In Plain American

“Growing up (as I did)” in an immigrant family, I learned “not just the joys but also the perils of bilingualism.” I started kindergarten not knowing English. That was about as long as I could hold out against inevitable assimilation. Learning English is a necessary part of living in the US. If you are a non-English speaking child, you take ESL classes to catch up with your classmates or you will always be behind. Besides doing schoolwork that is entirely in English, save for the foreign language class you may decide to take (usually a blow-off), there are the social disadvantages as well. Good luck making friends with someone you cannot communicate with. Even though there technically is no official language in this country there is still little choice but to learn English. There is a strong history of assimilation here, a practice that has not gone away. Whether it be positive for keeping the country united or negative for erasing diversity, it is present. Having English as an official language or not will not change anything. I am glad I was forced to learn English as a child. This does not take away from my own family’s culture; it simply allows me to take advantage of the opportunities in this country; it allows me to have a future here; it allows me to call the country I live in my home. Officially or not, English is the language of the US. Having it be the official language is just a formality that recognizes the condition that already exists.

I Want the One I Can't Have

We often live as slaves to our desires. Our lives are decided by what we want most and consist of attempts to fulfill those desires. Unfortunately this thirst often leaves us with endless dissatisfaction; our Id must always be balanced by our Ego and Superego; we must always sacrifice and compromise smaller desires to achieve our strongest ones. A lot of risk goes into living for what you want, and many times it is not worth the trouble. As Hazlitt writes, “to be in want of it, is to pass through life with little credit or pleasure.” The lucky ones may reach their final dream; their wishes may come true – but the countless others waste their lives away staring at the green light across the water.

As our great Gatsby fell, unable to hold onto what he desired most, so Hazlitt claims his character will suffer. By using the passive voice, Hazlitt emphasizes our passivity in satisfying our desires and also separates us from our unattainable dream. While Hazlitt writes about money, all wants have the same effect. Another famous use of the passive voice is seen in The Catcher in the Rye, one of my favorite books. The teenage boy, Holden, that narrates this novel is also no stranger to desire. He strives to preserve innocence and to be listened to. While the latter he eventually achieves after telling his story, at times it seemed as impossible as the former. The bad company and depressing situations he finds himself in all stem from his dissatisfaction and desires. He was not on the search for money, as Gatsby simply wanted Daisy’s love, yet no matter how noble the want, it ultimately breeds unhappiness.

The Moth Effect

In the summer, my bedroom window is always open.  I removed the screen from it when I moved in, making it a large hole in my wall. Not only is it good for sneaking out, it is good for bringing the outside world in. Every night I’d go to sleep hoping an owl would stop by to visit me. That never happened, unfortunately, but I did manage to bring in a few visitors – of the bug variety. One of these guests was a “little hay-colored moth”. Though he was not nearly as lively as the bees or beetles, he had a lovable quality about him. He certainly was a “pathetic” creature, but I still saw him as “a tiny bead of pure life.” For some reason, I was drawn to this moth and hoped I was cool enough to be his friend. Weird, I know.

Anyway, he ended up being my roommate. We had some fun times together too. At night, if my phone’s screen was the only light source in the room, he’d come attack me. After that I set up his own personal lamp on the other side of the room. For a couple days, he’d always be around on some spot on the wall. I got used to looking for him. Then one day, I found him on the floor, on his back. He was dead. My most loyal companion for the past half a week had just died. I can’t say I was overwhelmed with emotion – it was just a moth after all, but I was a little disappointed. I was rooting for him, “on the side of life.” Though Woolf’s experience with a moth left her with the realization of the insignificance of life, my former roommate left me with the opposite sentiment. All life is significant. It’s true, our time on this earth is fleeting and we will be completely forgotten in centuries. But does that mean life is not significant? Our understanding of life is all relative and subject to different perspective. That moth lying dead on my floor never accomplished anything close to that of the average human. However, it lived up to its own potential and made an impact on at least one other organism. Woolf’s moth, and my own, even have a few hundred words written about them. Who knows if I’ll ever be able to say the same for myself?

The Swifts

The most striking element of “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift is its morbidity. Humor cannot get much darker. By suggesting eating a “carcass of a good fat child” or using its skin for “gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen,” Swift’s very “modest” proposal becomes a classic and timeless satirical work. Despite being written in the 1700’s, the ironic and dark style he uses in “A Modest Proposal” is seen in deadpan comedy and morbid humor centuries later. Satire, sit-coms, and even songs demonstrate their Swiftian influences. As you may have guessed, it’s time to pick a musical example. Of course, when reading about cannibalism, The Smiths come to mind. Just kidding, this is probably one of the most vegan bands to ever exist. Their album “Meat Is Murder” would definitely conflict with Swift’s proposal. However, one of the most distinguishable features of The Smiths’ songs is their dark humor. This week’s sample is titled “Bigmouth Strikes Again” (1987). With an opening line like, “sweetness I was only joking when I said I’d like to smash every tooth in your head,” you can’t help but laugh. But it is so horrible at the same time. Even better, the song continues to mention being “bludgeoned in your bed.” What I’ve come to realize is with sardonic and sarcastic tones in songs, essays, whatever, it seems as though you can get away with saying very offensive things by labeling it as “satire.” Is Jonathan Swift really a misogynist? Does he really suggest fixing the economy by eating babies? Can we really ever be sure? In the song “Girlfriend in a Coma,” Morrissey says, “There were times when I could have murdered her.” Is the ironic tone of the song and all their work in general enough to assure us he’s just being funny? Although I’ll always be a little suspicious of Swift’s essay really being An Honest Proposal, his reputation is enough to appease the conspiracy theory side of me.