actions speak louder than words

I really enjoyed our discussion in class on tuesday on the scene with Yolland and Maire. Have you ever heard that statistic claiming 95% of communication can be interpreted with out even speaking? (ex: body language, facial expressions, etc) I think this statistic applies to this situation because although neither of them could understand exactly each other perfectly, they still found a way to communicate.  I experienced this quite often while i was studying abroad in Italy last year since my italian wasn't fully perfected.  Its really amazing what people can do to figure each other out.  

..creative writing??

I decided to write my creative writing paper on Interpreter of Maladies. My twist to the story was brought about by adding in another character to the story. The new character is their unborn child.  I thought this would be a good addition because the baby has the potential to bring Sanjeev and Twinkle together, while also having the ability to pull them apart.  I decided this idea would be interesting because of the apparent tension between Sanjeev and Twinkle regarding their identities as Indians as well as Americans.  Sanjeev is obviously going to wish to raise their child in the traditional Indian way he was raised, starting off with a traditional Indian name for their child.  This power-struggle over the name is the main conflict in my story. 

Since i am a business major i haven't had a lot of experience with creative writing, so when i first heard about this assignment i felt a little weary.. Although, once i got started it wasn't as hard as i thought it would be.  Did you experience this as well? 

belief vs knowledge

"Belief
Makes things real
Makes things feel
Feel alright
Belief
Makes things true
Things like you
You and I"

These lyrics are from Gavin Degraw's song belief. I have probably heard this song over 100 times, but i never really thought hard about the lyrics. During our in-depth discussion in class regarding the differences between believe and knowledge i couldn't stop thinking about this song. Check it out, its a really beautiful song. According to his lyrics, he answers the question we were asking in class, which was "If you believe in something, do you know it to be true," when he says "belief makes things true." Do you agree with statement?

The rest of the lyrics are really interesting, if you want to check them out at :

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Belief-lyrics-Gavin-DeGraw/FE64A88F576525CE48256D7B00260C5F


If you want to listen to the song, here is the link to the youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_mD-deVTA&feature=related

what's in a name anyway?

After reading the first section of "Power" I was really interested in the significance of Omishto's name. Just as in Lucy, the name shows a form of identity. After some research, I learned my name means "crown." Does your name mean anything? How do you feel about your name? I have a good friend who is greek, her name was Victoria and she recently changed it to her greek name which is Vassi. She always felt she identified more with her greek name, and does not regret her decision in changing it whatsoever. Her parents stood behind her decision 100%. Would you change your name if you could? If so, what would you change it to...

opposites attract

As I was reading “Lucy,” I tried to think of situations in my life where I could relate to her experiences. One that I found especially interesting was Lucy’s relationship with Peggy. I pulled this situation out because I believe we can all say that we have each had a friend that our parents may not have been too keen on at some point in our lives. Peggy is viewed as the “exact opposite” of Lucy, as seen “ Peggy and I were not alike, either, but that is just what we liked about each other; what we didn't have in common were the things we approved of anyway” (61) This relationship is extremely relatable for me because I have had friends similar to Peggy where we have extremely different ways of life/morals but still are able to find a common ground. I believe these types of relationships are important because you can learn a lot from one another (good and bad), just as Lucy does with Peggy.

As a parent, do you think you would allow your son/daughter to hang out with a girl like Peggy? Would you hang out with Peggy even if you knew it would bother your parents?

"american-ness VS indian-ness"

The piece "Interpreter of Maladies" was probably my favorite reading we have had assigned so far this semester.  I liked this piece because it was so relatable- basically anyone can relate to this story in one way or another.  Everyone has their own heritage. I really enjoyed observing Twinkle's struggle between embracing her "indian-ness" and her "american-ness."  It had me asking myself "can a person be a true american while being a true indian at the same time?" It is a hard call- although I think with a certain amount of effort, the balance is possible.  I believe if Twinkle embraces both her Indian culture while still staying true to her "American-ness" she can find this balance.   Although, I think Sanjeev may have a harder time finding a balance such as this because of his negative attitude toward other cultures. 

America is such an interesting place because of the diversity between cultures.  I especially love meeting people with a strong sense of pride in their own heritage-  Do you embrace both your heritage while remaining true to your American-ness? Which do you feel closer to, why? 

The Other Veil

I attended the DSLC speech by Doctor Fozia S. Qazi. Doctor Qazi started the presentation by showing us various cropped pictures of Muslim women. She showed us their faces with out showing us the entire picture and asked us to guess what these women were doing. The first picture really got my attention to the common stereotypes that are present today of muslim women who wear the veil . At first, she only showed us the section of the picture that exposed the faces of three veiled muslim women who looked like they were experiencing some sort of hardship or struggle. When a Saint Mary's student near me whispered a possible answer to the the question of what they thought these muslim women might be doing in this picture their response was that they were doing some sort of "brutal labor, or carrying a heavy object". When they showed us the entire un-cropped picture, the three muslim women were in fact playing soccer. This instance was a perfect example of how some people believe that muslim women who are veiled may be oppressed in one way or another, and this speech was a perfect opportunity for Doctor Qazi to break down stereotypical barriers such as these.

As well as breaking down some stereotypes, Doctor Qazi expressed her ideas regarding the reasoning behind wearing a veil. She said that many Americans assume that because many muslim women wear the veil, they must be oppressed, but in fact, it seemed to be the opposite. She brought up the point that each culture has its own ideas of what is morally right and wrong. She stated what women want in one culture, may be different than what women want in another culture. Therefore, the removal of the veil may look like freedom to us as American women, but to them it may seem drastically different. This point was also emphasized when Doctor Qazi stated " It is not seen as a liberated body if you are exposed" regarding the removal of the veil. I learned from Doctor Qazi that the veil expresses an amount of modesty and protection for the Muslim women, along with providing them with a "separation from something negative that can come in between them and their spiritual god."

this blessed house

The piece"This Blessed House" by Jhumpa Lahiri was an enjoyable read. I thought the relationship between Twinkle and Sanjeev was really interesting- Sanjeev seems to want Twinkle to be something she clearly is not, and his expectations of her are constantly unsatisfied. Sanjeev's frustrations with Twinkle due of her fascination with the religious pieces found in the house are ongoing. It is also stated "He did not know if he loved her" on page 147, which implies Sanjeev's indecisiveness and insecurities regarding their relationship. I still cannot figure this relationship out, do you think they are compatible or doomed for failure?

role models

This morning I attended the DSLC speech on (en)lightened beautfy media (mis)representations of "ethnic beauty." In the beginning of the speech, the speaker began asking the audience about our own women role models. She asked us to think of women who are not actresses or artists whom we look up to as role models and we could only come up with three women. I thought this was really interesting because one would assume at an all womens college we would be able to come up with more than three. Although, the speaker said our outcome of three was not uncommon. She said the reasoning for this outcome was because the most of the women we look up to as role models are prized for their beauty, not for their accomplishments. What women do you look up to as role models? Is this theory consistent with your views?

how far would you go?

As we were viewing "O" on film yesterday, I began to think about what it means to be a friend. Emily and Desi are supposedly "best friends" although according to what I viewed yesterday it seems differently.  Emily goes behind Desi's back and steals the scarf O gave to her, which was given to him by his mother when she was ill. Emily is aware of the significance of the scarf, although she still steals it from Desi in order to get Mikes attention.  It is maddening to see Emily take part in Mikes schemes, although she proves she is willing to risk a lot for his attention at the expense of her loyalty to her so called best friend. 

This scene made me think a lot about how far people are willing to go to get something they want. Emily had a initial gut instinct that Mike was going to do harm with the scarf, although she still went through with it.  She doesn't even show any regret when she sees the fight between O and Desi take place in the dorm room, even after she sees how upset Desi is over the missing scarf. This idea can be applied to Mike as well, considering he is causing harm to everyone else because in order to get his fathers attention.  How far would you go for something you want? Do you think Mike or Emily's actions can be justified or relatable? 

film or text?

Today in class we viewed a clip based on the text Othello- we followed the viewing with a discussion of the pros and cons of film VS the actual text.  When I read a book and it comes out in a movie I usually dislike the movie because it is so different from what i imagined, although in this specific case, I really think i benefitted from seeing the film. It was really cool seeing the story put to action in a different way than i had imagined- I also thought the characters did a great job of expressing the emotion the scene. 

On a side note, SMC offered a free viewing of Twilight this past weekend, and i was super excited to go see it- although, after i saw it I was extremely disappointed - (with one exception: edward cullen) - I don't feel like the movie did the book justice at all. Although the characters seemed to be chosen well, i feel the story wasn't half as exciting on film as it was on paper.  I think this is interesting because I had the exact opposite reaction to Twilight on film than i did to Othello on film.  

What are your thoughts? Did you prefer the film over the text?

necessity of the villain

As I read Othello, I began to become very frustrated with the character Iago.  I couldn't understand why any of the characters couldn't see through his manipulative ways.  He somehow has the power to gain Othello's trust , which is a talent in itself.  Although it was my natural tendency to dislike Iago, I came to realization that this story would not have nearly as much substance with out his character.  Although Iago does not use his power for good, he still finds ways to control the other characters like puppets.  Do you think the story would be as interesting with out his character? Could stories (even movies) be interesting if they didn't involve a villain? So basically, although I dislike Iago's character, i have realized that Iago has to exist for the story to work. What are your thoughts? Do you agree? 

girl interrupted

The movie Girl Interrupted is not one of my favorites, although i was glad we watched it because i felt it related to the topics we were discussing in class and it helped me develop my understanding about the issues women were dealing with at the time (and still are dealing with today)-  The reason i said it is not one of my favorites is because i feel it has a dark mood, which is definitely inevitable considering the topics being covered- although whenever i watch it i always come out feeling saddened. Do you ever experience similar emotions when watching this movie? Anyway, despite the dark mood of the movie, i think it was beneficial to watch because it was very informative of how problems were viewed upon at the time.  (Susanna's mother did a great job portraying the embarrassment a parent may feel in fear of society's reaction to the situation) 

One of my favorite parts about Girl Interrupted was watching Susanna morph throughout the movie.  When she arrived at McLean Hosptial she viewed her fellow patients as FREAKS, although with time she began to accept them and love them, eventually characterizing herself as one of them.(OTHER PATIENTS -->FREAKS --> FRIENDS)  The scene where Toby was trying to convince her to flee to Canada was a great indication of her dedication to her new group of friends.  The bond she had with these girls was especially special because all of them were completely exposed to each other- which is something we do not see often.  

yellow wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper

While reading Gilman's piece I began to wonder about the relationship between the narrator and her husband John. Throughout the story, John (the doctor), discouraged the narrator to do anything besides lay in bed and REST.  He took it upon his own authority to cage her up in a room and wouldn't allow her to stimulate her mind whatsoever.  No wonder this lady went insane. 

We can see his discouraging attitude on page 370 when the narrator states " There comes john, i must put this away, - he hates to have me write a word." What kind of doctor actually believes that writing could affect her condition negatively?  

In a way, it makes me wonder if his actions of trying to supposedly heal her, were really actions trying to restrain her from expressing herself as more than just a housewife, but as an intellectual.  Would the doctor actually be threatened by the idea of his "little girl" becoming something more? I think so. 

Do you think this idea is still prevalent in today's society?  

ROOMZZZ

At the conclusion of Chapter 3, Woolf addresses the college women in her "audience," remarking that they have "got themselves to college and enjoy sitting rooms- or is it bed-sitting rooms-- of (their) own" (56).  As a women in college, what are your reactions to Woolf's ideas about the importance of having rooms to your own? What are your own relationships to your dorm rooms, bedrooms, or campus study rooms?

To be completely honest, I have never really thought a lot about the importance of having my own room before I read this book.  Growing up with only brothers, I was always given a room to my own.  It was until I came to SMC where I had the experience of sharing a room.  Sharing a room for the first time in my life was an awesome experience.  We both took our own inspirations and decorated the room to fit both of our personalities.  The room was a place for us to relax and escape from the busyness outside.  Visitors would flow in and out of our room, giving it excitement but also maintaining a sense of coziness.  

This year, I moved into a house, providing me with my own room once again.  My room is the one place in the house I have total control over.  I love the feeling I have when I enter my room, I have decorated it with my own art from previous years, as well as pictures of family and friends.  The natural lighting from the large window, and the soft colors on my bedspread provide me with a relaxed state of mind. I don't think I ever really appreciated having a room to my own enough before I had the experience of sharing my room with a roommate.  After analyzing Woolf's ideas regarding the importance of a room to your own, I realized that a room is a lot more special than I thought.  A room gives you the ability to explore and discover new ideas and thoughts with out the pressure of any outside forces surrounding you.  My room is the main place I am most entitled to think or do whatever I please.  How do you feel about your room? 

my writing is like a tornado 

i pick up ideas from all around me gathering them into a funnel-like windwhirl

my writing is like a tornado 

my thoughts have the tendency to twist and turn in different directions

my writing is like a tornado 

it could last up to five minutes, or five hours 

the end.