One Story A Thousand Perspectives

    The world is plagued by stereotypes, each culture affected by these global opinions and views. World views Americans as fat, Asians as smart, and South Americans as people who live in trees. As people of the world we have all been judged, yet just as well we're all guilty of instigating and believing some of these stereotypes.

    All of my life I've lived in different places around the world, learning about cultures that weren't my own. Truthfully I've never had a specific culture, while living a western life style never have I come to say that a certain culture was my own. Also living around the world opened my eyes from a very early age helping me see through these stereotypes. A couple of years ago I spent my winter break in Andorra with some friends of the family and one of whom had spent an easter break with us even some time ago. He started to tell us about how his friends started asking for him to bring them cocaine, and the FARC's autographs. Upon hearing this I felt a tad concerned but at the same time I laughed about it.  Relief came when he told me that he knew that things weren't really like that here in Colombia and that he told his friends as much.

      It's quite complicated for far of places around the world to truly see what is going on in a certain country. When the only thing that reaches their television set is the news of explosions, guerillas, and overall danger. As educated people of the world we should strive to get informed about a certain place, instead of jumping to conclusions. One story may develop a thousand perspectives.

Change of Heart

As I finished reading the third and final part of Heart of Darkness, I paused to think about the characters and their development. What I found most impressive is Kurtz's radical change in the novel. He went from being the one in power, to the one who became that which he was trying to control. A savage. It seems as if the jungle had this power over him and it took over making him mad. Yet I believe he is pegged as such for fraternizing with the "swine"which was insane in that particular time period.

Kurtz defies the laws of society within the time period, robbing him of the chance of going back to europe. Had he returned he'd be a pariah within his own society for taking a native lover. Such a thing was outrageous when all these people thought of was taking as much as they could from the natives, regardless for their safety or welfare.

Change of Heart

I believe that what made Kurtz snap was that he realized that these savages were not so different from himself. After a lifetime of colonizing, brutalizing and subjugating others the realization turned him into a basket case. Kurtz's change of heart came as an unexpected shock.

Different, Yet Similar

     While reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad I realized that there were some things within this novel that I felt I'd seen before, it struck me then that my current novel is similar to a previous one Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Although the books are polar opposites when it comes to content and literary devices they contain similar elements, which help us as readers to further understand the text. Both of these authors use fog to symbolize uncertainty and to create a powerful main character with the power to influence the stories narrators.

     Fog is and important symbol in both novels, within One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest its use is as an insinuation as to the combines actions concerning the patients blindness towards them (combine) and its intentions. There it connotes to feelings of self-doubt, uncertainty and confinement. On the other hand with Heart of Darkness the fog appears as something that symbolizes what is unknown.

     Yet the most remarkable similarity is the narrators idolization of a certain character, Marlow idolizes Kurtz while McMurphy was idolized by the patients whom made him their symbol of hope. Only within Conrads novel the idolized character is not so obvious until the end of the second part of the book. Which is when as readers, we realize that Mr.Kurtz became of importance to Marlow. DEspite his actions Kurtz is without a doubt a major character in the Congo, to a point in which the natives rebelled due to his leaving the area. Relating to this is the "celebration" the patients of the ward had, which may help portray this point.

   Despite the differences aspects of Heart of Darkness remind me of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.
These two novels are indeed quite different, yet similar. 

And the Truth Is?

Often times people have wrong ideas about information, and that we must know all of the facts in order to get a clear picture or concept. Yet as we live our own separate lives we learn that this is not the case, in reality the things of upmost importance are left unsaid. This is the situation we are in when reading the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. As you weave your way through the ironic text of this novel you'll start to wonder what exactly does the author want us to know? As readers we are given an interesting character, Marlow an enigma you try to decipher in order to acquire information for the unanswered questions in your heads. The use of irony puches this novel forward or rather, back and forth. Conrad makes his readers think and rethink every word and action, every situation Marlow faces.

Surprisingly one figures out that the original narrator wasn't narrating the story at all in this intriguing story. He is i fact retelling the story told to him by the real narrator, Marlow. This makes you stop and think as readers, when you find out that the identity of the real narrator is unknown, what is determined?

Something that was subject to questioning was Marlow's attitude towards the natives. It remains uncertain if Conrad is using his irony when mentioning the european' "noble task". One thing is certain though, and that is that Marlow was shaken by what he witnessed in Africa, that's probably the reason why this story is beng told in the first place. Where is he leading us? What should we expect? What's determined, and the truth is?

Satirical Song

      The song Great Nations of Europe by Randy Newman is a satirical piece which refers to the european conquest of the "world". With the use of irony Newman expresses what he truly feels and thinks of the europeans and their "conquest". "great nations of Europe" is the line repeated most throughout the song. Here great means, excellent and above average achievement for the Europeans. Which were at that time not so great at all, for their cruelty towards the native americans.

           "He met some friendly indians whom the church told him were gay,.. "

   Another example of irony is seen within this excerpt. Which demonstrates the Europeans extreme measures. The irony comes from his use of the word "holy", seemingly ridiculous given the absence of said holiness within the Europeans actions.

An example of a non ironic part in the song would be the description of the European conquest in the east, the songs first paragraph.

Of Change and Chance

      When you think of change the first things that might pop into your consciousness could be the rise and ebb of the seasons, perhaps the weather. Still change is the single factor in life that is ever present, this applies to us as people as well. It's a topic which never fades in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest, a factor induced by a character who is viewed as the wild card; Randle Patrick McMurphy.

      This character was the spark of change within the ward, he drove many towards it and some of them succeeded. Chief Bromden was affected most of them all. He is an enormous half Native American who deceives everyone in the ward, making them believe that he is deaf and dumb. Yet he is no such thing, in fact he proves to be quite cunning. Whilst everyone believes he is deaf Chief is able to eavesdrop on privat conversations within the ward. At the beginning of the book he's a man troubled by his anxiety and hallucinations. Insecurities and fear for Nurse Ratched lead him to a life out of everyones way.

       With McMurphy's help, he and many others start down the road of change and take the first steps out of their shells. With this new patients arrival a sense of freedom is spread throughout the ward. A clear example of Chief's change is when McMurphy encourages him to vote in favor of watching the game, in this situation instead of remaining dumb he raises his hand in sign of a vote in favor. This is the first time we see Bromden leave his comfort zone and takes a chance in interacting with the world around him. As the novel progresses passages containing the "fog" fade, as Chief Bromden becomes more confident and feels in control of situations around him.

    McMurphy became an idol of sorts when he charged into the ward, challenging authority and returning the patients a voice they had long since lost or never really had. When McMurphy returns from the electroshock treatment as a chronic something in him makes him see all the things he could have by leaving the ward. Chief makes the choice to escape the ward and takes the chance, by throwing a control panel out one of the windows. Free at last he regains his true self, a confident person who is not troubled by a single thing.

      The change Chief Bromden experienced was something that would have never happened were it not because of McMurphy and the extreme luck of having him transfer in to their ward. Without him, no change could have ever been possible. Was it because of the system itself that McMurphy came to live in this ward? Or was it just by chance?

     

  

Sex vs Control

In the novel One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, women play an important role.  They are constantly present in and outside of the ward and their personalities vary along with what they portray.  Nurse Ratched, also known as Big Nurse, portrays authority and power.  The things in the institution go "her way or the highway".  The patients in the institution fear her and think of her as a man.  On page 64, instead of saying that her face is beautiful the patients use the adjective handsome.  They constantly describe her using masculine adjectives except on page 38 where they speak about her feminine features.  In that time period women were seen as people without authority.  They were lower than men in terms of status.  It's ironic that this woman has so much power over all of the men in the institution, even the doctors that have a higher education.  In order to maintain on top, she uses fear and evil methods.  If someone misbehaves, she sends them to electro-shock therapy (EST).  Although EST is said to be painless, it is unpleasant and no one ever wants it again.

Sandy and Candy portray a whole other meaning.  They represent sex.  They do not have any type of authority and only do what gives them pleasure.  They do not care what men think of them, so they sell themselves.  In the novel, Sandy appears only once and Candy appears twice.  She goes with the patients on the fishing trip.  Not only do both of their personalities represent sex, but so do the description of their clothes.  They use the expression on page 199 the patients say that they could see the date of the coin in her pants because of how tight they were.

It seems as if Ken Kesey is not a big fan of women.  They are either prostitutes or cruel figures that have power over men.  When trying to determine what exactly it is that the women represent, the reader realizes that it is a competition between sex and control.  In my opinion, there is more authority because the Big Nurse is constantly present and she is always trying to overthrow McMurphy.  The novel, I guess you can say, is not only from the point of view of the chief, but the relationship between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched.

Tip Toeing Around Sanity

Thoughts on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, What is it like to be crazy? Many have probably wondered. What must it feel like? Is it any different than what I'm feeling right now? What changes? and Does anything really change at all? Do insane people even notice that they've gone mad? Could it be that the realization of their imminent madness could have caused them the latter?

At first I didn't really pay much attention to things in the book, I wasn't looking for something, there was not anything that I was focusing on as reader yet. Then I noticed the "fog". Immediately I became skeptical of what the main character, Chief Bromden was telling us. At first I didn't really know what to think of this "fog" and assumed it had something to do with their medication. Yet somehow that didn't quite fit. It could be a technique used by the people in wards to control the patients or maybe its just supposed to be that way and nothing weird is happening.

Then again before going ballistic and go insane from over thinking details and actions in the book, its probably wise to step back and appreciate the big picture. By criticizing society the "fog" could be interpreted as something even greater! Right now from what we've seen the "fog" is just the heaviness of a clouded mind, uncertainty, sluggishness, or maybe and quite possibly, madness itself.

Film or Paper?

Generally in the world, when a great book is published it will almost always be turned into a film. Some novels are great for turning into films, books such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. Yet in my opinion, a book like Waiting for Godot is better left on paper. When you watch a movie a certain point of view is forced upon you, the directors point of view, which cuts you of from the way you thought it might be or the things you felt whilst reading it. But maybe it was supposed to happen, perhaps this was supposed to become a movie because ultimately Becket wrote it in play form. Even so whether you read or watch it, there is space open for interpretation since in the end there are thousands of people each with different points of view and opinions.

Every single person is different they all have different ways of seeing feeling and relating to things. What each of us feels is unique, so how do we know that what we are feeling is truly ours? Or could it be something that the director is telling us to feel?

For example, with the film Vladimir and Estragon talked relatively fast when they're talking. Whereas when reading the book I found it was rather slow, a montone doning on and on. With a tired run down voice tone, yet what I found in the film was that they we're sort of animated they responded each other as soon as one of them said something there weren't really any pauses in between the talking of one or the other. Another thing that was really different to me when comparing the book and the film was Lucky's speech. In the novel I had imagined him as a weathered, balding man with no coherence. Yet in the film he is younger than what I could have ever imagined with long hair and a voice filled with passion when he gave his speech.

Still my opinion could be completely different compared to someone else's, another person could have imagined Lucky just as the director imagined him... who knows? 

  

Circles

Quite honestly, after reading Waiting for Godot I felt this book was a complete, tiring, and utter waste of time. Nothing happens in this book, nothing that has anything relevant to offer us, other than maybe getting depressed and the desire to burn said book. I felt a certain anger towards the characters for their inaction, which is something that unnerves me. You were given a life it might be meaningless to everyone around you but might as well do something with it.

"Vladimir: Well? What do we do?
  Estragon: Don't let's do anything. It's safer
  Vladimir: Let's wait and see what he says.
  Estragon: Who?" (pg.13)

Vladimir and Estragon end up convincing themselves that they should wait for Godots counsel on whether or not they should kill themselves. This is just too much they can't even make the decision of taking their own lives. It came to my mind that this is probably what people are like in their everyday lives, not necessarily suicidal but simply monotonous and boring. Maybe Estragon and Vladimir just represent who we really  are when we're  desperate for something in life to save us from our routines. If you really think of it our lives are simply long and intricate patterns, intricate but patterns none the less taking us back and forth.

Ouroboros

I was listening to a song that I found fitting with the play called Same Mistakes by One Direction, Styles sings "Circles, we're going in circles dizzy is all it makes us we know where it takes us we've been before". Is this not what Estragon and Vladimir are doing? Never really moving forward? Just like  us, stuck in our own monotony. Making fun of the human need to incessantly find meaning in everything that surrounds us. Waiting for something or someone that may never come, it really begs the question; is it really worth waiting for? 

We Are Alone

''We live alone, we die alone, everything else is just an illusion"

I heard this quote once and thought, then why are we here? What's our purpose? We all die alone.. so why are we condemned to spend our lives working, struggling for an illusion? Seeing as no matter the amount of friends, or the time invested in a project will help us change our fate, dying alone, aren't there better things to do with our time?


I was forced to ask myself these questions at the time and now again when reading a book called The Stranger. Asking ourselves what we really think about life and how we perceive and take part in it. Through a quite simple character who seems quite complex in the eyes of society we are exposed to existentialism. All of us lead the lives we do because of what we've been taught, very rarely does one stop and think about their lives and inner happiness. There are so many important things to think about that sometimes things like homework, or even your job seems meaningless. What are we working towards?


Mersault was a man with a calm demeanor who lead a calm life to anyone that did not know him it must have looked like any other person. His life style was quite the extraordinary thing, just acting on things because his simple thought was quite simply, why not? He focused on only the present and had no worries nor thoughts of the future. He already knew what awaited him, dying alone, so what if he did kill that man it really made no difference. Mersault also thought that even if he did die nothing changed, you would eventually be forgotten (that is if you're remembered at all) and life will go on without incident.


Life and what you do really has no meaning, but it is absolutely crucial that you do it. We are alone, yet we still live, and still do the things we do in our day to day because at the end of it all what matters most is what you did with your time and what it meant to you, above anyone else.

We Wanted Words But All We Heard Was Nothing

The thing that there is the least information about during this whole story is actually its main character, which is why I imagine this novel is called The Stranger. I would have believed that he is the sort of person that is not able to relate to others due to his blatant diferences compared to everyone else. To be completely honest I found it odd that from the very beginning of the novel  he lacks humanity, literally the first three words are "Maman died today."(pg.3)

I thought that this could really just be him, that this was his true personality and that is what made this book interesting. Yet then again we know nothing of him and his life before his mother died only that he very seldom went to visit her. This observation begs the question, is it really him? Or is there perhaps something that happened in his life that could have made him the way he appears in the book?

Whilst reading the book it is very hard, getting to know much of the character what with his here and now personality. Plus fact that the book is written in first person makes it quite hard to get anything at all out of the character in question, not to mention his indifferent behavior. His inhumanity surprised me   greatly through out the novel "And from the peculiar little noise coming through the partition, I realized that he was crying. For some reason I thought of Maman. But then I had to get up early next morning....."(pg.39).

Primarily this quote shows the way Mersault thinks, how he has an uncanny resemblance to a machine. He only so much as acknowledges his neighbors sadness perhaps recognizes a speck of sadness within himself too before busying himself with the present once more. The first time I read over this passage I thought it was just Mersault doing what he always does, not really caring about anything in general. After, I reread it and something came to mind I thought that just the allowance of a feeling was already a lot and that it seems as if he were running away from the feeling anything at all so he rushes into the "now".

So far none of the questions we want answers to have not been adressed, as I said before there could have been something traumatic in his past to cause him such inhuman carelessness. It is as if Camus is only telling us things on a "need to know" basis, as if all the questions are not important at the moment. Camus could quite possibly be saving all of these interesting facts to culminate the book in an amazing way or not at all. Leaving the unanswered questions to the workings of each of our own imaginations.     

Why do we exist?

We are born into this world, not knowing anything about it, what's worse not knowing anything about ourselves. Thousands have spent their entire lives trying to answer questions like these, what is the reason for my existence? What am I meant to do in this world?

If we are seemingly born to die, what is the point then? Why should we get up each day? It is known that people need a reason to live something to devote themselves to such as religion, music, studying and for some the accomplishment of their dreams. But why should we? Ghandi said "Everything you do in life wil be insignificant, meaningless but its very important that you do it."

In our daily lives we are enveloped in a number of things that seem paramount to us in the moment, causing us to loose sight of what is truly important. When and if ever we do realize that most of the things we do are really unimportant, questions will start popping up, many of which you will find that you have no answer to. However we will get shocked back int our routines without really doing anything about our real thoughts.

Still there are people like Mr. Meursal that have seemingly detached themselves from any of these questions, maybe he just doesn't want to know or he simply doesn't care. "It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed." (pg. 24)
From the  very first moment that Monsieur Meursal is introduced it is very clear that he does not care about any of the things "normal" people would care or grieve about. It would seem as if his mothers death had no meaning at all like its just something thats not important and isn't worthy of his attention. According to him there is no reason as to why his life should change in any way due to his mothers death.


"They're not going to take him away from me, are they, Monsieur Mersault?" (pg. 39)

Old Salamano has lost his dog and now seems to not find anymore meaning in life. He is worried that his dog could be lost from him for ever and instead of worrying for the creature, its himself he worries about. Without his dog he has lost his daily life, since it practically revolved around walking, beating, and cursing his dog. The dog is gone now and apparently so has his will to live. Amazingly Mr. Salamano grieves the loss of his companion, unlike Mersault who didn't so much as shed a tear over his own mother.



The way in which Meursalt reacts or doesn't react is completely astonishing to me, I don't think I could ever just not look forward to something in my life. Simply because quite possibly our lives will have no relevant meaning, to be completely hopeless that way is something beyond me. Most of us have no idea why we are here, but the situation is that we are. So even if my life has no meaning to other people it means a lot to me, because its taken a lot of effort to be where I am now.

Colors and Meanings

The explicit color I choose is green, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us."(pg. 180) I  believe that the green light represented all Gatsby ever wanted, his hopes and dreams. Which were being rich and having the wife he wanted, like his view of the american dream. Although, Gatsby was not all that close to his goal it was within his reach but there was still some distance, which is what the lake represents the distance that Gatsby never crossed to achieve his dreams. The light represented how everything was so close that there was no way that he could fail, yet he did.