The Partly Cloudy Looking Glass

     In the summer of 2013, I rented out the Jessica Chastain film Zero Dark Thirty, which depicted the capture and death of Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden. This being the first R-rated film I ever watched, I was unprepared by how gruesome it was. Even so, when I wasn't cowering in my seat, I took a certain comfort in knowing that the CIA would always swoop in and save the day from the bad guys like UBL. I painted a picture in my mind that Americans simply crushed the people who threatened our glorious nation - there was no other alternative. Of course, it didn't occur to me at the time just how many lives were lost and how much money was actually spent in order to track down the terrorist, but I was only 13. And besides, we all need a little fantasy. After all, what is life without it?
     Looking back, I can now see that my naive innocence allowed me to peer through the looking glass and into a better world where bad people don't do bad things. If they did, they were caught and punished immediately. Unfortunately, that portal into another universe has now been clouded by the extreme terrorism that happens all too often.

My perspective through the looking glass has been forever altered

       

     After this summer, the global events that have made the deepest impressions on me are, in chronological order: the Sandy Hook shooting, the Brussels bombings, and the Nice terror attacks. From those events, I learned the following: that the world is full of unstable people who are intent on hurting others; that gun control is vital (I'll save that topic for another day); that the "good guys" of law enforcement cannot always save us; and that terrorism is closer to us all than we think.
     I was in Nice, France on the 13th of July this year, a mere 24 hours before the devastating terror attack. Late into the night on the 14th, I watched the news in horror as I recognized each of the landmarks that were now swarming with the injured and the dead. I had been to the same pier where Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel robbed 86 people of their lives; I had seen the same hotels, the same restaurants, the same beach as this heinous man had. It was in that moment that I realized terrorism touches us all, whether or not we want to acknowledge it. -MC

Spiraling Into Wonderland

Hello and welcome to my blog! Thanks for taking the time to visit.    
     Since this is my first post, allow me to explain the idea behind my blog theme. If you haven't already guessed, 'Down the Rabbit Hole' is an allusion to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, or, as it's more commonly known, Alice in Wonderland. In the story, Alice tumbles down a rabbit hole and finds herself in Wonderland. It's a bizarre land filled with nonsensical creatures, and Alice mostly just goes with the flow.

      For me, this is precisely what 11 AP has been so far - I've been plopped amid a completely foreign, discussion oriented class. I'm certainly not used to so much discussion in a class, and as of right now, it seems strange, but not unwelcome. Much like Alice, I just go with the flow, interjecting the occasional opinion in the discussion. Essentially, I titled this blog 'Down the Rabbit Hole' because I feel like Alice - I'm tumbling down the rabbit hole and into the unknown of junior year, with all of the standardized testing, AP classes, sports, and stress that go along with it.
     It's only been two weeks since school started, and in English class we've already covered a broad range of topics - everything from feminism to the Vietnam War. Perhaps the most interesting thing I've learned so far is the underlying meaning of memorials. Well, cenotaphs to be more precise. Honestly, I've always just considered them to be chunks of rock that have names carved in them. Never have I been more wrong. Cenotaphs give closure to families while also acknowledging that missing soldiers "actively participated in battle" (Booth) and therefore have made a positive impact on their country. They are a way to tell the relatives of a missing soldier that his life was not lost for nothing. For some families, the elegantly crafted cenotaphs, such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, have made all the difference in their lives.  -MC