Harrison Bergeron - Problematize Post

In society today, we as humans are all controlled in some way or another whether we want to admit it or not.  Especially as teenagers, we allow our peers, authority figures and parents to take too much control over our lives. But, nevertheless we are all striving to be ‘unique’.  Someone once said “Be unique, everyone is doing it.” How ironic is that? Yet, it is so true. So often we judge others based on ‘norms’ of society. Harrison Bergeron represents the part of the American people that still longs to fit in, flaunt their attributes, and be better than their peers. Why is it that we feel that we will only be accepted if we strive to be like one another?

Harrison is described as seven feet tall, very strong, and extremely handsome. In the story the government does everything in its power to hinder Harrison, forcing him to wear huge earphones to distort his thinking, glasses to damage his sight and give him headaches and many other handicaps. But not even jail could stop Harrison. The part that shows his true freedom is when Harrison and his empress danced.

“And then, in an explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang.  Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well. They reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun.  They leaped like deer on the moon.  The studio ceiling was thirty feet high, but each leap brought the dancers nearer to it.  It became their obvious intention to kiss the ceiling. They kissed it.  And then, neutraling gravity with love and pure will, they remained suspended in air inches below the ceiling, and they kissed each other for a long, long time.”

This was the closest Harrison got to ‘freedom’ from equality. He was able to leap and dance with love. 

This leads me to the question: How many times in our daily lives do we hold back from doing something at our fullest potential?  Are we allowing others to hinder our actions and thoughts? We are given the freedom to excel in so many ways throughout our lives but many times we are either embarrassed or even too lazy to reach to the top. The Bible tells us in Colossians 3:23 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.’ What if we were joyful unto the Lord and used our many God-given talents and gifts to share with others? 

Creative Post - Suppose I tell you

The poetry group that I am in is focusing on the topic of 'Love and Tragedy'. This topic brought back so many memories of my Literature class in High school. In my senior year, we focused a lot on a Bahamian poet named Michael Pintard.  His collection of poems were published in a book called "Still Standing" which include poems about his love life, and his loss of love throughout his life. He is not grammatically correct most of the time which you may note, but this is the way Pintard includes the slang of the Bahamas into his writing.  I loved his style of writing, so much so, that I have his book at college now to look back on from time to time and to pull inspiration from. My favorite poem in his book is called "Suppose I tell you" and this poem uses the same repetition of the title but incorporates my own personal story into it.  I hope this touches you in some way.

Suppose I tell you

Suppose I tell you
that my heart has been yours,
since that breezy October evening,
when I gazed into your eyes,
and you into mine,
 I saw your soul,
 you saw mine,
You saw all my needs and my desires,
you saw your reflection,
but did you see us?

Suppose I tell you
that in that moment,
I saw my future,
I saw us,
growing old,
being happy, 
content with our life together,
and as we change,
our love never fades,
because I found you, 
and you found me,
but is this true love?

Suppose I tell you
that you give my life meaning,
there’s no distance too far,
for each day that passes,
is one day closer
 to the day we are together again,
but until that day we shall be patient,
for true love waits,
I will be waiting,
will you wait for me?

I hope that this encourages you to look into Michael Pintard's poetry and to possibly compare my poem this his and to note the contrast of our lives.  Maybe next year he will be included in the Love and Tragedy section of Introduction to Literature's Poetry Project. 

A Creative Response to "Harrison Bergeron"

Equality in a Dystopia

Equality of mind is,

A song of gunshots sounding,

Distracting my thoughts,

Unable to excel.

Equality of beauty is,

A hideous mask,

Preventing insecurities,

Robbing beauty and appreciation.

Equality of freedom is,

Ironically lost,

Causing more restrictions,

Leading to destruction.

Equality of strength is,

Identical talents,

Weights on my shoulders,

Normality unchanging.

         This poem shows the different aspects of ‘equality’ in the story Harrison Bergeron. It talks about the equality of knowledge, beauty, freedom, and strength in a dystopia. In the story Harrison Bergeron, the author Kurt Vonnegut uses acute changes in society to satirize America through the comparison of knowledge and power versus suppression and ignorance. Although this story was a harsh exaggeration; Vonnegut indirectly promotes uniqueness in humanity. He encourages the reader to appreciate the many differences in the world because if not, the world could be on a track to actual equality and a world without competition, goals, or flexibility.

Reflective Post - "A Work of Artifice"

          Growing up in the 21^st century, we’ve become so accustomed to the world shaping who we are that we often let others decide who we are instead of knowing for ourselves.  More often than not, the fact remains that women are shaped by the world’s standards of being inferior, weak, dependent and domestic.

        When reading the poem “A Work of Artifice” for the first time, I honestly did not understand the meaning of it or how it connected to the other readings.  In class on Tuesday, while discussing the poem, everything had finally been brought to light for me. Breaking the poem down, taking note of all of the symbolism, metaphors and allusions I found that the author of the poem wanted readers to reach in and find the reasons he used each of the words that were used in the poem.

         We can note the tone of the her poem right away in the title, "A Work of Artifice."  The word ‘Artifice’ directly links us to a deception to reach a wanted result.  The author, Marge Piercy uses the bonsai tree as a metaphor for women.  The “pot” represents the restriction of growth for the tree. If the tree had been planted in the ground, the roots would have grown to their full potential.  In line 5 it also mentions, “lightening” which ironically is a natural death in this piece of the poem. The poem then shifts in the 6^th line at “But a gardener” because the poet uses the word gardener as a nice word for what this person is being shaped by – The world.   

         In line 12 the word “nature” is an underestimation of the happenings and pressures of the world. The act of crooning is a ‘nice’ word defined as to hum or sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner. The use of this word represents the saying “if you hear it enough you will believe it”. That is so true. We take in all of the criticism of the world, and often think so little of our accomplishments or ourselves. Many times we lack so much self-confidence because of the world around us. This should not be so. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 it says "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. Buy pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm But how can one keep warm alone? though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." God wants us to left each other up, not bring each other down. The gardener is representative of a culture product. 
 

         The next shift in the poem occurs in lines 17-19 “With living creatures / one must begin very early / to dwarf their growth" These three lines begin the actual dwarfing process.  Pruning its roots and branches confines a bonsai tree. In addition, a woman is dwarfed by being told from a young age to believe in her inferiority and by being denied equality to opportunities.  The poet uses four examples of ways in which women have been shaped to meet the ‘norm’.  Firstly, she uses the example of "bound feet" (line 20), which has its origin in ancient China.  Women of higher classes in particular had their feet bound, or broken, at a young age so they would appear dainty and feminine.  Secondly, the "crippled brain" (line 21), is an allusion to skull shaping practices and the view of women as naturally lacking in intelligence. Third, "the hair in curlers" (line 22) is another marker of conforming to the worlds standards. This clearly illustrates the restrictions placed upon woman to be "homebodies" and nothing else.  Fourthly, it is thought that the reference to “the hands you/love to touch” (lines 23-24) presents a modified view of women as sex objects.  Therefore, Piercy has pulled together four recurrent themes of subordination included in the stereotypical woman:  physical, intellectual, occupational, and sexual.

          Consider this: If we live by the world standards will we ever see ourselves the way God sees us? Our culture tells us all of the superficial things that mean nothing in God’s eyes.  God wants us to live wholly for him without restrictions. In Romans 12:2 it says “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Ordinary day

Written by: Cara Curry

Days come and go,

The years fly by.

Always in a rush to grow up,

But never in a rush to die.

Looking back on my life,

I don’t want to regret.

I’ll hold onto the simple times,

And the moments I’ll never forget.

An ordinary day is a treasure,

Unlike any other,

Most take them for granted,

Like a child and their mother.

On our journey through life,

We should live, learn and love,

We should hold our brothers near

And praise the creator up above.

A perfect tomorrow is mistaken,

It’s a never-ending quest,

Live your life today,

Always strive to do your best.

Be gentle and encouraging,

Only have kind words to say.

Everyday may not be good,

But there is good in everyday.

Days come and go,

The years fly by,

Always in a rush to grow up,

But never in a rush to die. 

Hills Like White Elephants Reflection

      “Hills Like White Elephants” written by Ernest Hemingway is about a young girl wrestling with the idea of abortion due to the pressures and influences of the man in the relationship. The phrase which stood out and was repeated frequently throughout the passage the hills looking like “white elephants.” Throughout the passage, one can see how as the young girl studies the white hills she begins to reflect and realize how unique her baby is. The young girl begins to reconsider the abortion. This allusion links the unborn child and the white elephant.   The man sees the operation as a simple medical procedure and and he tries his best to persuade her into it.  As she considers his point of view she looks at the dry countryside, which is barren,  symbolizing her body after the abortion. The couple continues arguing until the young girl say “Would you please please please please please please please please stop talking?”

      When looking further into the symbolism of the White Hills, one can imagine the hills metaphorically representing a pregnant woman’s womb.  The hills are located on the other side of the valley, which can only be seen from a distance. The reflection of the distant hills might indicate that the girl finds it a distressing choice between the dry country and the hills. The dry country with the man also represents an abortion and the hills signify pregnancy and therefore leaving the man. It is also evident that that the man never looks at the hills. He avoids the fact that the choice of abortion is a difficult one. Lastly,  the color white in this story symbolizes the unborn child’s innocence.

      This phrase adds depth to our reading by portraying the issue of abortion in a metaphorical way. Although the word “abortion” is not found within the story, Hemingway uses two literary elements to portray this – the setting and symbolism.

Machete. N/A. October 2, 2006. “Like White Elephants – Literary Analysis”. Monday January 17, 2011

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What will your life be known for?

What mark do you hope to make on the world? As I thought about this question, I reflected on two of the aspects of my life: my strengths and goals.

      I thought of all of my God-given strengths that I had become aware of last semester in my Christ, Culture and University class. Each student had taken the 'Strengths Quest' quiz online and learned in-depth about their strengths.  The quiz listed my top five strengths as Restorative, Developer, Harmony, Adaptability and Empathy. Combining these strengths creates a person who enjoys challenges, encourages others, avoids conflict, and is flexible and caring towards peers. I aim to leave a positive mark on the world.

      Another important aspect is my future goals. I came to college with the hope of pursuing an elementary education major because of the patience and passion I have for children. Over the past few months, God has molded and shaped me by closing doors and opening new ones.  This lead me to realize my passion for writing and analyzing. I aspire to either teach English or become an editor someday and enjoy my work while impacting others.

     Which brings me back to the question, what mark do you hope to make on the world? I hope to impact the world with my compassionate disposition.  I want to be remembered for my listening skills, and hopefully one who cares about others more than herself.   I dream of impacting lives by teaching and sharing new information. I seek to be an encouragement where others can see God through my life. But mostly, I want to be remembered for always being happy, positive and thankful for all of the blessings in my life.