The Importance of Z's

As a senior who’s dealing with the whole college process, trying to maintain good grades, participating in the French club, and who enjoys eating and breathing, I can tell you that sleep is something I’m not seeing very much of these days.  Personally, I sleep on average of four to five hours a night.  This is four hours less than what I should be getting in order to keep my body healthy and running properly.

However, there’s a catch to this whole sleeping thing.  Students are expected to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.  But, we’re also supposed to go to school, and do homework when we get home.  As if that wasn’t enough, clubs, sports, volunteering, and other activities that really help kids get into college are being pushed at us.  So, how are kids going to get the sleep they need when they have so much to get done?  Oh, and I left out the best part – the sleeping patterns of adolescents and the biological clock we have make it difficult to fall asleep before 11 PM.  Now you have a choice – do homework and get ample sleep OR do homework, participate in a club or sport or other activity, and sacrifice your sleep every night.  What do you choose?

On average, teens need about 8 ½ to 9 ¼ hours of sleep a night to function at their best.  15% of teens are able to sleep for 8 ½ hours on school nights.  More than 30% of teens suffer from sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, insomnia, and sleep apnea.  Irregular sleeping patterns can also contribute to messing up with your biological clock.  During winter break, a two week period in which I not only indulged in Christmas cookies and Netflix, but in sleep,  I would go to bed at 2 AM, not because of that huge history paper that I had to write, but because I could and because I knew I could sleep in until noon and no one would think anything of it.  Now that I’m back at school, my body is keeping itself awake until 1 or 2 because it got so used to going to bed so late.  Unfortunately for me, this system isn’t the best, as I have to wake up everyday at 6 AM. 

There are more consequences to lack of sleep than dozing off in class or forgetting what day it is.  Lack of sleep limits your ability to learn and concentrate.  I’m sure almost all teens have experienced that first-period-Monday-morning droziness that doesn’t wear off until Wednesday.  Additionally, lack of sleep can contribute to acne and other skin problems.  The phrase, “Getting your beauty sleep” is not an exaggeration.  Regular sleeping patterns with ample sleep per night can contribute to a clearer and brighter complexion. 

Now you may be asking, why do I care about this issue?  Well, as a person sleep is VITAL for maintaining proper and good health of the body and for mental and emotional stability.  Lack of sleep can cause hallucinations; accidents; serious health problems like heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure; ages your skin; makes you forgetful and accident-prone; and weight gain.  Sleeping enables your body to recharge and for your cells to grow.  Sleep is particularly important for babies who are growing at a very rapid pace and for teenagers. 

It may seem tempting to watch “just one more episode” on Netflix or to finish that level on Call of Duty, but think about yourself and the sleep that you’re going to miss out on.  Don’t get me wrong, too many a time have I been in bed at 2:30 AM clicking on the next episode of Gilmore Girls, or Sherlock, and only regretting it in the morning when I’m groggy and have a test.  Don’t forget to love your body and to take care of yourself!  Your physical, mental, and emotional health are so important.  It’s hard to choose between finishing a homework assignment and sleeping, but if it’s late, do yourself a favor and hit the hay.  That one assignment won’t mean much outside of that class, but that extra hour of sleep can make all the difference the next day.  Trust me, your body will thank you.

Walden Wisdom

To many in the mid-nineteenth century, New England would’ve been the entire world.  For Henry David Thoreau, self-proclaimed weather man and transcendentalist, New England was but a particle in the vast expanse of the universe. 

There is obviously much more to the world than the six quaint states of New England.  To some, spending two years in solitude in the woods of Walden Pond would make the five square miles that Thoreau occupied, would make those miles seem like the entire world.  Walden was a small part of Massachusetts, a smaller part of the United States, and a microscopic fleck in the Milky Way. 

Thoreau’s words of wisdom might be wasted on such non-intellects, but would appeal to his educated audience, which was composed of philosophers, Transcendentalists, and literary minds.  Though Walden was meant to be an account of his time living in the woods, Thoreau (the genius he was) made it unintentionally one of the greatest works of literature of all time.  The subtle, yet bold aphorisms, the simplicity, and the picture of Thoreau is burned into your mind.  His accounts give view to his beliefs and what he thinks is important; nature, living simply away from want of material goods, and the straightforwardness of the earth. 

One can hardly read Walden without wanting to visit each and every nook and cranny of the globe.  The emotion behind his statements proclaiming, “Travel! Explore! Discover!” can’t help but lodge themselves in your brain.  “The universe is wider than our views of it” (Thoreau 260) just begs you to go out and view everything.  In the conclusion to Walden Thoreau says that the goose is more of a traveller than people, for the goose has breakfast in Canada, lunch in Ohio, and a quiet supper down south.  How can Thoreau have the authority to tell us, his beloved and cherished readers, to explore the world when he stayed within a five-mile radius (maybe 10, max) for two years?  It is his cunning wisdom and ethos that make you want to never stop travelling. 

Walden has as many claims as the actual pond has pebbles.  Live simply, don’t be lazy and buy a basket when you can make one yourself, stop and smell the coffee once in a while (but for him it was probably the wildflowers – no Starbucks in Walden).  However, the one that stands out the most is Thoreau’s obvious adoration for nature.  Even the rain that keeps him indoors, will benefit him later, when his bean harvest is plentiful.     

Do not build your own fences and walls; keep your life and soul as open so that the wind may pass freely through it (not a Thoreau quote, a me quote).  To be honest, with all his nature-loving-woods-soul-cleansing shtick, Thoreau would’ve made an excellent hippie.  For all we know, hippies got their ideology from Walden. 

Army Inc. Rhetorical Analysis

The purpose of this article is to compare the United States Army to a corporation.  In addition to that, the author, James Surowiecki of the New Yorker, argues that the newest fad (well new in 2004, which was ten years ago) for the government was outsourcing.  But on the other hand, Surowiecki argues that to do things “in house” (1) is easier and more efficient. 

The audience of this article would be anyone willing to read it.  Having been published in the New Yorker, a very distinguished weekly magazine, the audience would be intelligent and social, economic, and political aware individuals. 

Surowiecki uses a plethora of techniques including ethos and logos.  This voice is well represented in this piece through its enticing language and the hook of his opening statement.  Also, his last sentence really wraps up his argument nicely. 

He uses a multitude of facts and bits of common sense.  He is a credible source, being a writer for a very dignified and old magazine. 

Published on January 12, 2004, this article was written well before the economic crash of 2008 and during the presidency of George W. Bush and in the height of U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.  At that point in time, the United States military was very strong and crucial to the national defense. 

Some of Surowiecki’s claims include comparing the United States Army to company like General Motors and that, “outsourcing works well when there;s genuine competition among suppliers – that’s when the virtues of the private sector come into play” (2).

The language of this article really improves Surowiecki’s already excellent argument.  One good example from the first page is, “the Army becomes a lean, mean killing machine” (1).  This is funny and also accurate because that’s exactly what the Army does – it’s supposed to kill those who try to breach the national security of the United States.  The title is also a great play on words, Army Inc.  This starts Surowiecki’s claim that the Army works like a company, which means that it's out to make a profit and benefit those involved in the process. 

Nihonica

If you were plopped in the middle of downtown Tokyo, I doubt you’d be able to tell whether or not you were in New York City or Tokyo (unless you happen to be a Tokyo-aficionado).  Starbucks, Nike, Forever 21, Gap,  McDonald’s, and dozens of other Made in America companies line the fashionable streets of Ginza and Harajuku. For Americans in Japan, it’s a blessing to have little pieces of home with you even when you’re 6,000 miles away.  But doesn’t that take away from the whole idea of being 6,000 miles away from home?  Japan is a country that had been sheltered away from the world until Commodore Perry decided to visit in 1874.  It’s culture up until that point had been strictly Japanese, which is to say, unique and very traditional.  Kimono, sumo, geisha, and other exclusive bits of culture couldn’t have been found anywhere else.  Although now, nearly everyone has heard of geisha (thanks Arthur Golden), or seen some form of a kimono at a costume party (trust me, if it were a real kimono, it wouldn’t have been that short and the person wouldn’t have been able to breathe). 

            In America, you can’t swing a cat without hitting a sushi restaurant.  Luckily for Americans, we get a taste of Japanese culture from the comfort of home.  And fortunately for Japanese, they have a plethora of American culture at their fingertips.  All of my girlfriends from Japan love Taylor Swift, One Direction, and Harry Potter, and the typical things American teens do.  

For all those who have yet to study Japanese history (or did and forgot it all), good old Commodore Perry was to first to cut the ribbon that opened Japan to the world.  After the arrival of the gaijin, Japan was forever changed.  Dress evolved from traditional kimono and geta to suits and pants and shirts.  Those who dressed in the “old ways” were considered uneducated and lower in society than those who dressed in Western clothes.  Despite having centuries of a rich and strictly Japanese culture, within half a century, societal standards had dramatically changed Japan to be more like the West, all the while still retaining nearly all the aspects of Japanese culture.  "A ping pong match between eastern and western." (Gwen Stefani, Harajuku Girls)  This cultural exchange put in place new standards, many of which are still in place today.

Japanese girls dress and like a lot of the same things as American girls: One Direction, Forever 21, Coach, etc.  On the other hand, they also enjoy many aspects distinctive to Japanese pop culture: anime, manga, J-POP, karaoke, purikura.    Sadly for Americans, these parts of Japanese culture are hard to find in the U.S.  After coming back from Japan, I scoured the streets of Boston and New York looking for purikura, but to no avail. The negative effects of this cultural exchange is that it takes away from the culture of Japan and makes it harder for a very Japanese one to emerge after having so much Western influence.  On the other hand, it offers more variety to Japan, and an awareness of other cultures, and also creates a huge industry for American companies in Japan, which is the third largest economy in the world.  However, despite the strong influences from the West, Japan has retained its fabulous culture.  As Sam Abell once said, “For sheer majestic geography and sublime scale, nothing beats Alaska and the Yukon. For culture, Japan…”  

Standard English en français

Ahh français : c’est la langue d’amour (ou c’est ce qu’ils disent). Est-ce c’est à cause de la façon dont ça sonne ? Ou parce que c’est ce qu’on parle à Paris ? Ou tous les deux ?

En français, il y a beaucoup des phrases que démontrent beaucoup des sentiments que n’existent pas en anglais. Par exemple, la phrase “Le spirit d’escalier” est une phrase qu’on utilise quand on sent nostalgique pour les conversations précédents.

Mais, en anglais, nous utilisons beaucoup des phrases français. Plusieurs phrases courantes sont : haut cuisine, haut couture, a la carte, avant-garde, laissez-faire (pour le gouvernement), etc. Mais, pourquoi nous utilisons les phrases français quand nous sommes très immergés dans notre langue? Peut-être c’est parce que tous les deux langues viennent à la base de latin? Ou peut-être c’est parce que nous (les américains) aimons l’idée de sembler sophistiqués et bien cultivés. Quand vous utilisez le français en anglais, vous semblez très intelligent. Aussi, si vous parlez français, vous pourriez donner l’air d’être français. Toutefois, vous semblez français. Je parle français, mais je ne suis pas française. Les langues donner (pick one) créer des illusions.

La langue aussi montre comment vous pensez de vous-même et d’autres. Par exemple, si vous parlez officiellement, vous montrez du respect envers les autres. La langue est un très bon indicateur de caractère.

Répondre à la question, “Can we live without Standard English,” je pense que oui, nous pouvons. Si par nous nous dire humains, alors non. Les américains peuvent vivre sans et beaucoup de gens le font, comme immigrés. Des autres utilisent constamment l’argot et les autres moyens de parler. “Standard English” est plus comme lignes directrices de toute façon.  Comment vous définiriez “Standard English”? Par les règles faites il y a un siècle? La langue est une chose vivante, qui respire, et est toujours en évolution. Pourtant Standard English est la fondation de l’anglais, il ne devrait pas et ne définit pas l’anglais. Pas tout le monde parlent anglais de la reine; il suffit de demander un brit de York.

Pour conclurer, je ne pense que il y a un Standard English. L’anglais est un mélange de mots et expressions en anglais, mais qui intègre également des mots et des phrases des langues latines, italien, espagnol, français, et autres. Donc, l’anglais, comme l’Amérique, est un melting pot.

The Blues in the Bluest Eye

Despite its name, blues music is a rainbow of variety; country blues, urban blues, jazz blues, modern blues, Chicago blues, Detroit blues, with the list going on and on.  Blues music is what it sounds like when the heart is ripped open and all of the pain and love and emotions flow out.  Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Etta James, Catfish Keith, and dozens of others who have popularized the blues genre also have characterized the stereotypical sadness of a blues song.  Bessie Smith’s famous Downhearted Blues is a prime example of the display of emotion in a blues song.

Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye could easily be sang to the sultry, slow rhythm of a blues song.  The heartache, despair, and the melancholy tone of the plot and the characters would fit like a glove to blues music.  The Bluest Eye if converted into a blues song would be slow.  The first verse would be reminiscent to childhood and nostalgic for innocence and ignorance of the world and how harsh it can be.  The chorus would be a repetition of the sadness of the characters and so on.

A common theme to both blues music and The Bluest Eye is repetition.  Blues artists always repeat common phrases and words throughout a song and the music itself has the same 10 or so bars over and over again.  The main characters in The Bluest Eye all have repeated tales of misery and a loss of hope.  For Pecola, it's the lack of lovely blue eyes, her desolate home life, and want of love and affection.  Her parents constantly fight, and her mother is frequently abused by her drunken husband, Cholly.  Pauline, Pecola’s mother, who had a relatively good life growing up, slowly sunk into misery after marrying a man she used to love.  Her inability to love her children and the abuse from her husband was certainly key factors of her unhappiness.  Such tales of woe can only be told through the emotion and feeling given in a blues song, which furthers my thought that The Bluest Eye can be read like a blues song.

Blues music originated from African-American communities in the Deep South in the nineteenth century.  The actual term (blues) came from Western African cultures, which used blue indigo clothing and materials for death and mourning ceremonies, and was the base for such phrases as, “feeling blue.”

In my opinion, the connection between the dejection of the black characters (Pecola, Pauline, and Cholly to name a few) and their sadness with the origin of blues music and the book’s title is not accidental.  The story of Pecola, Claudia, and the other characters moves at a slow pace, with Morrison expertly weaving a tale that leisurely moves towards its conclusion.  The tempo of the progressing plot makes a good beat for the words to flow not only from the author, but from the characters.  One can almost imagine Pecola walking dejectedly through town, singing mournfully for her blue eyes and how glorious she’d be if she had them. 

The only element that doesn’t make The Bluest Eye a blues song is the lack of music.  If there was a mournful beat, one could easily and soulfully sing the entire book.

Dove Dives into a Self-Esteem Promotion

Smooth. Clear. Flawless.  These are words that are frequently used to describe “perfect skin", but would not describe the picture above.  This woman doesn’t have clear skin, but does that make her less attractive?  Of course not! But let’s face it (no pun intended), we can’t all have smooth and clear and flawless skin.  However, Dove is trying to show us that and how we should accept the things that make us different and own them.  Upon looking at this picture for the first time, you immediately look at the woman.  Then your eyes dart to the check boxes, which defiantly say, "Flawed? Flawless?" This effective play on words is very well done that adds a lot to the ad.  In addition to that,  to me, the woman’s eyes are saying, “Say flawed and my freckles will turn into lazer beams that will zap you.”

The format and look of the first ad is very simple and clean, using a white background, which makes the woman and the words really stand out.  You don’t need any other images that would take away from the message of the ad.  In fact, it would be weird if there were other images that would detract from the simplicity of their message; all women are beautiful even if they aren’t clear and flawless.

Finally, your eyes wonder to the bottom right corner where you see the Dove logo and the website for their campaign.  It isn’t big and you’re not supposed to focus on that.  But if the logo wasn’t included, would this ad be as effective?  Dove is a major authority on skin and it utilizes its power in order to successfully let their message across.

Dove has really gone above what they normally do with their Campaign for Real Beauty.  This movement is one of the few that has challenged the conventions of traditional beauty shown in ads.  Instead of showing thin, perfect, and pretty models, Dove is using women of all ages, body type, and colors.  Below is another picture from the Campaign for Real Beauty that shows the diversity of their campaign.

What’s so wonderful about this movement is how it would really touch the heart of all women.  The women pictured above would never be considered models by traditional standards, but seeing them striking a pose and looking genuinely content does make them models.  These ads show all kinds of women and all women would see themselves in these ads too, for they display all types of women, those with wrinkles, freckles, or both.

Dove takes the plunge and is very daring by challenging the typical ideals of beauty.  Many see freckles as cumbersome and annoying, not at all beautiful, when they are really just kisses left from the sun (at least that’s what my grandma told me).  This ad is saying, you’re not flawed, you’re flawless!

In addition to these two advertisements, Dove created dozens of other similar posters that ask you to choose whether or not the woman is pretty or not or extra-large or extra-sexy (as shown in the ad below).

In my opinion, this is one of the most powerful ads I’ve ever seen.  It disputes societal norms and goes against long-established standards.

It is so rare that one sees an ad, let alone more than one, that shows big women and old women looking beautiful and confident.  I’m sure that this series of ads has given many women confidence and the ability to accept and love their bodies.   Good job, Dove.