Metaphor in Briar Rose

Metaphor: Write a metaphor for one of the following themes and explain it. 150 words

Choices:  love, hate, happiness, sadness, intelligence, stupidity, cleverness, foolishness, power, weakness, beauty, ugliness, jealousy, admiration, friendship

Love is a lie. When two people are in a love relationship, they always try to hide the truth because they want to make them seem perfect with no flaws. Love is a lie because watching a heart melting message from another when you think is only for you, but it is really for everyone. Love is a lie because the truth is always cruel and merciless. Love is a lie because no one knows the meaning of love. People tend to follow what most people do; they don't want to be incongruous; therefore, they are forcing them to love. Love is not simple; is like a puzzle, it has many different ways to go, but there is no real solution, and that’s why love is a lie. Love is hate, is happiness, is sadness, is power, is weakness, is ugliness, is jealousy, is beauty, is foolishness, is cleverness, is everything, but at the same time, it’s nothing. Love is a lie, that’s why no one loves you. 

Sleeping Beauty

The story of “Sleeping Beauty”  is one of the most consistently captivating fairy tales. It tells of a cursed princess dreaming in a tower, waiting patiently for her prince to rescue her. Those who recreate the tale for contemporary audiences spin the story anew, reconstructing again and again what it means both to sleep and to awaken.How do the stories told about girls and women shape society's attitudes toward them? Consider the three versions of the tale that we read in class as you respond to this question. 250 words minimum.

I heard the story of "Sleeping Beauty" when I came to the United States with my mom and my sister 6 years ago. During that time, my sister loved to watch the fairy tale movies and all those princesses; the Sleeping Beauty is one of them. My sister sometimes told me about those stories, and it was that time I learned the story of "Sleeping Beauty." However, I did not know there are so many different versions for "Sleep Beauty" until I took the class Introduction to Folklore. Each version has different story plots, but they all have the same conclusion—the prince and sleeping beauty live long together and happily until they die. The versions like "Sun, Moon, and Talia" by Giambattista Basile and "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood" by Charles Perrault are more adulterate than the original version. Those authors recreate the tale revealing the society's attitudes toward the girls and women that they shape the way people [mostly the men] view them. The women and girls in the three versions of the tale play an important role in the kingdom. Moreover, they all have the power; for example, the fairies, the wicked queen [ogre], and even the sleeping beauty. They have the unrestricted life, not a household maid but instead live with luxuries. Stories tell about girls and women have to be pretty and cherubic in order to have a decent life. If girls or women are beautiful like the sleeping beauty, even in their sleep, they can find good luck. 

Fairy Tales

What is a fairy tale?  If you could be a part of any fairy tale, which would you choose? Who would you be? Why? 

A fairy tale is a supernatural story. All the fairy tales have the simple wording choice because those stories are primary for children. However, that does not mean people besides children can not read those stories, fairy tales are significant for all people because the tales reveal not only diverse culture, but they also teach some meaningful lesson about the world and society. For example the Little Red Riding Hood, a story that relate to a girl who wears a red hood and wants to visit her grandma, but there is an evil and malicious wolf who desires to eat the girl and the grandma. The morals of this tale are that don't ever listen to any strangers, do not be another little red riding hood, and do not tell any malevolent lie to other people. Every fairy tales have their own happy ending no matter what, but they are also some depraved version of fairy tales with same stories but different ending which usually are tragic. If I could be a part of any fairy tale, I would choose the Three Little Pigs. This story is actually a fable but it's similar to the fairy tales. I chose this because when I was young, I did not read that many fairy tales like other children usually do. However, in China, we have many fables and the Three Little pigs is the most prominent one. I would like to be the youngest pig among those three because he is the only one who is not indolent and welling to help his brothers. The moral of this story is no pain no gain. If you work harder, in someday the rewards will come to you. 

The Origin of Ants

What is your interpretation of the Chinese folktale, "The Origin of Ants?" What do you think the moral of this story is? Do you like it? Why or why not?

The Origin of Ants is a Chinese folktale, which the whole story has nothing to do with the ants except in the end of the story. I interpret this Chinese folktale as a story of lying, gaining with no pain, and fearing of telling the truth. The man in the story is a coward; he does not work hard to support his family. He also lies to the emperor, empress, his neighbors, and even his wife. I think the moral of this story is one lie leads to another (lie) and after you lie, the punishment is indeed waiting for you. There is a famous saying that related to this story: a lie lives on more lies. Because he makes up his superpower by lying, he continues to lie until he faces the consequences of his mistakes. In the end, the chickens have come home to roost. Even though the story has some moral for folk, people in general, I do not get why the title is called The Origin of Ants instead of A Lie Lives on More Lies. All in all, this is an ample folktale. 

Where Have All the Flowers Gone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1tqtvxG8O4

Where Have All the Flowers Gone

a paragraph explaining why my chosen song is considered folklore
: My chosen song is considered as folklore because Where Have All the Flowers Gone is a folk song by the artist Pete Seeger who was inspired by Cossack's ballad. Ballads are usually structured around repetition, most often with an alternating pattern of verses and a repeated refrain. In the lyrics of the song, repetition like "Where have all the flowers gone?", "When will they ever learn?", "long time passing", "long time ago" and the only alternation are the flowers, young girls, young men, soldiers, and graveyards. Moreover, ballads are any traditional song that recounts a narrative which in the lyrics, it narrates a story from flowers to young girls, from young girls to young men, from young men to the soldiers, from the soldiers to the graveyards, and finally from graveyards back to flowers; it is like passing generations to the next and the next. Which the folklore is also passing through generations.  

personal critique of the song: As it states on the book Living Folklore, "folklore is a way of understanding people and the wide range of creative ways we express who we are and what we value and believe". The folklore is passing through generations and generations; like the song itself, it is passing from one subject to another one in the lyrics. The rhythm of the song is lethargic+pessimistic because it is a way that the artist express what he values. He probably narrated the song as in the summer, time goes slow and leisure; flowers blossom; however, he believed that it is not only summer, but also during the wars. 
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Covered with flowers every one
When will we ever learn?
When will we ever learn?

Journal Questions

Journal 7: “The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it."—George Orwell. In George Orwell's seminal book 1984, he depicts a world of totalitarianism with cruel wars; however, he also creates the protagonist, Winston Smith, who has his independent thinking and fight against this malignant and dilapidated society. George Orwell highlights this society and omnipotent rules by stating that "the quickest way of ending a war is to lose it." Which in this case, the war is the conflict between the independent thinking people like Winston Smith and the Party (Thought Police, Big Brother). Orwell delivers his message that fighting against this invincible society is like passing an everglade with spikes on the surface. Instead of enduring the pain and changing this society, Orwell thinks people should obey the rules and brainwashed by the minister of truth which is the quickest way to relieve their pains. In the end of the book, no matter how hard does Smith fight against Big Brother and the Thought Police, he still brainwashed by the minister of truth. Like in nowadays society for example Cross Country, the quickest way to end and relieve the pain is to give it up (stop running). However, I encourage all of you to keep running.

Journal 11: Get in the mindset of Winston Smith. Make a list of the strangest things you have seen since The Party came into power. If I were Winston Smith, the strangest things I have seen since The Party came into power: writing diary is an infraction in the whole society. we don't have the freedom of speech, don't have the freedom to do what ever we want. Why do we have to follow this non-sense rules and can not express the feeling like love. What is the point of having the Two Minutes Hate and why do people vent if they don't have their own thinking and opinions. The contradiction of all those ministries: the Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Love, the Ministry of Plenty, and the Ministry of Peace. The Ministry of Truth tells lies and controls the media; the Ministry of Love tortures people; the Ministry of Plenty oversees all the food and supplies; the Ministry of Peace has its military forces. Also the logos in the Ministry of Truth: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. All those Contradictions are the strangest things I have ever seen. Why the room 101—the torture chamber—is the the Ministry of Love. There is no love inside but the world most dreadful torture—fear. Moreover, why is 2+2=5. The society just completely controls our brain with no reason.

Journal 13: During his final encounter with O'Brien, Winston argues that, if all else fails, the inherent nature of the individual, the "spirit of man," is strong enough to undermine a society such as that created by The Party. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Is Winston's belief applicable to the world we live in today? Can you cite example in our own recent history that support or dismiss Winston's belief int he resiliency and righteousness of the human spirit? I disagree with the statement that, if all else fails, the inherent nature of the individual, the "spirit of man," is strong enough to undermine a society such as that created by the Party because even though the inherent nature of the individual is potent, all man is born with pure spirit and thinking (Tabula Rasa); they can influence by experiences and society. In our recent history, for example, the Stanford Prison Experiment, psychologists focus on the struggle between the prisoners and cops, emphasizing the significant of inherent nature of roles when assigning the roles. The experiencers start to adapt what roles they are assigned to and influence by the society and the power of hierarchy. One will unintentionally becomes the role of prisoner and the another one will also unintentionally becomes the role of cop.  Therefore, Winston's argument of "spirit of man" is strong enough to undermine the society like in the book 1984 can not support by the recent history events. "Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas:—How comes it to be furnished? Whence comes it by that vast store which the busy and boundless fancy of man has painted on it with an almost endless variety? Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer, in one word, from experience." —John Locke

Who are YOU?

Justin Zhu
1. Lessons for a Perfect Detective Story, a book that left a lasting impression on me. It is written by Keigo Higashino who is a Japanese author for detective story. I read this book in this summer break and I really like the way he writes his story because of the humorous satire and the story plots. I don't really like reading; however, his book is an exception. Many of his books give me the desire or interested to continue reading. I wish our summer reading can be more interesting and has more methods of killing and criminal psychology. When I was young, I watched many detective stories and movies; one of my favorite books is Sherlock Holmes. I also like to watch "Detective Conan." That's all. End.....

2. Me: There is nothing special about me. I, a student in the Webb School who don't like write blogger. I, "common", eccentric, yellow, dark, sometimes wear glasses, don't like reading. Nevertheless, I like our folklore class and the teacher who is the coach of cross country and has already taught me for 3 years. I am fond of running cross country and soccer, playing the piano, daubing some paints, dancing.... I like many food, especially the spicy food with strong flavors. Moreover, I like to eat many grotesque features like snake, snail, sannaki (living octopus), scorpion...
All in all, that's me, nothing special, just being me. End.....