Lillian Tong PD1

Lillian Tong Pd 1

Modern Mythology

Write about what you learned in your online English lessons.

     Something I learned was the cultural differences that may lead to determining who is and who isn’t considered an outsider. In the book WWZ, two of the characters have majorly different backgrounds but hold a similar status of being an outsider. Kondo Tatsumi being a closeted otaku that spends all his time sitting in his room huddled around his computer versus Tomonaga Ijiro who holds strict and traditional Japanese values by heart and works to earn his keep but is severely depressed on account of being a survivor of a tragedy that millions perished from on top of having to live with being blind. These two contrasting characters were able to meet and create the Tatenokai- a group of trained martial artists that defended against zombies. It is incredible how two men who have been scorned can overcome those odds and create something like that. 

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

    The relationships that were went over in lesson 7 with how there are outsiders was interesting, because in Ap Psychology we’ve been talking about how human conform more often when there are influences that urge them to go against their own thoughts, even their own morals, all to please those that either have more power or in groups of people that all share something you don’t. And in particular with the group of people that share something that is not shared with one individual, it has been shown that they will actively try to copy the accepted behavior and forego their own. It also goes to show how invested we are in our own relationships with other people and how they think of us, that we never slow down and pick up on the relationships we have with other people, rather than other people having a relationship with us. The difference is it being a power grab versus a symbiotic relationship. 

What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

     Based on the reactions of people around the world, specifically the United States right now, there is a lot of tension. With Covid-19 having people staying at home for almost three months now, it is an understatement when talking about the amount of pressure people have been put under, especially those in the emergency healthcare units. My cousin is a nurse and works in upstate New York, and being Asian American but also being the person who treats patients has created confrontations. It is difficult because I know how much time he is putting in his job only for him to be verbally assaulted on account of his heritage. I learned while there are people who uplift in this world, there are also others who won’t hesitate to bring you down, and it is important to keep true to your values.