The Value of Beauty

In today's society we constantly idolize physical attractiveness.  People such as models, actors and singers are constantly being publicized in a manner that shows how unnaturally perfect they are and that average, everyday people should strive to both look and be like them since they are are standard of beauty and perfection.  However, this standard of beauty is completely unrealistic because that standard of perfection can only be achieved on a magazine page and never in real life.  The standards of this beauty are created by magic computer programs that erase anything that would even consider making these people any less attractive and that emphasize and enlarge things that the public does find attractive.  Therefore, our perception of beauty is completely based on an unattainable idea.  Famous people are no different than any other human and will age and change over time just like every other human that has ever lived.  Due to human nature they will grow wrinkled and grey and there is nothing to prevent it.  This same idea is found in The Picture of Dorian Grey.  In the story, Dorian holds himself up to the exact same unattainable standards that many people hold themselves up to today.  He absolutely refuses to let himself show any signs of aging, and is willing to give away anything for eternal youth.  Not only does he defy the laws of human nature and gravity, but he does so by magic, just like the magazine models do with the computer programs.  Honestly, I cannot see how this can be healthy.  To constantly be aiming to put people down in such a way that they feel like they are not enough because of these physically and impossible standards is such a  monstrous thing to do.  Because these standards are in no way humanly possible, they make it seem as if the things that will inevitably happen to us anyways is evil.  Everyone at some point is going to become grey haired, wrinkled and put on weight simply because that is what happens to us as people.  Why should be put others down for things that should normally happen to us?

What Does the Burqa Really Symbolize

The burqa in today's society is often viewed as something bad, and as a form of oppression for women.  However to some women in society who have experienced having to wear the burqa, it can take various different meanings for them rather than just a way for their husbands to have power over them.  In the Middle Eastern Society women are forced to wear burqas to cover themselves with completely because of the Taliban law.  This allows a way for men to be able to have control over their wives, because nobody is able to see the women under the burqas.  The burqa can be a way for women to hide and be forgotten about if they cannot be seen.  Often times it presents the submissiveness and imprisonment of a wife to her husband as seen in A Thousand Splendid Suns.  Neither Mariam nor Laila had to wear a burqa until they married Rasheed, and when they agreed (or were rather forced) to put it on, they were then under Rasheed's complete control and were hidden away from the rest of society.  On the other hand however, a burqa can simply just be form of modesty that women use for a religious purpose.  In my life, knowing a few women who have left their abusive husbands in the Middle East and came to America, some of them still chose to wear their burqas even though they were no longer forced to.  They felt that by wearing the burqa even after they did not have to still allowed them to keep their standard of modesty.  They saw their head coverings as not much else other than their religious dress code.  In fact, they enjoyed wearing it because it also allowed them to keep a part of their culture and faith with them after they had to leave.  Since the burqa can clearly have two totally opposite np meanings, it leave the question to society as to whether or not a woman wearing a burqa is really a bad thing that oppresses them or if it is something that a Muslim woman wears for comfort and modesty.  Personally, I fell that it will always be somewhat oppressive no matter what meaning it has to the person who is wearing it.  I commend people who keep modesty as a valued standard in their life, as it is also a valued standard in my life.  However, I also believe that one should embrace their body and not feel the need to hide it to that extreme to the whole world.  To me I feel that by completely concealing yourself to the rest of the world and hiding yourself from society, it would be difficult to embrace life to the fullest if you always shy away from parts of it.

A Woman in America

Many women in today’s modern, American society are able to say that they have gained much more equality over the centuries.  However, even though many American women are proud to have gained rights, it makes me wonder about other women in third world countries who have not been able to gain equality.  Since I have only really experienced growing up as a female in America where I do have rights and do not have to be afraid to speak what I feel or believe, I cannot help but think “How far have women really come throughout the entire world?”  I know that many third world countries still oppress women severely just because it has always been part of their culture or religion and they are not willing to change their ways.  For some reason they feel it is better to keep them from knowledge and expressing their opinion but refuse to see how much it hurts a society, and since women do not have any rights they cannot stand up for themselves without being retaliated against.  I know that in The Awakening and A Doll’s House, Edna and Nora are oppressed, but yet they are still able to take a stand and speak their minds without the fear of being assaulted or hurt.  Also, I know that especially Nora is kept from education and knowing anything that could possibly cause her stress, and although she does secretly know, she has to pretend to be oblivious to it to keep her husband happy.  Personally, although I cannot identify myself as a die hart feminist, after learning how far women in America have come and personally knowing women who have escaped their abusive husbands in Afghanistan, I do not feel that my life here in America as a young woman is really all that terrible.  I know that there is always room to grow and make improvements, but I realize that at least I am able to go to school every day without a fear of acid being poured on my face while I sleep.  Additionally, having many relatives who have served in the military and seen the horrid things that happen to girls, I am always reminded to be grateful to have had the opportunity to grow up as a girl in America without nearly as many fears as those in third world countries.    

Unseen Impacts of War

Often times people will go into a war headstrong, determined to destroy the enemy and not think about the aftermath that war can leave.  When one is attacked or threatened they automatically go into defensive mode, which can cause them to be very selfish and almost savage like in order to protect themselves.  Although this is human nature for us to react like this, it is not always the best way to react.  People look at a country as a whole and deem everyone from that country as an enemy simply based on the decisions of the leaders that most of the people living in that country had nothing to do with.  In Slaughterhouse Five, this is issue is presented throughout the parts of the novel where Billy travels to his times in the war.  The readers can see that obviously Dresden has been hit devastatingly by the war, and it is not even over and it will continue to be destroyed.  People do not realize that when they bomb or take over cities that they also have innocent families and children living in them just trying to survive the war like every other family.  Also, the torture that families with a parent or sibling in the service is never put into their minds.  My father was in the Navy when I was little, and although I do not remember a lot of it I can imagine how difficult it must have been for my mom not to have my dad there.  In Slaughterhouse Five, we see that Mary is distraught in the same way because being a mother she always sees her children as babies and for her to imagine her baby going and killing another mother’s baby is too much for her to bear.  In my French class we have been watching a movie called Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye Children), which is about a Catholic Boys’ School in Northern France that is occupied by Germany during WWII.  They boys do not have any running water to drink or shower with, no heat in the middle of winter, not enough food to eat, and do not know where their parents are because most of them have been taken by the Germans (and I won’t even get into how they are also harboring Jewish boys from the Nazis).  No one bothers to think of what these completely innocent boys must be going through when they enter into war.  Personally I do not think that war is necessary and I think that it is also selfish and that when people enter war they do not think of all the little people and things that will also destroyed.  They can only see the big picture of winning the war and proving their superiority.  Also, I feel that being a female and having maternal feelings I can empathize with the innocent people continually destroyed by war.

Differences in Culture

When looking at or comparing two cultures that are vastly different from one another, it can arouse friction between the cultures.  Often times the views and beliefs between cultures are unique in their own ways, but in the same sense different from what another culture might be used to believing to.  In the story Things Fall Apart, it is quite apparent that the culture shock of the African tribes of the story is completely different than that of today’s current culture in America.  Throughout the entire, several instances occurred where I personally thought that whatever the tribe or a character valued, I would not have thought as acceptable, mostly because of the environment I have grown up in, and the morals that I have been taught.  The problem that this creates is the idea that the beliefs that one is brought up with within their own culture are the beliefs that are correct and that anything otherwise is wrong.  As children many people are not taught, at east in depth, about different cultures and how their beliefs might be different than your own and that you should be tolerant of them anyways.  Therefore, because most people are only brought up to believe in one way, they are not able to gain a tolerance for the beliefs and values of others that may differ from their own.  Since most individuals are brought up in this way, the differences between cultures and their beliefs cause friction between different groups of people.  This friction is what causes people to be hateful towards one another and.  I personally feel that it is important for individuals to have both a wealth of knowledge about different cultures as well as have one central culture that they are able to stick to and place their beliefs in.  This way, individuals are able to have the ability to cooperate with others that might be different from themselves.  It is important for people to be able to both know and have respect for different cultures and their values; and that just because something is different from what you personally believe, it does not mean it is necessarily wrong or immoral, it is just different.    

Asserting Dominance Through Physical Punishment

Asserting Dominance Through Physical Punishment:

Often times most families have one parent that is more authoritative than the other, usually the father being the head. However, sometimes this parent gains their authority through fear and physical abuse towards both their children and/or spouse. In today's society it is not uncommon for a father or male figure in a family to assert their dominance by beating his wife and children. This issue is becoming more and more prevalent in the media because this idea is promoted through magazines and television telling males that it is alright for this behavior to continue like this. Popular magazines usually will contain articles and ads that claim that in order for a man to keep his woman he must be the one who is in charge, and most of the time implying that he needs to take control and be the aggressor, especially when it comes to their sexual life. Also, in TV and movies the idea that the male must be tough, masculine, and dominate and stand out above all is the only way in which a guy can win the love of the girl that he is chasing after. This way of thinking helps to prompt the idea that the man has to be dominant over everyone he thinks of as inferior to him. I found this thought process particularly prevalent in the book Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo felt that he was justified to beat any one of his children or his wives if they did something that he would consider to be the slightest bit lazy or, if it were one of his sons something that was considered feminine or womanly.  Okonkwo did not feel remorse or that he was doing something wrong because of his preconceived notion that as the man he had to assert his dominance of those inferior to him and put them in their place. I personally feel that this idea is turning society backwards. For centuries females have fought for their rights, and with this idea that the man is still overtly dominant over all others is just going to take away the rights that people have fought so hard to get. Also, this idea brings dangers to relationships. A large percentage of females will experience some sort of physical or verbal abuse in a relationship. I do not think that this extreme view is beneficial to our society and that this idea of total male dominance should be presented in any media for the fear of abusive relationships increasing.

Music in Our Schools

     Due to many schools not having enough money, they are making budget cuts often leaving music programs without anything.  Most schools however, do not realize the importance of keeping music in schools is just as important as keeping sports programs and other academic or social clubs.  Music programs are usually seen as “nonessential,” when in fact they bring several benefits to the learning environment.  Perhaps one of the biggest benefits that I know can come from keeping music in the schools is that, music stimulates the brain.  Whether a student is taking a beginner guitar class or is in an advanced music theory class, the student is able to receive their “daily dosage” of music, helping to wake up and rejuvenate their brains.  Because of this benefit, it has been proven that most students who are involved in a music class or program tend to have better grades than those who are not.  In addition to music stimulating the brain, music also as a direct correlation to each of the core subjects that students take.  For example, in science classes students learn about sound waves, and in English classes students learn how to write poetry with meter and fluency, similar to how it would be to write a piece of music.  Also, in math classes students learn about fractions which are used in music meter, and finally; a vast knowledge of what historians know about ancient civilizations is learned through songs that have been passed down and other forms of art such as pottery and paintings.  As you can tell, music is not just a silly elective that students can take for fun; it reaps with educational benefits as well as social benefits for students.

            Music also serves as an emotional outlet for students, similar to how gym class or recess is able to be an outlet for student’s energy.  By allowing students the opportunity to go and whack some boom whackers together, shake a tambourine around, and make as much noise as they want to it can curb loud disruptive behavior in the classroom because that student has already had their chance to make all the noise they wanted to.  Finally, the biggest benefit that I personally feel music in the schools can enable is its sense of community and bringing people together.  Just like how in The Power of One, when Peekay was conducting the concert and everyone was singing, nobody cared that there were prisoners, kaffirs, whites, whomever it may have been was singing together even if it may have just been for that one day of the concert.  I know that when I have band, chorus, or piano classes I feel that sense of community and family and knowing that it doesn’t matter who you are, but that we can all come together because we have one thing in common, that being music, even if it might only be for one period a day.