English 06B Assignment Blog

    A utopia is an imagined place with ideal qualities with no conflict or negativity. It sounds impossible, and many would argue that it is. The word "utopia" originates from the Greek words, "ou," meaning "not," and "topos" meaning place, so quite literally, Utopia is "not a place." As seen in many works of literature, the creation of a Utopia ends up more like a dystopia, failing miserably at its intended purpose. Take for instance the books Divergent , by Veronica Roth, Matched,  by Allie Condie, and even The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. One common aspect in each book is a society created for the benefit of everyone, with strict rules in place to ensure there is no reason for conflict or disparity between people. In the end, however, the rules and idea behind the society ends up causing much of the conflict throughout the story. The only exception of the three would be The Hunger Games , as the rules heavily favor the higher cl...

      Throughout the English 06B class I am in, we have studied works that could be considered "feminist." In Christina Rossetti's poem "Goblin Market," and Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Garden Party," there are common themes surrounding women and their roles and value in society. From Watching the TEDx video, "We should all be feminists," featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it is clear that she fits in with the likes of Rossetti and Mansfield with her commentary on the female value and role in society.     In "Goblin Market," Rossetti relies heavily on the use of symbolism to expose what navigating through society is like for a woman. Rossetti gives a feminine perspective of society, and how males view women, and Adichie talks about a similar concept. In the video, she talks about how women are raised to be good wives, and mentions that they are praised for virginity, but for men, it does not matter whether or not they...

      After watching a video on YouTube from BBC Newsnight on comedian, John Cleese's decision to leave the UK due to Brexit, it became clear that despite how interconnected the world now is, people still tend to focus on the things related to themselves. All over the news in the US were articles about the president, presidential election, racial injustices, and plenty of other issues within the US, while the UK was simultaneously going through their own big political and economic shift as well, which was almost invisible in the American news outlets. While people in the US were arguing about President Trump and the Black Lives Matter movement, people in the UK were arguing about whether or they should leave the European Union. Not having any affiliation with the UK myself, and not knowing enough about Brexit, I don't really know what to think about it. However, it does make me realize that each country shares many differences, but many similarities as well.    ...