Semester Exam

I love reading and writing! So when I am in the process of designing a creative piece or constructing an essay, I am hoping that people will love reading my writing and I myself will deem it lovable.

In order for me to love my own writing, and any writing for that matter, it must include the following three points: It must be intriguing and captivating. It must be pertinent and applicable. And it must be lasting in the minds of the readers.  If these three points have been achieved by the writer I will probably fall in love with the piece I am reading and then there is a very good chance others will too.

When I wrote Black Dahlia these three goals were already in place.

To intrigue and captivate with my story I added realistic details and described them in vivid, rich and dramatic words. I wanted to paint with words and that is what I did, although the most memorable painting was done in the introduction. For this reason the intro is all about intrigue and tension. The first sentence “The night was too serene” grabs the attention of the reader and places certain expectations into his mind, because “too serene” hints at anything but a happy resolution. The description of the silk breeze as it shattered against two dark figures was purposely built on a contrast to heighten the tension, raise the stakes and entice the reader to explore the story deeper. At the end of the introduction so much suspense is built up and the reader is sucked in so deep that withdrawal from the world he has entered will be painful and unsatisfying.

To make my writing pertinent to my readers and to myself, I lined my story with an important truth that applies to everyone. The idea of leaving important decisions off for tomorrow, when your tomorrow is not guaranteed to you is the backbone of Black Dahlia. The idea and my presentation of it, in a real life situation, confront the readers, help them to see themselves from the side and provide them with an opportunity, before it is too late, to change. To make my point clear I used the pastor, as the voice of wisdom, to plainly and simply state vital truths. For example, “You are given today to prepare for tomorrow” and “your tomorrow is not promised to you by anyone”, as well as “the greatest tragedy in life is that we realize things very late in our life and by the time we realize them, it’s too late.”

To make Black Dahlia enduring in people’s minds a combination of things was necessary, captivating language, pertinent ideas, but also a twist, an unexpected climax and leaving the reader with no definite answer. My short, one word sentences aided me in concluding the story without providing a recipe for a long and happy life, challenging the reader to fill in the blanks and write their own recipe.

In Black Dahlia I present an issue of hoping for tomorrow and question the people that turn away opportunities of change, but my trust in the readers, that they will find their own answers for life’s question without me spoon-feeding them, is what welcomes readers into exploring the proposition at hand. I hope that now you also feel trusted and lured into reading more of my writing.  

Poker Face

In Russia we have a saying, “The greeting you receive depends on your clothes, the farewell you get depends on your intellect.” Although the main point is that your intellect is more important than your looks, I think another point lurks deeper. First and surface impressions are often inaccurate, as it takes time and effort to really fathom another person; this is the idea presented here.

Psychological research and experiments don by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov showed that people form a first impression by looking at a stranger’s face in a tenth of a second. This means that in the time it takes us to blink, our brain manages to interpret the face in front of us and come to a conclusion that stays engraved in our mind. Poker face or not, we judge, conclude and act accordingly. Does this prove to be a human super power and lift us up or, on the contrary, the human downfall that drives us over the edge? Whatever you might have been told, a person’s outward appearance is where we get our first, fleeting, but lasting impression. In Crime and Punishment the build, face, clothes and the way characters carry themselves are described in vivid detail. This helps us, as readers, almost visualize a persona we have never seen. Fyodor Dostoevsky uses the outfits, jewelry and hairstyles of his characters to make readers subconsciously form assumptions and conclusions before we actually “meet” the character. He then, as the book progresses, either proves us and your conculsions wrong or right. On the part of Dostoevsky, it is a demonstration of the menace that lies within quick and shallow judgment.

The dangers of hasty judgment in Crime and Punishment are exposed using two polar-opposite characters, Luzhin and Sonya. First off, Luzhin. Respectable, educated and creditable, although somewhat cocky, that is how we see him in the letter Raskolnikov receives from his mother. He is presented pretty much in the same light, when we get to meet him “face to face” in Raskolnikov’s apartment. However, as the story line progresses and circumstances change, his true colors seep out. When we finally see Luzhin for who he is, without all the adornment and garnish that disguised him originally, then we have the right to form and express an opinion concerning him and in turn expect it to hold up under examination. Some would say, “Over the course of the novel Luzhin becomes despicable”. Consider this. He does not become despicable when we realize he is so, but he has been despicable all this time. We were just a bit enchanted or deceived by our first impression of Luzhin.

On the other side of the spectrum we have Sonya. She is living contradiction of Saadi’s words, “Whatever makes an impression on the heart seems lovely in the eye”. Our first encounter with her happens even before we meet her, in the tavern, when Marmeladov describes her to Raskolnikov. She is portrayed by him (in his drunken monologue) as “unfortunate”, a victim of “ill-meaning persons”, and the savior of her family. But we cannot easily take his word on the matter. We have to see her for ourselves, give her a once-over to from our opinion of the girl. When we do meet her “face to face” she is obscene and “adorned in street fashion with a clearly and shamefully explicit purpose” (page 183). The “thin, pale, and frightened little face, mouth open and eyes fixed in terror” (page 183) raises a wave of compassion in us, although this in no way excuses her suggestive appearance. As time goes by, we get our second and third “face to face” encounters with Sonya. During yet another encounter she reads the story of Lazarus to Raskolnikov, and we see an unexpected and unconventional hallo form over her head. Although she is the same person she was before, we finally get to see the real Sonya. We no longer have to go on her looks alone, but get to see her heart and the love that inhabits it. As a result, our opinion on Sonya’s total disgrace and corruption, which formed solely on looks, is transformed and refined. It becomes more accurate, for it is now based not on her shell alone, but on the pearl that lies within.

In conclusion, perhaps you have heard, “Dress to impress”, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, or even “The first impression is the truth, and all that follows is merely the excuse of memory”. However, relying on first impressions and sticking to them no matter what, is like judging a book by its cover alone and then never giving it a second glance, thought, or chance to change your life. 

Dress to impress?

A person’s attire and physique is where we get our first, fleeting, but lasting impression. The outward appearances of Crime and Punishment characters in the descriptions are detailed and rather exhaustive. This helps us almost visualize a persona we have never seen. I think Dostoevsky uses the wardrobe, jewelry and hairstyle of his characters to make readers maybe involuntarily, but all the same, make assumptions and conclusions before they actually “meet” the character. He then, as the book progresses, either proves those wrong or right. I think this is done in order to demonstrate the menace of quick and shallow judgment. Characters like Luzhin seem respectable at first glance, but through the novel become despicable. And although the first presentation of Sonya is obscene and “adorned in street fashion with a clearly and shamefully explicit purpose” (page 183), with time we see an unexpected and unconventional hallo form over her.

Yellow- Sun or Sickness?

The color yellow can symbolize many different phenomena. It can symbolize sunshine and happiness, or disease and decay. The way we interpret the color’s meaning depends on the context in which it is being presented. Pages in books acquire a yellow tint with time. Over the years teeth turn yellow. In the cases above and in the context of Crime and Punishment yellow is a color of sickness, decay and degeneration, symptom of entropy. Yellow wall paper is part of the setting in Sonya’s and Raskolnikov’s rooms. Both these are where vile and sickening sins are committed, where prostitution and contemplation of murder take place. The yellow wall paper is noticed by them, and even studied in Raskolnikov’s apartment, but although it needs repair, nobody ever takes the time to fix it. Dostoyevski uses yellow wallpaper to symbolize an unhealthy and corrupt environment that contaminates the minds of its inhabitants. 

St.Pete

The city of Saint Petersburg is an important main character throughout Crime and Punishment. It not only provides the setting and sets the mood for the novel, but it also is a comprehensibly everyday symbol of Raskolnikov’s state of mind. Saint Petersburg, as we read, is rarely portrayed as a pleasant and healthy city to live in, rather as hot, musty, sickening, dirty, crowded, full of different scum and egoistic people. In a way it symbolizes Raskolnikov’s mental stability, we can see this when he gets lost in the city or forgets which streets he takes to make to one of his destinations. I think it is meant to show that he doesn’t understand or remember how he arrived at his conclusions about life and to show that his head, his mind is not a pleasant thing to live with, but rather life with it is pain and a punishment. 

Money

An important symbol in Crime and Punishment is money. Money is an understandable symbol, because every one of the readers has dealt with money and can therefor apply this symbol to themselves. Raskolnikov gives and receives money a couple times during the novel. Every single time the money he possesses is not rightfully his, not money he earned. He has no right to give it away, but he does so anyway. In addition to money, we give to others are our time, attention and love. Money is symbolic of all of these things. Raskolnikov is not the rightful owner of the money he gives out, and we are not rightful owners of our time, but never the less we give and dedicate it to people. Sometimes we cannot see the reason behind our actions, just like Raskolnikov blames his generosity on delirium, however we are appointed to be joyful givers.

Intro to Black Dahlia

When writing this short story, I hoped to create an intriguing setting and realistic dialogue, but more importantly make my readers think about the shortness and preciousness of now. 

The introduction paragraph sets the mood for the rest of the story and entices the reader to keep on reading. Although ambiguous in some aspects, the story progresses and ideas as well as events start to take shape, forming into one picture that makes the story so much more impacting. 

My desire was to make you think and apply some of the ideas from this piece to your personal life, as well as create an electrifying and sensual setting that would suck you into the backseat of the main character’s car. 

I would love to hear your opinion on my story and whether I achieved my goals, so don’t waste another second… Black Dahlia is waiting…