As creators, we do not have the capacity to control the way people think. Everyone has free will to think and believe what they want to. This can make publishing works difficult because there is always that fear of being judged or misunderstood. Whenever anything is released to the public, whether it be a painting, an article, or a book, it is essentially left at the mercy of the beholder. The human mind is a vast place and it has the capacity to interpret and distort things in many different ways. But as Dr. McCoy says in the class syllabus, “You never know how your story might change the world for someone, especially someone who might be struggling… “ and isn’t that why some of us write or create art to reach out to other people who may be thinking the same thing and help others work through what they are feeling? Even if they come to a different (but not wrong) conclusion then the author had intended, a spark has been ignited that gets readers thinking. Through reading The Broken Earth trilogy and getting the opportunity to discuss in groups big and small during this semester, I have realized how diverse people’s perspective can be even though we are all reading the same text. Everyone has a different backstory that has led them to this moment. Everyone has different priorities and things they care about. This makes it so that different people can interpret the same writing many different ways. Continue reading “Every Opinion is Valid”
The Importance of Humor
A good book is one that can make you cry, laugh, scream, and shake with anger all at once. If the book is lacking in even one of these departments than it’s not worth it and you should put it down and look for greener pastures. For me, humor has always been difficult to find in books, often times jokes can come off as cheesy or really offensive. Nonetheless, when it is done right, humor can be helpful in setting the mood and keeping the plot moving. Without humor, books run the risk of being dry. Humor, in general, serves many purposes and Jemisin utilizes them all throughout the series.
A Commentary on Childhood
In a previous post I touch on the topic of consent, but it wasn’t the main point of the post and at the time I hadn’t even considered that aspect to what I was talking about until Dr. McCoy brought it up. What Dr. McCoy said that really stood out to me and got me thinking was “the issue of childhood being a non-consensual experience.” I hadn’t ever thought of it that way. As a society, we have always seen child-rearing and in general, the way we treat children as doing what’s best for them and looking out for their best interest. We never consider that we as the adults are taking all choice away from children. Continue reading “A Commentary on Childhood”
Being a Lorist
So fun fact about me, I work in Milne Library, more specifically down in the TERC section. I do a bunch of different things, from reshelving to labeling new material. However, arguably, my most important duty is recording when books or toys get used. Most people don’t realize this but when you use anything in the library whether it be a book, a game, or even a puppet you’re not supposed to put it back. Which sounds weird because everyone grows up hearing they always have to put away the things they use. But when you do that in the library and especially down in the TERC section you make my life harder in many ways. Continue reading “Being a Lorist”
Hero or Villain
“Every villain is a hero of his or her own story” Christopher Vogler, The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition
Throughout Jemisin’s work readers are often left in the dark of the finer details of things. There is no clear good side or bad side. You don’t really know people’s intention. In the first novel, we assume that Essun is good and the Fulcrum/the guardians are bad. By the second novel the Fulcrum doesn’t exist anymore so who can you shift the role of the bad guy too, because we all instinctively label people as good or bad. By the third, I’m questioning who really is the “good” guy. It’s really hard to tell which side is which. Continue reading “Hero or Villain”
The Moral Ambiguity of Albus Dumbledore
I would like to preface this post by stating that I have no advance knowledge of the Harry Potter series. I have read the series once and seen the movies a few times. This makes me in no way an expert on the world of wizards and witchcraft that J.K. Rowling created. So everything I say is speculation based on my limited knowledge and some research I have done.
I have long since been confused by the hero status that Dumbledore holds in the eyes of many fans. Many fans praise him and even Rowling herself has defended him against haters describing him as “the epitome of goodness.” However, Dumbledore was making questionable choices since the beginning and as the series went on I grew considerably more concerned for the children left in his care. Continue reading “The Moral Ambiguity of Albus Dumbledore”
In his blog post called Separating Good Art form Problematic Artists Denis poses the question. “Should we as a society be able to look past terrible acts when the people who committed them have also created wonderful things?” This is a question I’ve been contemplating for a few years now and I’ve gone back and forth, been on both sides of the argument. But now I have finally made up my mind on the position I am taking. Continue reading “”
Subconscious Metaphors in the English Language
At most colleges, and luckily at Geneseo, a variety of classes are offered, spanning many disciplinaries and topics that any student can take. However, most of the times if the classes don’t fall under the same discipline we separate them and don’t think of them as being related to one another in any way. On the first day of class, Dr. MCcoy posed the question, “why should people who care about rocks care about social justice?” I still don’t think I have a good answer to this question, however, I have begun to think more about this question and really try and see the bigger picture.
Continue reading “Subconscious Metaphors in the English Language”