Author Archives: ehc592

Gloria Anzaldua discusses challenges dealing with “wildness” in language in her essay, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” She poses the question of what it means to tame a wild tongue, how to train it to be quiet, and how to make it lie down. Based on her writing, it can be concluded that Anzaldua feels that her language has been silenced and seen as primitive in a country like the United States. She would get in trouble for speaking Spanish, or simply correcting her teacher on how to pronounce her name properly. Anzaldua feels that language is strongly tied to her culture and plays a significant role in her identity. I agree that in order to actually “tame” a wild tongue is to strip individuals of their culture and silence expression. Some words and phrases that are used in other languages do not exist in English, and there is no way to “tame” a wild tongue without essentially assimilating individuals. I would argue that simply speaking a language that is not English is not “wild” (but rather natural), and that there is no need to “tame” a wild tongue. Culture and identity deserve to be expressed, and will always end up prevailing.

elina chen

Wild woman: She spoke up and spoke her mind freely. She expressed herself however she wanted, only to get labelled as a wild woman.  

Wild man: The wild man raised his voice, sharpened his tone, and flailed his arms in the heat of the argument. 

Wild animal: Among the depths of the ocean are where the wildest animals live.

Wild beast: The wild beast scoured the forest in order find prey to satisfy his large appetite. 

Wild thing: There is an inner child, free-spirited wild thing in all of us. 

elina chen

Oscar Wilde was a famous, and somewhat controversial poet and writer from Dublin. He was born in 1854 and contributed to the Victorian era of poetry and the Aesthetic Movement. He lived a very traditional life, so it seemed. His parents were both scholarly, as his father was a surgeon who also published books and his mother was a poet. He went to college and worked for different publications as an editor and reviewer. He had gotten married and had kids. Throughout his life, beginning in college, he had published many different poems, plays, and literary pieces. He gained lots of traction and criticism, as many of his works touched on progessive and taboo topics at that time, for example, death and homosexuality. He was eventually even sent to prison for his acts of homosexuality and openness about it.

I believe he is definitely a “wild” writer because of his fearlessness in the subjects he writes about. He was very progressive and shocking for his time, and was brave enough to talk about homosexuality and reveal secrets about his personal life, regardless of what others thought. I admire how unconventional he is, and he is not afraid of speaking out about what he thinks is important. Of course, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a good example, and probably most well-known example of this. However, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, I found particularly interesting. It is his last published piece before he died, and it talks about the harsh conditions he endured when he was in jail.

I never saw a man who looked With such a wistful eye
Upon that little tent of blue Which prisoners call the sky,
And at every drifting cloud that went With sails of silver by.
I walked, with other souls in pain,Within another ring,
And was wondering if the man had done A great or little thing,

Dear Christ! the very prison walls Suddenly seemed to reel,
And the sky above my head became Like a casque of scorching steel;
And, though I was a soul in pain,

My pain I could not feel.

It was a direct demand for prison reform, which was a very wild idea for his time as well. He used strong emotional appeals and metaphors to convey to his audience the need for change. He talks about how his tiny prison cell and awful living conditions were so demeaning that the crime he committed seemed insignificant in comparison.

elina chen

The meaning of the word “wild” can be contextualized across different pieces of literature. In The Good Lion by Ernest Hemingway, there is a good lion from Venice who visits Africa on a trip and encounters many bad lions. The good lion regards the bad lions as uncivilized, and “wild” because they eat humans and lack proper manners. The bad lions view the good lion as pretentious, as he eats pasta/wine and acts like he is above everyone else in Africa. The wildness in this story manifests itself in the nature of society in Africa and Venice, and the level of domestication it holds. The good lion is characterized as very tamed, as “the good lion would sit and fold his wings back and ask politely if he might have a Negroni or an Americano.” The way he acts very polite and does not resemble a characteristic lion shows how he represents civilization. The bad lions “would roar with laughter and eat another Hindu trader and their wives would drink his blood, going lap, lap, lap with their tongues like big cats.” They are seen to be unrefined in their manners, and act seemingly unhinged in a way that comes across as uncivilized. However, they act like how typical lions would in what they eat and how they act. Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are presents “wild” in a pretty similar way. This story is about Max, a young boy who feels isolated and misunderstood. He escapes through his imagination on a journey with wild animals and nature. Sendak noted, “and when he came to the place where the wild things are they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.” The wildness in this context is similar in that the animals are untamed and barbaric. Max is seen taming the wild things with a magic trick, and he, himself represents civilization. “Wild” could also be interpreted in the way this fantasy land is a representation of Max’s fantastical, nonsensical imagination. 

In both stories, there are similar themes of traveling away from home and strong use of personification. There are clear dichotomies between “tamed” vs. “untamed” for allowing the reader to understand the meaning of wild. Wildness exists in the undomesticated nature of the animals in both stories, and are similar in that aspect even though they are vastly different stories with different plots and characters.

The Wizard of Oz was published by Frank Baum in the 1900s. Baum is the primary communicator, and the main characters facilitate bringing the story to life. Baum uses Dorothy, the Tin-man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow to enact the main messages of the story. Though there are deeper messages, I would still argue that this piece is a targeted towards children because of the many appeals the communicators make. Baum makes many allegories to historical events and some darker issues on politics. However, he breaks down these events in a way that even children could understand by using appeals to emotion through a captivating and magical fantasy land. The younger audience may not understand these ideas completely in the way they are connected to real life events, but they are able to understand the broad ideas the communicator is conveying. I feel as though if the author wanted to appeal to a specifically adult audience, he would not have made such whimsical characters and used fairytale-like aspects in the plot. This novel’s target audience is still marketed towards children, but the deeper messages could lend to a potentially older audience.

A notable passage that contains the use of the word “wild” is in the description of the King of Beasts in Chapter 21. Dorothy noted the “growling of many wild animals” and how the array of tigers, elephants, bears, wolves, and foxes frightened her. In this context, “wild” meant the untamed wilderness and wildlife in the forest. As the chapter progressed, the characters realized the animal was in fact a wild monster, and was described as, “the most tremendous monster, like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk.” This gives the connotation that this animal was wild because of the many absurd combinations of terrifying features it had. In this context, “wild” meant crazy and unusual. The author uses pathos to instill fear of this frightening beast among the audience.

elina chen

When I think of a wild song, I think of “Sincerity is Scary” by the 1975, one of my all time favorite bands. The 1975 is based in the UK, and the genre of their music could be categorized as pop rock, alternative, or synth pop. This song is from their album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, and is largely about Postmodernism. As a background, Modernism was a period in time around the early 1900s, where people were discovering new ideas, some based in science and some not, but this point in time represented humanity learning a lot and having a general direction/reason for everything. Postmodernity came after the World Wars, making people start to question the truth, and realizing that not everything you are told is true. 

“Sincerity is Scary” is quite an upbeat song featuring elements of jazz with drums, horns, synths, and even a trumpet. This instrumentation is wild in that these instruments are not typically seen in rock or alternative genres. This song is wild not only in the instrumentation, but also in the commentary it provides about our backwards society. It starts off slow and has tactful pauses in the beginning, almost drawing you in to keep listening. The message reveals itself at the very beginning, as it leads with “And irony’s okay, I suppose culture is to blame. You try and mask your pain in the most postmodern way.” This discusses how irony has become almost a point of self-defense for people to hide behind. The song links this lack of emotion back to not being human. The chorus goes, “Why can’t we be friends, when we are lovers? Cause it always ends with us hating each other.” This reemphasizes how it is wild people often go to extreme lengths to not care as a way to act “cool,” and not get hurt, especially in relationships. Sarcasm and putting up a front has become so normalized that we live in fear of being genuine and showing others who we truly are. This song pushes the themes of Postmodernity and the importance of self-awareness, true self-expression, and individualism. The song is truly wild in how unusually upbeat the tune is for how striking of a message it gives on humanity. Every time I listen to it, I think about how living in the truth and expressing all the awkward, emotional, and human qualities I have is so meaningful. It has almost become bizarre to be human, which I think is truly wild. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K93ioXL63c

elina chen

Synchronized swimming is a sport that involves completing elaborate tricks and routines in the water all while coordinated with music. This sport combines coordination with a team, technical ability to stay and move underwater, and artistic grace. The players are essentially swimmers with some competing in solos, duets, or in a team of anywhere from 4-8 people. The synchronized swimming community can range quite a bit, but can be ascribed to the general public.  It is an accessible and fairly digestible sport, as it is essentially a performance. It does seem to have a more predominately female audience, however, it is a sport that can easily be appreciated by many kinds of people. The rules of synchronized swimming involve not touching the bottom on the pool, using specific technical elements, and staying in dress-codes. These rules play to a more traditionally female audience, as the rules require a certain level of grace and attention to detail in each move. This sport has an interesting history, as in the 19th century it was a male-only categorized sport. However, in the 20th/21st century it changed to being female dominated and men were even prohibited from many competitions including the Olympics. 

My personal views about the interplay between the sport and gender are that it is interpreted as a highly female dominated, but also challenges current gender dynamics. In the video, you can see that the competitors dress in flashy swim costumes and have their makeup done. Part of the sport is the presentation appeal and what you can or can not wear. It plays into the idea that this sport is highly feminine and female dominated. However, if you look closer into the types of tricks done in each routine, each trick involves incredible amounts of strength, endurance, and flexibility all masked by elegance. I believe synchronized swimming is more of a silent display of more “masculine” elements of a sport, and is just as demanding as a sport like football would be. In this sport, “wildness” is seen in the crazy amount of strength required, but also in the mesmerizing and exciting choreography.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7jiAKtOnXI

-elina chen

I’m not a big movie person, but I did end up watching some over the winter break. One that can be considered “wild” is ‘Don’t Look up’ that came out in 2021. It was directed by Adam McKay and features the most expensive cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothee Chalamet, Kid Cudi, and more. This film is about two meteorologists/astronomers who discover a deadly comet approaching and destined to destroy Earth. They make many efforts to warn everyone on Earth. The two colleagues go to the President, go on local tv shows, and  do everything in their power to get the word around. However, no one takes their efforts seriously. Everyone around them is more concerned about the money that could be made from the valuable minerals that would be dispersed from the comet, as well as the overall indifference and lack of care the rest of humanity expresses. Though this film is satire and a comedy, this film, in my opinion, is commentary on how “wild” our society has gotten. The government is seen as money hungry and incompetent in doing its main job of protecting its citizens. People are becoming more desensitized to irregularities in climate and are only consuming media that gains traction. The two astronomers who discover this comet work throughout this movie to find a solution to destroy the comet before it hits Earth on their own. This emphasizes how there are essentially only a few people in this entire society who care about the right things, which seems wild. 

Along with the more abstract meaning of wildness interpreted from this film, there is also a specific scene that embodies a more literal sense of wild. In the last few scenes, the President and some other people with assumed status in this society are seen escaping to another planet. This planet had Earth-like conditions, but of course, had “wild” elements that took over. In this scene, a Bronteroc, which is a crazy looking blend of 5 different animals, ends up eating the President whole. This animal is wild in the sense that it looks absurd and completely disturbing, but also wild in that is untamed and attacks the humans. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbIxYm3mKzI

Google’s rendition of the word “wild” refers to an animal, plant, person, or place that is not domesticated, cultivated, and primitive. It is an adjective used to describe other things. As a noun, it is a place that is in its original condition. Oxford Dictionary also mentions it can be used to relate something that is out of control, or something that is not carefully planned out. The Cambridge Dictionary adds that “wild” can describe wild as something unusual to the point where it is attractive or exciting. There are multiple contexts this term can be used in and slight variations in what the word can mean, but there seems to be two very different meanings based on the formality of the discussion. 

In everyday language, the word “wild” is used to describe an exciting weekend, extreme anger, or outrageous ideas. In causal contexts, a word I think of being a close synonym or substitute to “wild” is the word “crazy.” People commonly describe parties, angry people, and dumb ideas to be crazy and carries similar meaning. This word usually carries a negative connotation, but in some slang it can have a positive one. If someone’s sneakers are wild, they could mean they are ridiculously cool or appealing. Depending on the way and interpretation, wild can be a compliment too. In formal settings, this word is used as a descriptor for the untamed. Often times the word wild is used to describe indigenous populations, or people who do not conform to society. This is almost commentary and a paradox on the nature of our world that if things are left in their natural state, they are seen as absurd and out of this world.