Pickle-ing Yourself Ain't the Only Option

Throughout the works of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare, the authors choose to archetypally depict defiance through a character's suicide In all three works, things began to fall apart as the conflicts of their worlds that were put against them continued to increase in severity when,  Okonkwo returns to a whitewashed clan, Tommen is betrayed by his own mother, and Juliet is to be married to Paris. In looking at the surface, it can be obviously seen that these events caused a rift in emotional imbalance leading to them ignoring their own instinct of survival, however these characters all share one trait; defiance.

After returning home after seven years of exile, much of the culture of the Igbo people has been compromised from colonization. Okonkwo, ironically benefits from this event; he retains his rich culture. Upon returning the a whitewashed village, he becomes shocked at the events that have transpired. After all, he planned to accomplish his dreams of becoming the head of his people. In his refusal to assimilate to Christian beliefs, he is punished. With his choice to hang himself, however, he enacts his last feat of defiance. He symbolically hangs himself to a tree in the Evil Forest to mark the death of the Igbo culture and his extreme loyalty to it. After all, it is tradition for sinners to die in the Evil Forest.

Tommen, who becomes king after his brother's poisoning, is given more responsibility than he can handle in his raw age. In my opinion, I always viewed him as a very weak character due to his immaturity and inability to make decisions on his own. I however, understand the reason behind this flaw and acknowledge it. As conflicts begin to arise within the Tyrells, with the accusations of lying under oath and being gay, the two Tyrell grandchildren are arrested and eventually killed by the hands of Cersei, Tommen's mother. After realizing that his own mother killed his wife, whom he loved very much, and undermined his rule for her benefit, he kills himself in defiance of accepting the betrayal of his own mother who is ironically is meant to be the one he could seek comfort in (alluding to one of the passages in Things Fall Apart)

In the play Romeo & Juliet it is no secret that the star-crossed lovers end up dying. In their time together, they felt as if the passion they experienced was meant to be for life and so, they devised a plan to secretly get married. Through some miscommunication, Romeo drinks poison after seeing that Juliet is "dead". Juliet, after seeing that Romeo is actually dead, stabs herself. As bluntly as I stated it, it's basically what happens in the play. With their choice to kill themselves, they also illustrate defiance in accepting their fate that was influenced by a feud who's reason was long forgotten.
Star-crossed. Hello? Not meant to be.

Donut Do It.

After school today, Pickles, despite not having much money to her name, decided to buy timbits even though she knew she didn't need it. After all, she did have a coupon for a pack of ten timbits for $1. After ordering, she quickly tacked on a frozen hot chocolate. Instead of her bill being $1, she paid $3.64. If she knew she was broke, why did she do such a thing?

This past week, Pickles, also known as Angelica, has been stressed beyond a doubt with her debut, a traditional Filipino celebration honoring a girl on her 18th birthday, and life's responsibilities that were exponentially increasing. There seems to never be enough hours in the day to finish everything that needed to be done. A few examples would be studying for anatomy, designing shirts, and struggling through calculus. For this reason, Pickles weighted her responsibilities and let the least important become repressed. Today, after having her design rejected and having to create another one and coming home struggling to calculus, she needed to displace her stress into buying food she didn't need. With her buying the donuts being her superego's first failure, her additional purchase of the frozen hot chocolate explicates the complete control of her id and a pathetic excuse for an ego. The ego and superego whispered, "donut do it" and the id retorted with, "treat yo self". Chocolate is the one thing that pleases her and what did she get? Ten chocolate timbits and a frozen hot chocolate.

Love Isn't Valid Tender for My Heart, Sorry.

Throughout my exposure in LIT and lit, I have made the obvious observation that love can often be an afterthought when considering marriage. In Game of Thrones, Viserys Targaryen married off his own sister without a second thought in exchange for 10,000 men that were meant to aid him in taking back the Iron Throne (too bad he dies). The fact that it is acceptable to trade her off like a hunk of meat enrages my inner feminist. Likewise, the pitiful character of Mrs. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is fixated in marrying her daughters off; it is her sole, life purpose. When a marriage opportunity appears for her least favorite daughter, she is ecstatic. That man, however, is Mr. Collins and is literally the comic relief and one of Austen's greatest satirical devices of the novel.

Throughout Victorian literature, critiques on its own society is one of its major tenets. It is obviously not an accident that the Bennets' property is an entailment with its future heir being the pathetic Mr. Collins. This entailment forces the family into losing their property because it must be inherited by a male. The manner Austen crafts Mr. Collins, however, further showcases the absurdity of this custom. It is incredibly difficult to put into words how dense this man is. One matter that would describe his obtuseness is when Darcy is openly contemptuous to him in conversation but does not realize and mistakes it as a cordial conversation. His response to Elizabeth's response to his hand in marriage is also an A1 example:

 Mrs. Bennet's response alone to Elizabeth's refusal in the proposal can spark criticism due to her narrow goal of marrying her daughter off, despite his character and with her only filter being his status. This brings me to my next point of the role of women in Victorian society. After Elizabeth denies Mr. Collins, Ms. Charlotte Lucas, her neighbor, becomes his Plan B and accepts. She exclaims this acceptance with,

"I am not romantic, you know; I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and considering Mr. Collins' character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state" (Austen 109).

Without a husband of good status, women are frowned upon in this society. It is archetypal to use marriage to benefit two parties, with those two parties not necessarily being either the groom or bride. In this instance, Jane and Elizabeth are both pressured into marrying as they continue to age and are also teased of ending up as "old maids" if they do not make themselves appear to be more desirable; this notion expresses the attitude of society's objectification of women. In my opinion, I admired Elizabeth's courage to refuse Mr. Collins even if it meant losing all ties to the Longbourn estate and less admirable with Charlotte's contentedness with "comfort". On a more worldly basis, however, this idea of marrying one of good status is practiced currently in arranged marriages which continues to divide my opinion on love induced marriages or those regarding status. In Austen's portrayal of the situation, I see the absurdity of the practice, especially with a man as pompous as Mr. Collins, but with my past research of arranged marriages, it has been proven to be effective.

All in all, Mr. Collin's obtuse dill-igence is too funny to not notice.

Frankenstein: The Game of Feels

Today, I speak you about Frankenstein and one the most polarizing characters of the series Game of Thrones, Theon Greyjoy. For those who are not familiar with the novels or TV series, the plot centers around Westeros which is divided between seven kingdoms along with two other regions (I believe it's because "The Nine Kingdoms" doesn't have as much of a ring as "The Seven Kingdoms" but there's probably a different and more logical reason) which were once ruled by Robert Baratheon (spoiler alert: he dies). They include: the North, the Rock, Dorne, Isles and Rivers, the Stormlands, the Vale, and the Reach. The Iron Islands, part of one of the regions of the Seven Kingdoms, chose to rebel against the iron throne in order to achieve their independence. This rebellion, however, failed and Theon Greyjoy, the last remaining son and future heir of the Iron Islands was entrusted to Eddard (Ned) Stark, Lord of Winterfell/Warden of the North, who was hand of the king, to ensure the Iron Islands' good behavior. At the time, he happened to be nine years old. The Starks have arguably raised him like their own, but Theon sought the approval of his own father and so he aided the invasion of the North, thus betraying House Stark despite his pledge. He soon takes over the North and kills two miller's sons to pass them as two of the Stark children. This is only one of the multiple terrible decisions that he makes that lead him to his demise; he was captured by the Boltons and stripped of every human right.

Despite Theon's assimilation to the Stark family, (befriending Robb Stark, the eldest of the children, and mentoring the other children of the family) he still knew that if his true father rebelled against the Throne again, Ned Stark would not refuse to kill him. In knowing this fact, Theon felt out of place and romanticized his arrival to his true home but was instead greeted by a barren homeland and a bitter old man that was his father; he then realized who his true family was. With this imagination, Theon's desire for love (in this case, his father's), is evident which correlates to Frankenstein's Creature's desire for the same aspect; both of these characters reflect the human condition of loneliness.

 "Another circumstance strengthened and confirmed these feelings. Soon after my arrival in the hovel I discovered some papers in the pocket of the dress which I had taken from your laboratory. At first I had neglected them, but now that I was able to decipher the characters in which they were written, I began to study them with diligence. It was your journal of the four months that preceded my creation. You minutely described in these papers every step you took in the progress of your work; this history was mingled with accounts of domestic occurrences. You doubtless recollect these papers. Here they are. Everything is related in them which bears reference to my accursed origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances which produced it is set in view; the minutest description of my odious and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own horrors and rendered mine indelible. I sickened as I read. `Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. `Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred" (Shelley 131).

In the Creature's case, his own creator despised him. Subsequently, he sought love from anyone he encountered by partaking in benevolent acts that consisted of favors and received nothing but horror from the people and mistreatment which was solely due to his appearance. Naturally, this inspired hate within him and fueled his rage against humankind; he vowed to kill and inspire fear. Theon, on the otherhand, attempted to emulate the culture of the Iron Islands because he knew he could never be a true Stark. Later on, when he comes home to propose a battle strategy alliance between the Starks and Greyjoys, he proudly wears his house sigil and his best clothing to present himself to his father. He, however, receives rejection and humiliation. In order to prove himself to his father, he chooses to betray his best friend and take the North from the Starks to showcase his capabilities and loyalty to his family.

(video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpOj42JinWc)

Despite his plethora of flaws as a character, the underlying secret he has that many fans of Game of Thrones fail to see because of his betrayal is his quest for love. He has what some people may call, "daddy issues" which is often seen in a negative light presently. In my opinion, I believe it is natural to seek the approval of parents. In my life, it has been a big aspect that I once struggled with. Not that I believe his actions were completely justifiable, but I do see his reasons behind his actions. Another underlying secret is the reason behind his love for whores. It is often seen as part of the "Ironborn way", zeitgeist of the time period, and male sexuality but I believe that it his way of feeling dominant; In the act, he can assert his strength. He also tends to forget his insecurities with women and his arrogance. His castration may also act as a symbolic act and defense to my previous assertion because after the event, he lost himself as a man, and as himself. He lost his prized possession and was left with nothing. Without this security and false sense of confidence he established with it, he was forced to rebuild himself as an individual and sought to do so by assisting the Starks who happened to be in turmoil. All in all, it as indisputable that he inflicted pain because of his flaws as a character, but the loneliness he faced has arguably caused these conflicts to occur as well as it did with the Creature; both of these men reflect the flaws of human nature.

So my question to you after reading this regards to your present feelings of Theon Greyjoy. Are his actions justifiable or should he still be despised as a character? In the beginning I was despised both Theon and the Creature because of their actions, but after learning their stories I soon became internally divided on how to feel about them. OHHHH THE FEELS. Dill with it.

Knowledge is a Big Dill

Throughout time, knowledge has been thought to be a form of power that is actually attainable; as a society we seek this to aid in our progression, whether it be through new technology, or medical science. It is also typically held in a positive light and has definitely proved to be so, but literary pieces of the past warn us about the danger of knowledge. As Victor said, he hoped that "the gratifications of your wishes may be be a serpent to sting you" (Shelley 16) as it did to him when his passion and curiosity of science lead him to create a creature that wreaked havoc upon his life. This quote struck me because it reminded me of reading part of the Genesis way back in 11 AP Language around this time. Even though I was raised as a Catholic, I particularly despised learning about anything regarding religion. For those who do not know this story, a serpent basically enticed Adam and Eve to  eat from the tree of good and evil despite God's will.  I also thought about when I read Never Let Me Go, written by Kazuo Ishiguro,which featured a society that created clones to act as organ donors for those in need. In my opinion, the idea of creating the clones exemplified an extreme dehumanization of mankind in their desire to "play God" and prolong the lives of loved ones. Though it may seem benevolent, the actuality of this is the act of selfishness; there must be an equilibrium between science and humanity. Because of this, I fear that our thirst for knowledge may dissipate the empathy we have as humans and drive our society with cold and scientific reasoning. In a way, it seems as if knowledge is a much larger responsibility that most recognize. It can reconstruct and destroy which is heavily reflected upon the protagonist of Frankenstein. Upon this reflection, Pickles (it is a nickname I was bestowed upon at work, if you are curious of its story ask me digitally or personally. Whatever tickles your peach.) vows to be dill-igent in avoiding being over obsessed over the pursuit of knowledge and not end up in the state of Mr. Frankenstein who secluded himself from society. People make knowledge too big of a dill.

Dills Like White Elephants

The trees visible through the limited windows of Athens High School in the student parking lot expressed the hues of autumn. The boy and the girl sat at the lunch table. With the seasonal change, the weather slowly began to cool. "What homework should we start on?" the girl asked. She then lifted her backpack and placed it on the table.
"I've got a lot of homework too," the boy said.
"Let's do the worksheet on Postmodernism for Beginnners"
"The big packet?" the girl asked.
"Yes. The big packet."
They both began to pull out their homework and the girl began looking at the trees across the student parking lot. The warm tones contrasted from the white clouds above them.
"The clouds look like white elephants," she said.
"They look like regular cloud to me," the boy continued with the packet.
"The introductions (pages 1-6) paints a picture of the cultural zeitgeist that fostered postmodernism..."
"What does that even mean?"
The girl looked across the student parking lot.
"They're lovely clouds," she said. "They don't really look like white elephants. I just thought their shape resembled them a little."
"Should we try to decipher another question?"
"All right."
The cool wind chilled the girl's naked hands.
"It really just any ordinary aliment. It's really not anything. It's just a crunch."
The girl did not say anything.
"I'll get some with you and I'll eat it with you at the same time."
"We'll be fine afterward. Just like before."
"What makes you think so?"
"That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy."
"And you think then we'll be all right and happy."
"I know we will. You don't have to be afraid. I've known lots of people who eat it."
"So have I," said the girl. "And they said it was life changing."
"Well," the boy said, "if you don't want to you don't have to. I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But it's not a big dill
."
"Then I'll do it. Because I don't care about my taste buds."
"Well I care about your taste buds."
"Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?"
He continued to look at the daunting packet.
"But I don't want you to," he said, "I don't care anything about it."
"I'll puke," the girl said.
They looked at the clock and lunch time was almost over. He picked up his backpack and she did the same. She stood and was smiling at him.
"Do you feel better he asked?" he asked.

"I feel fine," she said.