Sunday, September 30, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Illiterate Society Response
What struck me about the structure of Kozol's essay (or except from a book) was the parallel of examples and testimonies and these particular scenarios he uses are ones that us literate people would have not been able to comprehend on our own. And because Kozol has brought these every day situations that we can relate to the impact of being illiterate is very apparent and recognizably serious. The examples the author gives us are: not being able to read the directions on prescription medicine, not being able to read the warning labels of cancer on cigarette packs, not being able to read the different products and only relying on logos. These things to us might seem ordinary, trivial and basic but to the illiterates, it is a huge deal.
But before throwing these examples at the reader, the author first tells about a dream of his. This dream consists of panic over being in a foreign place, not knowing the language, not being able to look for help. Most readers could relate to such a circumstance or at least imagine the terrifying experience. Because the author set the dream up first before the examples, the reader is better able to understand the daily struggle of those who cannot read.
After going through all the horrendous things an illiterate person has to endure, Kozol advances towards a theme: not knowing. This is the arc/climax of the selection or at least the main idea he was trying to convey. It is the misinformed that suffer. And while the reader might have picked up on this certain theme along the way, the author spells it out very obviously. It is then here that the scenarios stop and the real testimonies begin.
Having the testimonies last packs a punch into Kozol's point. These are real people who really don't know how to function in a society that is based on the written word. And the selection finally ends with a serious situation that involved a person's inadequacy in terms of being illiterate.
The structure of Kozol's essay is designed to place drama and emphasis on a serious subject.
But before throwing these examples at the reader, the author first tells about a dream of his. This dream consists of panic over being in a foreign place, not knowing the language, not being able to look for help. Most readers could relate to such a circumstance or at least imagine the terrifying experience. Because the author set the dream up first before the examples, the reader is better able to understand the daily struggle of those who cannot read.
After going through all the horrendous things an illiterate person has to endure, Kozol advances towards a theme: not knowing. This is the arc/climax of the selection or at least the main idea he was trying to convey. It is the misinformed that suffer. And while the reader might have picked up on this certain theme along the way, the author spells it out very obviously. It is then here that the scenarios stop and the real testimonies begin.
Having the testimonies last packs a punch into Kozol's point. These are real people who really don't know how to function in a society that is based on the written word. And the selection finally ends with a serious situation that involved a person's inadequacy in terms of being illiterate.
The structure of Kozol's essay is designed to place drama and emphasis on a serious subject.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Women of the Bible
I'm a Christian as many of those around me know. I'm not the shove-the-Bible-down-your-throat-because-I-am-convinced-you-will-burn-in-hell type. So you can all breathe a sigh of relief. I do however want to explore something I haven't done before: studying Women of the Bible. No, this is not a sermon. I just noticed that there are loads of men of course, but the number of women mentioned doesn't compare.
Esther
(2006 version, Tiffany Dupont)
Are you surprised it isn't Eve? I'm not going in chronological order. I just find people don't pay the story of Esther much attention or don't look for the lessons it teaches us as human beings. The Book of Esther consists of a mere 10 chapters and takes place during Persian rule under King Ahasuerus (who Esther later marries).
For those not well versed in Biblical/Jewish history, the Israelites were brought into captivity of the Persian empire (Daniel ring a bell?). King Cyrus eventually came to the throne and realized God was great and he had to let the Jews go back to rebuild Jerusalem. Now since the Jews were now free, many went back to rebuild the temple and city. But a number of Jews stayed behind. Ezra, Nehemiah, etc. all cover the journey of Jews to Jerusalem. But Esther is the descendant of one of the Jews that stay in Persia.
Even if King Cyrus liked the Jews and their God, many Persians did not. After King Cyrus passed, kings came and went until Ahsuerus/Xeres comes to the throne. The Book of Esther begins with a feast. Xeres and his chamberlains/advisors are drunk, completely smashed. In his drunken state he orders for his beautiful wife, Queen Vashti, to wear the royal crown and appear before the men. Knowing that he was not in his right mind she doesn't obey. Angry and embarrassed she did not obey, Xeres becomes angry and his advisors tell him that word will get out that Vashti refused to obey him and now women all over the empire would start disobeying their husbands. Mind you, this was more than just a couple hundred years ago so don't get your feminist panties in a bunch. It's cultural.
So Vashti is no longer queen and they try to find another, selecting young beautiful virgins to live in the palace and hope the king likes on of them enough. Trying to protect her, Mordecai (Esther's relative) tells her not to tell anyone she is Jewish since they aren't liked. Esther is not a Jewish name, it's Persian or what they called back then 'pagan'. Her original name was Haddassh which means Myrtle in English. But she goes by the name Esther once she enters the palace.
Whether it was a love story or not, the king finds favor with Esther. She is crowned queen and everyone is happy. Until Haman, the king's right hand man, who has an incredible hatred toward Jews (I can explain why if people would like to know) tricks the king into signing a decree allowing people to kill Jews and take their possessions. Mordecai finds out and notifies Esther (no one knows she is Jewish) and comes the famous verse.
"Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Again comes the faith, believing that God put Esther there to save the Jewish people. Whether you believe it or not it was a pretty good position to be in. So Esther tells Mordecai to tell the Jews to fast and pray for three days and she will go to the king UN-SUMMONED (punishable by death) and "If I perish, I perish."
And here comes the fascination with Esther. She's an ordinary girl but gets whisked away to live with the king and eventually becomes queen. But what breaks my heart is that she doesn't go to the king right away when hearing the news, she prays and fasts. Esther's human. Even back then, they had the same emotions, same fears and Esther needed to gather her courage.
It's her bravery and her courage that capture my heart and renews my faith not just in God but in people.
Spoilers: The king lets her come in the court, she admits that she is a Jew, Haman the evil man is hanged and now all the Jews celebrate Purim to commemorate the bravery of Esther. A woman.
MOVIES THAT DO THE BOOK JUSTICE:
One Night with the King (2006): Beautiful soundtrack, great casting, more Hollywood though in terms of drama but sticks with the written work
Esther (1999): It is much more accurate than the 2006 version, I definitely find this much more appropriate to watch on Sabbath or during youth group.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Greasy Lake Response
"Greasy Lake" by T.C. Boyle starts off with an amusing opening, but the story itself is in no way amusing or hilarious at all. It is a coming-of-age story, the moment where Boyle departs from his naivety and adolescence and begins to realizes the consequences of real life.
The scene that stood out was a short one. It was where Boyle, Digby, and Jeff attempt to rape the girl they found in Bobby's car, the 'fox'. The fact that they call her a 'fox' dehumanizes her, makes her an object to be captured, to be preyed upon. As a female, this frightens me. It frightens me that they hardly acknowledge her as something more than flesh. But I believe that the boys’ reaction to force themselves on her is caused, driven by their incessant need to be ‘bad’. Before assaulting the girl, Boyle brings down a tire iron on Bobby, knocking him out. The boys believe they have murdered him. Previously they had only been drinking cheap alcohol, running around the suburbs, trying so hard to look like they didn’t care at all. They were rebelling against their parents, the safe society they had grown up in. They weren’t truly bad. But this incident, nearly killing a real man, is a wakeup call. They aren’t bad, they had not meant it. But by trying, by looking for something to do, by trying to prove their ‘bad’-ness, they had found it and are not prepared to deal with the results.
And upon finding the girl, they have already stepped out of line, already gone beyond what they thought they would never near. Driven by their primal instinct, they approach her, treating her like a piece of meat. Like a fox.
I believe it is the irony of the opening that strikes me hard. The opening is so funny, so reflective, so deceiving that when they force themselves on her I felt shocked, knew in my gut that this was unlike them. And I think that that might have been a technique of the author. The reader and Boyle both start off with a good life, humor and youth on his side. But by the time they have struck down a man with a tire iron and attempt to rape a girl, that youth, that humor is gone. It is real life at its worse, human instinct at its worse.
I believe that they would have raped her if they were not stopped. Out of fear they ran because they know they had been trying to do a serious crime. Their consciences died with the humor and youth they previously retained. In that moment they were truly bad.
The scene that stood out was a short one. It was where Boyle, Digby, and Jeff attempt to rape the girl they found in Bobby's car, the 'fox'. The fact that they call her a 'fox' dehumanizes her, makes her an object to be captured, to be preyed upon. As a female, this frightens me. It frightens me that they hardly acknowledge her as something more than flesh. But I believe that the boys’ reaction to force themselves on her is caused, driven by their incessant need to be ‘bad’. Before assaulting the girl, Boyle brings down a tire iron on Bobby, knocking him out. The boys believe they have murdered him. Previously they had only been drinking cheap alcohol, running around the suburbs, trying so hard to look like they didn’t care at all. They were rebelling against their parents, the safe society they had grown up in. They weren’t truly bad. But this incident, nearly killing a real man, is a wakeup call. They aren’t bad, they had not meant it. But by trying, by looking for something to do, by trying to prove their ‘bad’-ness, they had found it and are not prepared to deal with the results.
And upon finding the girl, they have already stepped out of line, already gone beyond what they thought they would never near. Driven by their primal instinct, they approach her, treating her like a piece of meat. Like a fox.
I believe it is the irony of the opening that strikes me hard. The opening is so funny, so reflective, so deceiving that when they force themselves on her I felt shocked, knew in my gut that this was unlike them. And I think that that might have been a technique of the author. The reader and Boyle both start off with a good life, humor and youth on his side. But by the time they have struck down a man with a tire iron and attempt to rape a girl, that youth, that humor is gone. It is real life at its worse, human instinct at its worse.
I believe that they would have raped her if they were not stopped. Out of fear they ran because they know they had been trying to do a serious crime. Their consciences died with the humor and youth they previously retained. In that moment they were truly bad.
Monday, September 3, 2012
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