Therapy Duty

What a day in the office I had! My nine a.m. session with Pettrucio and Kathrine couldn't have gotten any worse. The two are so perfectly alike, they can't bear to stay in one room together without a fight. The two were so severely in need of therapy I could barley recognize them as a couple. Both headstrong, outspoken, and verbally (sometimes physically) rude. Any who, to start, I recognized some unusual behavior between the two...well unusual for a supposedly happily married couple for the very least. As soon as they walked into my office they were bickering about some hat the Pettrucio didn't like, which to be honest did in fact resemble a walnut. When I asked them their names Pettrucio introduced himself first then as Kathrine was about to open her mouth he overpowered her by his overarching voice introducing her as Kate. When Kate added that her name is not Kate, but Kathrine, her lovely husband told her to bite her tongue. Katherine the powerful, outspoken women she is responded by striking him further leading into an even bigger argument. Stuck in the middle of the two, being on opposite sides, I noticed a recurring theme from just a few minutes into meeting the delightful couple. From this first encounter with the couple, I automatically identified a sense of an attempted single sided dominance in the relationship. As the session continued the bickering got louder and more serious, I asked to talk to the two separately to get some real answers.
As for Petruccio, the obscene male in the relationship, had an interesting view over Kathrine. Or is it Kate? We will go with Kate for now. When I asked him how he thought his relationship with Kate was going, he responded with a an interesting tactic he made up on how to work it out. Petruccio told me he wishes to "tame her", the shrew, being Kate. He told me he would do this by acting out against every minor detail and to starve and tire her out so she will come to him and eventually submit to him. I have never in my 20 years of counseling have heard such mockery. Thank goodness they came here because this man must be nuts.
Moving on to Kathrine. As disgusted as I was while talking to Petruccio, my visit with Kathrine went much more smoothly. It does in fact seems as if she does truly love him despite calling him a "beslubbering beef-witted barnacle" give or take a few times. Other than that she says she does want to work on their relationship however she will not loose her voice.
After examining this bitter sweet relationship I gave them a set of long and short term goals to work on in order to turn the two into a happy couple. The first and most important is treating each other with respect and as equals, rather than property and owner. The second being that the two must work on communicating rather than yelling at each other. Third, and lastly, is that the two need to understand that since they are so equally loud and outspoken, they need to work on agreeing with each other to an extent while keeping an opinion of their own.
Well my job for today is done. What a relief I need a nap!

More Than a Name

A name symbolizes much more than just a word labeled onto you. It is something that you were given at birth permitting you with a sense of individual identity, and is worth holding onto. The tradition of the women in the relationship giving up her maiden name after marriage can easily be asserted to problems, including gender inequality. This controversy behind the tradition goes way back, showcasing how women are inferior to men by giving up there name, expanding on their spouses legacy and robbing them off their family tie. Although a single name throughout a whole family is easier and creates a closer knot between siblings and parents, it also takes away from the identity behind the wife's maiden name. Even though it is the tradition is for women to change their maiden name once married, there are other options such as using a hyphen or just keeping it as is. Thankfully, today we modernized the tradition by giving the women opportunities as to what they would like to do in regards to their name. Today, I don't think this is as big of a deal considering women of our generation are given the upper hand to choose and there are many other traits in which define a person other than the name originally labeled onto you.

Passionate not Over Exaggerated

Merriam Webster dictionary simply defines the word "feminist" as "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." In respect to this, although I have not given the subject much thought in the past, I guess I am a feminist. It is known that feminists may have a bad reputation and single story behind them for being bossy and over dramatic. Ironically, I believe their would not be a need for this word to even exist if we didn't treat people, which hold the contrasting sex, differently from each other. My view of the subject is if one feels the need to express or represent there gender against the stereotypes already labeled on them, there must be reasoning behind it. I believe it is unfair to label the one's simply restricted by society based on gender when we are all human and contain the same ability to function socially, physically, and intellectually. 

The Full Story

The quote "How (stories) are told, who tells them, when they're told, how many stories are told are really dependent on power" by Chimamanda Adiche showcases how the theme in which we have been discussing over this year, the danger of the single story is derived. By only giving a voice to the victors in society, creates gaps and bias' in stories. Going back to the theme we  have talked about this year, blocking out the voice from the marginalized people in society sets up for incomplete stories only giving one perspective. As shown in Adichie's novel, The Thing Around Your Neck, diving into the first story we read, "The Headstrong Historian" the storytelling is told by the people in society holding the up most power and knowledge. Ayaju, a friend of the protagonist, and also a slave descendant, possesses the power bringing the most experience beyond the villages boarders holds the position of the main storyteller. By submitting our attention to the victors which hold the power to tell the stories, there is easily room for the story tellers to reshape a story to their own benefit. In my opinion, outside knowledge is always notable, however by only hearing the voice of the victors and most knowledgeable in society, we don't make room to finish the story from the common perspective. 

A Vivid Understanding

Sijie's novel, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, allows it's readers to truly engage themselves into the history when learning about the re-education system. Learning about the time of Mao's Cultural Revolution in the form on a fictional book provides a more personal feel making the history behind it more alluring to the reader. What appeals to me most about learning the history within this novel, is the idea that we our following the journey of the two boys who are going through this process themselves. These everyday encounters that the two boys go through, helped me understand what it was like living within the re-education system in a more vivid way. It entices me how we get to witness the true atmosphere what it was truly like living in this time period on a more personal account rather than reading a textbook with strait facts. I am excited to learn more and continue to follow the journey of these two village boys to see what happens next!

Self Reflection

English II has definitely been more challenging than last year, however I believe I have grown a lot from the beginning of the year. I do my best participating in class and also working hard outside of class to improve my reading and writing abilities. Although I do believe that I have grown as a writer these past few months, there is a lot of room for improvement within my writing. I have trouble with the habit I have formed, telling not showing. I struggle juxtaposing the two as I always have but this year I hope to come to an epiphany. Something that I have increasingly picked up from this year, is understanding the deeper meaning behind text rather than taking the literally meaning. In regards the quizzes, I seem to be doing well in vocabulary, however slack in reading comprehension. Nonetheless, I can already see improvement from the beginning of the year and hopefully continue to progress with my new routine of thoroughly reading and annotating, rather than leaving it to the last minute. Overall English II has been successful and I am confident to grow into a more avid reader and writer throughout the year.

Banned Books

For this weeks journal entry we were assigned to write about our views on the governments right to ban books. It came to my surprise to just how many books have been banned over the years. A few of my favorite books such as The Complete Persepolis and The Perks of Being a Wallflower have been banned due to their excessive use of alcohol and other drugs, only representing the imperfection of reality. It was truly bewildering to see how much  power the government holds, especially in what we expose ourself's to. Enforcing the restriction of the books we read, in my opinion, is something the government does not have the right to do. It is understandable how the government censors and challenges the books we read, in order to shelter their power. However, this idea of censorship does not hold me back into something I am willing to divulge myself into, for it sounds like a personal rather than political ideal.