Everything That Rises Must Converge

In this story, Flannery O'Connor juxtaposes the narrow mindedness of bigots with the modernized world, and demonstrates the condescending aspect of the "white man's burden". Julian, a college educated man who never believes he will be a success, is asked by his shallow but caring mother to accompany her on a bus ride to a weight loss class. His mother needs an escort because the busses were recently integrated, and she fears running into a black man. 

The instant his mother gets on the bus, she engages in bunkum conversation with a woman about the "Negroes", and how unsafe she feels. Julian listens in disgust, looking down upon his mother and questioning her intelligence. He remarks on her "small mind", and how lucky he is that he has a more accurate picture of the world. His mother clearly believes that she is above people of another color, and chooses to feel sorry for them. When a black man comes onto a bus, a white woman switches seat and his mother looks on approvingly. Julian is embarassed by this tacit display of racism, and does not want to be associated with her. He contemplates getting off at the next stop and leaving his mother to walk alone to class, then figures he'll decide when he gets there. 

When a black woman and a little boy get on the bus, Julian hopes the woman will sit next to her. Instead, he is disappointed when the little boy sits there, because he knows his mother finds the children "cute." His mother plays with the child, then wants to offer him a nickel as he gets off. This is where Julians tone changes from sarcasticly mocking his mother to pleading with her, desperately begging her not to do it. She doesn't have a nickel on her, so she offers him a penny. 

The woman swings her purse at her, knocking his mother down. Julian is secretly pleased, hoping his mother learned her lesson about talking down to people. The reader will never know because his mother has a stroke. 

This story examines the conflicted relationship between a very common sort of racist and a tolerant man. The air of condescension in his mothers actions, even those towards Julian, do not have a malicious intent. However, they are the most harmful of all. 

Barn Burning

"Barn Burning" by William Faulkner is a short story that delves into the moral dilemna of Sarty Snope, a ten year old boy faced with conflicting loyalties between his psychologically controlling father and his preconceived notions of truth and justice. Abner Snope likes to burn barns, no, he has to burn barns in order to fill an undefined need and gain revenge on the rest of the world. The author chooses not to counter his malevolent nature with any redeeming qualities in order to keep him as the unquestioned villian. After every barn, Abner drags his family to another predetermined location, forcing them to start their lives over until he does it again. The story does not focus on Abner, however, but on his son and his feelings towards his fathers actions. 

The story starts in a courtroom, with Abner on trial for setting fire to the barn and Sarty crouching in the corner. Even though his heart lies with his father, his head takes over in this moment and he almost reveals his father's secret. While Abner was officially exculpated, he was unofficially told to get out of town and not to come back. Because of this impunity from any actual punishment, he once again is not held accountable for his actions and is effectively allowed to get away with it. 

After this, Sarty and his father have a conversation about the fact that Sarty was willing to tell the judge what Abner had done. His father slaps him, but cooly and without emotion, as if slapping a mule. He tells Sarty that, "You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain't going to have any blood to stick to you,"a quote that proves its meaning towards the end. This is when Sarty's true problem comes to light, his inner struggle between a convenient lie and the truth, between his blood and his sense of justice. Throughout the story, he alternates between obsequious obediance and short bursts of rebelliousness, too young and too conflicted to pick a side. What doesn't change, however, are his unmeasurable feelings of grief and despair that span the entire story. 

I would like to pause in my retelling of the story and discuss how this universal theme still applies today. When society and your family are at odds, there is no simple answer, no happy ending. Either way, the person is left barren and bereft, lacking something that they so badly need. The bonds between family members cannot even be described, and cannot be broken even with the most horrific of actions. We have been raised to protect our families; to care for them and keep them out of harms way no matter what the cost. So what do you do when you know your family is wrong, when you know that the you will either ostracize yourself or your family? I don't have an answer for this question.

Sarty and Abner pay a visit to Major de Spain, a wealthy man who Abner had signed up to work for for eight months. Abner purposely steps in horse manure, then proceeds to drag it along a one hundred dollar rug. After he is asked to clean it, he destroys the rug out of pure spite then refuses to pay for it. During this time, Sarty's loyalty rests with his father, a decision that I believed foreshadowed future events. However, even at ten years old, Sarty is able to make the distinction between ruining a rug and burning down a barn, and is willing to side with his father during a relatively minor offense. 

Abner makes the decision to burn down de Spain's barn, and he asks Sarty to get the oil. Sarty brings it, but then runs to warn de Spain that the destruction is imminent. Major de Spain shoots and kills Abner. 

Sarty runs away, horrified and devestated over what he has done. He sacrificed his blood for the truth, and now finds himself alone. The right decision came with horrific consequences, and morality only served to kill his father. The world is not black and white; bad things happen to good people every single day and there is no easy answer. Sarty did the 'right' thing, preventing a crime from being commited, but is now left to navigate the world on his own. Faulkner leaves the reader with the image of the sole moral character walking away. 

I Am Sam

About a month ago, I watched the movie I Am Sam in psych class. For those of you who have never seen it, I'll explain it briefly. Sam (played by Sean Penn) is a man with moderate mental retardation who has been diagnosed as having the intelligence of a seven year old. The problem comes when his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning), turns eight and surpasses him in maturity. After an incident at her eighth birthday party, Lucy is taken away from him and placed in a foster home and Sam has to fight the system to get her back. 

One of the most groundbreaking aspects of this movie is the accurate representation of Sam's disorder, and how the director resisted the urge to glamorize his character. It would have been very easy to leave Sam as a simple minded lilliputian, or to give him the same rare savant qualities as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. He does not have the forgetful resilience commonly associated with mental deficiences, but instead holds on to his love for his daughter and suffers greatly when she is taken away from him. Because of this, his plight arouses sympathy from all children and parents who cannot imagine being seperated. 

Even though most people are initially inclined to side with the justice system and what is perceived to be the safety of the child, after the first half hour viewers begin to see the court's intrusions as noisome and hurtful. The system took a happy and functional family of two and split them apart, piqueing sympathy from everyone. What is seen as first to be a necessary intrusion into their lives is later seen to be a vendetta against those less intelligent. One of the main points this movie makes is that it doesn't take an erudite sort of knowledge to raise a child, but only a loving and receptive personality. Even if he doesn't have all of the right resources, Sam's love for Lucy is evident at all times. 

Since this is one of those rare movies that is intent on making a statement for all of the mentally deficient, it is actually an informative movie to watch. Sean Penn does a terrific job at portraying Sam, and remains committed to his character. 

My License

So yesterday, I accomplished quite a herculean feat. Against all odds and public opinion, I somehow managed to pass my driving test and get my license. Finally, I have won my freedom; the freedom to aimlessly roam around the state, subject only to my own predilections. I am no longer a prisoner of my parent's subjugation but an autonomous adult, able to make my own decisions and my own plans. I spent yesterday wandering from house to house, enjoying the august feeling that comes from being a neophyte driver. I watched their younger eyes glaze over me, transfixed with the idea that someone just a little older can drive them around. 

There are a few small hurdles in my grand plans. The first one is the fact that I do not have a car. Since I will never be allowed to touch the precious Subaru, this leaves me with the lovely Bertha (also nicknamed Landshark, Roxy, or Big Mama). Bertha is a five year old Toyota minivan, and she is every teenager's dream (ha). Serving only to take me down a notch, driving her is like driving a truck, and parking her is even more fun. However, I do not mean to make jejune complaints, because I am grateful for the fact that I have a car to drive in.  

There is a slightly larger problem to my dream of finally having acheived freedom. Think of it as a slight foible in my character. I really am not a great driver. This is hard for me to admit, but I feel I must be ingenuous before anyone gets into Bertha with me. I used to be utterly careless, adding twenty to every speed limit and frequently cutting other drivers off. However, since my mother got in an accident over the summer, I am much more cautious but still no better. I'm impatient; unable to tolerate red lights or stop signs for long periods of time. It effects my life negatively in various ways, but it has never been more evident than when I am driving. 

So for now, until I improve, I am resigned to reconnoiter only nearby towns, unable to venture onto highways. This is not a deterant as much as a roadblock; merely redirecting me to other destinations. The fact that I have a license at all is still a shock to me, and I'm still getting used to the idea that I no longer have to walk. And I end this blog here to joyride with Bertha, because I have a feeling it will never get old.

18 Things To Do During Your Midterm (Enjoy!)

1. Stand up, rip of your jacket to reveal superhero apparel of some kind. Scream, “I have to save the metropolis!” Strike a pose, and run out of the room.
   

2. Bring snorkeling gear. Place it on the corner of your desk. Put it in whenever you feel the need.

3. Bring a 10-course meal, complete with soup, salad and dessert (make sure one course is spaghetti!) Use the test as either a placemat or a bib. Hand it in afterwards

4. Every so often, get up, switch your seat and continue the test. When asked why, reply that the feng shui was a bit off in that part of the room.

5. As you take the exam, slowly move closer and closer to the teacher so that by the end, there is less than an inch of space between you.

6. Take the staple out of the test, and separate the pages. Slowly and methodically rip every single page into tiny pieces, and leave them on your desk. When asked what you’re doing, tell the teacher you are an abstract learner and it is easier to visualize the answers this way.

7. Bring in friends/cheerleaders. Have them scream inspirational sayings at you. Tell them to bring ice packs as well so they can cool you down.

8. Scream at yourself the entire time, “Come on, you know this you know this!” Tell yourself what an idiot you are, and at one point do pushups as a punishment. If you’re really brave, consider the Fight Club scene in which he beats himself up.

9. Rap quietly to yourself. Every so often, scream a meaningless phrase then go back to mumbling

10. The minute you walk in, scream that your life will not be dictated by his or her judgment; you are your own person and refuse to be labeled. Accuse him or her of trying to box you in and limit your potential. Leave.

11. Come in full beach gear (this is more effective in the winter) complete with bathing suits, towels, sunglasses and flip-flops. Every so often, reapply sunscreen.

12. Bring a giant teddy bear. Place in on your lap. Speak to it throughout the entire exam, asking for answers and suggestions. Hug it whenever you need comfort. If the teacher asks you a question, move the teddy bear’s mouth in reply.

13. Every time you get an answer right, hit a gong.

14. Have the entire class coordinate their wardrobe. For example, you could all dress as gangsters, complete with large noisy chains and grills. Or pick a favorite outfit of the teachers and wear it.

15. Bring a large radio and play techno music. Consider Party Boy. At one point, do the wave.

16. Bring all sorts of odd measuring tools (a spring, a balance, a stopwatch, a pendulum etc.). Pull them out periodically during the test, and conduct experiments at your desk. After each experiment, record your results, smile, then offer the usage of your tools to your classmates. (Note: this is not just for a physics or math exam. This would work perfectly well for English or a foreign language.)

17. Pick one person in the class. Stare at them the entire time without saying a word. When he asks what you are doing, inform him that you are searching his mind for the answers and it is best if he remains quiet. 

18. Come up with a new and creative way to refuse to answer every question. For example, in math, refuse to answer one particular question on the grounds that it violates your religious beliefs. If you want to go all out, pick one question that really offends you and try to get the whole class to protest.

I'm going to continue updating this throughout midterm week, so please comment with any and all suggestions! 

No Time (Sorry Guys)

While I wish I had the time to post a good blog tonight (either on Multiple Intelligence, or The Ice People. I'll decide tomorrow) I just realized that tomorrow is the 9th and that is when our blogs are due. Even though I've used most of the vocabulary words by now, both dossier and sycophant have been driving me nuts all marking period, never fitting into what I want to say. The definitions seem fairly simple, just a bundle of papers and a person who sucks up using flattery. But for some reason I just never got around to using them. I'll try a story.

I stared morosely at the dossier of papers on my bed, unable to organize it in any sort of acceptable fashion. No matter how I ordered them, the red ink from my latest quiz grade showed through all of the other pages, and I considered using masking tape to cover it up. Or a big black marker, symbolically erasing the 33% and allowing it to fade into nothingness. Now if only I could do this in his gradebook.

For those who've known me since elementary school, you know math has never really been my thing. It's not that I'm terrible (Scott if you're reading this stop laughing!), but I don't have that intuition or gut feeling that leads most people through these problems. If I'm not sure how to do one, I usually just guess my way through. If I see a quadratic, I factor. If I see two sets of parentheses, I foil. That's really all it takes to guess your way through Math Analysis. 

Although I have never actually done this, I have been tempted to resort to sycophancy in the hopes of being graded with leniency. I'm not saying Lynch would be susceptible to flattery (he would probably laugh in my face) but it would be an attempt of some sorts, albeit an unsuccessful one. 

I apologize for not having the time to make this interesting, but tomorrow you'll get a good one! 

The Lottery

At one point or another, we've all read "The Lottery". This short story by Shirley Jackson is set in an unnamed American community; representative of any and all small and isolated towns. While the atmosphere is generally somber, it is most certainly not overly so and the author is careful not to give it a depressive edge. The time period is never mentioned nor is it made evident, and the reader is left to assume this story is timeless. The people lead simple lives; having baroque taste is simply not possibly for most farming families. Their one distinguishable quality is their lack of emotion, and they seem to be preparing to attend a gathering. 

At this gathering, the head of each family steps up and picks a piece of paper. The entire event seems to need no imprimatur, and it is widely accepted by everyone. While most men open their papers to reveal blankness, Hutchinson sees a black dot. This is the terrifying anathema, the horrifying black dot that is not frightening until it appears on your paper. However, the tone of the story remains analytical and oddly passive, as if simply viewing these events without any feeling. The Hutchinson family draws again, until Tess Hutchinson gets the black dot. At this point, she is deemed 'the winner'. 

Tess slowly walks to the center of the circle as children are told to run quickly to gather 'smooth stones'. At this point, she begins to protest but her cries are largely ignored. Someone comments as to how he hopes this will be over soon, because he is hungry and wants to eat dinner. The townspeople, her husband and children included, then begin to throw stones at her, pummeling her until she dies. This act is seen as a practical necessity, a sacrifice of one in the name of many, in order to have a good harvest. 

This story is famous (and infamous) for its savage and bare approach to the classic idea of obediance and tradition. While the reader, an outsider, is able to see this inhumane event for what it is, the people don't view anything unusual about their age old ritual. They blindly follow what they know, either unwilling or unable to question the town they've grown up in. Even though some may view this story as sadistic in its cruelty, this sadism is presented without any inner knowledge of wrongdoing on the part of the townspeople. Because they are so invested within themselves as a community, they have no sense of self awareness nor room for original thought or questioning. This is no place for any parvenus; these are simply people that are looking to live their lives without change. 

In case people have not heard of the Milgram experiment, I will sum it up briefly. In 1962, 14 years after this story was first published, a psychologist named Stanley Milgram decided to try an experiment which measured the willingness of people to obey authority. The basic idea is this; random people were selected to be 'teachers', and paid actors were the 'learners'. The supposed job of the 'teachers' was to get the learners to memorize word pairs, and administer punishment when the learners failed. This punishment was in the form of electric shocks, and the 'teacher' was told to increase the voltage after every wrong answer. Even though there was no actual harm being done to the learners, they were told to scream in pain and beg the teachers to stop. The teachers believed they were inflicting harm on these people, but in reality it was a test of obedience.

The results were shocking: only 1 in 40 people refused to continue with the experiment before the 300-volt level. 65% of participants went all the way up to 450, where the learners screamed in pain and claimed they were having a heart attack. 

Would Shirley Jackson have been shocked at these numbers, or would she have merely laughed? Without even discussing the Nazi regime, it seems to be a common occurence for people to simply do what is expected of them. Although individualism is often revered in both literature and life, it is surprisingly absent in what we see everyday. In "The Lottery", a horrific society in which there is a terrible absence of individualism, everyday life is simply taken to an extreme violent proportion. And this is why this one particular story stands out in the mind of everyone who has ever read it, and will never be forgotten.