So It Goes.

This year, my favorite book we read in AP Lit was Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I've never been someone that loves Shakespeare, so The Tempest and Othello weren't going to be at the top of the list, and Beloved was hard to follow, so it wasn't going to reach the top spot either.

            Something that drew me in to Vonnegut's time traveling war novel was the tone used by the narrator. Even though it is somewhat supposed to sound like it was written from a child's point of view, I can't help but sense helplessness in the narrator's voice.

            The continual use of the phrase "so it goes" adds a hint of vulnerability to the story. This is what attracted me to the character of Billy Pilgrim. Behind all of his time traveling fantasies, he is really just an army veteran that experienced multiple traumatic events. Even though the phrase "so it goes" is used before this event is written about, I believe that Billy adopted this neutral attitude when he was a Prisoner Of War in Germany. Since he was so young when he was sent to Europe and ultimately experienced the Dresden Bombings, the post-traumatic stress was stuck with him for many decades following his return to the United States.

            In her essay "The Truth Behind 'So It Goes': Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s Message", Emily Mirizio writes that "Slaughterhouse Five captures this horrifying feeling by expressing the 'sheer helplessness, the total ineffectuality, of anyone caught up in such a massacre'". I believe that this is an accurate statement in connection with Billy's war experiences and his fictional encounters with the time traveling Trafalmadorians.

            This thought is what inspired the idea for my Make A Thing project. I chose to create a scene from Slaughterhouse Five that included elements from various parts of the story. The bottom half of the canvas illustrates Dresden, burning in flames in the direct aftermath of the bombings. In the center is a rocket, which could either be a military destruction rocket, or a space travel rocket used by the Trafalmadorians. In the sky there are other Trafalmadorian spaceships against a sky filled with nothing, just emptiness, no clouds or stars.

            This project challenged my creative brainstorming skills, as well as my nonexistent artistic abilities (just because I go to Booker T. doesn't mean I'm good at actual art). I enjoyed my time in AP Lit and I appreciate all that I learned this year.

Beloved vs. Django Unchained: An Interesting Mix of Similarities and Differences

            When I chose to watch Django Unchained as my second primary source for this assignment, I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew that the movie was about slavery, and starred well-known actors like Jamie Foxx and Leo DiCaprio, but I never realized the extensive and meaningful storyline that went along with it. In Quentin Tarantino’s film, slavery is one of the most prominent factors in the movie. Jamie Foxx plays Django, a freed slave that accompanies Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German bounty hunter, across the southern United States to free his still enslaved wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), from CandyLand, the large plantation in Mississippi owned by Calvin Candie (Leo DiCaprio). Something interesting about this movie is that while the bounty hunting and Django’s freedom are important parts of the movie, slavery itself is the main character.

            In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, it’s the complete opposite: slavery is a thing of the past, and is only referenced in memory. That being said, it still plays a prominent part in the creation of each character's personality. All of the characters are free throughout the entire book but the horrors of their time in servitude still haunt them; however, in Beloved, slavery is expressed on a more emotional level than in Django Unchained. In the CNN article Why Django Unchained Stirs Race Debate, Gene Seymour writes, "Many of my African American relatives and friends... told me they were not going to see [the movie of] 'Beloved,' no matter how good it was or who was in it, because they simply did not want to watch a movie about slavery's legacy". This statement is completely justified and I understand why people don't want to revisit this horrible era of American history, but when looking at Django Unchained in addition to Beloved, I think everyone can agree that the issue of slavery is way more prominent in Tarantino's film rather than Morrison's novel.

            An interesting connection between Beloved and Django Unchained are the semi-parallel story lines of the characters Beloved and Django. One of the closest similarities is that they both start out in a "bad" place; Beloved was murdered by her mother and Django is suffering as a slave in the south during the 1800's. Throughout their respective stories, each character begins to gain back his or her strength and eventually uses it as an advantage over others. Beloved uses it to form positive relationships with Sethe and Denver, whereas Django uses it to build up his physical strength and agility and to increase his mental capabilities. Ultimately, Beloved and Django take full advantage of the knowledge and manipulative skills they have both acquired and betray the ones they have come to love. Beloved works hard to mend her relationship with her long lost mother but in the end manages to change Sethe from a caring parent into just a weak soul. Django plays the role of student and follows Dr. Schultz's lead, but once the original bounty hunter has died, Django picks up right where his mentor left off and tricks everyone so he can accomplish his goal of being reunited with his wife.

            One would never expect that these two stories, written almost thirty years apart, to match each other so well. It's an unforeseen truth, but one that is analyzed and appreciated nonetheless.

The Holiday Party: A Creative Writing Assignment

Inspired by Business Shoes by Valerie Coahuilas


Tonight's the night. The annual company holiday party. It's only my second one, but the thought of it always gets me so excited. The room is decorated in white, like a winter wonderland but it looks super cool because all of the lights are different colors so the room looks like a prism or something. I love it. The last company I worked for had a holiday party too but it was just a bunch of the office people at someone's house wearing ugly sweaters, which sounds really boring compared to this one. Last weekend, I bought the most gorgeous shoes to go with my dress. It took me over an hour to pick them out, but the whole thing was totally worth it. They're purple, my favorite color, and match my dress perfectly.

Business Shoes by Valerie Coahuilas

            Do you want to know a secret? I might or might not be trying to impress some people at the party. Not in a "hey I'm a good co-worker" way, but in a "hey give me a promotion and a raise" way or a "hey I'm a great person we should go out sometime" way.

            You see, my boss, Frank, has been hinting about a promotion for a few weeks now and my guess is that he's secretly going to be observing people at the party. But that's just my theory. And of course I want the promotion (and the raise that comes along with it). I love Frank...not in the way you're thinking though. He's just a great boss. In the two years I've been working for him, I don't we've ever had a bad encounter. I mean, of course at the beginning I had a few mishaps but he always kept his cool and told me how to correct my mistakes. I'm sure that in his head he was saying other things but at least he was polite to me on the outside.

            And then there's Greg, Frank's right-hand man and probably my favorite person in the office. He's exactly what you would picture if someone says "nerd-chic". I'm talking khakis, skinny tie, hair gelled back, and everything else you're probably thinking of. Lately we've become pretty good friends, and I really want to ask him out for drinks, but I don't know if that would be considered "overstepping boundaries" since he's so much higher on the food chain than I am. I've surveyed a few of my friends that work in the cubicles around me and I've gotten mixed reactions when I ask them what they think.

            I have tonight planned out in my head. Everyone is going to be mingling around the ballroom, drinks flowing, and snow falling in the corners of the room. Greg and Frank will be standing by one of the many bars and I'll casually order my drink and strike up a conversation with them. Frank will laugh, Greg will give me a charming smile, and my night will be successful. And my shoes will look amazing with my dress and I won't spill anything either. How does that sound for a good night?

            Do I think any of this will actually happen? Maybe. The Greg thing has a chance but as much as I would love it, I don't think I'll be the one getting the promotion. But hey, a girl can hope, right? 

On The Side

            In every single book, movie, or play I have ever seen or read, there is always a sidekick to the main character. Always. And usually the sidekick is the one that takes the fall for the main character. I can think of countless examples where this is true. For example, in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (based on the popular Disney Channel series), Lizzie and her best friend Gordo go to Italy on a school trip. In short, Lizzie befriends an Italian pop star and has to sneak out to see him, but Gordo takes the blame and tells their teacher that he's been the one sneaking out instead of Lizzie and gets sent home early. He actually winds up not going home but the whole point of the story is that sometimes the sidekick best friend should actually be considered the hero instead of the protagonist.

            Another example: in the movie Sky High, teenagers with super powers go to a special high school and on the first day they are put into two classifications. And of course, those classifications are "Hero" and "Sidekick" Towards the end of the movie when the bad guys take over, the Sidekicks (technically known as "Hero Support"), not the Heroes, are the ones that defeat the bad guys.

            What a surprise. The sidekicks saved the day. Again. Am I wrong to assume that there is a pattern that is happening? I don't think so. If you think about it, this pattern occurs in real life, too. In chapter ten of How To Read Literature Like A Professor, Thomas C. Foster writes that the sidekick is usually the one to put him/herself on the line to help their friend/leader/etc. I believe that they do this due to an assumed foundation of mutual loyalty, trust, and respect.

            This is true in the friendship setting as well. In almost every friend group, there is the leader, the second in command, and the followers. In the group, there is usually a follower (probably towards the bottom of the food chain) that will do anything for their leader. After they do something they think the leader will appreciate but get no reward for it, they discover that it wasn't actually a mutual friendship. Then, after the inevitable consequences that are sure to come up, the follower realizes that they don't actually need a leader and decide to go off on their own and be independent.

            The fictional version is probably worse than the real life situation since in the made-up one, the sidekick often dies (which I guess could also happen in real life...) or is seriously injured, like Rue and Peeta in The Hunger Games, for example. But why does it have to be like that? I would love to see a plot like Sky High where the sidekicks save the day. I'm sure that people who have actually experienced being the one in the shadow would like it too because it would give everyone else the chance to see what they go through. Either way, it would be nice to see a little more equality in storylines or at least a little more appreciation for the best friend/sidekick characters.

Food For Thought

            It's been over a month since I've written in this journal, since I "accidently on purpose" left it at home when I left for my trip to Israel. Just kidding, it definitely wasn't an accident (sorry Mr. Lindsey) but at least I'm being honest about it. Lucky for me, I stayed in New York with a friend for an extra week after ILSI so my mother was kind enough to send me my book and my journal with hopes of me doing a little bit of work while also enjoying my extended vacation. However, none of my mom's wishes came true as I am now sitting on an airplane flying somewhere along the East Coast on my way back to Dallas and having just opened this composition book for the first time since June 21st.

            Let me set the scene for you: I'm in an aisle seat, an annoying mother and child are seated in the two seats next to me, music is blasting through my headphones in an effort to block out the aforementioned mother/child duo (I'm silently hoping that she doesn't glance over and see me writing about her), my book and journal are spread out across the tray table, and I have a bag of pretzels and a bottle of Fuze Tea in my lap.

            You're probably wondering (or not wondering) why I mentioned my food and drink last instead of my almighty summer homework materials. In the Jewish religion food is bae (before anything else). On ILSI, food was bae (you've probably heard the word "bae" used as slang or in a joking manner recently but I promise you in this case food really does come before anything else for Jews).  On ILSI, the Fuze Tea that I'm currently drinking right now was a necessity to pretty much everyone and brought us together as a community (I swear I'm not making this up). Like our end-of-program talent show was "sponsored" by Fuze Tea and they had numerous "commercials" throughout.

            How did a simple fruit flavored (usually peach-mango) drink cause almost 140 teenagers to bond? It's simple, really. We would usually go to a rest stop at least once a day to restock on snacks for the long drives we took each day. Once inside, one person would go to the fridge and start passing out the Fuze Tea to anyone who wanted it (usually a fairly large number of people). After everyone paid, we would stand outside the buses and drink our tea and eat our Dankritos (slang for the Israeli Doritos that everyone ate) and talk about our day. It was a great time for people from different buses to catch up and always a time of day that everyone looked forward to. It was those times that our ILSI community was at its strongest.

            Like I mentioned before, in Judaism, food is the most important part of any holiday (or just in general). And like I also said before, on ILSI, food was extremely important. Shabbat (holy day of rest from Friday night-Saturday night) is the most important time of the week for Jews. On ILSI, Shabbat was one of my most favorite times of the week because on Friday nights (right before sunset), everyone would get dressed up and take pictures with each other, participate in fun, guitar-filled services, and then eat dinner together. Those meals were always the best because we all got to talk about the amazing week we had and wonder what new things we were going to experience within the next few days.

            In Chapter Two of How To Read Literature Like A Professor, Thomas C. Foster writes that "Eating with another is a way of saying, 'I'm with you, I like you, we form a community together.' And that is a form of communion," (pg. 8). It's a little ironic since communions typically aren't associated with Judaism but in terms of Foster's definition, Shabbat dinner was exactly that: a communion. Looking at it now, those times spent outside the buses every afternoon were also communions (even if we were only eating bags of chips).

            So maybe I should be saying thanks to whoever decided to allow us to make snack stops every afternoon because those were the times that I made new friends. Maybe I should be thanking the hotels that didn't serve great food on Shabbat because it gave me more time to talk with my friends. Either way, I'm grateful for both the formal and informal communions that I experienced on ILSI because they gave me the opportunity to bond with my peers and allowed me to do my part in helping to form a community.

Fuze Tea

 From the first Shabbat in Neve Ilan

Quests: Not Just for Literature?

            Compared to some, I am probably starting this assignment fairly early. Normally, I would be one of the students to do all of the summer work the week before school starts, but this year that's not the case. Yes, part of this assignment has a June deadline, but that's not the sole reason for starting my work during the first month of summer break. On July 1st, I will be departing on a trip to Israel and will not be returning until four weeks later on July 28th. At this point, you're probably wondering why I'm talking about my award winning procrastination skills and summer vacation plans instead of the ideas presented in Chapter One of How To Read Literature Like A Professor, but trust me, I'm getting there.

            In the book, the first chapter talks about a protagonist's quest throughout a novel. But do these types of quests only exist in literature? What about in real life? I think that quests can happen outside of fiction. I mentioned my Israel trip earlier because I am considering it as a personal journey, or in the case of this class, a quest. It meets all of the criteria set out by Thomas C. Foster, so why not? There will be a quester-me (and 139 of my closest friends), a place to go-Israel, a stated reason to go there-visit and explore the homeland of my people, challenges and trials en route-the expected drama that comes with 140 Jewish teenagers, and a real reason to go there-connect with my Jewish identity. I don't really know if I'm allowed to give myself the title of protagonist, but for this case I'm just going to say too bad to whoever says no to me.

            While I have travelled to the Holy Land twice before, I am placing my upcoming trip in a different category than my past two experiences. My first trip was in June 2009 on a family trip with my synagogue. I was almost twelve years old and the experience was purely a tourist one. My second trip in April 2011 was on my 8th grade class graduation trip through my school, Levine Academy. I had a great time seeing all of the places I had learned about in the classroom, but having spent the past twelve years with the people I was travelling with, my anticipation of the following month's graduation was a little high and I didn't get to cherish some of the experiences as much as I could have.

            When I leave next week, I am going to task myself with discovering my real reason to go to Israel. I stated before that the real reason is to connect with my Jewish identity, which is true, but I'm also hoping for something more. I want to go on a journey to connect with myself. Yes, my Jewish identity is a huge part of me (as you will learn throughout the next year), but I feel like there is a whole other side of myself that I haven't tapped into yet. I don't entirely know what to expect from my trip, but I hope it helps me to open new doors in my life.

            My quest is just about to begin. I know who I am and where I'm going, but my reasons to go there are still slightly unclear. But just like Foster wrote, I hope to find out along the way and altogether have an exciting and eye-opening experience.