Chains tied both men and women: Gender Stereotype

In part one, I briefly introduced what Little Women is about and my favorite protagonist, Jo. By illustrating their daily lives, the author pointed out many social issues people confront in reality. This still but page-turning novel is an adaption based on the author's real experience back in 19 century, which means that she might have been limited by absurd principles herself or witnessed the torturing of unfair treatment. She observed unreasonable or ridiculous phenomena and had them down with her gifted writing hand. One of the issues that I care about the most is the stereotype about sexes. In the late 19 century, gender shackles had already existed to chain the hands of both men and women. Women couldn't compose as they wished, and men were supposed to hold paper instead of putting hands on piano keys. Those were what happened to Joe and her best friend, Lourie. 

 

 Women's Typical Life in 19 century 

From what I observed, Joe is a girl born to an eminent writer because she is sensitive to her environment and people. She can see, tell and feel more than her sisters, although she doesn’t act like a fine lady and loves to speak with slang. Most importantly, reading is all she wants to do the most once there is space in tons of house chores. While reading books, her mind will no longer stay in her body but in the world of books' setting background. Knowing the irresistible charm of a novel, she knows how to compose, which I can hardly do. There is once that Amy threw Jo's manuscript into fire because she is not allowed to watch the play with Jo and Meg. When Jo found out her script went missing, those paper have burned into ashes. Her anger is a lifted fire in the forest that will only burn more and more. Overwhelmed by her anger, she even shouted that she won't forgive Amy as ling as she lives. Although she is reasonable when saying that, it shows the importance of writing inside her heart. After she works officially as a writer, things happen. Not being the trending topic, her works are rejected so many times until she compromise (Thankfully, she changed her style back and eventually publishes a best seller.) Other reason is her gender. Ignored as a female writer, her writing career doesn’t go well in the starting line because male writers were the majority in that area. In her era, many limitations blocked women from getting well-paid jobs or higher positions. The stereotypes chained them in houses as “proper” wives, and men were also deprived of their rights. 

Men were not the absolute Winners

Lourie will be considered a considerate man with the finest manner if he is born in my time. I can tell that by reading his sweet assistants for Jo and Meg, his gentle behaviors in interactions with others and his uttering. He is the exact Mr. Charming for girls who want a caring bf ❤️. Within his times, his personality seemed too weak and girly by the social impression that men should be rugged and masculine. Even the dream of being a pianist is rejected firmly by his grandfather, Mr. Lourie. In his expectation, Lourie ought to engage in business as his grandson and heir so his future is promising. Men weren’t totally those who benefited from the gender stereotype, at least not in Lourie boy’s case.

The issue of gender equality never cools down because people won't give up until they make it. After entering college, I have heard countless addresses and events related to gender equality, which may be why the comparison between Jo and Lourie relates to me a lot. In the process of reaching the balance, both women and men are valued.

Atomic habits

What I have learned from the first part of this book?

(1) 1% better every day.

A tiny changes, a tiny improvement can makes our final result much better. Just as the author said, if you improve just only one percent better than yesterday, you will soon find out that you will be 37.78 times better next year. In contrast, if you are having 1 percent of decline. You can only reach 0.03 times as now. Therefore persistence is an important things. We should always tried to improve ourselves and be self discipline.

 

(2) The plateau of latent potential

Actually result is not as we have expected in the beginning. We always expect our result should be proportional to our time spent inside. However, the curve is not a slope with constant coefficient, instead it is an exponential curve which we might not seen the result at the beginning but finding out a tremendous rewards after a specific amount of time and effort spent. And the key timing is so called the threshold.

 Reflection

After reading this books I starts to realize that how powerful a habit could be. I realize that what we should focus on is not the final goal, instead, its the tiny steps that we have walked through. We should always forget about goals but focusing on our current steps. That's the key leads to our success. Just as this author has said, both winner and loser shared the same goal, therefore, the only difference between them is just whether they focus on their daily improvement. That's the sentences that impress me most and I really looking forward to read the following chapter of this book .

This book is really interesting and as it has introduce lots of knowledge to me and most of the knowledge are strongly bonded with our daily life.

Little Woman Reflection Part II

 Reflection 

1. The long-lasting family bond.

"Life is too short to be angry at one's sister" 

The relationship of the four sisters in the March family is envied by many people who have sisters. However, at the same time, we are still fighting with our family members. We are arguing with each other and making a fuss over trivial matters. In fact, as Jo stated in the story, life is fading away without a trace. The only time we can have a good long talk with our families is when we are in school, those few short decades, nearly just one-fifth of our lives.

 Children nowadays, whether they are minors or adults, are more or less unable to see their families often due to their absence from their hometown. It is only during special festivals that they can be reunited with their families. The March family has shown us the warmth and sincerity of a family."Home will always be our security blanket." When we encounter setbacks and failures, we can look back at them and see that they are always there when we need them.

In actuality, the centerpiece of the March family has always been Mrs. March, who looks elegant and dignified and does not get angry easily. The girls always loved to gather around their "Marmee" and listen to her warm, calm voice, whispering bit by bit, listening to their thoughts and countless joys and sorrows. We all get angry, but family is still family. Don't let external things affect your feelings for your family. It is better to forgive than to resent. Mrs. Ma was always the typical representative of independent women in those days. I hope that they do not "marry for the sake of marriage", but to find the right person "marry for love" to be happy.

2. Contentment 

In the story, the March family is originally a wealthy family, but the family has fallen on hard times, often need to save money, can not freely use the expenses, to buy their favorite things. Although Meg loves beautiful clothes, for the sake of her husband and children, she is willing to sacrifice her own vanity to feed her family; although Beth knows that her family is poor and humble, she is still willing to help the Hummel family, who are in more need. Jo knew the situation at home, but never felt frustrated by it. Instead, she was free and at ease, not envying the luxurious life of others, but only finding her own pleasure in poverty and living actively and happily. She always enjoys the sense of accomplishment that comes with self-reliance, and that women can make their own way without relying on men. 

When a problem arises, instead of reflecting on themselves, they look at people and things outside of themselves and blame others. If we keep saying "if only we could have this" or "if only I could do this," and forget that what we have may be very valuable to someone else.  We should not cling to vague prosperity, but rely on ourselves, one step at a time, just like Jo chasing her dream We can be inspired by the trials and tribulations, gain the wisdom and growth of other individuals, and pave our path with bright colors.

Reflection part 2 on " the stranger on the lifeboat": Belief in good will always prevail evil

Reflection part 2 on " the stranger on the lifeboat": Belief in good will always prevail evil

Some truths on the life raft were uncovered. There was a scheme, which was plotted long before the yacht's voyage. Dobby, the cousin of Benji, who is the protagonist of this novel, sneakily brought a bomb onto the vessel. Dobby thinks the world is unfair. It only favors a group of people, those with wealth, status, and privileges. Ordinary people like him would never have the chance to fight for their own fates, for those men of note tightly grasped their destinies. Since little, Dobby has borne this grudge in his mind, and he eventually takes the last action to throw his criticism of this world by blowing up the ship. Dobby asked Benji to assist him, for he knew pretty well that Benji was also desperate and disappointed in this world as him.

 

    Benji refused his request, while he didn’t stop Benji the last time he saw him. He assumed what Dobby said would not going to happen. While eventually, Dobby literally implemented this felony. So far, Benji is the accomplice of this tragic accident. He missed and even gave up the opportunity to stop these horrible things from happening. He just sat back shielded himself from the fear of the unknown.

Nonetheless, this novel also reveals two opposite sides of humanity, good and evil. In our eyes, Benji has been the sinner for the sinking yacht, and he is far from being a “victim” of this incident. When Dooby told him his plan, he was in deep fear. He knew all the people would die from the bombard, including themselves. He trembled when thinking about the outcome, and there was always a voice telling him not to consider all these sinful deeds when Dobby tried to induce him. He seethed and told Dobby, “You are talking about killing people,” and he shook his head toward Dobby. Benji was also suffered from the sink of his morality and struggled with the choice of maintaining humanity and surviving. When other people on the boat asked Benji to catch the bird on the flap of the canopy, he prayed for it to fly, save itself, save him. The man doesn’t even dare to kill a bird when facing a life-and-death matter, how come he would be willing to heartlessly kill hundreds of people? Benji kept pacing up and down in the doorway of irredeemable hell, while he never really turned the door handle of falling.

 

    We are human beings, and good and evil are fluid. They composed the complexity of human nature. Even though evil exists and might always exist, the faith of trusting the power of goodwill eventually prevails over evil and empowers the belief in men's goodness.

The Midnight Library

 

The book I picked is called “ The midnight Library” written by Matt Haig. The style of the novel is fantasy. It was published on 18 August 2020.

Summary

The story opens with “nineteen years before she decided to die.” A girl “Nora Seed” is a thirty-five years old woman who is depressed about her life and eventually decides to die. As I mentioned above, the story starts nineteen years ago before she commits suicide. Through those nine years, she lost her dad, job, dream, hobby, her beloved boyfriend, and she even lost her cat in a car accident. she lost everything she had. And even more, she needed to live far apart from her best friend “Izzy” because Izzy moved out to Australia. 

After she lost everything, she felt unneeded, isolated, and hated herself. She decided to take pills and overdose at the midnight. 

When she woke up she realized that she is in somewhere covered by full of mists. When the misty vapor cleared, she realized that she is in the building. The size was the same as the church or a small supermarket. She discovered there are infinite amounts of books. When she was exploring that room she met Mrs. Elm who was her old school librarian nineteen years ago. She said the room is called “ the midnight library” and she is Nora’s guide. Mrs. Elm told Nora that Nora is now in the middle of the life and death zone. All the books have stories of the life where Nora could have lived. Nora could try all the stories she desired again and could stay in the library or the stories as much as she wants. The only opportunity she could die is she doesn’t feel disappointed in the life in that story, if her disappointment is felt in full, she will soon send back to the midnight library. 

First, she tried living with her ex-boyfriend “Dan” who nearly had married her. She remembered his dream was owning a small pub in the country. Therefore, she asked Mrs.Elm to let her try the story between Nora and Dan. She tried and realized that life with Dan became bored than her memory and expectation. She only discovered that Dan eventually had cheated on her and happy memory would put too many expectations. 

Next, she decided to go to the life where her cat “Volts” was kept in the room and wasn’t been hit by a car because she was very regretting that she didn’t keep Volt in her house and it caused her death. She is teleported to her room and found out Volt has died in the room. Mrs. Elm told her it was sad to see dead Volt again, but she could know Volt actually died because of her health condition. Nora also noticed Volt loved her so much, because the cat tried to hide from their beloved when they die.

Now, Nora is going into the story where Nora decided to go to Australia with Izzy. 

Reflection

Honestly, until I moved into the part Nora started having another life. I couldn't keep reading the story for a long time. Because her life was very depressed and unhappy. All the words that express her life and feeling were very negative and the situations she faced were so careless. I just couldn't read them. However, since Nora got lost in

At the midnight library, I started loving this novel very much! I always wondered what is gonna happen after I die and was scared of dying. Although Nora’s story is between life and death, it makes me feel a bit excited about the life after I die. Every story she went, I could see that her thought is changing step by step in a good way.” I'm very excited to read how she is gonna change and how her life ends!!!!

P.S. I decided to change the novel from modern love since that novel is a collection of short stories and too hard to write a summary and reflection every single story. But I also liked that novel so I will try to read it when I have free time☺️

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY (part I)

"You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret... is to press play."

This is the best quote to describe the novel. And it's also printed on the back cover of the book. When you read this quote at first sight, you may be curious about the meaning. After you finish the book, you'll soon understand the message behind it.

Book Intro

Hannah Baker is a high school student who suicided because of being bullied in the school. More specifically, Hannah's classmates spread rumors about her, laughed at her, excluded her from the class, what's worse, she was once raped. Hannah used 7 tapes to record the 13 reasons why she ended her life. There will be 13 people in the recording. Hannah explained about what role that person plays in her death. 

Reflection

Actually, this book also adapted to TV series in 2017. In fact, I want to watch it on NETFLIX, but I heard from my friends that this drama is a little bit scary. (Because there's some suicide and rape scenes.) So I decide to read the novel first. XD 

Hannah's classmates didn't know their words and behaviors will do harm to her until they got the tapes. These people think that their behaviors are harmless, however, it does influence Hannah's life. We all need to speak and act cautiously, otherwise we easily hurt someone unintentionally. 

There's a special feature in this novel, the author wrote about Hannah's recording and at the same time described the reaction of Clay, Hannah's classmate who received the 13 tapes first and also the first person perspective in the story. In the book, using two different fonts to differentiate Hannah and Clay's word. This kind of writing way attracts me to keep reading, and make me curious about the plot.

Before Hannah try to suicide, she was once look for help. She talked to the school guidance counselor, Mr. Porter. But he only told Hannah to forget it, don't put it on her mind. He didn't give any actual support to Hannah, that's the last straw that break the camel's back. Hannah realized that no one will lend her a hand, she felt very depressed and decided to kill herself. When I read this part, I feel very melancholy. How can a school guidance counselor not notice Hannah's hopelessness and just say something irresponsible. I think that Hannah is willing to tell Mr. Porter her story is very courageous, it's not easy for a victim to speak out. You can see that there are so many victims won't tell anybody about themselves because they are afraid or they think it's very shameful. So Hannah must think again and again, and then decide to tell. When we notice that someone need a hand, we should support them immediately. If Mr. Porter helped Hannah at that time, maybe she won't be dead. This book really indicated many important issues, I will discuss the teenagers suicide problems in the next log!

"Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen" chapter 1-3

The New York Times bestseller "Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen", written by Donald Miller, is a book about storytelling in marketing. Why do so many businesses fail even with good products and lots of marketing materials? Why do customers click to another website without placing an order? What do customers really want? All these questions are answered in the book.

What's the relationship between story and marketing?

Stories are agreed by many branding experts to be the most powerful tool that helps organize information. Since story is a sense-making mechanism, customers don't have to burn too many calories trying to understand the message given on the marketing collateral.

How to do good branding?

★ Related to customers' real needs

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, it's human's primitive need to survive and thrive, so positioning products and services as something that help people survive, thrive, be accepted, find love, or achieve an aspirational identity can definitely attract customers and increase sales. However, if the information of products or services that companies provide have nothing to do with helping customers survive or thrive, customers will ignore them.

★ Deliver simple and clear message

When customers receive too much or too complicated information, they will ignore the information to conserve calories, which means the survival mechanism in their brain will start working when facing useless or confusing information. The more simple the communication is, the easier it is for customers to understand you and listen to you.

Alfred Hitchcock once said that a good story is like life with the dull parts taken out. Good branding is the same. The unnecessary and confusing information should not exist in a good story, or the audience is going to burn many calories trying to understand. But how do we know whether the marketing is simple and clear for customers? If customers can answer the below questions after looking at the website or ads of a company, then they are likely to be potential customers.

1. What does the company offer?

2. How will the products or services make customers' lives better?

3. What do customers need to do to buy the products?

Reflection

After reading this book, I started to pay attention to marketing collateral in our daily life to see if it really followed the rules written in the book. Does the information focus on customers' survival in a simple and clear way? Or does it provide too much information that customers cannot find the core message?

I think Apple can be the most successful example in marketing. Their advertisements feature their customers as the hero in the story, not the products. They don't tell customers all the technical features that normal people don't understand. Instead, they are telling customers' story and inserting themselves into it. Their commercials are so simple and clear that even those who are not their fans can immediately understand the products' functions.

People don't buy the best products; they buy the products they can understand the fastest.

Beowulf: Argument with Unferth

    According to the previous log, I have talked about the use of writing structure in Beowulf, such as alliterative verse variation, dramatic reversal, and kennings. As I read furthermore, Beowulf is obviously like most of the epic stories, where the main character is always the strongest and most masculine, thus matching the indecisive heroine and the evil monster, but in the first half of the story, of course, some people questioned Beowulf. During the banquet in Heorot, Unferth, the Danish minister who doubted Beowulf's ability, Unferth asked "How could a man who can't win at a swimming contest can kill Grendel ?" Beowulf said that day he and Breca, the god of swimming, were actually evenly matched, mainly because he lost to fight off the sea monster, and retorted that Unferth was famous for killing two brothers who were in bed with his mother. After dealing with Unferth, the king told Beowulf that if he could fight off Gredel, he would give him the golden goblet he had taken from Fafnir.

    In my opinion, I think Unferth is presented in contrast to Beowulf, providing a glimpse of a poor warrior in contrast to Beowulf's good warrior. Unferth is boastful, just as Beowulf is, but unlike Beowulf, Unferth lacks the moral courage to back up his boasts, and he never does anything to stand against Grendel. I believe this is somehow the reason why he also does not like Beowulf, because the bitterness of Unferth's chiding of Beowulf about his swimming match with Breca clearly reflects his jealousy of the attention that Beowulf receives. It probably also stems from his shame at being unable to protect Heorot himself, he is clearly not the sort of great warrior whom legend will remember.

As I read more, surprisingly, Unferth later admits Beowulf's superiority after the defeat of Grendel and lends him a treasured sword, Hrunting, which is for the battle with Grendel's mother. In this part, I have suspect that Unferth's character flaws will surface again, but he has been humbled and I think he has improved for the purposes of this story, and of course, I am gonna save the most exciting part in my next log on how Beowulf defeat Grandel and the attitude toward both parties.

 

Reflection： Pride and Prejudice

As Jane is invited to Mr. Bingley’s home, she is caught by rain, which is Mrs. Bennet’s plan. Then, she gets a severe cold, and then Mr. Bingley has to take care of her and keep her stay in his house. As soon as Elizabeth hears of that bad news, she can not ride so she walks to Mr. Bingley’s house in order to visit his sister. It takes three miles to his house, which is as long as one and a half laps of The National Palace Museum. It shows that her affection for Jane is more than other siblings to Jane. When their mom only cares a lot about whether Mr. Bingley has a crush on Jane, the merely sick is not a big deal. As I have mentioned before, nothing is more important than the marriage of her daughters.

While Elizabeth is living in Mr. Bingley’s house, she gets to know more about Mr.  Darcy who finds her more attractive than others. After reading to Chapter 13, I have perceived that Elizabeth is a girl who likes to straight talk without disguise and is full of critical thinking and humor from the conversation between Mr. Darcy and her. Although she thinks Mr. Darcy dislikes her, she is willing to understand him and also forgive and forget him. I think this is how a fine woman should act with great wisdom and art. Besides, she never shows off about herself, no matter how well-learned she is. Instead, she is humble and persevering.

On the other hand, Mr. Darcy is strangling his feelings to her, while Miss. Bingley is jealous of Elizabeth since she has a crush on Mr. Darcy. Is not it the way how Mr. Darcy protects Elizabeth from being teased by Miss Bingley? He even says something that complies with Miss. Bennet to avoid any resentment for Elizabeth. It depicts that actually Mr. Darcy is well-observed and can see people through perfectly rather than be indifferent and apathetic. Is it his pride to behave this way? However, the pride here may be inconsistent with what I have known. As Mr. Darcy has said “Where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation.”, Elizabeth turns away to hide a smile and said, “I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has no defect. He owns it himself without disguise.”. What Mr. Darcy means may be that if there is a pearl of true wisdom in one’s mind, the pride is reasonable to be under it. I think it is another way of expressing the number of people who have read and are informed is little in that time so people with that ability may well feel proud. But he does admit that it is one of the weaknesses in humanity. Thus, in my opinion, the honesty to face himself and his authentic personality make him become flawless. Since he knows himself very well, he acts and behaves without pretense.

Their conversation makes me feel that being proud is not a bad thing if you are being true to yourself and being aware of your disadvantages in personality. Once you notice them, you won’t expose them with unconsciousness as Mr. Darcy says “But it has been the study of my life to avoid that weakness which often exposes a strong understanding to ridicule.”. This has gradually subverted my ideas and I can not wait to see what will happen between them.

Reflection: Three Sisters (2)

Summary for this week:

 

Cibi, the eldest sister. Magda, the middle. Livi, the youngest. Menachem, sisters’ father. Chaya, sisters’ mother. Yitzchak, sisters’ grandfather.

 

    Today, Cibi and Livi are departing. They are leaving for the synagogue where they received religious instruction during their childhood. The place full of happy memories becomes a hostile space. Some parents coming along with their daughters were dragged away by the guards. Tomorrow, they will move on to another camp far away from here, starting to work for the Nazis with dread, so the kids are asked to get some sleep yet without mattresses or pillows.

    They arrive at the main camp, where they will be working for a while, maybe a few days, months, or years. The guards provide them with mattresses they promised, which are bundles of straw with tiny companions, fleas. Their lives there become harder and harder every day. Hair all over their bodies is shaved; they look like boys lacking dignity. Infected with typhus, they feel unwell but there is nothing they can do. They cannot show illness or weakness, or they will get shot immediately. The Nazis need useful workers. Therefore, Cibi lives better, comparatively, since she knows how to write and type. And she can receive a few privileges to help her little sister.

    All these last for months, summer to winter

 

 

Reflection

This week, I see them working, from dread to despair. None of us could imagine how hard their lives are. They sleep on straw, while we stay at comfortable places with warm clothes, soft pillows. They have no cure for typhus and whether die or not depends on luck. Conversely, although we suffered from COVID in the past few years, we have vaccines to prevent us from dying. Every day, they live under the fear and threats of death. Some of them even become numb after seeing so many peers die from bullet shots and illness.

There are more details described in the novel. They need to drag wagons on their own like horses. Some of their workplaces are far from the camp they live in, as a result, wearing shoes or not, they must walk for miles to get there. Their feet were wounded due to the rugged path.  The ration of food could hardly satisfy their hunger. 

When I was reading the plots, I was shocked because of the inhumane drudgery they were asked to do. Compared to them, I feel like living in a wonderland, worrying about nothing but what to eat for lunch. I own everything in need, but still long for luxurious stuff. There might be some places suffering from all levels of trouble. We can't realize the unfairness and miseries while standing on the same ground. There might not be too many we can do. However, there must be something we can do though it doesn't seem great enough.  

Cibi and Livi didn't die because of the hardship mentioned above. And again, I know what's supporting them under those difficulties, sisters' strong connection. When Livi was ill, Cibi was with her all the time and told her to be sturdy. Why? Because their families were waiting for them to come back. The desire of staying alive so as to return home surpassed every pain they were enduring. They were, undoubtedly, tough and dauntless.

   

the Metamorphasis - 2nd Book Reflection Part 1

Book Summary

On one unexplained turn of events, Gregor Samsa, a salesman, wakes up having been transformed into an insect. Gregor, instead of searching for clues to himself back into a man, finds himself worrying over the inconsequential and peripheral mundane things, such as being late for work, providing for his inconsiderably needy family, and facing his boss. Everybody relied on him, but he can not do anything. He is a bug. If only there was a way to turn him back to the man is was, will any of this be easier? Yet, the reason behind his strange transformation is never explained. 

The Author

The Metamorphasis is one of the great works from the German novelist Franz Kafka. Kafka was born skinny and sickly. Having trusted his firstborn child would take on the family business, Kafka's father would put him under great pressure into molding him to become the dream child. However, that was never the case for Franz, and because of his innate traits, he was subjugated to abuse from his father of high standards. The irresistible sense of hopelessness did not fade away in his adult years and followed through in his time in the office. He became sicker by the minute and spent his dying years writing short stories. Stories that he thought meant little meaning to the world. He even asked his friend to burn all the manuscripts as his dying wish. Luckily, he did not listen and used up most of his time collecting and organizing Kafza's pieces of art. In the short life of Franz Kafka, he never knew his short stories would become one of the greatest works in literature. He never knew he would become one of the influential thinkers and novelists in the 20th century. And thus, was the birth of a word of significant meaning: Kafkaesque. 

"Kafkaesque" Definitions

"extremely, unpleasant, frightening and confusing, and similar to situations described in the novels of Franz Kafka." - Cambridge Dictionary

"having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality." - Merriam Webster 

The term Kafka was to pay homage to Franz Kafka's exceptional pieces of literature. Some of his famous works illustrate the main protagonist is in a strange, complex, and illogical situation. Even having finished the book, you will be left confused about how the situation become so horribly in the first place, and yet, the mystery remains unexplained. 

What struck me about the great works of Franz Kafka is not because of the interesting plot, but his idea of the value of human life. There is simply no "moral of the story" inside of the metamorphosis, and Gregor Samsa was not the hero of his own unfortunate story. He is just but an ordinary man facing the daily struggles of providing for his family and working an exhausting job. Given that Franz hated his job as an office worker, his stories shed a light on the burden he encounters all day. Possibly, other people who felt they are stuck in an endless cycle of burdens and encumbrances can find comfort in the similarity of their own ordinary lives, and I was no exception. 

The Book of Moods: BEAUTY

Born as a female, I believe every lady shares the same anxiety and depression regarding BEAUTY. The thought of "I can never be pretty" can always drag me into a dark, deep, bottomless hole of self-doubt in a few seconds. I clearly know that I am not the only victim who has been suffered from this since the first day I can name the adjective "BEAUTIFUL."

Let's face it, we are all living in a world which generally adores good-looking people, and whether a person is pretty or not becomes a new standard for the public to judge, especially women. Women love to judge others, whether it is about appearance or figure; even the makeup and smell can be the seasoning when gossiping. Poor women are always the hunter and the prey.

Frankly speaking, I don't think I am either ugly or chubby. Still, every time I see a random girl with shining big eyes and a perfect waistline on the street, I feel like I'm a crown. Sometimes I just finished a lovely makeup, took some cute selfies, got ready to get compliments from my Instagram followers, and posts from hotties like @Katherine_linn @mialiiiu @honeyhannah_20 would pop up on my screen. My fragile confidence breaks into pieces all of a sudden. What's sad is that even the prettiest people like them would sometimes feel unconfident with their amazing looking.

It is too hard to love yourself when you hate the same person in the mirror. Natural imperfections like pimples, wrinkles, freckles, and numerous flaws and asymmetries are slowly torturing and harming women. Because we need superiority to feel secure, though this is cruel and sick. Admit it or not, we need to be prettier than others to be more confident. Why does this happen? I just cannot figure it out. 

The author of this book provides a few solutions to get through those hard times when you think you are ugly. What a pity that all those solutions did not work out for me :( ??? So I am not going to share those stuff here. 

I just want to say, if you don't think you are beautiful or lack confidence, first, try to make yourself prettier. Exercise or watch some makeup tutorials, or start building habits whatever is helpful for your appearance. Second, make friends with those who can find your actual value is. Beauty is not the only method to gain superiority. Moderate compliments will bring you happiness and confidence. Third, focus on your hobbies. Well goes a proverb, "Earnest women are the prettiest." once you are determined to do something and really go for it, the energy you bring will easily affect others. In this way, even you still cannot think you are beautiful, I believe others except you will do :)

The Midnight Library

 

Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

Publication: 2021/02/18

The story is about a woman named Nora, who lives nothing but a normal life. She feels unaccomplished and unwilling, and her despair is accumulated for a long time; therefore, she decides to kill herself one day. After committing suicide, however, she doesn’t go to heaven or hell. Instead, she finds herself in the Midnight Library which is filled with the books that store parallel lives that she might have lived. She is given the chance to undo the regrets and fulfill ideals by trying out those lives. 

What if I have the chance to live another life, will I give up the life that I live right now. The answer may be yes before I start reading the story. Recently, I consider my life boring. I live a similar life day by day. Back to high school life, life was even more similar, like studying all day and rushing to bed after school. Life was boring, but there was a goal. The goal was to have good grades and get permitted to the college. The imagination of future life and the faith of being strong enough to support the colorless days. However, after entering college. There is no explicit and distinct goal anymore. My recent life is all about studying and waiting for the days passed. I feel anxious when my life is dull and It seems like I am living just for living, not for my life. By chance, I noticed this book. Some ideals came to my mind while reading the story. I want to experience the decision as Nora does in the story. I want to experience the parrel life with different decisions from now. Actually, I will imagine what my life would be if I study abroad because I didn’t hesitate the chance in my senior. Will I be a language major as now? Will I meet people that have similar thoughts with me? Will I have a different career plan? I used to feel regret about the miss and wanted to fix the mistake. However, after reading the story, I still feel pity, but I will choose the decision as I have chosen. Life is kind of boring though, but it is so-called life. I can’t expect that life would be filled with fun and joy; however, if I have a different attitude toward life, my days are the same, but my mind would be more colorful even the change is slight.

While reading to the end of the story, I learned it is important not to live in regrets. If keeping thinking that I will be much better if I have chosen another decision, life will be harsh afterward. There are always difficulties and obstacles in every single life. Therefore, there is no perfect life even undoing or correcting all mistakes that we have made. To sum up, instead of living in regrets, it is more effective to sincerely live our following days and make them meaningful.

Review: The Giver of Stars

Author: Jojo Moyes

Genre: Historical Fiction

What I like in this book:

The author’s writing.    It’s a history-based story in 1930 Kentucky, America. About an English woman, Alice, marrying the local man and stories around the heroine and people around her. The author, Jojo Moyes, has a fascinating sense of writing drew and sucked readers in her story. It made me feel. As I see it, the brilliant writing was mostly in the first half of the book, the storyline gets more dramatic on the second half. Her details and the description on characters have easily put me into the imaginary of novel.

Map of the South from Wiki

Glimpse of history.        Pack horse library project is a program that delivered books to remote regions in the rural area around 1940. Pack librarian are mainly women in the past as well as the story. In 1930, around a-third of Kentuckian couldn’t read, historian Donald C. Boyd notes that "Workers viewed the sudden economic changes as a threat to their survival and literacy as a means of escape from a vicious economic trap." There is always something more if novels developed based on histories and I believe it assist readers, especially me, to get some perspective to it.

Main topics it covers:

Women, marriage, society     There’re always discussions and advocation of women’s right, women’s life and development and stuff like that. The novel not only put out some image of independent women also with the marriage of two who lost their love bit by bit of husband’s father and the personality clash of the couple. Although the image of Alice’s father-in-law was, as I saw it, too purely unfavourable throughout the whole story from start to the last description of him (I understand it will be too complicated if adding more on him within the four hundred pages), we could still find somewhat resemble in the conventional marriage life in Asian families nowadays. Marriage-life and women’s career with their behaviour should control by her own as the buzzword ‘independent women’. Broader mindset among the public could also stop the pressure of a woman who decided how her way of life – staying with her beloved man in the pass ten years without marrying him, decided to raise a baby in the last fifty page of the story – will definitely show the respect and build a better society by our own actions.

Coloured and injured              The value back in 1930s admittedly were different from what we believe now in 2020s. Separate facilities were still exist but diminishing; workers were send back with little compensation after industrial accident that was not seems to recovered to the same health quality had no discussion on. Characters under Jojo’s novel hasn’t too radical about it but the helpless to those conditions lend to financial struggle, definitely gave me a firmer belief of we should thank for the state we life present and still work hard to provide more justice in our together-power for future. 

Favourite characters:

Margery O’Hare         The pillar of librarians, she once helped Alice get away from the harassment in a bar. A man slid an arm around Alice’s shoulders and flash over her chest, Margery interposes he and her fearlessly leaning forward to whispering in his ear to worn him only with words get his hand away from her and smile at him albeit anger and danger of what the man would do to herself.

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In a few words, I personally love the ways of the writing and enjoy it with the uplifting finale very much, it would be perfect if the story could be less naïve in its ideology and more climactic plot through the middle before it ends.  

Question: If you have the choice to move and live in an unfamiliar country because of marriage where only build the relationship in long distance, will you opt to it?

 YOU Chapter5 to 8 

Reflection

OMG! Joe stole Beck’s phone! That uncertainty in me toward this book has become real certain! Originally I just thought that Joe was a little bit weird, he was probably just kind of mad, crazy, and creative, but now he's checking her e-mails and everything on the phone also he managed to unlock the phone. But anyway, the story continues! Joe followed Beck to a bar (which I’ve mentioned in the last log), he followed her all the way to the subway when she left the bar, she was so drunk and couldn’t even walk or stand properly. Joe was there observing everything, and somehow Beck dropped her phone off the platform, Joe was watching and I knew he was waiting for this kind of opportunity! He didn’t rush in and tell Beck to back off from the rail, he watched her climb down the platform and now it’s his time. He jumped off the platform and save her and accompanied her to her place, which he already knew where it is, but had to pretend like he didn’t know. 

Beck was home and was looking for her phone, but couldn’t find it, the truth is Joe stole her phone while they were in a taxi on their way home. What’s the purpose of doing that? Joe will do anything in his power to know Beck better, make sure things are all under his eyes. By the way, he met the guy Benji but not face to face, he was in the taxi with Beck, and Benji is outside, who is “kind of” her boyfriend, but not, also their relationship was super unhealthy. 

Joe headed back to the book store, went downstairs to the basement. There’s an acrylic room, a big box for book preservation, transparent and equipped with temperature and humidity control. I wondered why he was to introduce the box and the basement, I guess I'll just have to keep reading.  

Joe has outstanding skills in observing, and his behavior was so smooth, that Beck, no even I could barely tell what's in his head. He fake up an e-mail account as a bussiness man, and mailed Benji that he was interested in Benji's start-up bussiness, invited him to his basement, said:"Let's meet up at the near book store, the basement there was private and exclusive."

That is the end of chapter 8. Things are finally leading us to that basement, I'm really curious what Joe's gonna do with Benji, they met before, but Joe was in the taxi and it was dark in the night, so,  I think Benji didn't get to have a good look on Joe's face. Anyway if you are still here, thanks for the reading, can't wait to find out what Joe was planning, and see you next week!

Log 3, Flipped

 

Hello, this is Carolyn again. Here comes my third log. There's good news that I want to tell you is that I have read lots of chapters this time. The reason is that plots are so touched and meaningful to me. As I said in log 2, this book tells the story in two distinct voices: Bryce and Juli. Thus, my angle of vision could consistently be switching between the perspectives of two people when reading plots, which would naturally bring out the story's contradictions. What impresses me most is the incident of the sycamore tree. From Juli's perspective, the value of the sycamore tree isn't an ordinary plant, but it provides a place that gives her a sense of security and helps to broaden her horizons. By viewing the scene from staying on the tree, she not only came up with different levels of thoughts and feelings but even realized the notion of "the whole being greater than the sum of the parts." When I read this part, I was shocked by her change; her ideological maturity has even surpassed her peers. To Juli, the tree has become her friend to express her emotions and chat, and only this tree makes her think and change. The view on top of the tree breaks sixth-grade children's small patterns and vision which lets her feel the beauty of nature and feelings. In other words, the tree means a lot to her, so it is understandable why she can have such a strong opposition when the tree is about to be cut down.

When the perspective changes to Bryce's side, we will find that Bryce's focus is always on the past. Suppose he does the same thing with Julie or is with Julie, there will be the same rumors as in the past, which has become his prejudice against Julie to some extent, resulting in his refusal and exclusion to understand everything related to Julie. In the novel, Bryce describes the tree as "the tree was an ugly mutant tank of gnarly branches." This simple text description showed that Bryce's understanding and perception of the tree are not profound and far. In his eyes, the tree brings him Juli's noisy time report and ridiculous behavior.

As a matter of fact, there are no so-called "right and wrong" from these two perspectives. Julie climbed to the top of the tree and got a different view from others, which let her have widely different feelings for it. Bryce didn't have such a deep understanding of the so-called scenery. Further comprehension is the most attractive point of this book. When a thing is told from two perspectives, the ignored parts will let us understand that there are no precisely standard rules in this world, not only right and wrong but just different views, resulting in different interpretations.

After reading a paragraph, I was gradually attracted by Juli's personality traits. What attracted me most was her ability to appreciate beauty, which was the direction I was learning. For her, the beauty of nature was shocking and unparalleled. Recalling my primary school days, I was even sad that I couldn't go to the amusement park. From this point, it's not difficult to find that Juli's family education may not be the top, but from the spiritual level, her maturity is definitely much higher than her peers. To my knowledge, the ability to appreciate beauty may seem vainer or useless than other abilities, but now I find this is the ability to make people happy. In today's society, the pressure and burden are always getting heavier, but when we learn to discover the little beauty around us, isn't it full of a sense of happiness? This little beauty could be just the cloud ratio in the sky was more beautiful than yesterday or had delicious food, etc. Knowing how to appreciate beauty is the primary condition for creating a better life.

Finally, I want to share a paragraph on Juli once said in the sycamore tree: "the higher I got, the more amazed I was by the view. "This passage seems to be an experience of climbing a tree, but when we read it from another perspective, we will find that it is a simple and understandable truth of life. The harder we work, the more beautiful and more prominent the fruits of success we can harvest.

To Kill a Mockingbird – 2nd Reflection

In To Kill a Mockingbird, we follow the mind of a little girl through one year of her childhood that would change how she viewed the world forever. From the very start of the story, we are introduced to the big bad wolf of the town, Boo Radley. A fearsome phantom that lived in a house filled with overgrown plants and chilled air. It is said when people’s garden flowers withered during the winter, it was because Boo breathed on them; when people’s livestock and pets had been slaughtered mysteriously, even though the culprit was eventually found and sentenced, words about Boo’s involvement still spread. It was an unspoken truth that Boo Radley had a taste for people’s suffering in Maycomb.

However, most people in Maycomb had never met Boo Radley. He never came out of the haunted house. So, these rumors, speculations, mockery spiraled out of control, and they eventually reached the young and untainted and unassuming mind of the young Scout Finch. She was scared of the haunted house; never wanting to take a step closer. The tales of how Boo would take children who were messing about near his house made chills run up her spine. She was scared of this phantom.

But when Jem, Scout and Dill went in the Radley’s place and disturbed the calming Maycomb night, Jem found the pants that he had torn and left at the fence in the haunted house sewn crookedly and placed neatly beside where they had been; as if someone had known that Jem would come back for it. Jem and Scout thought it was a warning; warning them not to go back again. A week later this incident, the Finches found little trinkets in a hole in a tree that they always passed on the way to school. Two figures made of soap, one representing a boy wearing shorts and the other representing a girl with bangs. Chewing gum, which was incredibly hard to come by. A word-spelling medal. And a pocket watch attached to an aluminum knife.

It was later revealed that Boo, Arthur Radley, had been their guardian angel this whole time. He was afraid of venturing out for all the insidious and wicked things that happened in the world. When Jem was practicing shooting, Atticus said to him it was alright to kill bluejays, but it was a sin to kill a mockingbird, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Arthur Radley is a mockingbird.

The theme of the unfairness and unjustness that the characters faced in To Kill a Mockingbird is painstakingly apparent, and it made me wonder, was there ever a time where I made my judgement on someone without hearing the full story?

Everything I Never told you_ second reflection: Family or Dreams?

 

Lydia’s dead body has been discovered. A frangible family relationship, as if Pandora's box unspecified evils were released into Lees household.⛈

Summary

In Lydia's closed-casket funeral, its atmosphere could leave out one-word "STRANG." In Lydia's honor, the school has closed for the day. Humans' last glimpse of Lydia has already passed. Some neighbors circle the Lees, squeezing their arms and murmuring condolences. It is very uncommon for Lees; hence Lydia's parents never reach out or entertain; they have no diver parties. Like Lydia, no REAL friends. Participants, who attend the funeral, are all strangers to Lees, including neighbors, professors, and school classmates. Home and school, where teenagers' places of activity, are the place that builds an association and relationship before stepping into the crucial society. However, Lee's family didn't communicate with others, even their own family members. It is more exaggerated about her father that he encounters the other woman, Louisa, a lecture assistant, after Lydia's autopsy. Yet, piece by piece, causing tears by tears among the Lees.

Before Lydia's death, Marilyn, Lydia's mother, was once determined to "leave" Lee's family. She portrays a female nowadays, trolling for her own ambitions, rather than consuming lots of periods in the kitchen as her mother. "It behooves a good wife to know how to make, and egg behaves in six basic ways," a quote divulges the social standard and unbroken destiny throughout this 21 century. In chapter four, it shows the separation of a family's power. A husband should take charge of external matters while his wife should take care of domestic matters. Lots of anxiety added to being a "wife," which couldn't be yourself. After all, the story pauses in the wife's leave without saying goodbye.

Image 2: Marilyn, Lydia's mother

Reflection

        A funeral is a solemn oath and directly presents a diverse traditional cultural spirit. As for the west, they dress black, and the east dress white. Nevertheless, both flanks demonstrate the mixture of sadness with humans' relationships. The heart split again and again during the funeral, closely with your side. During my grandfather's funeral, melancholy is one crucial temper that I couldn't forbear as the story of Lydia's family. Unexpectedly, the "strangers" attending Lydia's funeral are as identical as my circumstance. I couldn't recognize other relatives' faces; it's so vague and unfamiliar. Who are these people? A query throughout my mind.

All in all, constructing a relationship between individuals requires a connection. This is why we celebrate New Year to connect the lovely family, friendship, partners, and so on. If the heart of the key is gone, then the gate will lock limitless.

    Despite close relationships, the stereotype of being "missis" is the most inspirational, climaxed with different generation mothers singing about life together. Lydia's grandmother is the sacrificial offering under the gender stereotype. Grandmother had planned on a golden, vanilla-scented life but ended up alone with pencil marks. Betty Crocker's cookbook, Lydia's mother only preserved, is the recipe of food and the grandmother's reflection— housewife. In grandmother's cottage merely was any trace of girls, who only consumed her period in the kitchen. "Was she sad?" Lydia once said to her mother after realizing grandmother passed away. Undouble, she was sad.

Image 3: Thelma & Louise

About her tedious routine life. About everything. She was a chemistry degree human with a goal. As a female, bitterness is a distortion; the recipe does not reflect what is in our souls. I wouldn't dare leave my family members if I were Lydia's mother. It is challenging to rip off the label of female. Like my mother, she once grumbled to me about lives monotonous. She told me she desires to accept a part-time job rather than cooking family meals. In the west or east, a woman often becomes "chief" in their family, managing the housework. "I will never end up like that," Lydia's mother drove on into the night, homeward, her hair weeping tiny slow streams down her back. The scene reminds me of "Thelma & Louise," a 1991 American female companion highway crime film. The two female characters speedily drive into the Grand Crayoned at the end of the flick. I could sense the freezing air trace Marilyn's (Lydia's mother) frostbite face, eyes started flooding, but her heart was stale of endeavor. "Road car" seems to signify freedom and refreshed adventure. This intelligent woman shatters out of the anklet.

I look forward to what she selects for her life purpose or family.

 

 

The Long Goodbye

 

The Long Goodbye is a detective novel written by Raymond Chandler and published in 1953. Philip Marlowe, a private detective, meets Terry Lennox, an alcoholic in a club. One day, Terry's wife is murdered, Philip helps Terry leave the country. Shortly after, Terry is found dead in a hotel. Philip starts to look for the truth... 

I randomly picked up this novel in the library. After reading the summary, I decided to read it all. I'm quite interested in this kind of topic. This novel is less thick than other novels stored on the bookshelf. I guess that's the potential reason I pick it up. There are some illustrations in this novel. I like those illustrations being added to enable readers to feel the tense moments in the story. For me, words plus some images make me really into this novel. 

"Will you help a person who is not your friend but you somehow care so much?" This is the question that I think about after reading this book. In the novel, Terry is merely a stranger in Philip's life. Philip could just say no to Terry's ask avoid another trouble. But he chose to help, which resulted in a series of mess later. Sometimes, strangers come to you and ask for help. No matter what kind of help those strangers ask, even a tiny thing, you plan to refuse them because you don't want to waste time doing something irrelevant to you. But your sympathy doesn't think in that way. Plus, there seems to be an invisible pressure telling you to help. Finally, you say yes, even if it's a troublesome help. "Is that necessary?" That's what I often feel after giving strangers a hand. If it isn't me, there will be others doing this. Thus, I won't be guilty next time if I say no to them. "What if no one except me would like to help at that moment?" Another question emerges. How can this action "helping strangers " have so much uncertainty? I hesitate between yes and no whenever I encounter a situation like this. However, I gradually realize that it's okay not to do what I'm expected to do. Whether I want to help others depends on my mood and consideration. There is no need to be guilty because of saying no. Otherwise, I guess I'll live a blue life forever.