"Servants of the Map"

Throughout a person's life one will experience extreme highs, extreme lows, and moments where things seem to be "just right."  When reading this HONY post I see the mountain as life, and all of the twists and turns that inevitably come along with it.  As humans we are constantly going through uphill battles, steady moments, and breezy moments where things seem to get better.  And just when a person thinks that he or she has it all figured out life seems to repeat this same course and a person may experience some "rough terrain" again.  I think this HONY post is an excellent reminder of what is important in life.  For most of us Saint Mary's girls the goal as a child was to to do well in high school, get into a good college, graduate, and find a job that fulfills your "purpose."  The thing with this plan is that sometimes real life gets in the way, and things do not always work out the way that you once thought they would.  Maybe the major that you originally chose your freshman year seems a little dull and unfulfilling come junior year, or maybe your about to graduate and feel like finding a job on top of school is too much to handle.  I think the importance of this HONY post is to remind us that it really is important to stop and appreciate how far you have come in climbing your mountain.  It is incredibly frustrating to not reach the top, but there are alternative routes and why turn around when you have already made it so far?  During this "climbing of the mountain" it is also important to keep your identity in mind, and not just your goal, which is something I think both the man in the HONY post and Max struggle with.   I applied this post to Max because on his journey he is so focused on reaching the top of his own mountain that he forgets to stay true to his identity and who he truly is, and it seems like he sort of loses himself along the way.  Not giving up on your journey or your climb is important, but it's also important that you do not lose yourself in the midst of reaching the top of your mountain.

Translations: Experiences Reading a Play

Reading Translations was a bit different than reading the other books that we have analyzed and discussed because it is a play, meaning that the story is told in a different format.  What I like about reading a play is that I can sort of visualize and create the voices of the characters in my head and it also helps me to envision the setting of the play for each Act. I think that this helps me really get into the story and to analyze the dialogue a bit more than I do when reading a book.  However, there are some setbacks to reading a play rather than seeing one. While watching a play I like to sit close to the stage to see the facial expressions and body language because I think that really helps to get a better sense of the characters in a story, especially characters such as Sarah who is unable to express herself through speech.  This type of character makes me think that plays are better understood when acted out.  I also felt that some parts of Translation were a bit confusing and I might not have been so confused if the play was taking place on a stage in front of me.  Although plays do tell stories and stories can be read, I think that plays are better off acted out on stage so that a person in the audience can not only hear the dialogue, but also feel the emotion as the actors embrace their characters and make a story come to life.

Adichie

I really enjoyed hearing Adichie's lecture and I think she is truly an inspiring human being. I appreciated how candid she was throughout the entire lecture, and her presence filled the room to encourage both women and men to educate themselves on feminism and to believe it I think it spoke to each person in the audience in different ways.  For me, she brought up many topics that I think are often times overlooked in the monotony of everyday life because I, as a woman, am so used to how our culture is gendered that I often forget to really think about it and how it affects my opportunities and life in general. Most of what she said really spoke to me, but one thing in particular that she said really made me think. She said something along the lines of, "Don't worry about men so much. Girls are raised to think so much about men but men are not raised to do the same about girls." This made me really reflect on our culture and the differences between men and women and I find this statement to be incredibly true based on both my personal experiences and the experiences that I have read and heard.  I think as women we are constantly second guessing ourselves, and we are almost raised to do that whether that's in school, as a parent, or in the workplace.  Adichie really brought this to my attention, and I thought her lecture was extremely informative and well-done.

The Shivering

Two themes that we discussed on Wednesday that I think is seen again in "The Shivering" is personal growth and being heard, and I think in this chapter these two go hand in hand.

Although it takes two unfortunate events in Nigeria to bring two strangers, Ukamaka and Chinedu, together to form a friendship, it seems to be exactly what they both need. As the story within the chapter develops, it is clear to see how these two evolve from friendly strangers to close friends, and it is important to note how through each other they are able to also grow in a personal way.  Initially they develop a friendship based solely on the fact that they are both Nigerian and can relate during a time of pain and confusion for their country, but it turns out to be much more than that.  Ukamaka recently had her heart broken by a guy that she had built her life around, and Chinedu listens to her vent endlessly about the relationship that she had.  This is what Ukamaka needs because she had never had the ability or the opportunity to talk so openly or to be heard in her relationship with her ex.  Chinedu brings to her attention that she should examine her feelings more closely, and he explains that he had been in a similar relationship back home.  This allows Ukamaka to not only be heard but to also listen to someone else and gain another's point of view, which helps her develop a new perspective about her broken relationship.  You can see this realization when Ukamaka says, "How can a person claim to love you and yet want you to do things that suit only them? Udenna was like that" (Adichie 161).  Chinedu, much to Ukamaka's surprise, questions whether or not Udenna, her ex, ever even loved her at all.  Although offended, this is the moment where I think Ukamaka is most changed. She understands that Udenna's behavior did not make any sense, but she wanted him to love her so badly that she was blinded by his offensive actions.  Chinedu's words cut deep into Ukamaka, but he is heard. Therefore, she does not hold a grudge against him and insists that he talks to her.  Ukamaka learns that Chinedu is not even a student at Princeton, and she just staying with a friend while anxiously waiting to get a deportation notice.  I think that Chinedu leans on Ukamaka for support through their friendship even without disclosing this information at first.  They both develop personal growth by hearing each other's different points of view and supporting each other regardless of any differences.