Earning an A in Life

The world tests us everyday.
It tests our beliefs, our strength, our intelligence, our patience, and so much more.
Every commercial and book tries to skew our opinions, tell us what we should think and what we need; they dare us to disagree.
    When we are young, we simple believe whatever our parents or teachers tell us. We know no other way. It takes years of practice to learn how to disagree and think for oneself, especially if the speaker has more authority and experience.
    But AP English has helped me do just so.
    I was reading a fascinating book the other day, Michael Drosnin’s Bible Code III, and I realized that I do not agree with everything he says. He speaks about a code in the bible that predicted Obama’s victory in the election, the terrors of 9/11, many previous wars, and the Tsunamis, against nearly incalculable odds. It even describes of the exact location and structures of an Al Quada terrorist base which Israeli satellite images later confirmed. But he also talks about upcoming terrorist threats and how Obama will need to lead America through some huge war to prevent absolute chaos.
     I actually recognized he techniques he uses, such as repetition, the pathos of fear, and logos to get his point across. He tries to scare his audience into doing something by continuously asking them to imagine a world where Washington D.C. has fallen due to an atomic bomb. He uses descriptive diction to depict this terrifying scene. Although I found the code and matrices intriguing, I could not help feeling slightly manipulated.  He accuses America’s government and people of ignorance. But if I believed everything he said, would not I be ignorance too?
I realized that AP English has helped me to find biases in everyday life. By noting his techniques, I understood his desired outcome and could therefore judge the book from a more objective point of view.
AP English helps me ace the test of my beliefs.
Unlike the common cliche phrase, ignorance is not always bliss.

A Patronus for the Patients

Here is an exert from J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

“‘They call it the Dementor’s Kiss,” said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile. “It’s what dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly... they... suck out his soul.”

Harry accidentally spat out a bit of butterbeer.

“What--they kill--?”

“Oh no,” said Lupin. “Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you’ll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no... anything. There’s no chance at all of recovery. You’ll just-- exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever... lost”’ (Rowling 247)

Sound familiar?

A dementor

As I read over where McMurphy received a lobotomy, I instantly thought about Harry Potter and the Dementor’s Kiss (1). I contemplated the parallels for quite awhile. After McMurphy’s lobotomy, he basically becomes an empty shell, a human without a soul, just like a recipient of a Dementor’s Kiss. However I believe that a big difference between these two books is the ability for Harry, who the dementors also attack, to produce a patronus (2). Harry spends quite a lot of time and energy learning this particular defense

McMurphy, who lived in an oppressive mental institution, did not have the chance to produce any type of patronus to protect him from his lobotomy. He tried to win. He spent time and energy also, but the Nurse won. She gave him a fate worse than death; she destroyed him utterly.

An especially powerful patronus
can protect from large amounts
of dementors

But then I realized that even though McMurphy, a source of energy, light, and good, could not face the wrath of his own dementors, he acted as a patronus for the other patients. He shielded them from the Nurse and her evil ways. He willingly faced the dark side, despite the consequences, in order to give everyone else a chance. It had to be him; only only a person as vibrant as him could have held back the dementors so that the others could regain their happiness and leave their depressive state. For this reason, he will always be a hero in my eyes.

Note: For those who do not follow Harry Potter (though I do not know why?), I have included some basic definitions, courtesy of the Harry Potter Wiki.
http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
(1) A Dementor is a dark creature, considered one of the foulest to inhabit the world. Dementors feed off human happiness, and thus cause depression and despair to anyone near them.They can also consume a person's soul, leaving their victims in a permanent vegetative state, and thus are often referred to as "soul-sucking fiends."
(2) A Patronus Charm is an insubstantial animal protector created by the advanced Patronus Charm spell, and one way to defend against Dementors and certain other Dark creatures. The spell requires the use of a wand, concentration on a powerfully happy memory, and the incantation "Expecto Patronum".

Qualities of a Good Leader

“And so, my fellow mental patients: ask not what your institution can do for you- ask what you can do for your institution”
Had McMurphy been a great speech giver like John F. Kennedy, I believe he would have said something like that. Americans loved and respected John F. Kennedy, just as the mental patients love and respect McMurphy. He was their leader through the rough times and encouraged them to step up and gain confidence. In fact, he had the seven qualities of a good leader
A good leader should...

1. Strive to achieve an ideal character-- Okay, so in the real world, McMurphy was a lazy sexaholic. He did not want to work and created many disturbances. However, in the ward, he has all of the qualities that the mental patients lack. He shows them how to stand up for themselves and inspires them to take action on their own. During a time where “survival of the fittest” ruled society, he teaches them how to become stronger in their own way--- for their sanity and survival
2. Be sincere and dedicated to his work-- Although McMurphy almost gives up at one point, he powers through with passion and dedication. I think that passion is one of the most important qualities a person can have; it fuels their life and gives their goals a purpose. McMurphy relentlessly rebels, even though he must suffer EST treatments as a punishment.
3. Be confident-- McMurphy definitely does not lack confidence. He “gave [the Nurse] a pinch that turned her face as red as his hair” (290). He has faith that the other patients will support him with his plans, no matter how crazy one is, and always follows through. He can get a bit cocky, but in this oppressive environment, cockiness is a nice change. In fact, he needs the extra confidence to actually affect the patients.
4. Stay organized and ensure proper management-- McMurphy does not excel in this aspect particularly. But mental institutions can create quite a lot of chaos, so he does a reasonably good job keeping people together. For example, he organizes the fishing trip and gets people to vote on the game room.
5. Stay calm and composed-- McMurphy shines at this. He can stay composed while he slyly mocks the nurse. Yet he acts out discreetly; he never does anything that completely pushes the limit unless absolutely necessary. (For example, he defended George with a necessary fight)
6. Possess an analytical bent of mind-- McMurphy always stays one step ahead of the Nurse. He can quickly come up with creative, yet logical excuses, such as: “That glass window was so spick and span I com- pletely forgot it was there” (201). He analyzes her response ahead of time, using verbal irony to innocently hide his true purpose.
7. Strive toward excellence-- He continuously strives to remain one step ahead of the nurse. Because of this dedication, he wins frequently and emboldens the other patients.

They're Free (Tik Tok parody)

This is a song to the tune of tik tok. I imagine that McMurphy would sing this in the process of breaking the glass at the meeting. I chose this song because I think that most people know it?


Woke up every morning feeling full of hope
Beat the nurse, win the game, this will be so dope
Everyday we brush our teeth with a tube of paste
And then they lock it up so that we don’t waste

I’m talking too many senseless rules, rules
Frequent stubborn duels, duels
Prove that we aren’t all fools, fools
Cause I was fighting for the TV
Going against authority
Thinking I wouldn’t go crazy

“You rock, Keep it up
Please don’t you ever stop”
They’d say, To my Face
But, they were out of place
They’re free, But not me
I was conned, what irony, No

Now I’m trapped here in this institution
I regret my attempts to start a revolution
I’ve been trying so hard not to do something rash
But now I think I’m gonna need to break this glass

I’m talking shards flying everywhere, where
Even in her hair, hair
I’ll pick it out if I dare, dare

I think I’m gonna apologize, gize
Fake innocent eyes, eyes
Life is to despise, pise
So much to despise

“You rock, Keep it up
Please don’t you ever stop”
They’d say, To my Face
But, they were out of place
They’re free, But not me
I was conned, what irony, No

“You rock, Keep it up
Please don’t you ever stop”
They’d say, To my Face
But, they were out of place
They’re free, But not me
I was conned, what irony, No

SATs: Like a mental institution?

In class today, Ms. Serensky pointed out the parallels between the mental institution and life. More specifically, however, I would like to list the parallels between the institution and taking the SATs.

1. Schedule: The mental institution runs on a very tight, strict schedule. The SATs also follow stringent guidelines. They must begin at a particular time and have a certain number of sections, which have specific time limits, along with the carefully planned five or ten minute breaks to eat or go the the bathroom. The  Nurse would be impressed.
2. Rules: At the mental institution, if a patient acts out, they get shock therapy or have to undergo some form of punishment, including, but not limited to: humiliation, self- degradation, or fear. Therefore, most patients would not dare to act out. During the SATs, if someone were to act out, they would probably have to leave and they would lose their hard-earned scores. They would probably have emotions of defeat, humiliation, self- degradation, and quite possibly fear for their parent's response. The SATs have strict rules too. Test- takers cannot talk or use their phones. If their phones make a sound, they must leave. Not to mention an attempt at cheating. Students must just sit there, focused and silent, while they take the test. Like machines...
3. Head Person: The Big Nurse evokes fear in her patients. She watches them, trying to catch their every slip-up. She has “precise, automatic gesture[s]”(5).  During the SATs, the people in charge, or The Proctors, have watchful eyes. They dare you to cheat and they take no shortcut in making sure that you do not. They read from the master book, giving precise, clear, and detailed instructions, with an air of authority. They keep the test takers in line.
4. Emotions: The SATs fill a typical student with a variety emotions which are quite similar to those of a mental patient.
1. Paranoia: Will my batteries run out?  What if my pencil breaks? What if I need to go to the bathroom? What if my phone goes off?-- Oh good I left it in the car--- Do I have anything on me that makes noise? My calculator would not make a sound, would it? Is it even the right type of calculator? Oh gosh-- What If I get kicked out?
2. Anxiety: Is the answer a or c? Oh shoot--- They say you should guess c, right? I would only lose ¼ of a point if I got this wrong... But what if I fail? What if I do not finish?
3. Fatigue: Just... keep... going...-- the mental patients were fatigued from fighting the endless brainwashing. Test takers die from the endless questions (These could actually brainwash also; some believe that students should learn more about creative thinking than how to answer test questions).

Overall, the SATs can be just as draining and detrimental as a mental institutions (this is, of course, a hyperbole). I came out of them feeling brain- dead, tired, and slightly disoriented (does this sound anything like shock therapy to you?). However, unlike this particular mental institution, my scores will actually help me in life because they will get me into a good college (or am I just as brainwashed as the mental patients...?). 

Note: I have actually had some very nice proctors on my various standardized test. I do not mean to stereotype.
Note 2: Yes, I do undergo emotions of paranoia and anxiety during the test, but I may have exaggerated slightly. I usually bring spare batteries and pencils, so these are not a concern. And I knew I would not fail. I swear I am not crazy.

Loyalty and Laughter

As I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,  I cannot felling bothered by a certain line. The narrator explains how at  “Eight-twenty five some Acute mentions he used to watch his sister taking a bath; the three guys at the table with him falls over each other to see who gets to write it in the log book.” (35) I find it odd how the patients have no sense of loyalty towards each other when speaking. Even though the doctor says “it’s helping your fellow,” I find it surprising that the patients take this to heart (50). They seem all to eager to betray their friends; it makes me wonder why they even talk to anyone. My friends and I trust each other; that is why we tell each other things. I would not like living in a place where nothing I would not know whether or not what I say would be safe.

However,I cannot help admiring the narrator’s ability to portray his boredom without actually making the text boring. In an structured operation that runs with machine-like precision, the narrator nevertheless produces entertainment, something that I would not have thought possible. I find the image of three guys falling over each other to write something in a book quite amusing, but the narrator clearly expresses his boredom because he counts the minutes. It reminds me of the scene in the 1985 movie Clue where Evette, the butler, Mrs. White, and Mr. Green all crash into each other (I provided the link below. The scene I speak of is at 2:00). When this mental image comes to mind, I chuckle. Although the narrator deals with difficult issues, I like how he makes them enjoyable to read about.

A clip of Clue (fast forward to 2:00 to find the part I speak of)

Dear Diary... or not?

When we started reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I thought that the narrator worked at the mental institution. Then I realized that I was reading the story from a crazy person’s person’s point of view. I found it a strange phenomenon, reading these disillusioned words. It pulled me from my ordinary world, and filled my mind with bizarre, unrealistic images. I started to think about how usually we have so much confidence that the narrator has real, educated, meaning behind every word and transition. In this case, I often found myself shaking my head in utter bewilderment.

As I thought of deranged writing styles, it actually made me think of my first diary. I recently looked over it with a friend and realized that I had absolutely no clue what a diary was. I wrote the first entry as a letter to my mother. After she told me that I was supposed to write to myself, I started to address the diary’s to “Liz ” and sign them “Elizabeth,” as if I was writing to my alter ego. Sometimes these entries would get slightly insane. I would sass “Liz” at times, in a joking way of course, or we would have mini arguments with each other. Reading back on them, it appears that I had some sort of multiple personality disorder. I was in first grade, so this is somewhat forgivable of course. Besides, although it may be difficult to believe, my same friend as mentioned above looked at her entries also, which were just as, if not more, twisted.

As children, we see things in a very different way. The narrator’s writing style seems almost childlike; he relates to things and explains things in different ways than we normally see. As a child, many things can seemed perfectly normal at the time, but years later I look back on my past self with amusement.

No, I do not want to plan my own funeral ahead of time...

            I had my blog all planned out. I was going to write about how Maxine wore black to Ashoke’s funeral while everyone else wore white. I researched funeral practices around the world.

 Then I came upon a particularly intriguing yet extremely troublesome website. I am talking about myfunkyfuneral.com. Just the title of the website should have been a dead giveaway. But I entered it under the pretense that I would find information about funeral customs in different cultures. A tab of the side of the website caught my eye. I hesitated for a few minutes, but curiosity forced me to investigate the links under the category “Glamming up the Graveyard.” Stunned, I explored the “Funky Coffins,” “Fabulous Ashes,” and “Freaky Urns.” Did you know that you can make about 240 pencils out of a person’s remains? I definitely did not. You can also get your ashes packed into fireworks, a gem, or an artificial reef, along with allowing them a ride in space. I say “your” because this website encourages visitors to sign up and plan their funerals ahead of time, including song choice, eulogies, and poetry. I continued looking around, finding coffins that one can prepurchase and use as a coffee table, an urn which is actually a magic eight ball, and a couple others which are, quite frankly, too disturbing to mention. This website changed my opinion of Maxine’s dress at the wedding. I previously thought Oh she is so ignorant. She does not care about his culture at all.  Well this may be correct. But at least she respects his father’s death. At least she, unlike this website, did not encourage Gogol to find “the FUN in Funeral.” Maybe she did not understand that Hindus wear white, the color of purity, because they believe that the deceased will go on through other lives and that excessive mourning could hold them back. She simply followed her cultural tradition, which dates back to the Roman Empire, and wore black. Based on what I gather from this website, she could have been much, much, worse.

Link: http://www.myfunkyfuneral.com/index.php

Oh My God, Her Face!

The classroom buzzed with anticipation as Ms. Serensky approached the television, ready to the begin the movie, The Namesake, based off of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel. For weeks we had toiled, ready for the fateful day where we would turn in our data sheets and relax to the film. We stifled our left-over giggles that her warning had sparked and prepared ourselves. She pressed play.

A collective gasp filled the classroom; it was somewhere between a shriek and a very loud intake of breath. The screen displayed an image: An image so unexpected and ghastly that we could not help ourselves. It was the face of a women. We did not know who at the time, only that she was very unattractive.

Ms. Serensky quickly covered up the screen. The class sat dumbly in shock. We were not prepared for this. Ms. Serensky artfully returned to the beginning of the film, telling us to look away in case this happened again.

The film restarted, and we relaxed, enjoying the typical footage of various shots portraying the setting. We watched eagerly, excited to see how each character looks. After analyzing and judging each character, we had created our own mental pictures of their appearances. We wanted to see just how right we were.

Then we saw Ashoke. And Gogol. And Sonia. And Moushumi. As each new character appeared, I shuddered at just how off my mental picture was. They all looked so different to what I had imagined! Each time something did not fit my predefined image, I felt slightly annoyed at the director. How could she be so wrong? I mentally complained about this common occurrence. After reading a good book, I will watch the movie and become frustrated when something is not how I think it should be, or when the director left something out.

Then I realized how stupid my annoyance was.  I feel frustrated because someone sees something differently than me? Because they have a different opinion? That kind of thinking creates wars, for goodness sake! Just because something turned out differently than I expected does not mean I should feel any animosity. I should respect the director, Mira Nair, for boldly making a film that she knew would face large numbers of critics. Like Sonia, she made some daring decisions, knowing that some people might not like them. But Sonia ended up happy in life, just as Nair ended up with a film that got an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.

We need to accept different ideas for what they are, as opposed to what they are not or what we find wrong. Nair faced quite a challenging task, and although I disagree with some of her decisions, I need to respect her for that. If I could manage to one day give everyone the respect they deserve to leading their lives through their own decisions and opinions, I know that I would be a better person for it.    

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/namesake/

Christmas: Culture or Religious Celebration?

Has Christmas become a part of the American culture? I think that it has. Although we disguise this holiday under the pretense of Jesus’ birthday (which is ironically sometime in the summer or fall), Christmas seems to have become an excuse to eat, celebrate, and indulge in our consumerist values. It appears that in the attempt to worship Jesus, we actually focus on a bunch of other things. We spend insane amounts of money to attain the picture- perfect image of Christmas, despite the fact that many people do not even have enough to eat. Do not get me wrong, Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I love getting together with my family, sharing gifts, and enjoying various treats. However, I think that we American residents have taken the culture aspect out of proportion; we have managed to collectively stifle the real purpose: religion.  Since when has “Frosty the Snowman” been a “Christmas” carol? I do not have any recollection of a dancing lump of crystallized water in the bible. Personally, I love the religious aspect also; I like the midnight mass with the story of Jesus’ birth. But I think that this appreciation has come with age and a greater appreciation of my religion. The media tells children to focus on the nonreligious aspects. In the movie, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Cindy Lou Who feels like something is missing; she knows that Christmas does not center on presents. Yet she neglects to mention Jesus at all—her “true meaning” is about with family: important, yes, but that was not the original purpose! It appears that Americans who are not religious have clung to this meaning and used it as an excuse to call Christmas their own. Of course, I have nothing against these people. I would be a hypocrite if I did; I celebrate Thanksgiving although I was born in England. And any reason to get together with family is a good one. But I think that we sometimes need to remember why we get together with family, feast, and buy gifts. I agree, the cultural aspect is fun and family traditions are important, but it is easy to forget the traditional aspect.