English Essay

Since poverty was a prevalent issue in Russia during the 19th century, it is not surprising that Russian novels such as Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov should regularly make references to poverty. Katerina in Crime and Punishment and Madame Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard both exhibit personality traits such as illogicality, dignity, superiority, self-centeredness, and impulsiveness, all of which are closely interconnected to their denial of poverty.
Being illogical allows Katerina and Ranevskaya to refuse aid, which demonstrates their inability to accept poverty. For Katerina, illogicality gives her comfort as it allows her to believe in her moments of delusion. Her illogical refusal of aid is an assertion of self defense as well as a manifestation of her stubbornness. This is demonstrated when a policeman offers her help, yet she declines: “‘Come along, I’ll take you home…It isn’t right for you to be out here in this crowd…’ [the policeman said.] ‘Dear Sir, you don’t know anything about it!’ Katerina Ivanovna shouted.” (515). Katerina irrationally refuses the aid of the policeman and persists in forcing her children to sing and dance on the street instead of requesting the help of her friends. Although this irrationality allows her to deny her poverty, it also worsens her situation as it results in her death. Similarly, Ranevskaya illogically refuses Lopakhin’s aid as a result of her denial of poverty, but not as an assertion of self defense; it is a means to protect the cherry orchard, an object of her affections: “Cut it down? Forgive me, my dear, but you [Lopakhin] don’t know what you are talking about. If there is one thing in the whole province that is interesting, not to say remarkable, it’s our cherry orchard.” (Chekhov 333). Ranevskaya’s irrationality is emphasized in the phrase “you [Lopakhin] don’t know what you are talking about”. It suggests that Lopakhin is the person who is being irrational, but ironically, he seems to be the only logical person in the play as he recognizes that the only way to save the orchard is to cut down the trees. This stubborn irrationality permits Ranevskaya to deny her poverty because it allows her to think that there is a way to save the cherry orchard, but it later causes Ranevskaya to lose her estate altogether. However, being illogical is only one of many traits which contribute to Ranevskaya’s and Katerina’s denial.
Ranevskaya and Katerina are both dignified women, characteristics which are generally thought to be worthy of possessing, but can also be crippling. Katerina’s denial of poverty and boasting are ways which Katerina maintains her pride: “Katerina …receive[d] her guests with a redoubled grandness of manner and a positive hauteur.” (Dostoyevsky 456). The intention of Katerina’s party is to show that she is noble and rich, sources of her pride, which in turn shows her denial of poverty. The haughty tone which she adopts demonstrates her pride in her lineage and friends, and this tone is emphasized by her exaggerations; she states that Raskolnikov is “getting ready for a professorship at St. Petersburg University,” (457). The exaggeration increases progressively with the decline of her financial state, because the more damaged her pride is, the more she exaggerates. Additionally, her pride enables her to spend money on the funeral even though she cannot afford to, worsening her poverty. Ranevskaya’s dignity, on the other hand, is associated with being a beneficiary of people in need, and along with being a beneficiary comes the expectation to be financially secure. In order to maintain her pride, Ranevskaya denies her poverty, shown when she gives a gold piece to a stranger begging for money: “Here you are – take this…I have no silver…Never mind, here’s a gold piece for you…” (Chekhov 358). Ranevskaya feels that if she is unable to give money to this stranger, her pride will suffer, as demonstrated when she becomes “panic-stricken” (358) after she realizes she has no silver in her purse. She takes pride in being kind and generous, but she squanders money when she cannot afford to, which is a causation of her poverty.
A feeling of superiority is an aspect which comes with being wealthy. Katerina and Ranevskaya show haughtiness in their tone of voice while speaking to those whom they consider inferior. Katerina, in particular, speaks conceitedly to her landlady: “‘Amalia Lyudvigovna! I must ask you to mind your manners,’ Katerina began haughtily (she always adopted a haughty tone when speaking to the landlady, in order to make her ‘remember her place’…)” (Dostoyevsky 217). Irony is generated when Katerina speaks haughtily to suggest she is of higher status than her landlady, yet in reality, it is the opposite. Furthermore, the phrase “mind your manners” is ironic since Katerina is speaking rudely, not her landlady. The irony of the quotation serves to demonstrate Katerina’s denial of reality, and the quotation itself shows that feeling superior is a source of pleasure and satisfaction of Katerina. Similarly, Ranevskaya adopts a haughty tone which is reminiscent of an earlier era when she was Lopakhin’s beneficiary: “Don’t cry, little peasant, … it will heal in time for your wedding.” (Chekhov 322). She calls Lopakhin a “little peasant”, not only as a term of endearment, but also to establish her place above him. This haughty tone is retained many years later when Lopakhin speaks to Ranevskaya about the cherry orchard: “‘Do you agree to lease the land for summer cottages or not? [Lopakhin asks. Ranevskaya says,] ‘Who is it that smokes those disgusting cigars out here?’” (348). Ranevskaya ignores Lopakhin’s question, showing that she does not respect those whom she considers inferior. She adopts a discontented tone, conveying the idea that she is discontented with Lopakhin’s persistent questioning, and uses the word “disgusting” to describe the cigarette, implying that she finds the leasing of the land “disgusting” as well.
As poverty is one of the main issues facing Ranevskaya and katerina, it is not surprising that they should both be self-centered. Ranevskaya frequently speaks of her past to reminisce to herself, and Katerina speaks of her past to boast as well as to reminisce, demonstrating their desires to live in the past, resulting in a denial of poverty. For Ranevskaya, a sense of nostalgia accompanies her recount of the past, showing her desire to take refuge in it: “Oh my childhood, my innocence! I used to sleep in this nursery, I looked out from here into the orchard…” (338). Ranevskaya speaks of the orchard with detailed imagery, and talks to the orchard as if it were a living person by suing the pronoun “you”, establishing its importance to her. Her self-centeredness is shown through her actions when she refuses to cut down her beloved cherry orchard even though her family and servants are in jeopardy. For Katerina, the main objective of speaking about her past is to boast, and it is emphasized when she speaks to her daughter: “You would never believe, you never would imagine, Polenka…what a splendid, cheerful life we led in the house of my Papa…” (Dostoyevsky 213). Repetition of the phrase “you would never” and use of adjectives “splendid, cheerful” allows for a slight exaggeration, enhancing the effect of her boasting. In addition to boasting, Katerina speaks of the past as a way of coping with hardships, and it provides a source of hope for a better future.
Katerina and Ranevskaya share their impulsiveness and a lack of self-restraint. For Ranevskaya, her impulsiveness is demonstrated in her behavior towards money: “‘You gave them your purse, Lyuba. That won’t do! That won’t do!’ [says Gayev] ‘…I couldn’t help it! I couldn’t help it!’ [says Ranevskaya].” (Chekhov 379). Ranevskaya gives her purse away even after the estate is sold, demonstrating how unimportant money is to her. She does not understand that money is not inexhaustible, nor does she understand the consequences of her actions, as she now has no money left. This inability to assess consequences of her actions allows her to permit the selling of the cherry orchard. Furthermore, the impulsiveness demonstrates her inability to adapt to her poverty, as she could afford to be impulsive with money before, but not anymore. Likewise, Katerina is unable to refrain from mass spending: “Though she does not know where her next crust of bread is coming rum…and she and her children do not even have proper shoes…she has today purchased Jamaican rum and even…,Madeira, and…coffee!” (Dostoyevsky 448). Like Ranevskaya, Katerina squanders money impulsively, though unlike Ranevskaya, money is important to her and she understands that it is exhaustible: “‘Where’s the money?’ she cried.” (33). Her frenzied state illustrates money’s importance to her, yet she squanders it, showing that she is more impulsive than Ranevskaya. She justifies the spending by convincing herself that she is paying homage to her husband when in fact she is spending it for selfish reasons.
The use of similar characteristics to illustrate the denial of poverty in Katerina and Ranevskaya is evident in both Crime and Punishment and The Cherry Orchard. These characteristics are a source of comfort for the characters, yet ironically, they later become a source of the characters’ downfall. Dostoyevsky and Chekhov seem to share an element of dark humour, as they are both able to ridicule their characters’ foolishnesses.

Word Count: 1,549

heya

just got back from china hehe
here are some stories / facts that may be surprising :)

1) sushi restaurants there serve something called HORSE MEAT SASHIMI
2) theres a dish that serves ... cow penises
3) the mosquitos there are so evolved, they learn to fly in from under a chair with holes in it and bite you through the holes (and ur clothes)

i'll write more when i think of them. but gosh gosh china is surprising sometimes o.o

Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 1 "Waterfall"

yup spent a lot of time practicing this piece. it may not look it, but its SUPER HARD. urgh. and i can't get it up to the right tempo. oh wells. i will continue working on it. this was my first shot...so there were some mistakes. well, tell me what you guys think.

AKKK
whoever reads my blogs, you'd better SHOW YOURSELVES!! well, ok, strangers, u dont have to show urselves, but to ppl i know, PLEASE TELL ME YOU READ MY BLOG. its for...posting/personal reasons. i really hope i havent offended anyone in any of my past blogs. if i did, please know that I mean no harm. maybe I meant it XD but i wouldnt mean to hurt you in any way.
and also! to prevent me from embarrassing myself again (refer to previous post. ARRGH), I would like you to IDENTIFY YOURSELVES. Thank you so much =)

me singing Think of Me...plz comment =D

Piano

Did you know that Martha Argerich married a chinese conductor/composer for a while?? she became pregnant with his child accidentally (lol, as Mrs. Ferrario says, these things are never ACCIDENTAL), and she went through the traditional chinese marriage. she fled to geneva to give birth, and separated from her husband. Due to the fact that her career is unstable, she lost custody of her child.
Her child, Lyda Argerich-Chen, was finally reunited with Martha Argerich 17 years later, as Lyda had become a violist and started working with her mother. *sniffs* i wonder why Martha Argerich didnt look for her cild in between those 17 years?
well, anyways, I learned the first 2 pages of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor :D:D here's a sample of it

painting of same mouse

heeeh pixel art

What is this?

Nutcracker Suite for Piano Solo, arranged by Pletnev Free Download

many people who have seen this video have been going crazy trying to find the sheet music for this, including me. finally, i found it in a torrent which included sheet music from composers whose name started with a "T" from all classical/romantic/baroque...etc. periods. haha, needless to say, I downloaded a bunch of unnecessary sheet music just to get to the 30 pages that I need.
I uploaded the Nutcracker Suite for Piano Solo, arranged by Pletnev, onto megaupload. here are the links.
Sheet Music for Nutcracker Suite for Piano Solo, Part 1:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=THIFD94T
http://www.4shared.com/file/79699360/3cfa1986/Pletnev__Tchaikovsky__-_Nutcracker_No1_1.html
Sheet Music for Nutcracker Suite for Piano Solo, Part 2:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KF7NPW40
http://www.4shared.com/file/79699432/aacc9a6a/Pletnev__Tchaikovsky__-_Nutcracker_No1_2.html

About Twilight

around 10 months ago, I posted a blog with URL for the audiobooks of the twilight series. since then, it has circulated around like crazy! i cant tell u how elated I am.
HAPPY NEW YEAR'S btw. 2009 doesnt have a nice ring to it, as my friend observed.
ooh back to the audiobooks. when u search up on google "Twilight audiobooks free download", u'll find my blog on the 7th selection. SEVEN!! i'll make it my goal to get to 2nd, and that'll be enough. WHOOT
ooh and there was one website that wrote an article about the chinese not being happy with how the chinese actor was portrayed in pirates of the caribbean. it seems they took the picture of the poster of pirates of the caribbean 3 from my blog, and underneath the picture, it says "credit: wendyhyperwitch.blogspot.com" and "copyright: wendyhyperwitch.blogspot.com" i cant tell u how HILARIOUS it is to find that. AHAHAHAHA.
if u search up wendyhyperwitch on google, u'll find a number of websites saying that my blog is THE place to get the audiobooks. i feel so proud...

Grade 10

heh
after 6 months, I decide to write another blog. writing a daily blogs is not mandatory now, so...lol of course, i dont write one everyday anymore.
grade 10 has its ups and downs. on the up side, i met so many more great ppl, from all over vancouver! on the down side, my very best friend for 3 years decided to stay the fudge away from me. on the other up side, science is now as easy as grade 5 math.
ooh i just found out the other day that the husband of ms hu (now mrs jay), mr jay, teaches science at magee. whoooot gooo sciency couples!
i shall just list some random facts that i found out recently
1. people can fart after death (k, imagine this. a friend died. you're carrying his coffin for burial along with his other friends. you walk past weeping ppl who look as if they're gonna die from misery. then suddenly, faaaaaaaaaaaaaaart, the corpse inside the coffin flatulates.)
2. there is a type of underwear designed to absorb the smell that comes with farts
3. the largest spider web has the diameter of 3 meters
4. there is a medical condition called fetus in fetus. basically, what this means is that, sometimes, when a mother is pregnant with twins, one twin consumes the other twin. usually, both twins die, but there are rare circumstances where these twins get born. the twin that was engulfed grows inside the larger twin, feeding off the larger twin's blood supply like a parasite.
5. a defect called harlequin type ichthyosis is the most grotesque-looking disease that i have ever seen. check it out.

Term 3 Blog #94

soooo im writing a blog about summer
...comes from my memory book. i actually think its a little stupid, but thats ok!

Summer is, without a doubt, my favourite time of the year. Schools are not in session, the best fruits become ripe, my birthday is just around the corner, the temperature keeps me feeling warm, and the clothes that can only be worn in the hot temperature can come out of the stuffy closet.
When I was in elementary school, summer always seemed boring and long. I had nothing to do, and school kept me busy. Last year, I had contradictory ideas about summer. Schoolwork in secondary school was so stressing, summer just didn’t seem to be enough of a break. I needed the break last year, and so did my classmates.
My favourite fruits, including lychee, mangos, watermelons, cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and pineapples all become ripe during the summer. It’s the perfect time to enjoy such delicious, sweet fruits, and when chilled, these fruits serve as a relief from the hot.
My birthday is July 27th, and every year, I have a birthday party. I feel sorry for those who have to go to school on their birthdays. Since my birthday is in the summer, I am allowed to arrange sleepovers for as many nights as I want, though none have gone farther than 2 nights.
I welcome the hot temperature in Vancouver. It rains most of the year, and therefore, I appreciate the two months of the year when it rarely rains. Along with the hot temperature comes the availability of the beach and outdoor swimming pool. Also, sundaes, slurpees, and cold drinks, although they can be eaten during the winter, are much appreciated in this weather.
Clothes, too, are a great plus side to summer. No more heavy winter jackets, no more stuffy turtlenecks, and no more scratchy long underwear! Now, I can say hello to T-shirts, skirts, and sandals! The clothes are weightless and non-cumbersome. They are the very best part of summer, if you ask me.
Summer is just one and a half weeks away. It’s going to be a busy one and a half weeks, but the end is near and I just can’t wait!

Term 3 Blog #93

Saturday, June 7th, 2008

...dedicating this to my immigration to canada.

Immigration to Canada

Coming to Canada wasn’t an easy transition for me. I struggled with English for three years, which meant three years of isolation from the “normal” kids.
I immigrated to Canada on April 8th, 2000. I was in grade one back then. On one of my assignments, I accidently wrote “My Father is a Dragon” instead of “My Father’s Dragon” as the title of an assignment. I suppose I didn’t understand that words ending with and apostrophe and an s meant possessives back then. My teacher sniggered at it when she saw it, and I remember wondering about what she was sniggering at.
I switched to Weir school at the beginning of grade two. The kids started passing around “Wendy Germs” when they realized I was different. That part of grade two was particularly frustrating and heart-breaking.
One particularly embarrassing incident that I remember was when I tried to make up a joke as a class assignment. I didn’t understand the meaning of the word “joke” at the time, so one of my classmates told me that it was basically a funny question with a funny answer. I decided on one question and decided to tell it to the class.
“So…what do you think is the smallest animal on earth?” I asked. Then without waiting for an answer, I shouted enthusiastically “AN ELEPHANT!!” and laughed.
There was dead silence.
One kid raised his hand up and decided to comment. “I don’t get it,” the kid said.
I didn’t think it was embarrassing at the time, but once I understood what a joke really meant (some months later), I turned beet red inside.
Grade three was a better time for me. I found a friend that was able to relate to me, and we were able to do things together. My English finally improved in grade four, and I stopped going to ESL.
Now, my English is as good as any ninth-grader born here, though I can’t say the same for my social skills. It has been a pleasurable time, here in Canada. I wouldn’t go back to China even if catching up in schoolwork in China is possible.

Term 3 Blog #92

Friday, June 6th, 2008
piano lesson didnt go very well.
after the finals, im gonna have to go to my piano teacher's house for 3 - 4 hours a day to practice on her piano.
ARRGHH
well, im gonna have to do two weeks of that, and take my exam. yup. exam for me. then after the 25th, HOPEFULLY, we will be able to go to that water park that michaela and shannon mentioned. it would be so fun =D

Term 3 Blog #91

Thursday, June 5th, 2008
oh i forgot to mention that yesterday, we did our play in front of our parents and teachers. i didnt exactly mess up, but im sure i was very uptight.
now thats over and done with, i must review. arrrghhh review!!!
or more likely, memorize. im sorry these blogs are so short. its just that, i always seem to be in the middle of doing homework or studying when i remember that i need to do my blog.

Term 3 Blog #90

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
heey!! STI is done!!! im gonna post our STI video here. its actually quite funny.
its loading quite slowly...
BUT ITS FUNNY!!!
the quality is bad tho, cuz i had to decrease the size so that it wont take so long to upload.

hmm how do u embed something on this?



is this right? does it show?