Turning Pages

Well, we’re done with Mumbo Jumbo , it was ….interesting. I wasn't even entirely sure where to start with this blog post , there are so many things to dissect when it comes to Mumbo Jumbo but in the end I decided to take a closer look at the symbolism behind Jes Grew. At its heart Jes Grew seems to represent a rebellion against the oppressive forces of mainstream white culture. In this novel these oppressive forces are depicted as the Atonists and the Wallflower Order, groups that seek to suppress all forms of cultural expression deemed dangerous ( a decision made by themselves of course). Jes Grew is in direct opposition to these groups as it disrupts social norms through its infectious energy and liberating influence. The term Jes Grew itself is a play on words, it is reflective of the nature of an anti-plague. The name suggests that the phenomenon is natural, spontaneous, and uncontrollable, like a plant that grows. Similar to the proliferation of ideas and cultural practices w...

320 pages later, here we are—finished! Ragtime was an interesting read, to say the least. What struck me the most was how Doctorow melds history with fiction to create an elaborate narrative that comments on society in the early 20th century. Let's start with the family. We have Mother, Father, The Little Boy, Mother's Younger Brother (MYB), and Grandfather. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to this family, with Father acting as the patriarch and Mother, as well as The Little Boy, falling into their typical roles. This family is meant to represent a wealthy white family in the early 20th century. Even their names, or lack thereof, point to the idea that they are meant to be representative of the basic family unit. As the story progresses, this typical upper-class family falls apart before our eyes. Doctorow dismantles this family in a way that exposes the dysfunction hidden within each character. To maintain conciseness, I'll focus on Father. At the start of ...

When I was 8 years old, my mother sat me down on the old carpet in the office and patiently taught me algebra. Despite my whining and complaints, she walked me through the intricate ins and outs of exponents and square roots, explained PEMDAS, and showed me how to isolate X. Little did I know that later that year, I would skip a grade due to my advanced math skills. At the time, I never thought to say, "Thanks, Mom." At the age of 12, I gained admission to Uni. My mom not only wrote the application for me but also endured my tantrums as I complained about studying for the SSAT. She played a crucial role in securing recommendations when one of my original recommenders fell through just days before the deadline. When we received the acceptance letter, saying “Thanks mom.” Never occurred to me. At 13, I found myself struggling as a freshman in high school, barely passing each assignment. Yet, my mom never gave up on me. She helped me with every missing assignment, raising my fai...

  Storm Drains “Nyla, run out and do this next one,” my mother said as she extended the newspaper towards me. I sat in the car torn between the outstretched arm and the water swiftly flowing into the inauspicious drain beneath the orange mailbox. A knot tightened in my stomach, as the unsettling image of an unseen force pulling me into the drain flashed through my mind. “ Just do it youll be fine” I reassured myself as I summoned the courage to accept the task.  Tentatively grabbing the newspaper from my mothers hand I exited the car with hesitation. The rainwater's gurgling descent into the drain seemed to echoe ominously in my ears as I cautiously advanced towards the mailbox. Suddenly, the blare of a horn shattered my focus, jolting me back to the task at hand “ Come on, Nyla.” my mother called out impatiently. With a quick glance from the car to the drain I tossed the newspaper into the mailbox and spirited back tot the safety of the car. My heart was pounding with a mix o...

    In The Boiler Room Ben Affleck's character said, “ Anybody tells you money is the root of all evil, doesn’t f*cking have any. They say money can't buy you happiness, look at the f*cking smile on my face, ear to ear baby.” When I initially heard this quote I agreed with Affleck’s character. Problematically I later realized that money can't buy me time. Time is invaluable, money can buy you clothes, jewelry, food, but it can't buy time. Hypothetically if money could buy me time. Money could buy me happiness.       For instance if money could buy me time, I could stay in bed longer in the morning. Every morning I have to complete the painstaking chore of leaving my bed. My alarm goes off, I ignore it. My second alarm goes off, I ignore it. Finally on the last alarm I break free from my blanket’s warm embrace and depart my bed. But the struggle isn't over yet after I get out of the shower and get dressed guess where I go. Downstairs to eat breakfast? N...

          I love trying new things, especially when it comes to things that give me an adrenaline rush. Jet Skiing, Tubing, Zip-lining, I love all of it. In that sense I leave my comfort zone constantly. But when it comes to my social comfort zone, I never leave it.  I've always been very introverted. I'm the kind of person that prefers sitting on the side simply observing rather than actively participating. I'm always the quietest person in a conversation. I hate eating with people at lunch; and meeting new people is always a headache for me. For most of my life I hated how awkward and shy I was. I thought I was prohibiting myself from experiencing some grand experience. I was wrong. I tried participating more, adding more to conversations, eating with friends at lunch and I realized I'm not missing anything. I hate the feeling of having to balance eating with talking to someone. I scarf food down like a wild animal and I have horrible table manners. I al...

  I heard this prompt on Wednesday morning. When I heard it I thought it would be perfect, so I started typing away at my keyboard… for like three minutes. Then I got distracted and clicked on a different tab to work on something else. Then with 10 minutes left in class I resumed my journey of writing this essay; but then the bell rang and I told myself, i'll work on it later . That evening I got home from practice exhausted and I told myself I'll finish it tomorrow. On Thursday I had a swim meet, I realized I didn't have the time to finish the blog, so I told myself I'll email Ms. Rodems. I then proceeded to forget to email Ms. Rodems and fall asleep. Now, today, it's Friday and i'm finally writing the essay.  That pretty much describes my relationship with procrastination. I always tell myself I can do something tomorrow and then when tomorrow comes I tell myself I'll do it later, then suddenly later is tomorrow and the cycle repeats itself. To my credit I...