The Portrait of Mr. Hyde

This month we focused on the topic, the "monsters within ourselves". For this topic we read two books, "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". One of the questions during a Socratic seminar was asking to compare and contrast these two books and the main characters.
First off, the main characters, Jekyll and Dorian Gray. Both males curious about themselves and both act upon that curiosity despite the selfish and negative consequences it leads onto others. In "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Jekyll was curious about the evil that was dwelling inside of him. He wanted to bring out that evil and live freely without consequences. He acted upon that curiosity by making a potion that would bring out his alter ego, Mr. Hyde. However, is Jekyll himself not evil because it was Mr. Hyde's doing that caused other people to suffer and even die? I think Jekyll is just as evil because without Jekyll, there is no Hyde. I think as humans we tend to act this way. If we wear a mask over face or use a fake ID with a fake name, then its not really us so we shouldn't get in trouble. But who is behind that mask and who is holding that fake ID, the mischievousness one.
In "The Portrait of Dorian Gray", Dorian is this beautiful man who people admired for his beauty and his youth. He was curious about his beauty and youth and had a portrait of himself done so that the portrait would age but he himself would never grow a day older. Dorian's character is evil for his selfish actions, example would be his actions towards Sybil and her brother, and also how he cheats life. Both Dorian and Jekyll cheat life. Dorian does not grow a day older, never experiences aging or the changes that come of it, just stays young and beautiful. Jekyll cheats life by changing not only by bringing out his inner evil, but also by changing his physical form.
I think both stories fit the topic of "monsters within ourselves". Jekyll literally, as the monster was the evil within him, brought out by Hyde. And Dorian who cheated life and was conceited and selfish. I think in today's society, people don't show their monsters to this extreme. People can't cheat life or create a potion to change who they are. To change their physical form, people get plastic surgery. I don't think they do it for evil reasons or have a secret plan to murder someone once the procedure is done, but its just an extreme. Also I don't think we see people as being both a Jekyll and Hyde (Good and Bad). I think we see people as being one or the other. People can either be good with evil lurking in the inside that we ignore, or they can be evil, and nothing but evil. Of course there is a bit of gray area, but overall, that's how we view people.

"I heard that chivalry was dead, but I think it's just got a bad flue." -Meg Ryan

This month our class has continued to study into gender studies and I noticed that majority of our conversations revolved around the gender studies of marriage. How women are to be wives and mothers, are devoted housemothers, slaves to their families, and what you have you. However, I think there is something else that we miss and that is when women are still young, before they step into the marriage, the dating life. Our class talked about how society was breaking away from the norms about women and their roles in society and I think the same goes into dating life such as in high school. Here are some examples of how dating has changed in society:

• When you would pick up your date for the movies or dinner, it was always proper to get out of the car and knock on the front door. It seems that more and more in this society, men don't always take the time to walk twenty steps to the front door, but instead take the twenty seconds it takes to text "here" to their date.
• When girls get into cars, it would be oh so gentlemen like if her date would come around to her side of the car and open the door for her. We are absolutely capable of opening it ourselves, but its a simple sweet notion made by men. Or opening the door or letting the girl go in front of you.
• This one may be a stretch for some- girls paying for the guy's meals instead of the other way around. I feel like this can go either way of the argument. I've heard men said, "You want to be equal in politics, pay, and rights? Fine then you can pay." Its a slow change in society, but it is occurring. Some women will say that they don't think its fair that men pay all the time and want to chip in too. Times are changing and this is another example of how the dating life is.
• Girls dressing nice for a date. Our society has become very laid back that in the dating life, girls are rarely seen as dressed up or wearing anything different from the norm. It use to be special for their dates, seeing them all dazzled up and what not, but most girls will leave the house with jeans and a t shirt instead.
• ^^This one can also go with guys too. Personally, I like the jeans with button down shirt look. But showing up for date in ripped jeans, a dirty t shirt, and muddy shoes, not my first choice of attire. Men use to put just as much thought and consideration in their outfits as women did, but like women, they've fallen out of the importance of clothing while on a date.
• This one is a personal pet peeve of mine... Dating life use to be between two people, not two people and their cellphones. Girls have the tendency to get wrapped up in their cell phones, chatting it up with their friends, thumbs moving at a million miles an hour. Boys may be doing the exact thing. We as a society have our nose so into our cell phones that we don't always concentrate on the person sitting across from us a table or next to us at the movies.
  

Personally, I like the more traditionally dating life better than how society has made dating today. So casual like its nothing when it use to be something special, for both perspectives: boys and girls.

What It Feels Like For A Girl - Madonna

"Of course it's unfair. We're women" (quote from Titanic by Rose's mother)
This month we have been focusing on literature dealing with Gender Studies, mostly directed towards female issues. Our Socratic seminars and discussions revolved mostly around what the duties, responsibilities, and rights of women are, whether they are in America, Europe, fifty years ago, or today. Despite our belief that everyone should be 100 percent free, we still hold onto stereotypes that lock women into specific roles. For example in "A Doll House", Nora had her position as the faithful wife and the good mother, but she was more than that. She wanted to more than that. She had emotions and feelings that went beyond just being a mother or wife, just like Edna in the "Awakening". And I think that maybe it's hard for us, both males and females, in today's society to understand that because we aren't forced into that lifestyle. We are only getting a glimpse of it from the books we read and the movies we watch.

Something I found interesting during one of our discussions is that girls were dominantly answering the questions about how they felt about these stereotypes in regards to females. To me, it seemed like they were offended by them, but not in the sense that you would think. It didn't seem like they were offended that they felt they "HAD" to marry and have children, because most admitted that they wanted that anyway. I think they were more offended that it's what society wants from them too and its the pressure of it.

When the boys were asked the same questions about these female stereotypes, I don't think it was necessarily fair of us to ask them. We ask guys these questions, but we already have in our minds what we think they are going to say. They'll just agree with society's beliefs because they're men and they want us to just be wives so they can be strong and provide for us and all we have to worry about is having children, cooking, and cleaning. Not all men are like that, especially in today's society, but we assume that that's how they think because of tradition. Ryan said these kinds of stereotypes had been engrained in our minds since we came into this world, and it is so true.

I think Madonna's song "What It Feels Like For A Girl" strongly portrays the fact that men see women differently. Whether it be wife, mother, property, or companion, women generally have a different view then men. However in the beginning part of the song, it not only shed's truth on female issues, but male issues as well. Women aren't the only ones breaking from the traditional mold. Males are too, becoming stay at home dad's instead of working a trade or some other "manly" job to provide for the family.
Madonna's song starts off with "Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short. Wear shirts and boots 'cause its OK to be a boy." We call these girls "tomboys" and we often look up to these girls because they tend to be stronger, less emotional, and even more confident. In today's society, we don't think anything of this. "But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading." If we see a guy in a floral shirt and tight jeans, we bully them and label them. We as a society have not accepted this. We still hold onto the belief that men should dress as men but women can dress as a woman or man. Gender Studies does not focus on just the stereotypes of women, but men as well and I think that we need to get a new perspective.

"A sophisticated understanding of the world must include an appreciation of such differences between cultures."

Upon reading the very first paragraph of "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism", I realized that I was doing exactly the opposite of what James Rachels was telling us to do. His article is about being open minded to other cultures that are different than ours and reading about the Callatians eating the bodies of their dead fathers, I was immediately put off by that thought. Rachels quotes William Graham Sumner saying that there is no measure of right and wrong other than the standards of one's society." Who am I to say that eating your dead father's body is wrong? Just because I or most people in my culture say its wrong, doesn't mean the Callatians are wrong. Just like infanticide with the Eskimos. You have to look at the big picture as to why cultures do certain things different from your own. Under the section "Why There Is Less Disagreement Than It Seems" Rachels talks about why a culture may think its wrong to eat cows. There may be an underlining message of their belief of reincarnation. So I do agree with Darius' belief that one must appreciate different cultures and their differences.
The first section of the article is "How different Cultures Have Different Moral Codes" made me think of our class's Socratic seminar about Things Fall Apart. We talked about our struggle to view Okonkwo as a hero because of the way he treated his family, particularly his wives. Because he had beaten his wives, we couldn't see him as a true man. Although he was high in his society, we agreed he wouldn't be high in our society. He had abused something that in our culture, we hold higher than his. When you physically abuse your wife in today's society, you can be locked up. For Okonkwo, that really wasn't much of the case. We briefly talked about how different our culture is from Okonkwo's overall. We don't view yams as having such great power, our class didn't agree with the idea having more than one wife, and also the idea of killing someone who was like family to you (Ikemefuna). In the novel and by the definition of a modern hero, Okonkwo is a hero. However to us, he didn't do anything wonderful or superior to give him that title. We just saw him as a man worrying more about yams than his wives, but really that's just how we interpreted that culture. So I hope now I can keep a better open mind about other societies and cultures that are different than my own.

"The Phantom of Wuthering Heights is here"

While reading and discussing Wuthering Heights, I noticed of some similarities between the love story of Catherine and of Christine Daae, from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. We argued in our discussion if Catherine truly loved Edgar or if her true love was always Heathcliffe. In Phantom of the Opera, we wonder the same. Who is Christine's true love? Is it Raul or does her heart belong to the Phantom?

In Wuthering Heights, I think Catherine loved the idea of loving Edgar more than her actually affections. The idea of being protected, secure, and with a good name in society pleased Catherine. However I do think she did have some feelings for Edgar though. I don't think she was with him strictly for the social benefits. When her and Edgar first met, she was very young and for a young child to think about social status and money at that young age doesn't make sense. But she did adore Edgar and spent a lot of time with him and his sister, Isabella. So it would be wrong to say that Catherine and Edgar did not share any love. Like Catherine, Christine choose Raul in Phantom of the Opera. Her and Raul were childhood sweethearts, reunited in the Opera House where they fell in love. Christine thought of Raul as her shelter and light. However some may ask if she really loves Raul or if she turns to him for safety and an escape from the opera house.

However, for the other two men of the love triangles, they were left without their loves. Catherine grew up with Heathcliffe and from young age claimed her love for him, never thinking she would be without him in her life. Heathcliffe, the same, very much loved Catherine. She was one of the only women mentioned in the novel that he had been acquainted with and the only woman that he showed affection for. We can see that the Phantom shows a similar love for Christine. When Christine was brought to the Opera House when she was seven, the phantom would sing to her and comfort her in the shadows. He protected her as well as taught her music and brought her triumph on the stage. Christine trusted him and she began to love him. He was always there for her and she never knew life without him. However when Edgar enters Catherine's life and Raul enters Christine's life, their childhood loves were put aside.

There are other similarities between these two stories. Like Catherine, Christine was given an ultimatum to choose the Phantom or Raul as Catherine had the ultimatum to choose Edgar or Heathcliffe. Another similarity is the reason why Heathcliffe loved Catherine and why the Phantom choose Christine. Christine and Catherine were the only two people who showed love and compassion on them. And a last similarity is after Christine and Catherine die. When Catherine dies, both Edgar and Heathcliffe demand to be placed in the ground next to her. As when Christine dies, the final scene of the movie, you see Raul visiting his wife's grave and on her tomb stone is the rose and black ribbon from the phantom.

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer. " -Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is a hero? In class we discussed the differences between epic heroes such as Beowulf, classic heroes such as Oedipus, and our current day interpretation of what it means to be a hero. Although most characteristics were similar, there was some differences. An epic hero is known for their great deeds using superhuman courage and strength. Through the poem of Beowulf, both his bravery and strength were commented on quite a bit and his great deeds include his three battles against Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. Whenever I think of the word hero, Bonnie Tyler's song "I Need A Hero" always pops into my head and then I picture Nick Murray dancing at the pep rally, which was funny. But in Tyler's song, she sings about her hero needing to be strong which is a characteristic of an epic hero. She also sings that her hero needs to be larger than life which one of the phrases we used in our epic notes. Just what I had thought about.

Tyler also sings a line about "a white knight upon a fiery steed." I think this line connects more with a classical hero. Classical heroes are usually kings or nobles which may entitle Tyler's white knight. Both epic and classical heroes are known for their extraordinary feats and their pride, but a classical hero is also known for their fatal flaw. Oedipus's fatal flaw was his blindness. He was ignorant that he had fulfilled Apollo's prophecy and killed his father, the king, and married his mother. Not quite sure Tyler would be as thrilled about Oedipus being her hero. Oedipus reminded me of a quote from the saga Twilight said by Edward Cullen. "What if I'm not the hero?" Although we associate Oedipus as being a hero and a good king, was he really a hero after all? He was seen heroic for correctly solving the Sphinx's riddle, but now he has put a plague on his new kingdom.

Our current day interpretation of a hero has drastically changed since Sophocles or Wilbur. I think Tyler's line of "It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet" is a good way to describe our present day heroes. Our heroes need to be big, dramatic, strong, and handsome. They either have some form of super power or a lot of money to buy whatever gadget to make them fall with style. When we read or watch a hero, there always seems to be a love interest. A hero has to fall in love and even in some situations, love is their kryptonite. And even sometimes, our heroes in a story were the villains once. Despicable Me for example. Gru had the evil plot to shrink the moon. However when his newly adopted girls were taken hostage, he gave up the moon to save them. Another example is Mega Mind. MM is the villain until he finally defeats Metro Man, the original hero. Now MM is up to take down the biggest villain the city has ever seen, hence him becoming the hero.

A hero can be something different to everyone. They may be an epic hero. Maybe a hero to you is classical. Or maybe he's a modern day hero. And maybe they just don't fit into any of these 3 categories. A hero may not even depend on who a person is or what he has done, but what that person means to you.

There comes a time when autumn asks, "what have you been doing all summer?"

Over the summer we read three books that all deal with prejudice and artistry. In Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the nameless narrator was a black powerful and talented speaker that was trying to fit into a white society. In Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, Peekay is a white prodigy boxer in an African society during the time of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. And in The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Howard Roark is a modern architect that is brought down by other architects and powerful figures in society. In The Fountainhead, Rand creates two characters; one describing her idea of the perfect man and the other what she despises in men. Howard Roark is the "perfect" man. He is not driven by emotions or by power. Roark does not base his work to please society. Peter Keating, however, sits on the opposite side of the spectrum from Howard Roark. Keating is very emotional and power hungry. He wants to please society and be highly thought of. His buildings reflect what he thinks other people would like best and not always what he thinks looks best. Throughout our socratic seminars, some of the questions focus on comparing and contrasting these two characters; their love life, their success, what they care about, how they define greatness, how they treat clients, their selfishness, etc. A big part of the book dealt with the power of media and how we judge people base on what people tell us. Reading the book as an outside character, we favor Howard and dislike Keating. But to the society within the story, they favor Keating because of what the media tells them. Dominque and Toohey write and hint to clients about how great Keating is. "He won an architect competition, he works for a big company, he's the guy you want to go to." While they bring down Roark saying his modern designs aren't good enough and impractical, turning people away from his business. I think we do that with the media today. In the grocery store, we're in the check out and we glance at the magazine stand. "...too skinny...divorce...pregnant...cheated...rage." The media uses these words to give us a negative view on celebrities and people in our society. Yesterday I went shopping with my mom and on the front cover of a magazine was Sandra Bullock who I actually like as an actress. They were bashing her for being too skinny and the amount of weight loss she's encounter and I automatically felt myself being turned off because she was losing so much weight despite the fact that I think she's a very powerful actress. The media does have a powerful effect on our society as well as Rand' society in The Fountainhead. Because of the media, Roark was brought down although he was a better architect than Keating. I think that's something very scary and something that we as a society who is tuned into the media need to be aware of. Not everything you read about is true, not everything you hear about is fact, and not everything you see is real.