What would Shakespeare think of us

I think Dan Poole and Giles Terera's TedTalk revealed a number of interesting points regarding Shakespeare. I thought it was absolutely amazing how they could travel to so many different parts of the world and connect to these other people through the works of Shakespeare. It shows just how widespread and popular Shakespeare has become. One of the actors remarked how "Shakespeare wasn't meant for a few people, but all of us." I thought this statement summed up all of Shakespeare's work. He didn't write to connect with a few people but to connect with every human on Earth; his themes, stories, and emotions are universal. We have all felt, at some point, like a character in one of his plays. Perhaps it is for this reason that Shakespeare is so universally well-known: we don't read his plays, we feel them. I also agreed with the actors' point that if Shakespeare was alive today, he would be absolutely dumbfounded by his posthumous success. He would be amazed to see his plays translated into so many languages and read by students and play enthusiasts all over the world. I believe he would have felt as if he had accomplished his goal: having the world experience and feel the inner workings of his mind.

Shakespeare is everywhere

Until watching Christopher Gaze's TedTalk, I truly did not realize just how many famous sayings Shakespeare had coined in his day. It is amazing to hear sayings that were invented centuries ago still used in our modern and ever-changing world. It is so common nowadays to hear words or phrases get used for a few days or weeks, and then never heard of again. However, Shakespeare's sayings are emblematic of Shakespeare's lasting reign over the English language. I found Gaze's anecdote about Hamnet's death to be quite interesting. Shakespeare knew that if he had not wrote "Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer's Day", Hamnet may have never been remembered. I personally had always believed that this sonnet was one of love for his wife or an admirer; I was shocked to hear it was written as a eulogy for his son. This completely changed the meaning of the sonnet and in my opinion, makes it much more beautiful and meaningful. Gaze's TedTalk and the aforementioned anecdote specifically made me view Shakespeare as more of a human, instead of some "god-like playwright". Shakespeare experienced emotions just like me and you, and channeled these emotions through his sonnets and plays. This thought gives Shakespeare's works a much more personal touch.

The Adaptability of Shakespeare

What makes Shakespeare so famous and universally loved? Perhaps it's his wondrous creativity and wit that withstands the test of time. But perhaps, its the adaptability factor of his plays. Think about it: you can take nearly any one of Shakespeare's plays and adapt it to nearly any plot or time period. It's this versatility that has allowed Shakespeare to become the greatest playwright of all time; his stories are universal and his themes fit the mold of any story you'd like to tell. For this reason, Shakespeare can remain relevant in modern culture, although he deceased hundreds of years ago.

As a result of the versatility of his plays, there are some very crazy adaptations of Shakespeare. There is a TV Movie adaptation of The Tempest that takes place in the Mississippi Bayou during the Civil War. There is a 1956 movie which also tells the tale of The Tempest...in space that is. Consider even the 2006 film She's The Man starring Amanda Bynes, which adapts Twelfth Night into the story of a high school girl becoming a star on the male soccer team. The point of all these examples is that Shakespeare's adaptability is second to none; his stories can take place at any point in history with any type of character. So the next time you go to the movies, watch out for your favorite actor or actress playing the role of Romeo, Macbeth, or Hamlet.

Hamlet and The Lion King

While watching the Hamlet movie in class, my mind began to wander a bit (sorry Ms. Maxey). I thought of other stories in which the king is killed by someone who then takes his spot on the throne. That's when it hit me -- The Lion King is the story of Hamlet! Sure enough, I googled the two classics and there were thousands of results comparing the likeness of the two stories. The similarities are undeniable. Both Scar and Claudius play an uncle who kills the king in order to take his spot on the throne. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are both good friends of Hamlet, similar to how Timone and Pumbaa are Simba's best friends. Both The Lion King and Hamlet tell the story of a prince who wishes to reclaim the throne from his uncle. Both Simba and Hamlet's dads die at the hands of their uncle and Simba and Hamlet both eventually fight their uncle to reclaim the throne. Until watching Hamlet in class, I had assumed The Lion King was an original Disney story. Regardless of whether its an adaptation or not, The Lion King is an incredible story and pays tribute to Shakespeare's talent while also showing the lasting power of his work. I think it is interesting to see just how many recent movies and books have been influenced or even completely stolen from old William.

Response to "Shakespeare's Sister"

"Shakespeare's Sister", an excerpt from A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf discusses the melancholy story of what would have happened had Shakespeare had a sister of equal talent. Woolf claims that Shakespeare's sister would have never even had the chance to become a successful playwright, as a result of her gender. Woolf states that this fictional girl would be subject to a life of domestic tasks, as most women were during this time, despite her literary talent. Although this story features Shakespeare, this story still works if you were to replace him with any male writer before the 20th century or so. Say that Mark Twain or Charles Dickens had a sister - do you really think they would be as successful as their brother given that they had the same talent? Sadly, the answer is likely no. There are very few successful female writers before the 20th century, simply as a result of their gender. It is upsetting to think about all the great works of art that we have missed out on as a result of them being conjured up in the minds of women. This excerpt from Woolf reveals the harsh truths of being a female writer during the Elizabethan Age, but her story reigns true for the most part up until the twentieth century. It is a sad truth that only in the past century or so have women been respected as much as men in the literary world. Though its long overdue, we are fortunate today that we live in a world where writers are judged off their works of literature, not their sex. So yes, even Shakespeare's sister would be famous today.

Response to "Is Shakespeare Still Relevant?"

Is Shakespeare still relevant? It's a question that has lingered through every high schooler's mind when they are instructed to read Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet or Twelfth Night. Most teenagers will tell you the answer is no, as his vocabulary and complex wordplay is too intimidating and hard to comprehend. And I agree with these people to some extent. Shakespeare's archaic lexicon is just too hard to comprehend for most high schoolers. The English language has changed immensely in the past 400 years and its unreasonable to think that your average teenager will be able to translate this "foreign language" while also trying to dissect the plot of Shakespeare's works. And I wholeheartedly agree with the author's point that No Fear Shakespeare completely removes the poetic aspect of Shakespeare's writing just so a high schooler like me can understand the man. If I have to stop every page to translate what he is saying, then there is almost no literary value in reading his works.

Don't get me wrong; I completely respect Shakespeare and his works of literature, but I don't think he should be assigned reading for high schoolers. High schoolers get so frustrated with his archaic vocabulary and wordplay that they end up detesting what is supposed to be a work of art. I agree with the author's point that Shakespeare's themes are universal and ubiquitous in nature, but I feel as if there are other works that could accomplish this goal more effectively, without getting a high schooler to hate the most respected playwright to grace the Earth. In summation, I do believe that Shakespeare is still relevant, but I also think his confusing language strips the literary value from his works when read by high schoolers.

An Analysis of Anse in "As I Lay Dying"

It is no secret that Anse, the patriarch of the Bundren family, is hated by most everyone the reader encounters in As I Lay Dying. Even as a reader I think it is normal to want to hate Anse. He contributes almost nothing to the family unit and seems to be only acting out of self-interest in everything he is a part of. Not only that, but he is incredibly lazy, incessantly rubbing his knees throughout the novel and claiming "...that if he ever sweats, he will die." Another one of Anse's annoying traits is that he is not a religious man, but whenever something arises that he doesn't want to deal with, he uses God to justify why he shouldn't do it. You can almost guarantee that Anse will say "Oh God would have wanted it that way" or "It is God's will, not ours", but only if it betters his own interests. His blaming of God is most ridiculous, to the point of being laughable, when Addie is on her death bed. Anse refuses to call the doctor, as he doesn't wish to spend the money, and claims that "if God wants her to die, then so be it." Are you kidding me?! Your wife is on her death bed and you refuse to spend a few dollars to possibly save her because "it's God's will"? That is absolutely ludicrous. Anse's reasoning for wanting to go to Jefferson are also worth questioning: although he claims that he wishes to bury Addie there out of respect for her wish to be buried with her family, it is no surprise that as soon as he gets there he finds a new wife and also gets new fake teeth. It makes the reader wonder whether Anse really wanted to respect Addie's posthumous wishes or if he solely wanted to go to Jefferson to obtain a new wife and new teeth. Anse's character proves to be the least ethical and especially the least likable in As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. Anse's selfishness and hypocrisy make his character out to be a horrible father, husband, and person in general. No wonder your family hates you, Anse.

An Analysis of Darl in The Final Chapters of "As I Lay Dying"

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner concludes in the same way that a flaming car flies off a bridge: chaos and bewilderment. The Bundren's family hectic odyssey to Jefferson comes to a dramatic end in the final chapters of the novel. Faulkner's ending takes the reader on a wild ride, especially when considering Darl's final moments on centerstage of Faulkner's thrill ride.

Perhaps one of the most notable events of the final chapters of As I Lay Dying was when Darl burned down the barn with Addie's coffin inside. Although the motive is never made clear as to why he committed this act of arson, I think there are a few possible reasons. I think it is possible that Darl's ability to "see the future" caused him to set fire to the barn. He may have known prior to them arriving in Jefferson that nothing good would happen to the Bundren family in the city. Darl may have foreseen Dewey Dell getting raped or Pa marrying another woman. Another possibility is alluded to in the previous chapter, narrated by Vardaman. Darl claims that he can hear Addie speaking to them and upon Vardaman asking what she is saying, Darl remarks, "She wants Him to hide her away from the sight of man." (pg.215). It is clear from this conversation that Darl is growing tired of his family and also feels as if Ma would be more content to be burned in a barn than to continue to be mistreated by the family. Darl's plan to burn Ma's coffin does not succeed however, as Jewel runs into the flaming barn and rescues the coffin. Darl is then seen lying on top off the coffin and weeping, as he knows the mistreatment of his mother's corpse will not come to an end anytime soon.

Another bewildering development in the tale of Darl is how he is sentenced to a mental institution as a result of the arson. The man who owned the barn, Gillespie, planned to sue the Bundrens for the arson unless Darl was sent to a mental ward. In Jackson, men come to collect Darl to take him to the mental ward. He resists and attempts to get away but is eventually restrained. It is at this point in the novel that the reader realizes that Darl being sent to the mental institution may be justified. "He couldn't hardly say it for laughing. He sat on the ground and us watching him, laughing and laughing." (pg. 238). At a disturbing moment in Darl's life, he simply breaks out into uncontrollable laughter, demonstrating a complete transition from the Darl at the beginning of As I Lay Dying.

Darl, the main character of As I Lay Dying, undergoes a noticeable transition from the beginning of the novel to the end. The increased exposure to his family's antics seemed to drive him insane on the journey to Jefferson. Darl always seemed to be a bit "on the outside" of his family and his commission the mental award solidified that notion. But maybe his family didn't see as him insane as the reader perceives him to be. Cash remarks, "It's like there was a fellow in every man that's done a-past the sanity or the insanity, that watches the sane and the insane doings of that man with the same horror and the same astonishment." (pg.238). This philosophical remark from Cash leaves the reader with a thought-provoking question: are we all insane at some point in our lives?

Role of Family in "As I Lay Dying"

Family plays a central role in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, but not in the form that most readers would expect. When we think of family, what do we think of? Probably warm scenes, full of love and joy- Christmas, family dinners, birthday celebrations. So that is why when I began reading As I Lay Dying, it was a slap in the face when it comes to family values and expected family relations. It seems as if all of the family members hate each other or as if everyone if hiding something from one another; there is a serious lack of familial ties and affection. You would think that an event such as the death of a mother would bring a family closer, but instead it seems to do the opposite. It is evident from the first "chapter" that family members dislike each other as Darl and Jewel walk independently from each other, avoiding walking together like any other brothers would. This family hatred appears again later in a "chapter" in which Jewel goes off on a rant about Cash, disliking him because people like him and he is a successful carpenter. In any other family, a brother would be proud to see their brother doing well in life and being well-received by people. 

To anyone who has grown up in a traditional nuclear family, it is very strange to see how the Bundren family interacts with one another on a daily basis. I am eager to see how the Bundren family interacts during the long journey to Jefferson to bury Addie. Although I would like to be optimistic, I firmly believe that this trip will only worsen family relations as they encounter challenges. I think that the journey will only exacerbate familial relations and that secrets and other hidden truths will come out during this trip, leading to an even greater amount of tension. The fact that the novel offers the reader a full view of each protagonist's interior monologues will give us a "first row seat" to the action that is sure to come. 

Role of Geography on "As I Lay Dying"

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner takes place in the deep American South. More specifically, in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a fictional place created by Faulkner. Although the county is a fictional place, it accurately embodies and depicts the deep American South and its idiosyncrasies.

Yoknapatawpha County is a stereotypical Southern town with a deeply-engrained social hierarchy. The Bundrens belong to the lower class, comprised of poor families who rely primarily on farming for income. Their accents and poor grammar are a dead-giveaway that they lack formal education and likely have farmed throughout their entire lives. The other class spoken of in As I Lay Dying is that of the upper class, who lives in the main town. The only experience we have had with the social elites at this point is when Cora bakes cakes for one of their parties, but then the woman changes her mind at the last minute and decides not to buy them. Although we haven't seen much interaction besides this in the novel, I think it is evident that Faulkner is trying to paint the upper class in a negative light, while romanticizing the lives of the lower class to make the reader side with the latter.

Another important role that the geography has is that it drives the plot forward. The entire plot revolves around preparing and then carrying Addie's body to the town of Jefferson, where she can be buried with her family. The severe environment and the poor transportation by the Bundrens makes this a difficult odyssey. Because of the rain, flooding destroys the bridges, making it difficult for the family to make their way to Jefferson, especially when transporting a corpse.

Because the American South faltered behind its Northern brethren in terms of progression, it creates a difficult environment for the Bundrens to live and travel through. The social hierarchy and their respective position in it are sure to hinder the Bundrens ability to get ahead in life. Perhaps more importantly, the lack of the bridges as a result of the flooding and the poor Southern infrastructure makes their journey to transport their dead mother incredibly difficult. The accurate representation of Southern life via Yoknapatawpha county in As I Lay Dying is central to the plot of the novel, but also creates difficulties for the Bundred family as they embark on their solemn journey.

Response To "The Four Desires" Article

In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Bertrand Russell made a bold claim. Russell claimed that there were four central aspirations that are fundamental to every human. Those aspirations are acquisitiveness, rivalry, vanity, and love of power. Russell explains why he thinks every of these four aspirations is fundamental to every person. Although I agree with him for some parts, I do believe that there are some mistakes in his statement.

Although, yes, for a good portion of the population, acquisitiveness is engrained in their DNA, I can think of many people who don't embody this trait in the slightest. Yes, we all know of many celebrities who wish to keep on raking in more money, as if even hundreds of millions isn't enough, But, I bet we can also all think of one or a few people in our life who are very content with what they have and feel little to no need to continue acquiring things past a certain point of happiness. Russell also states that "...a great many men will cheerfully face impoverishment if they thereby secure complete ruin for their rivals". This is a statement I strongly disagree with. There is a lot of data that proves the contrary of this point: humans feel compassion for one another and feel significantly better by helping their neighbors. Although, there are people who I'm sure embody Russell's ideas of rivalry and vanity, I believe it is human nature to want to help out your neighbors in a time of need.

Although I disagreed with some of his previous points, I am in full agreement that love of power is a fundamental aspect of being human. I believe every man or woman, regardless of their views, would like to be respected and looked up to in life. There is no better feeling in life than knowing your ideas resonate with a group of people and you are looked up to as a person of power. Although some people want power for malicious reasons, such as Hitler, there are many people who want power for quite the opposite. Such examples are Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln. Some people want power to make positive change in the lives of those around them.

Although Russell's points do hold weight with regards to some of the population, I believe he has a very cynical view of humanity. Yes, there are always going to be people who only look out for themselves and hope for the demise of others, but deep down it is our human nature to not only want the best for ourselves, but for those around us. I think Russell widely ignores this point and needs to be a little more optimistic about human nature.

Theme of Truth in "The Things They Carried"

Truth is a ubiquitous theme throughout The Things They Carried. Because of the amount of stories that are told throughout the novel, the idea of whether these stories are true or not is present on the minds of readers. Whoever is telling the story, whether it is O'Brien himself or one of the soldiers in Vietnam, they almost always mention the fact that what they're saying may not have actually happened. Tim O'Brien explains to us why he tells the stories as he does and doesn't always include the truth in the short story "Good Form". He states, "I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth" (pg.178). O'Brien has a point. It is scientifically proven that our emotions and our perspective can change how we view an event happening. So it makes sense that O'Brien recalls the stories as he remembers them, including the emotions and unique perspective. It's probably close to impossible for him to remember what exactly happened in a war when you're fighting for your life. So O'Brien tells us the stories from his perspective and hopes that we understand, as readers, that what he's telling us may not be true. So although the author explicitly informs us that he's lying to our faces, I don't feel cheated. Yes, I would like to know what actually happened in some of those stories and what legitimately happened, but we can never know that. We can only know the stories from O'Brien's perspective. So although the events that occurred in The Things They Carried may not be true, the experiences that the soldiers endured were.

An Analysis of Storytelling in "The Things They Carried"

Storytelling plays a central role to the plot in The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. The art of telling stories, whether they are told by the soldiers in Jimmy Cross' platoon, by the fictitious Tim O'Brien, or by the actual author Tim O'Brien. However, the stories in The Things They Carried often have a universal theme of a lack of truth, or blatant lying. The art of storytelling and the manner in which you tell a story matters a great deal in The Things They Carried, whether the stories are being told by a soldier or the author himself.

Throughout The Things They Carried, many stories are told by the soldiers of Jimmy Cross' platoon, with the primary storyteller being Mitchell Sanders. Sander's stories often contain a severe lack of truth in them, leaving the reader to decide what is true and what is false. When Sanders is being told stories he often points how the speaker could've done a better job. For example, when Rat is telling Mitchell Sanders the story of Mary Anne, the girl who fought in Vietnam, Mitchell incessantly interrupts him to comment on what he could've improved on. Mitchell says, "...This elaborate story, you can't say, Hey, by the way, I don't know the ending. I mean, you got certain obligations" (pg. 113). This is just one example of a time Sanders interrupts Rat or another soldier to comment on his delivery or the content of his story. Storytelling becomes a very popular, though not always honest, form of passing time in Vietnam for soldiers. The stories often become wildly exaggerated and lack truth, but provide entertainment in a time when these young men need it most.

Not only do the soldiers rely on storytelling for solace in a difficult time, but so does the actual author of the book, Tim O'Brien. In the last chapter of The Things They Carried, "In The Lives of The Dead", O'Brien reflects on the death of young girl he loved and also on the importance of storytelling. After telling the story of Linda, the young girl who died of cancer, O'Brien states,"But in a story I can steal her soul. I can revive, at least briefly, that which is absolute and unchanging" (pg. 236). O'Brien had hinted throughout the novel of the solace that storytelling offered him but it is not until this point that we understand the entire reason why he does. Storytelling doesn't only relax him, but it also allows O'Brien to bring the people he's lost in his life alive, even if only for a brief moment. Not only does it offer O'Brien a sense of comfort, but it also pays tribute to the dead. O'Brien says,"We kept the dead alive with stories" (pg.239). As a soldier in the Vietnam War, O'Brien saw many close friends pass firsthand and it was a traumatizing experience every time, even for the most seasoned of veterans. After the war, when many other soldiers likely suffered from PTSD and sleepless nights, Tim channeled the thoughts in his head onto paper, offering him respite.

Storytelling is a valuable thing for the soldiers whom endured the Vietnam War. During the war, soldiers primarily used storytelling to offer entertainment during the war and keep their minds off the traumatizing things that were occurring around them. When the fighting stopped, many soldiers, including O'Brien, likely suffered from the events that took place in that unforgiving jungle. O'Brien took to storytelling to alleviate some of the stress that engulfed his day-to-day life. Storytelling offered O'Brien a place to clear his mind, and most importantly comfort when he needed it most.

Sentiment Towards War in "The Things They Carried"

The Things They Carried takes places during the Vietnam War, a highly controversial time for America. Liberal spirits ran high during the 1960's, especially amongst teenagers and young adults. Many teenagers adopted liberal political and world views that inspired them to protest the Vietnam War and generally detest the government. This blog post will analyze the sentiment towards war of the characters of The Things They Carried.

It is evident after reading the first short story of The Things They Carried that many of the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War were there by force, not choice and resented the war as a whole. Many soldiers were young, inexperienced and did not support the war at all. On page 15, the narrator states, "They searched the villages without knowing what to look for, not caring, kicking over jars of rice, frisking children and old men, blowing tunnels, sometimes setting fires and sometimes not, then forming up and moving on to the next village, then other villages, where it would always be the same." This quote exemplifies not only the soldier's lack of experience, but also their general indifference towards the war and towards doing their jobs. Many other soldiers that fought in Vietnam probably had similar experiences of really not knowing what they were supposed to do. I mean, would you know what to do if you were sent to a foreign land at age 18 and told to go find the enemy in tunnels underneath forests?

After reading the fourth short story, "On The Rainy River", the reader sees a firsthand account of draft evasion from the point of view of Tim O'Brien. Many soldiers at this time probably had similar experiences to Tim O'Brien in trying to avoid conscription. O'Brien defects to Minnesota on the Canadian border for six days and lives with an old man on a campground while trying to decide whether to move to Canada or return home and go to war. This decision does not only affect him mentally but also physically. On page 50, he states, "After supper one evening I vomited and went back to my cabin and lay down for a few moments and then vomited again; another time, in the middle of the afternoon, I began sweating and couldn't shut it off." O'Brien's physical pain reveals to the readers just how hard and traumatizing of a decision this was. I believe I would go through a similar experience to O'Brien had I been in his shoes. At the end of "On The Rainy River" O'Brien decides to go to war. Not because he wants to, but because he was afraid of being viewed as a coward. In his words, "What it came down to, stupidly, was a sense of shame" (pg. 52).

The Things They Carried aptly demonstrates the intense time that was the Vietnam War. Anti-war sentiment was popular at the time and many drafted soldiers either evaded the war or went and resented every minute of it. It was a tough choice for many young American men at the time and as an 18 year old who has to sign up for the draft soon, I am shaken by the thought of being conscripted.

The Idiosyncrasies of Tim O'Brien's Writing

After reading the first few pages of The Things They Carried, the reader can instantly tell that O'Brien's style is very unique. His style of writing sets him apart from the countless of other novels that I've read. This blog post will analyze the uniqueness and idiosyncrasies of Tim O'Briens writing that I noticed during the first four short stories of The Things They Carried. 

One of the most recognizable features of O'Brien's writing is the detailed lists he creates. The first short story of the novel features what feels like hundreds of lists with thousands of items. Realistically, it's much less than that, but that is the effect that O'Brien's writing confers to the reader. The lists in the first story give a detailed description of what every soldier in Jimmy Cross' platoon carried. Not only does it mention the items they carried, but also the exact weight of these items down to the gram. The lists not only gave you insight as to what kind of people these soldiers are, but also transport you into their shoes. The descriptions of the things these soldiers carried makes the reader feel as if he or she is marching into war right along side of them.

Another unique feature of O'Brien's writing is that you believe you are reading a biography, when in fact you are reading the tale of a fictitious soldier also named Tim O'Brien. When I first began to read the fourth short story, "On The Rainy River", I believed I was reading the memoir of a seasoned Vietnam soldier who had seen the horrors of war up-close and personal. However, after doing some research on the author, I realized that the soldier Tim O'Brien is not a seasoned veteran at all, he is a figment of O'Brien's imagination formulated to offer the reader a close look at the Vietnam War.

It is evident after reading the first four short stories of The Things They Carried that O'Brien is a unique writer. The lists he creates enable the reader to visualize the trials and tribulations that soldiers in Vietnam encountered on a day-to-day basis. Not only that, but they offer insight into the lives of the soldiers which the readers would not have previously known about. Tim O'Brien's fabrication of the fictitious "Tim O'Brien" also make me anxious to see how he fares in warfare. Although he is not a real person, O'Brien's writing proves that regardless of a character's authenticity, you can still feel nervous for their outcome.

An Analysis of Tayo in "Ceremony" By Leslie Marmon Silko

Tayo is a half-Native American veteran of World War II and is also the main character in Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. War seems to have a profound effect on our main protagonist, who returns suffering from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder. For the majority of the beginning of the book, he is almost always incessantly vomiting. His PTSD can most likely be attributed to watching his cousin, Rocky, die before his very eyes at the hands of Japanese soldiers. Because him and Rocky grew up together, Tayo often recalls memories from their childhood throughout the novel.

Another significant factor of Tayo's identity is the fact that he is mixed race. Tayo is half white and half Native American, as denoted by his green eyes. Tayo's mixed heritage is often a point of contention throughout the novel, as some people resent him for not being "full-blood". Him being mixed race gives him a unique perspective however, as he gives the reader insight into facets of both Native American and white culture. However, his mixed race, combined with the lack of his biological parents, often lead to identity problems for Tayo. He struggles to connect with the culture of Laguna, hence why he has to undergo the ceremony.

Tayo's ceremony is critical to his character development and is actually what helps him to completely recover from his post-traumatic stress disorder. The ceremony is orchestrated by Betonie, an older Indian medicine man who relies on ancient Indian medicines and traditions to cure his patients. The ceremony is begun halfway through the novel but it is not until the very end that it is completed and Tayo is fully immersed in Laguna culture. At this point, Tayo is cured of his ailment and is able to move on from his past.

At the beginning of Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, we see a morally and physically depleted Tayo, who is heavily suffering from PTSD after World War II. As the novel progresses, the reader becomes more hopeful for his recovery. An ancient Native American ceremony facilitated by a medicine man leads to Tayo's recovery and his immersion into Laguna culture. It offers both closure to Tayo and the reader, as a feeling of satisfaction and relief is felt as a result of his recovery.

My Revised Ending of "Unaccustomed Earth" By Jhumpa Lahiri

The ending of part two of Unaccustomed Earth left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, as I'm sure it did to many other readers. Part two chronicles the lives and relationship of Hema and Kaushik, two Indian-Americans who had grown up together but then split apart as they went off to college and got careers. After years of separation, Hema and Kaushik are finally reunited in Italy, by pure coincidence. They spend the next few weeks traveling the countryside and slowly falling more and more in love with each other. But, the problem lies in that Kaushik will be moving to Hong Kong soon and oh yeah, Hema is supposed to get married to some guy she doesn't even like.

Faced with the idea of losing Hema, Kaushik asks her to travel to Hong Kong with him and break up with the other guy in order to continue their own future. To every reader's surprise, Hema says no. At this point I thought to myself, 'What the hell is Lahiri doing?'. After this, Kaushik goes on vacation to Thailand, where he is killed by a tsunami. At this point I was furious with Jhumpa Lahiri. She had created the perfect arc for Kaushik and Hema to get together and get married and live happily ever after.

I'm sure there is a reason that Lahiri chose to end Kaushik and Hema's story in this manner; after all she is the author and I am just the reader. That being said, I think that many readers including myself would have been much more satisfied had they gotten back together. After decades of separation and lost feelings, Kaushik and Hema find each other by coincidence in Italy but Lahiri could not allow them to get back together.

Had I been the author, Hema would've ran out of the airport before boarding the plane, realizing the awful mistake she had made. Kaushik would have accepted her back and they would have traveled on vacation to Thailand together. However, Hema would have been more observant of the weather and they made it safely inland before the tsunami hit. They would have then traveled to Hong Kong and raised a family there with the money from Kaushik's new editor job. Kaushik would one day return home and apologize to his father and Chitra for how difficult he had been earlier in life and that he had found happiness with Hema. The end.

Although I respect Lahiri for being adventurous and not taking the predictable route in the ending of her book, I felt very dissatisfied as a reader. As the reader, you are truly rooting for Hema and Kaushik to get back together and are devastated when it doesn't happen that way.

An Analysis of Part One of "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri is a collection of short stories that revolve around Indian-American people living in the United States, often the Northeast. The stories are often from the perspective of an Indian-American whose parents have immigrated from India. The stories of Part One can be unified by their focus on familial relationships.

The first story of Unaccustomed Earth focuses on Ruma, a second-generation Indian-American who lives in Seattle with her white husband Adam. Ruma's mother has deceased a number of years before the story takes place, leaving Ruma in a somewhat awkward situation with her dad, as they have never been very close. The familial relationship problem in this story lies in Ruma's struggle to decide whether she should ask her dad to move into her home with her, as he is getting older. However, after he visits, she notices that he is self-sustaining and old age has not burdened him nearly as bad as she thought. She also learns during this visit that he is dating a new woman, which upsets Ruma. 

The second story of Unaccustomed Earth dissects the marriage of Amit, an Indian man, and Megan, a white woman. (It is worth noting that Jhumpa seems to love interracial marriages in her stories). The familial relationship problem in this story is the mutual feeling between Amit and Megan that the quality of their marriage has rapidly degraded. And it is not as if they make a conscious effort to repair their marriage either; both characters seem to express a feeling of indifference towards the subject. The story takes the couple to a wedding, which is a good foil for the lack of love that Amit and Megan feel in their own marriage. This setting creates a strong juxtaposition between the strong love of newly-weds and the lackluster marriage that Megan and Amit have now come to know.

The third story is centered around two Indian-American siblings, Rahul and Sudha. The main issue in the story is Rahul's alcoholism and the harmful effects it has on his family. Rahul's alcoholism takes Rahul from being a proficient student at Cornell to a college-dropout turned laundromat manager in the span of a few years. His alcoholism takes a huge toll on Sudha, as she feels responsible for it due to her supplying him alcohol in his teenage years. The simple act of supplying a younger sibling alcohol as a teen eventually led to the near-death of Sudha's son as Rahul gets drunk and almost allows her son to drown in the bath one evening when he visited. The story ends on this sorrow note and leaves the reader questioning whether Rahul will ever defeat his alcoholism and what the future with his family will hold. 

The fourth story of Unaccustomed Earth brings the reader into the life of Paul and Sang, two housemates. Although not ever romantically involved, Paul seems to have developed a small crush on Sang. This is evident when he is presented with evidence that Sang's boyfriend is cheating on her. At first hesitant to tell her, he eventually tells her and destroys their relationship. Paul accompanies Sang to confront her boyfriend and in a way becomes her "protector". This role gives Paul some satisfaction, knowing that he keeps Sang safe. This story analyzes friendships, infidelity and couples. 

Part One of Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri is a collection of short stories that analyzes relationships amongst Indian-American people. The stories tell their struggles as they face problems pertaining to distant parents, marriage problems, alcoholism and couples. Jhumpa Lahiri does a wonderful job of illustrating the circumstances and the effects that each problem can have on Indian-Americans.

An Analysis of White People in "Ceremony" by Leslie Marmon Silko

 Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko allows readers to experience a perspective of white people from the Native American perspective, which is not often portrayed in most novels on the subject. The main protagonist, Tayo, and the old medicine man, Betonie, offer unique views on the relationship between whites and Native Americans.

As the novel progresses, Tayo's view of whites grows increasingly cynical as he begins to see them as destructive beings that have a "master plan" to destroy humanity. Initially somewhat indifferent about the malevolence of white people, his relationship with Betonie causes him to start seeing them in a very negative light. During part of the "ceremony", Betonie informs Tayo that white people were invented by Native American witches and play a role in the grand scheme of life. From this point on Tayo has multiple pessimistic revelations regarding the role of white people in life.

On page 189, the narrator states, "He [Tayo] lay there and hated them. Not for what they wanted to do with him, but for what they did to the earth with their machines, and to the animals with their packs of dogs and their guns. It happened again and again, and the people had to watch, unable to save or to protect any of the things that were so important to them." Tayo continues to rant about how he despises white people as he believes that they were created for the purpose of destroying the world. He is angered how whites could steal all the land and resources from Native Americans and still be seen as "the good guys" in the world. As a reader, one truly sympathizes with not only Tayo, but the entire Native American population during this paragraph. As a white person, one wants nothing more than to apologize and beg for forgiveness for the atrocities that have been committed. And it is not as if I had not known about the horrible things that white people have done to Native Americans, but the eloquent manner in which Tayo expresses his feelings offered a new perspective that I have not heavily considered.

An even more startling revelation from Tayo comes towards the very end of the book. He believes that white people will carry out their prophecy of destroying the world through the invention of the nuclear bomb. On page 228, the narrator states, "There was no end to it; it knew no boundaries; and he had arrived at the point of convergence where the fate of all living things, and even the earth, had been laid." In this quote, Tayo is referring to the fact that with the invention of the nuclear bomb the fate of mankind has been sealed. Although I don't agree that white people were created by Indian witches to destroy the Earth, I do agree with Tayo that the nuclear bomb will be the end of mankind.

In the book Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko readers are offered the seldom-seen perspective of white people from native Americans. Throughout the novel, Tayo grows increasingly distrustful and begins to view them as "the destroyers of humanity" after speaking with Benotie. Tayo raises interesting points about white people's effects on humanity, one of them being the issue of nuclear warfare.

Role of Race in the Novel "Ceremony" by Leslie Marmon Silko

It is worth noting that I have only read up to pg. 97 at the time of this post.

The role of race is an important topic in the novel Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. There are three main races in a metaphorical conflict throughout the novel: whites, Native Americans, and Mexicans. The novel takes place from the perspective of the Native Americans, who are trying desperately to save their cultures and traditions, which they feel are going the way of the Dodo Bird. The main protagonist, Tayo, is half white and half Native American and often struggles internally to abide by the Native American traditions or embrace white culture.

Tayo speaks of how his Grandma used to reminisce about the times when humans and animals could speak to each other and how the Native American stories could explain all the workings of this Earth. Tayo continues, remarking how in his white schooling, the teacher told him that the Native American stories were false and the science textbook gave the true explanations for Earth's mysteries. Tayo often receives hate from full-blood Native Americans for being mixed race, as indicated by his green eyes. After Tayo sleeps with Josiah's girlfriend, Night Swan, she gives him advice on how to deal with being mixed race. She says, "They are fools. They blame us, the ones who look different. That way they don't have to think about what has happened inside themselves." This quote resonates with Tayo as it offers an explanation as to why people criticize him for being mixed race.

It is critical to analyze  race in the novel Ceremony as it plays an important role in the decision-making of the characters. I am anxious to see if Tayo will continue to embrace white culture or if he will become a strong believer in Native American traditions.