Advice Letter

Dear Friar Lawrence,

I am writing this letter to urge you to consider renouncing the marriage of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Marriage is a definite decision. Marriage is a choice you make after having thought it through, understanding the possible consequences to come. You know as well as I, that this marriage will only end in chaos and heartbreak. Because, as you said before, "these violent delights have violent ends." How can you be so sure that this love Romeo speaks of is true? Just yesterday Romeo was doting over Rosaline, but one look and a small exchange has convinced him he is in love with the daughter of Capulet. They are young, and the concept of romance and love is so new and joyful to them. Any emotions they feel are bound to be blown out of proportion. They are caught up in the excitement now, making hasty and impulsive decisions, but when it settles, Romeo and Juliet will realize their feelings may have changed. And even if it is true love, one day is too fast. With marriage comes responsibility and freedom that neither are accustomed to. Give their relationship time, and when it proves to be undying love, then consider marrying the two. Let Romeo and Juliet fall in love with each other for who they truly are, not for the person they fell in love with after a brief encounter and a kiss. 

You believe this wedding will unite the Capulets and Montagues, and that may be so. But what if it's not? Hate for the other runs deep in each family. Capulet, Montague, their wives, and their kin will not rejoice at this marriage but frown upon it. The Capulets and Montagues won't suddenly forget their feud that has lasted generations and become one family, and it would be unreasonable to expect them to. Hate and love may be polar opposites but they are both strong and overwhelming. One marriage between their children will not bring peace to the tension and disputes, but elevate them. Verona's citizens are irritated by the constant quarrel and the families are in a precarious situation with the prince. By marrying Romeo and Juliet, you may bring them more harm than good. It would not come as a shock to me if the families disowned their children. And living with the knowledge that you were responsible for Romeo and Juliet being estranged from their families would not be easy.

So I strongly advise you to not condone the rash and immature choices being made by these teenagers. Refuse to wed Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, not out of spite, but because you know how much damage it could cause. 


Sincerely,
Isa Iiams 

The Shining and More Than This

In the duration of our book club, we read 2 books. We read The Shining by Stephen King, and More Than This by Patrick Ness. The Shining, is about the Torrance family. Jack and Wendy are the parents, and Danny is their six year old son. After Jack loses his job due to a violent incident with one of his students, the family packs their bags and moves to the infamous Overlook Hotel for a fresh start. But with Jack being an alcoholic and having aggression issues, Danny being able to see visions of the past, present, and future (a.k.a. the ability to "shine"), and Wendy's uncertainty of her family's behavior, being isolated in a sketchy hotel in the mountains puts a strain on the family dynamic. Well, an even heavier one that is. More Than This is about three teenagers - Seth, Regine, and Tommy - fighting for their lives in what they believe to be hell. But as they later realize, it isn't hell at all, but the real world. After humans made the world unlivable and had too many hurtful memories, everyone decided to go online; a virtual world, where you could program their life. When Seth, Regine, and Tommy all die in the virtual world, by hitting the exact same spot behind their ear, they awaken in the real world, confused and lost. The story follows their journey as they meet, face death together (both figuratively and literally), and eventually become a family. Our book club noticed many similarities between the books, as many of the characters in each book played the same role in their group, they share the theme of family, and love, and each show the effects of running away from your problems and responsibilities.

Danny from The Shining, we noticed was very similar to Tommy in More Than This, as they are both the youngest members of the group who are underrated by those around them, and always save the day. Wendy and Jack seem to believe that Danny can not handle the problems in their family. This causes them to neglect the topic, never talking about it, which has negative effects on not only Danny, but Wendy and Jack as well. Problems such as the thought of divorce, Jack's drinking problem, and Danny's "visions" are all brushed under the rug, never to be spoken about. However, Danny is extremely perceptive emotions, and despite his parents' best efforts, he is aware of their divorce ideas and his father's drinking problem. And even sometimes, he is aware of more than even his parents know, such as how they are going to act in the future, with a little help from his shining. He came to the rescue in terms of signaling Halloran - the chef at the Overlook who also has the shining - using his shining power, and saved him and Wendy from getting axed to death by his father. Regine and Seth in More Than This tend to leave Tommy out of their plans and ideas, thinking that they are too complicated for his tiny little Polish brain to understand. When they discover the jail full of coffins of people who had entered the virtual world, Seth and Regine's plan of getting Seth back was not shared with Tommy. However, Tommy is wise beyond his years and could tell when secrets were being kept from him. And instead of keeping it to himself, he was very vocal about being left out. This was beneficial for everyone because Tommy learned to stick up for himself in a way he never had before, and Regine and Seth learned that Tommy was just as involved in the group as they were, and that he deserved to know what was going on, especially in a situation so confusing and dangerous. Tommy could also easily pick up the emotions of the others, and was the sympathetic and caring one of the group, always willing to talk about others feelings. Tommy also saved Seth and Regine from Death at the last second thanks to quick thinking, and was always thinking of new ways to escape bad situations such as being trapped in the jail blocked by Death. Tommy always came to the rescue, putting those he loved before himself, showing Seth and Regine that he is tiny but mighty.

Wendy from King's book, was also very similar to Regine from Ness's book. They both have a history of being hurt by the men in their lives, and through the course of their respective books, blossom into strong women. Wendy had always been inferior to Jack, letting him rule the household. She never gave any consequences for his negative actions such as his alcoholism and breaking Danny's arm out of rage. Wendy was just expected to do everything around the house like watching over Danny, cooking, tending to Jack's needs left and right, and cleaning up the messes that Jack's temper left behind. But no credit was given to her. However, when Jack goes absolutely crazy at the Overlook, Wendy knows it's time to leave him. Running away from Jack with Danny's help was symbolic of her finally sticking up for herself and becoming a strong independent woman. Regine, in the virtual world had been abused by her alcoholic stepfather for most of her life, she even "died" hitting her head from being pushed down the stairs by him. When she wakes up in the real world and finds Seth and Tommy, she becomes the unofficial leader of the group and takes control of her life. Choosing to stay in the real world instead of going back into the one online, was symbolic of her becoming a strong woman, choosing to stride through life instead of being pushed through it.

Both King and Ness's creations illustrate the theme of family, and love. In The Shining, sure the Torrance fit the description of a family, the parents are married and they had a kid together. But there is no love. They do not care for one another the way that a true family should. Jack ripped the family apart, causing everyone to be on edge every moment they spend together. The moment Jack snapped Danny's arm, was the moment the family fell apart, the Overlook was just something for them to blame their problems on. Sure the moving to the hotel increased the tension between Wendy and Jack, but the root for their marital problems started long before their move. In a true family, everyone is equal, but with the Torrances, someone always had power over another. There was always a secret being kept or thought not being shared because at the drop of a hat Jack could go from a seemingly loving father to a demon looking for blood. The Torrance family was built on fear, not love. On the other hand, the family Seth, Regine, and Tommy created in the real world, was better than most blood related families have. They genuinely cared for one another and no one was any better or less. They all contributed to the group and when anyone was falling behind, the other two were there to pick them right back up. Seth's family in the virtual world neglected him, Regine's family in the virtual world despised her for reasons she never understood, and Tommy's family in the virtual world was broken, and no amount of love could put it back together. Finding each other and having a support system gave each character hope, even in a time where hope was easily destroyed by fear. Anyone in their family would have sacrificed themselves in order to save the others, and that, is the true meaning of a family. Ness's book shows that blood doesn't make a family, love does.

Lastly, each book shows the consequences of running away from your responsibilities and problems. In The Shining, the Torrances never face their problems, running away from every negative thing that happens to them, thinking it will just go away. Just like the wasps in the book,(see Shawn West's blog on The Shining)their problems always come back, and sting even harder. Divorce? Never spoken of. Temper problems? Swept under the rug. Danny's broken arm? It was an accident. Physically assaulting one of your students? Forget it ever happened and move to Colorado. Jack has this mindset that he is the victim of life, when really he causes all of his problems and never faces them. When all of his past "accidents" come back to haunt him at the Overlook, they not only hurt him, but his family as well. King's book shows readers that running away from your problems never works, because they always come back to haunt you. In More Than This, society had made too many mistakes, too many bad memories in real life, that they decided to program their lives. Every single human was placed into a virtual reality in hopes of making lives better. But what they don't understand is that problems exist everywhere, whether you can choose your own path in life, or not. Life has it's ups and downs and humans make mistakes. Living in this false world isn't really living, because when you really live, you have to learn to take whatever life throws at you. The whole idea was counterintuitive because they wanted to leave their problems behind in the real world, but instead went online and only created more. People are always running from something, whether they are physically moving away from problems, or pushing them deep down. But The Shining and More Than This show that running increases your problems instead of decreasing them. Ness and King teach readers to stop running, and face their inner demons.

Overall, The Shining and More Than This have many similarities such as characters who play the same role in their families, the shared theme of family and love, and showing the consequences of running away. The books teach readers to treat everyone equally, to be strong independent people, that DNA doesn't make a family, love does, and that running from your problems gets you nowhere.

Living Vs. Existing

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, and that is all." - Oscar Wilde.

I don't remember when I first heard this quote, but it has always stuck with me. It makes you reflect on your own life: you ask yourself, "Am I really living?" The book The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, exemplifies the difference between living and existing. The story is narrated by two extremely intelligent women, Renée and Paloma. Renée is an incredibly closed off women, a widow, with no children or family, and works in an apartment building as a concierge. Located in the heart of France, the apartment building is occupied by (as Renée would say) entitled people of extreme wealth. Paloma is an incredibly closed off teenage girl. As one of the people living in the apartment just mentioned, she is very rich, but very dissatisfied with her life. Without attention from her parents, or anyone for that matter, the book begins with her having made the decision that she is going to set her apartment on fire, with herself in it. The Elegance of the Hedgehog shows the journey these two women take, to find each other, themselves, and happiness. Through this story, Muriel Barbery shows that there is so much more to life than just existing.

"Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog: on the outside, she's covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog, a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary, and terribly elegant." - Paloma about Renée. I think this analogy is so beautiful, because it perfectly captures, not only Renée's personality, but also Paloma's. I guess it takes one to know one. In the beginning of the story, both characters have successfully created a front, a personality that isn't their own, but one they want to be perceived as. Both Paloma and Renée are intellectually advanced, much more so than anyone around them. Personality wise, neither fit their stereotype, but for everyone around them, the stereotype seems to perfectly fit. Paloma's rich family members are stuck up, entitled, and completely ignore anyone that isn't in their social class. Renée's best (and only) friend is a cleaning lady at the same apartment building, and is a poor, outspoken Latina, with a huge family. Everyone around Paloma and Renée are just as you would expect them to be, nothing less, nothing more. So as a way of preventing themselves from standing out, they chose to try and fit their stereotype too. Renée becomes the lazy, negative, and "weird" concierge. She is fat, ugly, and seems to be nothing more than that. Paloma becomes a spoiled brat, closed off from her family. She is seen the troubled child, nothing money can't fix. But they start to become more of the stereotype than themselves as the story progresses. Because once you get used to living a lie, it becomes the truth. This is just existing. Paloma and Renée are half themselves, half the person they are pretending to be. That's not really living.

It isn't until a Japanese man moves into the apartment building, that Paloma and Renée learn that they don't have to hide behind their fake selves. This cultured Japanese intellectual named Kakuro Ozu is just as smart as Paloma and Renée, but he doesn't need to hide his personality. He is able to show his intelligence, without being conscious of what others may think. He introduces Paloma and Renée to each other, changing their lives forever. Neither would ever even thought about even talking to one another, as they come from completely different worlds, but once they find each other, they feel understood. Because of each other, they discover that instead of living in the shadows, silent and lonely, they can be themselves. Paloma learns that there is so much more to life than the bubble she exists in, and by the end of the book, chooses not to commit suicide. Kakuro shows Paloma and Renée that they don't have to dragged through live, changing themselves to please others. Because you will never be able to please everyone, you will never be able to meet everyone's expectations, no matter how hard you try. Kakuro Ozu taught Paloma, Renée, and readers everywhere that you should choose to please yourself, before you choose to please others. That is living. Because before you can live your own authentic life, you need to be content in your own skin. Living a lie, isn't living, staying true to yourself is. 

The common belief is that the rich have it all. That they can afford anything in their wildest dreams. In the story, Paloma gives an example of a dying old man, a widower, who was once a hardworking engineer, whose kids are poor, yet they too have children to raise and feed. And despite that, this man has the ability to create love, give love, and receive love. On the other hand Paloma explains her grandmother's life. Her grandmother has contributed nothing to society but fake smiles and lavish parties. She has a soul darker than the pits of hell, and yet she was given wealth and fortune beyond compare. Is the suffering that the old man is going through, the price we pay for love? Is money anything if we have no one to share it with? Paloma's grandmother may have existed in this fabulous life, but she never lived. Flashing fake smiles and hosting superficial parties may seem luxurious, but this cold hearted woman couldn't love. And what is life without love? 

People want to hide their flaws and imperfections, because we want to showcase all of our positive qualities. We have become so worried about what others may think, we have stopped living life to the fullest. When Oscar Wilde said that living is the rarest thing in the world, it is because we have started restricting ourselves in what we do because society tells us we are different or we stand out. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery makes you reflect on your own life and ask yourself "Am I really living?"