Salma's blog

       In Alison Bechdel's Fun Home , there are parallels in the struggles that Alison and her father, Bruce, experience. They both struggle with identity, more specifically sexuality, but handle it in very different ways. Throughout the novel, Alison gravitated towards self-acceptance and the journey to taking pride in her sexuality. She had the strength to experiment with her identity, read about it in books, and eventually come out to her parents, while Bruce remained hiding behind secrecy and the need to maintain a traditional family image. Their opposing ways of navigating their sexualities not only shaped their personal lives, but also the relationship between them.        This distinction becomes especially clear when Alison decides to come out to her mother and eventually learns about her fathers secret affairs with young men. A significant moment for her had been overlooked by Bruce's hidden life and the facade of the stereotypical famil...

Sylvia Plath's, The Bell Jar, ends in a powerful yet uncertain scene where Esther Greenwood is crossing an imaginary threshold that determines whether or not she is qualified to leave the asylum. Not only is she consumed by fear, but also by the likelihood that she won’t be able to be let out. This moment holds all that she has experienced and has yet to discover. Throughout the novel, Esther undergoes a whirlwind of emotions from the moment she stepped into New York City for her summer internship, to her last possible moments at the Belsize asylum. Through her ups and downs, she finds herself annoyed by society's standards pushing her to be someone she is not. In New York, she felt pressured to be the stereotypical teenage girl that goes to parties and drinks. At home in Massachusetts, she was expected to be the perfect, accomplished daughter that followed societal expectations and wrote in shorthand to showcase the intelligence that she was expected to have. The pressure she ...

  One of the first things that Holden Caulfield makes clear in The Catcher in the Rye is his hatred for “phonies.” To him, phonies are people that pretend to be someone they're not. Throughout the book, he has a hard time trusting people over small things like going to watch a movie, showcasing their talents, reminiscing about their high school years, or going to an Ivy League, because he sees these things as “performative.” He tends to have very high expectations for people, but as a reader it makes me question: does he even meet his own expectations? Throughout the novel, Holden demonstrated controversial behaviors, where he criticizes people for doing something, and then judges them negatively for not doing it. One example is when Holden condemns people for putting too much effort into their physical appearance and caring too much about how they look. He observes Stradlater from across the room and goes on to talk about how “he always looked good when he was finished fixing hi...

  In life, it is common to encounter people who hate you no matter what you do. Whether it's virtual friends through social media, classmates in school, or relatives within the family who shower you with subtle backhanded comments, nasty stares, or just give you the cold treatment.  They will try to bring you down by making rude remarks, criticizing, or judging, even when you know you did nothing to deserve it. This can lead to struggles with your self-image and introspection. While haters can challenge your confidence, it is important to know that instead of letting them degrade you, you can turn their hatred into self-motivation.  A crucial part of having haters is remembering why people hate in the first place. Insecurity, projection, and jealousy are very common reasons. Oftentimes, people who criticize others are very unhappy with themselves and struggling with their own self-worth. Because of this, they feel the need to take it out on others. Haters tend to use this...

  What's one question that has sparked lots of debates and controversies? I believe there are quite a lot, but perhaps we can all agree that the question “can money buy happiness?” is among the top on the list. The idealistic answer has always been in the negative, as a great number of people would argue that money can buy you materialistic things, but it can never guarantee your happiness. Allow me to disagree with this common perception, because I believe that money is such an important tool that could grant you the cause for your happiness.  In today's world, being financially secure can open the doors to comfort, freedom, and luxury. Many may argue that materialistic items do not equate to true happiness, but to me, being able to purchase whatever makes you happy, such as luxury bags and designer clothes, will always put a smile on your face. Money can buy you a house, a car, and other essentials that provide stability and comfort. I would much rather be sad in a mansion t...

  A Battle Between Comfort and Responsibility Salma Hreish It is widely acknowledged that time management is an empowering life skill that enables individuals to take control of their priorities, set their goals straight, and make the road to achieving these goals straightforward, and attainable. It helps us make the most of the precious time we are granted, avoid time-wasting practices, and stay away from falling into the habit of procrastination.   Procrastination is an experience that intertwines with many people's lives. It can get in the way of doing homework, chores, or just trying to achieve a goal. In the beginning, it may give you a sense of relief and a break from doing the task you were about to do, but its long term effects won't make up for it when you realize that you weren't able to get much done.  Even though procrastination is often associated with laziness, it holds deeper meanings of self-harm. When we put off a task against our good judgment, we a...