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The Broken Badge Our Asian Parents Bear

By CATHERINE CHAN, LILIAN CHONG, BECKY CHEN, REBECCA TAO Editors

“Blacks and Hispanics don’t deserve to take our spots at college.” The words spilled effortlessly from my mother’s mouth. “Asians are smarter. Work harder. Respectful.”

Hearing such sentiments from older generations is commonplace for the four of us, especially since we live in an ethnic cluster.

Their entitlement stems from one source: the model minority myth.

The model minority myth falsely molds all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) into a studious, wealthy entity. Under the guise of this myth, we’re all socioeconomically successful due to our cultural emphasis on educational and economic prestige.

On the surface, this doesn’t seem far from the truth: AAPI ranks as the highestearning racial group. However, this myth assumes us to be a monolith. In reality, AAPI hold the largest income inequality gap as our community encompasses a wide range of ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds (Pew Research Center).

Being “model minorities” doesn’t make us any better than other people of color (POC); instead, it holds us to unattainable standards. The perceived success of Asians becomes incessantly weaponized against other minori-

ties—the “non-models.”

It would make sense for our parents to sympathize with other POC as they’ve experienced similar hardships, including U.S. citizenship denial and segregation to ethnic enclaves. So why embrace internalized racism? Why do Mom and Dad characterize other POC as lazy and incompetent? It’s ironic. Our immigrant parents discriminate because they’ve experienced discrimination themselves. This oversimplified narrative downplays the incomparable struggles of other immigrants: “I came here with no money, but I made it. I overcame racism. Why can’t they? It’s their fault.”

After our parents were cast aside and viewed as inferior for so long, it’s no wonder they readily accepted the title of “model minority” and reinforced its racist implications. It was a badge of acceptance. But this badge is superficial.

Even though the myth promises equality and recognition, we’re still seen as “other,” as un-American.

The consequences of the myth take shape before our eyes today. While these hate crimes against Asian Americans have been performed by people of various backgrounds, recently, our parents have been specifically using Blackperpetuated anti-Asian hate crimes as reasons to broadcast anti-Black sentiments. But as the

younger generation, we’ve realized that this racial fracture between us and Black people is a manifestation of the myth.

For years and years, Asians and Black people were pitted against each other. The very essence of the “model minority myth” draws a dangerous comparison of us as minorities. The very journalist who coined this term of “model minority” did so to denigrate Black people as incapable of the docility and ability to succeed that Asian Americans seemingly exhibit. It has been used by white commentators to further divide us. Once seen as a lifeline for Asians in the past, the myth now reveals its true form as an anchor that inhibits progress towards unity.

Change starts small—our parents must register that the badge can’t shield us from being treated as aliens. We are hurt and exhausted from fighting our own battles alone, from generations of internalized racism and from being seen as “other”. We must unite as minorities, acknowledge our shared hardships, and amplify our voices, together. Silence is no longer an option.

As AAPI youth, we must be the catalysts for change. Let’s free our parents of this tarnished badge.

cchan@arcadiaquill.com lchong@arcadiaquill.com bchen@arcadiaquill.com rtao@arcadiaquill.com Graphics courtesy of REFINERY29.COM, FINEARTAMERICA.COM, PIXELS.COM, and DREAMSTIME.COM

:A Good Idea for a Not-So-Good Audience

By AAHANA DUTTA

Staff Writer

One of the things the pandemic has taught us is that no matter how close we are to someone or how much we love someone, if we’re asked to live with them for 24 hours, every day, for months at a time, it can get pretty depressing and suffocating. Moreover, it can sometimes be hard to find a silver lining. Sometimes we need someone new to talk to for a change. Sometimes we need someone neutral to open up to, to discuss things with. Someone who doesn’t already have an opinion on our life or problems.

In that sense, Omegle feels like the perfect tool to do just that. A person can anonymously log in, and chat with a completely random person without having to reveal their real identity. If they feel uncomfortable, or if they don’t feel like talking anymore, they can easily disconnect without having to explain their departure. It seems too good to be true. It seems just perfect. Except it’s not.

Internetmatters.org describes Omegle as “a video-chatting website that pairs random users identified as ‘You’ and ‘Stranger’ to chat online via ‘Text’, ‘Video’ or both. A user can also choose to add their interests, and Omegle will try to pair a user with someone who has similar interests. If not, you could meet anyone. Chats are anonymous unless the user states who they are, it’s free and no account sign-up is required.”

Omegle was created by Leif K-Brooks, an 18-year-old, mostly out of boredom and curiosity. The website was officially launched on Mar. 25, 2009, and a video chat feature rolled out in 2010.

The site allows users to anonymously chat with a random stranger, while simultaneously also providing them with the option to narrow their choices of the people they want to talk to by allowing them to add specific interests. The video chat has a similar format.

Even though Omegle seems like a good idea, and in some ways it is, the execution and user base are anything but good.

To begin with, Omegle has no age verification system in place. The site states that a person must be 13+ with parental permission or 18+ to access the site, but there aren’t any specific verification protocols in place to verify a user’s age or credibility. In essence, anyone can join Omegle. Even a 10-year-old. All they have to do is check two boxes that ask them to confirm that they’re either an adult or have parental permission, and they’re good to go.

This leads us to our second point–Omegle is full of people who say or send inappropriate stuff, both in the text and in the video feature. The lack of safety protocols makes it easy for anyone to access the site and allows them to do as they please including saying racist slurs, cyberbullying, passing sexist and homophobic comments, as well as saying inappropriate and creepy things. In fact, Omegle has a warning on their page, that cautions users against possible predators on the website.

The interesting thing is, that even though Omegle has a banning system in place, it’s extremely easy to bypass, and the banning system is not super accurate in the first place. Omegle bans a user using their IP address, and one can just “unblock” themselves if they access the site through another device, or use a VPN. The bans are also not long; sometimes they are even just a few days or hours long.

It can be argued that people can do as they please on the site because it’s an anonymous chatting platform, so what do you expect? But, that’s not true, considering the website clearly states that the platform should not be used to discuss inappropriate content, and it also redirects people to a different website if that’s what they want to do.

Nonetheless, I think that just telling people what to not do, without taking any measures to actually ensure that those rules are being followed, is ineffective.

In my opinion, Omegle could put forth a stronger age verification system, so that younger people don’t have access to the website, and hence don’t get manipulated into giving out personal information, or doing something inappropriate, like the 15-year-old girl from Stearns County, Minnesota, who was manipulated into doing inappropriate acts, in exchange for money, with a 34-year-old man who she met on Omegle.

I also think Omegle could add more moderators who could moderate chats so that people would get fewer chances to engage in inappropriate or uncomfortable conversations. Though, even if that’s not possible, at least having an age verification system would mostly eliminate the possibility of minors being groomed or sexually exploited online.

Omegle could be a great site, only if it implements proper protocols, to prevent any sort of dangerous acts.

adutta@arcadiaquill.com Graphics courtesy of STICKPNG.COM

College Names Matter

By DARIN BUENALUZ

Staff Writer

Education creates opportunities that last a lifetime. As such, college enrollment in the U.S. has skyrocketed. According to a report by Statista, the amount of Americans enrolled in a university, either private or public, has gone from about 6 million in 1965 to nearly 20 million in 2019. Competition for acceptance into schools of higher education has been more competitive than ever, and the debate over whether the reputation of the school that one attends or not matters has come into question. Although attending any university should largely revolve around the programs, both academic and social, that it offers, the reputation of the school will ultimately be crucial when it comes to applying for high salary and well respected jobs.

There are several reasons why the name of a university matters. One of the most dominant reasons is credibility. Take for example the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, run and funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Many of its scientists, engineers and top executives are graduates and even former professors from renowned universities such as the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Stanford, and Yale. While having an education from such schools is an impressive feat in itself, it’s the rigor of these universities’ educations that makes a graduate attractive to hiring employers. At the bare minimum to receive a degree from Caltech, irrespective of degree, students must take a minimum of five science and math courses in their freshman year. This doesn’t include additional classes that will help guide students in their particular majors.

When employers choose to hire a graduate from Caltech, they understand that the person has undergone a rigorous application process to their university, and endured an even tougher experience getting an education from highly intelligent professors and interacting with other bright minds in their classmates. As such, graduates from schools such as Caltech are much more likely to be trusted with high stress and complex tasks, as they have been accustomed to such an environment already.

Credibility goes beyond reassurance in the creation of individually intelligent graduates. With a history of former alumni who have achieved great success, universities become increasingly attractive to prospective students who want to achieve that same success. When Harvard has Sal Khan attesting to the quality of its education, or the University of Pennsylvania has Elon Musk to use as proof that they fostered creative genius, students are naturally attracted to these notable schools. The results of one’s education from a well-reputed university speak for themselves in the achievements they are able to have.

However, it would be naive to state that the only way for one to achieve success is by attending a well known university. Steve Jobs dropped out of his university after just one semester, yet still went on to create Apple and bring the world into the age of the modern cell phone and personal computer. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard before getting a degree, but his natural talent and passion for computer programming meant he was still able to create the first microcomputers with his friend Paul Allen. While graduating from a university can be and is extremely important to ensuring economic stability, it is entirely possible to achieve that same stability and even achieve major success by simply pursuing one’s dreams and being willing to make sacrifices to do so.

Despite this, not pursuing a college degree severely limits one’s job opportunities. Many jobs that pay a six figure salary annually, from agriculture to commercial aviation to resource management, require at minimum a bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, internationally recognized companies such as Boeing, Google, or IBM are more likely to hire individuals with educational backgrounds from more well known schools, due to the aforementioned rigor of those educational pursuits. While it’s not impossible to be hired by a high paying, well respected employer holding a degree from a less known school, it is considerably more difficult. Big name schools often have programs or connections that expose their students to the working world before they even graduate, thus giving them a head start on being prepared for being part of the workforce. Recognizing this, employers are more likely to hire graduates from such schools due to the gained experience.

University names don’t mean everything in life. You don’t need to have attended an Ivy League school to earn a well paying job that provides a stable lifestyle for yourself and your family. However, name schools will always hold the advantage over less recognized universities in the competitive hiring environment, and the success that their alumni have had speaks volumes to the significance of receiving costlier, more rigorous higher education.

08 FEATURES the color pink

By SOPHIA LI

Staff Writer

The color pink. Too often deemed just a girly color or associated with youth, the color pink has so much to offer, symbolizing and being so much more than a feminine color. The color pink offers much history (especially of how it became a girly color!), has meanings and symbolism, and is one of the world’s favorite colors! The color was officially recognized dating back to 800 B.C. in Homer’s Odyssey, coined by a Greek botanist, noting the ruffled edges of carnations. Throughout the mid-18th century, pink was a fashionable color among males and females, as a symbol of class and luxury. Until the mid-20th century, pink was gender-neutral, but to reflect their service in World War II (WWII), men started to wear darker colors. As a result, advertisements targeting women depicted them in colorful clothing, predominantly in lighter colors, like pink. This was mostly due to the fact that women were transitioning to their traditional homemaker roles, after their removal from the workforce. In 1927, in an attempt to figure out what colors were associated with girls in their clothing lines, TIME magazine took a survey of all the major department stores in the United States. As previously mentioned, the survey found that the color pink, among women, began to spread widely after World War II. Then, in 1953, eight years after WWII had ended, Dwight Eisenhower, became president. Now you might be wondering: “How does this even relate to the color pink?” Well, his wife, Mamie Eisenhower, known for loving the color pink, attended the inauguration wearing a pink ball gown with enormous rhinestones–which was unique especially since women were wearing dull colors was the norm during the pre-WWII period. However, thanks to her fame and the gossiping newspapers, the color pink became known as a more lady-like color. “When I initially heard about this story, I was shocked that the color pink had become a girly color so recently, as I would have thought that it was more feminine a while ago! This story interests me because the color pink became a girly color through World War II!” Ashley Lin, a senior at Arcadia High School (AHS) shared. Pink is everywhere, and I mean that literally. Think of the iconic line in Mean Girls (“On Wednesdays we wear pink!”) or of the cupids and roses on Valentine’s Day. Pink was such a popular color that the Victoria’s Secret brand even has a whole clothing brand of the color: PINK. It seems pop culture also can’t get enough of the color, in instances like Elvis Presley’s iconic 1955 Cadillac, Marilyn Monroe’s dress in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, or even the singer P!NK, with her stage name also named after a color. Today, though, pink takes on new meanings, as it is also the color of awareness for causes like women’s rights, LGBTQ+ community, and can be associated with breast cancer awareness. In 2017 during Milan Fashion Week and during protests after the 2017 presidential inauguration, people wore so-called “pussyhats”, pink hats with ears shaped like a cat, as a symbol of the fight for women’s rights. However, the color pink is taking an even edgier meaning these past couple of years. Before, pink had a notion of being associated with femininity, but now, that’s being challenged, as it’s androgynous and strong. Nowadays, pink is also everywhere we look online. For instance, year after year at huge awards shows like the Grammy Awards Show, female celebrities will wear full-on pink dresses, whether it be Rihanna’s cupcake-looking dress, Camilla Cabello’s sparkling pink dress, or the multitude of pink dresses worn by singer Ariana Grande. Not only that, food challenges like ‘Only Eating Pink Foods for 24 Hours’ are popular and have been done by many, like BuzzFeed or Youtubers like HJ Evelyn. Last but not least, world-renowned choreographer Parris Goebel incorporates pink into her routines, whether it be having the majority of her dancers with full-on pink hair (in the music video for the song “Yummy” by Justin Beiber) or all of them wearing pink, eyecatching costumes. Other artists like Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande are also constantly seen using hues of pink in their music videos, making them extremely appealing to the eye. At the end of the day, no matter what use of meaning for this special color, pink is special among the others.. With a rich history to get to where it is today, representing various movements and fights for equality, everyone can have a little bit more of this color.

TRUTH SOCIAL: THE NEXT SOCIAL MEDIA APP

By KAI WETTERAU

Staff Writer

With so many different social media platforms on the scene, it can be hard to distinguish apps from one another. All that considered, a new competitor, Truth Social, has entered the scene. Being developed by the Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), this program aims to spread only truthful information and bypass any censorship that other companies employ. It has seen widespread pushback following its more conservative political values and a delayed-release, along with an outage on the day of a new major update. A limited form of the app was expected to launch on Presidents’ Day, though most users were placed on a waitlist for the full release. This meant that the app wasn’t really accessible and so those working on the project have delayed the re- lease by at least a month. For now, consumers are stuck waiting patiently until the program is able to contain a bigger user base with the advent of more updates.

Truth Social is like most other social networking apps, allowing users to personalize their profiles, make posts to connect with friends and family, and respond to those posts however one sees fit. The app also seems in-

tent on being a separate news source, telling viewers that traditional mass media is always so biased and censored and that instead, Truth Social provides a non-biased view of what’s going on in the world, meaning it boasts itself as one of the best news sources in the world. In reality, the majority of the information sent through largely reflects that of former President Trump’s viewpoints, providing a view that appeals more to the conservative parts of America. Furthermore, the platform boasts letting all political groups state their beliefs, though current TMTG CEO Devin Nunes has promised to consumers that it will maintain some level of content moderation to remain “a familyfriendly space.” He wants the program to be “a very safe place,” where the team working on it is “very focused on making sure any illegal content is not on the site.” The app, with a much smaller tech support team, has faltered where it could’ve shined. Its early beta release as far back as December has been slowly progressing as numerous issues with the app are being quickly combated and fixed. It’s clear the app wants to compete with its larger com - petitor, Twitter, and is trying to imple- ment all the same features plus more. This means probably being able to edit already posted posts, or “Truths,” though as of now, this is not the case. It has been seen to be towards the top of the new releases in the Apple App store, despite its bumpy beginnings and large delays. Truth Social would need more time to recruit, build, and work before it becomes fully operational and a possible competitor for Twitter. The app’s late winter release approximately aligns with the one-year anniversary of then-President Trump’s banning on multiple social media sites following his role in inciting violence during the Jan. 6 Capital Insurrection. The opening of this app could return to a time when Trump could easily inform others instantaneously. Truth Social signals a new age of social media, and has a shot at becoming the next big thing, especially for America’s conservative audience and those tired of traditional mass media.

kwetterau@arcadiaquill.com Photo and graphic courtesy of PIXABAY

LINKEDIN: THE ULTIMATE TOOL

By HENRINA ZHANG

Staff Writer

LinkedIn is a business and employment-focused online platform that offers professional networking and job opportunities to a variety of ages. With 810 million users and in more than 200 countries, it’s the world’s largest professional network. This app targets adults, but it can also help high school students

With LinkedIn, students experience all sorts of real-life situations, from setting up a professional profile and presence to finding small jobs and internships to enhance their knowledge and resume. LinkedIn’s vision and goal are essential to connect the professional world, enhance society’s productivity, and provide economic opportunities to all. Here’s what you need to know about LinkedIn, and how you can utilize it.

First and foremost, is knowing how to set up a LinkedIn profile. After signing in with an email, LinkedIn will ask about your work experience, school, the field of interest (specialization), and degree, which you can mark as none. After verification, you are able to customize your feed.

The first great thing about this platform is that it provides you with many opportunities to learn and familiarize yourself with a multitude of different fields. If you are interested in medi- cine, there are hundreds of people who post about medi- cal content. If you are interested in STEM, you will find hundreds of people on LinkedIn with the same interest.

Next off, setting up a profile. Your profile will basically make or break your time on LinkedIn. It’s important to note that potential employers are looking at your profile, so make sure to brand yourself as a capable and confident candidate. Having a quality profile picture, with your full face and decent background and lighting, is the first step. The LinkedIn summary is another building block to an effective profile. Be short and sweet, show personality, and only mention important details. Now you should look for the “Add Section” button, where you can input information about yourself, education, positions, skills, etc. It’s important to emphasize your notable experiences, as these will make you stand out. From sports teams to leadership experiences to accomplishments, include whatever you can on there to give yourself a brand that is sought after. Keep in mind that as a high schooler, you may end up with an emptier profile. But even if there are fewer opportunities for us, LinkedIn still provides many chances for us to up our careers a few levels. For example, you can find potential part-time jobs and learn what employers are looking for. One important opportunity you’ll have is internships. You may find plenty of summer or regular internships that suit your particular field of interest. Take advantage of the student profiles section and search the Students’ Job Portal. To learn more about how to find internships and jobs, Using LinkedIn to Find a Job or Internship is a great summary on how to start.

09 AHS LIBRARY’S “BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK”

By AAHANA DUTTA

Staff Writer

Choosing a book can be hard. Very hard, in fact. The more books, the more confusion. It’s hard to pick one book when there are so many other books, all equally intriguing and enticing.

If that sounds like your thought process, or if you find yourself spending hours in the library, reading the backside summary of numerous books and then being conflicted over which book to read, then worry not, because the Arcadia High School librarians have you covered. You can now borrow a book from the library without actually knowing the name or synopsis of the book.

The concept is simple. It’s like a blind date, much like the name “Blind Date With a Book” suggests. You get to pick a random book based on just a few of its main themes. Once you pick your book, you will be provided with a slip/bookmark where you can review your “date” with the book.

The teacher-librarian, Ms. Shannon Will, describes this as ”a seasonal activity in the library during the month of February.”

“We, along with the help of our wonderful student volunteers, pick out books, wrap them, and write vague hints about the book on the cover in bullet points,” said Ms. Will.

When you’re done reading the book, you can fill out the review bookmark, and return it to the library along with the book, in exchange for a small treat. The questions on the bookmark are extremely short, too. The deadline for submitting the review is Mar. 25.

“The main goal is to simply have fun and explore new books! We also know that sometimes books are overlooked because they are older or with less exciting covers, so this is an effective way to breathe new life into great titles that need a little attention,” said Ms. Will.

Not only does this activity introduce students to new books, but it’s also eco-friendly. Students are encouraged to neatly take off the paper cover from the book, and then return them to the library along with the bookmark and book so that the cover paper can be recycled/re-used. When asked about the inspiration behind this concept, Ms. Will said, “I started doing this in my previous high school, but I’m not positive what the origin of it is. I’m sure one of my librarian friends posted it, or maybe I read about it in a library community group. It is a common activity in both school and public libraries.” She further explained why this concept is so popular, “The element of surprise is always exciting, which is why it is a popular concept across all libraries. Next year, I will start with double the amount of books to keep up with demand.” So far, “Blind Date With a Book” has been extremely popular; so much that Ms. Will said that they are “frantically” searching for more books to wrap and put out for people to go on a date with. As for future library activities, Ms. Will said, “Our creative writing club, The Writer’s Den, has something fun planned for our library books soon, but that will have to be a surprise for now.” She ended by saying “To keep up to date on new books, activities, and library announcements, follow:@arcadiahighlibrary!” If you’re interested in reading a random book, reviewing it, and getting a treat for doing that, “Blind Date With a Book” is definitely something you should check out!

By ASHLEY ZHAO

Campus Focus Editor

With March being National Noodle Month, what better time is it to celebrate this versatile but simple comfort food?

Although the origin of noodles has long been debated, a discovery in 2005 has shown that noodles find their origin in northwestern China. Buried beneath the Lajia archaeological site, a bowl containing thin yellow noodles was found overturned––presumed to be about 4,000 years old. Scientist Houyuan Lu of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at Beijing’s Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues determined the noodles were created with two kinds of millet, a grain common in China 7,000 years ago.

After visiting China in the 13th century, Marco Polo ferried barley-based noodles back to Italy where they would appear in Italian recipe books in the early 1200s. Only in 1765 was the term “noodle” first used, with the first noodle machine being invented in 1833.

Although previously sold as a luxury item, the creation of Hakumen’s instant ramen noodle in the 19th century has made them a staple meal among travelers, college students, and noodle-enjoyers worldwide.

The first pasta factory was opened in 1848 by French immigrant Antoine Zerega, casuing new pasta companies to pop up across the U.S. Some, like Chef Boyardee and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese still remain well-known as household favorites. Nowadays, you can find noodles of all shapes and sizes across the globe in soups, stir-fry, and even desserts!

National Noodle Month was established by the National Pasta Association to celebrate the history and versatility of the food as well as “amplify the benefits and joys of pasta to consumers”.

If you’re looking to observe National Noodle Month this March, explore the restaurants of your neighborhood and don’t be afraid to try something new! Whether it be a hot bowl of pho, hearty plate of kushari, or a crispy roasted gnocchi dish, make March a special time to celebrate noodles and appreciate the unique cultures and countries they originate from.

azhao@arcadiaquill.com

CHOIR’S ANGEL STADIUM FUNDRAISER

By CAITLYN CHAU

Staff Writer

Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Choir has recently been invited to sing the National Anthem at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Apr. 22! The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are going to be playing the Baltimore Orioles during the game. The Choir program is also selling tickets that will help fundraise for the program. The game will begin at around 6:38 p.m., and tickets are $22. The seating is located in sections 518-519, and it is the southwest area of the stadium.

AHS sophomore Choir member Kalei Chang stated that they are eager for the event and fundraiser.

“I’m quite excited about the event!” Chang said. “It seems like a really fun performance opportunity so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Chang also mentioned that they are ex-

cited about getting to learn a new Star-Spangled Banner arrangement. “Even though we already learned one arrangement earlier this year, with the way the event is set up, I think we have to learn a different one,” they stat-ed. In terms of this event, they also added, “I’m also really looking forward to singing with the other Choir members, as always.”

AHS senior Choir member Abi Warren shared similar thoughts. Warren said that she feels “excited, nervous, terrified, very anxious and scared but overall slightly proud and determined to make the most of the experience.” At the same time, Warren is also hoping to get familiar with singing for public events like the fundraiser in order to determine if this is something she would be interested in pursuing.

AHS’ Choir has already had a number of events so far this year, and a few of them were the Fall Choir Concert and other Choir perfor-

mances in the winter season. When generally asked about the past events they participated in, Chang mentioned that Choir’s past events have gone fine.

“It’s always really exciting to perform, even if they can be a bit tiring at times,” they said.

Warren added that they “hope that this (the Angel Stadium performance) will give [them] more experience and personally, more confidence.” Tickets for the event can be purchased by emailing the Choir director of AHS, Ms. Connie Tu at ctu@ausd. net. Come to the Angels’ game to support AHS’ Choir program!

cchau@arcadiaquill.com Graphic courtesy of FREEPIK Photos courtesy of WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

WONDER: WONDER: BOOK VS. MOVIE BOOK VS. MOVIE

By DARIN BUENALUZ

Staff Writer

Wonder is a novel that was published in 2012, and written by R.J. Palacio. Though it is a book told from multiple perspectives, each perspective ultimately connects to the story of August “Auggie” Pullman, a fifth grader with a facial deformity who must adapt to a new school environment at Beecher Prep. This constant switching of storytellers expertly contributes to the novel’s main focuses of perseverance, selfconsciousness, and social acceptance. In 2017, the novel received a movie adaptation and was rated at an impressive 88% on Rotten Tomatoes for its masterful depiction of the varying emotions that each of the different characters experience. Though there are some discrepancies between the novel and its movie adaptation, the two are generally in sync with each other in terms of plot progression and character development.

One of the best ways that the film parallels the novel is its powerful display of the characters’ emotions. From the constant anger and discomfort he feels at school for all the states he receives and talk behind his back that he hears to the support he gets from his older sister Via, his parents, and the handful of classmates and friends who won’t put physical differences in the way of creating friendship, the story of Auggie Pullman is written as a heartbreaking tale turned heartwarming and it retains those same sentiments in the film. In addition, the film effectively recreates the feelings of the other characters, notably the anger yet understanding that those around Auggie feel about why people view him in the disapproving manner that they do. In both the movie and the film, Via is displayed as being angry at herself for feeling embarrassed of others knowing she is Auggie’s sister. Her boyfriend Justin, her friend Miranda, and Auggie’s friends Summer and Jack, also share feelings of sympathy for Auggie and his terrible situation that he had no choice over.

However, one of the ways that the novel will always be superior over the film is its ability to open the imagination of the audience. In the film, Auggie has a set visual representation of the deformities of his face. As such, it limits what the audience imagines Auggie looks like to just one face. By comparison, the detailed yet open description of Auggie’s physical appearance allows the audience to create their own unique picture of Auggie. Though the film does well in portraying what happens in the novel, that in itself is a unique interpretation of the story of Auggie Pullman and the people around him. The film provides one way of understanding the story of Wonder that may not be in line with how others may have.

Furthermore, the film omits some components of the novel that are crucial to developing the plot. One such omission is the significance Summer, one of the few people at Beecher Prep who truly feels sorry for Auggie and decides to sit with him and become his friend. In the novel, she is one of the first people at the school that Aug - gie meets, alongside Jack and Julian, who the audience later learns is the ringleader of the bullying against Auggie. As such, Summer is there with Auggie from the very beginning and remains there until the end of the novel. In the film, she only sits with Auggie after Jack chooses to no longer hang out with him due to peer pressure. This diminishes the role that Summer plays in the original novel, and takes away some of the depth of her connection with Auggie.

Another major plot point that is left out in the movie is the story of Auggie’s hearing aids. In the novel, Auggie is originally opposed to having hearing aids because he feels that they will make him look even uglier than he already is, as well as holding a sense of denial that his hearing is in a better condition than it actually is. Eventually, he realizes that he needs them after failing a hearing test, and afterwards has no issue with wearing them. Sadly, his hearing aids are also one of the things that the bullies at Beecher Prep cause him to lose. In the end, this entire part of the storyline was not present in the film.

“The book had much more time to flesh out the characters and did a really good job of explaining the story through the different perspectives,” said junior Tin Nguyen. “The movie attempted to do the same but was too condensed and felt like it was trying too hard to get to all the important plot points. However, the emotional impact of the important scenes was a lot more profound.”

Ultimately, while Wonder’s movie adaptation had many strengths, it made some sacrifices in important parts of the original plot for the sake of fitting a certain screen time. In addition, its existence in itself causes it to fall short of the unparalleled imagination that the novel allowed its audience to have. Nevertheless, the film is a wonderful retelling of the novel’s events and brings to life the story of Auggie Pullman and his story’s message that being someone who stands out isn’t always a bad thing.