translation:miscommunication?

The book Translations is a prime example (not only by it's name) of how difficult it is to communicate with others. Getting your point across to people who speak your language is difficult enough, but when you throw different languages in the scenario, it is near impossbile to get your point across. The scene in the book when Yolland and Maire are talking back in forth, each not knowing what the other is saying, is a prime example of this difficulty. However, they are somewhat of an exception to the rule because they are getting each other's point across. Despite their lack of understanding one another, they have the same feelings. They both realize the draw to each other, but though they do not let their language barrier stop them, in reality I wonder if their relationship would ever work.

Omishto's Decision

The decision Omishto made at the end of the book is to live with the elders. I think that the development of her character throughout the book gives clues to this final decision. In the beginning, we find her caught in the middle of the traditional world and the reality of living in current times. However, when we first meet Omishto she says, "I don't believe in magic" (13) and as the story develops, we see her start to abandon her set-in-stone decision that magic does not exist. "Two worlds exist. Maybe it's always been this way, but I enter them both like I am two people" (97). Furthering the process of her development, when she went to the tribal land to tell her story, she realizes "I am more, at this moment, than myself. I am them. I am the old. I am the land" (173). After coming to this conclusion, she knows "the future depends in some way on me" and that future is with the Taiga people (217).

Belief vs. Knowledge

All throughout the book, I find it frustrating how Omishto is said to believe, or not to believe in things, yet is never said to know things. Although I think there is a difference between believing and knowing, I feel strong beliefs lead a person to knowing them. From what we talked about in class on Tuesday, it would seem that Omishto knows things, not just believes them. From what she is taught in school, her experiences, and rationalizations, we discussed are all ways a person comes to know things. I think in Power, Omishto does know things, but Linda Hogan makes her character seem less powerful by simply saying she has beliefs about things. With this I mean, if Omishto was more set in her opinions and had very strong feelings about something, her beliefs would be turned into knowing them.

Eye of the Beholder

We have all heard the phrase, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" however, does it matter? Should the way someone else sees you have an influence or impact on you? This phrase has come to be a negative thing for the character of Omishto in Power. Omishto is described by her sister as being "pretty". Nothing more than just pretty. From what we have talked about in class of her sister's jealousy, it is easy to see that sometimes the beholder uses the beauty they see to be cruel. By calling Omishto pretty, her sister is saying she is not capable of being more than that; she is not worthy of being called beautiful or gorgeous, and because of her jealousy is trying to cut Omishto down.

I do not think beauty is in the eye of the beholder (unless a person is looking in a mirror). It is true that the beholder may judge beauty, but ultimately it is up to the person to determine it for themselves.

Judging a Book by It's Cover

Throughout Lucy, we have come to know her character bit-by-bit. One aspect of her that has become very apparent is her sexuality. Lucy is a very sexual being, and the book cover reflects this. Her casual (at least half) naked body on the cover is like her sexual experiences, it shows her attitude and that she feels it is normal to have many sexual partners. When she says, “what I wanted was to be along in a room with him and naked” is uniform with the cover of the book (100). Also on the cover, Lucy’s expression hints at attributes of the character. She is looking down, indicating the depression she felt when she moved from her home as well as her general outlook at her new life. “I did not have a sunny disposition, and, as for actual happiness, I had been experiencing a long drought” (86). Even though we are told “not to judge a book by the cover”, in the case of Lucy, the opposite is true, and there are many things we can see about Lucy that are depicted on the cover.

'How Does a Person Get to be That Way?'

After reading the first part of Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid, I found I was absolutely repulsed by the character of Lucy. She was so negative toward everything, her new surroundings, her job, the snow, and everyone around her. She was especially hostile toward her mother, which I thought was horrible. The most confusing part of this reading to me was in all Lucy's interactions, she wondered how the other person got to be a certain way. For example, when Mariah was excited by the thought of spring and "made to feel alive by some flowers bending in the breeze" (17). Lucy did not ask that question out of admiration for Mariah, but more looking down on her and thinking such a thing was stupid. What bothered me the most in these instances was that the book did not give any insight into her past that made her so bitter.
I feel the character of Lucy is very cynical for no reason. It was her choice to leave her friends, family, and homeland behind and now she should embrace her new life.

Tables Turn..

"This Blessed House" by Jhumpa Lahiri reminded me in a way of "The Yellow Wallpaper". At first, Sanjeev looked down upon Twinkle for wanting to keep her "treasures" and thought she was childish. This was similar to how the husband in "The Yellow Wallpaper" treated his wife. Telling Twinkle what he will and will not tolerate in his home, it shows the domination and superiority Sanjeev thinks he has over his wife.
Another part that showed male domination and women's inferiority was when Sanjeev expected Twinkle to unpack boxes, sweep the attic, and repaint the windowsill, etc. because she was home all day while he was at work. It made no difference to him that she was working on her Masters' thesis, if she was home, he expected her to do housework.
As the story went on however, the tables are somewhat turned. This is where the story differs from "The Yellow Wallpaper". Twinkle becomes the dominant person, with everyone at the party following her and going on her treasure hunt. Sanjeev becomes disgruntled and pouts when Twinkle gets all the attention. I thought this was a perfect way for the story to end, with Sanjeev going along with Twinkle, and becoming the inferior person in the relationship.

Ma NI pUL a t i On

The movie "O" brings to modern life Shakespeare's tale of Othello. In watching it, we can see the ease of manipulating other people. Hugo, played by the oh-so-good looking Josh Hartnett, plays the villain (Iago) who is the "brains" behind the series of events. In the movie, many of the same situations occur as in the play, and it is easy to see the correlation between the two. Because the story of Othello is brought to modern terms, the situations in it can be applied to our everyday lives, and not just things that would happen in the past, or during Shakespeare's time. I think the most important thing to take away from this movie is that people are easily manipulated, and those being manipulated do not even realize. Odin, for example, was made to believe Dezi was cheating on him, based on what Hugo was telling him.

The real question is: can we really trust what others are telling us? Like Odin and Hugo, Odin took drastic action on the basis of what Hugo told him, and never questioned what Hugo said. Like the characters in the movie, I feel we can all relate to this and question how much we can believe of what other people tell us. Do they have ulterior motives? Are we, like Odin, simply naive pawns of other people, just waiting to be toyed with? And if so, what can we do to protect ourselves, without becoming cynical and guarded people?

To be real, or not to be real?

In a slight twist on the famous words from Shakespeare's Hamlet, this question of how accurate performances are can be directed to Othello. As we have talked in class, the fact that Shakespeare did not leave stage direction or details on how to perform his plays, it is up to the director to interpret and make his or her own conclusion on how to stage the play. In both clips we watched of Othello, there were some similarities, but also many differences. This shows that the director does have creative license and things are portrayed with their interpretation. Because of this, it is difficult to distinguish what was actually Shakespeare's intention or vision for the play and the director's interpretation.

I feel that this difference between Shakespeare and a director's creative license causes the authenticity of a piece to decrease. However, with the lack of direction Shakespeare left, we will never know the original significance or way things should have been. With this in mind, the audience must take a performance with a grain of salt; because chances are the significance and staging of things by a director is not what Shakespeare intended.

Is what you see what you get?

On Tuesday, we talked a lot about reputation in Othello. The question was raised if what you see is what you get, or if what you see is not what you get. In regards to Iago and his theory on reputation, that people only see what you say you are, I agree. Pertaining to today's world, I think that people do sensor themselves and show the characteristics they want to show. In class we also talked about the messages we send may be misconstrued or taken a different way by others. However we truly have no control over people's reactions, we do have control over what we show them. An example of this is Iago, in that he shows his 'different colors' depending on what characters he is with in the play. When he is with Othello, he is the loyal and trustworthy friend (characteristics he wants Othello to see in him), and when Iago is in aside, he shows the audience different characteristics.

Based on Iago's theory of reputation, I believe that people do indeed have the ability to sensor certain characteristics, and that what you see is not always what you get.

Girl, Misunderstood

After seeing Girl, Interrupted I came to the conclusion that many, if not most, of the patients in the hospital were misunderstood. Misunderstood by the doctors, nurses, the people who sent them there, even by their fellow patients. In the scene where each of the girls were reading their charts, Susanna described her condition with 'symptoms' what I thought to be somewhat typical for any teenage woman. With this in mind, is it right to consider her to be insane? Because she has "an instability of self-image, relationships, and mood, uncertainty about goals, impulsive in activities that are self-damaging...such as casual sex", these make her suitable for a mental institution?

I feel that these 'symptoms' should not be the criteria for someone to be considered insane. For example, because Susanna was uncertain about her goals, this qualified her for a year stay in a mental hospital. I think the real qualifying factor is the underlying reason for the 'symptoms'. What I mean is this: people should not be judged as insane by the way they react to things, but by what it is they are reacting to and because of this they are misunderstood.

The Room

In "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the room the narrator is in has a severe influence on her. She describes the room as "airy" and "windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore", but despises the ghastly yellow wallpaper (369). To make a long story short, she eventually becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper, and it literally drives her mad.

The point I am trying to make is that, like our narrator, the room one is in has major influence on us. In other readings we found this to be true as well. As we talked about in it class, everyone has their different "spot" they write or do work in, thus, a room of one's own. I think that the certain characteristics in each of our rooms, like no noise, being alone, clean, no clutter, or yellow wallpaper, has significant influence on our lives and on our work. And the influence the room has can either make us, (getting an A on a paper) or break us, (go insane).

Struggle as the fruit of artistic genius?

While reading Virginia Wolf's, A Room of One's Own, what struck me most was when she wrote about the effect wealth or poverty had on the mind. What really intrigued me most was the effect poverty has. In class we talked about the issue of the "starving artist" and whether someone in poverty has the opportunity to express their genius. I feel as though it is more challenging for someone who lives in poverty to have time for their craft, because they must spend their time working, trying to make money. However, because of this, I think it drives them toward using their minds in creative ways, with the goal of getting out of poverty.

When Virginia Wolf said that you need money to be a good writer, I think because of the issue of the starving artist, this is not all true. I believe that struggling is the fruit of artistic genius, and that having to work your way up teaches you to not take things for granted and to fight for what you believe in. Although I am sure being financially stable is a giant plus for one's writing, I do not think that you necessarily have to be rich to have talent as a writer.

Writing is like making dinner...

At the grocery store I usually run up and down the aisles looking for inspiration or an idea of what to make for dinner. When i finally get a little spark or hint of what I am going to do, I race home with my individual purchases and throw them onto the counter. This is a very stressful time because nothing is prepared, nothing is boiling, and people are coming in two hours. However, as things get going my stress level decreases and I become a little more confident with getting dinner ready on time.
Once everything is finally ready to be served, I analyze my work and see all my inspirations and ingredients finally came together to make the perfect meal, all in the knick of time.
So you see, this is how writing is for me. I desperately seek for inspiration at first, with no idea of what I am going to write about. When I do get an idea, i run with it and while the idea "cooks" I am able to relax a little. Things get a little hectic through the process and knowing that I must serve my writing to others in a short time. But, once it is all said and done (or wrote and done), I relax and be proud and confident in my work.