Two Colors, Two Hands, One Path

Why though? ….

What was wrong with him?

Because he wore the color red?

Because he wore the color blue?

Why should a color define one?

How does a color define one?

Red or Blue.

It isn’t just a color is it?

It’s a path.

A path one takes.

Is it a path you were set to?

Was it a path he was set to?

Was it a path he chose to take?

Is it just a path you chose to take?

Brotherhood

A type of brotherhood that came with

Delinquency

Impure crimes

Calloused hands

Stained with blood

All for the sake of a sacred bond

Loyalty?

Staying by their side

Sticking to slinging on stripped streets

Cuts and Guns

Bruises and bullets

Breaking any morals that get in the way

Get in the way of walking this path

Why did you kill him?

Because he was a blood?

Because he was a crip?

The sign he throws up with his scar-engraved hands?!

Were you set to this?

What if he was just set to this path?

Or

Maybe he did chose this

But

The real question remains

Did you chose this path?

Why though?...

Amir and Soraya

The lockers themselves represents nostalgia. They are a key symbol of high school. They would remind any past graduates of their student years when one day stumbled upon while walking through the hallways of Los Altos. Nostalgia is incorporated between Amir and Soraya because to Amir, Soraya shows similar traits of courage, kindness, and loyalty that he had known Hassan for. For that, he finds love, and happiness in their relationship. It nurtures him through the hardships he goes through throughout the years, by filling in a sentimental longing for affection that he'd once shared with Hassan. The individual lockers have identical structures with the same color and dimension measurements. Each locker is apart of a structure that aligns, and stacks two rows of other individual lockers together. The two lockers in the photo represents Soraya's and Amir's marriage. The lockers are identical and apart of one structure, just as Amir and Soraya are apart of one commitment, one sacred bond. A marriage. Even so, Soraya is an open locker. She has revealed her past to Amir. A past which requires honesty, and trust. Amir on the other is a locked locker. He doesn't wish to reveal his past about Hassan to Soraya. He's uncomfortable with speaking about the wrong he's done to Hassan, causing him to lock up feelings of guilt and shame. What differentiates the individual lockers are their own locks.  Although the silver, metal locks are similar in structure as well, they have different their own individual codes. Soraya and Amir have their own locks, or in other words opportunities to redemption. In Amir and Soraya's case, redemption would be revealing a shameful past. Like, Soraya, in order to reach redemption one would have to use their own "lock code", or in reality courage and honesty to open up feelings of guilt and shame.

水牛 (Buffalo)

"The creature halted, then heaved from side to side, trampling the muddy bed with vigor, as though intent upon crushing the submerged spectacles with it's hooves or the lurching ploughshare" (47).

"It was exceptionally long, and no doubt once belonged to the unfortunate buffalo responsible for breaking capital Four-Eyes's glasses" (105).

These two quotes relate to the symbol of the buffalo because of how Four-Eyes interacts with it. The buffalo symbolizes and illustrates an idea of coming to age, shown through its relationship with Four-Eyes. In the first quote, Four-Eyes is seen struggling intensely with the buffalo, with the buffalo trampling his glasses and whipping his tail into his face. The buffalo is dominant. However, in the second quote, time has passed and Four-Eyes is now returning home. The buffalo is slaughtered in celebration for his returning home, and almost like a trinket or trophy, Four-Eyes decides to keep the long tail of the very same buffalo that had trampled his glasses and caused him so much trouble so long ago. This shows the change in Four-Eyes and how he has now "come to age," and is now dominant over the buffalo. His more figurative "aging" has caused him to become more powerful over the buffalo. The buffalo acts as an obstacle for him, and his coming to age leads into his overcoming of the buffalo.

By Frank Zhou
Akhil Jakatdar
Caroline Schachter
Christy Torres

Not with the Wind

The Wind pushes you

Pushes you to want to impress

The Wind is a cycle 

A cycle where one will always try to be not just great
but the best 

Who is the best? 

The best someone is one who follows not the Wind
but Tao 

Lives simply and peacefully

 Not trying to be correct like life is a test

One who follows Tao..

Lets the Wind blow through their hair

Lets the earth rotate slow

Lets the leaves fall as seasons change 

Let's the universe flow

To flow with Tao and not with the Wind... you will be the one who truly glows

Streams of Subconsciousness