Vanshika Unveiled

While reading Maus by Art Spiegalman, I have noticed a recurring theme of dehumanization both literally, and figuratively. But this happens all around the world too. In Maus, the Nazis treated the Jews like they were worth nothing. From starving them, to punishing them for the smallest things, and even killing them as if they were insignificant, the Nazis systematically stripped away the humanity of the Jewish population. Even the verbal abuse hurled at the Jews by the Nazis with insensitive remarks reflects how the Jews were seen as “animals” without thoughts or feelings. This is a little similar to the Israel and Gaza situation where 16,200+ Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, and the way Israel placed Gaza under hermetic closure, blocking access to any resources, is similar to the way the Jews were cut off and their belongings taken away. The Jews portrayed as Mice throughout the graphic novel represents the Nazis’ dehumanizing perspective towards the Jews. With the Nazis depict...

In the graphic novel   Maus , Art Spiegelman uses imagery on page 33 to foreshadow the violence that’s about to come, but also attempts, in his own way, to challenge the power of the Nazis.     Throughout the novel so far, I have noticed that there isn’t an image of the  full  nazi symbol. There are either animals blocking it, like on the cover; or part of the symbol cut off, like on page 32. This wasn’t obvious to me until I looked over on page 33 where the symbol is shown on 5 of the 6 panels, and on all of them the Nazi symbol wasn’t fully shown and was partially blocked.    The censorship of the Nazi symbol could be because of a multitude of reasons, including the intention to show readers that the Nazis had not reached their full power yet. With only showing part of the symbol, it creates a meaning to the readers that even with only half of the symbol, or half the power, the Nazis  still  carry so much power and can create so much destru...

  Throughout reading the play Sweat, I’ve noticed many instances where I felt that friends and family members become the barriers to a character achieving his goals. Interestingly enough, I’ve also noticed certain characters supporting one another and being a huge reason in the achievement of a goal. This contrast in character dynamics serves to show that there will always be certain barriers in life, including the people closest to you.    Friends and family can both support and obstruct one another which can be shown with Brucie’s and Chris’s relationship. Brucie was a role model to Chris since he was young and this made Chris lift him to a pedestal. Because of this, Chris feels the unions fight is also his fight, and he’s “…gonna make ‘em see [him]”(88). This fight, which is prompted by the idolization of his father, comes after the decision of Chris setting his dream off to the side. He wanted to go to Albright to be a teacher, but then we found out Chris “didn’t enro...

  In the poem Harlem, the author, Langston Hughes, reveals his feelings as a black writer, segregated from white writers. In the poem he includes multiple ideas reflecting how a dream deferred can have multiple endings, good, or bad. In the second stanza of the poem, he raises a question about a raisin and the sun which shows that he is still imagining his dream being fulfilled, as he hasn’t experienced that yet. This shows the inequality present in the time the poem was written. In that case it was racial inequality, and how black people didn’t receive the same treatment and basic rights that they deserved. Now, in the current day, it reflects the social inequality. It being political, gender, and even wealth inequality. This poem will always be relevant. while not in the same context, it can be used as a basis of the unfair treatment people experience worldwide.

*this is chapter 1 of a Great Gatsby fanfic years following the death of Gatsby SORRY, BUT I ONLY REMEMBERED DAISY AND NICK WERE COUSINS AFTER I FINISHED :( Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter Years had passed since the event-filled summer of Gatsby’s demise, and the world had moved on. Nick Carraway, having left the East-Coast, found his place working as a small newspaper editor in the quiet town of Winthrop, Washington.   Daisy Buchanan, however, continued to lead a tumultuous and unsatisfactory life. Filled with failed relationships, empty promises, and superficial riches, Daisy started to yearn for something genuine. From there she went on a search.   Daisy decided it was necessary to go backpacking (in her case, with a  couple  backpacks) and start looking at the world not through a superficial mind of the rich, but through the lens of a normal person on the journey to find herself.   It was a chance encounter at a small café in the cozy town of Monroe, Washingto...

  A recent (as in 2022) celebrity marriage that garnered quite a bit of attention was the engagement of Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham. Both come from crazy rich families. Brooklyn Beckham, eldest son of former soccer star David Beckham, and Nicola Peltz, daughter of billionaire businessman Nelson Peltz have a combined family net worth of around 3.5 billion dollars. But even though their relationship was sudden and fans didn’t expect it, they were very quickly accepted as a couple. This made me think a little.   Whenever we think of celebrities getting married, we typically imagine them marrying another celebrity, someone on the “same level”, which is something I didn’t even realize prior. This has become very apparent to me as I looked through recent news on social media, and how every couple announcement and every wedding all typically involved those with a lot of money, fame, or if they were in the same social circle.   This example of the wealthy being drawn to the...

  When I think of Brooklyn Heights, Beacon Hill, or even the Upper East Side, I imagine a mix of two different worlds. A picturesque tree-lined street with historic brownstones and the business of everyday, but also high-end boutiques with people walking on the streets hands filled with bags on their way to their luxury apartments.     Even though these areas are synonymous to upscale living, they have and maintain a balance because of the corruption beneath the surface. Underneath the glamorous exterior is the history, the sacrifice, and the corruption present in today’s society.   While reading The Great Gatsby I’ve noticed many underlying messages. In the first chapter there has been an incredible amount of reference to The American Dream and extravagance/excess. The novel begins by talking about the idea that anyone can achieve success through hard work and determination, and with the example of the extravagant parties everyone goes to, it shows the lavishness of...