Themes/Emotions

Throughout of the novel I've noticed three themes that appeared freuently: Family, sacrfice/obedience, and "love".
Family- From beginning to the end, Lily had suffered with her family, whether it was neglect or abandonment. She began her long life with a poor, unloving family. They like every other family in China were greatly unhappy with a baby girl. They did not love as they should and did not treat her well. They only thing they did for her was bind her feet perfectly. This threw her into the high ranking Lu family, where they gladly took her and her gorgeous Lily feet for their First Son (the most important child of the household). When she bore sons and a daughter, they were thrilled and this gave the utmost joy to Lily. She finally had a loving family and also she loved her children and were so proud of them. But unfortunately all of this family has deceased before she, making her life sad and depressing at the ultimate end.
Sacrifice/Obedience- For all struggling girls in China this is a relevant theme. Not only are they unwanted but they are forced to do things that no girl should ever have to do. Such as foot binding and arranged marriages. Not only that but they pressured heavily to have sons and if they dont, they are scorned and disliked in the family. All of which is extremely relevant in Lily's life. She went through the torment of all Chinese women except she reaped the rewards. She was quite lucky with her life, a loving husband, healthy kids, and a genuine love laotong. But she was obedient which is why she got to the top. She obeyed her inlaws and husband, as well as doing everything correctly in footbinding, which led to fabulous lifestyle she was throughly blessed with.
"Love"- Love or lack of was the basic theme of Lily's life. It not only guided her but also pushed her to do things she wouldnt normally do. She felt extreme love for her husband, who gave her sons and a daughter and also compassion. Her kids were her pride and joy, giving her days light and worth. But most of all she felt the true, genuine, deep love for her laotong, Snow Flower. Snow Flower was the greatest thing that ever happened to Lily, it gave her a reason to live, a reason to perservere. They were together in good and bad times and agreed to be there for each other for their whole lives. They shared everything.

These themes justified the novel's overall purpose and created the real plot. It drove the characters and also explained why they were the way they were.

Sitting Quietly

For eight whole years Lily went without speaking to Snow Flower. Lady Lu was the greatest woman in the country, her life being spread into pages of men's writing and her every move being watched. But when Snow Flower's daughter came begging for help, it changed everything she had previously believed. When Lady Lu heard Snow Flower was deathly ill, she rushed to her laotong's side, giving her treatment and love she deserved. Lily had been naive for years now, soon realizing Snow Flower had never wanted to lose her or replace her and that Lily (in Lady Lu's personality) abandoned her and left her to die. These startling thoughts haunted Lady Lu for the rest of her surprisingly long life. I believe that it is karma that she had lived for eighty long years. She had time to think about her actions and reflect upon them, begging for forgiveness and dying slowly on the inside to retrieve the love she needed to survive upon. Her character had developed greatly throughout of the course of the novel. Beginning as a poor rural, unloved child, to the greatest woman in China, filthy rich and high status family. In the end she lost all the loves she had ever obtains, symbolizing her mistakes throughout her life. As hard as it was for her to watch loved ones go, it taught her valuable lessons on how life truly is and how it treats its victims.

Heart Break

Lily was so gloriously happy when she was reunited with her children. But her newest devastation came in the form of a letter. It was from Snow Flower. The message stated: I have too many troubles. I cannot be what you wish. You won't have to listen to my complaints anymore. There sworn sisters have promised to love me as I am. Write to me, not to console me as you have been doing, but to remember our happy girl-days together. This message was a dagger to Lily's heart. Never had she been hurt so badly by simply words. She in fact had no feelings for Lily at all, to say that those sisters loved her was proposterous to Lily. Lily had given up so much for Snow Flower and this is what she got in return. A year when by until the two laotongs met again. It was at Snow Flower's cousin's wedding, where Snow Flower sang about a laotong that had abandoned her and how she missed her best friend. This infuriated Lily, seeing that Snow Flower had been the one to initiate the disconnection in the first place. Lily's character has transformed because she had lost the only true love she had ever obtained, and her character now has feelings of frustration and depression that she never thought she would feel against Snow Flower.

Reunion

With Snow Flower pregnant once again up on the mountain side, all of the ladies were tense with excitement. But one day, the beloved second son never woke up from his nap, his face icy blue, body limp. The butcher was furious and overwhelmingly depressed for days on end, taking out his ferocious anger on Snow Flower. These beatings caused a miscarriage (sacrifice!). It was terrible for Lady Lu to sit back and watch these crimes but what was she to do? She was a woman, she had no authority or power in this situation. But once the butcher calmed down, he proved to be a loving husband, one Snow Flower could live with. Witnessing these beatings truly opened Lily's eyes to Snow Flower's dismal life. As Lily's life grows and blooms, Snow Flower's seemes to get trampled upon and killed. But finally the good news came up on the mountain, it was safe to retreate once again. But unfortunatly it was not the end to anyone's suffering, carcasses were discovered left and right, the scream of recognition were heard all throughout the mountain. But also helpless, lily footed women fell to their deaths with their decents. But it was all worth it when Lily and her husband were once again reunited. Locked in an embrace, they cried and consoled once another, simply happy to be in one another's arms again. This truly proved both of their personalities because they had never felt a love like this from each other before.

Taipings Attack

Lily arrives to Snow Flower's new home in shock and dismay. She knew that Snow Flower was married to a butcher but she never dreamed the smell would linger everywhere in the household and the odor dominated the house. Each meal had some sort of pig body part in it. Another shock for Lily was that Snow Flower and her husband truly enjoyed bed business (Lily never understood that). All of Snow Flower's children were deeply loved except for First Son who was scrawny and "no good." But one peaceful day in Jinitan war broke out. Screams were heard everywhere, fires ablaze, and citizens running for their lives. Lily wanted to wait for her family to pick her up but the butcher would not let her wait and they ran to the safety of the mountains. All of the women in China had never been in such pain as they had those next weeks. Their bound feet shot pains up their legs, rebroken bones, and obscene bleeding. Sacrifice is definitely relevant here because Lily, Snow Flower, and the butcher had to carry the butcher's mother up the mountain. They had never been in such agony but they had to continue. They lived on little food and warmth for weeks in the mountains, while Lily struggled with the fact that she may never see her family again.

Lady Lu

When the fever sweeps through China, attacking any family that stands in its way, not caring if you were a peasant or a high ranking family. The Lus are running low on money so Lily's husband, being the intelligent man that he is, goes across China to buy salt and bring it back to Tongou to sell. While he is away the fever hits the Lu household, devastingly killing Third Brother and his whole family, Lady Lu (Lily's mother-in-law), and eventually Master Lu. This makes Lily and her husband the new Master and Lady Lu. With Lily's mother-in-law gone, she has the authority in the household and can do whatever she pleases. Now her laotong and her can finally meet again without having to worry about the in-laws. But Lily frets until her husband returns home with the salt and bundles of money. They are wealthy once again which brings relief to the household. Lily's character has developed over time because she is now stronger, a better mother, and still is a good to friend to Snow Flower. Lily will do anything for Snow Flower because she is her one true love. The theme of sacrifice returns again when Lily bribes her husband into letting her see Snow Flower, she does everything and anything she can to convince her husband until he finally lets her go.

Truth

The ultimate truth comes out to Lily when she recieves an informal letter from Snow Flower, declaring that she is very unhappy in her new home. Her butcher husband is absolutely barbaric and forced her to watch the slaying of a pig. Lily's mother in law wants Lily to stop speaking to Snow Flower because she is of a much lower status and she brings embarrassment to the high ranking Lu family. Lily will obviosuly not stand for this, but she she needs to do her fighting secretly and she keeps in touch with Snow Flower without her new family realizing. Lily's mother in law states that they are not old sames anywhere, they are in fact very different and should not associate with each other for any longer. This contradicts the theme of sacrifice because Lily is disobeying her new family and doing what she desires. She is not sacrificing the one true love she has found, she will never let her go because she has never had a love like the one she has with Snow Flower before.

Pregnant

Snow Flower soon after her marriage becomes pregnant. Lily is slightly jealous of her laotong getting pregnant before her even though she got married first. This makes Lily get herself pregnant as soon as she could. But since both become pregnant, they get to meet up with each other at the temple, and so they could pray for a baby boy and his health. It was so relieving to see each other again, and funny because they were both so round and filled out. This proves again the theme of sacrifice in the book because of how Lily had to make herself get pregnant. But this pregnancy brings excitement and happiness to the Lu family. They are very proud and joyous to see their first daughter in law getting pregnant. It ends up that Lily and Snow Flower both had baby boys, bringing the ultimate joys to their new families and their natal families.

Adolescent Years

Lily morphed and developed into a beautiful young women in the ten years of friendship with Snow Flower before her marriage. The two girls at an early age had already formed a relationship that would hold strong for many years to come. They not only grew off each other but helped each other through devasting situations as a true laotong should. Lily developed from a scared country girl into a fair maiden knowing the language of nu shu and strong embroidery skills. Whereas Snow Flower humbled herself, learning the skills and importance of everyday chores and manners. Snow Flower would visit Lily and her family frequently throughout the ten years before their marriages. Their friendship blossomed while sadly other family members died, withering away into the darkness of the afterworld. Their love for each other was like no other love they could have ever imagined, filled with sharing secrets and weaknesses, feeling the same emotions, and comforting each other in times of need. Their character strengthened together, yet another thing they shared in their teenage years, both blooming into fine young brides.

Snow Flower (Laotong)

"A laotong relationship is made by choice for the purpose of emotional companionship and eternal fidelity. A marriage is not made by choice and has only one purpose-to have sons." The tension in Lily's house builds as Mama and Baba have to choose to make the laotong match or not. If they choose to build this new realtionship then Lily will obtain a higher status in the community, will marry into a wealthy family, and bring honor to the family home. But this would bring long working hours for Babe to raise money for gifts in the dowry and making extravagent gifts for Lily's laotong match and future husband. Eventually they reach the conclusion of allowing Lily to join her soul friend, in which they share the exact same birthdate, some amount of siblings, both third sisters died, and families are equal in many ways except for wealth. Lily and Snow Flower will start communicating on a secret fan in nu shu, the mysterious language only women know and this will hopefully bring eternal friendship and love to Lily's young life.

On The Waterfront

Overall I enjoyed the movie, On the Waterfront because it was well directed and used theatrical and literary aspects very well. The acting was very convincing. I especially thought that the lighting and music truly added to the movie's emotion and connection. It gave it senses of foreshadowing and really sucked in the viewer. For example, I thought in the beginning the irksome, troubling, jazzy music genuinely made me think something exciting was going to happen and it would be caused by some trouble. Also all the guys in nice clothing made me think something fishy was going on. Throughout the movie the theme of loyalty played its role. Terry had to choose between Edie or Johnny Friendly, a tough decision which was almost life or death in certain aspects. He could win the love of his life and serve justice but suffer the consequences of Johnny Friendly, or he could give in societal pressures and lie to the judge, but stay untouched by Friendly. He ultimately chose to serve justice, which had its rewards because in the end, Johnny Friendly's power was over thrown by the workers he had controlled for so long. He choice of justice not only rewarded him but also the men who had been man handled in the past.

New OR book, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

I chose Snow Flower and the Secret Fan partially because it was recommended by mom but also since we are learning about Chinese culture in AP World as well. I have already started to make connections between the book and new gained knowledge. Themes are already emerging in this compelling novel. Love (or lack of), loyalty, and sacrifice are all prevelant themes that all shown through the main character Lily. At the mere age of seven, she goes through the extremely painful process of foot binding. Bone gets broken, blood is shed all in the name of beauty. Beauty is pain. She is not alone however in this process, she is joined by her sisters Beautiful Moon and Third Sister. The matchmaker comes to their house and to their surprise says that Lily is a speical case, one of which beauty is radiant, feet the shape for perfection, and a promise of a glorious future including a wealthy husband and money. This is when her mother finally comes to notice her and love her. She is an obedient child, one who just wants to be noticed and have a purpose in life, and she will do anything to achieve this. When her Third Sister dies from the footbinding gone wrong, it teaches her a valuable life lesson on life and death and how beauty has its prices...

All My Sons

Overall I enjoyed this play. The characters kept me interested throughtout the plot and I liked the twists and turns it made. But most interesting of the characters to follow was Chris. At the beginning of the play he struck me being an anal, booksmart, loyal son to his father, who had a hard time showing his emotions and loving. But his devotion and love to Ann seemed to open him up. He is persistent and actually has strong feelings for what he believes in. His marriage was Ann was controversial but he pushed through it and eneded up fufilling his dream at the end. Through most of the novel he thought that Steve Deever had commited the horrible crime of shipping out faulty air parts. But when he found out that his father had done it his emotions spilled out and he finally allowed himself to be angry. He was ashamed, guilty, and heartbroken that his father would do such a thing to him and his family. All of this tied into the many themes of the play. Ethics, loyalty, and love tied together the characters and defined the whole play. Each was experienced by most of the characters and influenced the tone of the play. Overall the play made me understand and relate to the characters and truly understand the themes of the play, tying them to my own life and learning from the life lessons that were taught. It makes you think about your decisions and what is truly important to you...your nation or your family?

All My Sons prediction

I predict that Chris and Ann will be appalled by the news of Chris's fathers act. Since they both believed he was innocent, this is especially surprising. In a spur of the moment act, I think they will run away and get married to get away from all of the chaos in the Keller household. Their love will carry themselves through the hard times and away from Kate's persistent beliefs of Larry being alive and Joe's terrible act against Ann's father. I don't think Larry is alive and so that will not be a conflict to Chris and Ann, their conflict is more of Kate and her beliefs.

Outside reading

Since I haven't truly gone over the character in the book I'd like to take this post to explain the character and their emotions throughout the novel...

• Dr. Paul Farmer- A very intellectual man with a heart of gold and an impressive drive. He never gives up on what he believes in and he puts others before himself. He simply wishes he could cure everyone everywhere, which of course is impossible for one man to achieve, but he still tries his best at all times, which is inspiring for all of us. He continutes to impress me with his perserverance because Haiti and medicine are his life, which he has diligently given up for the goodness of more people. If everyone in the world were more like Paul Farmer, the world would be a significantly better place, one of peace and serenity and definitely no more disease and poverty.
• Ophelia Dahl- She is the daughter of Roald Dahl and a magnificent thinker and has a thought provoking mind. She meets Farmer in the slums of Haiti, where there personalities mix and the become the best of friends. She also a very intelligent being, strives to help Farmer with his medical expeditions but refuses to marry him because of his love for Haiti and medicine as opposed to having a normal life. Being friends is just fine with her because then she can help when she pleases and still live a conforming life.
• Tom White- A fabulously wealthy man who wishes to better the world, just in a different way than Farmer is. He frequently visits Haiti and gives money to many of the poor people living in the streets. He is the go-to guy whenever Farmer is need of money or help in Haiti. He is an intelligent man who has his heart in the right place because he is trying to help the innocent victims of Haiti.
• Jim Kim/ Father Jack- Both friends of Paul Farmer and wish to help him on his medical inquiries. As a team they work in Lima, Peru an extremely inpoverished place with many slums and disease. They consistently call Farmer for help and also have their hearts in the right places. When Father Jack dies from TB, Jim Kim keeps going on his project, not ever giving up on his dream of helping the poverty and their disease.

Returning themes

The theme of poverty strikes again as Dr. Paul Farmer travels now to Lima, Peru to check out mysterious TB (tuberculosis) deaths. His good friend, Father Jack, had been volunteering in Peru when he came down with TB and died within a matter of weeks. This puzzled Farmer because he was on the top medications for TB and yet he was utterly resistant to them. When going to Lima, he realized this was not an uncommon thing there. "In the daylight the northern neighborhoods seemed like an endlessly spreading slum, the roads choked with traffic and with motorcycle rickshaws and minibuses that served as public transportation, and the banks of the roads littered with broken-down vehicles and garbage, and garbage on fire, and with ramshackle-looking developement, like American strip malls that had moldered before being completed" (Kidder 135). The TB outbreak in Lima was not surprising because of the atmosphere and environment of the town. The governemtn did not seem to care about the declining health of their city and Farmer was dedicated to finding the mystery behind TB deaths in Lima.

Critic Review exerpt

Starving for love and freedom, the trouble maker Antoine made a bold name of himself by rash decisions. The characterization of Antoine began from the beginning of the film and as the film progressed, showed Antoine’s gradual maturity. His parents’ neglect led him to rebel against school, family, and ultimately society. His poor choices, including stealing the typewriter, paved the road to his downfall and going to the observation center. The typewriter was a symbol of rebellion because even though he was aware that stealing was wrong, he did it anyway. When he realized he could not earn money for it and that the rebellion was purposeless, he returned it, in hope of not continuing the rebellious lifestyle. His whole life he strived for freedom, the feeling of living for himself and not being constricted and conformed to a life of rules and restrictions.

OR 2

"The three years of military rule in Haiti had resembled a war, and like every war produced a public health disaster" (Kidder 119). Farmer feels entitled to help the Haitian public in anyway possible, providing them with medicine or even a friendly smile. A friend of Dr. Farmer, Tom White, also generated help just in a different form. He was fabulously wealthy and with each trip to Haiti would bring a wad of cash to distribute amongst the beggars. He came in handy whenever Farmer needed money to start a project, he was always willing to pitch in to help the cause.

OR

Dr. Paul Farmer continues to amaze me with his diligene, passion and intelligence. The fact that he was simply given up his life to help the poverty-stricken Haitians is mind boggling and inspiring. His writing has won awards such as the MacArthur and he is always persistent. In this portion of the novel, Ophelia Dahl (daughter Roald Dahl) came into the picture, branding her name into Paul Farmer's brain forever. They enjoy long winded conversations in which thought provoking elements always emerged. They were just friends and yet their relationship resembled love. Farmer's work ethic intrigued many and he always put others before himself.

Outside Reading background

Dr. Paul Farmer worlds in constant poverty in Haiti, but his past revealed this is not a new experience for him. As a child he was constantly moving houses in different states. He started in the North and moved to Alabama then Florida and then went to Duke University. He traveled without complaint and witnessed poverty in the eyes of his own family and himself. He once lived in a trailer park and the boat Lady Gin, suffering through raging storms and seemingly endless nights of hunger. His family always pulled through and he eventually made the Warden (his father) proud of his accomplishments. He had tried to impress his father all of his life and once the Warden died, tears streamed freely at the sight of the letter of his father's pride.

Memoir

"My grandfather's life bloomed back into growth where as my immunity and immaturity quickly ceased to exist. Childish notions had prevented me from see what the world truly reaps; illness and pain that nobody can be protected from." I chose to write about my grandpa's heart attack because it stirred my prospect on life and my emotions. It truly changed my life and character. Since he lived through it, it gave me a chance to regain strength in my grandpa's and my relationship. This gave me a new light in life and the emotional strength to recover from the shock. Although it was a traumatic and fearful event, I can honestly say I benefited from the experience on the whole.

End of Black Boy

I think the end of Black Boy is inspiring and gives the reader a sense of hope for the African Americans in the south. Throughout the novel Richard deals with the racism and heavy discrimmination of the South. He hears about the North and dreams of going there someday. His hopes of finally going to the North come true when he earns enough money to bring his mother, brother, aunt, and himself to Chicago. This trip was not easily earned, it took years of conforming, getting beaten, abused mentally and physically, and fear to get the courage and wealth accumulated to leave. His years of discrimmination had come to end and he finally gets to go the one place hes been looking forward to his whole life.

End of Black Bpy

Themes

One of the numerous themes in Mountains Beyond Mountains is poverty. Dr. Paul Farmer spends eight out of the twelve months of the year working in the heart of Cuba. He gets thousands of patients desiring his medical expertise and he spends day and night treating them. Farmer states he simply cannot sleep at night knowing there are patients out there in need of treatment. Citizens from all over Cuba come to his medical hospital because they know he cannot turn down any patient. When he arrives at works hundreds of wounded Cubans are waiting outside, and he takes the most injured of them all. Paul Farmer would easily be a hotshot Boston doctor year round earning thousands of dollars but he chooses the inncoent victims of Cuba instead, to give back to world and make it a better place.

Choosing OR book

For our quarter one outside reading book , I chose Mountains Beyond Mountains written by Tracy Kidder. I chose this novel because it was recommended to me by many people. It also sounded like an intriguing book that will stir up my emotions on how I view politics and life. Dr. Paul Farmer is the main character and he has the oppurtunity to save innocent lives in many countries. Hearing his story will hopefully inspire me to become someone who will help the world as well. After the reading the first chapter, it left me wanted to read more about this doctors extroadinary lifestyle.

Black Boy

Richard's hunger originally was simply physical. After all of the traumas in his childhood, he soon developed new hungers, which he strived to satisify. He has hungers for knowledge of the outside world, independence, acceptance, and to understand all the complexities of life. He'll do almost anything to obtain the satisfaction of these hungers such as skipping meals to explore to world or to learn in school. Also, he had been raised in a household of tough love and no room for errors. He dreams of finally achieving independence where he can make decisions for himself and live the way he wants to instead of conforming to the standards of others.

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