Oh, Hello Deviance!

Sociology111 Reflection Paper: Deviance

            Noong kami’y sinabihan na magfi-film daw ng sarili naming paglabag sa mga norms, maraming bagay ang pumasok sa isip ko. Naisip ko ang posibleng reaksyon ng mga tao, ang mga mukha ng mga makakakita sa amin, at ang kahihiyan na naghihintay. Napatawa ako, “Naku! May mag-mumukhang tanga talaga nito.” Kabang-kaba ako at iniisip ko pa ang “image” ko. Ano nalang kaya ang sasabihin ng mga kakilala ko kung makikita nila ako? Ano ang irarason ko? Hello, deviance.

            Sa bawat komunidad, mayroon silang sariling mga pamantayan o norms. Ito ang mga ekspektasyon sa ating kilos o pag-uugali. Ang paglabag nito ay tinatawag na deviance. Binigyan kami ng pagkakataon ng asignaturang Sociology na makaranas nito.

            Pinag-uusapan pa namin ng aking mga kagrupo ang aming gagawin para sa filming. Marami na kaming naisip na mga gimik kung paano namin ilalabag ang mga pamantayan. Planning time. Exciting pa. Tawa kami ng tawa. Di ako makapaniwalang gagawin ko yung mga napag-usapan namin pero naisip kong marami naman kaming gagawa noon kaya di ko naramdaman ang hirap at mas naisip ko pa na masaya yun. Para kaming nasa Wow Mali. Sila yung bida, kami yung accomplice na namimiktima. Pero hindi pala. Akala lang namin yun. Biglang umikot ang gulong. Kung hindi ka nakapaghanda, mahihilo ka.

            Nakarating na kami sa lugar. Nakahanda kaming lahat - kargado ng camera, mga plano, lakas ng loob, kapal ng mukha, at isang misyon. Tila humahangin pa nung papasok kami. Teneng! All eyes on us. Kinabahan ako. Wala pa nga kaming ginagawa, nakatingin na sila. Parang ayaw na gumalaw ng mga paa ko. Paralyzed na. Umatras na rin sina “lakas ng loob” at “kapal ng mukha”. Naisip ko’ng hindi pala talaga madali. Pero the show must go on. Hindi nagtagal ay sinimulan na namin ang deviance. Suspense thriller na medyo may halong comedy! Pumwesto na ang mga kukuha ng video. Pinagpawisan ako. Halatang may kalokohang gagawin. Hindi ko na isasalaysay kung ano ang ginawa namin dahil trabaho na iyon ng video na inihanda namin. Hindi naging madali ang aming misyon. Ilang beses kaming nabigo. Epic fail. Hindi nakisama yung mga tao. Mga kill joy. Pero di mo sila masisisi. Kung ako rin naman siguro ang nasa lugar nila, eh ganun din ang magiging reaksyon ko. Masaya yung unang attempt namin. Napalingon sila. May batang babaeng tumitig sa akin. Nabigla siguro. Napatawa ako sa isip ko, “Effective, effective!”

            Kapag pinag-uusapan ang deviance, hindi mawawala sa usapan ang norms. May mga norms na hindi nakapagmamatwid o irrational. Nagiging batayan sila sa pagsusuri kung ano ang pag-uugali ng tao. Kung iisipin mo, ano pala ang masamang maidudulot kung maglalakad ang lalaki na naka-makeup, umutot ka sa harap ng maraming tao, o kung hindi nag-ahit ang babae ng kanyang kilikili? Nakamatay ba ang mga iyon? Pero sa ayaw man natin o sa gusto, sumusunod parin tayo sa norms para mag-conform. Kung lalabag tayo, male-label tayo na walang breeding o bastos. Ngunit kahit na irrational kung tatawagin ang norms, nakakapagsama-sama ito ng lipunan. Kung lahat tayo ay may kanya-kanyang pag-uugali o kilos, walang pagkakaisa na mangyayari. Dahil sa pamantayan, mayroong pagkaka-ayos at batas.

            Ang pagiging deviant ay nag-iiba depende sa tao o sa lipunan. Ito’y nagbabago rin sa paglipas ng panahon at sa pagbabago ng kapisanan. Ang batayan ay napaka-dinamiko. Maaring deviant kung tatawagin ngayon, pero normal na kinabukasan. Di natin alam, pabaliktad na pala’ng maglakad ang mga tao paglaon ng panahon. Maaring magbago ang norms ng ating lipunan, iikot ng 180 degrees.

            Nahiya, nahirapan, nag-enjoy, natuto. Nalaman ko ang importansya ng pamantayan. Naintindihan ko kung ano ang deviance. Nakakahiya man, magandang pagkakataon iyon na maranasan kung ano ang pakiramdam na lumabag sa pamantayan. Liberating. Sa loob ng ilang oras, nawala ang mga bawal gawin. Naging weirdo at freaks kami sa harap ng mga tao kahit sandali lang. Tinawanan, tinignan, pinag-usapan. Instant celebrity.

            Iba ang pakiramdam kapag kakaiba ka sa nakararami. Iba ang pakiramdam ng tinititigan ng iba. Iba ang pakiramdam ng napapansin ka kaagad. Iba. Hindi yung “iba” na masaya o magandang pakiramdam. Ito yung “iba” na parang nagkakaroon ng isang pader sa pagitan mo at ng komunidad. Outcast. Far out. Pakiramdam mo tuloy mahirap nang humarap sa kanila. Para ka’ng naglalakad na walang ulo. Parang naririnig mi sila’ng pinag-uusapan ka. Nakaka-paranoid. Maganda sana kung lahat ng tao ay makaka-intindi nito. Maganda sana kung bawat isa ay marunong makiramdam sa iba. Kung sana lahat ng tao ay nakaranas na maging deviant. Hindi sana magiging makitid ang utak nila.

            Bakit ba tayo nagda-drive sa kanan? Bakit tayo pumapasok sa entrance at lumalabas sa exit? Bakit ang mga lalaki nanliligaw at hindi ang babae? Bakit may comfort room na female at male? Bakit tayo nakaharap sa pintuan ng elevator kapag nakasakay tayo doon? Sino ang salarin? Guilty. Deviance.

English11 Book Report (Finals)

English 11 Book Report

I. Introduction/General Information about the Book

Title: Crime and Punishment

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Genre: Suspense Novel

II. Characters

Main Character:

The main character in the novel is Raskolnikov. He resides in Saint Petersburg and is mentally unstable. He is the son of Pulcheria Alexandrovna (mother) and the brother of Avdotya Romanovna (sister). In the novel, he murders Alyona Ivanovna, who is a pawn-broker and a money-lender. Though not part of the plan, he also kills her half sister, Lizaveta, when she appears on the murder scene.

Supporting Characters:

Sofia Semyonovna Marmeladova is the daughter of Semyon Zakharovich Marmeladov. She is also called as Sonia or Sonya in the novel. Raskolnikov develops a relationship with her. Raskolnikov confesses his crime to her as the novel goes on. She was forced to become a prostitute to support her family financially.

Porfiry Petrovich is the detective who is responsible for solving the murders of Lizaveta and Alyona Ivanovna. Likewise Sonya, he tries to lead Raskolnikov into confessing his crime. Though he lacks evidence to point Raskolnikov into the murder, he is certain that he is the one responsible through the many conversations that they had.

Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova is the sister of Raskolnikov. She planned to marry Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin who was a wealthy and self-possessed man to save their family from financial deprivation. In the end, she chooses Razumikhin who is Raskolnikov's loyal friend.

III. Setting

The story took place at Saint Petersburg. It is where Raskolnikov committed his crime, met Sonya, and confessed what he did. His sister and mother followed him there.

IV. Plot

Raskolnikov, the protagonist of the novel makes a plan to murder and rob Alyona Ivanovna who is a money-lender and pawn-broker. His motivation to kill her comes from an instinct that he is predetermined to kill the old woman by some power. He then sneaks into her apartment and kills her with an axe. Lizaveta, who happens to arrive at the scene of the crime, also gets killed. He manages only to steal a small amount of money because he was shaken by what he did. He manages to get away from the place without being seen.

After the murder, he falls falls into a feverish state. He was so nervous of what he has done. He hid the things he stole from Alyona Ivanovna under a rock. He cleans his clothes from marks of blood from the crime.

Being bothered from what he has done, Raskolnikov wanders on Saint Petersburg. At that time, he meets Sofia Semyonovna Marmeladova.

In the mean time, Raskolnikov's mother and sister arrives at the city. Avdotya had been working as a governess for the Svidrigailov family, but was she was forced out of the position by Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigaïlov who was the head of the family. He was attracted to her physical appearance and spiritual values. But she left the family and chose Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, a man of modest income and rank.

Raskolnikov meets detective Porfiry who is in charge of solving the murder case of  Alyona Ivanovna and Lizaveta. Porfiry is later convinced that Raskolnikov is the one responsible for the murder by their conversations. But because of lack of evidences, he cannot push him through the deed.

As the story goes on, Raskolnikov and Porfiry continue to meet. The protagonist's motives for the crime becomes exposed at this point. Later on, Raskolnikov struggles with the thought of confessing. He seeks for support from Sonya and confesses his crime to her. But Svidrigailov, who rented the room next to where Sonya and Raskolnikov are, overhears the confession that Raskolnikov had done. When Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov meet face to face, Svidrigailov confesses of his own crime - he killed his own wife.

Raskolnikov is now confused of what to do. Sonya told her to confess his crime to the authorities and Svidrigailov's testimony could put him to prison. At that time, Svidrigailov attempts to seduce Sonya and rape her. Then, he spends a night under complete confusion. Svidrigailov killed himself the next morning. Raskolnikov turns to Sonya again for help and she urges him to confess and clean his conscience. On his way to the police station, he meets the news about what Svidrigailov did. He thinks of it as a chance to get away with the crime but is again persuaded by Sonya to confess.

Raskolnikov was sent to Siberia where he is sentenced to penal servitude. Sonya follows him there.

V. Theme
Alienation from Society

Alienation from society is the main theme of the novel. It is shown that Raskolnikov's pride separates him from the society. He feels as if he is superior from the other people around him. After the murder he has committed, his isolation from the society heightens up because of the worry and the guilt that he is feeling.

The Psychology of Crime and Punishment

The "punishment" referred here in the novel is not the usual punishment that we associate to crime. Punishment here refers to the consequences that Raskolnikov faced after the murder - consequences like guilt, fear, and worry. The author did not focus on the effect of the murder but he focused on how Raskolnikov deals with the guilt. Dostoevsky seems to tell that actual punishment is less terrible than the anxiety of trying to avoid punishment. 

VI. Evaluation of the Book
On the list of the books to read, the first one that actually caught my eye was Love in the Time of Cholera. But then I tried to read this novel (Crime and Punishment) because it sounded like a title of a police procedural drama, which happens to be my favorite type of TV show. Forgive me for sounding so informal. Before reading the book, I looked for its synopsis on the internet and I actually found it interesting.
Reading it was a little difficult, like on times when I encounter new names (the names are not that easy to read 'cause they're Russian and there's a different pronunciation for them.) But the story was interesting enough to keep me reading. Two thumbs up!

English11 Book Report (Midterm)

English 11 Book Report

I. Introduction/General Information about the Book

Title: Catcher in the Rye 

Author: Jerome David Salinger

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

II. Characters

Main Character:

The protagonist in the novel is Holden Caulfield, this terrible student at Pencey who was expelled because of failing four out of his five subjects – he only passed English. I think, his life was difficult for him because first, he didn’t have a role model; and second, it’s with what happened with Allie, which could have caused why he was flunking at school and all.

Supporting Characters:

Mr. Antolini was Holden's favorite teacher at Elkton Hills, one of the two schools he previously attended before Pencey. For Holden, he admires and respects him because Antolini is not only intellectual and perceptive, but he has a heart.

Another supporting character in the novel is Phoebe, Holden’s ten-year-old sister who is matured for her age, and the one Holden trusts among the family. Phoebe later convinces Holden to come back home.

III. Setting

The story, as Holden was narrating it, took place at New York City. Holden was at a mental institution recovering from a mental breakdown. The entire story is his flashback of the events of those three important days before he ended up to his emotional devastation.

IV. Plot

On the first part he talked about his visit to his history teacher at Pencey, Mr. Spencer. Holden went to Mr. Spencer’s house because he left him a note saying that he should drop by and say farewell. Then, Holden leaves and takes a train to New York and stays on Edmont Hotel. There, he spent a night with three tourist girls and an encounter with a young prostitute around his age named Sunny. Holden spends three days in New York, described basically by drunkenness and solitude. In the long run, he sneaks into his parents' apartment while they are away to visit Phoebe. Holden shares a dream he has been thinking about – being the one who looks after children who’re in a huge rye field on the edge of a cliff. Upon leaving his parents’ apartment, he visits his former English teacher, Mr. Antolini who offered him a place to sleep. Mr. Antolini then adviced Holden of things to do. He rebuked Holden's thoughts of becoming a "catcher in the rye," who representatively saves children from "falling off a crazy cliff" and being open to the elements to the evils of adulthood. Holden leaves and uses up his last afternoon traveling the city. Holden takes Phoebe to the Central Park Zoo, where he gazes with a bittersweet joy as she rides a carousel. He mentioned, at the end of the book, that he’d be attending another school by September.

V. Theme

The story basically tells the readers about the confusions of adolescents, even though not all have the kind of life Holden has. Holden did not want children to grow up because he felt that adults are corrupt. He does not have any friends and cannot keep relationships. Early in his life, his brother Allie died. This had many negative effects on him. He also disliked his parents. This led to his mental instability. Holden believed that children were innocent because they viewed the surroundings without unfairness. This leads to Holden's ambition to be the catcher in the rye, where the catcher prevents children from falling off a cliff, symbolically referring the cliff as the evil of adulthood.

VI. Evaluation of the Book

For me, the book was very interesting to read. Actually, my sister recommended it to me, and told me that it was worth reading. After reading the story, I was able to look into another teenager’s life and related to it. Though we don’t have the same decisions in life, I sort of have the same confusions as him. Everybody, I think, experiences breakdowns, deaths of loved ones, the feeling of rejection, and the difficulty of dealing with others.

When I was reading the first five pages of the novel, I thought, "Whoa, this guy sure uses vulgar language." That didn't discourage me to continue reading the book. I'm not really much of a reader, to be honest. It took me a while to convince myself to read the book; but when I started reading it, I never stopped. It was the kind of story that will keep you wondering what will happen next. Reading it was a good experience.