April Monthly Blog

Over time, society has continued to value youth and beauty while evading aging as long as possible. Although death is a tragedy on all accounts, whenever a young person passes society reacts more intensely than when an elderly individual does and responds with phrases including "He was just so young" or "She had her whole life ahead of her". The nature of humans to cherish youth is extremely prevalent today and is evident within various works of art and literature. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the obsession Dorian has with his youth is extremely obvious in the way he wishes he could be the painting instead. Not only does he wish to be young and flawless forever, but he believes it to be unfair that the portrait may stay youthful while he must grow old. Such adoration of youth is evident again when Sybil Vane dies and society is taken aback by her young age. While I understand and agree with society that youth is valuable and should be cherished, I also feel that focusing too much on it takes away from the long life that is available to people. I believe that just as many wonderful memories, if not more, are able to be made later in life when you've developed laugh lines around your smile and your skin is slightly worn and aged from your endless adventures. If people were more open-minded and lived each moment to the fullest, there would be no need to put all the pressure on the young members of society to make their early years their best years.

March Monthly Blog

Throughout history, individuals have always believed that the enemy was the stranger or the one who had the gun. After years of war after war, some have realized and shared that the real enemy is no one but ourselves. The truth behind this statement is proven through Dr. Faustus and his various choices and actions which only seem to worsen. Throughout the whole story, there is never a friend or a stranger which causes an issue with Faustus, in fact the people are the ones that often encourage and support him. Instead, it is the "devil" within him that pushes him to make the poor decisions he does and eventually brings him to his unfavorable end, proving that the only enemy you truly need to be scared of is yourself. Again, this issue can be found within Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as the only reason Jekyll continues to meddle with the science is his own selfish and diabolical desires. It is never anyone on the outside that causes him to suffer or commit the crimes he does but his own mind. In the end, it is himself that brings his life to such a tragic end. Even after all this time, people continue to listen to the devil over the Angel and are forced to deal with the consequences. This is why individuals end up in jail and regain freedom, only to find themselves in a cell once more. It is never because of something someone else did, not an enemy or a stranger, but the enemy within themselves that causes their ruin. While I realize that there are individuals out there that we should probably fear, it is nine times out of ten our own minds that are the true enemies. If everyone would simply stop pointing the finger and placing the blame on others and re-evaluate their own thoughts and choices then they would be happier and much more successful.

February Monthly Blog

Continuous Discrimination 

     The constraint of women in society has been a long and never-ending battle. They have struggled to make a living and have an independent self due to society's restrictions and expectations. Such issues are evident in Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own when Woolf comments on the extravagant and conversation filled luncheons of men and the simple, quiet manner of the women. For a long time in history women were expected to be obedient individuals that simply acted as property, not even their own person and this expectation is shown in this instance as even when they are among women they do not feel the right to have intelligent conversation or treat themselves to grand foods. This is a significant thought because it proves that restrictions such as these are capable of changing and influencing society for a very long time. Even today there are numerous individuals who are stuck in these times where women were not treated as equals and it disgusts me to think that people still enforce and spread such ideals. This is obvious in the endless comments made among the media about women and their inferiority which our society indulges in every day. I strongly believe that until these jokes and comments are stopped, our society will never truly have an equal sense of men and women.

Rights and Roles

           Gender equality and roles within relationships have been continuously focused on in the recent pieces of literature. The rights and responsibilities of men and women have been endlessly questioned and analyzed. In A Doll's House the worth and personal rights of women are obviously presented in a critical way. Nora is introduced in such a a way that makes her out to be an ignorant, innocent, spoiled, and helpless little creature. Her inability to support herself in both monetary and emotional situations creates a superior male role as well as a useless female character. This inferiority is evident in Edna in The Awakening as well as Edna is not given the choice to decide for herself and instead is forced to live the life provided by her husband. Both works bring to light the struggles women have had to deal with and overcome over the years. Today, it is obvious that women have fought hard for independence and individuality that they rightly deserve. We still see women and men fighting every day for total equality in numerous areas including workers wages and issues such as rape. The unfair stereotypes and expectations for both men and female have come a long way but are still in need of improvement. While I do approve of and support the fight for equality, I believe the fight needs to be evened out a bit among the genders. There has been so much focus on women's rights that sometimes men are overshadowed and overlooked. Specifically, rape accusations are often overlooked when men are the victims and I feel this is going backwards from where society is today and should be taken far more seriously and equally between both genders.