To Kill A Mockingbird 3

Aren't We All Under The Same Sky? 



So far, in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus has left for a short while so Scout and Jem are under the supervision of Calpurnia, their cook/servant. One Sunday, Calpurnia decides to take them to her church, an African American church called First Purchase. There, most people respect them, except they encounter an African-American woman who declares that white people do not belong at an African-American church. Finally, after things settle down and church ends, Scout and Jem find out that Atticus' case is that his client (an African-American man) is being charged with rape, yet quite possibly is not actually guilty. 

In the argument between Calpurnia and the woman (Lulu) at church, a particular part of the dialogue stood out to me. After Lulu said: "...they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?" Calpurnia replied by saying: "It's the same God, ain't it?" At this, I paused, for it sounded like such a strong sentence, as though a piece of moral values and truth was placed in the dialogue. I thought that what Calpurnia said was very true, even though I am not religious and therefore do not truly believe in God. Perhaps it is not so much to do with God as I thought that it had to do with us being the same. We all share something in common with everyone else. We are all of the same species, the same structure, and we all abide by the laws of life and nature. These laws, I believe, is that we all follow the same sequence of nature, we grow and we die. No specific type of race has a natural advantage over others, their is no race that lives particularly longer or are extremely smart or powerful. Even though our background and places of origin are different and may affect us, we are still quite alike. Are we not all living under the same sky? Do we not all eat and breathe and think? Who has the right to say one does not belong in a public place? No one should have such a right, regardless of race or colour.

It is tragic though, for no one is completely free of prejudice (at least I think). Do we really look/judge solely with our hearts and not with our eyes? I don't believe so, for looking with the heart usually only supports or balances our judgment of appearance, it does not provide the whole opinion. I usually don't believe those who say they have no prejudice, I think that they are either lying , or they are one of those people who are able to bring forth their heart's judgment before their eyes', or at least use inner judgment more than the judgment of appearance.

When will we rid ourselves of prejudice? But then again, is it completely necessary? Is it good enough to balance our eyes' judgment with our heart's? I'm not sure, but perhaps it is.

BBC News' Who, What, Why: What is 'ungoogleable'? Non-Fiction Blog Post

This article talks about "ungoogleability", why some people would or would not want to be "ungoogleable", and whether or not one can actually be completely "ungoogleable". The author wants me to know why some people would want to be "ungoogleable" or why others would not. As the author says: " To be ungoogleable might be a blessing or a curse." The author explains this by including examples of how some companies may want to be known on Google so customers may find them easily, while someone may want to be invisible on Google so his/her past will not affect his/her future (his/her past won't be available for the world to see). "Ungoogleability" means more privacy. The author explains that many things can be found on Google nowadays, and though some may be harder to find than others, with more thinking and time, one would most likely still find the answer, as said in the article: "...even supposedly ungoogleable things can usually be found. Most people use Google in haste. But a bit of thinking can often turn up the correct result."

The author wants me to feel/understand each of the situations (wanting to be ungoogleable and not wanting to be ungoogleable). He/she does so by adding details into his/her examples so the reader fully understands each problem. He/she also adds phrases such as "shooting itself in the foot" to give readers an even better understanding by relating to such well-known phrases. He/she also wants readers to understand  how "powerful" Google is, and how hard it is to truly stay invisible to Google. He/she makes readers believe Google is powerful and hard to stay invisible to, by adding personification. For example, the author says: "Trying to outwit Google's search capability has been popular for a while." By using the term "outwit" it implies that Google can think, and thinking is a very human action, an action that can usually only be performed by a living thing.   

I personally would want to be considerably ungoogleable. Perhaps not completely invisible, but as of right now, I wouldn't want the world to know who I am. I would become extremely annoyed if people could know about me without my permission as one would if he/she had information posted on the internet. It makes me feel that my identity is not in my hands. If I had a company though, I would not want to be invisible on Google at all. I think the author did well with helping me understand each situation and I agree with each situation as to why in some cases it's best to be ungoogleable and not ungoogleable in others. I do wonder though, is it possible to stay ungoogleable throughout one's life, or is "ungoogleable" simply a wish that will always be out of reach?

To Kill A Mockingbird 2

Is Love the Truly the Most Powerful?



I have finally continued reading To Kill A Mockingbird (as I was previously finishing Yeh Yeh's House) by Harper Lee. The problem is beginning to surface as the problem is worsening in the story. Scout's and Jem's father, Atticus, is taking a case (as he is a lawyer) involving Tom Robinson (an African American man) being his client as well as the person who is being charged. Since Scout and her family live in a Southern Alabama town at the time of extreme racism against African Americans, they are facing much criticism from the townspeople and even their relatives, as Atticus is helping a black man. Scout and Jem find it hard to control their rage when people talk badly about their father, but Atticus tells them to let it go as he knows that it will only get worse so getting angry and violent will not help. This is all I have read so far.

I found it strange how most of the people Atticus, Scout, and Jem knew as friends and family, turned against them because Atticus was defending a black man. Does the answer of whether or not someone should be helped depend on the person's colour rather than our own moral values? Apparently, at that time, the answer was yes. It was both saddening and enraging how Scout's relatives said Atticus ruined their family by helping a black man; this is not how people should speak about a family member in times of trouble! Shouldn't Scout's relatives, rather than criticize Atticus, encourage him that these harsh times will pass? What is the point of "family" when you can't even count on them to support you and encourage you to stay determined in times of physical/mental need?

Hate is just as, or perhaps more powerful, than love. Scout's relatives hate for African Americans ruined their love for her, Jem, and Atticus. I did not think this at first as I challenged myself with examples where love is greater than hate, for example, Romeo and Juliet. Their love ended their families' hate for each other. However, when I thought about it further, I realized that's not true (that love is more powerful), since hate was the reason why Romeo and Juliet died in the first place. I am still trying to prove my conclusion wrong, as the world would be such a dark and sad place if hate was the strongest power of all. 

Love may be strong, but, though I hope not, perhaps hate is stronger.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

 Devils, Family, or Both?



 I have begun reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. It is about seventeen-year old Karou, who is an art student in the city of Prague. She sketches the monstrous (literally) characters of her "stories" into her sketchbooks and her friends and classmates often "read" her sketchbooks and praise Karou for her wild imagination. Only Karou knows that the "stories" and her characters are real. She doesn't know much about her past, only that the chimaera (the monsters she sketch) have been the only family she has ever known. The chimaera have the power to give wishes (wishes come in solid forms such as beads and coins), yet they are not good beings. The main chimaera of the group is Brimstone (he has Ram horns and the eyes of a crocodile), the one who has always seemed like Karou's father, and he often sends her on errands to bring back teeth (for a reason still unknown, Brimstone collects teeth, and not for a hobby but for serious purposes). Regardless of the animal or person the teeth belonged to, or whether or not it was legal to take the teeth, she is always sent to retrieve them. Karou's errands may be close in distance or very far, yet distance is not too much of an issue as they have portals that transport them to all destinations. Black hand prints have been scorched into the doors of the portals by creatures that either are or are similar to, angels, because apparently Brimstone and the chimaera are devils. However, Karou does not know this yet. This is all I have read so far.

I am curious as to how Karou will react when/if she finds out what Brimstone and the chimaera are. Would she stay in denial? Would she defend her "family"? Or would she abandon them, too scared, shocked, and angered to return? I feel conflicted on whether I would want Karou to stand with her "family" or against them if she discovered the truth. I believe that wrongdoings should be acknowledged, that the person who committed the wrong should pay consequences, yet I also believe that one should stand for his/her family if his/her family has always stood up for him/her and cares for him/her. It does not make a difference whether or not there is a blood relationship because family doesn't have to be biologically related, which makes me want Karou to stand for her family even more, as she is not technically related to the chimaera, yet they still took care of her. However, obviously I can't say that just because they took care of Karou that they are good creatures, if they actually are devils, then they can't be truly good, can they? Can kindness and the warm sense of family come from the hearts of the evil? I think it could, yet would people feel more compassion towards those beings if those beings showed kindness? Or would it make no difference to anyone except for those who received the kindness of the evil? I believe that Karou should stand for her family, yet, the devil is evil so when I compare this situation with people who are evil, I find that I don't want other people to stand up for them. Is it because I don't believe that evil people can be kind? I'm not sure. It's strange how I seem to feel more compassion for the monsters in the book than for real people who committed extreme wrongs in real life. Do those people deserve compassion? I simply don't know.

 

Amber House

 Darkness Lies Within These Walls



I have started reading Amber House by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, and Larkin Reed. It is about a girl named Sarah Parsons who goes with her mother and five-year old autistic brother Sam (or Sammy) to Amber House, her mother's grand family home in Maryland, for her grandmother's funeral. After the funeral, Sarah meets Jackson, a boy whose grandmother was a great friend of her grandmother's. They plan to search for the famous diamonds that were lost by a sea Captain who was an ancestor of Sarah's, as these diamonds are rumoured to be hidden in Amber House. She also meets Senator Hathaway (a close friend of her mother's) and his son, Richard. Despite the book starting off lightly with Sarah exploring the mansion with Sam, and her only worries being that she might look stupid in front of Richard, it is obvious with the few hints in these first few chapters that Amber House is far from just beautiful.

Amber House is stunning in its elegance, and classic. I believe most mansions that are centuries old share these characteristics as well. However, if I were Sarah, I would not have wanted to stay at Amber House. I would not like the feeling of living in a house that is centuries old, sleeping in beds that hundreds of others have slept in, perhaps even died in, even if they were my ancestors. To live in such an old house seems very dark to me, I can't get past the very likely possibility that many deaths took place in the house, that if I were to live in such a house, I would be stepping in the footprints of people from the past, that each step in the house was stepped upon by people who are no longer alive, that each table, chair, and dresser was once touched by people of different lifetimes. Perhaps it is also the fact that because of the many deaths that may have took place in Amber House, the house may be, and probably is, haunted. It amazes me that Sarah doesn't want to leave Amber House even after Richard tells her that the house is, in fact, haunted. Sarah is too preoccupied and distracted to truly take notice of the strange things that happen while she stays at Amber House (like when she saw a a dark figure crouching in the shadows of bushes that then seems to only be an illusion of the moving leaves, or when she felt a wall of cold sadness when she stepped near the room of the Captain's "lunatic" wife). Even after she experiences clear visions of the house and its occupants in the past, she still seems oblivious to the darkness that, I think, seems to hover within Amber House.

In a way, this reminded me of my post on To Kill a Mockingbird, how they both have the characters living in simplicity at the beginning yet it is somehow evident that the peace will not stay. The authors of Amber House give hints to the readers that there are many dark secrets within the walls of Amber House. Hopefully, these secrets will be revealed as the story progresses.
 

Blog Review- Terri Thampan (Spoilers!)

Link to Terri's post: 
http://jaarb.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-secret-life-of-bees-spoiler-alerts.html

I really enjoyed reading Terri's post on The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I, too, have read the book and enjoyed it immensely (it is still one of my favourites). I agree with Terri, the book is indeed quite heart-warming, but also slightly heart-breaking (especially at the part of the discovery of May's suicide/death). I thought the book was written beautifully as each part of the story used enough description that I could truly visualize what happened around the main character, Lily. I agree with how Terri said that she was glad that it wasn't a "perfect", no real problem story (as those stories are too surreal to relate to). I remember that the story said that May felt others' pain. Again, I agree with Terri as feeling others' pain at such a time in history (when life was full of racism against African Americans) truly is too hard/painful of a burden to carry, especially since she could not share it with anyone, not even her twin sister, as her sister is dead. It was heart-breaking when May wrote in her suicide note telling her family to keep living. I thought of how impossible that seems when someone you love is dead. I thought of how painful May's burden must be if even death by drowning seems to be a better option than living. She is a very brave character, as only those who are brave have the courage to take their own life, and I think that she is a very important character in the story. I loved how Terri said that we should live life to the fullest, trying to correct the world, for I think this was one of the lessons of the book.

I like how she explained how Lily's image of her mother dropped from perfect after she learned the truth. I believe this is another reason why sometimes ignorance is bliss: when we don't know about the bad things in life, life seems perfect. I also liked how she explained why Lily's father was so cruel to her. I would not say that what T. Ray did was right for it surely was not, but he lost his true love and it broke him completely, so I think he deserves perhaps not pity, but like what Terri said, understanding.

I have read many posts by Terri but this one stood out to me because I read this book before and I wanted to see what she thought about the book and how her thoughts differed from mine. I never truly paid attention to how the racism in the story came from both whites and African Americans, so I am glad that Terri explained this point thoroughly. It also stood out to me because the post had many thoughts and details and is one of the longer posts she has written.

I liked how her post was written. Her summary was thorough but was not a retell and her thoughts on the book flowed well throughout her post. It was as though her thoughts on the book created the summary and I liked that a lot. Although her post was quite long, it was definitely worth reading and I did not feel bored as I sometimes do when reading lengthy texts. Perhaps this is because, again, her thoughts flowed well and blended with the facts about the story.

I really liked her last sentence: "It only takes some time to look for the lessons." I liked it because I felt that it was entirely true. After finishing the book, I did not immediately understand the life lessons taught in this book. Only after I thought about it more did I understand. The Secret Life of Bees is a book worth reading and I am glad that Terri enjoyed the book as much as I did.

 

Yeh Yeh`s House Non-Fiction Blog Post 3

I have been reading Yeh Yeh's House for quite some time now, and I am nearing the end of the book. Evelina has traveled on the Yangtze River to Changsha where she met her Aunt, her mother's sister. After spending a long time living in Changsha enjoying the company of her Aunt's family, she was surprised with airplane tickets to Beijing. So now she is in Beijing, at her Yeh Yeh's House. Although Evelina's trip to China revolved around her Yeh Yeh's house in Beijing, the main idea does not seem to be solely about her time there. Instead, the main idea seems to be about her journey around China that in the end leads her to not only Beijing and her Yeh Yeh's house, but also to her understanding of the simplicity/way of life in China, the stronger relationship between her and her mother (as her mother tells Evelina about her past), and her understanding of how she belonged and felt at peace in China but in America as well. I think her arrival in Beijing was what made her begin to understand her journey and experience in China, that it was not merely a trip. I think this is the main idea because the part about Evelina actually being in Beijing is quite short in comparison to the rest of the book. This main idea is still developing, as though she was beginning to understand the meaning of her trip only when it was almost at an end. This quote shows this: "The reminder that my mother and I were scheduled to fly home  from Shanghai came as a thunderbolt... There was something else in my reluctance to leave which I couldn't even explain to myself. Something still felt unfinished, unfulfilled, as if my having finally arrived had not yet sunk in, or that I had not comprehended what Yeh Yeh's house truly meant to me." 

I think that Evelina wants the readers to feel all the emotions she felt throughout her trip. This included curiosity, peace, amazement, frustration, sadness, and also understanding. She provoked the feeling of curiosity when she described observations and life lessons. She described how Americans focus on life and the perspective of life on themselves while the Chinese focused on  their country. This made me wonder if this was true, for although I am not American, I believe that most of North America has the same view on life. I thought of which one was better, to focus on oneself or to focus on one's country. Should their be a balance? Evelina gave peace to readers as she described China from the gorges by the Yangtze River to the Great Wall of China. Her description used many adjectives and thought provoking words helped to paint a mental image within readers' minds so they may experience the peace that she felt. She gave amazement much the same way she gave peace through her book, by describing in great detail what she saw throughout her trip, like a maze of rooms in a tea house, the antiquity of the Forbidden City, or the intricate details of the possessions of the royalty from Imperial Dynasties. She provoked frustration by describing how she felt when she could not go to Beijing due to a lack of airplane tickets and was forced to travel further away from Yeh Yeh's house. She used adjectives to describe her feelings exactly. She provoked sadness by creating a mental image as well as the fact that she was describing how she would someday lose her mother, a fate that all sons and daughters must face. This quote shows how she provoked sadness: " I looked over at my mother lying next to me. Viewing her through layers of gauzy mosquito netting as she lay in her shallow wooden bed, I saw her as a mummy resting in a crude sarcophagus. I was unnerved again by the awful truth that time was unrelenting, and my perception of it standing still was merely an illusion brought on by the soporific air of Changsha. I thought of the many times on this journey I had gazed at my sleeping mother, filled with sadness that we were running out of time together, both in terms of our stay in China and in our lives." She provoked understanding without actually trying to. It is only because she continuously tried to understand China, her mother, and herself, that the readers try to understand as well. 

I felt all the feelings Evelina felt, especially peace and amazement. It amazes me how her trip evolved into a lesson of life and acceptance; she truly did make the most out of her trip. I wonder if I will ever have a trip as meaningful as hers, and though I know I would like to, I believe that you must think deeply in order to be like Evelina. It probably took a large amount of note-taking for Evelina to remember such precise details, and I believe that many of us will lack the time and effort. Her trip was surely not one of only relaxation, it makes me wonder if she relaxed at all. It saddens me that perhaps the lesser known places that she went to like the temples and tea houses, may no longer be waiting for me when I choose to take a trip to China in the future. Perhaps this is why she wrote the book, so she could not only share the life lessons she learned in China, but to also share the sights she saw, the experiences she had, so that when the places she went to no longer exist, they will still live in her pages.