zerotohero

Considering this is a wrap, I would first like to state the obvious, “Good things come to an end.” I feel this saying holds true in this case but with a slight modification – “Good things come to an end but leave behind great learnings.”

This quarter was a wild ride of learning, analyzing, reading, and understanding new writing patterns. This class has been one of the classes I always learned from. There would always be something to take back with me after every single class. Initially, I was very conscious about my writing. But after being in this class, I got more confident with my writing and presentation skills. The class was fun, motivating, and pushed me out of my comfort zone. Compared to last quarter, this quarter was a little more challenging considering the fact that we had to write a research paper towards the end. This exercise of researching, analyzing and presenting facts and your point of view, I feel, has equipped me to be efficient while writing research papers in the future.

Coming back to the main theme of the class, ‘Heroes and Quests,’ I feel is a really vast topic to discuss. The first thing that crossed my mind on seeing the theme was – stereotypical heroes. The class, however, had so much more to offer. This quarter, in particular, was really fun as I have stronger opinions on topics such as anti-heroes, feminism, a hero’s journey and medieval scriptures. I have learned to voice out my thoughts and have a stronger viewpoint on heroes.

And finally, towards the end of this quarter, I can confidently say that I am prepared for bigger and better writing prospects and that I am confident that by using all the writing and presentation techniques I will surely be able to do a great job. I have learned to appreciate my thoughts, my voice, and my writing. I know for a fact that there will always be people who are better with words and with the pen, but I surely am nothing less now.

Mongoose is a popular species whose name is believed to have been derived from the Marathi word mungūs or from the Telugu name mungisa. These are small carnivorous animals that are found in southern Asia, Africa, and southern Europe, as well as Fiji, Caribbean, and the Hawaiian Islands. During one of our discussions, we elaborated on symbolism and mongooses having a spiritual significance in Dominican culture. How are these creatures viewed in other countries?

On first hearing the word mongoose, we associate ourselves with Rudyard Kipling’s famous story Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. One can get a clear picture of a mongoose’s character from the story. In India, a mongoose is considered a very loyal and faithful animal. One of the most famous folktales from India- The Brahmin and the Mongoose- is one of the worlds most travelled tales that speaks about how a Brahmin hastily kills a mongoose when he finds the mongoose laden with blood near his child. But as a matter of fact, the mongoose had killed a snake that was trying to attack the child and had saved the family from the snake’s threat. This story is taught to every Indian kid so as to induce the value of thinking before acting.

In ancient Mesopotamia, mongooses were considered sacred and as protectors of their deity Ningilin from serpents. Mongooses have also appeared in the ancient Babylonian art with a snake charmer, though their significance in the Babylonian age is not known. Various cultures symbolize mongoose for speed, agility, adaptability, courage, fearlessness, honest, genuine, and faithfulness. Chinese cultures believe that the spirit of a mongoose can be summoned when one has to confront a stronger rival or one needs to calm down the impulsiveness and impatience within.

The mongoose as a spirit animal can have various connotations.
• Resistance: mongooses are very well known for being resistant to snake venom. With mongoose as a spirit animal, people can probably become resistant to evil and bad conditions in life.
• Courage: mongooses are fearless animals. They are courageous and fight snakes valorously and manage to tactically kill them. This could mean that having a mongoose as a spirit animal can give one the courage to confront strong enemies in life.
• Self-opinionated: honesty and genuineness are two very strong qualities of the mongoose. The one who adopts mongoose as their spirit animal might probably be someone who isn’t afraid to voice out their opinion and defend the argument with strong and valid reasoning.
• Optimism: last but not the least, mongoose are also symbolized as animals that have high optimism. An animal so tiny being optimistic and fighting a venomous snake calls in for extreme optimism.

Considering all these points, is mongoose your spirit animal?

Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity, who in most religions is the central embodiment of evil. Various cultures have a different meaning of a devil and a different way of perceiving the satan. In the Indian culture, the word “rakshas” means evil and demonic, in Zoroastrianism, there is a concept of one supreme God and the evil is believed to be a negative cosmic force. Christianity views Satan as an angel cast from heaven by God, for being prideful and deceitful.

God, on the other hand, is portrayed to be peaceful and an embodiment of pure and good thoughts. God has several characteristics in every culture like that of being the sole creator, being omnipresent, omnipotence, and simple.

In our discussion about John Milton’s Paradise Lost, we brush through the fact that Milton portrays Satan as a sensible force and God to be the unreasonable power. Though the twist seems interesting and the poem chooses to catch a different path, I believe that every good thing has a reason and so does the evil. Speaking from the Indian context, every single Indian mythology and epic speaks about God taking a form of a regular human and preaching good and killing bad omens.

The point that I am trying to make here is that no matter how we name God and Satan, or even choose to interchange the names for Satan to be good and God to be evil, there will always be one truth, there will always be one person who will have to ward off the bad and there will always be one and only one righteous path in this world to every single problem.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna, the incarnated form of Lord Vishnu, came to this world for a reason. When evils and wrongdoings increased, God (or let’s say a positive force), came down to Earth for stopping these wrongdoings. In the Gita Upadesh (the teachings given by Lord Krishna), this positive force says, “For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evil-doers, for the setting up of the law of righteousness, I come into being age after age.” From this, we realise that it is not God or Satan that justify things. It is the ultimate fact that there will always be a triumph of good over evil and there will always be just one truth for everything in this world and irrespective of how people wish to portray it, it will always remain the universal statement.

With the advent of the internet, thoughts, words, and perceptions can be altered to any extent. News spread like wildfire and the prominent leaders, actors, and social workers are in a place where they can use their increased popularity and fan following to reach out to millions.

The question is, has the proximity to actors changed the perception of people towards feminism? In my opinion, yes. A lot of actors, especially, have come forward and spoken about them being feminist. Emma Watson’s campaign known as the HeForShe has a brilliant message for men to support the women in their lives. By targeting the male population, her campaign has been able to influence innumerable men and women to turn into feminists.

Her campaign has positively affected so many men’s lives personally that they openly came out to the world as feminists. This spurred a new wave of male feminists who came forward to become feminists because their role models turned into one. Though we don’t consciously realize it, we are influenced massively by social media more than anything else. Famous actors like Tom Hiddleston, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, and Matthew Lewis openly announced that they supported Emma Watson in the HeforShe campaign and that they were proud feminists.

If one speech in the UN and one post on Twitter can have such a massive outrage of people turning into feminists and truly believing in the concept, imagine the number of people that could make a change if more and more people start spreading the word. In today’s internet age, the world has become a small place and people can easily influence the lives of others. The saying, “with great power comes great responsibility,” is a classic example in this case. It is essential that more women such as Emma Watson who have the power and position and certain influence over people’s thinking should come out and speak for women, equality, and feminism.

Generic sitcoms have always been male-driven. From superhero series to stereotyped sitcoms, most of them have their main theme centred around a man. If that is not the case, then the male character is usually the main protagonist of the story. A very recent article by ‘The Wrap’ stated that men hate TV shows aimed at woman. It points out to a very important data that provides evidence that female-centred TV shows received a lower rating from men and a comparatively higher rating from women. Female characters are, unfortunately, still sidelined, stereotyped, and sexualized in popular entertainment content.

‘Jane the Virgin, on the other hand, is one of the recent sitcoms that has a lot of emphasis on feminism and is very female oriented. It is amongst some of the few female-centred bilingual sitcoms that vividly captures various phases, circumstances, and types of lives that women see. The diverse thoughts and perceptions throughout the series make it a very subtle yet powerful show.

The very first episode of the series sets a strong benchmark for the rest of the series. It depicts the perceptions in a woman-dominated Spanish family where the mother of the protagonist is very free and open to sex and other relations whereas Jane and her grandmother are very conservative and spiritually inclined when it comes to being a virgin. The story has various characters and plot twists due to which the female dominance comes out very clearly.

The show depicts various qualities of women in different scenarios and compares and contrasts the qualities by creating a lot of plot twists and showing various perspectives on the same problems. It also subtly and, at times, confrontationally puts forth delicate issues such as feminism, sex, virginity, lesbianism, and sexism in a way that is not only impressive but is also relatable to the viewers. The diverse woman characters, the multi-generation thought changes, the challenges of motherhood, and the problems that women face is very well conveyed through this show. The generation gap between Jane, her mother, and her grandmother helps us clearly understand the differences in cultural understanding, religious beliefs, and thoughts within one single family. All these aspects, I feel, makes it a powerful show. With more such shows coming into the entertainment business, I surely think there will be a wave of change where equality prevails in every aspect.

In the very beginning of comic books, women played a very small role. Then came a time when Superman and Captain Marvel dominated the comics era and women continued taking a backseat. Stories revolved around a woman in danger and Superman saving the woman’s life. No relationship or learning is developed about the woman, how she got there or about any of her background information. Women have also been used as sex symbols and have been objectified in various comic strips in the very beginning. I would like to state my argument by analyzing two very different superheroes.

Wonder woman was one of the primitive female superheroes that were introduced at a time where male-dominated comic books were in demand. She is one of the only female superheroes to be mentioned as DC’s “big three” alongside Batman and Superman. In a time when the superhero genre was predominantly male, the idea of a female being portrayed as a strong, powerful and just figure to the youth was something that was a huge step. She created a charisma and sex appeal that none during her time could have created. And the time at which the wonder woman comic was introduced, was a time when a lot of feminist theories were said and written. All this lead to the first success of a female superhero and also spurred a lot of talk with regards to Wonder Woman being a feminist symbol.

Black Widow, who, like Wonder Woman represents another level of uniqueness. She develops a thought-provoking idea on conventional gender stereotypes by comprising the masculine traits both physically and psychologically and challenges the expectations of female superheroes.

Looking closer at Wonder Woman’s physical representation, she had long hair, the face of a mature woman, slim but muscular and was portrayed with a realistic approach. She had clothes that showcased her body and curves and also had ornaments like the golden bracelet to show her flamboyance.

Black widow, on the other hand, is portrayed as a woman with not too long hair, sharp looks, covered completely in a tight black suit that showcases her curves.
Both these female superheroes provide a contrast between the first and current superheroes and how they differ in terms of looks or portrayal. Times have changed.

Both these women are always considered as icons of female superheroes. They have been pioneers in bringing about change in the thinking and perception of people towards female dominated superheroes. And according to me, they have the charisma, strength and power to capture the audience and develop a point that women superheroes could be as dominant as their male counterparts.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

These lines from Maya Angelou’s poem ‘Still I Rise,’ reminds me of a sad stage that every woman faces even today. Our so-called ‘developed and modernized world’ still cannot recognize the importance of treating a woman as an equal. Being born as a woman makes life more a survival story than a memorable one. One of the most powerful poems that I have ever come across is Sarah Kay’s ‘If I Should Have a Daughter.’ The last line of the poem says, “Your voice is small but don’t ever stop singing and when they finally hand you heartbreak, slip hatred and war under your doorstep and hand you handouts on street corners of cynicism and defeat, you tell them that they really ought to meet your mother.” This line makes it clear that people are never going to treat women as equal. As a girl in a ‘man’s world,’ it makes me tremble with fear when I think about my future. Am I allowed to have a future? Why do I need to be so strong that I need to fight the entire world to do something that anyone could easily do? The answer to these questions is just simple, a woman is much stronger than people estimate us to be. We have the power to give birth. We can make the best of chefs, actors, dancers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, and can choose whatever we want to be because ultimately life is going to be tough. The world isn’t going to change. No matter how many waves of feminism arise, the world is just going to continue criticizing women. Can I do anything about it? maybe or maybe not. But I know for a fact that I have dreams and I have every right in this world to achieve it. I know I have the strength and capability to march towards my goals and I have the power to discriminate between right and wrong. A recent article that spread like wildfire all over the internet was a letter by a male engineering student explaining why his female classmates aren’t his equals. This letter proves that sexism still exists on very small levels.

People may or may not change things but it only makes women stronger by the day.

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.” – Dolly Parton

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It is about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” – G.D Anderson

Today there are too many misconceptions about feminism which makes people distant from it. from the olden times, there have been people who strongly support or hate feminism. Some of the major misconception that people have about feminism is:

1. Feminism is not anti-men: feminism focuses on gender equality in sustaining patriarchy.
2. Feminism does not say all women are angels: feminism revolves around the fact that women be seen as regular people and not angels.
3. Feminism does not see women as perpetual victims: feminism does not see pity as a solution to ending oppression.
4. Feminism does not think men and women are the same: feminism says that people of all genders are equal but NOT NECESSARILY the same.
5. Feminism will not destroy society: feminism demands equality and a greater freedom for all rather than destroying the society we live in.

There have been many movements, campaigns that have revolved around feminism. The HeForShe campaign was launched that invited people to join together to fight against gender inequality and promote children’s rights. Movements are being held on a very massive scale for demanding equality. At the end of the day, we must realize that all of us are people and must not be in a position to discriminate based on caste, creed, gender or any such trivial factor. People are all made different but we are all united in this world, living our lives, solving our purpose in life. Being a feminist isn’t wrong by any means. Understanding the misconceptions that revolve around feminism and working on thoughts, deeds and actions are what is necessary to make this world a better place. People need to understand that feminism isn’t about women empowerment. Feminism does not mean men are demeaned. It just tries to bring together people all over the world and make them understand the importance of equality and gives people a sense of what strength every individual has in this world irrespective of their gender.

Every time I take a peek into my childhood, I recollect being glued to the idiot box. My experiences of embracing heroes, learning more about them, and idolizing them was very similar to that of Junot Diaz. In his article in The NewYorker, “Watching Spider-Man in Santo Domingo,” he states that his earliest exposure to television got him to believe that his father was not able to be with him because he was fighting crime on the streets of New York City as Spider-Man. As a kid addicted to television, I can completely empathize with the situation Diaz was in.

My childhood involved a great deal of watching cartoons, information channels, and reading comics. These were my road to slip away from realities and fantasize about my life as a superhero. I believed I would fight crimes alongside Phantom and save the world from evil. Eventually, my focus shifted from being Phantom’s female counterpart to becoming a hero myself. I worked towards developing my own superhero powers, making my own costumes, and practising my lines when a villain would come up to me. Due to my innate fascination with machines, I also designed my own imaginary flying car that would help me fight crime. I believed that batman’s Batmobile was useless when compared to my flying car.

As I was growing up, the quality of the shows also decreased. I met a lot of people in life and realized that the villains were amongst us. We had to be the hero in our life and ward of these villains. I then understood that the villains outside didn’t matter. The ones that actually affected us were our fears, and conflicts within us that deprived us of moving forward in life. Television, according to me, had a great deal of influence for me to get into the overthinking, fantasizing, and derogatory mode in life.

Life got stressful and the number of hours I watched television reduced drastically. The realities of life came gushing to me just as Diaz’s life when he met his father in person. Realities in school, at home, with friends, and amongst family members became difficult to fathom because of my addiction to television. Just as Diaz realized that his father was not the “good” hero that he had imagined, I also realized that phantom wasn’t real, I couldn’t become invisible, and that a hero need not be a guy in a costume secretly trying to fight evil. I then developed my belief that heroes are in fact just ordinary people trying to impact people’s lives in a positive way.

I would conclude by stating a line my mother always told me, “Debunk stereotypes, learn the hard way, and realize that life is tough. When you get tougher, you turn into an example for people. You conquer the world and you’re the hero.”