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. 

Adulterer to Able

            Hester Prynne was labeled as an adulterer. She was branded with a scarlet A to let everyone recognize her sins. The town and council marked her without knowing the complete truth; they did not even know the identity of her partner in crime. Though Hester did sin, perhaps she did not deserve a punishment this harsh, which would last for a lifetime.

            Hester worked hard to absolve herself of her guilt and pain. She could have ran away to where no one would know or recognize her or her crimes; however, she stayed and endured the shame, hoping to redeem herself. Hester was kind and caring. She made clothes for the poor, fed, and took care of them without any compensation but their scorn. Through her earnest efforts, she was eventually able to change others’ perception of her and the A changed from “adulterer” to “able.”

            Many people are labeled, often unfairly, taking into account only one specific trait while ignoring many other equally, if not more, important characteristics. The town identified Hester as an adulterer and perceived her as nothing more than her sins, disregarding her many other redeeming qualities. But Hester was able to show them her benevolence and slowly shed her former title, becoming “able” instead. By proving one’s strength of character, one can dissolve the social markers designated unto oneself.

This Blog was not YOLO-ed.

Every week I have trouble writing my blog posts. It has been a full five days of long, hard work: school, golf, work, clubs, studying, homework, eating etc. How can I be expected to remember what I’ve learned during the day?? After six classes each day, all the knowledge begins to mingle into incomprehensible mumbo-jumbo. I go home, finish my homework, immerse myself in some mindless television, shower, forget all about school, and sleep. The next morning I wake up, drag myself out of my warm, comfortable bed, and repeat the exact same schedule. It’s monotonous really. Maybe I should just YOLO and not blog… Ever… But then my grade would suffer. And it really can’t take anymore suffering… Even if I want to live life to the fullest, I can’t. Well, not without some serious consequences. I don’t think William Cullen Bryant mentioned any consequences in “Thanatopsis”…

I suppose the argument is that all my hard work will pay off in the future. Then I will be able to live my life to the fullest right? But then won’t I be working for a good 30-40 years? So unless work=YOLO… The point is, I can’t YOLO even if I want to YOLO. (Yes I just made YOLO a verb.) YOLO-ing would likely land me in jail, for theft, arson, you name it, and spending the remainder of my life in prison would NOT be very fun. So I guess my YOLO-ing must be limited to a smaller scale where there are limited consequences that I can endure without too much pain. And hey! Look! I finished my blog! YAY! I guess I didn’t need to YOLO this one. Or maybe Ms. Valentino can just try to understand our lives and be more open-minded about all the hard work we are already forced through like David Foster Wallace suggests…

(Dear Ms. Valentino,

If you are reading this, please don’t get mad at me. I didn’t YOLO this blog. And the David Foster Wallace comment was a joke. I think.)

Liberties and Equalities

            America has come a long way since when the Declaration of Independence and The Declaration of Sentiments were written. The United States is no longer a colony of Great Britain and women are now equals of men. However, do people really have all of their liberties and is everyone really equal?

            Questioning the true independence of American residents brings up the heated debate on the NSA and Edward Snowden. Was he protecting the American public by leaking information about government surveillance? Or was he wrong to do so? One could argue that the government was infringing upon citizens’ rights but the government only instilled these programs to protect the people from harmful activities, such as terrorism.

            People are still unequal as well and might always be. Women and men have been unequal and have held completely separate roles in society since the beginning of time. Though females can now vote and have many more rights, they still face many double standards, stereotypes, and biases. Really, people are born unequal; they have different levels of intellect, different physiques, different social statuses. Even in the way in which it is determined that people are unequal is biased, depending on which qualities a person values more.

            The rights listed in both declarations as “inalienable” are extremely idealistic. Though we can get close to attaining them, we will never be able to fully achieve them without violating another right, or someone else’s rights. 

Names

            I never really thought about what my name means. I never thought of a name as my entire reputation, complete with honesty, and integrity. I have always just thought of my name as a word people address me with. I didn’t think I had a choice in choosing my name; it was just something my parents chose for me at birth, something which can be changed on a whim. Names are not entirely unique to a person either. A Google search will discover millions of hits and most of these results (unless you are uber famous) will not even be you!

Reading The Crucible, however, opened me to John Proctor’s belief in the purity of names. The value he placed in preserving his name, even sacrificing his own life for it, brought a whole new meaning to “making a name for yourself.” Proctor determined his own name by his actions; he maintained its purity with his honesty. Even though a name isn’t exclusive, it still belongs solely to each individual, who as the ability to build a reputation upon it and to take it even further and transform it into a global brand or phenomena. So I guess names do have much more significance than how one is addressed. They reflect one’s character and live on for eternity. So take care and build it how you want to be viewed, once its lost, you will never be able to get it back. 

Don’t be the Mary Warren.

           While reading The Crucible, I scoffed at the gullibility of the court and town. The girls were obviously lying and only pretending to see spirits. The whole story was just too ridiculous to be true. But after some thought, I realized maybe I, too, would fall prey to the mass hysteria and fear. Maintaining honesty in the face of such powerful opposition would be extraordinarily difficult. If accused of witchcraft, pitted against God and the whole village, what would you do?

There are four kinds of people in this world. Some, like Abigail, are selfish and dishonest, but have powerful personalities, which make them leaders. Others, like the girls, are too weak to stand up for themselves and what is right; they are the followers. Then there are the protagonists, the moral and upright men like John Proctor.  Finally, there are the Mary Warrens, people who try to be honest and good but ultimately fail.

Everyone wants to be the John Proctor; however, truth is most people are not. Not everyone can be the hero. Nevertheless, aspire to be John Proctor. Stand up for what is right no matter the circumstances and never back down. When given the chance to make a difference and fight for truth, don’t be a coward; don’t be the Mary Warren.