Stories Matter

After watching Chimamanda Adichie’s Ted Talk, I realized how much impact stories have towards our views of life. When she spoke about when she was small and wrote her first stories, she would write them as Westerners did because that is all that she knew. Chimamanda didn't know about African writing, she just repeated what she had read. It was only when she discovered African writing that she got a new perspective of how to write her stories. 

This is how sadly life is. Being Colombian, makes it hard of how internationally people view me. When I say where I am from they don't think of the beautiful mountains, coffee, or the great fauna and flora that exists in my country. Instead what first pops in their mind is drugs, violence, FARC, corruption and more. This is due to the one story that most people read: the bad ones. These things may be true, but as Chimamanda said, "Stereotypes sometimes are true but they are incomplete." People read the stories of how bad Colombia is, but they don't read the rest which talk about its beauty and greatness.

 I can´t judge people when they do this though, because when someone talks to me about Africa I can´t differ the situations of most countries. This is something that I must change because one cannot let ignorance take power over what is happening. I must read more stories and not just focus on one because if I do Colombia is just a jungle where all people live in trees. 

Guideline

The sea is the ultimate guideline and home for sailors. They revolve around the sea, and not the other way around. Something many seem to forget. As part one comes to an end, it seems as though many forget their lifeline; the sea.. The sea has been something that not only the sailors in the novel depend on, but also sailors world wide. In the film "Master and Commander" we can also see the importance of the sea and how their accomplishments depended on this.

"Marlow, unlike most of us, still lived by the sea."  In this quote we can see that he felt a great passion for the sea, and that his life revolved around it. Most men were only concentrated in reaching the treasures, whereas Marlow recognized that they were dependent on the sea. That depending on how the Sea takes them, they will obtain their success or failure.

Furthermore, in the movie "Master and Commander", where Her majesties men departed months at a time, to different destinations to  fight for there motherland or reach treasures, depended on one thing. The Sea. In this movie the sea can play as a villain or a hero, because the men's victories or failures depended on this. When the sea wasn't in their favor they would lose, when it was they obtained success. They lived by the sea, it was their guideline, and they had to have the will to follow it.

This relates to the novel, because the men in the movie and Marlow both shared the philosophy of "living by the sea", it was their home, not an obligation. Their victories depended on this, and they had to have the patience to obtain it. In both the novel and the film, highlight the importance of the sea and how it affects their outcomes. How although the sea may not be in their favor, they must have respect for it and patience until it does. They have to be able to read what the sea is telling them, and look at it in the right way, to reach success.

The Transformation

Chief Bromden, the narrator of  “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” has a surprising transformation throughout the novel.  At first he only speaks to the reader, but later he gains confidence from McMurphy and is able to talk. This reminds me of a boy in my 4^th grade class, his name was Elliot Donato. Insecurity took a hold of him, making him afraid of talking to anyone except the teacher, although this changed when we saw each other at the park.

In “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” Chief Bromden acts as if he was deaf. No one cared if he was around because he wouldn’t say anything. That is why he would be able to go to the meetings of the Acutes and secretly listen to their problems while he did his chores. He didn’t feel welcome by the members of the ward, no one would act if he existed and when they did it would be because they talked about his immense size or laugh about his ethnicity. He tells the reader what is going on in the ward and in his mind. McMurphy, being a revolutionary character makes actions that make an impact on the Chief. For example, in reference to the text, when McMurphy fails to lift the panel and then says, “At least I tried”, opened the eyes of all the men.  

The Chief seemed to live behind the fog at the beginning of the novel. For example, “But the fog’s clogged my throat to where I can’t make a sound.” (Pg. 117)  This shows how the fog limited the Chief in doing what he wanted, in this case to speak. Nevertheless, later on he stops wondering about how McMurphy can be what he is and instead concentrates on being the person that he wants to be. McMurphy turned out to be such an important person in his life that he idolized him making him brave. For example, when the Chief is scared to go into electric shock therapy he says, “I won’t cry or yell, not with McMurphy here.” (Pg. 243) Due to the admiration that the Chief felt for McMurphy he couldn’t bare letting McMurphy see him weak. Although this was hard for him, it made him stronger.  Also, McMurphy had promised the Chief that he would make him big again, and at the end of the novel we see that this is accomplished. The Chief is able to lift the pannel which was a way that demonstrated his strength was regained like the confidence he sprung out. After the Chief had the Electric Shock Therapy we can see how he gained strength in his mind. Normally after these therapies he would have a fog phase, but this time it didn't happen. Thanks to McMurphy, Chief Brombden started seeing beyond the fog and was able to fly away.

This is similar to the situation of Elliot Donato because he was a very insecure person that barely even talked. He was comfortable speaking only to Miss. Allen, like the Chief only speaking to the reader. One day I was in the park selling lemonade and I saw him alone at the swings. I went up to him to give him lemonade and he stared closely at me and only said “thank you” like the Chief said to McMurphy for the gum. Although I am not a revolutionary person I do like to talk like McMurphy. I sat with him and although he mostly listened he started talking to me. Little by little he would talk more and more, until the point that he was comfortable talking to people in school. He started to have friends and he became one of my best. We will always be special for each other like McMurphy with the Chief.

People will always change, some for good or for worse. But in these two cases it was for good. Both gained confidence in them thanks to the people around them that noticed their presence. People will always have an impact on each other and we must try to make that impact a positive one, so that the people around us and ourselves succeed, and we can make the fog fade away. 

The Authority

Women and men have always had their conflicts, like which is the superior sex. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, women are the authority, they hold the power. For example, Miss Ratched, is the one that has the power over the men.

Miss. Ratched is a nurse which is the one in charge to give them their medicine, but she should not be the one in charge of intimidating the patients and the whole staff. Even the doctor, who holds a higher position, fears her because she has the power of firing him. She has this power, not because of her work experience but because her friend is the supervisor. "The doctor doesn't hold the power of hiring and firing. That power goes to the supervisor, and the supervisor is a women, a dear old friend of Miss. Ratched." (Pg.56) Her power is so strong that the men are the ones that give the power to the Big Nurse uncontiously. Although she should be there to help them, she uses fear to threaten them so that everything goes the way she likes.

As said in the book, this hospital is a matriarchy. "We are victims of a matriarchy here" (Pg. 56) The people that have the authority and power are women. For example, the supervisor, Miss. Ratched and Harding's wife. They all have the power of making a difference in the hospital or in the lives of the people there. Miss Ratched contolls what goes on with the patientes, the supervisor is the head of the hospital, and Harding's wife has an impact on what happens in his life. For example Billy Bibbits mother has the power of taking her son out of the hospital but because she doesnt say so he is still there. At the beginning of the novel, McMurphy seemed to always win against the nurse but time started to pass and she began to win. "Some way she has regained all her old power in a few short minutes. Just sitting there, similing up at the ceiling and nos saying anything, she has taken control again and made everyone aware that she's the force in here to be dealt with." (Pg. 133)

This reminds me of how my everyday life is. My house is as if it was the ward. Although it is not full of "crazy" people, well I hope, it is a system in which my mother has the ultimate power over all of the people in the household. This being a sort of matriarchy.  Although she does not obtain that power because of fear, she is the one who is boss in the house. My father can be seen as the doctor, because although he does have an important roll in the house, my mother has the ultimate say. My father may be the head of the house, the same as the doctor, but my mother, like Miss. Ratched is the neck, and can turn the head anywhere she likes. This is surprising both in my home and in the novel because society has shaped men to be the ones with the authority. Most presidents are men, it is surprsing to see a women with such an important position. It is not common for men to follow a women's instructions, although today it is changing. Now women have important positions, and they are equally capable of being as succesful as any man.

In "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" women are portrayed as the authority, their actions have an effect on all of the men, regardless if they use their power for good or for worse. In this novel women are the neck.

The Fog

While reading the first couple of pages of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo´s Nest" many questions arose in my mind. Many things that were being said in the book were not clear. For example, why "Chief" is in that hospital? How crazy is he? Why he never speaks in the book, and just narrates it? Should I believe everything that he is saying? How literal should I take what is being said? When I got to the part of where the Chief talks about the fog I started having even more questions. What does this fog mean?

"They start the machine again and it´s snowing down cold and white all over me like skim milk, so thick I might even be able to hide in it if they didn´t have a hold on me." pg (7)  Thinking about fog,  reminds me of a scary place, or somewhere I do not feel comfortable in. That is how I felt while reading these first pages. Things that are said are not clear, it is all foggy. Maybe that is what Ken Kesey is trying to do. Make the reader feel as the Chief is feeling, confused, scared. The fog can be various things, it can also be something that is showing how scared the Chief is, or as said in the quote it is a place where he can "hide" from the people that he does not like, such as the Big Nurse. The fog can sometimes be something that is keeping us from seeing things. There are times where this can be a good or bad thing. In this case it is bad for the reader because I do not know what is going on, but it can also work as a shield for the Chief. He may not want to confront the Big Nurse, or he does not want to share some information with us. The point is that along the novel I will be finding out what this fog means, and hopefully answers to my questions. 

While reading he does seem to be crazy, but until what extent can that word mean? Am I crazy by questioning what is happening in the book or am I doing it right? Will the fog ever go away? I hope so. 

The Boots

In the first scene of the film “Waiting for Godot”, Estragon is struggling to take of his boot. As we have discussed in class, this play must not be taken literally. Everything that happens is a metaphor such as Godot, whom can be seen as God. He is a person that we are always waiting for and although he may not come we do what Gogo and Didi do, wait. We wait for the hope of something to brighten our day.

When watching this scene I wondered what the boot of Estragon meant? Why did he always have those boots on, even though it made his feet hurt? Why were they  so hard to take off? The answer is, because that is life. We are attached to things that make us suffer because somehow there is something that we like about it. Estragon might enjoy seeing his shiny boots, or maybe he just doesn’t want to go around barefoot. But at the end of the day he is always struggling to take them off. That is when Vladimir comes and helps him take them off. Vladimir is a representation of the people that help us pass through hard times. He is the support that we receive when “the boot is stuck”. These type of people never get tired of helping the person even though it is something repetitive like in the case of Vladimir and Estragon.  “So there you are again”, Vladimir tells Estragon when he sees him struggling with his boot. Immediately he goes running towards to help him. Those are the kind of people we need in this world. People who are not going to give up on you, but rather help you when it is needed.

This reminds me of a time when my cousin had a girlfriend. This cousin of mine is as if he was my brother, we are very close. One year ago he came very excited and told me that he had a girlfriend. He was extremely happy, the smile would not come out of his face. As some time went by, I realized that this girl didn’t treat my cousin how he deserved to be treated. She started to become the person who always said what had to be done, and Alejandro would be the one suffering. She didn’t mind because she knew that Alejandro would still stay with her. One day he had had enough, and stood up for himself by braking up with her. He was full with tears and couldn’t believe what had happened. I would go to his house, take him to the movies, and help him take of that boot. But he didn’t take it off for long. Two weeks later she was back in the family. It wasn’t long for them to brake up again, and then get together once more. This was something that happened around four times. All of the times Alejandro was devastated but I was Estragon whom was always there for him. Right now they aren’t together, but who knows when he will put on that boot once again.  

Wait?

After reading "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Becket I realized what for me is a good book and what isn't. As I started reading I didn't quite understand the purpose of these two men always fighting but loving each other at the same time. A total love hate relationship, but they didn't really get anywhere. 

Something that caught my eye is that although I didn't enjoy at all this book, Becket was able to make me feel as if I was also waiting for Godot with Estragon and Vladamir. I was a part of the novel too, which is what I find that made me get so frustrated sometimes with the book, because Godot would never show up.Good job Becket. As I was getting to the end of the book I find that its all a cycle and that Godot is never going to get there. Its just like somethings in life. We are waiting for something that we really want but deep down we know that its really never going to happen but somehow we keep on waiting, for someone or something. For example, "Estragon: Well shall we go? Vladamir: Yes, let's go. They do not move." Pg. 103

This reminds me of the time when I was little and I really liked a boy. I knew that he didn't like me, but inside of me there was a little bit of hope that he would call. I don't know why I was so dumb to believe this because deep down I knew that he wasn't going to show up. I guess many things in life are like this. We get dissapointed in someone or something but we still hang in there. I don't know how or when I stopped to think about when he would show up, I guess it just happens but you can't really say "I'm going to stop waiting" because in your subconcious you are still waiting until suddenly you are free. The chains are suddenly broken and you can walk away. One is free from disappointment, and you gained some respect for yourself. But again, if I was able to walk away when were Estragon and Vladamir going to have some respect for themselves? Or maybe I am mistaken and there are times when we should just wait, and even if we die others will wait too. Just like in religion. In some religions such as Judaism people are still waiting for God to come, and they have waited for thousands of years, but they don´t give up. What is the purpose of all this? Well I call it hope. Hope that someday this will happen because without hope where would we be in life? Nowhere. 

I realized that Bekket and Camus have something in common. They both leave out very important things about the novel and I don't understand the purpose of it. I guess its to make the book more intriguing but I just find that irritating. Why was it so important to wait for Godot? Who was Godot anyway?

"We"??

We are alone. The term "we" is often used in society, but really is it "we" who does everything? Isn't it sometimes just an excuse to blame everyone for something but really when it is something possitive we like to take the credit for it, as in "I". Or for instance, "we" may also be used for phrases such as "we are alone." Somebody in the world had to come up with that, but for them to not seem as radical, or weird they take as if the whole world agreed to it. The truth is, is that its false.

While reading the stranger I got the feel that Mr. Meursalt does feel that he is alone, but that he never uses the term "we". He only thinks about himself, not about others or his affect on others, he only lives the moment as in "I". Mr. Muersalt seems to feel as if he didn't belong in the society that he is in, although he doesn't state that directlly in the text one gets the impression because of his actions. For example while he was in his mothers funeral he didn't really understand why people were crying, rather he was irritated by it. Or when Marie proposes to him he doesn't really care nor does he seem excited about it. He kills a person with no real argument and then doesn't know how to defend himself. He might say "we" because even though he knows he is a stranger he might not want to feel as such, or maybe because he feels as an outcast he will try to grap a nonexistant support and bring it to his life, which would be the "we".

There are moments in which one may feel alone, nevertheless we are never alone. If one wishes to be alone, that person can be physically lonesome but I believe that there are more powerfull forses that watch over us and protect us from that lonesome. Although there are moments when I believe that this isn't true, life has shown me that God has always protected me and that because of that I should protect others. Although one may feel that one is alone, there are million of other people that feel this way, meaning that you are never alone. Many people feel the same as "you" so that would turn into "we". Looking back to the phrase "we are alone" it is contradictory due to the fact that if one is with other people as in "we", we are always accompanied.

People may decide to want to push people away, or see life as in an existentialist point of view but I believe that at the end of the day noone wants to feel alone. Even Mersault, who I believed was a person that always wanted to push away others around him when he was going to be executed he said he would of liked to have been accompanied. "For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to with that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate". (Pg 123)

What is Imortant?

As I read the stranger I saw many things that made me question Camus. One of the many was the way that Camus writes. Due to the fact that he was an existentialist his way of writing is unique and drew my attention.

He makes Mr. Meursalt seem as a person that doesn't care about anything, he just lives the moment and doesn't think about the future nor the past because it doesn't matter. Camus expresses his existentialist beliefs by his own character Mr. Meursalt. This character is a very odd but interesting person. His mother may die, he might not go to work, kill a person, or even be in jail and Camus makes it seem as if it didn't have any importance, or as if it wasn't a shocking highlight of Mr. Meursalt's day.

Something interesting is that not only does Camus express his existentialist ideals with this character, but also by his form of writing. Suddenlly Mr. Meursalt has killed a person and he doesn't make it seem as if it was a big deal. Or in the page before Mr. Meursalt had shot the arab and suddenlly he was arrested. "Then I fired four more times at the motionless body" (pg 59) "Right afte my arrest I was questioned several times, but it was just so they could find out who I was, which didn't take long." (Pg 63) These transitions from one event to another are very common in this book and it gives me a feeling that he leaves out very important detail. Nevertheless, Camus does this because he is an existentialist and he leaves out whatever he thinks is not important. For example Mr. Muersalt's feelings, or every detail about what happens. He just says things that are in the moment. He never transitions to the past or analyzes about the future. Reading this book is like being an existentialist, shocking things may happen but they are portrayed as if they were normal. It is looking at life in a different way.

Not Yesterday, Not Tomorrow

Existentialism. That is a word that I have heard various times but not until yesterday was when I understood the meaning. There isn't a concrete definition of existentialism which is what confuses me. Nevertheless, little by little I start to understand what its followers try to practice. It is to live the moment, to not think about tommorow or yesterday because that doesn't matter. This seems ubsurd to me because I do everything in terms of thinking about my future. Even unconciouslly. For example, taking a specific class because it will help me in University. Or even about the simplest things, such as eating an Ice cream. I start to think, if I eat it will I gain wait or does that actually really matter? According to existentialism it doesn't. "Immediate experiences are all we have." It is difficult for me to follow these beliefs, although it would make life easier.

It certainlly makes life easier for Mr. Meursalt. Something shocking happens to him and he doesn't seem to care. He just faces it at the moment and then stops worrying about it, as if it were a checklist. For example the death of his mother. "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know... I'll take the two o'clock bus and get there in the afternoon. That way I can be there for the vigil and come back tommorow." (Pg. 3) "It occured to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, nothing had changed." (Pg. 24) How can Mr. Meursalt say this? Doesn't he realize that his mother passed away? That he will never see her again? That whatever he wanted to tell her and didn't, isn't going to matter now because she is never going to hear it? He must be an existentialist. He only lives the moment and that is it. As if his mothers death was just something that happened, which he would have to face it one day and then immediatelly turn the page. The death of a loved one impacts a person, and it is hard to get over. But Mr. Meursalt gives the impression of not really caring because "nothing had changed." Also when looking at the tone and the pace that Camus writes the book, is very fast. He is talking about Mrs. Meursalt's death, and suddenlly starts talking about how Mr. Meursalt went to dinner at Celeste's. Another example of why Camus is an existantalist is when Marie propossed to him. "That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn't make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to." (Pg.41) Getting married should be one of the most exciting things that one goes through. Finding the person you love and hoping that you will be together forever sounds pretty good to me. But to Mr. Muersalt "it doesn't really make a difference." Its the same thing as if it didn't matter to him. He has a wonderfull women infront of him, and he doesn't realize, or he just doesn't care. He lives everything by the moment and doesn't think about his future. He never wonders if his actions will have consequences. Mr. Meursalt is an existentialist. He doesn't think that if he treats Marie like that, she will walk away.

Although this way of seeing life is hard for me to understand I believe that it would make life easier and less stresfull. Not thinkign about the future and just doing the things you want because you feel like it. Not because its the right thing to do. Getting over hard times wouldn't seem that difficult and a new day would always be new. It wouldn't be a follow up of the day before. It is very interesting to see how Mr. Meursalt's life turns out by being this way and comparing it to my own.

Go, Go, Go

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us." (Pg.180)

Throughout the novel Scott Fitzgeral uses colours as symbols to portray certain feelings or actions that go around the novel.  The colour green has been present by being one of the main characteristics of Daisy´s house. The colour green in this passage reminded me of a traffic light, when the green light is on, it means to keep on going. Meaning that Gatsby had to keep on going in order to win Daisy´s heart.  It was his inspiration to keep on throwing his luxurious parties, great lunches, and maybe to even keep on being friends with Nick to get his girl. It is what told Gatsby to never give up and keep on fighting.