The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Today we spoke about what makes great literature. I believe that an everlasting piece of writing must capture some aspect of human nature. Although I did not enjoy reading this novella, I appreciate Tolstoy’s language and message. What Tolstoy captured in The Death of Ivan Ilyich is the constant struggle of the individual vs. society.

As civilization has advanced, the importance of individualism has risen at the expense of kinship. The industrialized world’s emphasis on individual glory forces many to replace compassion, sympathy, and community with self-interest and ruthless individualism. I am not preaching that there is anything wrong with that, but I believe we have not yet found the golden mean. Traditional societies value kinship above the individual and this attitude fosters a group-effort. However, these societies focus on survival. Our society, well beyond a struggle for survival, searches for monetary and material indulgences. In times of strife, communities come together to support one another and provide for each other. However for the most part, the individual is left to fend for herself. The abrasiveness of society erodes many natural inclinations a person may have towards community and kinship. I believe Tolstoy spoke of this deteriorating effect of society on the person.

Ivan Iliych was a product of society. His major decisions in life were done in order to fit society’s standards. His goal was to improve his social standing. However his energy, time, and effort put into this quest were at best quixotic. The decor of his home, which was intended to look high-class, ended up looking like the homes of those who want to appear high-class but indeed are not. Also, his marriage was a result of how socially “right” their pairing was. This resulted in an unhappy, uncaring, and unloving marriage. He spent his years partying with the elite in order to boost himself in society; however what he gained was a false image of his social standing and false, “so-called” friends to boot.

Just as many monks, devotees, and religiously-inclined individuals do, Iliych found himself through isolation. Because of his illness, he was shut away from society and forced to confront himself—something he had avoided by covering himself with a façade. In this time Ivan learns the importance of the spiritual, inner self as opposed to the physical, materialistic self. His isolation from society allowed him to question his lifestyle and his beliefs. This scene in the novella was a crucial turning point. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Unfortunately for most his life, Ivan did not examine his life. And when he finally realized his wrong-doings and misdirection, it was far too late. Ivan conquered his fear of death and even experienced joy. Taking of the mask society concealed him with, Ivan is relieved of a heavy weight upon his shoulders, and dies a peaceful soul.

Lastly, to contrast with the upper echelon of Russian society, Tolstoy uses the character of Gerasim as a foil. Gerasim is everything society does not offer Ivan. Gerasim, a humble peasant boy, represents compassion, kinship, love, understanding, and acknowledgement. He is the only one who faces the prospect of death as an inevitability and not as something taboo. He is a breath of fresh air in a society that is consumed by falseness and self-interest. Finally, a character who has compassion and empathy relieves Ivan of his daily suffering and helps Iliych understand how happiness and love should consume one’s life not material pleasures.

Count Tolstoy grew up in the upper class of Russian society but spend his last days devoted to Early Christian theology and a simpler way of life. Ivan makes this realization too late in his life; however, he redeems himself through this epiphany.

Seeds of Change-Common App Essay

An Indian proverb states, “All of the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” I keep this mantra in my mind when I am toiling in the soil of my garden. For two years now, every Friday I can be found with dusty pants, muddy shoes, and a shovel in hand. After earning a green thumb from a desert landscaping course, I have been working incessantly with a team of three to create a desert, xeriscape garden that is both educational and aesthetically pleasing. We have transformed the barren, dilapidated landscape of our school’s science garden into a lively, thriving Eden. Through the course of this project, my understanding of the natural world and of myself has been influenced by plants and by the creation of our garden.

Gardening has made me more aware of the world in which I live. I see that plants are incredible life forms: their ingenious design and aesthetic quality make them a wonder of nature. They are the keystone for life on earth—cooperating with all species, fertilizing the land, and supplying our planet with the breath of life. One morning, after a session of planting, I witnessed a violet hummingbird sipping the sweet nectar of a new plant. The hummingbird’s interaction with the garden was a visible sign that all organisms are interconnected. I saw then that my actions—mankind’s actions—affect the ecosystem and ultimately the biosphere. Encounters like this have given me a deeper respect for the delicate balance of life. To change the world, all one needs to do is plant a seed with the hope of growth.

What’s more, the garden is the perfect fusion for my passions of biology and art. It is both an educational area and a beautiful accent to our campus. My scientific side loves the method behind creating an efficient, healthy garden; while my artistic side sees gardening as an art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas. The painting of our garden changes every day. There is always a new leaf to be found, a new cactus to add, and a new problem to solve. It is a constantly evolving process; in essence, the garden is always growing. I have learned that a garden requires lots of water—most of it in the form of perspiration. Hours of physical labor have gone into this creation. But after a hard day of planting, I can pat my hands dry of the dirt and leaves, and feel proud that I am creating something that will last longer than I will.

As the garden has grown, so have I. Our group initially had failures, but we have learned from our mistakes and persevered. Vita Sackville-West, English poet, novelist, and fellow gardener said, “The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied.” My patience, diligence, and hope have been tested by the garden. But upon the sight of a vibrant, new leaf all doubt is lost. I realize that I am planting the seeds for a better garden of the future—a metaphor I extend to all aspects of my life.

Through this experience I have learned to cultivate the garden within. I am more understanding of life’s intricacies and I am more confident in my ability to change the world, even if it is one seed at a time. The perfume of a flower coupled with the fresh scent of the wet earth is an indescribable feeling that I live for. It is said that many things grow in the garden that were never sowed there by human hands. Weeds and insects top that list; however, seeds of thought and awareness engendered in the garden can spread like dandelion seeds in a gust of wind. The garden is a symbol of cooperation between man, animals, and plants. For me, gardening is a labor of love whose real fruits are not tangible.

Frankenfood to Save Thousands in Africa

Here is my optional essay for Tufts:

Prompt:
The human narrative is replete with memorable characters like America’s Johnny Appleseed, ancient Greece’s Perseus or the Fox Spirits of East Asia. Imagine one of humanity’s storied figures is alive and working in the world today. Why does Eric the Red have a desk job? Would Shiva be a general or a diplomat? Is Quetzalcoatl trapped in a zoo? In short, connect your chosen figure to the contemporary world and imagine the life he/she/it might lead.

Frankenfood to Save Thousands in Africa
Mon Oct 5, 10:23 PM ET
Harare, Zimbabwe - World renowned researcher Dr. Victor Frankenstein has finally unveiled his latest creation: a consortium of genetically modified foods that will end malnutrition. The world’s leading GM food developer DNA (Designing New Agriculture) has completed its ten-year mission to create “Frankenfood” which, when eaten in three servings, will provide a full day’s worth of nutrition. The seeds of these organisms will grow with minimal water usage and produce bountiful crop yields, resulting in cheaper production and more food for impoverished nations.

Just fifteen years ago Dr. Frankenstein was shunned by the scientific community and by religious activists after his failed attempt to “play God”. However, today he is esteemed as a savior. He is also the number one genetic engineer. Using his esoteric knowledge, understanding of life and genomics, and a spark of creativity he has changed the world--an achievement that was never expected after Project Adam’s disastrous end. Dr. Frankenstein is a true success story. Using his passion for positive ends, he will save millions in the future.

Previously, Dr. Frankenstein was on an ethically-debatable search for what he called “the elixir of life”. In Project Adam he attempted to create life from inanimate matter. He succeeded. The result was a human prototype, which Frankenstein abandoned. The creature roamed without a parent, without a home, and without food, going to extremes to find these three things. It stole food, broke into houses, and frightened families--all because it wanted a shelter, nutrition, and love. Frankenstein’s creation once said to him, “I am malicious because I am miserable. ... If any being felt emotions of benevolence towards me, I should return them a hundred and a hundred fold.” After observing the creature, Frankenstein realized what he had to do. He said, “I shall live to improve myself, to take care of my child and to render myself worthy to join him.” While Frankenstein could not find parents or homes for every abandoned child, he could feed them.

This was the turning point in Victor Frankenstein’s life. The doctor said, “Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose--a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye.” Nourishing children with wholesome food was his new goal. In the memory of his creature, he founded DNA and started making history.

More Poems...Because I Can't Decide Which Two I Like Best

yay for long and useless titles!


Stephen Crane, The Black Riders Part IV

God fashioned the ship of the world carefully.
With the infinite skill of an All-Master
Made He the hull and the sails,
Held He the rudder
Ready for adjustment.
Erect stood He, scanning His work proudly.
Then-at fateful time-a wrong called,
And God turned, heeding.
Lo, the ship, at this opportunity,
slipped slyly,
Making cunning noiseless travel down the ways.
So that, forever rudderless, it went upon the seas
Going ridiculous voyages,
Making quaint progress,
Turning as with serious purpose
Before stupid winds.
And there were many in the sky
Who laughed at this thing.

Song of the Powers, David Mason

Mine, said the stone,
mine is the hour.
I crush the scissors,
such is my power.
Stronger than wishes,
my power, alone.


Mine, said the paper,
mine are the words
that smother the stone
with imagined birds,
reams of them, flown
from the mind of the shaper.


Mine, said the scissors,
mine all the knives
gashing through paper’s
ethereal lives;
nothing’s so proper
as tattering wishes.


As stone crushes scissors,
as paper snuffs stone
and scissors cut paper,
all end alone.
So heap up your paper
and scissor your wishes
and uproot the stone
from the top of the hill.
They all end alone
as you will, you will.

Two (out of a long list) of My Favorite Poems

Cat


The fat cat on the mat
may seem to dream
of nice mice that suffice
for him, or cream;
but he free, maybe,
walks in thought
unbowed, proud, where loud
roared and fought
his kin, lean and slim,
or deep in den
in the East feasted on beasts
and tender men.
The giant lion with iron
claw in paw,
and huge ruthless tooth
in gory jaw;
the pard dark-starred,
fleet upon feet,
that oft soft from aloft
leaps upon his meat
where woods loom in gloom --
far now they be,
fierce and free,
and tamed is he;
but fat cat on the mat
kept as a pet
he does not forget.

JRR Tolkien



A Man Said to the Universe


A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

Stephen Crane

Love Engendered

I find it amusing that humans use the flower as a symbol of love. What is so funny about the innocent flower? Exactly that: its innocence! The flower is a seductive lure to all pollinating creatures. Flowers are the sexual organs of plants. Even the Roman goddess Flora, the deity of the vine, fruit, flowers, and grain, symbolized fertility—needless to say, festivals held in her honor were pretty wild. The flower’s sole purpose is to enclose the plant sperm in an attractive casing in the hopes that an animal will be attracted to it and therefore spread its germ to awaiting, neighboring plants—it’s quite ingenious when one thinks about it. The fact that we humans proclaim and demonstrate our love through the giving of sexual organs is hilarious. It would be strange if we used the reproductive organs of any other organism. Let’s say, a fallopian tube? The motif of flowers is used throughout Love in the Time of Cholera. Delving more deeply into the motif, I began to wonder what the different flowers Florentino associated with Fermina Daza meant to him and why.

Flowers clearly symbolize Florentino’s intoxication with Fermina. Three flowers in particular remind him of his ideal love: the gardenia, the camellia, and the rose. Culturally the gardenia represents secret love, joy, and is considered lucky. The camellia represents admiration, perfection and loveliness. The rose symbolizes passion and love (as well as the Virgin Mary) when red; virginity and purity when white. It therefore isn’t too shocking when one realizes that an anagram of rose is eros, the god of love.

Fermina’s floral scent lingers with Florentino even half a century later. His title for her, the crowned goddess, was created when he saw her wearing a crown of flowers on her head. He sends her a white camellia, “a flower of promise”, when he requests her hand in marriage. He consumes flowers to the point of sickness when thinking and waiting for Fermina. He even inscribes poetry on flower petals—an extremely delicate and involved process. Florentino worships Fermina and fabricates a love so ideal that it cannot be real. Despite Florentino’s desperate attempts, the seeds of their love germinate, but they are not ready to blossom—not for another fifty years.

To Florentino, the young Fermina Daza was like a delicate white camellia: beautiful and innocent. However, Fermina was more like a rose: a beauty indeed, but one that came with many thorns. Her independence, level-headedness, and realism directly contrasted Florentino’s dependence, aloofness, and romanticism. Florentino believed that he understood Fermina’s nature, but he was far from right. Later in life, after his 622 plus encounters with women, he believes that he can read, manipulate, and please the female gender. While the latter might be right, Florentino still cannot understand the intricate workings of the female mind and heart.

I still believe that Florentino's love for Fermina is pure and constant. His tiny falterings are natural and human. But his ability to seek substitute, earthly lovers to control the consuming affects of his love for Fermina make him strong. He knows that he must be patient; he knows he must be mentally faithful; and he knows that love will conquer all. I wonder if Florentino had never been raped by the mysterious woman on the boat, that he would have remained physically loyal to Fermina as well. However, the more important question is if his sexual encounters really relieved him of his overpowering love for Fermina. Freud's theories on repression state that strong emotions need to be expressed through methods that are not harmful, are theraputic, and socially acceptable. Our subconscience houses our deepest desires and emotions--feelings that one finds hard to consciously think about--and Freud believed these powerful feelings needed some form of expression. Florentino finds many outlets for his love for Fermina. He composes love letters for uninspired or unable lovers. He writes poetry and delves into romance novels. But his mental and emotional love is so powerful that he physically needs an outlet. He knows he must wait for Fermina--and so he does, all the while expressing his mental love for Fermina through the physical love of other women. This is not a conventional story of love. Florentino demonstrates that love comes in many forms.

Marquez makes no statement on what love should be or what kind of love is best. He simply narrates what love is and can be.
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Fun Fact: The parrot in many Impressionist paintings symbolized the character of the female subject: that of a prostitute. Gustave Courbet’s Woman with a Parrot was clearly of a nightly escort--as well as Manet’s.