Debate: Night One (VOTE VOTE VOTE!)

Hey Guys, So, the debate literally just ended and I am having one of the worst headaches of my life! I tried to watch the debate as moderatley as I possibly could, but it was just one side trying to debate and the other just interrupting. Would any of the even be considered a debate?! You know it's bad when the moderator begins to show annoyance with one of the candidates! I am genuienly so scared for America right now. People are so tense, and this event really made me see that head-on. Even fellow students were posting on their stories calling each other names! Because of this debate!!! I can't even begin to express my fear for what will come after WHOEVER is elected. It was like I was just watching, with my own two eyes, the downfall of America! Anyways.. I don't want to get too heated (again), but I just really wanted to say, IF YOU ARE ABLE TO VOTE... DO IT! Now, more than ever, America and the people of America need it. I'm sorry if this was all just rambles... I am just.... BAFFLED.

Who are the most played artists on the SUS characters Spotify?

 Well, it's that time of the week where Rikki asks the least pressing questions that somewhat relate to what we are learning! I won't lie, this one might not make sense but I'll try my best. 

Recently, I downloaded Spotify. I know. I'd been a loyal Pandora user since I was 9, but finally made the switch (mostly for aesthetic purposed and the fact that it was $3 cheaper). Something I was always really interested in was that at the end of the year, the app tells you the artists you listened to the most. Pandora never had anything like that, and I was always curious to who I would get in my top spots because my music taste varies so much. 

So my first question: if you have Spotify, who was your top artist or song of last year? Maybe take a little trip down memory lane and see what you were listening to almost a year ago. Peoples tastes change, maybe yours did over quarantine. 

My second question: if our characters from SUS had Spotify, who would be their top artists? 

I've put a little thought into this. I see Jojo being a Tyler the Creator or Childish Gambino (specifically 3005 era) fan. They just match his vibes and fit his personality. I could see Pop listening to whatever artist was Mam's favorite, or at least asking Jojo to play whatever songs they listened to in their youth. Possibly some old Elvis Presley because of his rock/soul mix, or Ella Fitzgerald for a good slow song that they would sway to in the kitchen when it'd come on the radio. Michael really seems like the type of guy to listen to Eminem or Mac Miller or some white rapper that he would claim to get a deeper message from. I would say someone like Lil Peep, but Michael is just a bit too old for that and is probably still living in the early 2000's music wise. Kayla 100% listens to something like Baby Shark on repeat, which Jojo probably hates. Leonie, and I might be completely wrong about this, gives me slightly country vibes. She is from Mississippi and probably listened to a bit of country with her friends, but not the "I like to drink beer and drive trucks" kind of country; she seems more of a "I killed my husband, hid his body, and am smoking a cigarette" type of country. 

I really want to know what you guys think and love the interactions I get on these posts. I liked seeing the differing opinions on the sorting of the characters, so let me know what artist the SUS characters are listening to the most! 

Glass

 Mam is an amazing character within the novel. She is like a multifaceted glass. You can look right through her if you want and not truly see much, but looking closer you begin to see all her angles blend together to form a piece of art. Her sharp edges act as a protective defense, dulled over time as age takes over.  Testament to all that she has seen and overcome. The sharp edges oppose the smooth sides of the glass, revealing her softer side. A nursing ability that was planted within her soul from the day she was born, amplifying itself over time as she traded in her dolls for children of which she raised with more love than imaginable, showing her devotion to her children every day. Mam reflects herself onto others, shining a colorful rainbow of light wherever she goes. Unbeknownst to most, she has touched them all, making them what they are today. Leonie, her daughter, strives to attain Mam’s sense of love and care, constantly knowing how to mail the sick and nurture the healthy. She doesn’t see that she was graced with her mother's tenacity instead, just as Mam never gives up on her children Leonie never gives up on her dreams. Jojo holds Mom's gift to take care of others, which he ironically doesn’t want, choosing to ignore his ability to focus on being a strong man instead. Young Michaela holds Mam’s gift to make change in the lives of others, allowing the unsettled souls of Mississippi, finally return “home.” Even Pop holds his wife’s light, developing her soft side as he works to reconcile his past and present. Mam is the vision of a glass. You may not think there is much to her, no discernible piazzas, and that may be because of the brilliant light she shines on her loved ones, even In death, but noticed or not, she is crucial to the novel.

Life as a Hispanic Teen

 Hey everyone! So I'm going to talk about something really personal. So, if you don't know, I am Puerto Rican and I'm very proud of it. I would never want to ignore my culture and how I was raised. While I am Hispanic, I don't have the stereotypical "skin color" of a Hispanic person. So I'm a bit paler (which is totally ok!! It doesn't mean you're any less of that the culture you come from), or more white. This can confuse people because of classical stereotypes, so it can be weird trying to fit in between. But, as Hannah Montana said, I'm trying to live the "Best of Both Worlds!" It's always have been weird for some people to believe I am Hispanic and for some Spanish to people to believe that also. However, during Katrina I went to school in Puerto Rico for months while New Orleans was recovering. I also go to Puerto Rico during the summer for two months to live in the southwestern part of the island (the area that is more local and not where all the commerce and big cities are). I would even go during Christmas a lot to spend with my family there. And while I may not have the stereotypical skin color of a Hispanic person (or what is universally thought of it), I am truly Hispanic and I don't regret it!

I relate my experience to Sing, Unburied, Sing because Jojo is mixed and doesn't necessarily fit in terms of being "black" or "white." While I am truly American (being born in LA and being Puerto Rican), I can relate to how Jojo might feel, and how that may affect his experiences in the novel, like being stopped by the police and going to Parchman to see his white dad. 

Music, Memory, and Composing a World-Renowned Opera Under the Influence

 I don't know if y'all have heard of Richard Strauss, but for those of y'all who don't know, he was a German composer who wrote a lot of music for French horn since his father, Franz Strauss (also a composer of horn concerti) played horn. I am currently working on Strauss 1 (Strauss' first horn concerto, opus 11), among other things, and I can't get over the fact that he wrote this world-renowned masterpiece at the age of eighteen. I am almost eighteen and I can't fathom composing something that will be played for centuries after I die. 

    We are all afraid of death, and other people have posted about the importance of living every day like it's your last and not taking anything for granted, which I definitely agree with. But I think it's also reassuring to know that you will not be forgotten after you die. So many composers died in despair - Bizet, for instance, died without knowing what an incredible success his opera Carmen was. Bach lived and died in poverty, and Mozart died in debt. But they immortalized themselves with their music. No one now thinks of Mozart as anything but a gentlemanly genius - not the type to need money in a pinch, certainly not the type to get hopelessly hung over - but in truth, he wrote the entire score for his world-famous opera Don Giovanni while incredibly inebriated. 

    This week, I made a practice account on Instagram to record my French horn journey. I've gotten follow requests from musicians in Peru and Canada, which is super flattering, and it's really nice to be able to share my passion with so many people. I hope people will remember my music after I'm gone, even though I'm certainly not going to break Strauss' record of composing an entire concerto at eighteen - or Mozart's record of "how many shots can I drink and still compose an opera in the morning..." 

    Anyway, all of this to say, people have to remember something in order for it to continue existing. So let's remember all of our fun "Mozart" stories to laugh about later, and let's promise each other never to forget those we love. 

Legal Adult

 So, I'm turning 18 on Saturday, which is crazy. I'm going to be considered an adult in the eyes on the law, but I still don't even know stuff like how phone bills work, or how to speak to cashiers by myself without getting anxious. I know I'll be mostly fine on my own/when I'm in college, but it's still such a weird thought that I'm about to be the age that when we're young, we only dream of and wish we could skip ahead in time to. Well, I don't necessarily wish that I could go back to being so young that 18 seems impossibly far away, but I am also having trouble with the thought of moving forward with my life. My parents have always been there for me, so what am I supposed to do without them just right downstairs, available whenever I need them?

I'm going to stop thinking about that part of adulthood now, because it's making me very upset, so let's go back to the age 18. Who picked 18 to be the age where we all become "adults"? It's such a strange age because you're still technically a teenager, but you aren't supposed to act like it anymore. Also, I will have the ability to vote in two days (technically one day, since I'm writing this past midnight on 9/25). That is just so strange to me, because I can't legally drink alcohol, but I can help choose the next leader of an entire country? Seems a little strange to me that we're trusting people who aren't even out of high school yet to make such big decisions, but then again, older people haven't really done much for the economy either. I propose that we either lower the legal drinking age, or raise the age required to vote. Ray Scioneaux taught us that the legal drinking age is 21 because our brains don't stop fully developing until age 26 and drinking heavily before that can stunt your brain development, but they know that they can't stop people from drinking before that, so they have a legal age a little bit lower with the hope that people won't feel that 26 is too far away to wait. However, by that logic, if our brains aren't fully developed until 26, that means I have 8 more years until I should be allowed to make a decision as important as voting for our next president.

I was going to relate this to Sing, Unburied, Sing somehow, but it ended up as more of me rambling as I have an existential crisis over turning 18. And that's fine, I'm sure we'll all freak out over this a little when the time comes. Anyway, happy birthday to me. The next time you see me I will technically be an adult. Very strange thought.

Death and Life

 As we know, Sing, Unburied, Sing has a reoccurring theme of death. Everyone knows that eventually we will all die, but it takes a long time to understand what that actually means. For most of us high schoolers, I think we can better understand it as a journey that will eventually come to an end. I feel that this knowledge is similar to our time throughout high school. When we are little, it seems like graduating is eons in the future and that we all have plenty of time. Now, facing our last year, our last everythings of high school, it makes me appreciate how quickly time has gone by. Our ages range from 17 to 18 years old, and while we are still young, we have already experienced approximately a fifth of our life (though hopefully less). In years of high school, our freshman year is almost over. In terms of pre-college years, we are in 2nd grade (about). I just think it's really crazy how time works. I try not to be obsessed with time and mortality, but I think it is helpful to keep it in mind so that you can appreciate each moment in your life, not just try to race to the end. If you only think, "I just need to finish high school," then it's "I just need to finish college," to grad school to marriage, till children, till retirement, until you die. Before you know it, your whole life will have passed you by. All this talk of death has made me think about life.

Which Harry Potter house would the SUS characters be sorted into?

 So I don't know how many of us have Titkok, but I won't lie, I spend a lot of time on it everyday. Since I spend so much time online, I decided that my blog posts are going to be mostly about pop culture and media, just because it's what I know best. This will definitely never be as good as Erica's Corner because I'll mostly just ask you guys questions that somewhat relate to the books. 

As a kid, I was a Percy Jackson fan. It's come back some since Disney is making a series on the books (which it deserves because those movies were absolute GARBAGE). While I've seen some Tiktok content on Percy Jackson, I've really seen a lot of Harry Potter on my for you page. I never was a fan of Harry Potter; I tried to read the first book, got bored, and never watched a single movie just because it wasn't my thing. I've definitely gotten more into it (which is mostly the fault of Ms. Deryn Patin and the not so small crush I now have on Draco Malfoy) and took a few quizzes to see what house I was sorted into. While Deryn doesn't agree with this, I was sorted into Slytherin. I think it makes sense mostly for my biggest flaws: my ambition, my pride, and my loyalty to those I consider family. But this post isn't about me, I just wanted to share that. (What house is everyone else in, curious).

In honor of Tom Felton's birthday being today, I wanted to ask the class: What house do you think each of the characters from Sing, Unburied, Sing would get sorted into? I have some ideas that I bounced around with Deryn since she's my residential Harry Potter expert, but I want to know someone else's idea. We agreed that Pop and Jojo would be in Gryffindor and that if anyone in the family were in Slytherin, it'd be Leonie. I don't really know much about the houses other than Slytherin because I did some research after I was sorted, but I can guess that a few of my classmates are big fans. 

So let's pretend that we are now the sorting hat, and take a look at the inner workings of each character, and how they would be sorted. 

(p.s. I like the theory Deryn brought to me about the sorting hat choosing what you value the most in life, rather than what you truly are. I think that makes a lot of sense, and it could help with looking at the characters since we only know the inner thoughts of 3)

Erica's Corner / The Election of 2020

First off, I'd just like to say thank you to Adriana for giving me this name for my new blog segment. It's so perfect, thank you! During quarantine, I started to create some hobbies for myself like writing journals and drawing how i felt in isolation. My mom gave me this idea after she told me in March, "You should start writing about this, Erica. This is a major historical event and I'm sure one day your kids or grandkids are going to ask you about COVID!" I thought that was a really great idea, and so I got right to it. Now with the "hype" of COVID starting to die down, I saw that this upcoming election is going to follow suit. If you don't already know, this election is (already) extremely tense. There is going to be an outbreak of anger if either canidate wins. This election, as well as the 2016 election, are going to go down in history books, I'm sure of it. So, with the first presidential debate only 8 days away, I am going to be watching and documenting some key points from each debate. Also, today, I purchased a Biden Haris 2020 shirt. To be honest, I am not the biggest Biden fan, but I just bought it to show my kids/grandkids where I stood in this election, since I am not of age to vote yet... I did this, also, to show them my/our family values. So, ever since my mom told me those few sentences in March, I really feel like this is what I should do for all these major events I live through. Not only for myself, but for my *future* family. That's kind of all I really wanted to talk about today... Hope you guys enjoyed! -Erica Ricci

Names

 Names are so important. They tell people who you are and what you want to be in the world. But most importantly they are the only things that can never be taken away from you. In life, one thing will always remain. Jasmine Ward and sing unburied sing highlights the importance of Kayla‘s name. It feels like The first thing you learn about her is that her name is Michaela but everyone calls her Kayla except for Leonie. The fact toyed itself seemed almost simple initially but as the only pushes for people to call her Kayla you see the parallel of JoJo refusing to call his sister by his first name. For half the book as I was reading it I assumed that Michaela wanted to be called Kayla but Reading further on are they going to realize that Michaela is not only too young to understand the importance of her name or whether or not she wants to be called a nickname but too young to understand how truly unavailable for mother is. Throughout the book, you will see situations where Kayla favors JoJo over Leonie but it’s very clear that that’s due you more to a feeling of safety with her brother not the understanding of all the harm Lyons is done to the family. The fact that Kayla‘s or Michaela‘s name about her at all but rather a symbol of Jojo’s resentment of his own mother is interesting as just as I stated before my previous blog: Mam seems to represent the positive characteristics of her characters Kayla represents the relationships between them.

Leonie as a mom

 In the book Sing, Unburied, Sing, Leonie tries to fill her role as Jojo and Kayla's mom. Most of the time, her attempts to be a good mother seem to be unwanted by Jojo. At this point in her life's journey, could she ever change to the point where her motherly efforts are appreciated? Could she ever get to a point where ther efforts become regular? Leonie has always struggled with being the person everyone else wants her to be. Leonie's mother wanted her to have a knowledge of nature's remedies, and a spiritual connection to the earth. However, Leonie would not retain it and, thus, was a disappointment. When she tries to be a good mom to Kayla by giving her a natural herb remedy, Jojo immediately makes Kayla throw it up because of a bad experience he had with Leonie trying to make a remedy for him as a child. When Leonie tries to be a good mother, she opens herself up emotionally, and becomes vulnerable. Since Leonie has often been seen as a disappointment in her past, she is extra sensitive to the rejection she gets from her kids when she tries to open up. She then opens up less because of a fear of rejection. By not being present with her kids, they learn to live under the assumption she will not be there for them, so they cannot accept when she is.

Tony McDade and the Impact on Racism

 On May 27, Tony McDade died as a result of racism in the police system. McDade was a black transgender man, and he was brutally shot several times that night in Tallahassee, Florida. Apparently, he was thought to have had a handgun and the police said he was trying to make a "move consistent with using the firearm against the officer." While we are not sure if that is true today, or an excuse for the police force to stay out of the public heat, an eyewitness reported to having seen the officer use no warnings of shooting McDade, and kept shooting him when he was down. In Florida, it is ok to keep the name of officers involved in a shooting anonymous, because they are classified as "victims," but it is known from others that he was White. This act of racism is cruel and offensive, especially in a time of the Black Lives Matter Movement (following the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor). And more than being a minority as being African American, he was also transgender, which is an awful act to do to such a growing community. This act of cruelty and other killings and protests in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement come to show that racism is still alive in a what is seen to be a modernizing country.

   In Sing, Unburied, Sing, it is said by the character Richie that Parchman is the past, present, and the future at once. I feel that the author is trying to portray racism through Parchman and illustrate the idea that even though the story of the novel is set before modern times, racism is still in their future, which is our present. 

Leadership

With the recent passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, many Americans are wondering who will be appointed to lead our country as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R - KY) has said that he will push for a full-senate confirmation for President Trump's nominee, despite his refusal to allow the Senate Judiciary Committee to process Merrick Garland (Obama's nomination to replace Anton Scalia) back in February of 2016. While Republicans do hold majority in the Senate by 3, GOP Senators Susan Collins (R - ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R - AK) have stated that the Senate should wait, and Sen. Mitt Romney (R - UT), Obama's 2012 presidential opponent, has voted against President Trump in the past but has not yet released a statement on the issue of replacing Ginsburg. For those who can do math, one might realize that should all three vote against the nominee, or refuse to vote, there would most likely be a tie in the Senate, leaving the final decision up to Vice President Pence, as the President of the Senate.

However, I digress, as this is not a political forum. The title of this article is "Leadership" for a reason. Some of my fellow classmates may have seen that last year there was a king of the blog. Ms. Rikki Bourg has expressed interest in assuming this leadership position, and I am unaware of other's personal desires or ambitions. However, I do know that this blog does in fact need a leader. As the person who fixed the technological issues for everyone, I would like to nominate myself to be king of the blog. I am also open to the idea of co-reiging with Ms. Bourg or another member of this class. To finish out our first week of blogging, I leave you all with a quote for your to ponder as you consider your decision for the leader of this blog.

"I would rather obey a fine lion, much stronger than myself, than two hundred rats of my own species."
- Voltaire

Yours truly,
Hunter
(Hunger)

Leonie is a bad mother

Can I just talk about how bad of a mother Leonie? It sucks that your brother died and you aren't the favorite child, but that's no excuse to take your anger out on your children who haven't done anything to you. Also, marrying the cousin of the guy who murdered your brother is a very strange thing to do. I guess they bonded over how stupid Michael's cousin is, but for me, personally, I could never marry anyone even remotely related to someone who killed my family.  She also did drugs and drank while she was pregnant with Kayla. She's just all around very irresponsible and got on my nerves throughout the entire book because yes, she did have some hardships throughout life, but instead of looking at her children as a fresh start, she looked at them as a burden and didn't treat them well.

Side note, I also noticed that both Jojo and Kayla are named after people on Michael's side of the family (Big Joseph and Michael), even though that side of the family wants nothing to do with Leonie. I feel like Jojo should have been named after River, since he's the one who is doing all the raising, since Leonie and Michael are both deadbeats.

Hispanic Heritage Month (song included)

 Hey everyone! So I’m not sure if you are aware, but September 15th marked the start of Hispanic Heritage month. I bring this up because we recently read 100 Years of Solitude, and I remember getting it in the mail and putting off to the side. What I didn’t realize, however, was that this novel was written by a hispanic author, Gabriel Marquez! When I finally noticed this, I was actually super excited because I don’t think we’ve ever read much out of the typical white, middle aged man author genre. Anyways, I felt like the book overall was a good read, and after I finished reading it over the summer, I was interested in finding the “Macondo” of Colombia. Upon research, I came across a song that was actually made based off of the book. Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://youtu.be/RsRZvbC7dnQ. This genre of music is called vallenato, which actually originates from Colombia. Also, if you’re interested in what they’re saying, let me know so that I can try and translate for you!! I was going to translate the whole song, but it sounds super weird. 

I am glad that you all were able to read this book, and  even though it’s really odd and confusing, I still feel like it gives insight to the Hispanic culture. Marquez emphasized on various themes, such as the “machista” way of living for men (for those of you not familiar with the term, machista literally translates to  “male chauvinist” and Hispanics use it in a negative way to describe men that have like high egos and are disrespectful to women). Marquez also brings up love and family, but most importantly, he emphasizes on  the repetitive cycle that the Buendía family falls into. I actually found this quite relatable, because in plenty Hispanic households, there is that repetitive cycle that families fall into. And not only that, but also for just Latin American countries in general. You see that there is a lack of education, you hear about the poverty, the corruption, the drugs, everything. This brings me to my point that I think Marquez is trying to make—that it’s time for us Latinxs to unite, to come together, rise up, and break that repetitive cycle. 

And finally, that’s what makes me a a proud Latina, and I know Marquez would be proud. He would be proud of not only me, but of my parents, as they broke that continuous cycle for their kids (me and my little brother). They made big sacrifices to give us an education, a healthy family environment, and promised, prosperous future that will make many people proud. 

With love,

Adriana 🖤  

Does Solitude Preclude Memory? Contrasting One Hundred Years of Solitude and Titanic

Context - I just watched Titanic for the first time a few days ago and it resonated with me very deeply. I was also struck by the difference in how solitude is portrayed in it and in One Hundred Years of Solitude.  Hope y'all enjoy!

    In One Hundred Years of Solitude, Col. Gerineldo Marquez, Jose Arcadio Segundo, and Gabriel Marquez are overcome by solitude and the burden of being the only ones who remember true history. Col. Gerineldo Marquez is the only one who remembers what the Liberals fought for after Col. Aureliano Buendia renounces their central tenets, Jose Arcadio Segundo is the only one who remembers the brutality of the Banana Massacre (until he teaches Aureliano Babilonia), and Gabriel Marquez is the only one who believes Aureliano Babilonia about the Banana Massacre. He bears the burden of keeping the memory of Macondo alive since he escaped before its apocalyptic destruction. 

In Titanic, however, Rose is the only person who remembers Jack Dawson, who showed her what it meant to live when all she had ever known was how to exist in the stifling confines of stilted society. Rather than wallowing in self-pity because the love of her life is dead, she devotes her life to living in a distinctly unladylike way (a slap in the face to the dignified society of her upbringing), the way she promised to live with Jack (we see this in the photos at the end of the film depicting her roguish adventures), and she relishes having her life utterly changed by him. As Celine Dion reminds us in “My Heart Will Go On”, “love can touch just one time and last for a lifetime.” Rose cherishes Jack’s secret gift and feels liberated by his memory even if she spends the majority of the rest of her life in solitude. Thus, the solitude of being the only one to remember something or someone can be a burden (as we see in One Hundred Years of Solitude) or a blessing (as we see in Titanic). 

Cyclical Passage of Time at Parchman: How to Stop History from Repeating Itself

 The Parchman documentary shows the cyclical passage of time, but I’d like to argue that time doesn’t have to pass cyclically. The documentary provides several examples of people in power using their influence to enable the repetition of history since racial reform didn’t suit their agendas. Perhaps the most blatant instance of racism is the “Jim Crow Justice” meted out by the Mississippi courts, where Black people were purposely sent to Parchman so that they could work the fields just like they did before the Emancipation Proclamation. Additionally, the delta blues are very similar to the songs sung by slaves as they worked on the plantations in the delta. Finally, the fact that Parchman was only desegregated in 1972, 18 years after Brown v. Board of Education overruled the “separate but equal” clause of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), shows how intent many people in the south are to continue to oppress Black people. The sad truth is that most white people just ignore or deny the presence of racism. This complicity enables history to repeat itself. We need to speak out against racial injustice, rather than staying silent because it doesn’t directly affect us. If we remain silent, we are facilitating the repetition of our nation’s racist past. Only by taking a stand against racism can we prevent history from repeating itself and eradicate the disgusting disease of racism. If enough people call out those who perpetuate racism (for instance, if enough people in 19th and 20th century Mississippi had said “Jim Crow Justice is unconstitutional because it violates 14th Amendment, which guarantees due process of law and equal protection under the law, which this corrupt court system is denying to Black people”), we can stop the cyclical repetition of racism - at Parchman and everywhere.

Why Not Sleeping is Not a Good Idea

Sometimes I like to question why evolution made humans the way we are. Particularly during the school year when it seems like there is so much to be done, I wonder why evolution wanted us to sleep for 8 hours a day, which is the equivalent to one-third of our lives. It just seems like a waste of time. Imagine all the things we as a civilization could achieve with 30% more time. I posed this question to my parents, and they told me that sleep is when the body repairs itself. When I asked my sisters, one of them told me that humans on average actually sleep less than the majority of other primates. So I suppose that while 8 hours is still a lot, it is less time spent asleep than other similar animals. During the insomnia plague in 100 Hundred Years of Solitude, everyone was very productive for a while, but there were unforeseen consequences: people began to forget things. I read a study that stated that lack of sleep is one of the contributing factors to Alzheimer's. When you sleep, some chemical in your brain gets flushed out. If it doesn't get flushed out, it builds up and can lead to Alzheimer's and hence memory loss. So after an internal debate, I have decided that evolution did a decent job in creating humans. No animal can function entirely without sleep, and if I there was a trade off between more active time in my life and actually remembering my life, I suppose I'm fine with the remembering option. After all, experiencing something but not remembering it doesn't seem so great (though I suppose in our fundamental years there are a ton of memories we don't remember but formed us to who we are today).

Gilgamesh

 I have been reading Gilgamesh for my outside reading I sometimes like to do. Gilgamesh is an epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia which details the journey of King Gilgamesh as he seeks to avenge his friend's death by finding the source of everlasting life. I couldn’t help but analyze one of the quotes in the novel, “Ishtar came, Their city’s patroness, Goddess of love And fruitfulness And war.” (42). I found it so interesting to read about the use of a real goddess In a fictional novel. I understand that we use gods and goddesses all the time in our own sci-fi books, but this was written with the knowledge that this goddess was real, making it interesting to see how she was portrayed. Istar being the goddess of “love fruitlessness and war,” made her such an interesting choice in my opinion, as these three words are all very powerful but seem to contradict each other, while here they are perceived alike. Love is a passionate and gentle thing that holds great power over the people it affects, and so is war; but unlike love, war is rough but they still have a similar ability to hurt those involved. Fruitfulness means to be productive which helps many, but is unlike war which hurts and takes away from people. I found the use of the word, “hinted” to be interesting as it shows Ishtar’s carefulness on her approach to Gilgamesh. Rather than just telling him the gods were upset, she hints to him of this so he can believe he came to this conclusion on his own, knowing he would not believe her otherwise. This representation of female knowledge of men and their careful treading of controlling them, stood out to me in such an ancient tale. The description of war, especially with the diction of “and war.” The positioning of the words and war to be the last thing you see about Ishtar has great weight on the reader's opinion of the character. War is known to cause chaos and confusion and ends with pain. This being the last thing you are presented automatically makes you see her as a temptress or a vixen who only fights and causes pain. Never will the reader acknowledge the power and strength Ishtar wields because of this. Ishtar is a very powerful female character in the novel;  unlike the other women who symbolize goddesses, she is an actual goddess. Ishtar is positioned as an adversary the second the reader is introduced to her as a character. Ishtar is truly the spark to Gilgamesh’s entire journey.  Ishtar’s character represents all women symbolized in the book. They are portrayed to be goddesses who use love to overpower men and have the ability to use their body and words to aid men on their journey’s, whether in a positive manner or a vengeful one. They all also have power in their words and how they use them.

rambling about my quarantine experience...

    Contrary to popular opinion, I actually really enjoyed quarantine. In the beginning, I was a little overwhelmed with all of the free time I had, and honestly believed that I would be returning to school after those 2 weeks (crazy to think how I thought that was actually going to happen). I also have not seen anyone besides my immediate family since March 13th because of how high risk my brother is. So, I had a lot of time to self reflect. I gave myself A LOT of at-home haircuts, changed up my style a tad, and even got into drawing. It is kind of nice (and soothing) to have so much time to myself. I was never a really ~social~ person, to begin with, so these past 6 months have just been HEAVEN to me because at school, or whenever I was with my friends, like, my social timer would run out so fast and I would just feel completely drained for the rest of the day, but now I DONT HAVE TO SEE ANYONE! Along with changing up my physical appearance, I also started to dive deeper into politics... I know, I know I sound like a "loser," but really, I felt like with the president, all the racial injustices, and constant panics this year has brought to us, I shouldn't just sit around and watch all of this happen. So, I started to educate myself on these matters and had a lot of time to just sulk into the madness of the outside world... *sighs* I just wish people weren't so goddamn ignorant. Ugh, sorry for getting a bit aggresive there for a moment, just things like this really disappoint me. Things really, really didn't have to be like this. It's honestly a bit surreal to watch the world turn inside out... 

                 

                                                                                                ANYWAYS, I had a very interesting and  surprisingly enjoyable quarantine experience, which is technically still going on... maybe I can make this a series or something, like my own personal journal! Hmmm...

   

Paste Not Glue

 Mam is the paste, not glue, holding the family together in many ways. This weekend, as I was organizing a few things in my office, I found an old jar of paste in one of my drawers. I found it interesting since nobody ever really uses paste anymore, or even talks about it. It is one of the things that fell out of use as glue became more popular since it often held things together better. Mam just like paste is a forgotten gem within the novel. As her cancer progresses and she weakens, she slowly falls out of the characters' lives in many ways and is forgotten. Ward is careful in her diction when depicting Mam, constantly making the tone nostalgic, as if she weren’t really present. Ward does this to mirror the relationships that many people have with their guardians or elders. The young Michaela doesn’t truly realize all that her grandparents have done for her but will look back when she matures and grasp the magnanimity of all their deeds. Mam is a symbol of this emotional response.

The cyclical nature of One Hundred Years of Solitude and the Cyclical nature of This Blog

 We have talked in class about how the book One Hundred Years of Solitude, and we are now starting to talk about the same repetition in Sing, Unburied, Sing. Books are not the only place where we see this repetition. 

I went back to see how far back this blog went, and I noticed something: the posts repeat themselves. They are not word for word, but the topics repeat themselves. At this time last year, people that we know, like Lindsey and Tanner were posting much of the similar topics that we are now and that the year before them already posted. They posted about One Hundred Years of Solitude. I saw posts about the cyclical nature of the book, references to pop culture (like Rikki has already posted) and classical literature. Each class' posts are different, for sure. The pop culture from five years ago seems like old news today. 

The farther back I went, the less I knew the names. Obviously, we can all recognize the names from last year, I even have classes with many of them. Then, the year before them, with Elise, the Picken's twins, and their grade were also recognizable because I ran cross country with them in Middle school and track in high school. They were the NHS leaders when I joined in sophmore year. The grade before that, with Ally, Chloe, and their grade. They were seniors when we were freshman, yet many of their English posts were the same as ours. I think that this blog shows the cyclical nature of the word just as well as One Hundred Years of Solitude does, but the blog is easier to relate to because we write it.  

Character Reactions?

 Okay hi everyone. I don’t know who will see this but I’ve been having this question on my mind since I heard we’d be blogging about the book. How would each character of One Hundred Years of Solitude react to WAP by Cardi B ft. Megan thee Stallion? I want to know what people think because it’s killing me. Personally, I think Rebeca and Jose Acardio would LOVE it and would definitely learn the Tiktok dance for the song together, but that’s the only characters I want to share. Please let me know. I want to have a good laugh while having a discussion about the characters. 

Have fun.