Privilege

When learning about history, we often only hear one side of the story: the winner's perspective. After reading a chapter from The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and looking at her quote, it inspired me to question the stories I hear. 

Although I thought I had a good idea of how privilege plays a part in storytelling, this year has really opened my eyes. At the beginning of the year when I watched the TED talk by Adichie, I also felt exposed to something new. I had never considered how privilege is important when listening to a story. From her TED talk, I learned that minorities seldom tell the stories. Privileged individuals usually tell the stories. After reading a chapter from Adichie's book, it further made me realize the importance that all deserve to share their stories. I hope that in the future, power will be shared and minorities will be given the chance to share stories from their perspective. I think as time goes on, the conversation is opening up and this topic is gaining more exposure. I hope in the near future that more minorities will be able to share their stories because everyone deserves to have their voice heard, no matter their race or gender. 

Alternate Perspective

I have been familiar with Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress for a long time. Whenever I visit my grandma's house, the book is sitting on its usual spot on the coffee table. I have seen this repeated image of the red shoes since I was a little girl. I always wondered about the book's plot. Was it a love story? A riveting tale of adventure? Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is much more complex than I could have imagined. 

Before reading this book, I had little knowledge of communism. I had never learned about it in school so I decided to do some research. Everything I read about communism did not appear to be too awful. Some academic websites painted communism to be an "ideal society" in which people work together as a community and no one person (with the exception of Chairman Mao, of course) has power over another. From the perspective of academic sources, communism sounded decent to me, it even sounded like a smart idea but the lack of intimacy in the description did not allow me to truly grasp the horrors of communism. This book offers an entirely new perspective; it features raw emotion, true suffering, and the struggles that we go through as developing teenagers. The book puts "a name to the face" so to speak. It gives those who suffered through re-education a voice. Academic descriptions of re-education do not feature intimate details of the great struggles that these oppressed adolescents persevered through. 

I am so grateful to Sijie for enlightening me on this topic. I think this book exemplifies the importance of first-hand accounts as academic sources can sometimes be almost too neutral and inhumane. Sijie's work and exceptional writing allows me to be immersed in the struggles of the characters. I feel connected to these characters, even though we come from extremely different backgrounds and situations. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is an educating work but it is also an intimate and raw account of re-education.

Room to Improve

English II so far has been successful thus far. I think that I have been successful in several aspects but there is still room for me to improve. Similar to English I, I continue to make an effort to contribute to class discussions, even if my thoughts are not well-articulated. Also, this year I have improved in analyzing text. Last year, when I analyzed text, I usually only looked at the literal meaning. This year, I have looked beyond the literal meaning of the text and I have started to further analyze the deeper meaning. Lastly, I think I have performed well on quizzes because I am almost always prepared for class. With all this said, there is a lot for me to improve upon. This year, I hope to improve my writing skills but specifically my thesis writing skills. Writing theses is something that I struggle with because when writing an essay, I start with one thesis and I tend to stray away from my original thesis which forces me to write an entirely new thesis which better fits my evidence. I am hopeful that I will improve my writing this year! 

Knowledge is Power

When reading over the "banned books" list, I was shocked to discover that The Complete Persepolis was on the list. I read over the allegations made against the book, "Reasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint. Additional reasons: 'politically, racially, and socially offensive,' 'graphic depictions.'" I was in shock. I immediately recollected my memories of the book. I asked myself, "What could possibly be inappropriate?" The only minor reason that this book could be deemed inappropriate was the minor drug use that Marjane participated in. However, "drug use" does not appear on the list of reasons deeming this book inappropriate (which makes no sense as the other reasons are irrelevant to the book.) 

Seeing this book on the list reminds me of how important it is to explore controversial topics as adolescents. For example, if a teenager is sheltered and is not exposed to mature topics of the world, how will this individual fare in the real world? Will this individual be appalled at the sex, drugs, and crimes of the world or will this individual embrace the changes? Seeing this book on the list also reminds me of how grateful I am to attend a school which celebrates more controversial topics. I also appreciate how open the teachers are to exploring these topics without judging their students. When discussing typically uncomfortable topics in class, I feel comfortable because I have faith in the open-mindedness of the students and teachers. Reading controversial works reminds me of the lengths I would go to if my freedom of reading was limited. If reading banned literature resulted in serious consequences, I would still read. I believe that knowledge is power. When I read controversial  works, I feel more knowledgeable because I am exposed to new topics that I would not typically discuss in everyday life. Ultimately, I think it is imperative to explore uncomfortable topics because it leads to individual growth.

Can Equality be Harmful?

I never thought I would say that equality is detrimental to our society but after reading Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron," it makes me fear the consequences of complete equality. In theory, complete equality sounds marvelous: all citizens are equal and there isn't gender or social inequality but when there is extreme complete equality like in Vonnegut's story, individuals are no longer able to properly express their free thoughts and opinions. They lose the essential drive for creativity. 

In this day and age, there is an "everyone wins" attitude which is appears to be a good idea in theory. Everyone should be rewarded for their effort, right? For example, what if someone studies really hard for a test and receives a well-deserved perfect score and someone else does not study but also receives a perfect score. Is this fair? Should one have to justify their success by saying, "Oh well everyone got a perfect score on this test?" When this justification is made, the true winner does not feel validated. He or she may feel that all the studying put in was not worth it.

We all strive towards a common goal: success. But when success is achieved and there is not validation, what was the point in trying in the first place? Unfortunately, inequality must exist in order for creativity to blossom. Inequality must exist for true validation.

Animal-Testing: Is it worth it?

Unfortunately in today's day and age, most things we use are a result of some kind of inhumane act. The food we eat, the leather we wear and the products we use are a result of cruelty inflicted on animals so that the dominant human can benefit. Although many people are aware of the cruelty inflicted on animals for food and clothing purposes, many are ignorant to animal-tested products like cosmetics and household items. 
 A few months ago I was online shopping for makeup and I saw a brand that said that it was "cruelty-free." At first, I wasn't sure was this meant. After some research, I discovered what not being "cruelty- free" consisted of. I saw hundreds of gruesome pictures of rabbits, mice, and other animals being poked with needles, their eyes burning and swelling. Their fur is shaved and chemicals invade their bare skin. And after the results of the experiment are recorded, the animal is killed. At first I tried to justify these actions. I thought, "they're doing this for my safety." But my justification proved to be useless because I could not help but cry. I felt so guilty because I had been buying animal-tested products for years. Before discovering this, I was blissfully unaware of the cruelty that was behind the mascara I was wearing. I realized that I had never heard about these actions because the media rarely covers stories about animal-testing because sharing these stories could result in multi-million dollar companies loosing millions of dollars. 

The photo above is simply a fraction of the companies that test on animals. Hundreds and thousands of companies test on animals to make a large profit, at the expense of innocent creatures. While one group suffers pain and cruelty, another dominant group benefits and profits because of the work of others. Needless to say, I no longer purchase animal-tested products and I try to spread the importance of buying cruelty-free products to others that are unaware. 

Unnecessary Fear

"Watch enough brutality on TV and you come to believe you are living in a cruel and gloomy world in which you feel vulnerable and insecure. In his research over three decades Gerbner found that people who watch a lot of TV are more likely than others to believe their neighborhoods are unsafe, to assume that crime rates are rising, and to overestimate their own odds of becoming a victim. They also buy more locks, alarms, and- you guessed it- guns, in hopes of protecting themselves. 'They may accept and even welcome,' Gerbner reports, 'repressive measures such as more jails, capital punishment, harsher sentences- measures that have never reduced crime but never fail to get votes- if that promises to relieve their anxieties. That is the deeper dilemma of violence-laden television.'"

This excerpt from Barry Glassner's The Culture of Fear, exposed me to the dangers of the media. I could not agree more with this statement. His argument about the power of the media never occurred to me. I never fully understood how much the media can manipulate stories to their benefit until after reading the excerpt from the chapter.

After reading the article, I found myself recognizing how much the media manipulates and overhypes stories. A few days ago, I was reading an article on Dailymail.com. I read a strange article claiming that a giant meteor was going to hit Earth and we were all going to die within ten years. At first, I was genuinely scared. I had believed the story instantly without hesitation. Then I reflected back on the article: what was their evidence? Where were they getting these ideas? I reread the article again and I realized there was no evidence to support their claim. I then decided to further my investigation by researching online. I read on another website that shared that people were frightened by the article, just like I was. I also discovered that NASA had to eventually step in to squash the unsupported theory. Although this does not specifically relate to violence, it still exemplifies how media can greatly impact the masses.

Yet another example of the power of the media is the coverage of increased racial tension. Many news channels cover stories pertaining to increased tensions between African American men and the police force. In my opinion, covering so many of these stories negatively influences police officers to commit violent acts. I recently saw a statistic that claimed that an African American man was more likely to be arrested than to attend college. I was shocked to hear this. I think this statistic is an example of the influence media has on its viewers.

Nadine Gordimer's short story "Once Upon a Time," is an excellent example of how people are effected by the media. In the story, two parents are going to extraordinary measures to protect their house from external threats which leads them to completely ignore what is going on around them. They begin to focus on the external threat more than the internal problems which causes their son to accidentally kill himself on the wire fence. The wire fence was supposed to be a symbol of safety but ends up hurting more than helping.

To summarize, the media is a powerful tool which can sometimes be used to manipulate its viewers into believing crazy stories so the channel can benefit as a result of the induced fear. However, what I really took from this is how important it is for me to remain skeptical. I should be skeptical of what I read online. I should always check the sources and continue to research before becoming unnecessarily fearful.

Personal Growth

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi taught me many things, one of which is the power of imagery. Her graphic novel utilizes black and white drawings with minimal detail. Although the graphics themselves are simple, they help to convey emotion along with the text. I chose this image for this reason. This image of the flower growing is extremely simple but in addition to the text, creates a powerful message. 

This picture means a lot to me. One year ago, I was going through some personal issues and I felt really lost. I felt alone and I was extremely unhappy. I do not remember exactly how I found this image but it really spoke to me. At the time, it reminded me that I did not have to "get over it" right away. This picture helped me realize that happiness is not an overnight transformation. Like a flower growing in a garden, it takes time to change and transform your mindset. I used this picture as my background on my phone, to remind myself to always stay hopeful and positive for the future. This picture inspired my own personal growth: to develop and bloom into a happy and positive person. One year later, I am a completely different person because of this image.  To this day, it is still my background picture on my phone, proving how impactful simple images can be.

Introduction!

1. Hi! My name is Meghan and I am 15 years old and I am currently a sophomore in high school. I am so excited to express myself through a new platform: a blog! To clarify one major question: What does "Meghanprose" mean? To clarify, my middle name is Rose and the definition of prose is:

Prose: noun

1. 1.

   written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.

   (Dictionary.com) 
2. 
   
3. I thought that it was a fitting "play on words" as this will be a blog about literature and writing. Above this text, you can see a collage of words that are most important to me and are accurate representations of my interests. I included my favorite movie director, Wes Anderson, and my favorite works of his, "Moonrise Kingdom" and "The Royal Tenenbaums." Whenever I watch his films, I am instantly inspired by Anderson's unique aesthetic and soundtrack choices. I also included my favorite activities like spin, yoga, meditating, and singing. Balancing my school work and hobbies can sometimes be difficult but I always allot time for these activities because they are essential to my well-being and happiness. Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, and Simon and Garfunkel are just a few of my favorite artists but I'm sure next year's list of artists will be completely different. The remaining words are words that define me and a variety of my favorite things. I hope that from my word cloud, you can learn a few personal interests of mine. From this blog however, I hope you can learn more about the academic and intellectual side of me. I have an abundance of interests outside of my favorite films, activities, and artists and I hope through utilizing this platform, I can express my interests in literature and the world.