Effect of Poverty on an Artist - March

Effect of Poverty on an Artist

Can an aspiring writer be an artist without money? This is a controversial topic, mainly because every situation is different, but I am confident that it is possible. I believe that when it comes to success, you get what you put into it. For all intents and purposes, aspiring writers can be divided into two categories: those who are money oriented and those who are not. Those who create works of literature mainly to appeal to a buyer are not truly artists. These writers are just writing what they think society will enjoy and buy, instead of staying true to themselves. If an aspiring writer who lives in poverty is money oriented then I do not believe that he or she can be an artist. Not all people living in poverty, however, are focused on money; some writers will stand by their work, even if it goes unappreciated. These writers are so confident in their work, they will refuse to stifle their genius only to appease a buyer. For many of these writers who battle poverty, their works of literature are all that they have and can call their own, thus making their works even more important to them.  If a writer living in poverty is not money oriented, then I do believe that he or she can be an artist.

Virginia Woolf discusses this topic in her essay, A Room of One’s Own. Woolf believes that a writer who battles poverty cannot be an artist. She explains that writers who do not have food in their stomachs and a roof over their heads cannot concentrate enough to complete works that are true to themselves. Unfortunately, writers in poverty often struggle with basic needs such as food and shelter. Woolf is assuming that all impoverished writers will give buyers exactly what they want, putting themselves second.

Woolf is not considering the group of writers who refuse to settle, regardless of how poor they are. A great example of this artist would be J.K. Rowling. J.K. Rowling is the author of the world famous Harry Potter series. Rowling did not used to be as wealthy as she is today. Rowling and her young daughter once lived on a welfare check of 70 pounds a week. Unable to heat her flat, she would spend a lot of time in a local café, where she wrote the first Harry Potter book on some napkins. Her work was rejected eleven times before getting published. Did Rowling change the story after consistently getting turned away? No! She stood by her work, showing how not all impoverished writers are money oriented. Of course Rowling was looking to make a profit, but she did not let that alter her artistic work in anyway. I believe that writers who live in poverty can become artists, as long as they are not money driven nor change their work only to please a buyer. Success is never guaranteed, but living in poverty does not make it impossible.

Ignorance- February

Ignorance

                Are American citizens ignorant of the goings-on in the Middle East? Many people would argue that we are not ignorant, but fully aware of world events. I believe that these people are in denial. I think that they view this accusation as threat to their intelligence. Many Americans are very intelligent, but that does not mean that they’re fully aware of events taking place outside of our country. Personally, I believe that the majority of Americas are ill-informed of what is going on in the Middle East, including myself. Many people get their information from the news or their phones, but the number of people who actually watch the news is decreasing. Many people today are seeking news through satirical television shows instead, such as Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, or The Colbert Report. While these programs may be silly, this is sometimes the only way that people receive information. I think that these shows are a great way for people to become interested in the news, but they should not be our only source of information. It would be fantastic if the viewers would research the topics that they hear about to become fully informed, but unfortunately this is not the case.

                We read a book in AP English class called A Thousand Splendid Suns. This piece of literature taught me more about modern events in the Middle East then I’ve ever learned in social studies class. This book presents life in the Middle East in a new way by providing readers with a personal connection to the characters and the daily struggles that they are going through. Before reading this book, I knew basic knowledge about world events, war, etc., but I did not fully understand why we are at war and what life is like over there. I knew that conditions in Afghanistan are bad, but I didn’t realize how horrid they actually are until I read this book. While I still consider myself a somewhat ignorant of the goings-on in the Middle East, I would consider myself a tad more informed since reading this book.

                I think that Americans’ ignorance of the Middle East can be summed up by how some people treat Muslims, or people who look like Muslims for that matter. After the tragedy of 9/11, many people were suspicious of any and all foreigners from the Middle East. Americans, being the ignorant people we are, would see a man with a turbine and beard and immediately think they were a terrorist. It is no secret that people who look this way are often the ones who are “randomly selected” at airports. Most Americans, including myself, would not be able to identify the different people of various cultures and religions in the Middle East. While many Americans know the general information of the events in other countries, the majority of us don’t fully understand their cultures and the way that they live, thus classifying us as ignorant. An understanding of other cultures is the key to a land free of ignorance.

Growth in Equality between Men and Women- January

Growth in Equality between Men and Women

Is there discrimination against women in our country or have we risen and overcome? Equality between men and women has been a controversial issue in the past century, making it hard to not hold an opinion on the subject. Personally, I think we are somewhere in between complete discrimination and absolute equality. When I say “we,” I am referring to American Society. There is obviously still gender discrimination in other countries, but for this blog’s sake, I am solely focusing on America. There is a noticeable difference in gender equality from 1920, when the 19^th amendment was passed, allowing women the right to vote. Back then, it was strange for a women to be independent of a man. Today, however, nobody would look down on a single mom; if anything a single mom is to be congratulated for her strength and independence. The same holds true for a single dad. Today, it is not absurd to see a single father dropping his kids off at school. Women have also grown in their careers. When my grandmother finished high school, going to college and pursuing a career was not an option for her. She was expected to marry her high school sweetheart (my grandfather) and raise their growing family. While this is not unheard of today, women are now held to a different standard. Women are expected to continue their schooling and pursue a career that will allow them to function independently.

Henry Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, focuses on the topic of gender equality. In A Doll’s House, the main character, Nora, is suppressed by her husband.  While Nora loves her husband, she desires to be in control of her own life. She thirsts for the ability to make her own decisions and not be held down by the standards of society. This play takes place in 1879, a time when women were expected to play the role of an obedient housewife. I believe that society has come a long way from this point. As I stated earlier, women are now able to pursue careers and leave their positions in the kitchen.

While discrimination is no longer “in your face,” it still exists. If you were to ask a group of boys whether or not they would have a problem with their wives “bringing home the bacon,” the majority would reply, “yes.” It appears that men today do not have a problem with women thriving in the workplace, but they feel it is their “manly duty” to provide for their families. I do not believe that this feeling is irrational; I understand where these boys are coming from. Do I think, however, that this is an example of a need for gender equality? Absolutely. Do I feel that this lack of equality prohibits me from succeeding and living my life to the fullest? No. While I know that sexist discrimination still lingers, I feel that we have reached a point where women are no longer stifled and held down, but are free to live how they choose. We definitely have more room to grow in gender equality, but there is comfort in seeing at how far we’ve come.



Time- December

Time

 

Is there such a thing as time? Modern day society is very focused on time. It is rare to find a room without some sort of clock in it. People are constantly checking their watches and phones for the hour as well. Why is that? No matter what activity we are partaking in, it is somehow linked with time. The question is, what is time? Is it even an actual thing? I do not believe that time is a real thing. I believe that time is an idea that society created a long time ago as a way of organization. We, as humans, like to believe that we are in control of our environment, thus we created "time." Time provides a way of measuring our daily activities and provides some sort of order to our lives. There is no way to prove that time is real because it is not a physical object. Thus, from deductive reasoning, humans must have created the idea of time at one point or another. Time, in my opinion, is just a frame of reference that society uses to maintain order.

 

 

This topic is discussed in Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Slaughterhouse Five. In this novel, the narrator experiences his life through time travel. This ignorance of standard time represents the idea that time is not an actual thing. The narrator does not live through the time frame that society does, yet he is still functioning. Time was also used as a motif in the novel when the narrator travels to the planet of Tralfamadore. Tralfamadorians are also ignorant of time. They do not view their life as separate events, but as one large image from birth to death. This alternative to time, again exemplifies by belief that time is not an actual thing, but a frame of mind that society chooses to use.

 

 

We have created a society that is linked with time. Every activity we do begins and ends at a certain time. For example, let's say that you are making plans with friends to go out to lunch. One of the first questions you will ask is, "What time do you want to go?" We ask this to make sure that we will all arrive at the restaurant at the same time. Let's say that you are meeting at noon. What is the difference between noon and one o'clock? There is none; time is not an actual thing. It is just a way to break up your life based on when the sun rises and sets. I believe that time is a method of organization for society and only exists in our minds.