That's Some Tasty Soup

Satire comes in many shapes and sizes. In this particular case, a children's story- or rather, what appears to be a child-friendly story. Guess looks really can be deceiving, right? It is certainly not a book one should be judging the cover of. The "Don't judge a book by it's cover" saying in fact, is the basic concept behind the picture book  There's a Hair in My Dirt! A Worm's Story by Gary Larsen.  This story about the environment, and one that readily mocks the knowledge people have about the world they live in, is a masterpiece of irony.

The book begins with a worm unsatisfied with being, well, a worm; but, to be honest, who wouldn't be? Anyway, the worm, who happens to be the son of a worm family, is then told a story by his proud worm father. It is begun with a princess named Harriet and the lovely walk she takes on a particularly nice day. As dear princess Harriet saunters about, she points out many animals in her forest and speaks ideas that seem normal, until of course father worm elaborates on Harriet's observations, making her seem- unfortunately- rather stupid to be frank. Even more ironic though is the fact that Harriet's beliefs are real common misconceptions spread by ignorant people. The book also uses intense diction in comparison to its silly art style, and ends up being much more morbid than one would expect. Larsen's choice of picture-book format, which juxtaposes his plot and word choice,  puts a great amount of emphasis on his main point, that one should understand something before blindly accepting it as it is.

With unexpected high diction, and the ability to turn common belief into a stupidly absurd opinion, the book manages expertly to point out a huge flaw in society. The ending has quite an unexpected finish, but I won't spoil it for you. It's definitely a "children's" book you should check out when you get the chance.

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The Onion: Collaborative Test Prep Group Sells answers to top 1%

After a countless amount of planning and preparing, the test prep book people around the country have been waiting for was finally released just this past Friday. The book aims to help students achieve a perfect score with only one skim through. "It works 99.9% of the time, and I think that's pretty good." Stated the statistics manager, "I've had zero complaints from the 23 kids who've bought our book, and we're proud of the help it provides for our future generations."

We interviewed both a parent of the book, and the user. Here is what they had to say:
Eleanor White: "As a mother, I think I understand most the importance of my child's success. You just really want them to do well in life... This book changed all my worries after he went through it with the tutor they gave him. I'm glad to say I no longer have to worry about Johnny living in our basement for the rest of our lives. It really is a life saver."
Johnathon White: "Oh yeah, uhh...it was pretty cool. Goin' through the book with the tutor was kinda bothersom', I just looked at the test I was taking tomorrow though. But I got inta Harvard so... yeah, its great I guess. Can I go back to my games?"

For as little as $1999999.99, the book comes with a tutor who prepares students' memorization skills as they read through the answers of all subject tests, ACTs, SATs, and more for the next 5 years. The first edition of the new series even comes with a bonus "I scored a perfect on my SAT test!" pen with genuine gold ink and a diamond-base eraser. New York Times has promoted the book, stating it as "A must have for all households!" and many more calling it "no less than a miracle." with 100% satisfaction rates, it is deemed the number one test prep book of all time.

Pilate Analysis

Pilate is a woman who well represents the core values of feminism. Throughout the novel Song of Solomon, she is perceived as an odd and very unconventional character. This is by no means in a negative light, as she not only guides Milkman, but is also a guide for the women around her and even female readers. Strong and empowering, Pilate was not the average woman for the 1900s.

After the rough years putting up with other people, and the rejection by almost all men, Pilate finally realizes the time for change. "First off, she cut her hair" (Morrison 149) an action that goes against all societal norms. Hair, a very common symbol of beauty, wealth, and women, is rejected by the blade in Pilate's hand. "She didn't want to think about it anymore"; she would no longer allow societies standards make or break her own image.  Pilate in giving up "all interest in table manners [and] hygiene" again disowns all that should make a woman or define a "good" person. Although being unkempt is not necessarily a desired trait among anybody, it shows the power in Pilate, to take to her own beliefs and stand by them, not allowing any type of ridicule, by even her own brother at times to change the person she creates for herself. An illustration of how Pilate decides to show her own feminist values by casting off all things that are most expected of a woman.

The list could go on, by the clothes she wears to the ways she acts and presents herself. Pilate's decisions to act the way she does are a way to demonstrate that a woman is not a material good nor a prize to be won like what the many man choose to believe about them. If not for her bellybutton, or rather lack thereof, she would have never come to the realizations that most others in her time still live without knowledge that society's definition of a woman hardly defines what a woman could and should be at all.

The Color Palette

"Not people. White people."
                                                    
                                      ~Toni Morrison,  Song of Solomon

Here set black
Here set white
Wet the brush, now gently.
Lay the palette, oh so careful, rest in hand now softly.
A drop of blue set bottom left
Drop of red, the bottom right
Set now yellow at the top, brush in hand, it's ready. 

Damp, not dripping, the brush is lifted-- green, let's start with green.
Sweep blue up
Take yellow down
Midway they meet completely.
Swish and flow the two will mingle, more than one is necessary.
Mix now green with blue
And yellow with green
This created is tertiary.

Wash these colors from the brush, it's done to start anew
Do now the same with yellow and red
Then combine the red and blue
Orange, then purple, and all in between born freely.
It's what they call the color wheel. Believe it's done? Ha! Hardly.

There waits white
There waits black
Time to add them in, blend kindly.
Greys created, both dark and light, give to other colors now generously.
White to make tints of red
Black, the Shades of blue
For tones of yellow add a grey, a bit odd maybe-- it will do.

Must a repeat be described?
Must it go on to explain?
A single color does not paint a picture
That idea is foolish and vain
Colors in all kinds of shapes and sizes, the endless possibilities
Infinities inside infinities
The paintings now rest their case.


Just as there are many colors on a palette, there are skin colors, and personalities with depths and complexity that cannot be categorized in a single small sentence. The process that makes up each and ever person is limitless. To define a group by one shade, by one stereotype, by one category, is completely wrong. Although there can be truth in stereotypes and ideas behind certain people, just as there are white and black in many colors, they do not define people individually nor as a whole.

Snakes and Pilots From Both Sides

"Just listen to what I say. That woman's no good. She's a snake, and can charm you like a snake, but still a snake."
                                      ~Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon


In the book of Genesis chapter 3, Eve comes across a serpent. This serpent is one who deceives Eve into disobeying God, telling her to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is an act that not only causes Adam to go against God's will, but also births sin into the world forever. A well known part from the Bible, this is the story where Satan, the serpent, takes advantage of Eve's innocence and leads her and Adam to commit their first acts of sin. Within Song of Solomon, Macon Dead compares his sister Pilot to a snake, warning Milkman to stay away from her.

Within the Bible, the serpent is extremely cunning and charming; traits that lure people in, like Eve, and cause them to act in a way that harms them in the end. Macon Dead makes the same claims, stating that, "[Pilot] is a snake, and can charm [Milkman] like a snake" (54) the very traits of Satan the serpent. At this time in the book, neither the reader nor Milkman can tell whether or not Macon Dead's words are true. It would seem that after the previous scenes where Milkman interacts with Pilot that his father is only attempting to vilify Pilot for his own selfish reasons and not out of warning Milkman. But this could also be the author attempting to trick the readers into falling for Pilot instead of Macon Dead, just as Eve falls for the Serpent's honeyed words.

Pilot's name is also a bad omen in itself. In the book of Matthew, Pontius Pilot is the very man who condemns Jesus Christ to the cross. Although he is reluctant to do it, as he questions the people's hate for Jesus, in the end, it is he who gives the command. Pilot in the book, she herself may be a character who is not a serpent, but one who causes complications for the Dead family for reasons the reader is still unknown to early in the novel. Eve is an innocent character who tricks Adam into the eating of the forbidden fruit. Pilot's role could be the same, her intentions may be good, but the outcome only causes further dilemma.

Live On and Remember

Pain would seem like something people want to try forget, it is after all, not exactly the most enjoyable thing out there. So why is it then, that people choose to remember, to mourn, to look back upon such things- Why do people want to go back to those times and think about them? It logically doesn't really make sense. Life would probably be much simpler and easier without such memories. But they do; They look back on those days, and remember.

Everything people experience, whether it be good or bad, allows them to grow into who they are and who they become as life goes on. If one only remembers half of all that happens, then the turnout is only half-baked. Remembering pain is accepting it, but it is not a defeat. It does not mean that you are done because it happened. It means you go on knowing you won't let such things stop you from looking forward. Take the instance on September 11th, 2001, where many were killed, and the World Trade Center was destroyed. People could have chosen to forget; have the building rebuilt, the rubble disposed of. All could again be "fine and dandy." But not only would that be truly killing the many who died, but it would also have stopped the progression of growth for the country. A period where people discovered that they would not let a tragedy end their wish to survive, and could choose to live for those who passed on, changing the country and creating a future where such tragedies can be avoided.

Do So Directly

"They were sitting at either end of the couch, looking at each other as if some question had been asked, or was in the air, and every vestige of embarrassment was gone."

                                                                            F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby



"Communication is key"- This was the exact phrase passing through my head  as I imaged Gatsby sit with Daisy for the  half hour Nick was not present to watch them exchange feelings and take a 180 degree turn on the mood. But the scene really demonstrates the saying to be quite true. Befor Gatsby is more comfortable with Daisy, they exchanged clumsy, awkward greetings in a way that would make anyone cringe with embarrassment. At one point Gatsby even childishy cries to Nick, regretting his decision to meet with her. It was more than likely he though that Daisy would not reciprocate his feelings, figuring she wanted nothing to do with him. Amazingly enough though, between the time they get together and the time Nick rejoins them, the two speak about- although explicitly unknown to the reader-their past and the feelings held between them. It was not even a long time frame, where the two could have gone back and forth, hinting but never quite actually saying what they intended.

It just goes to show that the more direct one is about a situation, the more likely the truth will spill out, whether it be favorable or not. I have a friend who is especially good at this. Conveniently, it was only just recently I had discussed with her about such a character trait. She's only ever had good things to say about being exact on what she means, instead of beating around the bush, hoping whomever she speaks to can take the hint. It is also something I definitely appreciate about her as well; there are never guessing games. Although it is a hard thing to do, to communicate the honest truth can be the difference between an awkward exchange or the warm remembrance of an awoken past.

Mice Chasing Cats

On the left is the picture corresponding  to chapter three.  The image itself has cats with intimidating faces  (Nazis) standing over a mouse (Vladek the Jew), alluding to all the terrible things to come hence the title name "Prisoner of War."  This is quite opposite the image on the right, a piece of Nazi propaganda, where the Star of David sits on the forehead of a large monstrous Jew munching on who are presumably German people. In this scenario the roles of the Jews and the Nazis are flipped, obviously demonstrating the Nazis' hope of portraying  Jews as evil creatures attempting to destroy the German people or even Germany itself. To the Nazis, Jews were only hurting the country, practically demons seeking Germany's demise-- or at least, this was what the Nazis wanted the German citizens to think.

If you compare the two predators of each picture, they have a much more similar appearance than one might first notice. The "Jew" to the right has sharp teeth and pointed ears much like a cat. He almost appears-animal like as he slowly crushes the people in his jaw. Even more so, the "Jew" has a large broad face like the cats in Spiegelman's drawing, connecting the final dots between the two images. Although the Jews in Nazi propaganda are portrayed as terrible creatures praying on the "good folk" of Germany,  in reality, the Nazis were the monsters praying on the Jews, much like cats on mice. Art Spiegelman chose the cat and mouse for representation to emphasize that it truly was the Jews who had fallen victim to the Nazis, and not vice versa. Much like the Nazi's portrayed Jews as monsters killing Germans, Spiegelman portrays the Nazis as cats hunting Jews, the real predator and the real pray.

Do You Feel It?

Reading Maus was very thought provoking, especially by the way my English class analyzed the way words and images enhance one another and the many ways pictures can be interpreted by their design and visual. I personally have never been good at expressing myself, at least with words anyway. Maybe it’s my lack of vocabulary, or my jumbled thoughts, but getting something to come out right, it can be so hard. Even now, I’m still not sure if this is coming out the way I want it to. Through my many thoughts though, I came to this realization: the difference between words and art is understanding and feeling.

First off, think about music. How does it make you feel when you listen to it? Ok, now stop thinking about that garbage rap or pop music that has a bunch of unnecessary fast words or one single annoying beat. Try youtubing “epic music” or “inspirational music.” How do you feel now? Ok, try “sad music”. Now, “silly music.” What’s the pattern? What are you noticing with every listen? Are you feeling something? Can you explain it? What’s different? Now go to the comments and try to explain it, share the link to what you listened to as well. Do you think the words you used really evoked the emotions felt when listening? For those of you who read this later and see comments, try reading someone’s description and then listen to the music yourself. Was it explained well? Did you feel the way you felt when reading versus listening?

Now consider this: Texting. It is something people do. Every. Single. Day. Not a new concept. But then why are there still misunderstandings, misinterpretations, anger, annoyance over them? Shouldn’t humans have mastered the art of texting by now? I guess not. Still why do these things happen? It is simply the lack of feeling behind them, or the lack of a crucial piece that evokes emotion from the receiver anyway. In person, a conversation has words, voice influx, and facial expressions. These are our tools of persuasion, and the way to arouse something within another. Texting though, it really is just a bunch of words; it misses the mark.

This of course does not mean words do not create feelings, it’s just that they do not always inspire the right emotions for the time, or allow someone to feel what the other felt, just like those in the Holocaust versus those who were not. How can one make them feel what they felt with only words? Sure they understand it, they know it was bad, six million Jews died! But do you feel it-the loss the pain the trauma- do you? To be able to explain something, down to the last detail, is an amazing power, but to actually see it, or hear it, can make it capable of meaning so much more.

 

Here is one of my favorite of the "Epic music" searches, I found it about five years ago actually XD- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU7SGn0MeP0

I was listening to Revelations by Vlado Hudec while writing this, it's a good song, I recommend giving it a look- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7L8hko4ExU

 

Masking the Unmasked

Never did I ever expect a comic to get extremely deep. Comics are something definitely enjoyed by many, but for the "comical-ness" of it, not the intense-dark-extreme-serious-symbolic-and-so-forth-ness of it. I am of course refering to Art Spiegeman's Maus.


I was reading the second volume casually, snacking on some food, when I turned to the first page of the second chapter and stopped to stare. On this page sits Spiegelman himself as he narrates specific dates and the death of his father. More importantly though, as he does this, he is sitting at his desk on top of countless bodies of dead mice surrounded by flies. The chapter itself is called "Time Flies" and as the flies surround him, dates are given all over the place. The sporadicness of the flies show how jumbled time and events are to Speigelman. When looking at the page more carefully, Spiegelman is wearing a mouse mask over a human face, rather than portraying himself as an actual mouse like the dead bodies. After taking in the shocking image and noticing this detail, I found it extremely thought provoking. Why in fact would Spiegelman separate himself from the dead bodies?

Throughout the first volume masks were most commonly used by the mice to hide their own identity. The mask was meant to resemble hiding who they were for protection, key phrase "who they were." So why would Spiegelman put a mouse mask on himself? After thinking about it for a while, it was this that I thought of: Spiegelman puts the mask on himself, and not on the other mice because he himself is unsure of who the mice, or Jews rather, were and how they lived during the Nazis' reign. Spiegelman throughout the book works hard to understand his father's situation and experiences, but in the end, he can never really know. His own mask represents this attempt to place himself in the Jews shoes.

The real Jews are the real mice, they knew their life, the way they lived, all the pains caused by the Nazis. Spiegelman on the other hand, can only dream of what really happned then, just like the rest of most of the world- Or so I thought. It was then a couple pages later that I realized that someone, a Czech Jew and a survivor of Auschwitz, was also wearing a mask. Why would he also be wearing a mask, if he were to really know the pain and sorrows? Maybe it still has to do with understanding. Although the survivor did in fact experience it, Spiegelman did not, therefore he still cannot realize the true truths behind all that happened, still keeping a true survivor masked away from Spiegelman and his own realizations.

Maybe this is true, but all I honestly know right now is that my head is spinning. This is not what I expected when considering comicbooks. Comical? Haha, very very funny. (That was sarcasm by the way).

Flying Free

"This is Water," it is probably one of the best speeches I've ever heard. Funny enough, one of my favorite things to do is swim. Being in the water gives me time to think, time to relax, a chance to reflect on whatever I need to. When I am in the water, I am free. Water and Wallace's ideas conveyed through his speech are actually the basis for the name of my blog- Two Be Fly 'n Free.

For starters, Fly 'n Free has a double meaning. If you happen to know about swimming, there are four strokes used by swimmers. These are backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and front crawl, also known as freestyle. I'm sure it is more obvious now that my title comes from the two latter strokes. Of the four, those are my favorite. It just so happens that when you put them together, butterfly and freestyle, you achieve a small phrase that describes the feeling I get whenever I swim, fly 'n free.  But this phrase is not just about swimming, for me, it is also about life.  This is where "Two" and "Be" come in (There is a reason it is "Two" and not "To", but that is for another time).  Why? Because it makes an unfinished sentence: Two Be Fly 'n Free. But how does one fly free exactly anyway? It is explained exactly with Wallace's words. To be free, is to be aware, to be always thinking about more than yourself, and going beyond the "Default- setting" as Wallace puts it. It means exploring and wondering, questioning and learning. To be free is to be enlightened, looking at more than what is just in front of you.

These things are the reason I chose this blog name. It is a place for me to look at the world I live in, marveling at the words, the history, the people around me. It is a place for me, other than the water, to ever finish the sentence "To be flying free"

A Stereotype

"Indians are pretty much born soldier anyway. Don't need a uniform to prove it."
                                                                      ~Sherman Alexie, Because my Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play "The Star-spangled Banner" At Woodstock


"Alright, the metal sheet's almost set."
I could hear a voice coming from beside me. Feels warm, what is this? I'm spinning... Heehee, it  kinda tickles! I thought to myself.
"Take it off now Jim, we're behind schedule! Go send it up to George quickly!"
"Yeah yeah, calm down, we'll catch up, Tom."
"You really should stop drinking on the job."
What is that voice? Where am I being taken I wonder. There was another machine I was being set onto, I did not stop moving for a second. Oop! Here's another one of them, What are they going to do with me?  The place was loud and bustling, So many sounds. Ah look! There's another of me on the conveyor belt.
"Hey! Who are you? Do you know where are we being sent to?"
"I'm not really sure... I just came off of some other machine, and these guys picked me up and placed me here."
Another voice soon joined me and my new friend. "Hello! Welcome to the belt."
"Hi! Do you know where we're going? This is all so new, where are we exactly?"
"That is an excellent question!  You two and the others behind you are being sent to create papers for the people here. It is your job to copy things again and again with perfection, so people from all over can read about all kinds of things." 
"Interesting, but, the same thing, over and over again? It sounds a bit boring if you ask me..."
"What are we exactly anyway?" My friend questioned the belt.
"The both of you are called stereotypes, and you play quite the important roll. Copying is what you were made to do, little clichés, how could I be wrong? I've worked her for much longer than you have. Here you two are! Do your job well!"

It did not take the people long to move us from the belt to the another large machine. We were snapped into place quickly and in no time at all began moving in circles.
I'm getting dizzy, this is so crazy. Over and over again, I did my job nonstop, just like the belt said. But who said I wanted to be this way, because I sure do not enjoy this. How could they turn me into a piece of metal that does the same thing over and over again? Was I not made to do more? Is this all I was meant to be?
"Hey aren't you guys tired of this?" I asked to the other Stereotypes around me. "Is there nothing more for us to do?
"Shhh just do your job, it is who we are, this is what we were made for, just conform." They stopped talking and kept spinning. I do not want this! I cannot take any more of it! Let me go! I want to be more than a common cliché!
 Suddenly something began falling from above. What is it? Is it this thing that will stop me from this never ending repeat?

                                                                         ~~~

"Here's your paper sir! Thanks a bunch!"
Trevor took the paper, opening it casually as he sat on a nearby bench.
"Huh, who new a drunk man could cause so much  trouble for one company? Setting it back for two weeks? They must've been lazy with repairs."
Trevor continued to skim the page, but it was the happy, bright hammering of another in his workshop that lead Trevor to move on to a place where he could read in peace that morning.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotype_(printing)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Y95phLnsM

The Trick to Controlling Humans

"For Rat Kiley...facts were formed by sensation, not the other way around"

                                                                                 ~Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried

I love feeling. I love emotions. To observe them through other people is extraordinary. One's hate, love, fear; They are  intangibles shared either through accuracy or exaggeration (the one more commonly chosen.) The constant use of lies, of unintentional false details people love to add. All things done to dramatize a story and bring others in. To make others interested, curious. And to evoke feelings just as the original experience had done for the story-teller. It is what humans do. Who we are make it that way. But, it is not always a good thing, emotion. Media is probably the best example out there. Media. The thing many people live their lives by, base their standards on, the very people who can cause so much trouble because of emotion.

Although exaggeration is sometimes necessary to share such feelings (those evoked from experience or ideas) it can masterly prohibit others from their own beliefs. Sounds pretty crazy huh? Quite a big leap. How can emotion stop others from valuing their own views? Is it not the thing that makes humans support what they believe in even more so? This is the precise reason which makes feelings capable of doing the exact opposite. Instead of providing the facts, that allow others to choose for themselves their own reaction, falsities and exaggerations skew reality, warp it, and turn it inside out. The mind in return becomes so evoked by a myth it can no longer see truth among a mess of sensation. People then go on to assume, hurt others, and lie even more to explain the emotions handed down by the previous person. In the end, everything becomes twisted and completely wrong.

Mark Twain had once said, "often the surest way to convey misinformation is to tell the strict truth." I do not in fact disagree with this. Conveying your feelings through exaggerations and mistruths is important. To have others understand personal situations can mean the world to a speaker. But case by case, it is still crucial to have the truth as well, so that in the end they can choose how they feel themselves. When people stop acting on others' emotions, and prevent media's contorted stories from shaping their own perspective, a change will come about for the world and the way people see those around them, a change for the better.