Parental Problems

When I first started typing out this post, I wanted to make it deep and sentimental, but I didn't have the words for it because even though I love my parents a lot, I still don't know what to say or how to thank them. 

Most of the time, my parents and I joke around with each other. My older brother has a similar relationship with my parents, so I must've learned from him. I guess we just have a really playful relationship because we always tease each other and come up with jokes at the other person's expense. This may be more the case with my mom though. When I annoy her (if you ask her, she'll tell you that I'm always annoying) she has the best reactions; I started taking "candid" pictures of her doing daily household stuff and they always turn out bad because she's moving or she looks at the camera with a really annoyed face, but that's why I take those pictures- they make me laugh a lot and she laughs at them too. Although we joke around with each other, she always listens to my rants and offers insight (when she pays attention, I tend to talk a lot).  Just like Brad Manning said, his mom was the one who showed more outward compassion because she wrote him letters and went to his orchestra concerts and for me some of that is true.  My dad is a different story though. I used to think that my dad I were complete opposites, but the more that I think about it, I realize that we are really similar.  Both of us like Indian movies, basically any food that contains sugar, and we both make jokes that no one else laughs at. I think the way that my dad differs from Manning's dad is that my dad does so much for me. He wakes up to take me to school and makes me breakfast (I think I should work on getting my license) and then picks me up from school every single day. I don't even know how I could function without him there to help me. But like every other teenager, I get annoyed at my parents too. 

The other side of my relationship with my parents is when I become "rebellious". Even though I know that my dad just wants me to do well in life and become successful, I find it frustrating when he doesn't support my dreams of working for the UN and majoring in International Relations. I guess my way of rebelling is stupid too; "I'm going to get a tattoo" used to work like a charm, but now the response I get is "Ok, go buy a motorbike and get a leather jacket too!"  Whenever we talk about what my career will be in the future, we get into fights. I don't want to do medicine, but of course that's what my dad wants me to do and since we're both stubborn, neither of us wants to change our views. 

My parents have always been there for me and I know that no matter what they will continue to be there for me, which is why I am eternally grateful. It makes me sad to think about kids who just don't connect with their parents because I would be so lost without mine. 

The Silencing Scream

The Scream- Edvard Munch (1893)

The orange Sun seems so far away

as he stands trapped in his own mind.

The Ocean drowns out his pain

leaving him with nothing

but the smell of the sea.

The ocean. free and untamed.

able to show its true beauty

not trapped behind a mask.

He longs for the independence,

the ability to do what he wishes,

but as he tries to grasp whatever is left-

the dock seems to be sinking,

as he struggles to hold on to what is real

there is nothing still there.

His dreams are destroyed,

he cannot show his true self.

He is trapped by the boundaries;

set by a mad society to confine

and suppress individuality.

No one is perfect,

so why should he be perfect in the

eyes of another.

Reality has become a mess,

all he can do now is

Scream,

But how much will that help him,

He screams loud enough for the world to hear him,

or so he believes.

This scream should be the scream that silenced the world,

that led to deeper analysis on society.

His scream is our scream, the only difference is that it’s aloud.

The world doesn’t stop for just one

Scream.

Assimilating to American Society

The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines assimilating as "adopt[ing] the ways of another culture: to fully become a part of different society, culture, etc." This definition can be perceived with a positive connotation, but most stories of assimilation are not happy and "feel-good".  This definition doesn't tell us what a person feels as they are forced to assimilate to the dominant culture.  Sherman Alexie and Amy Tan provide an insight on what it's actually like to assimilate to American society.


I think that it's hard for the children of immigrants to see themselves and think "oh yeah I assimilated to the dominant society" because if they were born here then aren't they a part of "normal" American society?  When I see myself I don't think that I assimilated. I was born here and even though my parents weren't, that doesn't mean that I'm from somewhere else too. I grew up with American culture, so doesn't that make me a part of the dominant society? I not only grew up with American culture but also with Indian culture and I've never felt like I had to choose one over the other.

As a society, we always say "be yourself" and "don't be afraid to express yourself" but in reality we, society as a whole, judge other people based on how they express who they are even thought this is wrong. You should be able to express your individuality any way you wish without being embarrassed or ostracized.

Joe Louis: The Mighty Man

Joe Louis was one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.  He changed the game and became a symbol for African-Americans everywhere. Louis's cultural impact not only spread throughout the US but also across the world. Maya Angelou shows readers through "Champion of the World" just how significant his win was for African-Americans. In the beginning of his career, many managers and sports commentators did not believe that Joe Louis would make it far because of his color, but obviously they were completely disillusioned.  Louis had 3 losses out of 72 games and held the title from 1937-1949, making him the longest heavyweight titleholder. This goes to show that what you look like shouldn't matter and shouldn't dictate whether you become successful or not. Maya Angelou explains to readers how Joe Louis paved the way for African-American rights because he the whites in America accepted him as a good boxer. Although she wrote her piece with verisimilitude, the emotion from the story still stays with the reader.  You can feel the anticipation and anxiousness of everyone listening to the match and you can imagine different generations of African-Americans gathered around a radio. "Champion of the World" gives us a deeper look into African-American culture and a first hand experience of what they faced during the times of segregation.