Post 34: The Quintissential Colleges

Through the maelstrom of high school, there is one common goal: get into a good college. The two quintessential colleges, or in understandable terms, the two colleges whose acceptance to is so greatly desired, are MIT and Harvard (top and bottom images respectively).

Both Boston-ese in origin, one stacked high with monotonous red brick, the other an endless wave of lustrous metal. Both beautiful in its own way. Walk the empty halls and hear the whispers of noble prize winners resonate, inspiring you to work ever harder to reach your goal of being accepted. The decadent sound of a lecture, pages turning, erasers squeaking, pencils scribbling away. The hectic panic moments after checking if their own answer was correct, each arguing as if a mandate from a higher power was given which insured that their own answer was the only one correct. In the green lounge, laid sprawled across a cushion, keyboard clacking with fury compose the greatest papers our generation has to offer.

Here resides the greatest minds in America, in the world.

Truly, this is the epitome of glory, the definitive sense which encompasses all that is desired in a college. Truly, these are the two quintessential colleges.

Post 33: Lit Circle Post "Exodus"

On Friday we broke up into randomly assigned groups for a Literature circle discussion. My group mainly talked about the metaphorical value of how Leah, Adah, and Rachel were talking about Nathan's death. Having not read up to that point on Friday, I couldn't really answer this question, but what was interesting was that my other group members who had completed the reading couldn't contemplate their own metaphorical reason for mentioning Nathan's death.

After having read "Exodus", I believe that the three Price girls (well, at least formally known as Price) having visited Abomey, a desolate place where there are skulls encompassed in mud walls, among other things was very similar to Nathan's influence in Kilanga:

"We saw every one of these things- the tapestries depicting violent acts and the swords and knives and even a throne with human skulls attached to the bottoms of all four legs, plated with bronze like keepsake baby shoes!" (480).

During the course of their tour through this dank tomb, Leah and Adah break away from Rachel and the tour guide, for what Rachel presumes as wanting to experience these catacombs their own way, yet she overhears them talking about Nathan and his death. Since they told Rachel the entire story after this tour, where it was explained to them that women were forced into marriage with the King, who had multiple wives:

"They forced women into slave marriage with the King for the purpose of reproducing their babies at a high rate. One King would have, oh, fifty or a hundred wives, easy... To celebrate their occasions, he said, they'd just haul off and kill a bunch of their slaves, grind up all the blood and bones, and mix it up with mud for making more walls for their temples. And what's worse, whenever a King died, forty of his wives would have to be killed and buried with him!" (481).

To me, since this is a fictional novel, the sequence of events, or any event for that matter, having been chosen by the author, each plays a significance. Since the father's death was mentioned in the catacombs of Abomey, there must be a parallel between this King and the father. In my opinion, although Nathan's cause had good intentions as opposed to the King having self-centered intentions, both cases have similarities. Nathan, in trying to baptize children, lost them all to crocodiles, and as a result was killed because of this. Conversely, the King, when dying took many wives with him. Nathan is similar to the King because he tormented the people he was with when living: the King his wives, and Nathan his entire family.

What the underlying sense was from all three Price women was that they thought these rituals were weird. The ironic thing is, that when looking in from an impartial standpoint, parallels can be made between Nathan and the King, both influencing the lives of others yet not realizing their true detrimental impact. To me, what I can pull out of this is that customs are arbitrary to where you come from. To the Price family, these catacombs seem weird, yet to impartial, 21st century readers, their own lives seem obscure.

Post 32: "Bel and the Serpent": Playing the Devil's Advocate

The focal character of "The Poisonwood Bible" so far has been Nathan. Although his intentions are well intended, his method of trying to spread Christianity are unorthodox. By this I do not only mean that he tries to force religion on everybody without understanding their culture as Brother Fowles does, but also that he is willing to push aside his family's feelings for his own sake (and it is for his sake, since the reason he wants to baptize everybody in Kilanga is to wash himself of his "sins", if you will, as he is trying to baptize more people than men in his company who were killed). Even as his own daughter, Ruth May, was killed, after a short period of mourning and silence on his part, he was back out there baptizing children in the rain: "'The Lord spoke to the common people gathered at the well,' he said at last, in his old booming voice that allowed no corner for doubt" (373). This quote signifies how little pain he evidently felt from her death. To me, he is by far the worst preacher I've ever seen. However, playing the devil's advocate, I will try to prove that he is the best preacher in the world.

Now, some may say that being indifferent to your own child's death shows how little you cared about that child, and also how little regret you feel about coming to Kilanga is horrible since that was the sole reason that Ruth May was killed. However, I argue that that makes him the best preacher ever. The reason which I base this controversial stand on is that Nathan is so in touch with God that he realizes if God did not choose to protect her from that snake, good riddance! It's best that we be rid of a sinner in our family, Nathan would think. Also, relating this concept to a movie, "A Walk to Remember," when Jamie, Landon's newly wedded wife passes away, he states, "Her love is like the wind: I cannot see it but I can feel it." Perhaps Nathan thinks the same way about Ruth May, that she was finally freed from this world of sin. In this way, he is the most selfless preacher in the world, since he is willing to give up his child, trusting that God has a greater purpose for her.

You may argue that he is completely throwing aside his family's wanting to leave Kilanga and only caring about his own work. That is completely correct, for he knows that his family compared to the new, better, God influenced lives of those in Kilanga are much more important than his own family.

Hats off to Nathan, a man who truly understands what God wants him to do.

Post 31: Densha Otoko

The past couple of days, I have spent hour after hour watching a jdrama (Japanese drama) called Densha Otoko. The two main characters, Yamada (the guy), and Saori (the girl) were polar opposites in terms of personality at the beginning of the series: Yamada at age 23 still lived with his parents, had a job where he was not respected at all (and couldn't really do competently), and worst of all, he spent hundreds of dollars a week at Akihabara, buying DVDs, figurines from anime series, and with his friends, going to interviews of voice actors for anime, taking fetish pictures. The girl on the other hand, was very beautiful, exceedingly rich, and above all, very nice. They met on a train, both commuting back to their respective houses, because Yamada decided to stand up to a drunk man who was harassing her. He gets her number from a thank you package she sends him, and so they start meeting on a regular basis. Yamada, being oblivious as he was to emotions, and how to conduct himself around women, started writing on a single men's forum for advice. It seemed as though everybody was against Yamada, and Saori herself left him twice (though they were never officially going out). Additionally, two men were both trying to sabotage Yamada in the hopes of marrying Saori. The only people on his side were those who he had never met: those on the forum. Although I cannot convey these powerful emotions which Yamada went through in the roller coaster of feelings, the basic message I'm trying to convey is that for me watching this series, hope was rediscovered.

So how does this relate to my life?

The purpose of going to a school like Punahou is obvious. Although many of us are very involved with sports, clubs, and various other extracurricular activities, through the maelstrom of paths which we can take, the most evident purpose of going to Punahou is to get into a good college. Many times, I feel very discouraged by a bad grade, which somewhat ironically, worrying about that grade subsequently makes my other grades drop, as well as my overall confidence. Many times, during the course of the school year, I forget what hope is. When I study for a test as well as I possibly can, and still don't get the grade I wanted, why would I have any hope?

I guess what I've pulled out of Densha Otoko in regard to hope are three things:

1. When seemingly everybody else around you can do something correctly, whether it be on a test that I did poorly on, or a sport, the fact of the matter is that that person probably struggled as much as you did right now to get to where they are. At the end of the series, Densha Otoko was a much changed person, who when once carried himself with insecurity, carried himself with poise and confidence. Nothing is impossible, especially when you have many advocates, in Yamada's case, faceless advocates, but the best asset anyone could ever ask for.

2. If you really love something, there should be no doubt in your mind stopping you from trying at that subject, or in Yamada's case, trying to be with a person. After Saori had left Yamada the second time, for she discovered the forum and thought that he was invading her privacy (whereas he was really just trying to get advice because he cared about her so much), he left a message on her cell phone, telling her that he wanted to give her a birthday present. Since Saori had not invited Yamada to her party, he waited at a different spot, during a thunderstorm, for hours. She accidentally found where he was, and since it took so much strength to stand for hours on end in the rain, he collapsed when she came (and subsequently crushed the expensive present he bought her). In my opinion, this was quite a daunting feat to pull off. When I'm figuratively in the rain, after doing poorly on a test, it takes an even greater strength to stand than normally, for it is not certain that this undying behavior will be rewarded. However, if it pays off, all that time was worthwhile.

3. What you do, no matter how small it is, could be an inspiration to others. In the series, Yamada after being rejected the second time, left the forum. All of the regulars on the forum banded together to post fliers around Akihabara asking Yamada to come back to the forum. Yamada's story was such an inspiration to others, and they all wanted him to succeed so much, that after awhile, all of Akihabara was plastered in fliers. Even when watching an interview, his favorite voice actress says that she would have given up voice acting had it not been for Yamada. If Yamada at any time had given up, all he would have justified to those on the single's forum, and the rest of the world, is that no matter how hard you try, sometimes, things are truly impossible. Yamada's standing up in the face of adversity made me hope again.

Hope bands people together, and that lasts forever. Though we may take different paths in life, nobody can take away the great times, and the adversities we got through together. In two years, we will have to leave the community which has supported us for so many years, but the memories we have together can never be compromised. After Yamada got together with Saori, he had to say goodbye to the forum, as did the faceless advocates had to say goodbye to each other, crying all the way. Although they may never speak again, the memories which they share, and the message which they saw firsthand can never be taken away from them.

Post 30: SAT Practice Essay

This is an illegitimate question because as colleges become increasingly more competitive, it is necessary as a student to mold, assimilate, if you will to what society views as the best means to success. In fact, this essay in itself is a tribute to this fact, since all juniors are required to take the SAT as a common assessment to determine college admissions. However, it is because of this that students are slowly losing their own voice. To pose an analogy reiterating my stand, this issue is like baking a cake: sugar, or guidance, is needed and whipped cream, or the will of a specific student, is also needed, but with too much of either, the taste is too sweet.

In fact, many successes have come out of defying this world of assimilation. For example, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft. Had he assimilated to what his intuition, his parents, his teachers, and the world told him; that a college education is necessary to have a good life, to succeed; we might have computers which take up an entire room even today, consequently being years behind the current technology we possess.

However, it would be naïve of me to think that dropping out of school would be the right path to take. Contrary to my belief that students must have their own voice and find things out for themselves, I also believe that if we all had no guidance, there would be an inevitable drop off in intelligence and the will to work hard in school. At my school, we are forced to take a certain amount of credits for each type of course. Had I not taken some courses, my GPA would be higher, as would my current self confidence, but without being forced to learn these subjects, I would not be as complete a person today, nor would I have developed interest in some fields I would’ve otherwise merely assumed to be boring.

I recently saw a commercial for a pill company, stating elements which defied certain substances. I saw the abbreviated element name as Hu, which does not exist. “Hu”? I thought to myself. What could that be? Evidently, Hu stood for “the human element.” The commercial proclaimed that nothing was more powerful than the human element. Through this essay, I have found myself; my human element: through learning new things coupled with your own voice, only then can there exist intelligence. I believe that with no guidance combined with no self initiative would yield no ambiguity among all of us. The question was not illegitimate, but rather, my thinking was. Only in a world where teachers and students both have their own say in matters can there be anybody truly learned.

Post 29: Literal and Metaphorical Interpretation of a Quote

Throughout the book, each character seems to evolve and form their own voice. This voice is characterized by the events which each character experiences. For instance, when Rachel witnesses Leah shooting down an antelope, and proceed to skin the antelope, "starting out by slitting itts belly and peeling back the skin over its back with horrible ripping sounds" (350), Rachel decided to become a vegetarian (though that was short lived). Orleanna was once a happy woman married to Nathan, which all changed when he decided to salvage as many souls as men died in his platoon during WWII. Leah, once thinking her father's words were all true, and that he was a benevolent man, now completely defies him, calling him ugly, and saying that it is hard to believe she ever believed anything he said was true. The only character which I think does not change throughout the book is Nathan, who even shortly after Ruth May died started baptizing kids playing in the long-awaited rain: "'The Lord spoke to the common people gathered at the well,' he said at last, in his old booming voice that allowed no corner for doubt" (373). What father who dragged his family unwillingly to the Congo for over a year and a half (and counting), would be that indifferent to his child's death? What father who ever loses a child, no matter what the cause or where it happened would be so emotionless about it?

To me, one quote from "Bel and the Serpent," can wrap up many themes in the book centered primarily around Nathan. This takes place when Ruth May had recently passed away, and was laid out on a pseudo altar which Nelson constructed in the Price's yard, wrapped in a shroud of mosquito netting:

"Several women from the village had already come. Mama Mwanza arrived first, with her daughters. A few at a time, the others followed. They fell down at the edge of our yard when they came, and walked on their knees to the table. All of them had lost children before, it dawned on me through my shock. Our suffering now was no greater than theirs had been, no more real or tragic. No different" (370-371).

Literally, Ruth May had passed away, and many of the villagers went to pay their respects, and shortly after sing a mournful bilala song. Metaphorically speaking, this wraps up the family's ignorance to what is truly painful. The whole time the family resided in Kilanga thus far, they have witnessed death, which has been so nonchalantly narrated. Although I would certainly contradict this myself, they have all complained about non-necessities, such as a cake mix for Rachel's 16th birthday, or Rachel breaking her mirror. When compared to the first glimpses of each character's personality, this quote shows the maturity which all of them have gained through hardships, but more so of Nathan's arrogance which resonates throughout the book. Nathan's daughter had just died, and people who he has insulted for being naked when they remained ignorant that the Bible prohibits this kind of behavior mourn the loss of his child more than him. Nathan stood up for himself when he remained ignorant that the villagers are resistant to getting baptized in the river because a small girl was eaten by a crocodile previously. I see no difference in these two situations, yet from a non-biased standpoint, in Nathan's view of things, he is completely blameless for this ignorance. For once, Nathan is correct: he actually is blameless for this ignorance of his, but what gives him the right to put down others with the same ignorance toward the Bible? Similarly, as Nathan has never lost a family member before, he didn't realize how much it hurt until it actually happened. I haven't ever heard Nathan give condolences to anyone who has lost a family member before, yet when he loses one, he finally is silenced from his preaching.

Nathan may think that he has the best view of the world, for God will guide him, and God's teaching will govern his actions, but nay, he out of everybody he's accused of being ignorant remains the best example of ignorance himself.

Post 28: Mosquito Coast and PB Comparison

After watching "The Mosquito Coast" and reading "The Poisonwood Bible," there are several undeniable differences. Both take place in a rural village far away from the grasps of America. Both Nathan and Allie are determined that they can provide a much more, for lack of a better word, prosperous life for all of the villagers. In this way, both Nathan and Allie are both blind that their style of executing this message, or method of conveying this information are their detriment. Obviously, both fathers alienate their own families from them as the book and movie proceeds. At one point, the younger son and the older son who narrated in "The Mosquito Coast" stated "I wish he would die already". Although nobody in the Price family would be rash enough to say that, Orleanna has previously talked about how the hardest thing to do everyday was to decide whether to stay with the family or leave. Even Leah, Nathan's biggest advocate starts to miss her lifestyle in the U.S. Conversely, the differences between both the movie and the book are somewhat more subtle.

Nathan and Allie's reason for leaving the U.S differed. Allie was fed up with what America has become. In the opening minutes of the movie, he mocked along the lines of, "The land of opportunity? This is just an oversized trash dump." Nathan on the other hand leaves America determined to "save souls," from their pagan worshiping. Interestingly enough, near the end of "The Mosquito Coast," Allie and his family on their boat-house come across an enclave of Christian missionaries in a village. When Allie and his eldest son entered the church the missionaries built, they watched a television with the minister giving a rather interesting attempt to incorporate technology into a sermon. After watching for a couple of minutes, Allie, disgusted with the electricity used to run the television as well as the fans in the church, as well as the message being conveyed scoffed and walked out of the church. Later, this encounter resulted in Allie burning down the church (with people still inside of it, mind you), and stealing gasoline from the missionaries. What was interesting about this to me is that if Nathan saw Allie burn down a church, he would be infuriated. Similarly, I think that if Nathan came across the village which Allie bought, he would tell Allie that this was all blasphemous, and that he should not force this ice technology (or as Allie himself puts it, that ice is indicative of civilization), on villagers happy with their current lifestyle. Allie and Nathan both stand for causes which have good intentions, yet both of them don't agree with what the other is doing (presumably, Nathan wouldn't Allie is doing). In this way, from my point of view, it is fine to present a point of view, such as religion, but when you try to force it on someone, you become your own detriment. This is because as seen with differing points of view on religion in "The Poisonwood Bible," and "The Mosquito Coast," you yourself might just be blind to how negatively you convey your own message, or how non-comprehendably and culturally outlandish your viewpoint may be.