Tag: history

Ranking all the Books I Read So Far in High School

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Along with a nice and accurate, but short, explanation of the tiers. The works listed early are the ones I favor relative to the others in the same tier.

It Does Not Deserve Rights: Ishmael (sorry Alvarez, but the gorilla gave me Neil DeGrasse Tyson vibes. Say that I’m privileging humanity all I want, but I will stand by my fervent hatred of this book. I rank John Steinbeck’s pro-euthanasia fantasy over this dribble).

I Respectfully Tolerate Them: The Crucible, The Things They Carried, Of Mice and Men, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (I feel like this is the unofficial “problematic faves” tier. It doesn’t mean that these works weren’t impactful in their own time or can’t still be enjoyed today, but reading them I felt that essential parts of the narrative’s worldview aged poorly, i.e. John Steinbeck’s pro-euthanasia fantasy. And since the worldview of a book is the basis for its themes and who the story is willing to develop, it means that these works, in my opinion, really suffer on their own merits).

Makes Sense They’re Classics: Julius Caesar, Siddartha, The Odyssey. (I find these to be the true neutral, and regard them in the way non-English people regard classic novels. Parts are genuinely moving, parts seem so divorced from contemporary standards for art that they are hard to engage with as a modern audience. A British actress I follow once said that Julius Caesar was her favorite Shakespeare play, which I found interesting because, though I’ve only read three of his plays, I think Julius Caesar is a bit bland by the Bard’s standards).

Uniquely Excellent: The Haunting of Hill House, Twelfth Night, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wuthering Heights, Brave New World, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, Cannery Row. (It’s my unofficial Whipple tier, I don’t know how she keeps doing this. I usually love these books because they have themes that I really resonate with, because they present interesting questions and tensions, or even because their words are written so wonderfully. But I also feel that these works are very much “favorites” in that I believe they stick in my mind because they have a lot of elements that I personally favor, and might not be universally applicable or endlessly nuanced.)

Actual Masterpieces: Romeo and Juliet, Invisible Man, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye. (These books are like the ones from the previous tier, but they are endlessly nuanced and readers can appreciate them even if they have wildly different interpretations of the text. Ambiguity is always the best thing about art, as arriving at a conclusion can make one feel like they’re part of the artistic process itself. To qualify for this rank, it also helps if every word in the work feels like it was written like magic, i.e. Romeo and Juliet and Invisible Man).

Set of 5 Vintage Books Customizable by Color Authentic Hardcover Farmhouse Wedding Table Decor Art Deco Literature Library Antique Bookshelf - Etsy

History of Los Angeles

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I recently came across this instagram account, which takes out pictures from old archives, specifically of Los Angeles (@ forgottenmadness_la). They pin down the exact location of where it was taken and often colorize them. These pictures come mostly from the early 1900s. They are particularly interesting to me because I grew up in Los Angeles, so to see how much the city has changed is really incredible. It looked like a completely different place (obviously), but its so crazy when I can actually recognize a building or where something was taken. In one video they posted you can even see the old apartment I used to live in. In general, the entire account is a great example of how much electronics and new technology have changed society.

pc:https://www.instagram.com/p/C2qVXN4v0cb/

Wandering

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Let me be your beacon,

let me be your guiding light.

I know you’re scared, tired, and broken,

but I’m here to hold you tight.

I know you hide your fears from me,

you get ashamed when you let them show,

but babe,

I’ve cried in your arms many times,

so please just let me know

what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours,

your wicked, twisted, brain

filled with lies and awful times,

but babe let me be your change.

I just want to love you,

you’ve been through so god damn much,

your beautiful soul deserves the world you know,

I wish you thought the same.

I’m sorry for everyone who hurt you,

you’re scared to let me in because you fear I’ll do the same.

Everyone you’ve loved has done you wrong,

but darling I’m not the same.

So let me be your beacon,

let me be your guiding light.

I know you’re scared, tired, and broken,

but I’m here to hold you tight.

Photo via: searchengineland.com

Statistics

mypetlobster11 Comment

Everyone on my mom’s side suffers from depression. Some members on my dad’s side are alcoholics and suicidal.

Addiction is 50% genetic and 50% due to poor coping skills.

Depression is 40% genetic and 60% environmental.

Due to this, I am 90% screwed.

Mental health is something that has affected my life for years and will continue to.

When I was thirteen I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and OCD.

By fourteen I was engulfed in an eating disorder that controlled and altered my life. My eating disorder was a blend of all evils, a coping skill for all my problems.

I hated my body, felt out of control in many aspects of my life, experienced great anxiety around food, and believed people would love me if I was skinny.

Starving myself fixed my problems, or at least I thought it did. I lost weight rapidly. I felt in control when I refused to eat. I got hooked in my ways.

But like for all things, the high only lasted so long… Even after losing sixty pounds, being underweight, and having every rib and bone in my spine visible, I still looked in the mirror and thought I was fat. My anxiety began to get worse, the panic attacks were hourly occurrences, and my heart began to fail due to the lack of calories and nutrients. I felt out of control once again, so I restricted even more.

It was a vicious cycle, and it continued… leaving me falling deeper into darkness, insanity, and sadness.

By the summer of that same school year, I was in the hospital. My struggles with mental health were close to taking my life.

Years have gone by now, and much has changed.

I no longer cope with anxiety and depression by restricting my food intake, I no longer weigh 80 pounds. I’m back in school, back in sports, and am much more emotionally stable.

But some things haven’t.

I still have anxiety attacks weekly, I still hate my body and worry about weight, and I am still extremely insecure and it affects how I act (making me seem full of myself when in reality I just need someone to reassure me that I’m not absolute shit). And lastly, I still feel out of control around food. I am unable to stop myself around certain types of food and it scares me.  I feel like my previous ability to say no to food has disappeared, and it scares me. I feel like I have gone from starving my self to binging. It scares me a lot.

I need to find balance and balance is hard to find.

Due to statistics and my past, mental health is something I am going to have to deal with for the entirety of my life.

I don’t like this, but I can’t change this. So every day I strive to find healthy ways to cope with the way my brain thinks, the emotions I feel, and my general outlook on life because I believe, with effort and dedication,  everyone has the opportunity to be happy, no matter how hard it may be.

Photo via usablilygeek.com

An Editorial on Milk

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There are many unanswered questions pertaining to human history. What was the first language? Why do we feel emotions? Exactly where did the first human come from? Yet one question rules over the rest, hovering over the heads of puzzled scientists. Why do we drink milk? Or, more specifically, who in the hell thought to pull on a pink dangling thing underneath a cow, see white stuff come out, and then DRINK IT? Sure, whoever this individual was, their logic wasn’t completely flawed, as humans spend the first year of their life drinking milk. But it could have gone very poorly.

Most likely the first Milkman was in fact a male, as men tend to have more dumb ideas than women. So this person happened to luck out by choosing a cow. It’s possible that he could have stumbled upon a cat and decided to milk it, which would likely have yielded fruitless yet harmless results. But say he had decided to milk a horse, or even worse, an alligator. The future of humans would have been drastically different. No milk means no Marie Antoinette saying “let them eat cake.” No milk means a race of people who don’t exceed 4 feet.  No milk means no mid-class gastrointestinal issues from Aaron.

Thankfully, the Milkman chose a cow. Now, imagine if you lived in a small community of 30 or so people, who may or may not have had language, and largely depended upon each other for resources. You have been living tranquilly in a temperate valley for the past 20 years, and in two years you will be old and die. Suddenly, Thag, the town fool rushes into your village holding a handful of white liquid, some of which appears to be dripping down his beard, a wild and crazed look in his eyes. Of course, you might assume the worst. But he tells you to drink it too, for it tastes good; and lo, it is, and rejoice! for Milk has been discovered. Soon, there will be cookies, ice cream, Got Milk? posters, and of course, yogurt. A revolutionary discovery has been made, and the world may never be the same again. So thank you, Milkperson, for not trying to milk an Emu. We appreciate it.

Credit: ThoughtCo

“Fences”

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Today I watched a movie called Fences with my English class. The movie is about an African-American family. The main characters are: an alcoholic, an old-fashioned father, a housewife, and their sons – one who wants to be a football player, and one who has a job related to music. The father is a stubborn character who wants his son to learn how to “survive” rather than play football.

This movie takes place after the segregation and discrimination against colored people was abolished, and when white and colored people became one nation. Time Changes by Rose Maxton tells us that the pain and the wounds in our hearts are healed as the time changes. Since tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I feel the need to recognize this tragedy in our history. I am glad that in my generation I can go to school and socialize with colored people. Because there were many abolitionists who worked hard for us to be equal, I can live in this great generation.

Photo credit: http://www.comingsoon.com

Women Who Have Changed Your Life

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What does it take to make a change?  From Rosa Parks to Marie Curie to Sacagawea, there is no shortage of powerful women who have made their mark on history.  In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8th and Women’s History month for the entire month of March,  I am going to spotlight just a few of the women who changed your life. 

  1. Lucretia Mott

Mott was the pioneer of the women’s right movement.  She fought for equal rights among all people.  In 1833, she helped to form the Female Anti-Slavery Society and organized the Seneca Falls Convention, a landmark women’s rights gathering. 

Her words to live by:  “The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, because in the degradation of woman, the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source.”

2. Maya Angelou

Angelou wrote seven autobiographical books, including her most well known I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  She was an active voice during the American cilvil rights movement.  In addition to her writings, Angelou made many people rethink their ideas about sex workers bu writing about her own experience as a sex worker.

Her words to live by: “Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud”

3. Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace was the only legitimate child of Lord Byron, one of England’s greatest poets.  Despite her father’s literary achievements, she is known for being the first computer programmer.

Her words to live by:  “That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal; as time will show.”

4. Madeleine Albright

Albright became the first female secretary of state in 1996, she paved the way for Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton.  She has never been afraid to speak her mind: She recently told CNN that the 2016 GOP primary race is “like children in a school yard calling each other names.”

Her words to live by:   “There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women.”

 

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/sites/default/files/headers/collection/150210_header_womens_history_month.jpg?1423584365

Lincoln, an Immortal Legend

enternity1030Leave a comment

Last night I dreamed about one of my favorite historical figure – Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of America’s greatest heroes due to both his incredible impact on the nation and his people. Served as the 16th President of the United States from 1861 to 1865, Lincoln was the first Republican president in America.

Born in a poor cabin in Kentucky in 1809, Lincoln grew up in frontier Kentucky and Indiana, where he was mostly self-educated. In the mid-1850s, Lincoln left the Whig Party to join the new Republican Party. In 1858, he went up against Senator Stephen Douglas, in a debate for the U.S. Senate. Lincoln lost that election, but his spectacular performance against Douglas made him a contender for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination. (“Miller Center”)

After his election, Lincoln vowed to preserve the Union. He eventually raised an army and navy of nearly 3 million northern men to face the south army during the Civil War. One of Lincoln’s greatest achievements is the Emancipation Proclamation 1863, which intended to free the slaves in the South. “Although the Proclamation did not free all slaves in the nation, it was an important symbolic gesture that identified the Union with freedom and the death of slavery.” As part of the Proclamation, Lincoln also urged black males to join the Union forces as soldiers and sailors. “By the end of the war, nearly two hundred thousand African-Americans had fought for the Union cause, and Lincoln referred to them as indispensable in ensuring Union victory.” (Bio.com.)

Even though he was assassinated in 1865, Lincoln is still considered as the greatest President in American history on the moral and political character of the nation. He was empowered not only to uphold the Constitution, but also to preserve, protect, and defend it. Therefore, Lincoln is an immortal legend in human history.

I could not remember what really happened in the dream but I can clearly recall that he told me that he had nothing to do with vampires.

Game of Thrones

Daphne Psaledakis1 Comment

For the past year I’ve laughed at everyone who watched Game of Thrones. I didn’t think much of the series, just that it seemed a little ridiculous. That was, of course, until Friday night, when I watched the first episode with a friend of mine.

I am now addicted.

Four days later, I’m almost done with the third season. The show is filled with never-ending suspense and action. It’s an intriguing mix of a make-believe world and our own history of lords and ladies, kings and queens, and even slavery.

The show is just a tad gory however. For someone who doesn’t like blood, it’s kind of gross. But overall, I think the show is fantastic.

San Diego, the Sleeping Beauty.

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Over the break, I headed to one of the most beautiful places – San Diego for a week.
I’ve heard of how attractive and magical the city is so I finally had a chance to discover this “dream place.”

Before we launched out journey, my dear friend Emmy made a three-page list including all the “must-go places” and “must-do things” in San Diego. She said, “you would never get bored in that city. There’s always so much things to do.” After all, I would say that she was completely correct.

We followed Emmy’s list to plan our schedules and each day we discovered something new about San Diego. We went to the USS Midway Museum to explore the history of Aircraft Carriers and got a chance to see the famous “Kissing Statue.” We went to the Coronado Island by the water taxi and visited the famous Hotel Del Coronado.

We also went to the strawberry lands to pick up our own strawberries. They were huge and super sweet strawberries and honestly I’ve never tasted that fresh strawberries! They were just amazing.

The next day we went to Balboa Park, where numerous museums are located. It was extremely sunny and warm. We walked around the park and visited some Spanish historical galleries.

Later in the afternoon we headed to the Old Town, which became my favorite site in San Diego. Old Town is like a small community full of culture and history. It is considered as the birthplace of California, where the first Europeans settled. The whole little town was filled with laughter and music. There were lots of stores and museums as well and mostly about the old European or Indian things.

We walked along the road and forget the time till we met the sunset.
The golden sunshine poured on the street and I believe I just saw one of the most gorgeous moments in the world. Then the lights became alive. I picked up my camera and saved the natural beauty. By the way, Old Town has the best Mexican food in the world.

Anyways, eight days are obviously not enough so I need to go to San Diego again to finish Emmy’s list.

I would describe San Diego as the sleeping beauty. She lies there, quiet but charming.

It is nearly impossible to not fall in love with her because once you awaken her, she would invade your heart gently and never leave again.