Toni Morrison “The Nobel Lecture in Literature”

Toni Morrison, in her acceptance speech “The Nobel Lecture in Literature”(1993), asserts that language is a powerful entity that can be molded to be used for just and moral purposes, but at the same time it can be used for the opposite. Morrison supports this claim by telling over a fable of two children who asked a question to a wise woman. Her purpose is to show the importance of language and explain how she crafted her works by using language the right way. She addresses the members of the Swedish Academy, using an educator approach, as she accepts her Nobel Prize in Literature.

1. Toni Morrison has a very unique take on language. She believes that it can be used for good and important causes, but at the same time it can be used for violence and used to cover up “rape, torture, assassination.” Therefore, she brings up the fable of the dead bird to prove that language is “in your hands.” The children can either kill the “bird” or let it live, but it is up to them. Language is the same way, you can either help it develop and thrive or let it die and shrivel away. People have the power to create something terrible or something beautiful, which is what Morrison asserts in her speech.
2.There was an interesting relationship that developed overtime between the wise woman and the two children. At the first, the children wanted to bother the wise woman and challenge her smarts. However, the woman didn't get angry with the children, rather she expected more from them. She had expectations for them and wanted them to act with responsibility. Towards the end, the children’s perspective changed. They realized their stupidity, and they then desired experience and knowledge from the woman. They wanted her skills and understanding. The woman didn't desire anything at the end because she got what she wanted. She made the children value life and value understanding. The children changed from start to finish, while the woman received what she wanted from them. 
3. The use of the fable adds a certain edge to the story that could not have been accomplished any other way. By using the fable, she hooks the attention of the listeners. Like any good storyteller, she pulls the audience into her words with a story. Then once she has the crowd, she can then focus on her main ideas and main takeaways from her speech. The “once upon a time” instantly grabbed my attention, and I was on my toes, eagerly anticipating the next part of the fable. I think the fable fits with the speech because it allows Morrison to be creative, but at the same time informative.

The Importance of Getting History Right

Every country or society portrays their history and world history in their own way. Some societies place in their history books garbage about their “amazing” accomplishments. They barely dwell on their downfalls. On the other hand, there is a more truthful history that focuses on both the negatives and the positives. This method also tends to push for more critical thinking. In my opinion, it is important to get history accurate, even if it doesn’t always portray your country in the most favorable light.

For the past few weeks, I have been delving into 1984, by George Orwell. He tells the story of post WWII where people are only educated on their country’s success. The main character, Winston, even has a job, which consists of changing history books to make the country, Oceania, look better. The result is that people have little ability to reason or think for themselves. They simply accept their “false” history, without any objections. They don’t question the “whys” and “hows” of history. This brings the downfall of their society. If their history books had given accurate information, then the people would have been more educated and would have had the ability to question a government on its faults.

A program that focuses on the deeper understanding of history is Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO). They pride themselves on their ability to not simply look at the outside level of past events. They go through the mindsets of past historical figures and break down events into themes and ideas. Their goal is to make sure that certain horrible occurrences from history do not happen again. Therefore, they “face history” and then move forward in a positive direction. They not only get history right, but they manage to depict it in a favorable and beneficial way. They exemplify the importance of getting history right because out of their programming come informed student leaders.

On the other hand, the school systems in Japan seem to be going in the opposite direction. Most of their history books spend little time focusing on the time periods leading to WWII and WWII itself. They spend tons of pages focusing on Japan after the war and way before the war. They simply want to instill a sense of pride in their country after their major flaws in WWII. They are embarrassed by the atomic bomb and embarrassed by their past vulnerability. Therefore, their history books mostly leave that time period out, only including a few small details about the events. This can be a very scary practice because if the students and people of Japan don’t learn from their past mistakes, then they are bound to repeat them. Japan hasn’t really learned anything from WWII because their textbooks don’t include key information.

The importance of laying out truthful history outweighs building up a country’s patriotism. The people of Japan and Oceania have a burning love for their country, but this forces them to accept their situation and accept everything that is thrown at them. They lack the ability to question and understand. This ability is evident in truthful history, which allows for reasoning and thinking. If we get history right, we are more likely to move forward in the right direction.

Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Maya Lin, a sculptor of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, asserts through her art that the main way to pay respect to soldiers is by picturing yourself in their shoes and understanding their sad predicament. She supports this claim by making her memorial/sculpture reflective like a mirror and having it slope downward to depict sadness. Her purpose is to make people get into the heads of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam. She builds a close relationship with the viewers by making the sculpture reflective and personal with the addition of all the names of lost veterans.

1. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial contains lists of lost soldiers and an interesting design, which adds a deeper level to what the memorial embodies. It may seem odd that Lin chose to list all 52,000 names, but I think this is what makes it so personal. People who have lost relatives now have a connection to the memorial. They now have a place to remember, grieve, and celebrate their loved ones. The names add to the sculpture, rather than detract. Also, the reflective nature of the memorial adds a deeper level of personal attachment. One can see themselves in the memorial and imagine what these soldiers had to go through. It seems that Maya Lin’s main goal was to create a sense of closeness and realness between the dead and the living.

2. This memorial sends out a very important message regarding the army and armed forces. By listing each name of every soldier, Maya Lin depicts how each life had meaning. There wasn’t a collective bunch of people that perished, but rather 52,000 individuals that lived lives outside of Vietnam. When they died, their lives were cut off, and many families felt the massive loss of one person. Maya Lin pays respect to the individual by including every name. She shows how in the American Army, they value each soldier and how important one life can be. The viewers of this memorial get the message that life has value, and that the army stands by this ideal as well.

Living Like Weasels

Annie Dillard, in her essay “Living Like Weasels” (1974), claims that just like the weasel, we as humans should try to behave on instincts. Dillard supports this idea by first describing an anecdotal encounter with a weasel and then analyzing the weasel's traits. Her main objective is to prove that the weasel acts without regret and jumps right into situations, which is how we should act. She creates an informal relationship with the audience by speaking in first person and addressing those who like to contemplate every single move in life.

1. Each section in the essay is numbered, which creates a clear image of how the encounter with the weasel went about. The first section is merely background information, setting the tone and maybe building up suspense. The second section introduces the story of how Dillard met a weasel. The third section consists of the actual meeting and her reactions. The fourth section is her analyzation of how she and the weasel go about life. The fifth section is her regrets in life, and the final section is the conclusion. Dillard’s method has a clear structure and shows how she processed the event in a logical manner. In a sense, it fits the classical prototype of an average story. It has the rising action (background, buildup to encounter), the climax (actual encounter), and the falling action (exploring the encounter in greater depths). The numbers are perfect because they clearly mark a shift in the story.

2. The line “noticing everything, remembering nothing…” sheds light on an important life lesson that is constantly overlooked. People tend to get caught up in the constant hustle and bustle of the world. However, they get caught up on the smallest things, which sets their day into a downward spiral. Everyone has that one moment in their day, and I am no different. Last year, there was a span of almost two months where the school kitchen didn’t have Rice Krispies for breakfast. Everyday, I would leave breakfast in a funk, angry at the subpar cheerios that I had been forced to eat. If I had taken the advice of the weasel, those morning blues wouldn't have fazed me. The weasel sees everything around him, but doesn’t let it get to him. He doesn’t remember the bad or good, he just keeps moving forward to the next instinct. Pushing forward is a key lesson that the weasel embodies.  

5. Throughout this essay, Dillard puts an emphasis on the need for the “wild” in daily life. In my opinion this may seem contradictory to what most people do. People pride themselves on their rigid work schedules and habitual lifestyles. Some students even have their whole lives planned out before they even reach college. When Dillard mentions the “wild”, she focuses on the freedom and easygoing nature of the outdoors. There is no structure or way to go about life. There are simply instincts that push animals to live and thrive. The “wild” mentality is somewhat unheard of in modern-day life. Dillard’s “wild” people would simply be looked at as lazy, but in truth they are living in a more free environment. Dillard makes the outdoors seem inviting and calm because that is one place where the hardships and structure of society fall aside.