Blog Reflection

Over the course of this year, I think I have become a much better writer due to blogging. Reflecting on books repetitively and with mostly the same guidelines helped me really develop my writing organization. I also got into the habit of the posts and was able to do them with more ease and use my synthesis page to develop it further. I also feel very accomplished because of the list of almost every book I read from school being in one place. 

I do think that writing online is different than writing in a notebook because I feel like it needs to be formal since it can and will be accessed more often. I also follow requirements in stricter ways and put more effort into it than I would a notebook. However, the downside to that is that I get distracted more easily- in a notebook, I would sit down and write the entire thing quickly to get it over with, in one sitting. However online, I take breaks to do other things and don’t focus as well. 

The fact that my writing is published online doesn't make a difference in my subject matter because of the security and precautions it has.Because the blog is for school, I project aspects of myself I would want my teachers and peers to see in a school setting, and if it wasn't for school, I would project different aspects of myself. However, I do take into account that it is online and can be viewed. I also think that people often view what they write online as very removed from what they would say face to face with someone. Social networking and other media often are interpreted as completely anonymous and open to any and all commentary, like whatever happens online is only online and never spoken of again, which is completely untrue. This can hurt people and just give more personal information than I think is necessary and creates entirely different relationships than there would be without social media. I think that these blogs are very different than the rest of social media because of the specific due dates and regulations, nothing gets out of hand and it all stays organized and easy to use. 

I think I may continue to add books to my list, but although the posts taught me a lot and improved my writing, they would feel kind of pointless to continue. However, if I was to continue this blog it would most likely be a more relaxed and un-objective view of the books I read. 

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (philosophical view)

In The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, through the five young girls' suicides, the complexity of depression and the hardships of growing up are conveyed. The story is told through the lens of the neighborhood boys, in love with the Lisbon sisters. Eugenides not only covers the ethics of suicide, but also those of parenting, depression, freedom, and cultural influence. However, the main question I asked when reading the book was why the idea of suicide is so disturbing and tragic.

What makes the suicides of the Lisbon girls so incredibly tragic is their age, their innocence, and their purity- at least this seems to be implied by the author. Eugenides barely lets the reader empathize with the sisters before killing them off, underlining their lost potential through death. However, although the innocence through youth is apparent, I don't see how the girls have very much other lack of experience. This brings me to question what innocence is. Is virginity a form of innocence? If so, then Lux isn't innocent and the tragedy of her death is reduced. Can you still be innocent once you have receded into depression or insanity? If you can't, and all five girls were depressed, they weren't innocent either. After Cecelia, the youngest and first to kill herself, attempts suicide, in my opinion all of her sisters become less innocent, having experienced such immense grief. 

But the suicides are still tragic in my mind, even though I don't think the girls were pure. So is it suicide in itself that makes the deaths devastating? The thought of inflicting harm on your own body, against most instincts? Successful suicides could be carried out because living your life gives less satisfaction than ending it.  And if happiness for someone would mean not living, who am I to oppose suicide, or any other form of self harm which is also a form of pleasure? But the idea of suicide and self harm still seems perverse in my mind.

I knew a woman who killed herself, using the same method as two of the Lisbon girls, sleeping pills. Her husband, daughter, and son were the ones primarily affected. Suicide was an incredibly selfish act on her part, however relieving her actions were. As fictional and removed the story feels compared to this, death is jarring and irreversible and the action of inflicting permanent damage is clearly negative. But I feel like all of a sudden self harm has been popularized- particularly among teens. Even though The Virgin Suicides isn't immediately up to date, and it won't be getting any more recent as time passes, it will always be apparent; as well as an extraordinary story.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

In this story of five troubled girls' demise, the author, Jeffrey Eugenides portrays the suicides in a negative light while still being not completely partial. Cecelia is the first to kill herself, and from where I am in the book, she's also the most recent suicide. The reader is not allowed to get to know Cecelia very well, and Eugenides only slightly develops her character once she's dead. I at first thought that Cecelia could be the reason why her sisters kill themselves, because they are notably more depressed after her death, but the entire book is questioning why the girls would commit suicide- all of them, including Cecilia- and why anyone is driven to end their own life.

The boys, the narrators themselves, ask this very question without the assumption of depression; "Even if Cecelia's suicide led to copycatting, that still didn't explain why Cecelia had killed herself in the first place," I think that Cecelia's suicide had something to do with her parents. I definitely don't agree with Mr. and Mrs. Lisbons' parenting approach of keeping the girls locked up all the time. Lux's rebellious behavior is proof that the extreme approach- extreme Catholicism, extreme "protection." Although the narrator does describe Mr. Lisbon as slightly more relaxed than Mrs. Lisbon, I don't think that it really counts unless he acts on his opinion, because if he really worries for the girls' mentality, he would make sure that they were alright. Also, as the girls take their suicides in turn, one by one, I would expect their parents to take Cecelia's successful second attempt, if not her failed first one as the possibility that their children might be unstable. However, I agree with the narrator's overall tone of the Lisbons' strictness not being the full reason the girls commit suicide.

"The Lisbon girls" are viewed as a group constantly- this seems to refer to the dead Lisbon sisters every time the girls are mentioned. The girls are also very frankly described. From, "giving of the odor of a fully matured women," to Cecelia's "rough elbows" and "two prongs of her hips," the girls would appear to be undesirable- yet they are obviously desirable to the boys, and are described very bluntly as stunningly gorgeous. This would add to the reality of the story, but is instead slightly off-putting to me, as is the entire story.

Overall, this documentary of the short life of five teenage girls and commentary on suicide conveys its meaning uncannily perfectly. The morbid story is very multifaceted and, even the witnesses of the five tragedies still can’t decide why the girls would take their own lives.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

In the book, "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore," Robin Sloan discusses the theme of whether or not technology's modern advancement in our culture is moving too fast. Overall, the answer appears to be no, today's technology is practical.

One way Sloan clarifies her opinion is by elucidating her main and secondary characters' opinions. Clay, the main character is a website designer by training, although he occupies the job of librarian at Mr. Penumbra's shop for the duration of the story. Clay and Mr. Penumbra work hard to incorporate technology into the chain of cult book shops, after Clay proves that technology is beneficial by organizing the bookstore on a digital model. While Clay bands together with a few other tech savvy friends, the theme of whether our culture is revolutionizing too fast becomes more and more apparent.

Then, the theme of technological evolution becomes even stronger when the characters are faced with the dictatorship of Cordova, who is obsessed as the rest of his society with continuing tradition and paper books in order to live forever. This contrasts with Kat's philosophy of using science and Google in order to live forever. Kat, Clay's girlfriend, is the opposite of Mr. Penumbra, and both are huge inspirations of Clay's. Kat is a modern, outgoing and frank, witty, young girl who aspires to gain power at her job, the Google corporation. This contrast of Penumbra and Kat increases the symbolism of the question; is there a way for the new and the old to operate together, or must one be eliminated?

The answer to this question proves to be that the two can successfully collaborate, assuming that Penumbra and Kat are accurate symbols of the old, tradition, and the new, technology. Clay works hard to find the perfect balance between the old and the new. He tries to save the wilting cult with technology. I am currently at this point in the book, and haven’t yet discovered whether either the books or Google end up prolonging human life. Personally, I think that if technology and tradition can work together well, it could lead to amazing discoveries. However, I also believe that if they don’t collaborate well, technology should be the first to be reduced- before books, at least.

"Make Them Fit, Please" Non fiction critical analysis

In this article by Laren Stover, a new motive for surgery is described- women pay to have their feet transformed so that they can fit into designer shoes. Surgeons state many different reasons why women come to their clinics, from large bunions and needing to wear a certain pair of shoes for a modeling job to asking for toe liposuction in order to obtain a certain aesthetic. Stover writes, “Perish all thought of Dr. Scholl’s or Birkenstocks in these waiting rooms. Dr. Oliver Zong, founder of NYC Footcare and self-proclaimed “originator of the foot face-lift and toe tuck,” routinely corrects such conditions as High Heel Foot…”  This is a perfect example of how the author structured the article, stating one doctor and then giving examples of their offered surgeries and a few patients’ motives. Stover also began with a broad statement and narrowed it down into more and more specific examples to prove the main message of her article, a common news article technique. By organizing the article so particularly, the author makes her information easily obtained by the reader.

The author wants the reader to view designer foot surgery as absurd and pointless. She portrays this view to the reader by using a slightly sarcastic tone over the whole article. From beginning to end, the article hints at the ludicrousness of the idea. The opening paragraph even begins with a negative view on the surgery, “he thought it seemed a little vain for women to ask for surgery because their feet hurt wearing fashionable shoes,” writes Stover concerning a surgeon’s view on the designer surgery.

Stover also includes quotes to exhibit the vanities and insecurities of the plastic surgery clients. She writes, “The craziest request she’s received? “Once a patient came in asking for toe liposuction,” Dr. Levine said incredulously. And Dr. Zong said he had a patient ask to have a pinkie toe removed to fit into her shoes. Neither request was granted.” These quotes show how preposterous the surgery offered is.

Overall, even without a stance, it is my belief that the facts and very idea of this article could sway a reader’s opinion on surgery. I think that any type of plastic surgery is unethical and should not be supported, and that even negatively advertising “designer shoe surgery” should be minimized, because even that could bring out the vanity and insecurities of a viewer. I was stunned to discover the extent to which our culture damages a woman's body image- right down to her toes!
New York Times Article, "Make Them Fit, Please" by Laren Stover

Romeo and Juliet literary essay

In the play, Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, and edited by Barbara A. Mowett and Paul Werstine, Shakespeare portrays Romeo and Juliet as persevering characters; through their young love- despite a family feud, Romeo and Juliet are both perceived by readers as tenacious and strong. That is, until their tragic and melodramatic death at the end of the play. However, within context, Juliet is seen as the stronger of the two.

Juliet perseveres even when there appears to be no way to evade a problem, while Romeo always finds the least challenging way to handle a problem. One example of this is when Juliet stands up to her parents. Juliet tells her father, “Not proud you have, but thankful that you have./ Proud can I never be of what I hate,/ but thankful even for hate that is meant love.” (3.5.151).  This shows that despite Juliet’s constant protection- by her nurse and her parents- she is able to confront her father. On the other hand, Romeo grew up with much more freedom than Juliet, in an even less nurturing environment. Romeo is strong because he chooses banishment over suicide, when those are the only two options he lets himself view. However, Juliet also forces herself to make the same decision. When she is trying to evade her marriage, and sees the only option to be suicide, she chooses a sleeping potion over death. Juliet says, “Love give me strength, and strength shall help afford.” (4.1.127). This quote shows that although love is the reason that Juliet wants to die, it is also the reason that she wants to continue living.

Juliet is also stronger than Romeo because she isn’t as reckless as him. Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin in an impulsive revenge, and later regrets it. When he realizes what he has done he says, “O, I am fortune’s fool!” (3.1.142), showing that Romeo is not only reckless and regrets murdering Tybalt, but also that he is not strong enough to hold responsibility for the murder and blames it on fate. As much as this situation shows Romeo’s recklessness, Juliet’s thought out decision to still love Romeo after he killed her cousin shows focus and carefulness. She says, “My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain,/ and Tybalt’s dead, that would have slain my husband.” (3.2.115). Juliet not only makes a well thought out decision here, but also when planning her fake death with the friar, she again plans out a careful idea.

Although Juliet proves to be slightly stronger than Romeo, Romeo kills Tybalt for what he perceives to be justice. However, Romeo lives to regret his actions, relating again to the quote, “O, I am fortune’s fool!” (3.1.142). Romeo also shows strength and determination when he shows his commitment and loyalty to Juliet by visiting her even after he has been banished. However, Romeo himself admits the problem with his plan; “I must be gone and live, or stay and die.” (3.5.11). This shows that even Romeo’s commitment and love for Juliet are tinted by his recklessness.

Overall, Romeo and Juliet, as melodramatic characters do end up taking their own lives, despite their admirable strength. Shakespeare spins many themes and ideas into his play, and strength and power can be related to all of them in some way. The themes in Romeo and Juliet are all portrayed through the characters, and both Romeo and Juliet are well developed characters, who make their story one still told.

“Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney,” by Ron Suskind

In the New York Times article, “Reaching My Autistic Son Through Disney,” by Ron Suskind, a father explains his moving experience with his son’s autism. Although I have read a few books about boys struggling with this disorder, the interesting perspective of a father trying to find a way to communicate with his “lost” son is an enlightening view point.

The central idea of the text is that however irreversible and detaching autism seems, there will always be a way to reach your child. The father describes first “losing” his son to autism and how for the first three years of his life, Owen showed no signs of autism, speaking regularly and with normal social habits for a toddler. When Owen was around three, he stopped speaking and his family was devastated that they could “no longer reach him.” 

     A few years later, Suskind and his family were watching a movie and Owen spoke- although not in his own words, he could articulate. This was one of the hopeful anecdotes Suskind used to convey his positive message that there will always be a way for a parent to reach their child.

     However positive the message is towards the reader, Suskind does use personal, emotion provoking anecdotes. As Suskind follows Owen through his life, marking memorable biographic moments with an anecdote, the reader falls into sync with Suskind’s empathy towards Owen- as well as a hunger for even more communication than what is happening then. When Owen speaks for the first time after a year, Suskind waits for a sentence. Even when Owen can carry out a conversation with the assistance of borrowed Disney movies’ lines, Suskind is waiting for an original thought or feeling to emerge. An extremely emotion provoking anecdote was when Owen is freely conversing with his father about how he is a “sidekick,” someone who “breathes life into the hero,” and is satisfied with always being second best.

     I think that both Owen and his father are very inspiring people because of their perseverance and hope. This perspective differs from other authors’ stories on autism because it is less focused on the child’s traits- their social disabilities and stereotypical IQ- but more focused on the family’s journey to the next checkpoint in the child’s slow but sure advancement. Suskind places a realistic view on his experience with autism, and how although it was toilsome, he broke through to his son.