The Infatuation with Violence

Why must a story always have a somewhat violent theme for it to be engaging? In our daily lives, we tend to stray away from danger and always root for world peace. On the other hand, when we’re reclining in our favorite chair, the book we have in our hands is almost always jarringly disturbing.

“The Child by Tiger,” by Thomas Wolfe, is no exception. I must admit, the imagery fluff characteristic of prose fiction pieces bored me in the beginning. It was so ordinary and banal that I skimmed the pages for a while. The relationship between Dick Prosser and the kids seemed cordial; nothing suggested that there was anything amiss. Then the tone of the story took a drastic turn and soon people were dying one after the other. It was definitely creepy when Dick was able to shoot so accurately- it almost seemed like he was undefeatable. When the actions of Dick were detailed, I suddenly gave the story my full attention. Perhaps it was for the mystery of it all. The man seemed sane in the beginning of the story, and also very religious. It was so unexpected for him to have an emotional breakdown and take out a rifle. The reasons are unclear and the way he surrendered even more mysterious.

Overall, I think violence breaks the dullness of a piece that can seem, in the beginning, much too similar to our lives. Reality, unfortunately, is boring to live through. It may seem odd, but violence is sometimes our form of entertainment.

The Yixia Roll

Wasabi is mashed Japanese horseradish. It adds a powerful spice when mixed with sushi. It's also the perfect condiment to all seafood...really, all seafood. I've seen wasabi chips, wasabi seaweed, and even wasabi filet-o-fish at an Asian McDonald's. But I digress. I hope my future blog posts will be similar to the effect of wasabi: powerful, yet meaningful. Wasabi also often clears a stuffy nose, and I want my thoughts to be just as refreshing.

 

Of course, wasabi can’t work its charm without some sushi. If I was a sushi roll, it would be called The Yixia Roll. Yes, I know, not very creative, but it’s all about the content. A sushi roll is meticulously made- the ingredients carefully thought out to create the perfect combination. All that rolled into the complimentary rice and seaweed. Likewise, my blog will strive to include an eclectic mix of ideas, a mix that may change as I grow, but will always be diverse. The rice and seaweed can group my thoughts into a hopefully coherent manner so that I will always be understood.

 

It may be odd as to why I chose sushi and wasabi to represent my blog. The simple answer is that they are both things that I like that also happen to complement each other. Choosing a salad bowl would be a bit cliché and choosing a melting pot would make me a conformist. I want my ideas to be fresh and organized, yet provide some spice. J