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This weeks topic of disabilities combined with Nancy Mair's essay changed my perspective about the way we humans look at things.  I myself have always regarded disabilities as unnatural, as something that shouldn't exist.  But from reading Mair's essay, I've finally begin to understand the viewpoint of disabled people.

I feel like disabled people are classified differently than others.  I guess it's because society automatically puts a sign on every disabled person demanding the pity of others.  Many times I have felt sympathy for them, but I don't think sympathy is something they want.  Also, the video we watched made me ponder why I've never really payed much attention as to why mannequins all look the same, but it's probably because that is the norm nowadays, using perfect body sculptures to show off pieces of clothing.  However after reading Mair's essay I fully agree that people with disabilities are being deprived "of even the urge toward independence" (Mairs 14).  Especially in the media where stereotypes portray disabled people as weak, and needing constant support. As stated by Mairs, this mindset leads people to experience "a subtle kind of self-alienation not unlike that experienced by other minorities". This is the way of thinking that Mairs, along with many others including myself, want destroyed.  Disable people are just as capable as we are, and probably even more.

To go along with current events, disable people and immigrants are are going through similar treatment due to the situation we are in right now.  Because of President Trump's #MuslimBan that executive ordered just a couple days ago, many Americans including myself are tremendously ashamed.  To think that all Muslims belong to a terrorist organization is outright absurd, and goes against the constitution and American values.  Think about the countless refugees trying to get into America.  People don't just leave home just because they want to, but rather it is usually a dangerous situation in which they want to flee.  In classifying people differently, we lose the very belief we stand by. And what do we trade this value away for? Some measly counterfeit illusion of safety.
#NoBanNoWall

What is the wall even gonna do for us anyway?  Most illegal immigrants aren't even from Mexico, more people are leaving the US for Mexico than the other way around.

Long Live the Family

A major theme in A Raisin in the Sun is family and the importance of it.  Almost every decision made is on the behalf of the family. Though the character's goals and desires may have different from each others, any one of them would have benefited the group as a whole.

Although an alcoholic owning a liquor store is quite sketchy, had the idea became successful it would have potentially pushed the Youngers out of poverty.  The reason why this dream isn't taken so seriously is because it came in the beginning of the book, where the family is still relatively divided.  In the beginning of the book, fights are a lot more common and Mama has to keep them together.  It is only until the tragedy at the end of the book happens that the Younger family is finally united.  They have to cope with the loss of the insurance money and Beneatha even disowns Walter, saying that "[Walter] is no brother of mine" (145).  But despite these problems they still unite to overcome Mr. Lindner's racist warnings.  The final goal of the book has turned into the house which represents the creation of one, big, dream for the whole family.

The house itself is also a big factor in the theme of family.  In fact, the whole play is done in the Younger's apartment.  The home is a very cramped one, representing the poverty and oppression, while also remotely symbolizing the togetherness of the family and their dreams. Characters not in the Younger family are still only seen in the Younger's apartment, centralizing the Younger characters.  I have also noticed that most of the bad things happen outside the home, for example Walter's drinking, Travis chasing a rat, and the stolen insurance money.  I'm not completely sure as to what this means, but I think it has to do with the idea that as individuals, the Younger's dreams aren't important.  It is only the dream of the family, of having a new house that is the most important one, and by having undesired events happening outside of the house, this is what Hansberry was trying to exemplify.  It is also fitting that the last scene is Mama leaving the house, representing the family's dream being reached.

Wealth's Corruption

Wealth and corruption seem to go hand in hand in The Great Gatsby and The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.  Money is often paired with happiness . The more money someone has, he/she is generally happier.  Another way of thinking is that money can easily solve all problems.  While all these may be true, money also causes blindness towards reality, making one think that with money, anything is possible.

Gatsby has so much money that he has no use for it.  Yet what's ironic is that he spends his time looking across the bay at another house from his beautiful mansion.  Because he has so much money, he thinks that he is able to reunite with Daisy and bring back the past.  But the reality is that he can't. Wealth's power only goes so high, and fixing the past isn't something wealth can do. Reading about Gatsby also gives the impression that he didn't live for much.  Sure he lived lavishly, but what his purpose in life and what were his accomplishments? He never got the girl, and he died at a young age. All those years of finding and waiting for Daisy goes to waste after one simple misunderstanding.

Similarly, Braddock Washington is insanely wealthy, but what does his wealth mean?  His only purpose in life is to guard the family secret, which means that he can never leave the chateau.  He becomes so consumed with his wealth that he will do what ever it takes to protect it, even if it means killing anyone who knows of it.  This greed causes him to blow up the mountain of diamond.  He
destroys all his wealth and everything he lived for just to make sure that no one else can have it.
He lived luxuriously, but without meaning.

Irony of the Past

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.  It eluded us then, but that's no matter--to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And  one fine morning-----
So we beat on,  boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (Fitzgerald 180).

I've come to realize after reading this book that it is basically all about Gatsby trying to re-create his memories.  Because of this obsession, he is essentially living in the past. Even in the very beginning of the book he is reaching out at the green light, which also represents his past.

One thing I have always wondered is why Gatsby allows all those rumors about him to keep going around. It would seem obvious that such rumors would ruin his reputation.  However, I believe he keeps these rumors to hide his purpose, to reunite with Daisy.  He literally has no use for his money.  He holds these extravagant and lavish parties attended by a hundred people, yet the only purpose for them is to attract Daisy.  In fact, the whole idea of Jay Gatsby is an illusion! We find out later in the book that his real name is James Gatz, along with the fact that he never actually went to Oxford University and a whole other bunch of misconceptions.  He is trying to get away from the "janitor's work with which he was to pay his way through college"(Fitzgerald 105) yet ironically enough he is trying to get back together with Daisy.  It's like he's trying to run away from his past yet chase after it.

I really like this ending to the book. The memorable quote characterizes the characters and people who chase after their past as boats against a current.  Unfortunately, these boats usually end up in tragedy.

The Irony of Desire

While I was reading The Great Gatsby over break, I noticed something very ironic with Mr. Gatsby.

Jay Gatsby is portrayed as incredibly wealthy, living in a "factual imitation of Hotel de Ville in Normandy"(9) with a marble swimming pool. He has so much money and owns so many things. Yet despite all this, he desires the green light.  Nick's first encounter with Mr. Gatsby is during a late night in which Gatsby is standing at the edge of his dock with his arms stretched out "toward the water in a curious way" (25).  Later in chapters four and five we come to realize that the green light belongs to Daisy's house and of the past relationship Mr. Gatsby and Daisy had together.  We assume Jay Gatsby lives a relaxing and easy life, filled with partying and fun adventures.  This isn't the case when Jay first reunites with Daisy in Nick's house though, for he becomes very nervous and loses his usual calmness. Judging from the way Jay reacts to his encounter with Daisy, it is obvious that he really does want to be back with her again, to have it be just like five years ago .  This ultimately shows that even though someone could have everything he/she needs, something else is always desired.

The Privilege of Innocence

I've noticed that a reoccurring theme The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison has been innocence.  In their innocence, children shouldn't have a care in the world. Everyday should be filled with fun and games.  For many characters in The Bluest Eye  though, this wasn't the case.  Many of them lost their innocence at a young age, changing their perceptions and beliefs for the rest of their lives.

Pauline loses her innocence when she marries Cholly Breedlove. Once she marries Cholly, her life becomes a sorrowful one.  Without Cholly to provide a steady income, she has to work very hard to provide for her family. Her loneliness also causes her to become addicted to movies, which in turn starts her obsession of beauty. She later becomes addicted with being the perfect servant for the Fishers.  Influenced by a wealthy white family, she begins to perceive everything as her own, such as the Fishers kitchen and their food.  We see that she has trapped herself in her own fantasy, just like Pecola has.

Speaking of Pecola, she is probably the most traumatic loss of innocence.  She loses her innocence when she gets raped by Cholly. The incident scars Pecola, seen by the "rigidness of her shocked body" and "the stunned silence in her throat" (162).  Once this happens again, Pecola has completely gone insane.  Another instance is when Junior takes Pecola to his house.  After a short fight, Geraldine comes in and curses Pecola out.  All of her tragedies chip away at her innocence and end up taking her mind.

Childhood is supposed to be a happy and blissful time, but when it's not, things get out of hand quick.

The Influence of Media

For the majority of her life, Pauline in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is heavily influenced by the media. Pauline creates many narratives to portray her life, but the problem with her narratives is that the meanings she derives from them negatively impact her. All of her pain and suffering could have been avoided if she just realized that Cholly would never be the "Stranger" from her stories.  Even her experience with with Fishers causes harm, and not only to herself.  By regarding her own experiences as more meaningful then with her own family, Pauline also hurts her children.  This is the reason why Pecola and her brother don't receive any love from Pauline, making their relationship very brittle. In fact, this is probably why Pecola calls her mother Mrs Breedlove.

Perhaps the most damaging is her addiction to movies. By watching movies, she begins to "regard love as possessive mating, and romance as the goal of the spirit" (Morrison 122).  She comes to believe that love is no loner about "lust and caring for" but rather possession and beauty.  The narrator even describes love and beauty to be the "most destructive ideas in the history of human thought"(Morrison 122).  After watching the movies for some time, Pauline begins to rank people on a scale of beauty. She goes from disregarding physical beauty to embracing it, which shows how much the media has affected her.