Era of Love and Peace

Posted on by under Spring Passion

Good morning guys, and it seems we have reached the final passion blog for this class. I’m really glad I was able to connect with you and share thoughts on my favorite show! Thank you for reading and commenting, I hope you enjoyed these posts as much as I enjoyed making them. For the final post, I wanted to keep it pretty tame so I compiled some of my favorite lessons and quotes that inspire me.

1) There is Never One Answer

“Instead of seeing what they want you to see, open yourself up to the possibilities.” -Bumi

Aang’s reunion with Bumi highlighted one of the most important characteristics of Aang that is proven in almost every circumstance, which is his ability to find a new solution to his problems. When backed in a corner with seemingly no other option to take, he consistently is able to draw upon the lessons of his teachers, friends, and even enemies, to carve out a new path and solution that ends up resolving things better than what was expected. This is something that I find to be one of the most applicable lessons to my everyday life, especially when it comes down to things where I feel that I have no control over. There may be times where things are expected to go one way or another, and other times where it seems there is no other choice. Yet, as seen throughout the show, there is another choice. You just need to be open to it. 

2) Take Control of Your Trauma

“You must never give in to despair! Hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of strength.” -Iroh

Each character in Avatar has their own mental blockages. From Aang who lost his entire culture and people, to Sokka, Katara, and Zuko who have lost family, to Toph and even Azula, who had not been given the proper love and understanding needed by their parents. However, in spite of their trauma and the pain of their past, these characters have incredibly strong will. They work to outgrow their grief and to fuel it towards their strengths. While some may have done it better than others, it doesn’t change the fact that being able to not let their trauma rule over their lives and to instead push themselves to overcome it is an inspiration to anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by their past struggles. I’ve been through numerous hard times. There is no doubt that these hard times are far from the last. Yet, being able to push through, to grow and to live in spite of it, is something that I hope is never forgotten. This then leads into the next lesson which is…

3) Appreciate The Present

“Don’t concern yourself with what was, concern yourself with what is.” -Monk Gyatso

Similarly with growing past their trauma, seeing what is currently happening in front of them was an important lesson that had truly been present all throughout the show. While it is very clear that the past can influence us all and especially guide us in times of need, it is also important to remember that the past is simply that– the past. We can learn from it, we can appreciate it, but at the same time we know that there is nothing to be done to change it or to erase it. With nothing left to do but look back at it, we miss looking forward. There may have been nothing that could’ve been done then, but there are still things that are happening now and will happen later. Your friends, your family, who you are, it all changes. With time, everything does. All you can do is do all you can. As those cringey home decor signs always promote: Live, love, laugh. As corny as it is. 

4) Growth and Healing Isn’t Linear

You’re going to fail a lot before things work out. Even though you’ll probably fail over and over and over again, you have to try every time. You can’t quit because you’re afraid you might fail.” -Zuko

The character redemption for Zuko wasn’t just gratifying in the fact of how much he had suffered, but the fact that it wasn’t a simple track. He had moments of growth and times where it seemed like he was bettering himself, only to fall back into his same habits and frustrations. Even when he had committed himself to joining Team Avatar, he still made mistakes like burning Toph’s feet. Becoming a better person is not easy, and it isn’t one track. Being able to recognize that there is room for change is strongly emphasized, but something I feel that isn’t as emphasized but equally important is the idea of being indomitable. You will make progress. You will reset that progress. You will take 100 steps forward and still fall short of your expectations. But what you can’t do is give up. You keep going. In my mind, this lesson itself is something that is still hard for me to follow. Yet, I will never forget it. It is never too late. Be kind to yourself, and get back up and try again. 

5) Never Give Up On Yourself

“Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving you will come to a better place.” -Iroh

The last lesson and this one are essentially the same, but what I especially want to focus on is the idea that never giving up on yourself is the core notion behind the previous lesson. That in spite of the regressions and the failures and the broken promises, there is still a fighting spirit. Included in never giving up, is allowing yourself to be helped. From my personal experiences, it felt like defeat to ask for help from my friends and family. For a long time, it felt like I had to handle things on my own. That I could handle things on my own. And in revealing what I was going through to others, it would be me giving up on myself and my ability to fix myself. But that’s not true. Giving up on yourself would entail giving up on being able to become better. In my case, not getting help would only lead to not being able to better myself. That is giving up if I have ever seen it. 

To wrap up, life is hard. It is arduous, it is short, it is painful. But it is so beautiful. It is supportive. And it is only yours once. Give love, but don’t forget to take it. “Life happens wherever you go, whether you make it or not.” -Iroh.

Resources for Stress Management

Posted on by under Civic Issues

April is recognized as Stress Awareness Month and as discussed in the previous Civic Issues blog, stress has a variety of effects upon the health of young adults, both physically and mentally. With such a concerning number of students reporting feeling stressed or overwhelmed at Penn State, surely there must be measures that are being taken in order to counter these issues. I will go over the current systems and programs that Penn State currently has in place regarding stress management, and by the end come to a conclusion of services that I think should be further advertised or made aware of.  

There is a condensed area of information regarding stress management that comes from a page on the Penn State Student Affairs website. This page comes from Health Promotion and Wellness(HPW), a unit under Student Affairs that includes an overview of the services provided by Penn State to help their students navigate and handle stress. Among the services listed are one-on-one-services with peer educators, stress management 101 (a self-guided course), workshops, counseling, chats, and fitness classes. Not to mention, extra resources and tools for managing stress at home for those who prefer a more isolated environment to handling stress. 

The first service that I will introduce is the HPW trained peer services. These services provided are all free and can cover a wide range of topics such as sleep, mindfulness, nutrition, relationships, and general stress management. These services are offered in sessions in the HUB and Intramural Building by scheduled appointment and are conducted by a trained peer health educator. Scheduling for these appointments can be done in the same way as any other doctor’s appointment or by emailing promotinghealth@psu.edu. 

The next resource I will go over is the “Manage Stress Workbook” also provided by student affairs. To summarize, the workbook is a 20 page online pdf that goes over a multitude of techniques to help deal with stress management. Within the workbook, there are a multitude of activities for students to explore and complete on their own, such as deep breathing exercises and a page for stress tracking. This barely scratches the surface of all the detail and information packed into the workbook, with numerous suggestions and mindful techniques meant to address various causes of stress. 

The third resource is one that particularly piqued my interest. Within the Intramural Building, there is a place called the Relaxation Room. This room is open from 8am-5pm Monday through Friday and features multiple activities designed for students to utilize to destress, take a break, relax, or study. These include software programs on desktop computers to practice breathing exercises, relaxation/stress reduction/mindfulness audio tracks to listen to, coloring books, a zen sand garden, puzzles, light therapy boxes, and a comfortable space to relax in. There is no appointment necessary to show up. 

 

The next resource comes through the form of a canvas course called Stress Management 101. Within this course, there are several video modules, reflections, worksheets, and readings to complete that, by the end of its completion, should transform students into a more educated and healthier being. Currently there are a total of 6 modules, each taking a variety of time to complete. This course does not count for any real credit, although it holds the format of a usual college canvas page, but the completion of the modules are entirely up to the student in choosing what areas to spend their time focusing on. 

The fourth resource sort of touches back on the previous program of the trained peer services, except this time it is facilitated by professional staff. This resource focuses on workshops which are conducted for academic classes, student organizations, student clubs, and residence hall floors. To sign up for a workshop, a form must be completed in order to make an official request. The topics for these workshops include an alcohol workshop, an eating disorder workshop, and a mindfulness and compassion workshop. There are other workshops available as well, but these are provided by the trained peer educators. These then include workshops for sleep, nutrition, safer sex, and of course, stress management. 

This next service is provided by the Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) and is called the “WellTrack Boost.” It basically is a wellness assessment that can be used either one time, on an as-needed basis, or as a regularly scheduled mood check. WellTrack Boost helps students to understand the activities in their schedule that contribute to changes in mood and motivation and how these tie into their own individual change. Within WellTrack Boost there are also programs or “courses” that have content focused on Resilience, Anxiety & Stress, Depression, Finding Purpose & Meaning,  Healthy Sleep, Inner Calm/Mindfulness, and Public Speaking. Of course, CAPS also provides their usual services which can be focused towards stress such as their informal consultations, virtual library, and mental health screenings. 

The final resource that I will go over is the Fitness and Wellbeing services that are available to all Penn State students. While it does not directly address motivations and thoughts that tie into stress, physical activity and exercise has been linked to reducing the feeling of stress, and turning negative energy into a positive outlet. There are over 100 fitness offerings available for Penn State students, including Group Fitness Classes, Small Group/Instructional training classes, personal training packages, and special events that are hosted throughout the year. Not to mention virtual fitness options for those who would rather like to do workouts within the comforts of their home. Some of the programs listed that I found the most interesting include aquatics, outdoor adventures, and yoga. 

After reviewing the many resources available on Penn State’s campus, it has become clear that all the measures that are offered are plentiful and varied in their options for virtually any type of student to choose a method that best suits their needs. The only issue I found is that for students who feel stressed, finding where to start can be a bit overwhelming because of the sheer number of resources available. Not to mention, some of the most interesting and hands-on approaches that I found to be very useful don’t seem to be advertised that much in the open as I wish they were. Among the resources that I have summarized, I believe that the Relaxation Room and the Manage Stress Workbook should be the ones to be widely pushed for Freshman to be aware of. Although all these resources come with their own downsides or differing methods, I found the Workbook and the Relaxation Room to be the most generalized, and thus the most applicable to the majority of students which should in turn be the most used and advertised. 

 

Sites: 

 

Critics, Casting, Carelessness

Posted on by under Spring Passion

“There is no live-action avatar movie.” For years, many fans of Avatar refused to acknowledge the existence of the horrible failure that was M. Night Shyamalan’s attempt at bringing the show to reality. Yet, now that the attempts to make the show live-action once again had resurfaced, comparisons between the movie and the current Netflix adaptation are being drawn. In light of these conversations, it has sparked my interest into what exactly constitutes a “good” live-action remake versus the “bad”. 

In case you haven’t heard of M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 movie, “The Last Airbender,” I’ll quickly recap some of the biggest issues fans had with it. Casting issues were deemed inaccurate, plot inconsistencies were pointed out, and the CGI definitely didn’t age well. At the very least, you’d figure they would get the pronunciation of the main character’s name correct, right? No. They said Ung. (And if you haven’t seen the video of an entire formation of “earthbenders” take 5 minutes to move a singular rock, I definitely suggest watching it). Watching the movie for 10 minutes alone gave a viewer enough time to see that there was virtually no one on this team that had remotely been familiar with the source material. 

With the 2010 live action movie, it was completely clear what had made it a bad live action. Casting just didn’t fit, the visuals were disappointing, and the referenced material was barely consistent with what the audience was familiar with. Yet although the current live-action Netflix series is doing quite well, I’ve seen numerous people say the same thing about the current adaptation. 

While some critics of the Netflix series have understandable grievances, some of the more outspoken opinions definitely border controversy. Particularly when it comes to casting. There were numerous comments and reviews that I’ve seen left about people upset with the casting of certain characters, such as Mai and Azula. To those upset with the casting, they were very harsh with critiques about the weight of the actresses, and overall just really crass body-shaming opinions. On the other side of the critiques, many made some valid points such as issues within script writing of over-spewing expository information and lack of good costume designs which change the quality of viewing. 

In comparison to the previous attempt at bringing Avatar live-action, what makes the new one “good” or “bad” is harder to draw the line. It’s understandable for not thinking Azula or Mai fit the image of a villain, however it is not as acceptable when it comes to people expressing this through body-shaming the actresses. While some nitpick the script and say that it might info-dump a little too much, other reviews rave about how they love the subtle changes that were made and how it enhances the story a lot more. 

So why is it that while the Netflix series for Avatar is harder to determine bad and good, while other live actions are doing quite well? The best example I can come up with is the current adaptation of the anime, One Piece. If you look at the scores on Rotten Tomatoes, you’ll find One Piece has around 85% while Avatar’s stands at 59%. 

According to Screenrant.com, many attribute the success of One Piece and the shortcomings of Avatar to the storytelling. As mentioned before, a common critique of the new Netflix adaptation is script writing and suffering from an overly condensed, and sometimes rushed, storytelling approach. One Piece’s handle on special moments connects to the audience in a way that Avatar’s first season is missing, and the gaps between them are clearly shown. When applying this critique to other live actions, such as the Percy Jackson series, storytelling becomes a common factor in what brings down a show’s adaptability. 

Personally, I don’t think the live action series is bad. We’ve already seen how bad it has already been, and nothing can really top what M. Night Shyamalan had released into the world. But as more and more books, cartoons, and comics turn into live-action, it becomes more obvious how they suffer when not treated with enough thorough detail and attention. Poorly made costumes, a poorly written script, or a poorly fitted cast can add up to an audience’s distaste. Not to mention when you combine all three together, it becomes obvious how much corners were cut in favor of speed. 

But if there’s one thing everyone agrees on– leaves from the vine will always be perfect. 

 

Cites: 

The Greatest Earthbender in the World

Posted on by under Spring Passion

Diversity in characters is often hard to come across. Not in the sense of seeing different portrayals of diverse characters, but writing them well. I will often find characters meant to show representation just awkwardly shoved into a story, often not contributing much to the storyline or generally overplaying or downplaying what makes them diverse. I’m sure you can see where I’m getting with this, but one of the best written characters that perfectly embodies the balance needed for a diverse protagonist is Toph Beifong.

It is established as soon as we meet Toph that what makes her diverse from other characters is her blindness. In some shows, a character with some sort of disability may mention having it but then never show how it affects their lives or adversely only stick to stereotypical conventions of said disability and never truly grow as a character. In Toph’s case, we as an audience are always aware of her disability, but are never truly underwhelmed or overwhelmed by it.

It is revealed that instead of her blindness holding her back from becoming a talented bender, it actually does the opposite. It allowed her to become more closely in tune with the earth around her, and learn to listen rather than use her bending mindlessly. Unsurprisingly, many of the people around her tend to underestimate her capabilities due to assumptions about her blindness. And again, instead of holding her back, that works in her favor in getting the upper hand and strategically defeating her opponents. To continue, not only does her blindness help her to become more strategic and masterful of bending, it significantly builds her character as a whole.

The best part about her character isn’t just that she’s strong from her disability, but that she can also be weak with it. I find that sometimes in shows, having a character with a disability that almost ignores their impairment leaves the character one-dimensional. Toph fully acknowledges her blindness on multiple accounts, as do the people around her, and yet it still doesn’t feel stagnant. As many times as it shows Toph being able to use her blindness to her advantage and overcome it, there are moments where it holds her back. When we are first introduced to her in the underground arena, Aang’s confrontation reveals that attacks that come from the air where it is hard to feel vibrations are hard for her to combat. Later on in the season during the episode Lake Laogai, Toph can’t contribute much to helping put up missing flyers for Appa. And the most prominent example of a moment of weakness lies in season 3, where Sokka and Toph are on the edge of the airships and she can’t tell what’s going on.

Revealing all aspects of a disability or diversity allows for a character to become dynamic and show that they aren’t just a character representing a group, but an actual person living it. It makes them more genuine, and makes for a more enjoyable watch. She isn’t her disability, but she is who she is because of it. Even multiple characters within Team Avatar have their moments where they forget she is blind, because she is equal in every right to everyone else on the team.

Honestly, this all goes to show how well thought out the characters in Avatar truly are. Each one has a distinct personality and traits to them that make sense and form well together, to where it doesn’t feel like a script but a real group of friends being together. Even though earth symbolically represents stubbornness and staying firm in position, ironically the characters throughout season 2 showed dramatic changes in growth and empowerment. 

That’s about it for this week’s blog! Toph is definitely one of my favorite characters, but honestly I’m biased towards many of the female characters that are present in the show. I definitely become more and more inspired by the Avatar franchise as I keep analyzing it and I hope these blog posts similarly inspire you! Have a great weekend! 

Stress Effects

Posted on by under Civic Issues

In 2015, the American College Health Association found through a survey that stress is one of the leading issues for students when it comes to academics. This survey spanned over a hundred colleges and universities in the U.S., with the top universities subsequently facing stress even before becoming enrolled in the college due to the elite acceptance rates. The same survey found that “45% of American college students claimed to undergo ‘more than average stress,’ while 33% of students reported ‘average stress’ and 12.7% saying it is  ‘tremendous stress’” (research.com). It’s clear that this is an issue for students nationwide, and this causes more issues than just a hindrance to academic success. 

The effects of stress in the short term already causes a multitude of issues for students. Among these are mental and physical, with stress often being linked to procrastination and depression, as well as a lack of sleep and heart disease. In the survey mentioned prior, 40% of US college students feel inadequately rested five out of seven days in the week, which leads to negative academic performance, lower self-esteem, and unfortunately, even more stress. It quickly becomes that students get trapped within the cycle of stress. Long-term, stress can do major damage to the body. According to the American Psychological Association, stress can affect all areas of the body. 

Beginning in the musculoskeletal system, damages include pain in the low back, tension-type headache and migraine headache, and overall muscle tension. Chronic stress causes muscles in the body to constantly be in a period where they are tensed, which can lead to other reactions in the body. Each damage specific correlates with a different muscle tension. The headaches and migraines can be attributed to shoulder, neck, and head tenseness.

Moving onto the respiratory system, issues can be shortness of breath, rapid breathing, as well as asthma attacks. For people without pre-existing respiratory issues, they usually do not have as much of a problem as those with asthma or COPD. However, they can still be affected by stress that causes problems mentally, as rapid breathing can lead to hyperventilation and panic attacks. 

The third area that is affected by stress is the Cardiovascular system. Stress can elevate heart rate, stress hormones, and blood pressure. These increases do immense damage, creating risk for hypertension, heart attacks, and stroke. Repeated stress may also cause inflammation in the circulatory system, especially the coronary arteries, which may be tied to heart attacks. 

Not to mention, stress also widely affects the immune system. Hormones, including the stress hormone cortisol, are important to regulate the immune system. The presence of chronic stress may impair the effectiveness of fighting against diseases, and can be linked to fatigue, metabolic disorders (diabetes, obesity), depression, and other immune disorders. 

This is only a few of the issues relating to stress physically. In the perspective of college students, being exposed to new environments and people can already weaken the body with illness. Place a large amount of stress on them, this will more than affect not just their grades, but recovery as well. In regards to Penn State, stress is one of the leading issues that affect academics. In the Penn State Student Health Assessment for the Spring of 2020, stress was marked as the 2nd leading issue that affects academics, with 33% of students saying stress had affected their performance in the last 12 months. In fact, 62% of Penn State students rated their level of stress as moderate or high. 

Aside from the students, other stakeholders within this issue include parents of students, counselors/therapists, health workers (nurses, doctors, etc.), Penn State administration, and professors and TAs of the university. For parents, their childrens’ well being is always at the forefront of their mind. In the issue of stress, many parents worry for their child on what to do or how to make them feel better. They may pressure the school to promote more access to mental health services or stress management programs. As for the counselors/therapists, an increase in stress on campus means more students that need helping. This may be overwhelming, or in the opposite case may be concerning that not enough students are taking these resources. They may feel responsible for ensuring the student does not become worse and is indeed taking their advice and making positive improvements. Then comes the area of health workers. In the case of stress taking a toll on students physically, health workers will have to write prescriptions for students suffering from chronic pains or insomnia. Paired with any medication already taken for mental health issues, the combination of all of these things may become overwhelming for the student, and complicated for the workers. To continue, Penn State administrators may start to see the grades decline and rise in stress as a result of a lack of responsibility among students or even take it upon themselves to become more active. The increased usage of mental and physical health services would become apparent and may cause an increase in budget toward that area. Not to mention, administration would be at the front of any criticism brought by parents and family members. Finally, professors and TAs would be affected by this issue due to the performance of the students. While not all professors can be applied to this, I believe that a good majority care about the well being of their students, as well as their class performance as a whole. The major academic hindrance would become apparent to them, and would cause not only them to stress and worry as well, but to feel pressure from administrators to have the class perform better. 

Overall, one can see how stress plays a role in many areas, such as nationally, locally, physically, and mentally. It is clear that something must be done to not only ensure the well-being of students, but the well being of families, workers, and administrators. Next civic issues post, I will cover the steps that other colleges and universities have done, recommendations from health care workers, as well as current systems implemented here at Penn State. Stress in its current state is so prevalent that it has almost become normalized. People expect for students to be stressed and to deal with stress, and see it as a natural part of growing up. However, I argue that stress doesn’t have to be part of progressing through schooling and through life. As mentioned, it does more harm than good, therefore the elimination of stress as much as possible is a glaring issue that needs to be resolved.

Cites:

Inspirational People

Posted on by under Spring Passion

Happy spring break guys! Because I’ve already left for home and because I haven’t taken the time to watch the newly released live-action version of Avatar, this week’s blog post will be less analytical and more so just casually talking about inspirations on the four nations. (Although, if I do get the chance to watch the live-action, know there will be a blog post dedicated to that in due time!)

Each of the four elements, while holding symbolic value in their own right, are fully representative in diverse ways to a unique set of cultures. I’ll begin in the classic order of the intro. 

Water, the element of change, comprises the Northern and Southern tribes. Its people value community and find strength in adaptability. Compared to real life inspirations, the Water Tribe was loosely based off of Inuit culture, as well as some parts of Native American culture as well. Their fighting style in particular is also representative of Tai Chi, almost commonly used for meditation but also fluid-like in fighting and requires a lot of dedication to master. 

Next, we move onto Earth. It is the element of substance, and represents the Earth Kingdom. The people are strong and enduring, as evidenced by outlasting numerous sieges on Ba Sing Se. The culture that the Earth Kingdom strongly reflects is from China, from its cities, palace, government, and even cuisine. The fighting style of earth benders is similar to that of Hung Gar, but interestingly enough, Tooth’s fighting style is in its own separate influence of Southern Praying Mantis Style. 

Second to last, we have fire, the element of power. The people make up the fire nation, and are characteristically driven, willful, and ambitious. The fire nation is inspired by various asian cultures, but mostly due to their role in the story find many similarities to Imperial Japan. For their fighting style, fire benders utilize the Northern Shaolin technique, which involves powerful and dynamic footwork. 

Finally, air, the element of freedom, is attributed to the Air Nomads. Aligning to their element, air nomads are typically removed from society and, as Iroh puts it, have detached themselves from worldly concerns in order to obtain peace and freedom. The air nomads are largely based on various spiritual groups such as Tibetan Buddhists, Shaolin Monks, Sri Lankan Buddhists, and Hinduism. Their martial art is inspired by Baguazhang, also known as circle walking. Just like curling wind, Baguazhang fighters are constantly moving and are flexible in their offense and defense, centering on agility and repositioning to gain the upper hand. 

There are so many more parallels to be drawn from the world in Avatar and its inspirations in ours that if I kept going it would make this blog post at least 10x longer. It was really interesting to see just how similar it is to us and where the show took its own creative liberties, so if you’re interested in more I strongly recommend checking out some of the links I listed below. 

 That’s about all, so I will leave you with a perfect quote from Iroh: “It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others… will help you become whole.”

 

Cites:

 

The Two-Party System: Past

Posted on by under Civic Issues

When George Washington, the United States’ first President, delivered his farewell address in 1796, he left behind a set of precedents that largely shaped how many Americans now view politics today. He implored for unity and upholding the Constitution while also admonishing interference with foreign relations and the creation of political parties. For the most part, neutrality, unity, and upholding the Constitution have in some form or another been an important basis surrounding our political views. Yet how is it that political parties, something even the first President had foreseen becoming an issue, become such an integral part of our modern day politics? To start, we need to look over the emergence of the two-party system.

During Washington’s second term, a two-party rivalry had already begun to emerge: The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. The Federalists mainly represented New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, while Democratic-Republicans were mainly representative of the South. At this point, senators tended to vote along these parties, but did not have a formal organization or alliance within the Senate. The Federalists were headed by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, who supported strong government and the establishment of a national bank. The Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Maddison, were quite the opposite– favoring power to the states, a non-invasive government, and reduction of taxation power. The rivalry between the two would eventually meet its end with Thomas Jefferson beating John Adams in the election of 1800, establishing a majority in the Senate and reducing the power of the Federalists greatly. The Federalists had also expressed their opposition to the War of 1812, and following the aftermath of the war, had ruined their reputation because of said opposition and ended up disbanding.  

During this period, there were numerous factors that led to the growth of the system including geographic, economic, and cultural changes during the time. America was currently expanding west, which meant new styles of politics as there were significant absences of established economic elites. Following the War of 1812, there were also larger gaps between the regions. Politics now had to branch differences of economies and interests. The textile industry was growing rapidly, populations were rising, and various exports were booming with trade. The increase in trade meant individuals that represented manufacturing interests, agricultural commodities, and international trade had strong influences on politics, especially in the North where this change had mainly taken place (such as New York City). On the other hand, there were also crises such as the financial panic of 1819, which led to political differences over issues like debt relief, banking, and tariffs. And of course, one of the most significant sources of political division– slavery. 

Most regions in the Old South (states along the Atlantic Coast from Maryland and Delaware to Georgia) during the 1800s were suffering from population loss and economic decline. Exports that used to hold a lot of power (tobacco, rice, indigo, etc.) that were highly valued in the colonial era were not as needed as they used to be. The soil itself had also begun to lose its fertility. The era’s most valuable crop, cotton, was not suitable to be grown in the majority of the region, so many left for the West in hopes of better prospects. It was at this point that much of the wealth in the region lay in the investments of slaves, and southern planters started to sell slaves to cotton planets in the Southwest. Despite the importation of enslaved people becoming banned in 1808, the number of slaves only increased. According to archives.gov, the population of slaves were just over 1 million in 1810, and increased to 2.5 million in 1840. 

As listed from above, a combination of all of these changing aspects at around the same time, led to greater discourse and disagreement among the states. With different regions holding different economies, cultures, and beliefs, tensions funneled into the politics. With so many changes and every locality striving for their own beliefs, it seems almost daunting to go to a leap of 2-parties to represent all of the interests of the different regions. Although there were hints of the two-party system being formed, it lacked the consistency and strength that the modern-day system encompasses. At the current time of the mid 1820s, there was only one national party that had been broken up into factional fighting centered around leading candidates. This is where we finally see the true institution of the two-party system, created by none other than Martin Van Buren, future president but at this point, New York Senator. His vision was to create order to the political landscape by revolutionary change– these new political parties enabled non-elite politicians to challenge traditional leaders. Elites could be overthrown by a coordinated disciplined team that had the support of the common people and could win elections at various positions in government. Party members would set aside local interests in order to achieve a unified national agenda. Compared to the past two-party systems, this signified a huge break and permanently changed political values. 

Now enter 1828– the growth of the post office. During this year, the United States Post Office had become the world’s largest bureaucracy which promoted the publication and exchange of newspapers (archive.gov). As you know, increases in communications meant increased strides in the spread of information, technology, and most influential– propaganda. Add this to the new ways of politics introduced by Van Buren, the last thing that needs to be covered is how we got to our current rivalry. The 1828 election had Andrew Jackson placed as President, and he had become backed by a new party– The Democratic Party. The Democratic worked hard to get Jackson into the Presidency, being the first party to use the press effectively in order to rally their followers to support them. In the Senate, Henry Clay led his own coalition to oppose Jackson’s faction called the Whig Party. Eventually the Whig Party dissolved over the issue of slavery in the 1850s, and became replaced with the Republican Party which at the time, supported the decision of blocking the spread of slavery out West. As for the Democratic Party, it had split between Northern Democrats being largely anti-slavery, while Southern Democrats stayed pro-slavery and ended up leaving the Senate in support of secession. By the time of the Reconstruction period, the modern two-party system could be seen firmly in place. 

Post Civil War saw the Republican party largely in control, and were largely based on liberal ideals. They used their power to make strides in protecting formerly enslaved people and guaranteeing their civil rights. At the same time, Democrats were very much disapproving of the measures the Republicans were taking. Compared to today, each respective party’s values seemed to be completely opposite. Following the Civil War, many Northern industrialists, rich from the war, entered politics. These wealthy politicians now didn’t see much of a reason to support the rights of Black Americans and felt that they had done enough. With this in mind, they stopped their efforts to reform the southern states. That left the white Democrats to the south to continue their oppressive policies and conservatism. 

The real switch took place about 60 years later, during the Great Depression. The Republican Party, dominated by wealthy businessmen, favored laissez-faire (hands-off) policies that contributed to the support of big business. While this works in a good economy, during a period where the economy becomes bust, this type of policy only digs a deeper hole. The Republican president during this time, Herbert Hoover, opted to continue staying hands-off, and his inaction had weakened his and his party’s reputation. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who we know today for all of his restorations and reformative policies, was Democratic. His way of government intervention and introductions to tons of new policies led to not just his popularity, but a complete overhaul shift in party ideologies. 

The final kicker was the Civil Rights movement during the mid 1900s. Southern Democrats and Republicans still opposed the early Civil Rights movement while Northern Democrats and Republicans were supporting legislation. Later in 1964, Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. At the same time during the 64’ election, Republican candidate Barry Goldwater actively opposed this new law. This disagreement finalized the switch. Black voters had up to this point historically been loyal to the Republican Party, but had now been switching to the Democratic party. By the 1980s, white southern Democrats had become Republicans, as with the majority of the south. And that is how it has stayed ever since.

Cites: 

A Look Into The Hero’s Journey

Posted on by under Spring Passion

If you have ever researched about the art of storytelling, it is likely you have heard of “The Hero’s Journey.” But if you haven’t and have no idea what I am talking about, let me give you a quick synopsis. The hero’s journey is basically a predetermined set of events that occur during the plot of any story (centered around the protagonist of course). There are 12 steps to the hero’s journey, and once you learn them it becomes more apparent how much it reappears in shows and movies.

In the case of Avatar, the hero’s journey is pretty standard and it can be clearly seen, even by people who may not know the exact steps that are part of the hero’s journey. Yet something that I found particularly interesting was Zuko’s storyline, which is almost a direct parallel to Aang’s hero journey.

(Honestly this blog posts is super long so feel free to skip around to any of the steps that interest you the most!)

Step 1: The Ordinary World.

  • This is the point at which the journey has yet to begin. It reveals the hero as an ordinary human, which creates an easier way to empathize and relate to them.

For Aang and Zuko, their beginning is relatively the same. Aang was a relatable kid, playing games with his friends (even coming up with his own) and pranking the adults in his life. He was unaware of any war, any strife, his biggest problem was boredom. For Zuko, he was a classic sibling example. His annoyances rested in his sister forcing him to play games with her and her friends, and his comfort was found within his mom. Any kid could’ve been Aang or Zuko.

Step 2: Call to Adventure.

Aang was called by the monks to discuss his future role as Avatar. Something that, as described in the hero’s journey, disrupts his whole life. He is no longer the same, and he is no longer treated the same by his community and friends, who refuse to play simple games with him. To Zuko, there are two instances of where his call to adventure could begin. It could begin with him sitting in on his father’s war meeting, or it could be the beginning of his banishment and impossible task to find the Avatar.

Step 3: Refusal of the Call

Aang’s refusal of the call is the kickstarter for the whole show. He ran away out of fear of being separated from Gyatso and ended up freezing himself into a block of ice in order to survive a dangerous storm. As for Zuko, the refusal once again is determined by the call of the adventure. His refusal to send in new troops on the front line during the war meeting (and in turn speaking out of line) could be the moment he refuses the call and ends up suffering because of it. The refusal of the call may even be during the Agni Kai against the Fire Lord, in which he refuses to fight him.

Step 4: Meeting the Mentor

Aang meets multiple mentors throughout the journey, yet the first real mentors he meets I believe are Katara and Sokka. They guide him and give him confidence to start his journey to becoming the Avatar, and ultimately are the reason he began his quest. Zuko’s mentor has been Iroh, plain and simple. Without him, I doubt Zuko would have been able to start his journey to find the Avatar as well or as efficiently.

Step 5: Crossing the Threshold.

  • In other words, the point at which the hero acts upon his call to adventure and begins the quest (physically, spiritually, or emotionally).

For Aang, I believe that the best moment of this is when they visit the Southern Air Temple and he finds Gyatso’s skeleton. It has truly signified the weight of his journey, and the real consequences that lie ahead. For Zuko, it was the beginning of his banishment. He was in every way damaged, physically, emotionally, spiritually. He was thrust from a world he was familiar with, to a world he was not, and he had to leave home for the first time in his life.

Step 6: Tests, Allies, Enemies

Aang experiences all of the above almost every single episode, or even all three at once. Its safe to say any episode ever can provide the necessary context for this step. For Zuko, his whole journey itself is a test, and he is constantly in contact with a stream of his own enemies (the biggest being his own stubbornness and fear).

Step 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave.

  • This may represent an actual location in which danger lies or an inner conflict that has not been faced until now.

Aang’s inmost cave seems to be that of when he met with the Guru to unlock chakras needed for the Avatar state. His biggest inner conflict up until now that he had yet to face was his attachment to Katara, and (symbolically) his attachment as a whole. Things that he holds dear to him (his culture, his loved ones) are essential to who he is, and when those things are threatened he is very stubborn to part with them. As for Zuko, the inmost cave definitely is following the moment when he released Appa from Lake Laogi. The moment in which he is battling between the good and the bad inside of him is one of the biggest representations of this inner conflict that had been brewing all this time.

Step 8: Ordeal.

  • A dangerous physical test or deep inner crisis the hero has to face in order to survive. The most difficult challenge, greatest fear, or deadly foe.

For the first time, this is where Aang and Zuko’s hero journey overlaps. For both of them, “The Crossroads of Destiny” is probably the exact moment in which both of them experience the Ordeal step. Both who lose in their own way as well. Zuko negates his inner crisis that he was on the verge of resolving, and Aang physically loses his test as well– almost dying to the lightning shot through him by Azula.

Step 9: Reward.

  • After surviving death and overcoming their greatest personal challenge, the hero is transformed.

For Aang, his reward was definitely reconciliation and learning fire bending with Zuko. During the third book, he was mainly committed toward finding plans and ways to defeat the Fire Lord, whether or not he had a firebending teacher. By making this final leap after surviving death and overcoming a great personal challenge (learning to fire bend), he is ready for the last part of the journey. As for Zuko it slightly differs in which his reward was facing his father and figuring out his true destiny.

Step 10: The Road Back.

  • The hero must choose between personal objective and that of a higher cause.

The best scenario for Aang has to be the decision to kill or spare the Fire Lord. He was under a lot of pressure and wanting to uphold the belief of pacifism from his culture, he had to choose whether he would give up his personal objective for a higher cause, or find another way. As for Zuko, his instance would be the conflict of the Fire Nation throne. Throughout his whole journey, he had struggled with identity and acceptance, and now he had to face the future of whether or not he would succeed the throne or hand it off to someone else.

Step 11: The Resurrection

  • a.k.a. The most dangerous meeting with death. The final showdown.

For these, it is pretty clear that it is the parallel duels of Aang vs. Ozai and Zuko vs. Azula.

Finally, Step 12: Return with the Elixir (or reward).

Aang and Zuko, now friends, have both concluded their journeys together and came home collectively with the ultimate reward they both needed– peace. Both outwardly in the world, and inwards in themselves and who they are.

 

Wow, ok that really was a lot to read. Congratulations if you read through the whole thing! And if you didn’t, I totally understand and don’t blame you at all. I hope you learned something new, or maybe even thought back to other shows or movies in which characters follow a similar path! My question is, if you had to pick a character to follow in their journey, who would you choose? (I would pick Katara). Have a great weekend!

 

Site:

  • https://www.tlu.ee/~rajaleid/montaazh/Hero%27s%20Journey%20Arch.pdf

Book 1: Water

Posted on by under Spring Passion

Hey guys welcome back to the weekly blog! I’m glad to hear you guys loved Avatar as much as I did, so I hope I don’t bore you with recapping some of the exposition! Anyways, I’ll first begin with recapping some basic details about season 1 before jumping into some fun facts and analysis stuff.

Season one as a whole introduces us to the world the audience will be spending a lot of time getting to know. Despite so much information being thrust into your face, it surprisingly is absorbed pretty quickly and easily. From just episode one, we learn the major world conflict, introduction to protagonists and antagonists, the effects of war on the Southern Water Tribe, and the (seemingly) typical hero’s journey. Aang very quickly teams up with Katara and Sokka, they establish their lighthearted dynamic (with some pretty dark scenes in-between), and finally get to the goal they were longing for– the North Pole.

Zuko saving the helmsman

When most shows begin a storyline, it isn’t often that we are shown a lot of gray characters (at least in the beginning). Because as a storyteller, one of the most important things to keeping an audience engaged is to have them connect to the protagonist and their cause. The easiest way to do so is to show that these characters are good. The good are good, the bad are bad, this is how the world is. Yet despite this common occurrence, season one if anything has some of the most diverse characters and backgrounds despite coming from the “good side” or the “bad side”.

Let’s start with the Fire Nation. From the beginning we know it is their fault for the war, they are the ones that are actively killing and attacking the other three nations, they are the ones to be feared and neutralized. Yet, we are introduced to characters that don’t exactly fit the extremist lens we should have of them. Take General Iroh. Despite being Fire Nation, he has a degree of kindness and empathy that is able to be seen clearly in how he treats not just his nephew, but the ship’s crew, the Avatar, and all people he encounters throughout season 1. Even Zuko, a seemingly ruthless hothead that doesn’t listen to anyone but himself, has multiple moments which reveal he does have respectable morals and standards that can almost be paralleled to that of the Avatar himself.

Jet being pinned to a tree after betraying Team Avatar

Even characters outside of the Fire Nation are called into question on their morality. Jet is the prime example of this. He’s projected as a Robin-hood figure, a small-time rebel who takes in those who lost their families to the Fire Nation and builds a force to make some real change. But then it’s revealed that he’s going to brutally drown innocent Fire Nation citizens, even hurting a defenseless old man, all in order to get the revenge he wants. Jet is supposed to be someone on “our” side. The “good” side. His dark plans come off as a betrayal to not just the audience, but Katara, Sokka, and Aang. 

Season one does an impeccable job at standardizing this as one of the main messages of this show– each person, no matter their background, is capable of extreme good or evil. No one is born one way or another. 

 

Okay, that was a lot of analysis so here’s some quick facts in no particular order!

  • Notice how the art style of season one is very different from other seasons? That’s because this show had 3 different animation studios that worked on it!
  • Zuko almost wasn’t a character! He was added in late in development because they wanted an immediate villain aside from the Fire Lord
  • Momo was almost supposed to represent Monk Gyatso
  • Speaking of, the name Gyatso is taken from the Dalai Lama

 

All in all, peak show from the jump. They knew what they were doing. Thanks for reading, let me know what your favorite episode from season 1 was! (Mine was The Fortuneteller). 

Introduction to Passion Blog

Posted on by under Spring Passion

When I mention the word ‘Avatar’, there’s a good likelihood that the first image that pops into your head is the blue-alien movie series directed by James Cameron. And you wouldn’t be wrong, however what I am referring to is something of a completely different nature. In 2005, a television series by the name of Avatar: The Last Airbender had aired on Nickelodeon. Although it aired the same year that I was born, it had been received so well that it had reruns on Nickelodeon for many years to come. This was the show of my childhood, and as it turns out, continues to be a source of inspiration to many people even to this day.

So, why am I telling you all this? Who even cares about some TV show that aired almost two decades ago? The simple truth is, I want people to care about this show. There’s a very good reason as to why, despite initially being marketed and perceived as a kid’s show, has fans and connections to many people of all sorts of ages. Avatar has been praised many times for its mastery in world building, storytelling, and character development. In fact, the themes and messages that are included (which include many serious topics) often get overlooked because of people writing it off as “just a kids’ show.” To give some context, here’s a list of some of the surface level themes that Avatar covers: war, genocide, manipulation, domestic abuse, and sexism. These are just the most obvious themes that are covered.

For my first passionate blog post, I won’t overwhelm you with too many details, but I will introduce and give important information about the story I will be breaking down and detailing throughout my blog posts. Let’s begin with one of the most uniquely identifiable factors within the world– elemental bending. People in this world are able to manipulate one of four elements: water, earth, fire, or air. Each element subsequently also coincided with a culture; water benders in the Water Tribe, fire benders in the Fire Nation, earth benders in the Earth Kingdom, and air benders as simple Air Nomads. There is only one person in the whole world that can bend all four elements, which is the Avatar. When one dies, they are reincarnated into the next cycle (elemental order) and thus continues to keep balance and peace to the world. 

In my next blog I’ll be covering the key characters and start to delve into Season 1. Let me know what themes you’d like for me to cover more in depth!

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