All Summer in a Day Response

            To me this story is about jealousy and that particular brand of mean that only grade-schoolers can dish out. Margot originated from a land of sun and moved to a place where she would no longer be able to enjoy it. This pain of having something so vital ripped away from you is much worse than not being able to experience the sun in the first place. Honestly Margots actions are completely justifiable for someone her age. However her refusing to do things that are devoid of the sun give the other children an in. They aren’t hateful children just frustrated that they have not experienced the sun so they transform that jealousy into a force of hate directed towards Margot. They are so frustrated that Margot had seen the sun and they hadn’t that they immediately try to tear her down.

I think their locking of Margot in the closet was a symbol of their perception of the sun. The ending to this story was lacking because it left a lot to interpretation. Once Margot emerged from the closet after the sun had gone away the story just stops. There’s no chance for redemption or closure to be found. It’s frustrating because we know what happened to Margot but the most important part was how it affects her and the author stops before explaining this. 

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Response

            “Where are you going, where have you been” can be described as the narrative of a semi average girl. She lives at home with a seemingly perfect older sibling who she is constantly compared to. Her need to stay at home alone while her family was at a BBQ led to her being assaulted. The thing I found disturbing about this story was how Connie did nothing wrong to deserve what happened to her. It raises a sense of fear because this happened to her without any prior warning or for any good reason. It makes the assault completely unexpected and in turn unavoidable.

This story makes women who read this become hesitant of their male friends because these kinds of attacks are real and it is difficult to ascertain who has your best interest at heart. This story did a great job of portraying helplessness and fear that comes along with this kind of assault. What made this story so difficult to read was the fact that this is not simply some work of fiction. But this exact scenario can and has played out for a great deal of women and this realization makes the story all the more frightening. 

Investigating Social Dynamics [2] Response

            This second section of social dynamics brought anonymity into play and how it affects our actions. Zimbardo writes about how our filters seem to dissipate when we don a mask to hide our true identities. This is apparent through the internet and the often toxic comment sections filled with anonymous people under arbitrary usernames. The freedom that anonymity brings allows for a person to no longer be held accountable for their actions. You can say and do whatever you want because at the end of the day it does not come back to haunt you. While this allows you to be honest and open, it also allows vile behavior which is bottled up inside of people.

            Another thing discussed was how dehumanization plays a major role in the mistreatment of others. From day to day, you wouldn’t care if you killed a fly but if you killed a human it would be a different story. The act of dehumanization justifies terrible actions in the mind of the attacker. I found it interesting how changing your mindset can allow for a person to kill many people because he or she thinks of them as a lesser being. This also speaks on how we as humans interact with the animals around us. We should get to a place where even if we think another human to be an animal, we still treat them with a certain level of respect. 

Investing Social Dynamics [1] Discussion

            Zimbardo’s analysis of social dynamics brought to light things we all go through on a day to day basis as a student. As we grow up we are put into society with the goal of thriving within it. Often times we twist who we truly are to become part of the norm so we do not stand out in a negative way. An easy way to have a seemingly happy life is through conformity. The path of least resistance where you seldom make your own decisions and simply go with the most popular opinion. To a certain extent no one is immune to this.

As mentioned in the text, when two lines were compared in a public setting peoples answers changed based off the consensus of the room. Even if the answer is clear as day, if the majority of your peers disagree you begin to doubt yourself. This phenomenon is ever present throughout our lives and we are always battling against peer pressure. Honestly it’s hard to adjust ourselves to consciously think of what we want to do specifically and not what the crowd wants us to do. This want or need to conform to not be an outlier.

Hunchback of Notre Dame Reflection

            Watching the Hunchback of Notre Dame for the first time in around ten years, I picked up on more things than my younger more naïve self. I knew that Frollo was the main antagonist, but I never realized to what extent he dehumanized Quasimodo. He taught Quasi from birth that he was an abomination and that no normal human would ever love him. He forced Quasi to be dependent upon him because without him he told Quasi that he would have nothing. The extent of Frollo’s hold on Quasi was from birth and I can only imagine the kinds of psychological abuse Quasimodo had to endure for the years he was locked in that bell tower.

            Another thing I failed to notice as a kid was how Esmerelda was a catalyst of change. She was very caring and understanding, but what put her front and center was her beauty. The movie made every male lead character want to be with her in some facet because of her beauty. Frollo wanted Esmerelda so badly that if she refused he would kill her. From their first encounter Phoebus was enchanted by her dance and Quasi was enchanted by her kind words. This brings forth the question of whether or not the movie would lead to the same ending if Esmerelda was not a Beautiful woman but an average one.

The Yellow Wallpaper Response

            The Yellow Wallpaper was a story that used a relatively small cast of characters to show a rather dark story. After reading this I wracked my brain to figure out whether or not the husband was a despot. The things he did were in her best interest however their medical practices were not up to snuff with what we know now. We know that depression exists and cannot be treated by confining someone to bedrest for an indefinite amount of time until they magically cure themselves. Back then John essentially prescribed the “proper” treatment while attempting to cure his wife.

            Jane however must sit in this locked room and battle her depression in the worst environment possible. She constantly confined to her bed and she isn’t even supposed to write. I saw that the only way for her to cope with her treatment was to see the woman within the wallpaper. Without anything to do, her imagination ran wild and in turn warped her mind.  I found it fascinating how given the proper circumstances a simple case of depression can grow into something much more detrimental to her health. Something I got from this story was that this whole situation could have been avoided if John and Jane had an open dialogue about her condition and how they could combat it. 

Die Welle Reflection

            Admittedly I was a little hesitant to watching a film completely in German with English subtitles. It seemed like it would be a hassle which is odd because subtitles don’t bother me whatsoever. With this being said I found Die Welle to be a compelling narrative about a week long experimental teaching method. The teacher Wenger was seen as an outlier within the teaching realm and seemed to be edgy and charismatic when it came to teaching. His experiment in all intents and purposes was a rousing success. He essentially proved how fascism can sweep people off their feet if they’re not careful.

            It was interesting to see the development of the wave over the course of a week. Honestly, the movie did a good job of making the week seem a lot longer than it should have been. It’s crazy to think that the wave would reach such a critical mass in a measly five day period of time. It made people develop such strong feelings for it in the course of a business week that it drove Tim to suicide when Wenger disbanded it. Obviously Tim had issues before the wave was created, but for something as simple as this group meant so much to one person truly shows the dangers of fascism. It brings in the hypothetical weak and forms them together to create a stronger being. Over all, this was a great film and I would recommend it to others even outside of the context of this class. 

The Lottery Response

            The Lottery on the surface seems like a joyous event that brings the community together. The feelings associated around a lottery is good fortune and wealth. In this story however I found the word choice interesting which leads the leader to assume that this is a story about a person who wins the lottery and benefits from it. The inverse is obviously true which begs the question as to why Shirley Jackson chose to call this the lottery. I think this was the case to fully immerse the reader into the work before pulling the rug from under them and explaining what was happening beyond our preconceived notions.

            Something that stood out for me was how the villagers all believed that this practice was just. This collective mentality led them to do terrible things to people. It was the norm, and to be abnormal is seen as bad. Even when there were protests about this practice, it only came after she was negatively affected. This yearly occurrence was not spoken out about by Tessie, but when her time was called she was rightfully against it. She was able to fully understand the wrongness once she was in the same place of those who were wrongfully stoned before her. 

Stanford Prison Experiment Response

            The Stanford Prison Experiment raises the question of if we all have hostile tendencies within us. Often whenever we have these ill thoughts we censor ourselves and treat people respectfully. However, given the proper setting, people can overcome their inhibitions and act in terrible ways. The role of prisoner and guard made people act in vastly different ways based off of their fabricated status. Those in the guard role changed to fit an authoritative version of a guard. Without being pushed to become hostile, a section of the guards became cruel to the prisoners for no reason other than the fact they were the guard and the other was a prisoner.

            This shows the effect of status and power on the human psyche. An influx of power placed into the hands of a group of people tempt people to act in ways they normally would not. The inverse can also be said, the prisoners who were stripped of their personal freedoms began to become meeker and more soft-spoken than before.  They adapted to their new role and fell into place. Something that stuck with me was how there were no special qualifications to be a part of this experiment. These everyday people were transformed and this makes me think of what would happen if those I knew were put into a similar situation. 

Milgrams Study Response

The Milgram experiment was an interesting attempt to understand what went through the minds of German soldiers and officers during the holocaust. It tested how willing a person was to follow orders simply because they were ordered to do so.  Following orders allows for that one following them to give up control. This is both restricting and liberating in other senses. On one hand you are not doing things of your own volition, but you don’t need to think for yourself which relieves you of being responsible for your actions. Being able to attribute your actions to someone else’s in it of itself is liberating.

Taking yourself out of the equation allows for a person to do things they couldn’t have alone. Be it for better or worse, following orders forces people to push their limits whether or not that is a good thing. In regards to the experiment, those who opted to quit the experiment were very few. Even when the teachers were made aware of the learners “heart condition” it did not completely sway them from following the orders of the experimenter. This relinquishing of freedom made the teachers do things they normally wouldn’t dream of doing even if that thing was to hurt another.