Tales of a Harlem Bard

In the poem, "The Negro speaks of Rivers," Hughes expertly uses metaphors and symbols to draw contrasts between human suffering and history, as well as foster verisimilitude. The refrain, "I've known rivers," shows the longevity of earth and the human race itself. Hughes paints a bittersweet image of history when he contrasts the successes of civilization against the cost of human suffering. The rivers are like "human blood in human veins," which can represent the bloodshed and wars spilt into the rivers of history. The river is also "dusky" showing that it is not innocent, but sullied by the toils of men. When Hughes writes, "I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset," he shows how one man's success comes from another man's pain. And though, in the end, everything becomes "golden," consequences have an everlasting impact on its people. But humans survive the storm, and from troubled waters we gain vitality and wisdom. Our "souls grow deep" with knowledge of burden and hope. Hughes claims to have lived millions of years through his first person point of view, but this literary technique not only creates the appearance of truth, but also successfully recollects the history of an oppressed people. Though he is primarily referencing the African Americans, his allusions to the Euphrates and the Nile civilizations (those that were not considered "African") draw deeper connections to all mankind. In an essence, the poem becomes a cry against slavery and a rally for hope, strength, knowledge, and peace. 

Come one, come all! Your ticket to success and happiness.

     In November of 2008, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, was released as a guide to success. It is a success that is defined as either financial wealth or skill that brings world renown. Since then it has sold over 1.6 million copies, bought by people clamoring to find out how they too could receive everything they'd ever wanted. Sadly, the book confirmed that many great successes grew out of the seeds of luck and chance. People found themselves back at square one, wondering how they could achieve their success.

     Gatsby spent a lifetime making himself into the man he thought he wanted to be. It consumed him so much that his material possessions were needed to fill the growing void of insecurity in his heart. Even Daisy became a check mark, something on his list to prove to himself that he became the man he had always yearned to be. And even as we mock the characters in the Great Gatsby, we fail to see Fitzgerald's warning. We grow up playing dress up, pretending that we are the world's greatest successes. And as we grow older we wish we were young again. Maybe its because we never lived up to our expectations. Every year we set our standards lower just to soften the blow of failure. And sometimes I wonder: if ten years ago I could've seen myself the way I am today, would I be proud of who I am? Probably not. 

     Happiness is but a moment. When we spend all our conscious moments chasing an idyllic reality, we doom ourselves to failure. Those who constantly worry about being happy are in constant fear of losing that happiness. In fact, Cherophobia is where a person fears happiness because he or she believes that something tragic will follow.  And something tragic will inevitably ensue. In the end, the pursuit of happiness is a curse. It makes life a race against the inevitable truth of time. The real gift is the ability to live in the present. But in a world where we must have our lives plotted out by the age of 17, it seems we are destined to live the life of Gatsby, forever chasing the platonic versions of ourselves. I hope that you get everything you thought you wanted, and I hope that it is everything you thought it would be.

Revolution

     When Darwin proposed the theory of evolution, mass controversy erupted. And even though the science of evolution is still debated today, one idea was readily accepted in society.  Survival of the fittest, the thought that those who couldn't survive were unfit for existence, became the cultural excuse for the devastating gap between the lives of the rich and lives of the poor. And though the trendy idea quickly became taboo, it had lingering effects on society. How many of our actions are spurred by the need to show strength and dominance over others?
     For example, only when Gatsby first shared his problems and pains did Nick begin to accept him as a friend. Nick only decides to help him when Gatsby became less god-like and perfect.  This goes to show that we are only willing to help the less fortunate, not those who need it. And though the two often go hand-in-hand, this unusual situation raises the question: Are we only willing to help the less fortunate, in order to make ourselves more dominant?
     After all it is a competitive world. Often times, we are defined by a single number: a test score or an inheritance. But to cope with the outside world we develop our own ranking system in our heads. We define ourselves by our single best attributes and continually compare ourselves to others. Most often we form relationships with those who pose no threat to us or to those who can help us succeed. Relationships are built on mutual need- so why does the helper help the helpee? For every relationship there is a tradeoff; maybe we do help others solely to feel better about ourselves.
     Weaknesses draw humans toward each other and help us establish these relationships. Interestingly enough, Gatsby's humanity was his weakness. His love for Daisy was what drew Nick to help him. Love, which is commonly portrayed as the ultimate strength, failed Gatsby in the end. And as strengths and weaknesses become interchangeable, survival of the fittest becomes skewed. The strong may fall. The weak may conquer. So why do we continually try and prove that we are better than someone else? The dominance that drives our motivation may just be a figment of our imagination. The definition of "fittest" can be defined by an arbitrary collection of characteristics. Who is the strongest? Who is fit to survive? No one is.