Thoughts on Into the Wild

Starting off with the first chapter, I knew instantly that this was a story of survival and adventure. It is really interesting how the author avoids having Chris as the narrator of the story, but instead, slowly reveals the story through the stories of various people who had encounters with Chris during his journey. The writing style is casual, and informative, with maps on every chapter of Chris's journey, as well as facts throughout the book given to help the reader understand the book better. There is obviously a certain level of primitive gruesomeness that shows the reality of Chris's situation and the Alaskan wilderness. In one word, I would describe Chris as being a Transcendentalist. Similar to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau from the Transcendentalist Era, Chris sought to return to nature to reach a certain level of spiritual opening and expansion of soul. He seeks to find a Spartan-lifestyle that will allow him to live off of nature and seek only the most basic of human necessities. In Henry David Thoreau's short essay, "Why I Went into the Woods," he states, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." This quote ultimately encompasses what Chris in "Into the Wild" is striving to achieve by going off into the Alaskan wilderness. Main themes include discovery of self, practicality vs. dreams, and of course, the obvious ones: survival, courage, strength. I feel that the author is trying to convey that people like Chris avoid conforming to what is socially accepted in their communities and should strive to be unique, independent individuals. However, I believe the author also suggests that one should be practical and realistic about how far he is willing to go in order to escape the conformities of society. But based on my persoanl beliefs, I frown at Chris's rashness and lack of plan and preparation for his trip into Alaska. If he planned to do this something dramatic like this, he should have planned it in more detail. Otherwise, it is not a trip to discover oneself, but rather, a death sentence. This can be compared to the modern world's sturggle for success in the economic struggle now. Nobody really knows about what will happen but they all take a risk and try to succeed in achieveing their consecutive goals.

~H

book reviews

GONE WITH THE WIND

As one of American literature's classic love story, Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" is the story of the spoiled Southern belle, Scarlett O'Hara and her bittersweet relationship with the enticing Rhett Butler during the tumultuous American Civil War. It is an epic tale of Scarlett's maturity from living as a rich, spoiled, ungrateful Southern belle, to a poor, desperate, money-crazed widow. While Scarlett is struggling through these difficult times, Rhett is there to sweep her into his arms. Although the novel was written nearly half a century ago, it still remains one of the most popular books worldwide. The themes within the book, love, feminism, courage, loyalty, can still be related to 21st century America. The fight for equality, real Christian piety, growing up are all things addressed in the novel that we can still see prevalence to now. The book is certainly a reading challenge--with over 1000 pages in the unabridged version--if you're not up to the challenge, I suggest the abridged version. Regardless of length, Mitchell succeeds in absolutely everything she writes in the novel--from development of characters to adding adequate amounts and divisions of laughs and tears. Mitchell develops the main characters, Scarlett, Rhett, Melanie, (Etc.) so well that by the end of the novel, what happens to them, seems also to be happening to the reader. You feel for the characters and feel as if you have known them forever. Mitchell's use of language (diction) is also outstanding and helps develop the over plot and story. She describes absolutely everything--from the setting to what each character is wearing, so that it seems you are standing in the scene with them, watching. When Scarlett sees Rhett Butler for the first time, Mitchell describes Scarlett's thoughts about him: " "He looked quite old, at least thirty-five. He was a tall man and powerfully built. Scarlett thought she had never seen a man with such wide shoulders, so heavy with muscles, almost too heavy for gentility. When her eyes caught his, he smiled, showing animal-white teeth below a close-clipped black mustache. He was dark of face, swarthy as a pirate, and eyes were as bold and black as any pirate's appraising a galleon to be scuttled or a maiden to be ravished. There was a cool recklessness in his face and a cynical human in his mouth as he smiled at her, and Scarlett caught her breath" (98). Even this small description, the reader gets an instant image of Rhett in their mind. Bravo throughout the novel. It's no wonder that "Gone with the Wind" even received a Pulitzer Prize, and was even made into a movie! All that recognition's got to count for something.

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

It's evident that Foer made a valiant attempt in his novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. However, his effort doesn't seem to reflect on paper. The story, about a young boy named Oskar Schell, who loses his father on September 11th, find a key in an envelope with the word, Black, on it, who then goes off on a quest to find the owner of the key, is obviously a story that Foer developed out of thin air after failing to find better ideas. The plot is extremely difficult to follow and incredibly frusterating to read. With random spontaeneous side stories about Oskar's grandparents and other people that he encounters, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the perfect picture of confusion and disorganization. Foer tries to make the novel more entertaining and tries to be creative by placing different pictures, colors, and visuals throughout the book. They don't help develop niether the plot nor the characters in any shape or form. Perhaps they're just filler. Oskar describes what he sees at Central Park near the middle of the book, "There was a fat woman with a fat kid, and a Japanese guy with two cameras, and a girl with crutches whose cast was signed by lots of people" (247). Just the randomity of the descriptions and the way various characters emerge is very complex and overall, pointless. Really, in reality, a nine year old young boy would never roam the streets of New York all on his own in order to find the owner of a key that he randomly found in a jar. Humor is forced, sympathy begged for, and overall, extremely boring and incredibly unenjoyable.

~H

20 minutes with the prez

part 1: THE SITDOWN

The main issues that I am passionate about include global warming, human rights, and the economy. Certainly it would be impossible to discuss all three in only 20 minutes, but I would really want to know his overall goals on each of these topics and how he plans to tackle each one. I would suggest him to take a strong stand against further global destuction of pollution and abuse by demanding him to pass strong laws that would regulate companies and citizens to be more environmentally conscience. Alternative sources of energy, other than fossil fuel would be the number one problem I would suggest Obama to tackle. As for human rights, I believe it is important for him to work with other nations, perhaps from the United Nations, to make a stand against issues like human-trafficking, and poverty.

part 2: IN THE FUTURE

Certainly with a democratic president, after eight years under the Bush regime, things will be turning inside out. Hopefully, during all this change, the transitions will be smooth and everyone will be cooperative. I hope that by year 2012, American citizens who have not yet encountered the rough effects of global warming and humans' abuse on the environment to realize their ignorance and join in the preservation of our earth. In four year, I also see myself to be even more involved in politics and world issues than I am now. As a more mature young woman, I will be able to gain more resources and fund to pursue my interests in human trafficking and environment and energy conservation.

Frankly, at the age of 40, probably the biggest issues I would be worrying about would NOT be human trafficking and environment issues but about (property) taxes, the educatin system, and the economy (the job market). As an adult truthfully, I wouldn't have time to focus on human trafficking and what-not but instead, the problems within my own family. IBy this time, I would want to have a solid job as a news anchor or reporter and would be worrying about the job market and the economy. would want policies and a president that would best accomodate my family and I to living as full as possible. To pursure happiness.

~H

Here There Where

Edina is one of those schools that harbors hoards of foreign exchange students from Russia to Mexico. After a ridiculously arduous application process, these students are thrust into schools where don't know anybody or anything.

Recently, I have developed close friendships with many of these foreign exchange students. As a newcomer to Edina myself, I feel a connection to these students and feel obliged to make an extra effort to make them feel more welcomed.

A close friend of mine from Mexico has recently been revealing to me, the exciting life that she leads as a 17 year old in Mexico City. Just like my hometown of LA, life in Mexico seems to be filled with nightclubs, socialites, and fashion. I was instantly able to relate to their sleepless lifestyles.

But after two years in Edina, I watched as my lust and need for weekly parties and club outings diminished, until the only thing I wanted to do was to enjoy quiet weekends at home with family, or with friends. Strange how one's environment influences you.

Then I went back to LA this summer and was shocked at my instinctal need to withdraw from all the craziness and quickness of city life. There was so much pollution, poverty, homelessness, and too much PEOPLE. It was a man-eat-man world. I never realized any of these when I lived there but after stepping back, then returning, it came as a huge shock.

Yet living in quiet Edina has its cons as well. Unlike most cities, where nearly everyone are very liberal and open-minded, people in Edina who have lived very protected lives and have not been exposed to the realities of the world, are mostly conservative and are close-minded.

Woe, I'll take a leave from school to go search for Utopia.

~H

Homecoming Nostalgia

-Love- -Crush-
-Fall, and exciting- -Homecoming fervor-
-This ONE SOLD OUT- -Cologne Perfume hair gel-
-Curling irons and then,- -Find them straighteners-
-Adoring, shy glances. &- -Fingertips, & lean in close-
-Waiting, Waiting, W--- ---aiting, Waiting, Waiting-
-Last minute touch up-- -I forgot my ID! HONKK!-
-Blood on my leg, too embarressing to say ugh-
-Hi Hello! What's your name? Cute dress! Hi-
-Matching boutineer & corsage, carefully-
-Frozen Kodak moments and smiles-
-Mountain Dew and Bruschetta-
-Work it Girl! vs. they hurt-
-Linked touchin' tender-
-Homecoming-
-Night-
~H

Playing with Poetry

Love and Cancerous Drugs

First time to discover,
Quick to spread and unpredictable,
A trust questioned.

Tingling on skin,
Face hot,
Forget to breathe.

Unspoken words,
Uncertainty and suspicions,
Shifty glances and nervous smiles.

Strained phone calls,
Counting the seconds,
Feigned conviction.

The reality of it,
Versus
“Bolshie optimism.”

I WANT TO HELP,
And, Don’t Worry About It,
Exasperated but impossible to abandon.

Then,
Regret and sleepless nights wasted,
They always leave you, futile.

~H

Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, In China, they never eat Chile

I'm constantly being fascinated by new discoveries about other cultures. Especially those of other teens worldwide. Here's an amalgamation of my most recent discoveries (with names excluded for the sake of privacy and liability reasons):

1.A sophmore who just moved from France two years ago...I overheard her on the bus today, saying, "You know that in France, college is free for everyone." I asked if this is really true and she said yes. You could choose any college you want. Free education starting from 1st grade to college. No worrying about thousands of dollars in loans, no worrying about additional rent to pay. Goodbye America, Hello France.

2.My best friend's boyfriend who recently moved from Korea...He went to his first homecoming dance last week and admitted to me how fasinated he was by the way teens dance in America. "They rub against each other!" He said, amazed. "It's so sexual. In Korea, people don't grind at parties. We do kareoke. We don't even have school dances."

Apparently, Korea isn't the only country that doesn't think grinding is so great.

3.A new foreign exchange friend of mine from Mexico, was also fascinated by how teens dance in America. Last Saturday, at our homecoming dance, she asked me with round eyes, "Look at that girl! What do you call that kind of dancing here? In Mexico, guys don't dance behind the girl like that. We dance facing each other. Wouldn't you want to see each other's faces?"

4.My British buggy asked for my "jumper" yesterday morning, except she pronounced it "jumpuhh" not "jumperrr" like we do. What in the world is a "jumper?" Apparently, it's British for "sweatshirt." She also pronounces "Adidas," the sports company, as "Adidas" where most Americans would pronounce it, "Adidas."

More on pronounciations.

5. A German forgein exhange student asked in Biology today, "Vay, iz ze ahtomm zoing zat?" translated, "Why is the atom doing that?" I understand how you feel kid, cause I have pronounciation problems of my own.

6. My friends made fun of me today in Creative Writing because I pronounced "brow," as "braow." It's been 10 years since I moved to America and STILL I have pronounciation difficulties~! I also get reminded by my friends that the color "white" is not pronounced, "huwhite." It's habit.

It's super hard to move to a new country. Not only do you not know anybody, or speak the language, but worst of all, there are cultures clashes. Sticking your middle finger in the air in America is well...bad. But in another country, it may mean hello, or good job. Even without you knowing, the culture that you are accustomed to out of habit, can work against you in another country.

But I guess this is what makes traveling and meeting new people so fun.

~H