Writing Prompt: Toni Morrison Interview

Sonja Popovic
Writing I
Professor Jackson
November 25, 2014

Writing Prompt: 

Toni Morrison Interview

I thought that the interviewer was quite rude. He was ungracious, not funny at all, and undeniably dismissive of Morrison's work. He tried too hard to include humor in his interview, which makes sense since it was Comedy Central, but then the humor should be effortless and on point, rather than at the expense of the author's work. His comment about the midlife crisis was plainly dumb and served no purpose but to undermine both the author's experiences in her life up until she was 39 and her decision to start being an author - as though suggesting that it was an anomalous mistake. The other distasteful comment was when the interviewer said how he needs to pigeonhole everyone - but why? I don't understand his contradictory statement that he doesn't see race but that he absolutely needs to label Morrison as an African-American writer. Two things are wrong with his comment. Firstly, everyone sees race so the interviewer saying he doesn't is obviously dishonest. Secondly, why does he need to bring up race at all - especially when he claims that the concept is foreign to him? In this context, bringing up race undermines the author's literary success and by even including it in his show, demonstrates that he does in fact see race - very acutely even. He was repeatedly disrespectful and off-track... 

Not All the Same

Jenesis Veras

November 25, 2014

Professor Jackson

Writing 1

Writing Prompt: Toni Morrison Video

           

The greatest living author and Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Toni Morrison stated that she does not want to be viewed as an African American writer but simply as an American writer. In her mind, race is a terminology, which can only be defined as a human being. She does not want any specific label relating the color of skin because it is an act of racism, which is a social contract and of which money can be made off of. We all need to know something about racism but there is no such thing as race.

The interviewer links President Barack Obama with Toni Morrison probably because they are both well-known successful African Americans. However, when Toni Morrison makes a joke about her being responsible for Obama Care, we can clearly see what the negative effect is of linking people together. Due to the fact that they are people with the same color, many may believe that they may have the same mindset. That is the reason why she simply wanted to be labeled as an American because once one starts categorizing groups of individuals, one starts to assume that they all share one common belief.

White Soil

This reminds me of a white student on the NYU class of 2018 Facebook page who was defending Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Mike Brown. I found his comments to be disgusting and inhumane because just as Toni Morrison stated in the interview, race is just the human race while racism is a social construct that creates certain benefits for white people. I’m angry–no, I have been angry ever since Trayvon Martin's death because criminals, racist criminals are still enjoying their freedom while the black young man lays in his grave. And that black young black is asking, screaming for our support; his innocent blood calls for our action of justice. And although I’m not black, my heart still grieves because it just doesn’t make sense to me that a young boy who could have been in college right now, like I am, is no longer able to have this opportunity because of a white man, a white society, a white history.

I joined the protest last night and as I was raising my hands and chanting, “no justice no peace, no racist police,” I could feel the world becoming more equal in my heart but in my mind, I was aware that I was still walking on white soil.  

- Bremda Acosta

The Fast and the Hungry

Journal by Amanda Regalado
October 2014
The Fast and the Hungry

"Nobody can give you freedom.  Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything.  If you're a man, you'll take it."
-Malcolm X

"There are two types of people in this world, Amanda," my dad would tell me. "There are the Fast and the Hungry."
In moments like these, my dad was literally talking about food.  There are the Fast--those who eat their meal quickly enough so that others don't start picking off of their plate.  Then, there are the Hungry.  The Hungry are those who eat slowly, so slowly that the Fast people take all of their food because they did not eat it quickly enough.  The Hungry are hungry because they did not take advantage of the opportunity to eat all of their food.  The Fast are not hungry because they took the opportunity not only to eat their own food, but to eat the Hungrys' food as well.  This is just a silly analogy my father told me when I was little, but this analogy relates to much more than people sharing dinner together at a family table.  Malcolm X once said, "Nobody can give you freedom.  Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything.  If you're a man, you'll take it." In terms of social justice and equality, you cannot expect it to be handed to you freely on an open platter.  You must take it, according to Malcolm X.  You must actively pursue equality.  If you don't, you will end up being the Hungry.

Ignorance and Privilege

Journal by Amanda Regalado

10/20/14

Ignorance and Privilege

"Ignorance of how we are shaped racially is the first sign of privilege. In other words: It is a privilege to ignore the consequence of race in America."

-Time Wise

Prejudice. Discrimination. Hatred.  It is extraordinarily sad to know that these words describe what present day American Society is full of, even in 2014.  In 2014, racism still lives and is acted upon.  Even I find myself guilty of making middles remarks about racial stereotypes when speaking casually with my friends.  Why is that? Why is human kind still separating one another into white and non-white?  What will it take for people to truly see one another as human beings who bleed the same blood?

Tim Wise once said, "Ignorance of how we are shaped racially is the first sign of privilege. In other words: It is a privilege to ignore the consequence of race in America."  In this assertion, Tim declares that many Americans today are ignorant of the racial discrimination that still occurs.  Today, people of "color" are still separated from white people.  People of "color" statistically dace discrimination in the work force and are underrepresented in systems for higher education.  Yes, progress is being made to end this racial prejudice, but there is still much room to grow.  Let's check our privilege, friends. There's room to grow.

Life: A Random Hand.

Journal by Amanda Regalado
10/6/14
Life: A Random Hand.

"I want to have fun. It's a beautiful life. You learn, you win, you lose, you get up."
-Nas

Life: A random hand of cards drawn to you, cards that you cannot control or choose.  Life: A box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get.  Life: A game everyone is given an opportunity to play.  Crazy. Unpredictable. Fun. Life.

A writer named Naz once said, "I want to have fun. It's a beautiful life. You learn, you win, you lose, you get up." This quote is reflective of Naz's sunny disposition and optimistic outlook on life.  I very much love this quote.  In fact, I am going to tweet it later.  I like it not because it is deep, not because it is philosophical, but because it accurately describes my outlook on life.  Something I hold of utmost importance is happiness.  Some people try to find their happiness in money.  Others in success.  Still others in relationships.  I am guilty of each of these. However, in order to obtain true happiness, you cannot put your fate in the hands of these objects that are imperfect, that are temporary.  These things will only let you down.  Happiness is a choice.  You must choose to be happy, regardless of your situation.  True happiness comes from appreciating life.  All of life.  Its about finding the beauty in the not-so-beautiful, and seeing the light in the dark.  

Machiavelli

Journal by Amanda Regalado
9/24/14
Machiavelli

"You either love or you hate. You live in the middle, you get nothing."
-Charlie Sheen

When in a position of power or leadership, is it better to be loved, or hated by your people?  This is the age-old Machiavellian question that modern day American Society is still attempting to answer.  In terms of celebrities, the best PR is to act out in ways that force the public to either love you or hate you.  Both positive and negative PR will bring you success as a celebrity.  But, which type of PR brings the most success??

The benefits of public love are visible through actress Jennifer Lawrence whose fan base, despite a minor mishap of leaked nude photos, is stronger than ever, thriving on her sincerity and down-to-earth aura.  Opposite, Charlie Sheen, the epitome of a hate-fame celebrity, acts out in an unruly manner in order to retain recognition from his fans.  Which outlet is the most effective at self-promotion?  Which outlet is more glorifying?  According to Charlie Sheen, "You either love or you hate. You live in the middle, you get nothing."  Sheen asserts that if you are in pursuit of anything indifference will prevent you from receiving it.  If you want to be famous, you've got to induce either love or hate from your audience.  For Sheen, love or hate does not matter.  Either route will suffice.  According to Machiavelli, however, being hated and feared proves to be more successful. And fun.

Pedestal

Journal by Amanda Regalado
9/22/14
Pedestal

"Celebrity is the chastisement of merit and the punishment of talent."
-Emily Dickinson

You have this something.  You put this something high above you.  You fixate it up on a pedestal.  You place this something so high on the pedestal you've created that you begin to idolize it.  But, because you've put this something so high, it has nowhere in the world to go but down.  Celebrities are mortal, imperfect humans we idolize and create into demigods.  We feel we know celebrities.  We feel we should follow them.  We see them as leaders and hold them to higher standards than we hold ourselves.  We expect these demigods to act as perfect examples of character and merit.  We disregard any idea of their intelligence, goals, or individuality and remember solely their beauty and talent.

If our demigods acts morally unpleasing to us in any way, we chastise them, claiming they are bad influences on our children, on our young men and women, on our adults.

We hold celebrities to an unfair stander.  We expect perfection of them morally and physically.  It is not fair to expect so much of a human being and not see to it that we be perfect as well.

Emily Dickenson once said, "Celebrity is the chastisement of merit and the punishment of talent."  Being chastised for one's actions is unavoidable to a celebrity, as everything they do is under watch by the entire world.  The love of singing, acting, performing is taken away and replace by resentment and standardization.

Kingdom of the Blind

Journal by Amanda Regalado
9/17/14
Kingdom of the Blind

"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."

 -Kurt Vonnegut

If a person is willing to make an attempt, to try, even just a little, he or she will already have an advantage in our world.  Kurt Vonnegut once said, "If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."  Kurt's assertion is a commentary on the amount of effort needed for the average person living in modern day American society to be successful.  By comparing a person who does a half-assed job with a one eyed man, and the rest of society with a blind kingdom, Kurt suggests that even the smallest amount of effort will separate someone from everyone else.  Many modern day Americans are lazy and prefer to use shortcuts, rather than work hard.  Engineers are employed solely to create pieces of technology to fuel America's lazy habits and save America's time.  Instead of cooking the burger, Americans drive through McDonalds.  Instead of going out and meeting others, Americans find mates on Tindr.   Instead of reading the novel, American high schoolers SparkNotes it. But, if the high schooler were to read the novel, even a half assed reading, he or she would already have superior knowledge of the book over the rest of the class.  Effort is what separates the subpar from the good, the good from the great.  If a little effort gives a blind man an eye, imagine how well he would see with a lot of effort.

Jenesis Veras

Professor Jackson

11/20/14

Prompt: "It is more important to understand than to be understood." –Bill Russell

Understand the World Because the World Won’t Try to Understand You

The world in which we live in is composed of many different ideologies, philosophies, theories and beliefs. Each and every single one of them has a sense of reasoning behind it. Some may view certain belief systems to be unjustifiable, but that does not take away from the explanation of those particular beliefs. Since our world has become a much diverse nation, it is crucially important to gain the ability to understand various concepts.

Understanding is the key to knowledge, and knowledge is the key to wisdom, and wisdom is the key to opportunity. Trying to understand and fully comprehend as much ideas as one possibly can obtain is the wisest way to acquire survival and success. If one knows a lit bit about many things in various areas, it becomes quite impossible for another human being to have an advantage over the one with the acquired knowledge.

In reality, many people do not care about what one thinks and they won’t take the time to try to fully comprehend your own ideas and belief systems. However, in this self-concerned world, it is quite important to have the ability to try to understand the world around you because no one will care enough to try to understand you.

Truth in Irony

"Irony is just honesty with the volume cranked up." -George Saunders

Honesty is a key value in defining one's character, whether it is a positive or negative reflection of her-/himself. But sometimes, people use other means to show honesty, such as irony, sarcasm, and more. I think that irony shows the hidden truth. For example, isn't it ironic that America celebrates Columbus day when in truth, Columbus directly and indirectly aided in the destruction of the civilization that once was?

Some people may be afraid to speak, hear, or learn about the truth. Maybe that is why lying is so much easier and preferred than being honest.

Referring back to the quote, I think that irony is just honesty with the volume cranked DOWN—isn't it ironic that "down" is capitalized when its meaning correlates with descent?—because it isn't until the moment of epiphany that one will notice the truth in irony. Sure, sometimes ironic things will be so blunt in showing honesty that it is easy to notice the true intentions of the literary element. But knowing what is ironic and finding what is ironic are separate abilities.

Irony gives a two-part scenario, which are both true in certain aspects. Maybe that is why George Saunders said: "Irony is just honesty with the volume cranked up." On one hand, you get one side of the truth and on the other, you get another truth that plays a contradictory part. Which to believe—well, you should believe both, but it may be difficult to accept both scenarios because either one of them can become forums for debates.

Lucy Yeho Hwang

"Fall Down Seven, Stand Up Eight"

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

To never tail is an achievement that only liars can accomplish. Or that's what it seems like because I know that life cannot be perfect and most of the time one will encounter a roadblock. The fact that we fail at tasks is a beautiful thing. If we were to constantly succeed and be praised we would have nothing greater to strive for, thus our souls will be empty and incomplete. There was a quote my middle school principal was fond of: "Fall down seven, Stand up eight." The most important part of failing is to rise once you've fallen, like a great warrior. You have to remember not to fall into the routine of knowing that you will fail or else the desire to succeed and the acceptance of loss will not coexist anymore.

When life brings you failures, rise up from the ashes like the great phoenix. Not only prove to the world that you are worth more than the social stereotypes of success and failures, but also, more importantly, prove to yourself that you are strong.

Lucy Yeho Hwang

"Nowadays, no one leaves the house without some kind of script"

Honestly that's so true. I remember when I didn't do my homework in high school and I used to practice my script about what I would say in the mirror. I remember just on Sunday I was calling out for my first shift and I rehearsed my script as to what to say to my boss in the mirror, then to my coworkers and by the time I said it to my manage it was perfect. I even tried it in my house with a sad tone of voice that my boss would believe. But a script doesn't always have to be a bad thing. It could be as simple as how you introduce yourself of what your going to say at a job interview. Everyone always has something that they planned to say even if they're not aware. I can't really write more on this topic. All I'm thinking about it the hot flash I had right before I entered the classroom it was crazy. I really thought I had menopause for a second. I think its because my hair is done and everything is hotter when you hair is done. That's a fact. I only go my hair done in this terrible weather because tomorrow is my first day at Aldo #GettingThisMoney. Lets see how it goes. Wish me luck.

-Serenity

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

People fail. People fail all the time, but there are two types of people: the people who rise again, better and stronger, and then those who stay down. Failing, in a sense, can be seen as falling— especially in the cliche phrase “fall seven times, get up eight.”

At the end, when you’ve reached your end goal and have gotten to where you aimed to be, the journey there is arbitrary. It’s important because of the lessons learned on the way there, but once you’ve reached the top, no one will care how many times you’ve fallen or failed. In fact, failures can be seen as a type of success— in getting back up again, you have succeeded. As long as you ultimately end up in the position you wanted to be in, you have succeeded.

The strength required, physically and mentally, to get up again after a fall is often more than it takes to remain standing or to remain successful. There is a consistency in keeping in constant motion. It’s physics: objects that are in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects that are at rest tend to stay at rest. If one falls, it breaks the constant motion of moving forward. It takes more energy and more motivation to get up and back into motion, just as it takes much more effort to rise again after falling. 

Amy Shih

"To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now" Samuel Beckett

What's an artist anyway? Some people view an artist as simply a painter, some as a performer, some as a professional chef. "Art" is really not able to be defined in one concrete way - art is a form that accommodates a mess. People always say artists are a bit out of their minds and living their own worlds, and in a sense, although very stereotypically, it is true. Artists drown in their own world where they delve into their own type of "mess" and find perfection in imperfections. They don't want a totally and completely organized life - it's the spontaneity and the puzzling of mismatching pieces that makes the artists' lives exciting and worth having a passion for. Every artist has their own form, their own way of adapting, and whichever form is most adequate to the artist, that is what makes the artist a beautiful disaster.

Tiffany Yoon

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live" Joan Didion

There's a story and explanation behind everything; every blunder, every achievement, every misfortune. I personally feel as if nowadays people need and rely on a "story" or a heartstring puller in order to understand what empathy is. We're constantly looking for proof and only want to believe what we see. Stories are always more fun, always more realistic. It comes to a point that it doesn't even have to be factual in order for us to believe it - as long as we can relate to it, we accept it. Maybe this is why some people dislike facts straight out of textbooks. They don't like the raw information, unless it's fabricated in a heart wrenching story tied with a neat bow that concludes, "and this is the moral of the story".

Tiffany Yoon

The Artist's Effect

"To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now."
                                                                                                                  - Samuel Beckett

There are many different types of people in the world. There are people who freak out simultaneously about things such as Ebola without even knowing enough about the topic. There are people whose job is to turn these kinds of topics into news as best as they can although they almost always confuse people and make them feel anxious. There are those who are always oblivious to what's happening around them either unintentionally or intentionally, because they are too tired of being worried about useless things. However, there are also those who take the most complexed and inexplicable topics, and decipher their meanings in ways that are transmittable to the human soul.

These types of people can be poets, painters, song composers, writers and rappers. Their kinds of art are distinct from each other but they are often successful at communicating with the public in a manner the general media is unable to. Their artistic ways are human and expressive, and never fail to put into words what the ordinary man cannot express.

- Bremda Acosta 

All us blacks got is sports and entertainment,

“At my arrangement screaming, all us blacks got is sports and entertainment, until we even”-Jay Z

    Social stratification, one of the divisors of humanity driven by the wealthy. Driven by those afraid of other people overruling and overpowering their life of plethora and vanity. It’s the system ingrained in all other systems, reinforced by oppression whether it be industrially or personally. That faceless ruler keeping things and people in a certain order so that the marginalized stay cornered and those enthroned stay enthroned. It’s that being, constantly at work making sure  those classifications and their limits stay as; So that opportunities are limited and equality remains non-existent...yup Social Stratification.

                                                                                              Ismmaelly Guaba

Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery.

    Oh God, this is intricate. Immigration, the act of moving from one place to another is a form of flattery? I believe that to a certain extent it is. It’s flattering the place you decide to move to. It subliminally expresses that the formal place where you reside is less worthy of your presence and effort. It’s saying that the new of location of migration is better and is a blessing in disguise. It’s also a form a flattery to oneself for it represents a time of g=growth and change. Immigration is a message to yourself stating “You’re capable of enduring the challenge; the challenge and risk of whatever this new world may bring. It’s a form of flattery from the highest, explicitly demonstrating that the place behind you is holding you back and are equipped to break free. Enjoy the journey of change and independence. It’s flattery to be chosen to embark and embrace the uncomfortable and have to learn to become adaptable. It’s flattering to be chosen to become stronger, wiser and of course flexible by having to experience the trails that come with immigration for truly it will be one’s moment for Metamorphism.

                                                                                    Ismmaelly Guaba