Student

March 20, 2020

ANNA QIN

Though I’ve only read about 100 pages in A Long Way from Home, I have noticed that Claude McKay thinks very deeply about what others say to him, but doesn’t always take their words into action. McKay is a like this when both Frank Harris and Max Eastman want his set of poems, and Harris specifically wants to publish a fiery poem called “If We Must Die”. He gave a set to Max Eastman who accepted them all, including “If We Must Die”. Frank Harris asks him why he would give that poem to The Liberator instead of Pearson’s magazine, as he had wanted it! McKay really wanted “If We Must Die” to be published in Pearson’s, too, but it was maybe too late.

“I figured that if Max Eastman overlooked [“If We Must Die”s’] absence I could conscientiously give it to Frank Harris.” He thinks about it but Eastman demands it back (sending him a telegram) for his paper. In another case, McKay was asked by George Bernard Shaw why he had become a poet instead of a boxer. Shaw, the great playwright and essayist, thought that boxing would suit him better. I’m glad that McKay decided not to listen to Shaw and become a boxer because people like me would not have gotten to read his poems.

My favorite poem by him is December, 1919:

Last night I heard your voice, mother,
The words you sang to me
When I, a little boy,
Knelt down against your knee.

And tears gushed from my heart, mother,
And passed beyond its wall,
But though the fountain reached my throat
The drops refused to fall.

‘Tis ten years since you died, mother,
Just ten dark years of pain,
And oh, I only wish that I
Could weep just once again.

This poem really stands out to me because as in a lot of his other poems, he seems very emotional and it makes me think of him as the guy who likes to cry. For example, in the poem The Tropics of New York, his last sentence is, “I turned aside and bowed my head and wept.” In this poem, he is able to cry. However, in December, 1919, I imagine how sad it is for a parent to die and would think it would be the opposite of what McKay did. Instead of not being able to cry, I would not stop crying. With McKay, perhaps, it was either be strong, or live the rest of his life crying. On the other hand, his relationship might have been so strong with his mother that he could not bring himself to accept that she was really gone. McKay knew she was gone, but he wouldn’t allow himself to cry over it because he perhaps had felt that if he did weep… well I don’t know. In the beginning, he talks about how he felt very comfortable with his mother, especially when she sang to him. His strong bond and relationship with his mother continues. Not face to face but heart to heart because he knows that she is still with him. Is this part of what makes McKay such a conscientious and relatable poet?

March 6, 2020

JONAH HUR

Claude McKay has changed a lot so far in A Long Way From Home. I have read around 100 pages of it and have noticed that Claude isn’t the same person that traveled from Jamaica. He is now more curious than ever to learn about the rest of the world, like the US, London, and Europe. He is finally starting to expand his writing beyond poems, with writing reviews of plays and publishing his second book of poems, Spring in New Hampshire. He is excited about the US, and on page 6 it says, “My mind was full of the rendezvous with that editor in New York. And as I couldn’t talk to any of the fellows about it, it was better to find elsewhere excitement that would keep me from thinking too much.” Claude is curious and seeks adventure whenever he can.

His interest about the world translates to his writing of poems and books, but despite his time in the US he never forgets his Jamaican roots:

“So much I have forgotten in ten years, /So much in ten brief years! I have forgot /What time the purple apples come to juice, /And what month brings the shy forget-me-not. /I have forgot the special, startling season /Of the pimento’s flowering and fruiting; /What time of year the ground doves brown the fields /And fill the noonday with their curious fluting- /I have forgotten much, but still remember /The poinsettia’s red, blood-red in warm December.”

This is Claude remembering Jamaica and shows why he is a poet. Claude is not just curious and brilliant, but he is also kind, and we see that despite the racism that is evident in the US he is able to be kind to those who don’t treat him well. Relating to Inaya’s post below, in the question of friendship testing the law, when McKay is alone at a restaurant a pickpocket comes by and tells McKay that the police are chasing him. McKay now has to make a decision on whether to help this man who is a criminal, or ignore. The logical part in McKay’s brain tells him to not run the risk of getting in trouble with the police for helping a criminal, but the other part in McKay’s brain is curious to see a relationship he could have with him. McKay’s curiosity gets the best of him and he gives the pickpocket his hat to hide him from the police. “Would you weigh the chances of getting caught…” This is from Inaya’s controlling idea, and it is a fair question. This is exactly the same scenario McKay is in. McKay weighs his options of choosing the law or a possible relationship, and he chooses a relationship. Like Inaya says in her controlling idea, “I think you would be surprised what you would be tempted to do.”

March 5, 2020

INAYA MAJID

How Friendship can Interfere with The Law

by Inaya Majid

In “After 20 Years” by O. Henry, friendship wants to be kept; whereas in “The Hitchhiker” by Roald Dahl, the law is challenged because of friendship, but in both, we have the same idea that friendship can always try to bend the law.

When the reader first reads “After 20 Years” we skim the idea that the policeman (Jimmy Wells) feels bad arresting Bob. Jimmy Wells still wants to maintain his friendship with him, but at the same time, the law has to come first. We really see this when you look in-depth into the story. For example, “… I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago [and] somehow I couldn’t do it myself…”. Jimmy did not want to arrest his friend, but since he was a policeman, the law forced him to. He really tested to see if he could bend the law for his friendship. He left the scene of arrest and got another officer, a plainclothes man, to arrest Silky Bob, who could have escaped.

Alternatively, in “The Hitchhiker,” the law is challenged because of the hitchhiker and the driver’s friendship. The police gave them a ticket because they were speeding, which is against the law. If you see it from the policeman’s perspective they were breaking the law, but from the hitchhiker’s perspective, he understood that he was breaking the law, but the driver was just showing him how fast the car could go. As he had egged him on, it should not be the driver’s fault. Because of their friendship, the law is tested. We see this when the hitchhiker takes the ticket book away from the policeman. We see that in this story, friendship will come first before the law.

Even though both of these stories are different they both have the same idea that friendship can make you consider bending the law. In “After 20 Years” the policeman does not arrest him on the spot – otherwise (he must think) they will lose their friendship. I bet after Jimmy hears “…[we were] just like two brothers, together,” he must have been touched. In “The Hitchhiker” they were breaking the law, but the hitchhiker felt that it was a nice enough trade as he been given a ride.

After reading these two stories, we realize that the law has to come first and yet, that the law is always tested, and often broken, when friendship is at stake. For instance, consider someone very close to you – think of the person you would go any length to help, if they got in trouble. Now, imagine that you have an opportunity to warn them about a pending arrest. Would you weigh the chances of getting caught (and perhaps punished at school, and having your parents find out) with the freedom your action could preserve? If you take the question seriously and think about it, allowing for certain options or possibilities to appear in your imagination, I think you would be surprised what you would be tempted to do.

December 22, 2019

Rhetoric

BRANDON LIU

Rhetoric is a subject that will have minimal appeal to any student. The questions “who needs to study this?”, “how will it affect my future?” and “what is the point of this subject?” are common in their minds upon hearing about the five canons or the rhetorical triangle. However, the minds of students are mundane and their futures are no more than a few days or weeks. There are many reasons why students should learn rhetoric as soon as they can.

One of the key features of a leader, or a statesman, is that they should be able to speak eloquently and their speeches should move people. That way, the leader can hold importance in the hearts of the public. Such example would be Winston Churchill. Churchill became the British Prime Minister during the Second World War. Shortly after he took power, the Allies witnessed the evacuations at Dunkirk. The German blitzkrieg (literally, a ‘lightning strike’) forced the Allies into a single port. Then, British civilians made perilous journeys across the English Channel to rescue the remaining Allied forces. Following this came a massive series of bombardments by the German Luftwaffe (‘air weapon’ or German Air Force). During the chaos, Churchill’s “We shall fight on the Beaches” speech ensured that British morale held firm against the terror of total annihilation. “We shall fight on the Beaches” was one of the most influential speeches in history. Why? Churchill’s incredible use of rhetoric, such as the repetition of the phrase “We shall fight” (which is called anaphora) struck a message in people’s hearts, showed that all hope was not yet lost. Without Churchill’s speeches, Europe would most likely be completely be fascist and communist: without Churchill’s speeches, Britain would have surrendered to Germany for sure.

Without the study of rhetoric, it is likely the student will not receive the education or job that they so dearly want. To become a better writer, one must learn to use language to full advantage and try to persuade colleges to admit you, or job managers to hire you. This skill in writing and communication is necessary for everyone, even if they do not aspire to be a writer. A lack of this effective use of language results in an inability to receive better jobs and education, preventing one from seeking the dream you so dearly want. However, the minds of most teenage students are not used to thinking about their future, and therefore have a negative perception about rhetoric and do not understand how to use it and how much it will affect their later lives. The minds of teens in 2019 are marred with social media, memes and pixelated relationships: anything that one can find in their cell phone if they just look down. They do not realize the benefits that rhetoric provides and how much they are missing if they refuse to pay attention during their English classes.

November 2, 2019

SIMON LIM

The movie was excellent; it had interesting qualities. Allow me to first talk about the scenery – the scenery was incredible and beautiful especially on the island. Whether it was a sunset or bright sunny day, it gave me this warming feeling and made me feel better about the drama of being stuck on the island. There was also an aspect that took me a little while to realize: it was that there wasn’t a lot of talking – Alec only talked if it really supported the scene. For example, at the beginning of the movie all he said was “Help!” and “Dad!” This is one of the things that made this movie special.

The only thing I was disappointed about is how different it was from the book, which is normal for most movies based off of books. I was really surprised that the dad died, when in the book he didn’t. Another change is that on the island he didn’t build a shelter and it didn’t catch on fire, and also the old horse Napoleon wasn’t included as much as in the book. The one last big change was the nighttime rides that he did with Henry. But if I was someone who didn’t read the book then this whole paragraph wouldn’t exist.

I got really angry at the person in the movie who took off Alec’s life jacket with the knife. Even though it was just a movie, it reminded me of my brother when he stole stuff from me. The scene when Alec is trying to convince his mom to let him ride Black in the race reminded me of when I am trying to convince my parents of something: it takes a little bit of persuading then sometimes they let you do what I want. For instance, I have a passion for certain types of Doritos – and I know this is not on the order of Alec’s passion for the Black, but I can only (right now) think of this. Sometimes I want chips more that I can bear, and I beg my parents for it saying: “please” and “I really want them”… then sometimes I get what I want. Watching this movie and reading this book allowed me to be impressed about the power of passion in people’s lives, and I have some new ideas… . At this point, I can’t see myself as having such passion for a horse, but how about something else? Perhaps in a year, I’ll discover a passion – or maybe it’ll be next week? What passion do you have? And is it on the order of Alec’s?

Considering this movie is live action it was amazing. I keep wondering how they trained a horse that well, and how they even got a horse that fast. While I was watching this my mom was constantly pointing out how good a rider Alec is, which I agree with. In the beginning on the island he wasn’t that good but he soon got better and better and ended up winning the race against Cyclone and Sun-raider. The one scene that made me actually scared was the scene where the snake was about to bite Alec, but then the horse rushed in and killed it – while this scene was happening I was thinking: “Wow, what a great trained snake.” I would give a round of applause to the person who trained the snake, but I would give an even bigger one to the man who trained the black horse – that horse was fast indeed.

This movie was great and also showed me fine acting skills that I had never seen before; this movie is unique and will stick in my brain for a while. It was amazing and maybe someday I will watch it again, just to remember the awesomeness of this movie.

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