Author Archives: HUASHAN JI

“And of Clay are We Created” is a story that connects to our current world. In the story, a volcano erupts and disrupts people’s sane life. Like our reality, people panic much so during the time of crisis. They start worrying about what can happen in the future. Will life ever be the same again? Well, these are the questions we may never have answers for. The trajectory of future is no doubt out of our control. So why worry about them :)? All we ever have is NOW. Personally speaking, I try to focus on what I have control of. I cannot control how COVID-19 is affecting my life, but I can control how to react to it. Look at positive things that are still around us. Embrace the extra time we get to spend with our families that we normally do not get to enjoy. Cherish that ozone layer is healing because of the significance reduction in CO2 emission.

The world is going through a lot for sure. People are losing jobs, families, their own lives… but we got to keep living. Live for the ones we have lost during this pandemic; live for the ones we still get to be around; and live for the day when all of this is over. Bad times always end. Until then, just breathe a little deeper and you will find your peace of mind!

1.As we have discussed during the zoom meeting, the moment of Twyla describing Roberta’s mom especially stands out to me from the rest of the story. As a reader, I also have encountered the moment of assuming Roberta’s mother is white because of her appearance. After class, I questioned the reason of my assumption and decided to contemplate on it. I think the issue that divides the two characters is the inability to empathize. Coming from different ethnicity background, Twyla and Roberta fail to stand in each other’s shoes and understand the perspective of the other person. Ego is a weird entity of human. As an individual, one inevitably forms his/her views of the world mostly based on his/her past experiences and hence believes that “the world” = what he/she thinks it is. Everyone is different. It is important to sometimes takeoff our own ego hats and acknowledges the difference in individuality.

2. Growing up as a descendant of both Japanese and Chinese, I had to battle with lots of negativity (regarding the history between China and Japan) from my peers at a very young schooling age. At kindergarten, I did not feel accepted by other classmates. Luckily, I met my first teacher who helped and navigated me along the way. Turned out, kids are not evil at all, they just loved to say ignorant things that they do not even have clues of what those words mean. I was eventually able to overcome the insecurity and blend in. Until this day, I am grateful for my first teacher at kindergarten. When I think about the purity of education, I always think about her. My life could have been different without her.

“This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen” is the story that really strikes me. The author uses first person point of view to record what he witnesses at the Auschwitz concentration camp as a non-Jew prisoner. Although the author applies some fictional exaggeration in depicting the harsh environment of the concentration camp, I am still able to feel the thrills and pain prisoners had to endure.

Personally speaking, I feel quite distant from WWII era. Although I am familiar with the historical background and development of the war, I have never invested much of emotion into it until I read this work. It was intense. The explicit, raw descriptions of inhuman conditions those prisoners find themselves in give me chills. I cannot fathom what it was like to be there. The cruelty and lifelessness are beyond what I can imagine in my mind. It makes me realize that I have been taking many things in my life for granted. Comparing to those Jewish who starved and died of inhaling gas, I am far more fortunate. Yet, I still find myself complain about my life often. Borowski has enlightened me to appreciate what I already have.

Another thought I have contemplated on regarding the text is how ridiculous we, human beings, are. It is fair to say most people will agree that the concentration camps during WWII are immoral and the war should not happen again. But what have we learned? Nothing. Wars between human did not stop. We got used to the hard-earned peace for a while and soon took everything for granted again. Why are we forget about the pain caused by the past traumas so easily? What will it take us to eventually learn the lesson? We may never find out.

A tall, grey-haired woman who has just arrived on the “transport” whispers, “My poor boy,” to our narrator.  What does she mean?

The woman understands the harsh reality the narrator must go through, even though his situation is far off better than hers. The woman acknowledges the dehumanization of being forced to unload the prisoners and send them to gas chambers and then scrape off the corpses off the train. She leaves the context of war and sees him as just a young boy instead.

“Are we good people?” asks our narrator.  What is this exchange about? What do you think?

The narrator is conflicted. He knows he has no choice but to proceed with what the Nazis has ordered him to do. He is aware that the situation is out of his control. However, the guilty conscience still creeps upon him. He cannot deny the fact that he got blood on his hands just like the Nazis. Though he has expressed that he does not feel bad for the Jews at all, he eventually starts to question his morality. In my opinion, a person should not be held against things they have done while their personal wills and freedom are at stakes.

Explain the significance of the story’s title, “This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.”  What seems strange about it?

The title plays with irony to convey how automatic the procedure of unloading the prisoners and sending them off to death is. It is strange because one would assume there will be at least some type of resistance from the prisoners if they know they are on their ways to die. However, all the narrator sees is conformity.

In the story “This way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen,” Borowski uses his imagination to create an exaggerated fictional environment of the concentration camp during WWII. Through a first-person point of view, Borowski depicts the physical and mental torture he witnesses as a prisoner who unloads new arrived prisoners off the train. Under the dehumanized condition, prisoners, German guards, and the narrator manifest human nature to the fullest. It reminds me one of the previous works we have read, “Metamorphosis.” Similar to Borowski’s work, in “Metamorphosis” the narrator has a physical transformation, which eventually exposes his family’s attitude towards him.

In both works, the authors construct plots that are fictional to allude to the themes of human nature, both bright side and dark side. For example, in “This way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen,” an old female prisoner shows sympathy to the narrator as she acknowledges the harsh reality the narrator has to face, even though he doesn’t feel bad for Jews at all. Or the moment when a little boy is running after his mom while the mom refuses to admit that is her son. Because of the inhuman environment, human nature appears in its purest form. Similarly, Gregor Samsa suffers from isolation from his family after his transformation. Not knowing Gregor Samsa is still a human under his insectile appearance, his family feels embarrassed and hides him from outside world. Moreover, they refuse to acknowledge Gregor for who he is regardless of what he looks like.

How is Gregor’s family transformed in the wake of his metamorphosis?

Prior to his metamorphosis, Gregor was overwhelmed by the pressure of supporting his family and paying off his father’s debt. No one in the family worked besides him. However, since Gregor can no longer work because of his physical transformation, the family is forced to sell personal belongings and pick up jobs to survive. In a way, though they face a tough financial situation, the circumstance has nudged everyone in the family to pick up their own responsibility and contribute. From this perspective, Gregor’s metamorphosis has a positive impact on family.

Explain your understanding of Gregor’s death.  How/why does he ultimately die?

Gregor suffers from his transformation. His physical appearance has changed into a bug meanwhile still possessing human consciousness. His inability to go to work to support his family, communicate with his sister, and prove to his family that he is still the person they know truly hurts him. Moreover, his family has caused even more pain for Gregor. It seems like they are paying more attention to Gregor but in reality, they are actually embarrassed by what he has turned into. Instead of treating him like a true family member, they refuse to acknowledge his inner presence as a human. Aching from inability to function as a human and cold affection from family, Gregor decides that death is the relieve. This plot kind of reminds me the story “Punishment” as both main characters end their lives to free themselves from pain.

The story’s narrator is revisiting a place he once lived.  Explain the significance that this “revisiting” has in relation to the themes of the story.

When one revisits a place that he/she has been before, it often triggers to bring back one’s memories that are associated with the place and hence evokes a feeling of nostalgia. In the story, the narrator revisits the place but soon finds out it is not what it used to be anymore. Everything has changed along the change in culture due to the New Culture Movement, which, according to the narrator, has made him feel like a “stranger” to the familiar place. Additionally, the change is seen in his childhood friend Weifu. Unlike how passionate he was about the revolution, Weifu no longer cares about contributing and shows indifference. The whole event of revisiting is significant as it connects to the themes of the story, the change. The narrator notices the difference in places, people, culture and reminisces the old time when Weifu and him were enthused by the revolutionary ideas. The nostalgic feeling creeps on him, reminding him those old days are loss and long gone.

Explain the significance of the story about reburying Weifu’s little brother?

Reburying Weifu’s little brother conveys how Weifu has bowed down to the traditional norms. The act itself is pointless since the body of Weifu’s brother is decomposed. Yet, Weifu proceeds to rebury it in a new coffin next to his father simply out of filial piety. He knows the act is meaningless but does so anyway just for his mother. It creates a contrast between the old Weifu and him now.

“Time for you and time for me/ and time yet for a hundred indecisions/and for a hundred visions and revisions/ before the taking of a toast and tea.” (Eliot 31-34)

In this passage of four lines, Prufrock seems to expect to meet a person, as the line “time for you and time for me” implies. While it is clueless to say who the expected person is, I assume it’s a female based on the following lines and the title of the poem. The author depicts that just for the taking of a toast and tea, Prufrock already has changed his mind for hundreds time. Going thru the cycle of making up one mind then soon erasing it, Prufrock’s battle with his inner voice is disclosed. He wishes he can man up and go interact with this female, yet anxiety creeps on him and feeds him fear. It eventually connects back to the theme of this poem, love. It is common and normal for a person to feel nervous or arbitrary to make a decision when in love. Eliot once again deploys the objective correlative technique as he does throughout the whole poem. (Shrestha) He doesn’t directly give away Prufrock’s personality to readers. Instead, he uses the image of the environment to convey Prufrock’s consciousness. In this passage specifically, the object is the concept of time. I personally am amused by the objective correlative technique. I find it quite clever and appealing.

Shrestha, Roma. “Objective Correlative in Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” BachelorandMaster, 4 Sep. 2017, bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanpoetry/objective-correlative-in-the-love-song.html.

After reading the story “Punishment” by Tagore, I’ve reflected on some similarities the story shares with another work we’ve read so far, “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger.” Both stories develop around the theme of suppressed women in society at the time. Because of the inferior social status, most women lacked the strength and resource to be independent. They often had to compromise their own lives and rely on men. In the story “Punishment,” Chandara is talked into taking the blame of murdering her sister-in-law by her husband Chidam. Chidam does so to protect his brother from going to prison. When he tells his wife Chandara to admit to the murder, she reacts as quoting, “Chandara stared at him stunned; her black eyes burnt him like fire. Then she shrank back, as if to escape his devilish clutches. She turned her heart and soul away from him. At this point, Chandara’s love for Chidam is dead. She does not have the power and freedom to run away from her tragic life and her disappointing husband. Therefore, she obeys to Chidam, although we later find out she doesn’t follow his plan. Similarly, Du Tenth foolishly dreams about relying on Li Jia for the rest of her life, and then only later finds out Li Jia is dumping her. Her reply to Li Jia is identical with Chandara’s response, quoting “The man who devised this plan for you is truly a great hero. The fortune of the thousand taels will enable you to restore your position in your family, and I will go to another man so as not to be a burden to you.” Both responses come from desperation for love.

One another similarity that two works share is the dramatic turnout at the end. Chandara, just like Du Tenth, chooses death over love to set herself free from suffering.

I genuinely love how thought provoking the story is. It relates to two things that I often contemplate on, time and life. Ivan Ilyich were driven to become successful before he gets ill. He believes that living to the standard of upper class is to only proper way to live a life. Because of that philosophy, he begins to dress in a certain way, acts in a certain way in order to adjust to propriety. Indulging in the bourgeois lifestyle, he soon feels unsatisfied with what he already acquired and becomes self-interested and materialistic. He isolates himself from others and numbs himself by working even more. However, everything changes when he gets sick. When Ivan Ilyich is confronted by his own mortality, he finally begins to reflect on the way he has been living his life. He questions the true value of chasing money and the appearance of a glamorous yet hollow life; he realizes the joy in his life that he’s been neglected; he reminisces the good time he has had with his family. Eventually, Ivan has an epiphany and decides to embrace the true nature of his life.

I feel a strong connection to this story, especially during this chaotic corona time. Like Ivan, I felt the urge to work hard nonstop so that I can achieve a comfortable life. As I failed to slow down and looked for simple joy in my life, I became anxious and pressured. Fortunately, this social distancing time has given me a chance to re-calibrate and realize what I really value the most. I miss spending time with my family, partying with my friends, or even just a fifteen minutes’ walk outside. “You don’t know what you have until its gone.” We are all given with one life, and one life only. Yet, we still live as if there’s a re-do button that we can push to start over again. The time is now, there is nothing we can do to change the past or predict the future. All we have is NOW. Being is a decision we make. We need to make the most out of each single day and just enjoy life because you never know when it’s your time to go.