One of the greatest mysteries in this world is death. No person alive, of course, knows what happens after death; we wonder if a person's soul goes somewhere else or if we simply cease to exist. This uncertainty in the unknown has lead to many different religions and beliefs. People are afraid of contemplating what would happen if there was no such thing as a life after death. Religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, and Wicca all believe in reincarnation. Different religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism all strive for heaven but people can be condoned to hell. These contrasting beliefs all hold the same idea that life is stronger then death. Even after someone dies, they will simply live a life somewhere else or in a different state of being. This contrasts with Virginia Woolf's ideas on life and death. She believes that death is the ultimate victor and that it is stronger than anything else, including life. The moth in her narrative seems to speak from the grave and confess that "O yes...death is stronger than I am". In her perspective, the life in humans cannot stand up to the power and force that is death. The hopeful quality that exists in the creation of places like heaven and hell is a easier concept and feeling to grasp then the bleak hopelessness that surrounds Woolf's passage.
Resources:
"The Big Religion Chart." The Big Religion Comparison Chart: Compare World Religions. Web. 16 Feb. 2015. <http://www.religionfacts.com/big_religion_chart.htm>.
"The Death of the Moth" by Virginia Woolf
In this world, most people are born into an environment that bubbles them from different cultures and ideas. Rarely are there people, who are born into a sheltered life, that are open to the customs and traditions of other people. At Troy High School, the people are privileged to be able to interact with such diverse people and the children that grow up in this situation have a advantage in dealing with the real world. These people are able to accept other races and cultures much more easily than, for example, the limited life of the minister's son in "Fish Cheeks". Robert, the minister's son, reacts to a new scene with what people would call a rude gesture as he "grimaced" and he sat through the meal while "looking down at his plate with a reddened face" (Tan 94). His awkward reactions are the result of his upbringing that could hurt him in the future. It is far better to learn to live in harmony with other cultures than to hurt others because of your ignorance. However, this is changing with time. More and more people have friends that are a different race. 2/3 of people say that they have more interracial friendships than their parents did. This is a big step up from Amy Tan's time when different races were thought of as weird and embarrassing.
Resources:
Brownstein, Ronald. "Diversity Now." Www.nationaljournal.com. 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 8 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/demographics/diversity-now-20120418>.
"Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan
The very definition of a disability is anything that puts a person at a disadvantage in society. Well if that is the meaning of having a disability, then disabilities are the norm in society. After all, only a mere 5% of the population naturally have the perfection that is portrayed in the media. Not all impairments are obvious, many of them are mental or physical ones that are not easily spotted. In 2010 about 1 in 5 people had a disability; this proves how prevalent these ailments are in our daily lives. It is not uncommon to have classmates that are diagnosed with ADD or Dyxlexia. However, it is hard to know who has these disabilities unless specifically told. People don't even bat an eye when they see a blind person being lead around by a trained dog. These conditions are incorporated into our lives since we were young. People are not defined by their situations because to them it is just a part of them and while to the outsider it may seem like a big deal, try to see it from the person's perspective. A blind person from birth would not realize what they have never had. Even if they lost their sight at one point in their life, the person would learn to live with it and its not like the person would stop living just because they cannot see anymore. Indeed, the person's body would boast the other senses to compensate for the lost sense. Instead of seeing it as a disadvantage it could be an advantage, after all, you could end up with super hearing.
Resources:
"11 Facts About Body Image." 11 Facts About Body Image. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. <https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-body-image>.
"United States Census Bureau." Nearly 1 in 5 People Have a Disability in the U.S., Census Bureau Reports. 25 July 2012. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-134.html>.
