1) How is the power of imagination a major theme of the story?
In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Luo and the narrator live in the country side during an era known as the Cultural Revolution where the communist Chinese officials prohibit reading any materials except the "Little Red Book" written by Mao Zedong. In the village, Luo and the narrator had to be "re-educated by the poor peasants" (Sijie 6). They believed that "it all came down to Mao's hatred of intellectuals" for them to live in such a constricted society. Because of their hardships during their stay in Phoenix mountain, their only way to conquer their harsh life was through stories, stories from movies and stories from books that were banned. The power of imagination allowed the characters in the story to conquer the hardships created by the environment they lived in, and through the stories they read, the characters feel more open to the possibility of the world.
Imagination gave Luo and the narrator some hope during their stay. From the beginning, Luo was known as the story teller. "The only thing Luo was really good at was telling stories (18). Although such talent had "little future in it" (18), his story-telling abilities impressed the headman of the village. Because of his liking with story-telling, Luo and the narrator "got two days off for the journey to town and two for the return" (19). In return, they had to "relate the film from beginning to end to the headman and everyone else" (19). The power of imagination, as depicted in this scene, is universal, for the story-telling not only impressed the headman but also the villagers. From story-telling, Luo and the narrator received what they considered a "welcome change" (20) and eventually, a life-changing moment.
When the two read the books from Four Eyes, the power of imagination captured their minds. From there, they became obsessed with Western literature. Primarily, the narrator used the books to apart himself from the harsh reality and escape into his own fantasy world. Notably, he fell in love with Jean-Christophe's book. "To me, it was the ultimate book: once you had read it, neither your own life nor the world you lived in would ever look the same" (111). From the book, the narrator learns the value of life. "After all, how could I die now, without having known love or sex, without having taken free individual action against the whole world, as he had?" (114). The power of imagination allowed them to cover their feelings of the communistic society that they lived in, and gave them an imaginary escape path to freedom.
Out of all the characters in the story, perhaps, the Little Seamstress benefitted the most from the power of imagination. She changed her lifestyle accordingly to the stories she heard from Luo. Luo wanted her to love a civilized girl, so he read her books from Balzac. "With these books I shall transform the Little Seamstress. She'll never be a simple mountain girl again" (100). Ironically, this led to the ending of the Little Seamstress running away from her limited life. The image of her "mannish jacket, bobbed hair and white shoes" (182) depicts her changed life style, new image of herself, and her willingness for the new city-life. In the end, she realized the most important lesson from the stories she heard, "that a woman's beauty is a treasure beyond price" (184).
Imagination can change one's life dramatically. Imagination gives hope. The characters in the story learn from Western literature, where their characters have their own freedom. Because of this opposite view from their world they live in, they become more relaxed about their lifestyle. They gain knowledge of the possibilities in their life, and they feel more independent in their limited society.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Othello Essay
In Othello, the intellectual choices serve most of the tragic vision of the story. The "Moor" made intellectual choices throughout the story, but tragically, Iago, the witted and the wicked, used Othello as a puppet for the drama that he created. Similarly to Oedipus, Othello made every intellectual choice as a hero, but as a tragic hero, his doom could not be avoided. The audience realizes that Othello was doomed when Iago authored his evil scheme. Another element of tragedy, the fall of the good, also contributed to the tragic vision of the story. The innocent characters expanded the tragic vision of the play but also caused themselves to fall as the victims of tragedy.
Iago plotted his evil schemes to destroy Othello's life, as if he had planned to shoot an arrow in Othello's thigh, disabling him from walking his path of happiness. Othello had a good life as a respected leader and a romantic warrior. Othello and Desdemona madly loved each other, and Desdemona even preferred Othello over her father. "I am hitherto your daughter: but here's my husband,/And so much duty as my mother show'd/To you, preferring you before her father,/So much I challenge that I may profess/Due to the Moor my lord" (Act I Scene III). But out of all the joy of life, came the villain. Because Iago believed that Othello had slept with his wife, although not the only reason, Iago decided to take revenge on Othello. "And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets/He has done my office" (Act I Scene III). Iago then created Othello as an instrument of the suffering of the others. Othello's friends and loved ones suffered through him despite the fact that Iago was ultimately, the one causing the pain.
Desdemona suffers the most through the evil actions. Desdemona was a sweet, loyal, and innocent wife who had been faithful to Othello throughout the play. These elements created the tragedy of her death. Iago beguiled Othello into thinking that Desdemona was unfaithful. As a passionate lover that Othello was, he could not handle such character from Desdemona. Because of Iago's evil soul and cunning nature, he created the death of the innocent, which was something he did not even want from Desdemona. She did not deserve to die. Indeed, when Desdemona said "I have not deserved this" (Act IV Scene I) after Othello struck her and called her a "Devil!," Shakespeare intended to mean more than the mere physical pain and the hatred Othello had toward her. The quote foreshadowed her death. Since Iago tricked Othello into convincing himself of the infidelity of Desdemona, Desdemona became inevitable as a victim of the tragic vision.
Minor but important characters such as Roderigo and Emilia also deepen the tragic vision of the story. All Roderigo wanted was Desdemona, but as an idiot that he was, he cooperated with the wrong man. He cooperated with the villain who did not care about anyone but himself. As a result, Iago turned against Roderigo and stabbed him to death. Like Roderigo, Emilia had only one objective. She only cared to please her husband, not knowing the evilly selfish nature of Iago and the terrible fate the handkerchief could bring. "And give't Iago: what he will do with it/Heaven knows, not I;/I nothing but to please his fantasy" (Act III Scene III). The handkerchief served as a catalyst to the downfall of Othello and Desdemona. Roderigo and Emilia's life ended tragically because they did not know that the person they trusted so much could end up as their murderer.
In Othello, the characters' innocent choices that fed to the evilness of Iago created the tragic vision in the story. All the uncorrupted characters, Othello, Desdemona, Roderigo, and Emilia fell into the devilish hands of Iago. They all trusted the "honest" Iago, until they realized near their death that he was in fact, a wicked person. Like all tragedies, the ending of Othello was not a happy one. Shakespeare killed Iago in order to show that no one felt happy in the end; the lamentable ending served as the last tragic vision of the story.
Iago plotted his evil schemes to destroy Othello's life, as if he had planned to shoot an arrow in Othello's thigh, disabling him from walking his path of happiness. Othello had a good life as a respected leader and a romantic warrior. Othello and Desdemona madly loved each other, and Desdemona even preferred Othello over her father. "I am hitherto your daughter: but here's my husband,/And so much duty as my mother show'd/To you, preferring you before her father,/So much I challenge that I may profess/Due to the Moor my lord" (Act I Scene III). But out of all the joy of life, came the villain. Because Iago believed that Othello had slept with his wife, although not the only reason, Iago decided to take revenge on Othello. "And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets/He has done my office" (Act I Scene III). Iago then created Othello as an instrument of the suffering of the others. Othello's friends and loved ones suffered through him despite the fact that Iago was ultimately, the one causing the pain.
Desdemona suffers the most through the evil actions. Desdemona was a sweet, loyal, and innocent wife who had been faithful to Othello throughout the play. These elements created the tragedy of her death. Iago beguiled Othello into thinking that Desdemona was unfaithful. As a passionate lover that Othello was, he could not handle such character from Desdemona. Because of Iago's evil soul and cunning nature, he created the death of the innocent, which was something he did not even want from Desdemona. She did not deserve to die. Indeed, when Desdemona said "I have not deserved this" (Act IV Scene I) after Othello struck her and called her a "Devil!," Shakespeare intended to mean more than the mere physical pain and the hatred Othello had toward her. The quote foreshadowed her death. Since Iago tricked Othello into convincing himself of the infidelity of Desdemona, Desdemona became inevitable as a victim of the tragic vision.
Minor but important characters such as Roderigo and Emilia also deepen the tragic vision of the story. All Roderigo wanted was Desdemona, but as an idiot that he was, he cooperated with the wrong man. He cooperated with the villain who did not care about anyone but himself. As a result, Iago turned against Roderigo and stabbed him to death. Like Roderigo, Emilia had only one objective. She only cared to please her husband, not knowing the evilly selfish nature of Iago and the terrible fate the handkerchief could bring. "And give't Iago: what he will do with it/Heaven knows, not I;/I nothing but to please his fantasy" (Act III Scene III). The handkerchief served as a catalyst to the downfall of Othello and Desdemona. Roderigo and Emilia's life ended tragically because they did not know that the person they trusted so much could end up as their murderer.
In Othello, the characters' innocent choices that fed to the evilness of Iago created the tragic vision in the story. All the uncorrupted characters, Othello, Desdemona, Roderigo, and Emilia fell into the devilish hands of Iago. They all trusted the "honest" Iago, until they realized near their death that he was in fact, a wicked person. Like all tragedies, the ending of Othello was not a happy one. Shakespeare killed Iago in order to show that no one felt happy in the end; the lamentable ending served as the last tragic vision of the story.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Evilness...
Evilness can exist in every soul, every person is capable of being evil. I believe that people can learn evilness while the most evil ones are born evil, born with the bad seeds. Until Oedipus, I would've said that everyone is born equal but since Oedipus Rex, I understand more about fate, and accept fate more openly, I believe people can be born evil.
Society can feed people with evilness, with its television, movies, books, magazines, videogames, and of course, people. Parents can influence children the most. From them, people learn the art of evil and if the parents are evil, the kids are most likely to be evil. Children exhibit behaviors that are demonstrated by their parents, and that's why people say "like father, like son."
A recent Time article talks about the science of being evil. People who are good, can certainly turn evil in times of one's survival. People are also more likely to turn bad to people we are not familiar with or resemble, such as the example of a boy who was asked if it was ok to mug an elderly woman. The boy said no, but when asked who it would've been ok, he said, "A Chinese delivery guy." Now I, for one, would not mug a Chinese delivery guy because he was simply "Chinese." But what I definitely felt was a. I wanted to punch that kid and b. yeah well I don't know the kid and it won't happen anyways. If I knew the kid and was familiar with him, I would've not felt like punching the kid. So our brain has to do with evil decisions and evil actions.
I got a little off topic, but here is what I think. Some people can be born plain evil because it's in their genes. The genes affect how people act and everything. If the parents are evil, they are born bad. I remember reading/watching something about a kid who has evil parents and was adopted into a really nice family. At first, it seemed like the kid was going to be all nice and happy but that didn't happen and he resembled his parents. I don't remember what that show/movie/book was called but I'm sure someone has heard of this. So yeah, my answer is you can be born evil and you can be good and turn evil.
Society can feed people with evilness, with its television, movies, books, magazines, videogames, and of course, people. Parents can influence children the most. From them, people learn the art of evil and if the parents are evil, the kids are most likely to be evil. Children exhibit behaviors that are demonstrated by their parents, and that's why people say "like father, like son."
A recent Time article talks about the science of being evil. People who are good, can certainly turn evil in times of one's survival. People are also more likely to turn bad to people we are not familiar with or resemble, such as the example of a boy who was asked if it was ok to mug an elderly woman. The boy said no, but when asked who it would've been ok, he said, "A Chinese delivery guy." Now I, for one, would not mug a Chinese delivery guy because he was simply "Chinese." But what I definitely felt was a. I wanted to punch that kid and b. yeah well I don't know the kid and it won't happen anyways. If I knew the kid and was familiar with him, I would've not felt like punching the kid. So our brain has to do with evil decisions and evil actions.
I got a little off topic, but here is what I think. Some people can be born plain evil because it's in their genes. The genes affect how people act and everything. If the parents are evil, they are born bad. I remember reading/watching something about a kid who has evil parents and was adopted into a really nice family. At first, it seemed like the kid was going to be all nice and happy but that didn't happen and he resembled his parents. I don't remember what that show/movie/book was called but I'm sure someone has heard of this. So yeah, my answer is you can be born evil and you can be good and turn evil.
Monday, November 12, 2007
S.O.S: Complex Love
Of course, we all know that love in Song of Slomon dominates the whole book. But when people refer to love they automatically refer to Hagar and Milkman or Porter and Corinthians or whoever had sex in the book. The complexity of love in Song of Solomon not only comes from two lovers, it also comes from families, materialism, and races.
Between Ruth and her father, there is a strange, posthumus love. She has depended on him for a long time and she has loved him forever. Then there is the fervent love from Hagar to Milkman. Milkman didn't want her, so she had to sell hate. Then there is the sweet mother-daughter love between Pilate, Reba, and Hagar. Their love is so strong, so unified that they didn't need husbands to support them, except for Hagar who couldn't mature enough to understand that she did not need Milkman. Unlike all these people, Macon has love for no one. He has love for a thing. He loves money. His life revolves around money and because of his love for money, he has created hate toward his sister, Pilate. How unfortunate.
Now here is the kind of love that people can relate to. Love for your own race. The Seven Days was created in order to love black people, not to hate white people. Robert Smith, Porter, and Guitar joined the faction to love, not to hate. They wanted to give voice to black people. They wanted white people to know that they weren't going to take racism. The only thing they accepted was love.
Between Ruth and her father, there is a strange, posthumus love. She has depended on him for a long time and she has loved him forever. Then there is the fervent love from Hagar to Milkman. Milkman didn't want her, so she had to sell hate. Then there is the sweet mother-daughter love between Pilate, Reba, and Hagar. Their love is so strong, so unified that they didn't need husbands to support them, except for Hagar who couldn't mature enough to understand that she did not need Milkman. Unlike all these people, Macon has love for no one. He has love for a thing. He loves money. His life revolves around money and because of his love for money, he has created hate toward his sister, Pilate. How unfortunate.
Now here is the kind of love that people can relate to. Love for your own race. The Seven Days was created in order to love black people, not to hate white people. Robert Smith, Porter, and Guitar joined the faction to love, not to hate. They wanted to give voice to black people. They wanted white people to know that they weren't going to take racism. The only thing they accepted was love.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Teenage life
Growing up as a teenager, my number one problem is of course school. My life revolves around school: school work, school sports/clubs, and school events. When you are growing up as a teenager, you feel as if you are tired of school and don't want to learn anymore. But when you finish school, you feel like you want to learn again. That's a paradox.
One lesson I learned growing up as a teenager is that I don't always get what I want, and sometimes, I have to respect what I already have. When I was a kid, I always begged to buy toys and it was easier for me to get what I wanted when I was little. But once you are a teenanger, your parents try to teach you to save money and become an adult. As an adult, one cannot spend money like crazy. Teenagers don't usually know how important it is to save money because we don't work for it. When we start realizing how painful it is to get money, then we will understand the importance of money.
Another problem I have growing up as a teenager is procrastination. Whenever I try to do my homework, I always get distracted by my computer. I just don't feel like doing my work and surf the web, watching youtube, playing games. I think it will be a problem for me if this continues, so I try to keep my self focused.
Last but not least, growing up as a teenager, I learned that sports can be really tough. It wasn't until high school when I found out that soccer required a lot of stamina and strength. When I was in elementary school, it wasn't that important to have stamina. But now, I learned that stamina is really really important and that's why I chose to run Cross Country this year.
One lesson I learned growing up as a teenager is that I don't always get what I want, and sometimes, I have to respect what I already have. When I was a kid, I always begged to buy toys and it was easier for me to get what I wanted when I was little. But once you are a teenanger, your parents try to teach you to save money and become an adult. As an adult, one cannot spend money like crazy. Teenagers don't usually know how important it is to save money because we don't work for it. When we start realizing how painful it is to get money, then we will understand the importance of money.
Another problem I have growing up as a teenager is procrastination. Whenever I try to do my homework, I always get distracted by my computer. I just don't feel like doing my work and surf the web, watching youtube, playing games. I think it will be a problem for me if this continues, so I try to keep my self focused.
Last but not least, growing up as a teenager, I learned that sports can be really tough. It wasn't until high school when I found out that soccer required a lot of stamina and strength. When I was in elementary school, it wasn't that important to have stamina. But now, I learned that stamina is really really important and that's why I chose to run Cross Country this year.
Friday, October 19, 2007
My Family
My family can be a family at times but sometimes separated. I have a family of three: my dad, my mom, and me. We eat dinner as a family almost every single night, although my mom comes to dinner late because she has to pray before she eats. She usually comes when I'm half done with my dinner and I'm always the first one to finish dinner and go do something else. I don't talk much at the dinner table, I just eat. I don't usually start up conversations, it's usually my dad.
On weekends we don't really do much as a family. My mom has to do work and my dad goes out to buy groceries from Chinese supermarkets. My dad is like the typical mom. He comes to every single one of my soccer games, which my mom rarely does. He used to drive me to school every morning, and he was the one picking me up from places. My mom is usually too busy with her work and my dad cooks more than my mom, so the role of mother and father is sort of switched in my family......or more like my dad does things usual moms do in addition to what usual dads do.
I don't spend much time with my family because I'm usually doing homework or hanging out with friends or playing sports. When I was 11 or 12, we spent more time together as a family, going to places like Stone Mountain and just doing things on weekends. But since now I'm older and have more stuff to do and because my mom has a job, our family hasn't really been a family like we used to be.
On weekends we don't really do much as a family. My mom has to do work and my dad goes out to buy groceries from Chinese supermarkets. My dad is like the typical mom. He comes to every single one of my soccer games, which my mom rarely does. He used to drive me to school every morning, and he was the one picking me up from places. My mom is usually too busy with her work and my dad cooks more than my mom, so the role of mother and father is sort of switched in my family......or more like my dad does things usual moms do in addition to what usual dads do.
I don't spend much time with my family because I'm usually doing homework or hanging out with friends or playing sports. When I was 11 or 12, we spent more time together as a family, going to places like Stone Mountain and just doing things on weekends. But since now I'm older and have more stuff to do and because my mom has a job, our family hasn't really been a family like we used to be.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
After all the discussions
After all those discussions revealed to me about fate, the only thing I figured out was that fate becomes responsibility. It was Oedipus's responsibility to leave his town to try to not kill his father and marry his mother. But in the end, fate was inevitable and his fate came to him unknowingly.
I feel that after all, maybe freewill isn't that free. I do not get to do just "whatever" I want and there are certain things on Earth that restrict me from doing it. But then again, I don't totally believe that there is fate. Believing in fate is like believing that there is some greater power in this world that controls me. I don't have a religion but I do believe in god. But I don't think god determines everything that I do or everything anyone else does. God cannot be responsible for 911 or the war.
Ultimately, I think there is both. Some things we do are determined by ourselves, while somethings cannot be escaped. There is no real answer about whether fate or freewill exist. I think it's better to live on without answering cause there is no point in answering it.
I feel that after all, maybe freewill isn't that free. I do not get to do just "whatever" I want and there are certain things on Earth that restrict me from doing it. But then again, I don't totally believe that there is fate. Believing in fate is like believing that there is some greater power in this world that controls me. I don't have a religion but I do believe in god. But I don't think god determines everything that I do or everything anyone else does. God cannot be responsible for 911 or the war.
Ultimately, I think there is both. Some things we do are determined by ourselves, while somethings cannot be escaped. There is no real answer about whether fate or freewill exist. I think it's better to live on without answering cause there is no point in answering it.
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