Good Grief?

As Marcel Proust once said, "Happiness is beneficial for the body, but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind." Death is an ever present occurrence in our daily lives. Whether it's a neighbor, friend, friend of a friend, or a relative, the loss of a loved one takes a toll on us physically and mentally. Grief is a funny thing; some people are openly emotional and sad and others contain it. Albert Camus's novel, The Stranger, focuses on an emotionally unsound protagonist living in France. The death of his Maman required him to leave his work and home to attend a funeral and viewing. The residents of the assisted living center mourned the loss of his Maman and stayed through the night near the casket grieving, something that Meursault thought was pointless. While parading to his Maman's gravesite he focuses only on the heat, while Maman's dear friend Monsieur Perez fought with all his might to keep up with the procession, frustrated and sad. Meursault's lack of emotion in situations such as these and indifference towards death represent certain characteristics present in our society today. About two weeks ago, my nana passed away at the age of 93 years old. I was very upset, as she had been a significant part of my life since I was small. The week leading up to the funeral, I didn't think about her a lot, which made me feel horrible. I cried very little during the viewing and funeral until the very end. I felt guilty for showing so little emotion, almost feeling like it showed that I didn't care. I realized later that I acted this way because I wanted to remain strong for my younger siblings, especially my little sister. I was more accepting of her death because of her old age and her long, successful life. Whether someone is showing emotion or keeping it bottled up, or even some lack of sadness are all natural reactions to death and loss. I believe that every person can react differently to death. Granted, some humans are not as unnatural as Meursault, who kills someone because he's hot (although Meursault realizes emotions like happiness and hate are good things so he isn't all that bad). Some of my family didn't even seem sad, and some couldn't stop crying. Emotion doesn't have to be physical to be felt, because everyone grieves in their own way. Meursault enjoyed his Maman's prescience and wasn't bothered by her passing. No matter how we grieve, we should also honor and celebrate the impact the departed have had on our lives.

Marriage: Love or Law?

“As long as women face violence and discrimination, our efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve equality, and advance human rights and democracy will not succeed.” Michelle Bachelet perfectly portrays the issues of gender equality in our world. Countries are still practicing slavery, and many areas are not encouraging gender equality, even in today's rapidly changing society. The United States, thankfully, is among the few whose citizens are working hard to promote the equal treating of men and women. As hard as we work, jeers are still made, women are still being put down, in subtle ways that feed the slowly dying fire. Women are trying to make a difference, though they still have a long way to go. In Khaled Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Laila and Mariam both live in a world where their gender is discriminated against. Mariam is forced into marriage, a relationship where she must do as she is told or be beaten for any instance of acting out. Mariam had no choice but to say yes to this marriage, as she was immensely pressured by her father and his wives. She must wear a burka in public because her husband wants no other man to look upon her. When she tried to escape the wrath of her husband with Laila and Aziza, they were almost immediately stopped and apprehended by men for their boldness, a horrible punishment resulting in their frantic attempt for a better life. Mariam was forced to make the decision of killing Rasheed, knowing full well that she would have to die, because of how wretched and twisted the society was, no one would look over her case and defend her, because she was a woman. I would be interested to see a trial in which a man murdered his wife. Young girls are forced into marriage still to this day. I recently watched a video of a bride being forcefully lifted form a car into her husband's house, the result of almost half of arranged marriages, according to Mirror Online. There are reports of violent injuries and deaths associated with arranged marriages. How do we live in a world where these horrible things occur, and no one has the decency to do something more to make this nonexistent? The fact that a child can be married at the ages of seven and eight to a man that could be their father baffles me. When I was eight, I thought boys had cooties. You don't realize how messed up other countries are until you compare them to the life you live in a place like America. How many more deaths must happen, how many children will become married to old men before these horrible occurrences will be dealt with? Tradition should be reviewed if someone's religion thinks it is okay for a grown man to beat and molest young children just because they signed a document.

A Thousand Mediocre Suns

War. When two opposing cultures butt heads and kill each other over clashing ideas. Cultural relativism explores the idea of experiencing a differing culture before making biased assumptions about it. In James Rachels' essay, The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, Rachels pursues the theory and rejects it, stating that all cultures differ, though they all have some beliefs that link them together.

I believe that the novel Things Fall Apart, by Ochinwa Achebe, portrays a powerful example of two races disputing due to cultural differences. This book offers up a look into a warring battle between the white Cristian population and the African Igbo tribe. The Christians believed in worshipping one God and strive to convert the Igbo people to their religion. Though the Igbo people had strange beliefs, such as discarding twin children or fearing snakes, both strived for the same goal: to banish the evil things in the world to please their God(s). Had they carried out the cultural relativism theory, things would have not fallen apart. The two sides could have seen the similarities between them and come together peacefully.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." How often do we hear that? This phrase is what comes to mind when I think of cultural relativism and its impact on our society. Just because a book is tattered and dog-eared doesn't mean it isn't full of exciting and wonderful stories. Same goes for a culture. Though you might hear certain stereotypes and biased views upon a certain way of life, nothing should be assumed unless you've gotten a good look at the way the group functions and lives. It is so wrong to stay immersed in the opinions of others rather than using your own judgement through experience. Our generation lives in technology and absorbs information through social media. Our perspectives change as the media fills our head with biased opinions.   How I wish for a world where all of the people in it understood one another and lived together in unison.

All's Fair in Cultural Relativism and War...

how would you feel if someone rejected you just because of what you believe in? What if they rejected you with no valid reason, but with only assumptions made by our culture and never got to know the real you? Cultural Relativism explores the idea of experiencing a differing culture before making biased assumptions about it. In James Rachels' essay, The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, Rachels pursues the theory and rejects it, stating that all cultures differ, though they all have some beliefs that link them together. 

I believe that the novel Things Fall Apart, by Ochinwa Achebe, portrays a powerful example of two races disputing due to cultural differences. This book offers up a look into a warring battle between the white Cristian population and the African Igbo tribe. The Christians believed in worshipping one God and strive to convert the Igbo people to their religion. Though the Igbo people had strange beliefs, such as discarding twin children or fearing snakes, both strived for the same goal: to banish the evil things in the world to please their God(s). Had they carried out the cultural relativism theory, things would have not fallen apart. The two sides could have seen the similarities between them and come together peacefully. 

"Don't judge a book by its cover." How often do we hear that? This phrase is what comes to mind when I think of Cultural Relativism and its impact on our society. Just because a book is tattered and dog-eared doesn't mean it isn't full of exciting and wonderful stories. Same goes for a culture. Though you might hear certain stereotypes and biased views upon a certain way of life, nothing should be assumed unless you've gotten a good look at the way the group functions and lives. It is so wrong to stay immersed in the opinions of others rather than using your own judgement through experience. Our generation lives in technology and absorbs information through social media. Our perspectives change as the media fills our head with biased opinions. How I wish for a world where all of the people in it understood one another and lived together in unison.

If You Had The Chance...

Fate is a large part of our society, questioned and thought about in every culture. Some religions believe in reincarnation, while some look forward to heaven. Some people believe fate to be set in stone and unchangeable. Others think fate can be changed depending on the paths taken. A disney movie, Brave, explores the concept of fate, outlining the adventures of a young girl who tries to stop the arranged marraige her parents push upon her. Although the conclusion to this tale is happy, the story reminds me of Oedipus. Oedipus hears of his terrible prophecy and does all that he can to change it, much like the heroine in Brave. Brave portrays a more positive spin on fate, showing young girls that they have free will and enforcing family values. I feel as if the movie shows the audience that you can do whatever you think is best and shouldn't look to anyone else. Both Oedipus and the main character in Brave appeal to me because they seem to do what I would do. I wouldn't want to believe that I would marry one parent and murder the other, or be forced to marry someone I don't love, and I would do all that I could to stop it. Both portrayals of destiny and fate seem to be cliché and sugar-coated, with predictable outcomes. I believe that fate cannot be changed for the most part. For example, I know that every living thing is born and will die, and it is what we do in the moments in between that define who we are. As a Catholic Christian, I believe that God has a specific plan for me and it cannot be changed. I think fate is like building a building. The frame of it will remain unchanged, but the building itself can be any color, and can be formed out of any material. The walls could be changed form pink to green on a whim. Certain events in our lives are bound to happen, but how we reach those events is what could change.

Beowulf or Grendel?

Beowulf is your basic hero story, involving a buff dude with a cool superpower who goes on adventures to vanquish demons and monsters. The first monster he vanquishes is this super ugly, horrible monster named Grendel, who, according to the book, had terrorized the clan for years for no apparent reason, killing a bunch of men in the night. Readers would most definitely root for Beowulf and cheer when Grendel gets killed. But then the short story "Grendel" appears. It makes you feel like crap. Reading the same adventure tale through Grendel's eyes and seeing and hearing and feeling things like Grendel gives you a whole new perspective and teaches you never to judge a book by it's cover. These events remind me of the perception of celebrities through media. Jennifer Lawrence, the quirky, lovable actress made recently popular through movies, had a bit of a downfall. A photo of Jennifer, posted at a time when she was very new in the industry, was critiqued by a news website, mocking her curvy figure. Jennifer was astonished at the amount of photoshop and editing done to her photograph and wanted it to be unedited. Society saw her as nothing more than a "fat" celebrity. But over time, Jennifer became a role model for young girls, and the media realized how fun, outgoing and substantial she was, a total opposite of the negative take the media had on her in the beginning. Personally, I enjoyed the story "Grendel" more than I enjoyed Beowulf. I loved how we got to know how things happened through  the antagonists eyes, and see them become the protagonist of their own story. Comparing the two stories, I think it teaches a great moral, one that we hear all the time: never judge a book by its cover. Every person has their own story, and we should give them a chance before judging them. In every Grendel, there could be a Beowulf.

Racism in Society

In fourth grade, my teacher taught us all about Martin Luther King, Jr. when MLK Day rolled around. I remember being so fascinated and loved hearing of this man who fought with words against white people. I was totally unaware of how serious the issue was, because I was only ten, and barely grasped the concept of hatred toward skin color. After all, there were several black children in my class and I was friends with them. Later I was at a swimming pool and saw a black family nearby. I informed my mother, rather loudly, that white people hated black people years ago, remembering what we had been taught. When she hushed me in the pool and told me I wasn't allowed to say stuff like that around other people, I think that was when I really understood how much racism affected our society. In two of our summer reading books, The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay, and The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, racism is a huge issue presented. We look at both settings, one taking place in Africa, and another in a  populated city. Though vastly different, the two places greatly reflect racism. For example, we look at a jail in Africa, full of Prisoners of War and jail guards. Reading about the way the guards treat the African prisoners and the brutality the individuals must endure will send shivers down one's spine because of the descriptive imagery present in these scenes. On the opposite side of the spectrum, The Invisible Man establishes itself in the busy city of New York. We witness the narrators everlasting struggle of whether or not he should listen to advice he received from his grandfather about bending towards the will of the white man, which was an accurate portrayal of how much a black person struggled with identity when racism was so strong. Unfortunately, even though racism is technically illegal, it is still greatly present in our society today. The media has had several cases in which race is argued, such as the Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown cases. People are so worked up about race currently and I feel like it is always an excuse for the violence that happens. The stereotypes of a race should never define who a person is and every individual should be able to receive the same advantages and opportunities and wonderful things that life has to offer, without worrying about another person just because of a skin tone.