I was so excited to see Margaret Atwood because my mother has spoken of her writing in such high regard. In fact, I called up my mom right away to tell her  I would be seeing Margaret Atwood live and I could tell she was pretty jealous. I have always been an avid reader, so I’m always interested in listening to authors speak about their works. I can definitely say seeing Atwood receive the IAH medal was an amazing experience. I could tell it was going to be a good presentation when she said the medal would make a “good murder weapon.” I never imagined a 75 year old would have such a great sense of humor!

I wasn’t completely familiar with her works, but the short introduction allowed me to have a sense of her interests. However, it gave no indication of her one of a kind personality. I found Atwood to be a very intelligent person who captured us from the moment she took the stage. The video she used to introduce herself was very funny and actually had some great points. I liked when she said, “a good goalie anticipates while a great goalie influences the play.” I thought that was a good thought. The people who have made an impact in this world have always also made a great influence as well. Atwood is a writer who has made a great influence in the literary world.

She then proceeded to read from her new short story collection the Stone Mattress. I learned that the picked the title of her book from the greek word “stromatolite”. It means a fossil formed in shallow waters. I thought that was really cool, because this semester I’ve been able to learn so much about greek history by reading Natasha’s blog, so I was able to make a connection. I noticed that her books have a lot to do with human life and observation. Her writing is very vivid and lively. She is able to emotionally connect to the reader through her characters. She uses many of her own personal experiences to develop her characters. One of the main points she made was about age. Her attitude on age reminded me of the saying, “Age is just a number.” She herself is quite an old person, but has the livelihood of a young woman. Her sense of humor and wit gave me a great sense of her writing style. Back to age though! Atwood mentioned how when she was young she believed age to deterrent to life. She wrote in one of her earlier books how an older character was weak. She now knows that is not true. With  age comes great knowledge and experience that do not make you weak but make you very strong, maybe not physically, but definitely emotionally and mentally.

My favorite quote from the night was when Atwood was describing her writing process. She said she, “stands at the edge of lake and takes the plunge, screaming.” I think that applies to so many facets of life. You have to be able to take that plunge to be able to truly create something amazing and to discover what are your greatest strengths. Atwood confessed how she sometimes has to start over three times before she able to get  going. We shouldn’t be afraid to fall or fail, because it’s those experiences that shape who we are and make us into better people.

I found the forum discussion to be very interesting because it is connected to our history of a public controversy project in some aspects. The discussion on education and how it should be implemented in society has been an age long issue. There has always been disagreement as to what should be taught and the reasons for teaching. Our project was focused on the subject of general education requirements which are also a major part of the discussion today in many colleges and high schools. People are asking is it necessary for a child to be well rounded or should we be focused on preparing the next generation for the career force? Students at the forum argued that a well rounded education is essential. As an example one student cited how communication is vital in almost any career path. Hence, we should all have to take an english class that will aid us in communication skills. I would agree in that almost all professions require some amount of writing as well. Writing is a skill that can never be replaced. Therefore, english classes are good requirements for students in all majors.

I think exploring can also be a good thing. However, there needs to be a balance between exploration and making a choice. I think we find that too many students come into college not really having any clue as to what path they should be on. One man at the discussion suggested that students in middle school should take an aptitude test to have a sense as to what they are good at. I think this is a pretty good idea, because if we start pushing kids to explore earlier when they get to college they will be more prepared to succeed in the path of their choosing. It will also be more beneficial financially because more students will finish college in four years. It can also help those students who may be better suited for a technical education to understand where they should be going. Many students just think “I have to go to college because that’s what everyone does”. That’s not true, for some people are a two year degree or a technical degree may be more useful.

I also found that funding came up during the forum quite a bit. This is no surprise, because funding and education always go hand in hand. The biggest issue is that many people believe in giving students as many opportunities as possible, but not all school districts have the money to provide all those resources. Someone at the forum mentioned how they would love to start introducing students to the different career paths, but unfortunately, they money and resources are just not there. The system right now is based on how well a school district performs on state standardized testing. This seems a little ironic since the school districts that do poorly receive less money. It should be that the school districts that are doing poorly get a little more funding to be able to enhance the programs at their school. This would allow for more improvement in those schools.

Education is a very important issue and it’s no argument that we need to find a way to improve the system, but it will not be easy to to find the right solution. I think forums like this one are allowing students, teachers, parents, and administrators to get a better sense of what needs to be changed.

I remember reading Americanah this summer and thinking wow! I had heard a lot of immigrant stories before, but never one like this. Adichie forced me to turn the lens on myself. The culture we have in the united states is very hard to understand. We believe in complete equality but we don’t always practice that belief. Adichie addresses two types of these scenarios. The first is the attitude we have toward feminism. Feminism is taken as a negative connotation, but what’s wrong with advocating for women’s equality. Adichie points out how we have become normal to ideas of treating women differently. She brings up how women are on average paid less than men. Even if these women are at the top of their fields they are compensated less. We have just accepted this. That should not be okay to anyone who lives in a country where equality is a building block in the foundation. Adichie also discusses how a female celebrity had to justify the pictures of herself, but explaining she was in a relationship. If it was a man, there would be no explanation required. 

The other scenario is that of blacks and black americans. Black americans are associated with a negative connotation here in America. We have given black americans the title of being the best athletes, comedians, or performers, but when they breakthrough in another field there is much surprise. Adichie references the time her undergrad professor expressed shock at her writing the best paper in class. As much as we would like to believe that every human in blind to color, judgement is present even its most subconscious expressions. Adichie talks about the great struggles black americans have faced during their time. It is absolutely amazing how they have been able to overcome such hardships, and they truly as a group have come very far. It is something we should celebrate and recognize instead of letting it become just another history fact. 

I think Adichie is an extremely eloquent speaker and I respect her determination to motivate others to be themselves. The writing group she has started in Nigeria is such a great achievement. Allowing people of all ages to explore an avenue that is normally shunned in their society, gives hope to those who may feel they have no purpose. I know in India the same culture exists. Children are expected to stay in the realm of science and technology. Most parents are only willing to let their children pursue careers in medicine or engineering. Many students who don’t find joy in either of these avenues are often depressed because they feel they have let down their family or they end up pursuing a career they don’t have a passion for. To have someone that is able to motivate and encourage others paths such as writing would be a boon to many of these students. 

I really enjoyed reading Americanah this summer, and I was hoping to see Adichie this year on campus, but unfortunately the circumstances did not quite work out. However, I stay in awe of the achievements of this amazing woman who has managed to impact the lives of so many around her.