Oppression to Strength

The novel A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf gave me insight to what life was like as a woman growing up in the 20th century. I've always known women were oppressed to an extreme degree centuries ago, but actually reading an account, albeit a fictional one, truly gave me insight. The novel portrayed women's disadvantages through examples of simple ideas such as what food was served to a specific gender. The fact that collegiate men were served a feast and the women left with a simple broth said a lot.

In class this week we discussed if it was possible for a man or a women to right a strong character of the opposite sex. Upon first thought, I believed 'sure why not,' however as I contemplated further an example formed in my mind. Of Mice and Men is one of my favorite books and it happens to be written by a man named John Steinbeck. The novel contains hardly any female characters and the only notable one happens to be the antagonists, Curley's, wife. She's a promiscuous woman who flirts with any man that comes in contact with her. She's portrayed as weak and lonely and has no redeeming qualities. Her character is so incompetent that she's not even given a name, she's just always referred to as "Curley's wife."

I have read other Steinbeck novels, such as The Grapes of Wrath, and in that novel he does manage to write several well represented female characters. Perhaps since the novel was written two years later than the one previously mentioned Steinbeck simply was able to write women in a better light. Maybe he realized that women were of greater value than he originally thought two years before, or maybe he simply just thought that stronger women fit this story better. Whatever thought process he went through  I'm happy that he eventually had the integrity to create female characters that provided for their families and stuck up for themselves and their loved ones when times became tough.

Why I'm Here

When I view a video like the ones presented on the HUST website several questions often run through my head. 'Is all that they just stated true?' 'Am I wasting my time learning what I'm learning in school?' 'Is my career choice the right decision?' 'Will my career even be necessary in 20 years?' Although I don't ever  know the answers to my questions I can only hope that the field of Anthropology is not obsolete in the future and that research will continue to have to be made for us to better understand cultures. Maybe one day I'll be researching about the new wave of digital culture that I grew up with.

In response to the second video I have heard about the theory of having students take electives that apply to their future career of choice. My high school is just starting to implement this course of action by creating "houses" that students can choose to be in that correspond with the field of work that they're interested in. Part of me wishes I could have experienced that and had an implication of what classes would have been like in the field that I want to explore.

When posed with the question of why I'm here I honestly don't have a straight answer. There's many reasons why I chose to further my education and why I chose Saint Mary's College as my destination to do so. One answer would be because of the influence my sister had on me. I've always looked up to her and have often followed in her footsteps and when she attended SMC and successfully graduated and constantly was telling me how great of a school it was, it made me want to see for myself. Another reason was the quality of education that I knew I would receive here. I want my future employers to see and appreciate the fact that I attended a college such as Saint Mary's; an excellent liberal arts college that although is sometimes in the shadow of Notre Dame, still manages to shine all by itself because of it's strong moral values and the learning opportunities that the students who attend are able to receive.

From Seclusion to New Beginnings

I’m sitting on a tough wooden deck, dangling my legs over the edge as my feet twist and turn in the wildflowers below. A fleeting breeze touches my face and the looming sun plays with the golden strands of my hair. A canoe glides across the glass-surfaced water while hundreds of small blackbirds sway their flying forms into the woods ahead. This has to be my favorite place in the world. The only place that I’ve ever been where I felt like I was the last person left on earth. A place where the town is so small that Internet is a privilege and can only be obtained at certain hours in the town hall. My nirvana, my escape, and my homeland, Saint joseph Island Canada is my favorite place.

Flash forward five years and the secluded Canadian deck is gone. It’s now replaced by course sand and the sound of distant roaring waves. I’m sitting on a beach nestled in front of the Pacific Ocean. I just got off work and managed to beat the busy California traffic and settle my toes into the familiar warmness of the beaches’ sand. Although I have had the honor of experiencing what life can be like in the wilderness protected by strong maple trees, I’m now confident in myself to leave my reclusive past behind and join the land of the living.