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.

The Fault In Our Stars Revised Post ***SPOILERS!

The book, The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green is about seventeen year old, cancer ridden teenager named Hazel. Hazel’s life has always had a clear ending to it. But with a new medicine buying her a few extra years, Hazel’s got chance to live a little bit more.  In spite of this, Hazel continues to sit in her room reading her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, because most of her friends have abandoned her. The friends she manages to keep, she distances from so as not to hurt them when the time does come… That is until she begrudgingly goes to one of her support group meetings. Enter Augustus Waters, the most gorgeous, compelling boy Hazel’s ever met. Something about him draws her in and makes her want to open up. Augustus teaches Hazel, as well as the readers, that life is short, so we should make it meaningful and live it to the fullest. Through Hazel and Augustus’s adventures we learn about the bond between leaving your mark and leaving scars, and just how impossibly intertwined the two ideas are.

 At the first meeting that Augustus goes to, having been dragged there by his friend Isaac who is blind in one eye, Augustus explains that he had osteosarcoma about a year and a half ago, but for now he’s in remission. Augustus or Gus is asked to share what he fears most to which he replies bluntly oblivion. When Augustus replies that he fears oblivion, the support group leader, Patrick asks if anyone else can relate to Gus’s fear. To which Hazel, who never raises her hand, says, “There will come a time, when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe this time is coming soon, and maybe its millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was a time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be a time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows everyone else does.” When I first read this monologue Hazel says to her support group, there was just something about it that hit home. If you just read it once through you might think, “Oh, its deep”. And it is deep, there’s something haunting about picturing a barren world, where our existence is gone. But as Hazel says, the inevitability of human oblivion will come, and at some point we have to just accept it. People, events, places, none of it matter in the end. Life will end; life will go on without you. And nobody dares to pay enough attention because they’re too self-involved or scared to face the reality.

 One of Hazel’s biggest fears in The Fault in Our Stars is that when she dies she’ll hurt everyone. Hazel refers to herself as a ticking bomb. She fears that when she dies she will go off like a bomb, and all that will be left are the shrapnel, and other little remains. And quite frankly, Hazel doesn’t think that her life is worth the hurt, so she’s reclusive. Hazel only has a certain number of friends she talks to, and tries to only limit her interactions to her family. While Hazel may think this is a good idea, I would have to disagree. I don’t think it’s worth it to limit your time with people because, as Gus says in his goodbye letter, “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.” We can’t limit ourselves to new experiences and new people because we’re afraid of the aftermath when we’re gone. We don’t get to choose if we die, when we die, or if we get hurt while living, but we can shape our lives to have the best possible people in them, and the best possible experiences. And Hazel may be a ticking bomb, and so may many other people, but we can choose to have them in our lives for the short time we get, because life wouldn’t be worth it without them.

Throughout the book, there’s this unspoken constant urgency to make their (Hazel and Augustus’s) short lives memorable. But at the same time, there is a constant debate between being memorable and “leaving a scar”. You see, I suppose the biggest questions of the book are is it worth it to be remembered, if the memories are fake? Or is it worth it to be remembered it all that memories do are leave painful scars? During the development of The Fault in Our Stars there seems to be a fine line you can dance between, scaring people, and leaving a mark. Augustus is a perfect example. While Augustus wants to be remembered, (as I said before his biggest fear is oblivion) he also admires the heroicness of leaving people alone the way Hazel tries to. In Augustus’s death letter he asks his former favorite author to write Hazel a eulogy because Van Houten can actually put thoughts together successfully. “Here’s the one thing about Hazel: Almost everyone is obsessed with leaving a mark upon the world. Bequeathing a legacy. Outlasting death. We all want to be remembered. I do, too. That’s what bothers me most, is being another unremembered casualty in the ancient and inglorious war against disease. I want to leave a mark.” “Hazel is different. She walk’s lightly, old man. She walks lightly upon the earth. Hazel knows the truth: We’re as likely to hurt the universe as we are to help it, and we’re not likely to do either. People will say it’s sad that she leaves a lesser scar, that fewer remember her, that she was loved deeply but not widely. But it’s not sad, Van Houten. It’s triumphant. It’s heroic. Isn’t that real heroism?”  Even at the end of Gus’s life he hasn’t fully crossed onto either lines side. No matter how great a person we are, there’s still something so appealing about being remembered. But at the same time, there’s something so heartbreaking at leaving people behind. For some people the line that Hazel and Gus dance between is simple, but for many, especially Gus, it’s hard.

As we watch Hazel and Augustus suffer through their last days, we get to experience the way each character deals with what the aftermath of what their deaths will be. Hazel tries to limit the amount of people she spends time with; therefor limiting the amount of people she hurts. Augustus searches for ways to find himself worthy of the life he’s lived, and leave his mark as someone other than the cancer ride teen who lived a ‘heroic’ life. Watching both characters suffer through the possibilities makes me wonder if there can be a happy middle. Can we leave our mark without hurting people? Is it worth it to hurt people? Before I read The Fault in Our Stars, in all honesty, I felt the same way Gus did. Now afterwards, I’m confused. Maybe it’s good to be confused; it means I’ll go more into depth about it. I don’t know. I’m only thirteen; I still have time to think.  One thing’s for sure, I’m really glad I read The Fault in Our Stars, on top of it being humorous, and compelling, depressing, and even sometimes gut wrenching, it also made me stop and think for a couple minutes.

 My Original Blog Post

Why Russia's Sochi Olympics Are a Battle Ground for Gay Rights

Why Russia’s Sochi Olympics Are a Battle Ground for Gay Rights by Laura Smith-Spark discusses the unfairness of Russia’s ban on gay rights in light of the Sochi Olympics. Ms. Smith-Spark brings up some very valid points protesting the ban of gay rights in Russia, and even goes so far as to compare it to the Nazi like era in Germany. While I wouldn’t go as far as her, I have to agree that Russia’s ban on gay rights is restricting, and offensive to many people around the world.

            Before Ms. Smith-Spark starts in on reprimanding Russian Policy, she reminds us that in Russia, people are not educated about what gay and lesbian people really are. Boris Dittrich, a Human Rights Watch’s advocate said, quote, “they mix it up with pedophilia, bestiality or even think it has something to do with the devil." Many of these beliefs sprout from the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church and the government spread misinformation about what being part of the LBGT community really is. And the Russian government isn’t looking to shed any truths on the matter any time soon, instead the Anti-gay Propaganda Law passed by parliament and signed by Putin banned the discussion of gay rights and LBGT relationships anywhere children can hear, and educate themselves. And if you are found to have talked about it, you can be fined or deported if you’re foreign. These misconceptions have leaded almost three quarters of Russia to think homosexuality shouldn’t be accepted by society. “While just 16% of Russians said it should be accepted, a recent Pew Research Center survey of global attitudes revealed.

By comparison, 33% of people surveyed in the United States said homosexuality should not be accepted by society, while 60% said it should. In Britain, only 18% did not favor accepting homosexuality, with 76% saying it should be accepted.” Perhaps even more horrific is that Russia says that its law against “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors” is to protect children. What are we protecting them from, the truth? By not exposing Russian minors to the truth, Russian government shapes the minds of young men and women who could have one day grown up to protest these wrong doing. Instead they restrict their knowledge on world issues.

 

                After reading this article, I realized that I take advantage of living in a first world country. With all of America’s flaws, it’s sometimes hard to see that we have more freedoms than others. I find it comforting to know that no matter what the government’s opinion on an issue, they’re not supposed to withhold the information from us and leave us in the dark, uneducated. I’ve always been in support of the LGBT community, and it’s ongoing community of acceptance, but I don’t usually stop and think about how bad it can be in other countries.