Final Blog of the Year

* What did you learn about yourself as a reader from creating and keeping up with your blog?

Oh god, I learned a lot this year about myself as a reader. First off, I learned that I love reading, I love the way the words seem to come together so fluidly together on the page, the way an author can spin a tale out of thin air. I love that. I knew I loved writing, I knew I liked it for all the same reasons I liked reading, but this time it was me. The one thing I don’t like is writing about reading, there are so many thoughts that can fly through your head all at once about a good book, thoughts that don’t come together easily. They are never as fluid on a page. For me at least, I’ve got a lot of ideas about books in my head, but I find that when I write about reading it just doesn’t do a book justice.

* Do you think that teenagers abuse the freedom that being online gives you on sites like Facebook?

I think that as teenagers at this age we’ve been given the freedom of most of our lives to have these online media sources that other teenagers throughout the past haven’t gotten the chance to have. In some ways we are lucky because on the internet we can be more connected to our friends and we have more sources of entertainment. However, in many ways we are unlucky. Because we feel so privileged, free, and connected on the internet sometimes it can feel like a personal place, even though it’s the World Wide Web. We end up bullying people on these social media sites and doing things we wouldn’t do in the real world because we feel like there are no consequences on these sites.

* Can you imagine yourself keeping up this blog or creating another one?  What would it be about?  What's your opinion of blogs in general and why?

I don’t know if I would be able to create a blog pertaining to anything else. Some people do blogs on their lives because they actually have things to talk about, however because I’m a teenager and haven’t had any worldly experiences mine would be uninteresting. Some do something on topics of expertise; I’m no expert in anything. Some people take pictures or post things online that they’re proud of. Maybe someday when I’ve got an interesting life, maybe someday I’ll take pictures or write, or I’ll be a world renowned expert in some amazing topic that I’ll want to blog about. If blogging is still a thing, that is. Someday I may, but that day is not today.

Life of Pi

            The book Life of Pi by Yann Martel tells the story of a young man named Pi Molitor Patel who is shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean and left on a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a Bengal Tiger. One by one each creature is eliminated from the boat until it is just Pi and Richard Parker, the tiger. A large chunk of Life of Pi focuses on religion and the many questions that come with belief in a higher spirit.

            Pi faces his first challenge against religion when talking to his trusted teacher, Mr. Kumar, as a young boy. For all of Pi’s life, he has been devout in his beliefs with no one to challenge him. But as Mr. Kumar talks with Pi, Pi sees for the first time that faith is not the only way to see the world. Mr. Kumar calls religion darkness, stating that there’s no reason to believe anything but our sense experience. No proof that an afterlife exists. Mr. Kumar says, “Reason is my prophet and it tells me that as a watch stops, so we die. It’s the end.” Pi leaves the conversation confused and slightly worried that in just a few sentences Mr. Kumar could have destroyed something that he loved, infected his beliefs the way a virus takes over. But Pi does not lose faith; in fact his beliefs are stronger. From this, Pi learns that it is natural to doubt life and faith, but you must move on. “To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”

            The first religion he finds is Hinduism, a religion defined by the dictionary as the main religion of India which includes the worship of many gods and the belief that after you die you return to life in a different form.  The second is Christianity the religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies. For Pi it is hard to wrap his mind around these two faiths. In Hinduism each incarnation of God is almighty, obviously more powerful than its people. In Christianity, there can be found a more human side of god, Christ, a man who spoke the word of God and sacrificed himself for the sins of others; something Pi has a hard time understanding. He once compares Christianity to Hinduism saying Christianity is “a religion as swift as a swallow, as urgent as an ambulance. It turns on a dime, expresses itself in the instant. In a moment you are lost or saved. Christianity stretches back through the ages, but in essence it exists only at one time: right now.” Islam, the religious faith of Muslims including belief in Allah as the sole deity and in Muhammad as his prophet, came last. In an encounter with all three religious heads, a priest, an imam and a pandit, it is found out that Pi has been practicing all three religions faithfully. When criticized, Pi says, “I just want to love God.” Later, he goes on to compare the religions, “They both claim Abraham as theirs. Muslims say the God of the Hebrews and Christians is the same God of the Muslims. They recognize David, Moses and Jesus as prophets.” Pi realizes that many religions are similar, but they hold different values higher.

            Through Pi’s journey both on land and stranded we as readers get to see how religion helps Pi cope with life. Religion is a challenging issue because many are skeptical, like Mr. Kumar. To put faith into something with no proof can be very nerve wracking for some, something that I myself have struggled with. Pi never doubts his faith, and instead embraces multiple cultures.  He sees that there are many different takes on “correct” beliefs and decides to incorporate them all into his. After reading Life of Pi, I felt that my eyes were more open and were able to see connections between religions I had not noticed before. Ultimately, I believe that religion is a very personal thing. Much of what you choose to believe tends to depend upon personal values that you hold higher. When it comes to differentiating actual religious groups, a lot of it is based on the same scriptures and the same ideas, but it is how different people interpret texts and depends upon what different groups hold higher.  I’m glad I read Life of Pi, as I felt that it made me think a lot about a wide range of topics and question things that I hadn’t before.

Esperanza Rising

                I recently reread the book, Esperanza Rising, a beautifully written novel by Pam Muñoz, Esperanza is a young Mexican girl whose father was attacked and killed in an ambush. Her home, which was a luxurious ranch, is burned, and she and her family are left with nothing. They are given two choices; the first option is to escape to America with little money. The second option is to stay in Mexico and have her mother marry her greedy, power hungry uncle who wishes to send Esperanza away. Esperanza escapes to America with her mother and her former servants, who are close family friends, Hortensia, Alfonso, and their son Miguel. She leaves behind her grandmother and a life of luxury.  The novel shares an important life lesson that wherever you go,  the separation of social classes follows you, and makes life complicated.

                The social class barrier is emphasized greatly in Mexico where the social divide is strong. If you are not rich you are automatically poor, a beggar. Fortunately for her, Esperanza was born into a family of wealth, but her friend Miguel and his family are not. They take jobs as servants on Esperanza’s father’s ranch, and are treated as family. However not all servants or people of the lower class were as lucky as Miguel’s family, which is why there was a war in Mexico over class separation. Esperanza first realized this separation was too strong, and that they could not be together even if they wanted to. “But now that she was a young woman, she understood that Miguel was the housekeeper’s son and she was the ranch owner’s daughter and between them ran a deep river. Esperanza stood on one side and Miguel stood on the other and the river could never be crossed.” This is a beautiful metaphor that indicates Esperanza is from a high social class, and Miguel is from a poor background and although they would like to grow closer to each other, they can’t because they stand on opposite ends of the barrier of social classes, and it can’t be crossed. In other words although they would like to, there is only so far these two social classes can go when interacting with each other. This passage confirms that the social class barrier separates the two classes, and prevents them from interacting to closely with each other, so they don’t go against the unspoken rules.

                 The social class barrier does more than prevent people seeing each other as human beings, treating others in different classes with respect, and preventing people from interacting with others from different social classes, it also strains friendships. On page 37, Esperanza and Miguel are sitting together in her father’s rose garden, and he tries to console her about her recently deceased father. “Surprised at her own blush she pulled away from him. She stood and stared at the roses. An awkward silence built a wall between them. She glanced quickly at him. He was still looking at her, with eyes full of hurt. Before Miguel left here there he said softly, “you were right, Esperanza. In Mexico we stand on different sides of the river.” While Miguel attempts to reach out to her, Esperanza continually pushes him away because she believes that the social barrier between them is too strong. This is a strong example of the fact that even though they both would like to reach out to each other they cannot because people of two separate social classes can’t mix. In this example especially, the social class barrier prevents two close friends from being together at a time when they booth need a little comforting. Through this passage Muñoz shows her readers that even the strongest of friendships cannot surpass the barrier between social classes.

             It is hard to understand others who do not have the same privileges as you do because they do not see the world as such an easy going place. This is a thought provoking lesson, because it challenges readers to try and understand why people of different social classes do not see each other as equals. They do not even try, the just make assumptions about each other. It definitely challenged me to think about if I’ve ever done, or seen this happen. I realized that even though it isn’t as big for me personally, I realized that I could relate because sometimes money issues can make things feel awkward between my friends and I. I’m definitely glad I decided to read this book because it has helped me notice the separation of different social classes, and makes me think about if I let it control me the way Esperanza does. Maybe in America, it may not be seen as much, but maybe we too stand on different sides of the river?

An Abundance of Katherine's

An Abundance of Katherine’s, by author John Green, recants the story of former child prodigy, potential genious, recently dumped, and constant anagrammed, Colin Singleton. Colin finds himself lost and depressed after finding himself broken up with the nineteenth straight Katherine that he’s dated. Colin finds fascination in being considered special, it’s why he has such a hard time excepting the fact he is no longer a prodigy, why he dates so many Katherine’s, and why he is so hell bent on discovering the Theorem of the Underlying Katherine Predictability.  A math equation that predetermines how long a relationship will last due to certain factors.

                Colin feels odd as is no longer a member of the child prodigy club, he is too old to be a prodigy and too young to be a genious. Colin creates the theorem to be remembered by society as the man who was able to come up with a way to predict the course of a relationship through the logic and ease of math.  He wants to e special, spending hours working on the theorem, thinking about how successful he will be after the theorem is found to be true.  This want to be remembered drives Colin throughout the book.

                Lindsey Lee Wells, a young woman living in Gutshot, Tennessee claimed she did not want fame. However, looking Closer at Lindsey’s character, as Colin gradually sucks her into his world of math, Lindsey realizes that if she helps Colin write the theorem to be remembered because even theough she wants to be remembered so she doesn’t want to leave her hometown.  Although she doesn’t want to leave the comforts of home, Lindsey deciedes to help Colin finish the theorem because it’s a good way to get your name out there without leaving Gutshot.

                I’ve noticed that in both the Fault in Our Stars as well as An Abudance of Katherine’s  the talk of being remembered and being special is important to many of the characters. In Fault, Augustus is fascinated by what will happen to him and others after he is gone. John Green is enthralled by ideas of the afterlife opposed to what is in front of us.

New Regulations on A New Kind of Cigarette

The Article For E-Cigarettes, the Regulatory Battle Now Begin by Sabrina Tavernise and Berry Meier published in the New York times on April 24, 2014, discusses the new F.D.A. focus on electronic cigarettes. E-cigarettes are a fast-growing industry which thus far has had little regulation.

The new F.D.A. proposed rules would allow the government more authority over e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and other products. The big focus, electronic cigarettes is somewhat mysterious. Not much is understood about these electronic gadgets concerning health risks as they haven’t been around long enough.  They are proposed as a ‘healthier alternative to smoking’ because instead of actual smoke the battery at the end of the tube heats the liquid nicotine, which creates vapor that gets inhaled into the lungs. The excess cigarette vapor is emitted from the tail of the e-cigarette which helps uphold the illusion of real smoke.

While it is a step in the right direction, “the road map put off until later almost all of the trickiest issues, like whether flavors should be banned or television advertising limited.” Companies fight for the right to advertise without many restrictions and continually produce flavors used to lure children as well as adults. “The biggest issues may not be confronted for years. Companies will have two years after the new regulations go into effect to file applications to the F.D.A. for approval of their products. The regulation itself could take a year or two to go into effect, as the agency will have to sort through tens of thousands of public comments, including from industry. Then there is the chance that companies will sue, which would add even more time to the process.”

At the moment however, the biggest concern is just to put some regulation on a rapidly evolving market with no regulation at all. For the first time there will be a science-based agency watching over the function playing ‘gate keeper’. “It’s a step forward — but it’s not a giant step,” said Gary A. Giovino, a professor of health behavior at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

It is without a doubt a step in the right direction, however one can wonder whether the changes will come fast enough. The regulation being put into effect will take years to be put in place, years that could risk more smoking addictions in adults as well as our next generation. The regulations also won’t be addressing flavored cigarettes and other ploys to draw in a younger audience any time soon. It’s like getting a foot in the door, but the door won’t budge anymore. We’re getting closer, but not close enough yet.

Divergent *Small, but some spoilers

I recently finished Divergent, by Veronica Roth. Divergent is the story of sixteen year old Beatrice Prior, who lives in a world where everyone fits into one of the five factions. Candor, for those who believe in truth and honesty, Abnegation, for those who are selfless, Amity, for those who believe in peace and love and happiness, Erudite, for those who wish to peruse knowledge, and lastly Dauntless, for those who are reckless and brave. Beatrice, who comes from Abnegation takes the test after she’s turned sixteen that will decide what her permanent faction will be. However, the test comes back inconclusive, instead of coming back with one specific faction that she would belong to, she comes back with three. Erudite, Dauntless, and Abnegation.  Beatrice ultimately has to decide whether to pick between Abnegation, where her family and friends lie, but she does not feel she truly belongs. Or Dauntless, a faction she knows little of.

        I think the author makes Tris start out in Abnegation as a stiff because it gives her a more compassionate personality. While she does not feel she is completely selfless, Tris has many qualities that make her selfless subconsciously. For example in the simulation that determined her Divergence she throws herself in front of a viscous attack dog to protect a little girl. When her friend Al is bullied during training to become Dauntless there is a scene where he will have knives thrown at him because he continues to miss the target. Tris knows this is wrong and immediately steps in his place. Along from the fact that Roth wanted Tris to be in Abnegation so that she could have a divergent result, I think she placed her in Abnegation at the start to give her heroine a more versatile personality.

        It can also be said of Roth that she placed Tris in Dauntless to give her the brave personality trait. Through transforming herself into a Dauntless Tris learns the importance of bravery. She doesn’t realize it because it is so natural to her, but she commits acts of bravery all the time. After almost being killed during Dauntless initiation, she is scared of her attackers, but also seeks vengeance. She does not spend most of the book cowering, instead she is placed immediately in the role of the underdog as a “stiff” and therefore the least likely to be brave. She proves this wrong though in the paintball scene, where she climbs up the Ferris wheel to get a better view of the other team, placing her life in danger with each foot higher. Veronica Roth places Tris in Dauntless so that Tris can learn the importance of bravery.

        The traits that Tris inherits from being Divergent in both Dauntless and Abnegation help her to become a better heroine. Tris learns that being selfless and being brave are often intertwined. This is often true, not just in the Divergent trilogy. In many books the main characters heroism is influenced by their selflessness and their bravery often battling each other, and ultimately working together. Veronica Roth placed Tris in Abnegation and Dauntless so that Tris could learn two important traits that would help her later in the series.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

                Bossypants, the wonderfully creative and hilarious biography by Tina Fey jokingly tells the story of Tina’s life from young woman to the present. Often Tina jokes about how this book will teach you “to learn how to raise an achievement-oriented, drug-free, adult virgin” as she was raised. Silly jokes like these often come up, but I think it’s true. Through her autobiography we get to see how she was raised, and how her choices influenced her life now.

                Tina grew up in a normal town, where during her summers she attended a theater camp highly populated by, in her opinion, closeted teens and flamboyantly gay men. “That summer I got to know four families in which half the children were gay. In case you’re interested from a sociological point of view, they were always Catholic and there were always four kids, two of whom were gay. What Wales is to crooners, my hometown may be to homosexuals- meaning there seems to be a disproportionate number of them and they are the best in the world!” Out of her theater camp, Tina also became best friends with Karen and Sharon, who “had been a couple at some unspecified time in the past but were now just friends with asymmetrical haircuts.” Tina grew up in a home that was accepting and supportive of different peoples sexual orientation and while she isn’t an avid gay rights activist she does strongly support their movement and doesn’t believe there should be any discrimination towards them.

                For a while she worked at a Chicago theater company in which they specialized in improvisational acting. Tina loved it there, but one of her major problems with it was that they discriminated against women. “Each cast at The Second City was made up of four men and two women. When it was suggested that they switch one of the companies to three men and three women, the producers and directors had the same panicked reaction. ‘You can’t do that. There won’t be enough parts to go around. There won’t be enough for the girls.” To Tina, and as I am sure many other women, this statement seemed as if the directors and producers were frantic to put in an equal number for gender equality, and instead used a thinly veiled excuse for not enforcing women’s rights. Tina Fey never stood for any of that though, and instead went on to become the third woman in the Second City group, as well as head writer of SNL and star of 30 Rock.

                Many of Tina Fey’s lifestyle choices have influenced her in the way she represents herself in the media, the way she has such a funny outtake on life, and just in general the way she chooses to live. She jokes about how her wholesome childhood is how you can raise such an obedient kid, but I think there’s more to it than that. I think that Tina Fey shows us that by having a good childhood, and gaining perspective in meaningful human rights Tina shows us that we can be influential as long as we broaden and expand our horizons.