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The Effects of Summertime

     In class the other day, as we were talking about Benji quietly sitting in bed at Sag and listening to the sounds of the beach and his surroundings, all of a sudden, I got really nostalgic for summer vacation. During summer, at least for me, life just feels all around different; there are almost no responsibilities, the days pass quickly, and nothing you do is that meaningful in a conventional, productive way. Yet I know for a lot of kids, like me, it’s a way to recharge and recuperate so that you are fresh and ready to put in your best effort the following academic year, but I think there’s sort of a separate side effect of summer that can make it more than just time to veg out. I think a big feature about summer is that all this nothingness forces us to stop and think about things and reflect on who we are. In a way, a lack of productivity provokes self-reflection and forces people to do new things rather than stick to the activities which are dictated by school the whole year. I
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The Moral Dilemma of Returning the Wallet

          In the novel Black Swan Green we see a thirteen year old Jason undergo serious character development as we follow him through a year in middle school. During this year Jason has many adventures but also experiences constant torment and relentless bullying. Despite his suffering, these events eventually cause Jason to become a more mature version of himself and become more empathetic towards others. His actions during the chapter Goose Fair do a good job at illustrating this matured psychological state that Jason has built, particularly in the scene where he finds Ross Wilcox's (his bully's) wallet laying on the ground. Although he does decide to return it in the end, we see Jason torn between returning the wallet and keeping it for himself. The reader is made well aware that this dilemma is not as clear cut as it may seem because his hostile relationship with Ross complicates the usual moral course of action which would be to simply return the wallet to its rightful
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How Plath Creates and Exposes Generational Influence

     In the novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, we see the protagonist Esther undergo serious mental health issues and face depression in an era that is not very accepting or even aware of struggles like these. Over and over again we see characters ranging from therapists to romantic partners who push down or simply don't understand these struggles and how they influence Esther's mental state. Unsurprisingly, considering the fact that she raised her, Esther's mother has the strongest influence on Esther's personality. Being born and raised in an era with even less awareness regarding mental health, her parenting style is unprepared to help Esther's as she battles with depression during a major coming-of-age moment in her life. While her mother's actions in the book with regard to her condition may seem hollow and detached, it's not for a lack of trying. Her mother doesn't seem to be unempathetic for the purposes of hurting Esther in any way (although it
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How Accurate is Alison's Potrayal of Bruce's Personality?

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     Although the graphic novel Fun Home is narrated and authored by Alison Bechdel, its focus is clearly centered around the father of the novelist, Bruce Bechdel. He is the centerpiece of the story and it seems Alison makes this book as an attempt to understand the meaning behind her father's actions by revisiting and illustrating them. His shady morality is already made evident when he is revealed to be a pedophile but the bizarreness and mysteriousness of Bruce's values and character in his at-home life is also evident. It's not surprising then that his daughter, Alison, would want to examine these mysteries and explore her father's identity. Although Alison is very interested in examining her own upbringing (specifically as a result of Bruce's parenting), Alison's mother, as we talked about in class, is very skeptical about Alison's public portrayal of their family's complicated history. Therefore, I thought it might be worth it to try and figure ou
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Whats the Rye Field Metaphor Really Getting At?

    The first time I saw the Catcher in the Rye , I didn't really know what to make of the title and I sort of disregarded it as one of those book titles that really seems to have no meaning. But I changed my mind after reading chapter 16 of the novel, where the words subtly come up as Holden passes a young boy carelessly singing the "catcher in the rye" tune. The book doesn't make much of the moment, but Holden, in character, does admire the boy's genuineness as he happily sings the song with no regard for how others might perceive him. Watching the kid, he sees it as a true moment of innocence and bliss that gives him a much needed mood-lifter in the middle of his New York breakdown. The phrase goes away from the attention of the reader for a while but, as though the phrase has been planted in his mind ever since seing the kid, he brings up the phrase in response to Phoebe's question about what he plans to do with his life. Holden seems really adamant about
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The Two Different Sides of the Dead Family: Macon vs. Pilate

One crucial concept that this book explores is the opposing dynamic between Pilate and Macon. Pilate and Macon Jr. have always been at odds in their adult lives and eventually, as we see in the bulk of the book, it makes them act as though they don’t even know each other anymore. Pilate and Macon are so isolated from each other that our protagonist, Milkman, doesn’t even meet his aunt or cousins until the age of 12, despite living in the same town as him. As we can see, these two sides of the dead family are starkly separated, but it also poses the question, why are Pilate and Macon so different? As we later find out, this conflict between the two siblings did not always exist and according to Pilate “Macon was a nice boy and awful good to me. Be nice if you could have known him then.” (Morrison 40). Pilate makes it seem as though in some moment during their childhood she and Macon Jr. got along, but somewhere along the road, he changed for good and it caused him and Pilate to have a f
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The True Intentions of Mersault's Prosecution and the Judge

     Going through the second part of The Stranger, I often found myself feeling like something was off with the way the trial went. Although the first part of the book definitely opened my eyes to the bizarre nature of Mersault’s behavior, I found the actions and testimony of the prosecution and the judge of the trial even stranger. From trying Mersault based on morals rather than the law, to twisting Mersault’s qualities that would normally be considered admirable into a flaw and a point of prosecution, the nature of trial is most definitely odd and worth looking at.       To start, I found it most important to realize that, in the trial, the victim is in no way present. I didn’t realize until it came up in discussion, but the existence of the Arab man and major role as the victim in the trial is never mentioned once. Knowing this, it feels like the courtroom is in no way interested in justice for the Arab man. Rather, the prosecution makes a case that Mersault’s actions make him a m
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