Final Blog - A Reflection on EN221

     Numerous times throughout this semester in EN221, we have always come back to the topic, “What’s on the minds of the people today? What did the people from bygone years think about?” Before this class, I always thought America way back when was a completely different country. I thought that their ideals and morals and thoughts were the complete opposite of what we feel and think about in this day in time. I thought that the events that shaped the lives of the author’s from awhile back would have no relevance today and were just a thing of their time. As I reflect back on all the works we read from various authors and our in-class discussions, I realize that I was completely and utterly wrong. Many of the writers that were influential in the pre-Civil War era have just as much impact today as they did when they were alive. I’m extremely curious to see how they would react if they lived in today’s society and faced some of the things we are going through as well, but in a more developed world.

     For example, I realized that there is still a struggle for human rights. Authors like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass strived to tell the public their stories about slavery. They strived to encourage their audiences to fight for what was right so that the slaves could enjoy the same freedoms and rights as the white people. Fanny Fern wrote columns advocating for women’s rights and equality with men. And way before their time, there were newspapers that sought to give the Indians their rights to their own land, as they were being forced off their land and eventually almost extinguished.

     While reading those works, I connected those experiences and feelings to a group of people who are currently fighting for their rights and equality: the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community. We supposedly live in a country where we are free, but that’s not true in some cases, particularly in the LGBT community.  They don't have the rights to marry whomever they choose, and they often get bullied and looked down upon by the rest of society.  We’re supposedly a country where one can come and live without being judged, but others who don’t agree with their views judge the LGBT community constantly. This judgement has even driven some people to their deaths because they didn’t want to deal with the pressure to be “normal” anymore. In a way, this situation could be related to that of the Indians and to the slaves. There are some who believe that the LGBT community should be extinguished. As I said in my first blog post:

“Many people in this nation don't like the fact that they want their rights to marriage and equality, just like the rest of the American population. They're being denied their rights, even though we're all equal. One could even go as far as to say that we're trying to do them like we once did the Indians...push them out of our population. The Indians were sent on the Trail of Tears, and soon began to die off. Now, only a few exist. Sooner or later, it might become the same way with the LGBT community if some change doesn't happen. Charles Worley, a North Carolina preacher, believes that all of the LGBT community should be fenced so that they can't reproduce and will die off. (View the video here.) Some big-time corporations, like Chik-Fil-A (which I'm sure most of you have heard about already) are even funding anti-gay organizations that are trying to make gay actions illegal and groups that feel as if the gay community should be exported out of America. If you're a supporter of Chick-Fil-A and aren't knowledgeable as to where their money is going, I strongly encourage you to read this article. What I concluded from the reading and this connection though, is that there's ALWAYS going to be some form of hate crimes going, regardless of the time, unless we make some serious changes and learn to accept everyone.”  

Picture that surfaced during the time of the Chick-fil-A uproar

     Now looking back, this same subject matter can also be applied to Thomas Jefferson’s beliefs. Jefferson, unlike most of the people in his time frame, had a completely different view on Christianity. Instead of following the stigma of Christianity, Jefferson believed that everyone should have the right to free inquiry. He said, “"Had not the Roman government permitted free inquiry, Christianity could never have been introduced." He also told his own nephew: "Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." (Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 10 August 1787, in PTJ 12:15.)” In my third blog post, I said:

“Jefferson's outlook on religion to me was more or less is: If you are believing in one God or multiple gods and it does no harm to me, then I don't care what you think. I have to agree with him on that one. If you aren't outside screaming and hollering in the middle of the night due to your religious views, I don't care what your religious views are and I'll still respect you.”

     This goes back to the LGBT community. I know in Christianity ideals that loving someone of the same sex or changing your gender would be considered a sin. I am a Christian myself and I don’t necessarily think it’s right, but I’m not going to look down upon someone or not love them because of who are they are and what their beliefs are. I feel like Jefferson’s theory should be applied in that situation. It doesn’t harm me or benefit me for someone to be in the LGBT community, and I feel like they should be able to have their own opinions and morals without being judged by me (or anyone for that matter.) I know a few people that are in that community, and I love them just the same as I do anyone else. All throughout the years when I’ve learned about Jefferson in history classes, I never really knew that side of him and how he felt about religion and just general morals and beliefs. But, I do have to say that I agree with him.

Protester of Chick-fil-A

      In today’s society, we also have a heightened concern about our appearances. In history books, I’ve always seen people that are just kind of…plain Jane looking. I didn’t really think they cared that much about their appearances, but mainly because they look nothing like we do. I also didn’t think that they had forms of plastic surgery, but alas, I was wrong there too. It became clear to me after reading Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark that people did care about their appearances back in the day and that they could be just as self-conscience about themselves as we are today. According to John Schlismann, Hawthorne's story is just a relevant today as it was when he wrote it. As I

said in my fifth blog post:

“In today’s society, Hawthorne’s theory of removing imperfections is still there, but it’s even more involved. Over time, doctors and scientists have developed new ways to fix our physical imperfections. But why? Why can't people just be happy with themselves? Instead, we are constantly trying to change the way we look. We dye our hair, we remove pimples, we use colored contacts, and some people even have plastic surgery to more permanently change one (or more) of their body parts.”

     Heidi Montag is a prime example of this. She changed herself so much that she looks like a completely different person. She got a lot of bad press about it from the media, as well as the public. Heidi underwent 10 (yes, TEN) plastic surgeries in one day, including Botox, a nose job, a brow lift, a chin reduction, fat injections in her cheeks and lips, a breast augmentation, liposuction in her waist and thighs, pinned back ears, a buttocks augmentation, and neck liposuction. ALL IN ONE DAY. I’m not really sure what her motivation or goal for this was, but it’s a shame that she changed herself that drastically. In the long run, it could possibly be a downfall for Heidi because surgeons still aren’t completely sure of the effects these surgeries will have in the long run. This is relatable to The Birthmark because in the end, Georgianna dies when Alymer tries to remove her imperfection. Schlismann says that, "When man tries to accomplish what he was not intended to accomplish, disaster will be the ultimate result."

Heidi Montag's progression of plastic surgeries

The story of imperfections can also be related to one of the more famous poems of Emily Dickinson. It goes like this:

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there's a pair of us--don't tell!

They'd banish us, you know.

 How dreary to be somebody!

How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!

Dickinson’s poem relates to the imperfection issues in a sense that she satirizes the public for thinking too highly of themselves and for creating social groups that are very distinguished for one another. Social status could be a part of the reason why people wish to change themselves so drastically, even if it’s their physical appearance. We all want to conform to what the “somebodies” are doing, rather than focusing on ourselves individually as a “nobody.”  As I said in my eighth blog post:

 “To me, Dickinson is saying that someone who honestly identifies themselves and has an "identity" is a nobody in society's eyes unless they have some kind of social status. To be "somebody" in society, one must have status in society and must be well known amongst others. A "somebody" is one who has admirers that can just admire a person for whom they THINK they are, but they may not really know that person. Take celebrities, for instance. We all have some sort of celebrity that we love (or think we love). We care about their every move, and we think they're the greatest person that ever lived. We just perceive them to be "somebody" because their name is spread around a lot and they have a status within our society. But, we don't really personally know them and we are considered a "nobody" to them because they have no clue who we are because we're just one in a million of their fanbase. In stanza 2, Dickinson calls the admiring person a "bog." A bog is a piece of wet, spongy ground. She could be implying that the admiring person soaks in everything the "somebody" says or does like a sponge. She might be suggesting that they could take on the personality of their admired person, and would not have their own true identity because they're so influenced by the "somebody." She says it is dreary to be a somebody, because you don't really know your true self because you're so concerned with who you think you are based on the opinions of others.”

Instead of being proud of who we are and embracing our imperfections, we strive so much to change what’s on the outside, and even the inside, just to conform and be accepted. 

     Another thing I realized as this semester passed is that even a long time ago, people still loved stories that weren’t real. After reading Rip Van Winkle, we had a class discussion about why people love fiction. We talked about Harry Potter, Transformers, Jaws, etc. We came to the conclusion that these fictional stories have deeper meanings than what's seen. They aren't just about the wizards, robot cars, and a big shark.

We determined that the underlying meaning reflects what society is thinking about at the current time of production. Although this is true, there's another detail that we missed in class. Fictional stories not only teach us about things that don't exist, but they teach us about ourselves as real human beings. Psychologist Keith Oatley says, "They train us in the art of being human." He says that we tend to think of watching movies as being a passive activity, but that thought is not true when it comes to our emotions. When we're watching a movie, we have empathy for the characters, and we can relate to them. If the writing or movie is powerful enough, we can feel the emotions of the characters as they are feeling them. Oatley says, "The feelings elicited by fiction go beyond the words on a page or the images on a screen." After we've read or watched a piece of fiction, we can oftentimes think about how they relate to our own lives. As I said in my fourth blog post:

“On the surface, Harry Potter seems like it's a movie solely about this magical wizarding world that doesn't actually exist. In reality, it's MUCH more than that. Harry Potter has themes about love, friendship, good and evil, and education. These are all themes that we can take to heart and use in our real lives. Joyce Pines, of the Kalamazoo Gazette, says, "It [Harry Potter] is a remarkable story that reminds us that, no matter what life throws at you, you must do what is right. They are a guide, presented in an entertaining format, to help us understand the difficulty of life's journey."  A memorable lesson from the series is love and knowing that love is something that will prevail for all time. Here's a clip from the last movie, Deathly Hallows: Part 2, that sums this up in a nutshell.”

So do we really read or watch fictional stories solely for the entertainment factor? Sometimes, yes. Oftentimes, no. We embrace fictional stories because of the impact they can have on our views on life and our emotions. Next time you're watching The Walking Dead, Firefly, or any other fictional story, try to go beyond the surface and think of what it really means, even if you have to go back a couple of decades. We can always learn new ideals and lessons from people, objects, and places that aren't actually on a real map. 

     Overall, even though I thought America was a totally different country back in the day, I was wrong. Throughout the semester, I realized that we still do think about subject matters that were written about years ago. Even though America has evolved and subject matters aren’t precisely the same, they are still relevant to what writers wanted to get across to their audiences decades before our time. Just like years ago, struggles for social equality, concern with appearances, and a love for fictional stories are still around.