The Universal Dream

            Saturday night, I was watching The Internship when I realized that Nick was quoting Harlem, by Langston Hughes, when he quit his job as a mattress salesman to take a risk and join his friend, Billy, for an internship interview at Google. Nick reasons, “…because I don’t know ‘what happens to dream a deferred. Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or does it explode?’ I don’t want to find out,” quits, and leaves for the interview. Billy and Nick beat the odds regardless of their less-than-stellar educational background and are accepted into the internship program due to their unique views of life. Once in the program, however, they are outcasts, and just like African Americans in The Raisin in the Sun they are singled out, segregated from the rest of the interns, cast off into the group of rejects, and continuously bullied by the “superior group” of interns.

Billy, Nick, and their group of outcasts encounter enormous difficulties; however, their teamwork and bonding allowed them to overcome all the challenges and win jobs at Google. In the beginning, Billy says, “Aren’t you tired of asking for just enough to get by? I want to do something that matters. I want to have a life that I’m excited about and that’s great… Nick we have our future waiting.” This dream of achieving more and creating a better future is universal; it is shared by the Younger family and still lives on in today’s generation, too. It motivates even those whom everyone believes destined to failure and insubordination to persevere and never give up on their dreams. With the strength of their family and their dreams, perhaps the Youngers, too, will overcome all odds and create a better future.

Take your own advice, Fitzgerald.

It is said that Fitzgerald’s short stories and novels are based off of his own life. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby and Nick are representations of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Daisy is Zelda. Daisy is portrayed as a corrupt, careless girl fixated on wealth and extravagance, even “her voice is full of money” (Fitzgerald 120). She has been Gatsby’s dream since the day they met. He was a soldier and she was the Southern belle, but she would not marry him until he became rich and famous. So Gatsby set off to earn Daisy’s love at any cost, becoming corrupt and materialistic in the process.

Fitzgerald must have been extremely insightful in order to recognize all of the problems in his life and admit it, too; however, he must have also been corrupt, just like the characters in his novels, in order to continue living with it. He criticizes society’s thirst for wealth and the immorality that resulted, but he himself participated in this as well. Zelda was his dream, and, like Gatsby, Fitzgerald strove to attain wealth in order to achieve this dream. He satirizes the silliness of drunken men, but he, too, was a drunken man. He criticizes Daisy and Tom’s need to cheat on each other and shows both affairs ending in death. He even foresees that the moral decay will be punished. But even though Fitzgerald saw and understood the rampant corruption of the 1920s at a time when others were merely reveling in it, he did not attempt to separate himself from it either.

Thanksgiving and Gatsby

Happy belated Thanksgiving!! I hope everyone had lots of fun shopping during Black Friday, too. :) There were so many parties this week and so much food (and still more to come)! Personally, none of the parties I attended reached Gatsby-like proportions. There wasn’t quite as much dancing or other (unmentionable) festivities either, but the amount of food prepared and consumed just might be able to compete with that of Mr. Gatsby’s fabulous bashes… And hurrah for me for I was actually invited by the wonderful hosts and didn’t just show up, in which case I probably would have been thrown out. I had lots of fun catching up with old friends and meeting new people as well. Thanksgiving has to be the best holiday ever, second only to Christmas of course.  

I wonder how the Buchanans and their society would like Black Friday. Would they think, “Yay shopping, spending, and extravagance!” Or would they frown and scorn our frenzied rush for deals thinking, “We can afford all of that, at double the original price. So we would much rather stay in our lavish homes away from you nasty, lowly masses.” Either way Black Friday was quite fun even though I by no means reached the extravagant standards of Daisy and her world. I do get the feeling that Daisy and Jordan would enjoy the south side of Somerset mall though. Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving and last few days of break!

Lies

We have all been lied to countless times in our lives. Many of these lies are meant to protect us. Many others were simply told out of convenience, tricky topics adults maneuver around and save to discuss at later dates. Others are simply told out of malice, to protect secrets or spread rumors. Adults will argue that most of these fibs are told for our own good and that they are “white lies,” harmless and perhaps even beneficial. However, no matter the intent, one should always avoid dishonesty. Unless, of course, its one of those questions a three-year-old asks like, “How is a baby made?”

The history teacher in Billy Collins’ poem is foolish and misguided. He claims he is trying to protect innocence; however, this innocence he is trying to protect exists in himself, not his students. Furthermore, it is not innocence either; it is ignorance and an inability to face harsh realities. His “protection” obscures important truths that the students, and he, will eventually have to face anyway.

We are taught more of the truth in school as we progress through the grades. We begin by learning “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.” Later, we learn he is an Italian explorer employed by Spain. However, we continue to think of him as a wonderful man; we never learn about all the crimes he committed and the murders he conducted (he actually died disgraced by King Ferdinand). In other words, we merely begin to uncover the lies we were originally told. This will, unfortunately, continue throughout our lives, but, hopefully, we discover the truth when it's important and put it to good use and impart the truth whenever possible. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il5hwpdJMcg

Always Important

The rules of punctuation remain important even through changing times due to their abilities of preserving order and ensuring correct interpretation of text.

Punctuation can be extremely powerful, delivering an author’s message clearly and effectively, and adding style to literature. As Lewis Thomas says, each “mark seem(s) to carry (its) own subtle meaning.” A period is a forceful stop; a dash is a momentary diversion in subject (Source D). These marks all serve a particular purpose in writing—to create order. Without these “vital tools,” writing would be incomprehensible and “(appear) to the reader as a wild torrent” (Source E). Confusion is bound to ensue without the structure and rules of punctuation (Source B). Punctuation can change an author’s message drastically as well. The lack of just one Oxford comma can change JFK and Stalin from esteemed world leaders into exotic dancers. Likewise, the substitution of a colon for a comma could anger many feminists (Source F). As Hitchings says, “Rules for grammar and punctuation are vital for clear, effective and consistent communication” (Source A). In order to convey the intended message, one must be careful when using punctuation and follow the rules prescribed.

Marked

We are all marked. We are marked in the clothes that we wear, the words that we speak, the actions that we commit. But according to Deborah Tannen, men have the luxury of being able to choose to be unmarked and therefore escape the judgment that accompanies labels. Unfortunately, “There is No Unmarked Woman.”

Tannen points out the double standard that women face and how unfair this is. She says being marked is a distraction; people will focus more on the markings (like clothing, surnames, and titles) than the accomplishments and messages a marked person is trying to deliver. Because of this, men (who have the ability to dress in an unmarked fashion and are always “mister”) are able to concentrate better on their jobs etc. In contrast, any clothing a woman wears can be judged falsely/negatively and also hinder their completion of tasks at hand.

This bias that women face has been present for an eternity, even though it goes against the biological standpoint, which places men as the marked sex. So why are women marked and can this be changed? Unfortunately, it is already deeply ingrained in society and would be extremely difficult to eradicate. However, women can work their markings to their benefit. Like Hester Prynne, people can positively change the way in which they are viewed and change society’s perception of their markings.