionally in Amathalal’s ‘I Regret It,’ Amathalal says “no more guilt to fear but cheers and joy” explaining how an easy fix can often lead to people being happy and feeling free as they are now not worried about the consequences that may have been present otherwise. With all things considered, often times people don’t know how to express their guilt so they will help cover it up with instant resolution which definitely isn’t long term. These instant resolutions often times help people feel reassured because they think that the issue has been fixed. These actions are taken by everyone, even if you are said to be the bigger person.
Whilst both texts deal with the aftermath of guilt, Hasmukh Amathalal’s ‘I Regret It’ and Khaled Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner’ are also different because one deals with God and one deals with a companionship, respectively. In ‘The Kite Runner,’ Amir is often described as the person Hassan looks up to whereas in ‘I Regret It’ the commoner, being the narrator, is definitely at a lower status than who he wants to be forgiven by, which is God. Although there is a difference, the way the issue is dealt with is very similar. The aftermath completely depends on the situation too, whether you try coming up with a short term solution or just forgetting about what happened. While some may argue that guilt is relative and people handle it differently, both the texts show that the way most handle the feeling of wrongfulness is similar, concluding that everyone needs to be forgiven for something, no matter who they are and the aftermath can be varied.
Initially in ‘I Regret It’ Amathalal recounts how “[he] should have acted wise but did not follow” and describes how “inwardly [he] felt something had gone wrong,” as most people guilty of doing something they weren’t meant to can relate to. The sense of achievement soon fades away when you realise the negative impact you’ve created on others and “no one is able to see your guilt.” Furthermore in ‘The Kite Runner’ Hosseini describes how Amir doesn’t follow his morals and does the wrong thing by framing someone else for a theft he committed. “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it,” says Amir as he had completed the first step, “in what [he] hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies.” Furthermore even though Amir succeeded in his plan, when he saw Hassan and Ali’s “red, puffed-up eyes” he “flinched, like [he’d] been slapped.” Additionally he questioned how he’d “become capable of causing this kind of pain.” Whenever someone commits a crime or a theft, etc, they know would have a negative impact on another individual, they suddenly start regretting the decisions they made and may start accusing themselves as Amir did by calling himself a “liar, a cheat or a thief.” Both texts help display how after anyone executes something against their morals, they tend to feel unsatisfied and disappointed in themselves.
On the other hand Hosseini describes how “ [Amir] [has] been peeking into that deserted alley for twenty-six years,” the alley that “changed everything.” Showing us that although Amir had tried to move on from his past, he would constantly go back and relive every moment. Some may argue that time heals all and is the only way to progress without anything holding you back. While this may be true Hosseini argues that “the past claws it’s way out.” Amathalal also believes the same by saying “it will constantly hurt me and bite” displaying that the guilt you thought would never affect you again, will remotely haunt you for the rest of your life throughout whatever you do. Amathalal further explores this idea and concludes that the “past may influence.” This is evident in ‘The Kite Runner’ because the reason Amir went to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, was because he realised “[he] had to do it, for Hassan” showing that although it had been twenty-six years, to repent his regrets he had to do what was necessary to help him forgive himself. All in all, both texts symbolise how throughout your lifetime you will try to redeem yourself, whether it is five years later or thirty, the past will always comes back around and to get rid of it you have to right your wrongs.
Amathalal expresses an idea of how an “immediate redress may relieve the worry,” showing that instant remedies may help rectify your past mistakes. In ‘The Kite Runner,’ while Hassan was get assaulted by Assef and his gang members, Amir “ran” showing his cowardice behaviour. On top of that Amir acted oblivious towards what had just happened to Hassan by questioning him. He was asking things like “Where were you?”, although he knew the answer to that, and defending himself by exclaiming “I looked for you!” Moreover after they reached back home Amir “buried [his] face in the warmth of [Baba’s] chest” displaying his vulnerability and showing his need for sympathy after what had just happened. Amir also states “ I [he] forgot what I’d [he’d] done. And that was good” This further amplifies the fact that he couldn’t begin to believe what he just saw and felt penitent towards it. Because of this he felt that forgetting about it would be the easy way out. Additionally in Amathalal’s ‘I Regret It,’ Amathalal says “no more guilt to fear but cheers and joy” explaining how an easy fix can often lead to people being happy and feeling free as they are now not worried about the consequences that may have been present otherwise. With all things considered, often times people don’t know how to express their guilt so they will help cover it up with instant resolution which definitely isn’t long term. These instant resolutions often times help people feel reassured because they think that the issue has been fixed. These actions are taken by everyone, even if you are said to be the bigger person.
Whilst both texts deal with the aftermath of guilt, Hasmukh Amathalal’s ‘I Regret It’ and Khaled Hosseini’s ‘The Kite Runner’ are also different because one deals with God and one deals with a companionship, respectively. In ‘The Kite Runner,’ Amir is often described as the person Hassan looks up to whereas in ‘I Regret It’ the commoner, being the narrator, is definitely at a lower status than who he wants to be forgiven by, which is God. Although there is a difference, the way the issue is dealt with is very similar. The aftermath completely depends on the situation too, whether you try coming up with a short term solution or just forgetting about what happened. While some may argue that guilt is relative and people handle it differently, both the texts show that the way most handle the feeling of wrongfulness is similar, concluding that everyone needs to be forgiven for something, no matter who they are and the aftermath can be varied.
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