28)#102-10. What Was Right Back Then?? [A Question of Morality]

Now that spring break is over*sobs*, I can get back to blogging. This entry is for week 10.

During our off-week, I read the ‘winter’ and ‘spring’ sections and I noticed a pattern. Why must all adult characters have some kind of perversion?!? Cholly impregnates his daughter; Soaphead Church is a pedophile; Mr. Henry sexually assaults Claudia and spends time with prostitutes... this list can go on. I must ask, “Was it that bad?!?” I mean those times was not the best of times, but why is every character morally corrupt? It really bothered me when I read the book.

Like I mentioned in my previous entry, the self-hatred of African-Americans (because of internalization of the white perception etc.) also bothered me. In class, we talked a lot about this issue and as I’d like to call upon ‘the doll quote’ which effectively illustrates the topic at hand. As Simge already knows, I do not like dolls(if you are that curious why I don’t like them, see her entry 'The Bluest Eye' and no, I did not get paid to advertise her blog, it is just because I want to :P).

I’ll blog about week 11 later…

If anyone would like to harass me-jk- or just randomly say hello, please do so. I like comments very much though I seem to have a limited audience :’(

'I Hate How Much I Love You' by shewatchedthesky under CC Attribuition-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

27)#102-9. You're Beautiful Just Because..

Having read the first part of the Bluest Eye, I was appalled to see how much self-hatred the characters had for themselves. The character that appalled me the most was Pecola actually. Pecola lives like a shadow, constantly reminded of ugliness. She is devoid of love. Indeed, she poses the question, "how do you get someone to love you?" That is how desperate she is. The only hope she has is having blue eyes, eyes that will redeem her in others' minds.. Eyes that will get her noticed and make her beautiful. Finally, those eyes will make people love her..


The real dilemma I will address here is not how an 11 year old girl came to such a conclusion, but WHO decides what is 'beautiful' and what is 'ugly.' Physical appearance that we are so obsessed with, why does it have to define attractiveness? I might sound like an old lady for saying this, but what happened to "having a heart of gold"? Traits like modesty, consideracy, conscienciousness...what happened to them?

To be honest, there are days that I question these things myself, but luckily I have the most amazing people, first and foremost my parents, in my life to remind me when I get frustrated that I do not need somebody else's approval to be this-or-that. They'll love me the way I am-not because I confirm some sort of a societal criteria. So when my friend asks me if she looks beautiful, I'll say, "Yes, because you look like yourself.."
'Beauty 6' by Leah Makin Photography under CC Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

26)#102-8. Last Week Was A Nerdy One..

Now that the presentations, term papers, and midterms are over for now, I can officially get back to updating my beloved blog :) This entry will be for the previous week.

On the 5th of April, we, group blue, had to face the truth. The truth ended up being equal to about 70 e-mails(as unbelievable that sounds, I am being serious. I actually counted!), 2 meetings and a couple phone calls...We made our presentation to an audience of 3 people which was quite an irony within itself. Nevertheless, I still felt comfortable(less people to please-YES!). My AMAZING group members and I were very nervous and excited at the same time. We were pleased with the outcome. However, hopefully, we'll do even better for our final presentation which will be on my birthday, so basically, I want to make it rock again XD

Other than the presentations, of course, we had our research papers due that weekend. With the recent midterms and projects in my mind, I just thought, "Hmmm.. this just keeps getting better and better." Anyhow, I did what I had to do. I based my paper on the Asian American 'model minority' stereotype with a special focus on Asian American students. It was a fun assignment for me as I was already wondering about the topic beforehand.

All that is left for me to say about my paper is.. make mama proud!!

Image: 'peter pan syndrom' by RaymondPhotography under CC Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

25)#102-7. The ‘Honor’ Mark

This past week we had two other presentations. First of all, I’d like to congratulate the group members for trying to give best presentation they can in one of the most hectic weeks of the semester, so give yourselves a clap :)

Secondly, here comes my review of the texts...

I think Emily is one of the obsessive female characters I’ve read about in my entire life. She seems to be infatuated by death, and call me ‘harsh’, but she is really selfish. Letting go of others is probably the most difficult thing one has to learn; however, Emily stubbornly refuses. She holds on to both her father and so-called lover. I don’t think she’s being fair to these men. Let them rest in peace, Emily!

Let’s move on to Hanife…

There’s so much to say about her story. Hanife’s story is real just as many other young woman’s who were victimized by honor killings. Since I am a young woman as well, hearing about things like this makes my heart ache. Knowing that you could be one of those women… you just weren’t because you were lucky enough to be born into your family...It is just too much to bear. I hope someday all women can be free because of the simplest reason; everybody has the right to be so!

Another point I cannot resist to make is this: As I was discussing Hanife with a friend of mine, I realized something else. The word ‘honor’ actually translates to ‘onur’ in Turkish; however, when we translate ‘namus’ (after all, honor killings are all in the name of ‘namus’ ),we translate it as ‘honor’ to English. Does anyone else see what I see? Isn’t something really wrong here? Don’t you realize that this word is ‘marked’? Think of Deborah Tannen’s article Marked Women. Unfortunately, this ‘mark’ is specific to the Turkish language as far as I know. It sickens me to realize this, but I think this is one of those issues where the society needs to evaluate itself: How can you speak of honor when you kill too many innocent young women to count?

Explain that.

Image: 'Vanessa in Sepia' by NMCIL ortiz domney under Creative Commons Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License

24)#102-6. This Party Stinks + SAVE US!!!

My weekly update:

On Monday, we were assigned to read “A Party Down at the Square” by Ralph Ellison. Though the discussion wasn’t very smooth, I managed to pick up a few important points. The one that struck me the most was the dehumanization of the African American man. The way the author described him had irked me before, but when it was pointed out that it was intended to be that way, I was bewildered. The narrator thought of a barbecued hog when he saw that man on fire! How careless can you be??? I need to admit though. He brilliantly got his message across by being careless. You can definitely understand how African American people were treated at the time if you read “A Party Down at the Square.” That’s why it was really hard for me to digest what I read…

Wednesday’s class was probably the most beneficial yet. As if Sonja knew my questions about the APA format all along, I received a lot of answers that will come in handy while I’ll be writing my research paper. In addition, we, group blue, are to make a presentation next week and with the midterms and the TLL paper, all I can say is: GOD, SAVE US!

23)#102-5. "I Have a Dream..We're Gonna Work It Out, Out, Out"

Because English courses are related to sociology topics at SU, we had the chance to discuss many important issues like gender and race. Last class in particular was quite important for me because we were assigned to read a Martin Luther King text. Ever since we started discussing the theme of identity, Martin Luther King started to stand out for me day by day. I think I began to understand what he had to overcome at those times a bit better than I used to. I wish we had more time to talk about him..

Since King is famous for his 'I Have a Dream' speech, I'd like to share a song that was dedicated to him and this particular speech. It is rap song produced by Common and Will.i.am for the film Freedom Writers whose main star is Hilary Swank (Freedom Writers is a film that deals with heavy issues such as; gang violence, racism, poverty, love etc. Overall, in my opinion, the film is average. The issues could have been explored with more depth but what makes it important for me is the message. That is why if you get a chance, please watch the film. The world is not the same for everybody.. Keep that in mind before watching Freedom Writers). Anyways, the song also features Martin Luther King's voice. Some of you might have heard it already, but I still want to share it since there is great meaning, in my opinion, behind those words.

[Chorus - Will.i.am and Martin Luther King]

(I am happy...I Have a Dream) I got a Dream

(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out out out

(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out out out

(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out

(I Have a Dream) I got a Dream

(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out out out

(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out out out

(That One Day ) Were gonna work it out

(I Have a Dream) I got a Dream

(That One Day) That one day

(That One Day) I'ma look deep within myself

(I Have a Dream) I gotta find a way...

My Dream Is To Be Free My Dream Is To Be

My Dream Is To Be My Dream Is To Be Free

[Verse 1] In search of brighter days, I ride through the maze of the madness,

Struggle is my address, where pain and crack lives,

Gunshots comin' from sounds of Blackness,

Given this game with no time to practice,

Born on the Black list, told I'm below average,

A life with no cabbage,

That's no money if you from where I'm from,

Funny, I just want some of your sun Dark clouds seem to follow me,

Alcohol that my pops swallowed bottled me,

No apology, I walk with a boulder on my shoulder,

It's a Cold War - I'm a colder soldier,

Hold the same fight that made Martin Luther the King,

I ain't usin' it for the right thing,

In between Lean and the fiens, hustle and the schemes, I put together pieces of a Dream

I still have one

[Chorus]

[Verse 2] The world's seen me lookin' in the mirror,

Images of me, gettin' much clearer,

Dear Self, I wrote a letter just to better my soul,

If I don't express it then forever

I'll hold, inside I'm from a side where we out of control,

Rap music in the 'hood played a fatherly role,

My story's like yours, yo it gotta be told,

Tryna make it from a gangsta to a godlier role,

Read scrolls and stow slaves,

And Jewish people in cold cage,

Hate has no color or age, flip the page,

Now my rage became freedom,

Writin' dreams in the dark, they far but I can see 'em,

I believe in Heaven more than Hell,

Blessings more than jail, In the ghetto let love prevail,

With a story to tell, my eyes see the glory and well,

The world waitin' for me to yell "I Have a Dream"

[Chorus]

Image: 'martin-luther-king-smile' by Nelson Piedra (Nopiedra) under CC Attribuition Non-Commercial No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

22)#102-4. “WHO is bullying WHOM?” The question I pose to humanity..

Since I am on medical leave, I have to study all by myself, but anyways, I am determined to make the best out of this unexpected break of mine =)

I thought that this sociology article was quite interesting; therefore, there are a few points that I’d like to discuss in this post.

*I had always wondered why Asian Americans were called ‘yellow.’ I mean they are not yellow. Their skin color is just as white as someone of Caucasian origin. In this text, I found my answer. Apparently, it is because they are white-r. I am sorry but that is --------------! (Feel free to fill in the space yourself.)

*This article made me understand that race is nothing but a social weapon that some people use against each other in order to have just a bigger share of the pie. In Turkey, schools do not emphasize this part really. Most people assume that race is biologically constructed. It couldn’t be more wrong. It is a social concept that needs help ASAP. We should value personality- not race.

*As I read more about what a dominant group is, I realized that they are just like the bullies that made my life miserable when I was in middle school. It is pathetic to see that. I guess people don’t mature with age either…

* The part that struck me the most on a personal level was the gender stereotypes. Unfortunately, in my country, this stereotype is considered ‘normal.’ You can hear many men saying, “A women can’t do this… can’t do that..”, “Women always block the traffic.” and “Women should just be a housewife.” AAAAAAARGH! I cannot stand it when I hear comments like that. The other day I was taking to my friend, and she told me about this guy who kept stalking her. She mentioned that he kept saying things like “A girl can never beat me..A girl can never be as smart(as me)..” I swear if he said that to me, I would have given him a taste of what it feels like to be in hell!!!! It is disappointing to see that guys like that are at a university like this. Why can’t it be someone who is better rather than a girl/boy being better than a boy/girl?

*Stereotype interchangeability was also an interesting read. There are a lot of people who are unemployed in this country so I’ve never thought of blaming them for it. Being poor because of laziness..that does not sound applicable in Turkey. At least, that is what I think.

*On page 323 of this article, there is an example which features a Chinese American couple. I think it presents the discrimination-prejudice relationship in a completely different light. Honestly, I was quite surprised when I read it. Make sure that you read it too.
Finally, I’ll end my post with an open-ended question. I think you will understand my point when you read it.
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WHY CAN’T WE JUST GET ALONG?