The Death of Tradition

      Over the course of many generations, the concept of tradition has become more and more hollow. We as human beings have lost sight of the big picture. We have become the race that doesn’t want our ancestor’s antiques or the memories associated with them. Joan Didion writes, “Las Vegas seems to offer something other than “convenience”; it is merchandising “niceness,” the facsimile of proper ritual, to children who do not know how else to find it, how to make the arrangements, how to do it “right.” All day and evening long on the strip, one sees actual wedding parties, waiting under the harsh lights at a crosswalk." Any person can tell that tradition is on the brink of extinction just by facing a few known facts. First, many years ago it was respectful to ask permission of the parents to marry their daughter. Well welcome to the 21^st century because we are the generation that goes with sudden impulses!

            I really think that the essay “Marrying Absurd” by Joan Didion wouldn’t have been as effective if it hadn’t taken place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The state of Nevada is far from traditional; it has taken the sanctity of marriage between man and woman, and has turned it into a drive-thru sideshow.  Joan Didion writes “one sees the signs way out on the desert, looming up from that moonscape of rattle-snakes and mesquite, even before the Las Vegas lights appear like a mirage on the horizon:  “Getting married? Free license information First Strip exit.” I am glad that Joan Didion used Las Vegas, Nevada as the setting because there were many examples of how tradition has changed and died over the years. This essay made me realize how lazy we humans really are and it really is all about convenience with us. Whatever’s easiest for us, that is what we go with.

The father-son relationship

The father in Manning's essay is not the type of individual who can verbally express his emotions. His son even informs readers that "love was a rare expression between us" (150). Instead, the father uses physical means to reveal his love to his son, such as arm wrestling. Many readers may think that a physical game might not be the best way to show love to someone, however, they are mistaken. My response is that even though his father could have shown him some emotion of love, it's understandable that he acted that way towards Manning. The father-son relationship is very complicated, and when it comes to showing any kind of emotion or even love, many fathers or sons don't even do it. However many times sports such as baseball can be perfect for a father and son. A father taking his son for his first baseball game can be the defining moment for their relationship and will foreshadow how they will connect in the future.  In Manning's case, his father's way of showing love was during their arm wrestling match. Even though Manning wasn't able to understand it at a young age, he was able to learn as he got older. In the end although his father never said "I love you" he had showed it in a unique way that can be only seen in a father-son relationship.

FISH CHEEKS

If acceptance is achieved through similarity, then is the road to acceptance worth getting lost on?  A person’s individuality is what makes them who they are, but what about those who aren’t happy with who they are? Amy Tan’s essay “Fish Cheeks” explains the difficulty of  fitting in and forgetting who we are. The main question is: “Is fitting in worth it?” In the constant attempt to become someone who fit in, Tan forgot who she was. Her struggle to westernize herself and her family blinded her to the traditions, foods, festivities, and components that made her who she actually was. Was fitting in really worth it? If she had a “new slim American nose,” and worn a miniskirt, would Robert really have appreciated her more; and if he did appreciate her more for that, then what would compel her to believe the loss of those accessories would not have an effect on his outlook of her. Is fitting in really worth losing yourself?
I however am extremely proud of my culture. For example, I easily ignore the constant thrashing that other people say about Indian food. In fact I try to let my friends try Indian food and make them realize its not so bad after all!

Butter Chicken  :) :)

Nancy Mairs- "Disability"

Mair’s essay, "Disability", argues how the media make people with disabilities almost as if they are little helpless children who need to be taken care of every day. Mairs believes that the media, by failing to depict disability as ordinary, both marginalize viewers with disabilities and impair the outlook and coping skills of the ‘temporarily abled’. In her essay, she writes how a TV movie showed a woman recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but she chose dependence over independence. She is upset how such shows oversimplify people with disabilities by making disability central to their lives.  While I do agree with Mairs, I don't think people can help it; it’s just something that happens. Little kids can be the most brutal simply because they do not know. They don't know that pointing out a difference is not accepted in society. I think that people try so hard not to treat someone with a disability different, that they treat them differently. Curiosity is part of human nature, we all want to know 'why' something happens, or 'why' someone is the way they are. It's nearly impossible to treat someone who is different, the same way that a person treats everybody else. Unfortunately, that's just how it is.