smART The Return of the Native

Home on the Heath

Thomas Hardy wrote the novel The Return of the Native that not only characterizes the people in the story, but also the Heath in which the story takes place. Throughout the novel, the rough stretch of land plays a crucial role in defining the attitudes of the characters as well as the culture and assisting critical events within the plot. The characters may think of themselves and the heath in a civilized manner, but the heath and characters each portray a wild side -connecting the two ideas. 

Damon Wildeve and Eustacia Vye are drowned during a storm that took place in the heath, and Mrs. Yeobright died of exposure due to the condition of the heath. 

Along with the literal effects of the heath, it is understated that the characters are each somewhat defined by their homeland because of the decisions that are concluded because of their attatchment to Egdon Heath. 

Clym Yeobright was attatched to the heath and wanted to pursue his dreams by building a school and helping others in Egdon Heath because it was his home. Eustacia on the other hand despised the heath and wanted nothing more than to become successful elsewhere because she felt it was holding her back. 

I really suggest reading The Return of the Native because of the critical thinking it inspires, and the topics I have discussed are few of multiple thinking points. 

smART India needs to take care of their problems

Enough is Enough

The Asian Centre for Human Rights reported that child rape cases increased from 2,113 cases in 2001 to 7,112 in 2011 in India. Not only has the rate gone up, but police officers have been known to bribe the victims to keep their assault a secret. Since December they have attempted to strengthen the laws against this rape, but why has it taken so long? An article on CNN portrayed that, "On a given week, sexual violence appears daily in the national newspapers:

a 16-year-old allegedly raped by her father, 

a landlord convicted of raping a tenant, 

a rickshaw-puller caught raping his 10-year-old daughter, 

a 19-year-old boy raping a 12-year-old mentally disabled girl, 

a 25-year-old raping his cousin, 

and a man throwing acid on his wife's private parts."

If the crime in this area has been skyrocketing -and bribed to remain hidden by enforcement- since 2001 they should have been taking care of this problem a lot sooner than in December. 

Their attempts to decrease the rape issue were introduced by the president and include the death penalty for repeat offenders, along with imprisonment for acid attacks, human trafficking and stalking. The "stricter law" also punishes public servants, such as a police officer, who "knowingly disobeys" the laws required for an investigation. Along with these apparently stern laws, an agreement has been made to expand the amount of women working for the police department. 

I personally don't think that these laws are strict enough to protect what has been happening to the victims in India. Obviously there is a deeper problem within the public that needs to be solved so that the citizens in India are acquired with morals that keep them from taking part in such tragic experiences. After all, enough is enough. 

smART Margaret Thatcher

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead

Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to become the Prime Minister for Britain and recently died at the age of 87 because of a stroke. For some people her death was a loss while others participated in a celebration of her death -dedicating the song from the Wizard of Oz to her passing.  

A vast majority of the citizens in Britain thought that Margaret Thatcher created policies leading toward inequality  and  blamed her for polarizing the country. Because of this hatred they wanted nothing more than to publicize the song Ding Dong the Witch is Dead over the radio. 

Nigel Farage, the head of the right-wing libertarian party, UK Independence argues, "Much as I hate it, I think that if you ban a record, you make a huge, huge mistake. If you suppress things, then you make them popular. So play the bloody thing. If you ban it, it will be number one for weeks."

Subsiding the fact that Thatchers family is still in a great deal of mourning, if the BBC radio decides to ban the song it will be a longer mourning period for them to deal with because of the outburst it will cause. Thatchers supporter Toby young stated, "Make no mistake, if the BBC does ban  Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, those of us who believe in the principles Margaret Thatcher stood for will be the losers in the long run."

smART Notre Dame de Paris

Hunchback's All Around

Victor Hugo wrote about several characters that portray the idea of entrapment and otherness throughout the novel, Notre Dame de Paris. Quasimodo exemplified entrapment when Frollo and him attacked La Esmeralda. Frollo ran off leaving Quasimodo confused and set up for consequences and humiliation. Since he was deaf and ugly -otherness that caused people to hate him for no reason- he was trapped and forced to do what Frollo ordered because Quasimodo was oblivious to any information Frollo (his master) didn't teach him.

In a sense, Frollo dealt with entrapment because of the beauty of La Esmeralda and wouldn't have committed such crimes and black magic if he weren't so struck in awe by her appearance.

Quasimodo also depicted entrapment when he killed and harmed the vagabonds at the time La Esmeralda was in sanctuary. He committed these particular crimes only to protect the woman he loved, and dealt with emotional and physical entrapment.

Another situation displaying otherness and entrapment took place between La Esmeralda and the character, Gringoire. He was an unsuccessful philosopher and play-writer who was nearly sentenced to death, but was saved by La Esmeralda after she agreed to marry him for 4 years. Ironically, later on in the novel Pierre Gringoire joined the vagabonds and Frollo against La Esmeralda.

The character of Sister Gudule also displays a sense of otherness with the situation between her and La Esmeralda. Gudule despised gypsy's for the longest time because she was under the impression that her daughter was stolen and eaten by gypsy's. At the end of the novel when La Esmeralda was left with Gudule because Frollo thought nobody could hate La Esmeralda as much as her, the girls discovered that they were mother and daughter -creating a perfect twist to the novel.

smART An Ideal Husband

Old Script, New Favorite Movie

An Ideal Husband begins by introducing a well respected Victorian couple, Sir Robert and Lady Gertrude Chiltern. Even though the couple portrays success and happiness and is known for the highest principles, conflict is introduced by a character with the name of Mrs. Cheveley.

Sir Robert has been hiding a secret from not only the socialites, but his wife too. Mrs Cheveley -knowing his secret- decides to blackmail Sir Robert and demands an investment from him to keep her from telling others about how he became rich by selling state secrets as a young man. It is undetermined whether Mrs. Cheveley is blackmailing him because of the desire for money, or the fact that her and Lady Gertrude have always despised one another -and destroying Sir Robert will destroy Lady Gertrude in Mrs. Cheveley's favor.

Sir Robert is stuck between protecting his reputation and protecting his relationship. If he doesn't pay Mrs. Cheveley his secret will be revealed, but if he pays her Lady Gertrude will no longer continue their lives as a couple.

Lord Goring -a friend of the Chilterns- attempts to help the situation only to discover that he is now accused by Sir Robert for being a part of the blackmail with Mrs. Cheveley. In the midst of trying to manipulate Mrs. Cheveley, Lord Goring forgets about an event he had planned with Sir Roberts sister, Mabel, turning each character against him even though he was acting out of a selfless mannerism.

Sir Robert gave a speech to his fellow politicians without knowing that the evidence leading to his blackmail has been destroyed (thanks to Lord Goring). The speech was successful to his favor and he was offered a promotion by Lord Goring's father. Sir Robert denied the opportunity in order to maintain the relationship he has with Lady Gertrude and she decided to allow him to make the choices in which he is happy because she knows how much he loves her.

After Sir Robert and Lady Gertrude have reconciled, Sir Robert finally gives permission for Lord Goring to marry his sister Mabel. Once the truth was revealed -about the assistance Lord Goring contributed to the success of the Chilterns- it was only appropriate that Sir Robert gave his permission for the two to be wed.

Oscar Wilde created a scandalous plot that reveals an inspiring story taking place in London during the Victorian age. The actors in the film fulfilled a fantastic performance that keeps the audience entertained even though the script was written over a hundred years ago.

smART 17 Girls

Their Own Rebellion

Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin wrote and directed a foreign film titled 17 Girls which depicted a sensation of teenage rebellion, and is based off of true life events that happened in Gloucester, England. A town that shared strong catholic beliefs and for the teenagers that meant no birth control. The movie started by introducing the character of a beautiful young lady, Camille, who accidentally got pregnant and somehow rallied a group of 16 other girls in her high school to do the same. All of these model-like teenagers were not contemplating the consequences of their decision, but instead taking control of their own bodies -creating something they can call their own.

After Camille got pregnant, her group of girl friends got together and thought, hey! We should all get pregnant so we can move out of our parents house and be free of rules! We could all live together! So the group of girls went out, got drunk, had sex, and all managed to get pregnant at the same time. Soon, girls outside of Camille's friends began to follow the trend which led to 17 high school girls getting knocked up. The rebellion went beyond pregnancy -the girls continued to party, get plastered, and smoked what seemed to be more than just cigarettes. They were taking control of their bodies by doing everything their parents didn't want them to be doing.

Although most of the parents were unaware of the drinking and smoking -they still had a meeting about the outburst of pregnancy within the high school. At the meeting there were three different options brought to the table: expel Camille, suspend the pregnant teenagers, or add condom dispensers to the bathrooms. In my opinion the results of this meeting meant that the girls have won their battle -the parents and faculty truly had no answer to their mischief.

At the end of the film Camille was drinking and driving and unfortunately got into a car accident. The leader of the pack lost what they had all fought for and had a miscarriage. Shortly after the accident Camille and her mother fled the town and never came back. I found this twist at the end ironic for three reasons: Camille was the initial reason for the group of girls rebelling. She lost the one thing she could call her own. The other 16 girls were left behind raising their rebellion.

smART Tao Te Ching

The Way Has No Way

The Tao Te Ching is a series of poems referring to The Way of Taoism. By analyzing the poetry readers can learn the ideology of Taoism while exercising ones critical thinking skills. I personally enjoy this process of dissecting the meanings behind the Tao Te Ching because it gave me an insight into their ideology. There are a total of 81–each acquiring various characteristics of The Way. I will demonstrate how to go about the analytical process with the chapters Accept and Knowing.

Accept

Harmony is only in following the way.

The way is without form or quality,

But expresses all forms and qualities;

The Way is hidden and implicate,

But expresses all of nature;

The Way is unchanging,

But expresses all motion.

Beneath sensation and memory

The Way is the source of all the world.

How can I understand the source of the world?

By accepting.

This particular chapter begins by implying that an individual may only find their inner peace –harmony –by following The Way and uses one extreme to get to the other which is a common idea in Taoism. “The way is without form or quality, But expresses all forms and qualities,” referring to the idea that it is impossible to know the way because it is impossible to describe the way; therefore, the way cannot be taught.  “The way is unchanging, but expresses all motion,” once again uses one extreme to reach the other emphasizing the importance of balance in Taoism and connects with the way of the river. There is no telling where the water will go, all that we know for sure is that it is part of a cycle. Finally, the poem is concluded with the line, “How can I understand the source of the world? By accepting.” This is the Taoists belief of going with the flow of life, and accepting ones’ own way because each individual has their own path in life, and the only way to conquer that way is by accepting.

Knowing

Without taking a step outdoors

You know the whole world;

Without taking a peep out the window

You know the color of the sky.

The more you experience,

The less you know.

The sage wanders without knowing,

Sees without looking,

Accomplishes without acting.

This chapter also uses one extreme to get to the other throughout the entire poem and proves how balance is prominent in Taoism. The title Knowing is also an extreme contradiction not only to the poem, but Taoism in general because the idea that it is impossible to know the way is an important part of the Taoists belief system. The line “Without taking a peep out the window you know the color of the sky,” refers to nature as predictable which is once again contradictory and using one extreme to reach the other because nature is by no means consistently predictable. “The sage wanders without knowing,” meaning he lives by the way but cannot describe or teach the way to others because they must find their own way. “The more you experience, the less you know,” gave me the idea that the way of Taoism is limitless and the wisdom/knowledge is limitless as well; therefore, if one continues to increase their education and think they are highly educated they could be wrong by ignoring the important intelligence –being the way. The way cannot be taught through study, one must find their own way.

smART Aurora Floyd

Surreal Reading

The story of Aurora Floyd is a mysterious yet gratifying tale written by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. It begins by describing the courtship and marriage of Archibald Floyd and Eliza Prodder. From their love comes a baby, Aurora, Braddon’s heroine. After her mother dies in childbirth, Aurora becomes a spoiled child. Her father wants nothing but to give his daughter anything she could ever want, and his considerable wealth as a banker allowed him to do so. At this point Aurora commits the act that begins the plot of the book. Each chapter hints at more mystery, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon had me biting my nails while trying to figure it out.

I especially enjoy how M.E. Braddon always kept me guessing. The voice she used in her writing style is quite interesting for she emphasizes detail and wrote as if she were speaking.  Sometimes she would go off on random tangents that seem to delve into the human psyche, posing personal and philosophical questions. Even at the end of the novel, the reader is left questioning the validity of the story and where Braddon’s true inspiration came from.  “But as my story is a true one – not only true in a general sense, but strictly true as to the leading facts which I am about to relate.”

Braddon was inside the mind of every character and through that mode of writing, she was able to make the reader connect with each character. It was different to be able to understand the thought processes of both of Aurora’s suitors. Talbot was noble and just, to a fault, “Talbot Bulstrode complained that everybody respected him, and nobody loved him. “ John was generous and loved Aurora, even when that love threatened his entire life. “John Mellish was content to be beloved, and never questioned the quality of the affection bestowed upon him. “

The most enjoyable part of the book for me was the visual descriptions. As an artist, when an author can paint a picture in my mind, it makes the plot and personalities of the characters easier to relate to. For instance when Braddon wrote “The wide casement of windows were open, but the day was hot and oppressive – oppressively still and sunny; the landscape sweltering under a yellow haze, as if the very atmosphere had been opaque with melted gold. Even the roses in the garden seemed to feel the influence of the blazing summer sky, dropping their heavy heads like human sufferers from headache.” By giving life to inanimate things, Braddon brings surrealism to the novel -my favorite genre- so in a sense I was reading in my favorite style of art. 

Overall, Mary Elizabeth Braddon created a story that is agreeable to all the senses. It was exciting as well as tragic, and never caused boredom. 

smART Icarus Girl

Reveal Yourself TillyTilly

Icarus Girl was a difficult novel to engage in right away, but the reading becomes more exciting as the story progresses. I encourage others to read this book because of the questions it may uplift about the variation of cultures and ideologies. I personally appreciated the open denouement of the novel, for it allowed my thoughts to create more than one ending. The mysteries along the way were intriguing clues to interpret one’s personal ending to Icarus Girl.

Icarus Girl takes you through the adventure of a troubled 8 year old girl –no ordinary child- named Jessamy. Not only does she have an English father and Nigerian mother, but she establishes a relationship with –what seems to be a girl her age- TillyTilly that haunts Jess with family secrets. The content of this novel causes the reader to question whether the situations are material, spiritual, supernatural, or psychological –while touching base with multicultural identity, personal identity, and ideology. The main idea I have been contemplating was the relationship between Jess and TillyTilly, and whether Tilly was a spirit or if Jess had a psychological illness.

TillyTilly was so fascinating to Jess because of her seemingly nomadic lifestyle. She mysteriously lived in a building that belonged to Jess’s grandfather –the Boys Quarters- and was able to do things that mesmerized Jessamy. Jess insisted on telling her parents about Tilly, but TillyTIlly immediately snapped at that idea. Tilly shouted, “You can’t tell anyone about me, Jessy! Can’t you tell that I’m not supposed to be there?”  (66) Little did Jess know that Tilly wasn’t referring to the Boys Quarters, but be in this quote was italicized because Tilly wasn’t supposed to be at all.

In the first half of the novel I was under the impression that TillyTIlly was a figment of Jess’s imagination –schizophrenia seemed plausible because Jess was the only one interacting with Tilly. That theory is questionable because of the realistic events that take place between Jess and Tilly such as breaking into an amusement park, physically disappearing and entering another dimension in front of her babysitter, and invisibly breaking into a class mate’s home. These mysterious happenings lead up to Tilly switching bodies –dimensions, with Jess against her will. After finishing Icarus Girl I personally conclude Tilly’s character as a spirit haunting Jessamy rather than her acquiring a psychological illness. If Jess was schizophrenic she wouldn’t have been able to invisibly enter a class mate’s home to learn her enemy’s deepest secret.  She also wouldn’t have been able to learn about her twin that died before birth.

It was another night in which Jess felt unsafe and lied in the darkness attempting to sleep. She heard a baby crying and tried to calm the infant when shortly after Tilly appeared beside Jess and took the baby. After the baby disappeared Jessamy was worried and curious about where the baby went. It was then when Tilly not only revealed that the infant was dead, but also that the baby was Jess’s sister who died before birth –Fern was her name. If Jess were schizophrenic, how would she have known that her twin never had the chance to live? This question was also brought to the attention of her parents as they wondered how Jess could have learned their past secret.

                “She knows about her. I don’t know how she knows. She’s like a witch; she doesn’t even look right … Her eyes–“

                “Look, Jess couldn’t possibly know.”

                “Shut up! You don’t know, Daniel! They know! THEY ALWAYS KNOW! Twins…they always…Oh my God she’s like a witch.”

                “Sarah, no. Look, I’ll explain to her, I’ll talk to her…”

                Sarah began rambling, her voice trembling.

                “Three worlds! Jess lives in three worlds. She lives in this world, and she lives in the spirit world, and she lives in the Bush. She’s abiku, she always would have known! The spirits tell her things. Fern tells her things. We should’ve…we should’ve d-d-done ibeji carving for her! We should’ve…oh, oh…Mama! Mummy-mi, help me…” (180-181)

Ibeji literally means twin in the Yoruban language. These ibeji carvings are generally one foot tall and carved with detail out of wood in the form of the twin as an adult. The family creates the statue to house the soul of the twin who has passed to reassure themselves that the twin is okay. According to the Yoruban culture twins share one soul; therefore, if one dies there is a disturbing imbalance within the soul of the living twin. The ibeji statue is what rebalances the soul of the twin, regaining a part of them that was lost. After learning this information about the Yoruban culture it was apparent that TillyTilly was a bad spirit interfering with Jess and her twin, Fern. Jess was introduced to her three worlds because of the spirit of TillyTilly, and I was under the impression that she did not meet her twin until the end of the novel. At the end of the novel –after an ibeji statue was created for Fern- Jess was stuck in a different dimension as Tilly took over her body. Fern encouraged Jessamy to not be afraid. Jess’s fear transferred to TillyTilly and they switched bodies/spirits once again. It was at that moment, “Jessamy Harrison woke up and up and up.” (334)

smART Introduction

Hello Cyber world,

My name is Samantha, I am a junior at Silver Lake College where I am pursuing a degree in Art with an English Minor. My ambition is to use this blog to help express my thoughts, ideas, and personal opinions about the two literature classes I am currently enrolled in. Generally I use my creativity for visual pieces so this will be an exciting new way to express my critical thinking skills.

  With this new blogging experience I hope to reveal a similar tone that is portrayed in my previous writings, but with further analysis. We have recently discussed the differences between open and conclusive denouement, in which the author either finishes the novel with concrete answers or abstract ideas. I am realizing that I appreciate both forms of literature and wonder whether my reading responses will correlate one or the other depending on what type of novel I am analyzing.

In the duration of my blogging experience I will accept any suggestions and be open minded to the constructive criticism to those who partake in reading my blogging page. Thank you for your time!