Traditionally, female narratives center around service, obedience and helplessness. The push for a more diverse, equitable and truthful depiction of women has turned a new page in the history of literature.

Representation in literature depends on representation in authorship. According to a 2023 paper by American economist Joel Waldfogel, in the 19th century, only 10% of books in the Library of Congress had authors with female first names. While this measure does not account for female authors who — like George Eliot — used pseudonyms to disguise their gender, the disparity remains stark: The male-dominated field resulted in books that mostly included male perspectives, in which women were only secondary characters.

These pieces of literature are now part of the American literary canon, which comprises the works deemed highest quality and most important, such as “The Great Gatsby” or “1984.” English teacher Paul Dunlap tries to subvert this trend in his classroom by teaching a mix of canonical works and more female-centric novels.

“What I used to call ‘the canon’ was pretty male-centric and women were peripheral characters,” he said. “I think we’re doing a better job inviting people to read stories that put women as central characters.”

This idea is mirrored in American literary historian Cynthia Griffin Wolff’s “A Mirror for Men: Stereotypes of Women in Literature,” in which she explores themes that seem missing from most historical literature, including motherhood and marriage (or the choice not to), private life, loss of beauty and menopause.

Instead, women are only caretakers — mothers, sisters, wives — or love interests. In Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment,” for example, the female characters all fall under either one of these categories and interact with other characters within the confines of these roles.

More multifaceted and truthful depictions of women started appearing on a larger scale in the 1970s. English teacher Tarn Wilson, who is also a published author, notes that during this time period, a major gender shift in the publishing industry paved the way for better representation of women: According to Waldfogel, the number of female-authored books in the Library of Congress reached 18% by 1960.

Since the early 2000s, books aimed at teenagers have changed dramatically, as have their demands, leading to more accurate characterizations of women. The 2000s saw a revival of the science fiction and fantasy genres in young-adult fiction. These novels included strong-willed, powerful female protagonists.

Published in 2008, Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy features Katniss Everdeen, a young woman, fighting against an oppressive government. “The Hunger Games” trilogy was an instant hit, initiating a trend of dystopian novels in which women save their worlds, such as the “Divergent” trilogy by Veronica Roth and “Shatter Me” series by Tahereh Mafi.

While these series do contain strong romance arcs, they portray women as more than just caretakers or secondary characters. They are now the protagonists of their own story, making hard decisions and showing an array of emotions.

Senior Fiona Li has seen a growing trend of fleshed-out female characters, with titles such as Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple” and Abraham Verghese’s novel “The Covenant of Water” rising to the fore.

“Now, if you look at best-sellers, YA, romance and others, you see a lot of books with female protagonists where it’s based on their life and there’s not as much emphasis on a love story,” Li said.

Diversity in literature allows non-women readers to better understand women’s experiences. American author Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize speech reflects this idea, according to Dunlap.

‘“Tell us what it is to be a woman so that we may know what it is to be a man,’” he said, quoting Morrison’s speech. “We read literature to empathize with other people, and that’s the only way we can learn about others.”

Registered voters can submit their ballots by mail until March 5, or in-person at a vote center or Official Ballot Drop Box from Feb. 24 to March 5. Gunn students who are U.S. citizens and 18 and older must register for the primaries by Feb. 20.

California residents registered with a political party will be able to vote for a presidential candidate affiliated with their party, helping determine who will appear on the nationwide ballot in November. California’s primary takes place on Super Tuesday, in which 14 other states and territories also hold their primary elections. There are 23 people running across all political parties, including former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.

Statewide, voters are also electing U.S. senators. Four candidates are running to serve out the rest of former Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term ending in January 2025, and 14 candidates are running for a full six-year term.

More locally, Palo Alto residents are among those voting for U.S. House representative for California’s
16th Congressional District. Current Rep. Anna Eshoo’s retirement has led to an 11-way race, with Palo Alto City Council members Julie Lythcott-Haims and Greg Tanaka running. Both candidates, alongside seven others, participated in a forum sponsored by the Embarcadero Media Foundation and City of Palo Alto on Jan. 31.

Voters will also be considering Proposition 1, which concerns behavioral health services. If passed, the proposition would allow California to sell $6.4 billion in bonds to fund housing for unhoused people with behavioral health challenges. Up to $4.4 billion of that money will be allocated to mental health care and substance abuse treatment facilities. It will also require 30% of the Behavioral Health Services Fund to be allocated to housing intervention programs, and the size of the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission would increase from 16 to 27 voting members.

Civic Engagement and Education Project Club President senior Lizzy Jackson highlighted the main effects that the proposition would have on Californians: namely, decreasing homelessness and drug
addiction.

“It is really important, not just voters, to be educated on it,” she said. “If approved, (it) may directly affect local mental health services, since about $140 million will be taken from counties and given to the state,” he said.

Senior Amrit Joshi has researched and discussed the candidates with his friends, since he is considering voting in this election.

“I think voting is a really important part of American autonomy and becoming an adult,” he said. “We definitely learn to take responsibility for our actions as American citizens.”

Around 50% of eligible voters who are 18 to 29 plan to vote in the November general elections,
according to a December 2023 poll from the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School. U.S.
Government teacher Patricia Holmes urges teenagers to perform their civic duty once they are eligible.

“The biggest cancer to our democracy is apathy, and so young people have to get involved in being part of democracy,” she said. “Democracy is a beautiful, fragile thing that is not guaranteed to us, and I think that we should be aware of that.”

Eligible students can visit registertovote.ca.gov to register, or pre-register if they are 16 or 17. Students who are interested in getting involved with voter registration efforts can visit CEEP, a voter-registration and education effort, on Mondays at lunch in C-8.

Granted, it can be challenging to identify microaggressions, especially since some of these subtle acts of exclusion have become ingrained in our society and culture. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, a microaggression is “any action or statement regarded as an instance of subtle, often unconscious, prejudice and hence resulting in discrimination against a member of an oppressed group.” Often, microaggressions are stereotypes that people use to demean others. This dynamic is harmful, as it projects a false identity onto others, undermining their true identity. By confirming stereotypes, microaggressions create or reinforce false narratives around different ethnicities and practices.

Microaggressions can follow people to the classroom, impeding their learning. A study from St. Olaf College that looked at the academic repercussions of microaggressions reported that, from the 718 responses it collected, 86.5% of students identified as victims of microaggressions in the classroom. For 65.4% of students, these microaggressions negatively impacted their academics. Microaggressions create a toxic environment, and the high percentage of students who reported adverse effects illustrates their pervasiveness.

Students need a healthy school environment to feel welcome and be successful. Microaggressions are a roadblock to that success, since students are less likely to thrive in unsafe emotional environments. Therefore, it is important to speak out and stop microaggressions. Standing up either directly when an event occurs or after with a trusted adult can alleviate these feelings of discomfort and worthlessness. This choice leads to a more welcoming environment, promoting student health and belonging.

Beyoncé is coming back on stage this summer to bring more iconic performances. After releasing her latest album, “Renaissance,” the singer announced on Feb. 1 that she would be going on her eighth world tour to promote her new music and reunite with fans.

“Renaissance” is Beyoncé’s seventh studio album and celebrates queer culture. Inspired by the history of the underground queer-ballroom scene, she created an album filled with house-music songs in homage to the black queer roots of music. She released “Renaissance” in July of 2022 and revealed it to be the first part of a three-act project that she recorded over the pandemic.
It is filled with 16 songs, most of which are upbeat and feel-good. Two of the songs on the album made it on Billboard’s top 10: “Break My Soul” peaked at number one and “Cuff It” shot to number 10.

She starts her tour for this album in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 10 and will perform throughout Europe until July, when she will start the North American leg of her tour. In total, her tour will last five months, from May to September, and includes performances in 40 cities. Beyoncé will perform locally at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Aug. 30.

Fans are thrilled about this announcement as this is her first tour since 2016 when she performed her album “Lemonade” on her tour “Formation.” Following the “Formation” tour, she went on the “On The Run Tour” with her husband Jay-Z after the release of their joint project, “Everything is Love.” Beyoncé has built a record as a standout performer, and the promise of yet another set of great performances made ticket sales rise.

Through online ticket-selling websites, tickets went on sale on Feb. 23, and were sold using the Verified Fan process. People first signed up to have the chance to participate in an early sale, allowing them to get better seats with the original pricing. Currently, Beyoncé tickets for the Bay Area stadiums range between $200 dollars for nosebleeds and $3,000 for VIP seating.

However expensive seats may be, fans are dedicated to seeing Beyoncé live, promising to show up in numbers. So far, the singer has sold 2.2 million tickets for the “Renaissance” World Tour, earning a spot on The Billboard’s year-end Top Tours chart.

Outside Lands: Golden Gate Park

California is a great place to be if one is a music festival lover. Although Coachella is often viewed as the pinnacle of music festivals in the state, there is one festival that often, undeservingly, slips under the radar: Outside Lands.

The Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is an annual event that takes place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park from Aug. 11 to 13. Produced by Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly and Starr Hill Presents, the event is the largest independently owned music festival in the U.S. The music festival is a full-day event, going from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 9:40 p.m. on Sunday.

Throughout the day, attendees can enjoy musical performances, food and drinks and shop Outside Lands merch. The festival also has five different spots to listen to music. The main stage, the “Lands End Stage,” is where the main performers of the night play. Then, throughout the festival, there are smaller stages where other performances occur, such as the “Twin Peaks,” “Sutro” and “Panhandle” stages. There is also the “Soma” tent where people can listen to house and disco music without interruption.

Every year the music festival brings on amazing artists, and this year’s lineup is no different. Big names are performing on the 2023 stage, such as Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar and Lana Del Rey. OutsideLands is also a great place to discover new artists. In the long list of well-known artists are performers that might have gone unnoticed in the past year. This year’s festival will also include international artists.

Because of the high-quality performances, tickets to Outside Lands are expensive. There are three types of tickets for a full three days at the festival: the General Admission ticket costs $449, the General Admission+ ticket costs $674 and the VIP ticket costs $1,029. Currently, the General Admission+ and VIP tickets are sold out, but there is still a chance to grab general admission tickets.

Gabe Stone Shayer has been dancing almost since he could walk. He began taking classes in his hometown, Philadelphia, at the age of 5. His talent was noticed by The Rock School for Dance Education, where he received a scholarship at the age of 14. He participated in multiple competitions, often placing well. In 2009, he joined the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow where he continued his training.

Shayer is the first African American male to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy since it was founded. After a successful career in Moscow, Shayer returned to the United States (U.S.) and joined the American Ballet Theatre, where he became a soloist in 2020 and expanded his repertoire to include some of ballet’s most famous roles, such as Von Rothbart in Baryshnikov’s “Swan Lake.” Recently, Shayer has focused on reflecting society through ballet. Self-assured and stylish, he now shows the world that today’s ballet is very different from classical stereotypes. Shayer often uses social media to break these stereotypes and share ballet with the world through his eyes.

Amanda Gorman

At just 24 years old, Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural presidential poet. She famously read her poem “The Hill We Climb” for President Joe Biden in 2020. After the address, Gorman published the piece in her second anthology, “Call Us What We Carry,” released in 2021.

A Harvard graduate and the first National Youth Poet Laureate, Gorman is considered extremely influential. Her poetry often explores the theme of race, focusing on the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow’s influence on modern Black America. Gorman’s path to creative writing and speech was not an easy one. She grew up with a speech impediment, but realized early on that it was not a weakness but a strength, as it led her to improve her pronunciation, sound and pitch.
Gorman is also an activist. In early 2021, she created a nonprofit organization called “One Pen One Page,” which provides free creative writing programs for underprivileged youth around the world.

SZA

Soléna Imani Rowe, better known under her stage name SZA, has made her mark in R&B music and hip-hop in recent years. From MTVs to Grammys, she has won countless awards for her catchy and relatable songs.

Since the start of her career in the early 2010s, SZA quickly rose to fame with the release of her two albums: “ctrl” in 2017 and “SOS” in 2022. The mix of soul, R&B, hip-hop and rock in her music as well as the vulnerability in her lyrics speaks to many. Raised alongside her brother, an aspiring rapper, his passion for music quickly spread to her. Despite having no dreams of becoming a singer growing up, her brother’s insistence on her help with his work slowly led her to fall in love with making music herself. Her music career wasn’t always easy, as she often suffered from anxiety, especially after her album releases.

SZA’s popularity recently increased because of TikTok, which regularly makes her songs go viral through her large fanbase of younger listeners. Currently, SZA is preparing a U.S. tour for her “SOS” album, with plans to visit Oakland Arena on March 14.

El Anatsui

Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui is one of the most acclaimed artists in African history. He works and lives currently in Nsukka, Nigeria, where he uses simple, everyday materials to create his art. Anatsui has been in the art industry for 40 years and is both a sculptor and a Professor of Sculpture and Departmental Head at the University of Nigeria. His sculptures, often made from reusable and neglected materials such as bottle caps and newspapers, reflect Anatsui’s interest in reusability and durability and connect consumerism with global environmental issues. He is most known for his large-scale sculptures covered with foil and copper wire. These pieces can often be found in large public spaces worldwide, such as New York, London and Paris, though are more frequent in Nigeria.

Anatsui’s originality and ingenuity have earned him international fame. Some of his most famous works include his 2007 “Fresh and Fading Memories,” which made an impression at the Venice Biennale, and his 2009 “In the World but Don’t know the World,” which was introduced at the Dubai Art fair in 2010.

When teenagers watch these movies, it is important for them to note that this normalization of women as victims is problematic. It paints them as weak, undermining not only the fictional women on the screen but the real women worldwide as well. Even though these movies are not true stories, the misogyny behind them is very real. It is important for teenagers to realize that these Hollywood classics, which have been acclaimed for decades, are deeply rooted in sexism.

“The Shining,” released in 1980—a period far less forward-thinking than ours—is an excellent example of this deep-rooted misogyny. In the movie, Wendy lives in constant fear of her husband, taking his word as law. This is both before and after her husband Jack starts to descend into insanity. Stephen King himself, the author of the novel the movie is based on, stated during press interviews that “The Shining’s” version of Wendy was in no way accurate to the written description. King’s version paints Wendy as a woman with some level of independence and confidence. By portraying Wendy as weak and timid, the film not only fails to abide by the source material, but also shows how Hollywood tailors its movies to fit the standards of a typical horror film.

“The Shining” is the epitome of a classic Hollywood horror film with derogatory implications for women, as it features a submissive and weak female character left helpless at the hands of an overly dominating male figure. As people view “The Shining” in all its glory, what they are really getting is the portrayal of an abusive relationship with a helpless and uninteresting female protagonist.

The typical girl in distress trope that “The Shining” embodies is in no way the only way misogyny is portrayed in horror films. Another classic, the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” film series, has its fair share of blatant misogyny. This series of films portrays oversexualized women submitting to the will of ferocious men. In particular the second movie of the series is entirely based on the capture and assault of a woman named Stretch. During her abduction, Stretch is threatened and abused, not only by her two abductors, Leatherface and Chop-Top, but by other male characters. She suffers blows to the head with a sledgehammer and is treated as Leatherface’s possession—as if she has no mind of her own. The only respite she gets is if she makes sexual advances on the men. With Leatherface, for example, she makes him forget about killing her by pleasing him sexually. The fact that her only chances of escaping are through sexual actions sends a troubling message. It implies that women have to use their bodies to get out of precarious situations. It is unfair to underestimate the physical strength of female characters in this way.

In movies where men or younger males get kidnapped, such as “The Black Phone,” the boy gets out due to his own free will and physical prowess. The incapability of women to defend themselves in horror movies serves as a window into how greater, male-dominated Hollywood sees them. Yes, at the end of the movie, Stretch does change the narrative by becoming the one wielding the chainsaw, giving her some power, but the scene in no way redeems the entirety of the film. In fact, the scene looks even more out of place, created as if to fulfill some kind of requirement to check off the feminist box.

Many say that the misogyny in earlier movies led to Hollywood’s shift to more feminist horror. Even the greatest horror movies have flaws, and countless articles have been written about the hidden and not-so-hidden sexism within them. This led to a global conversation about female representation in horror as people began to understand the harm of depicting women this way. Because of these movies and discussions, people are able to recognize that the film industry has not always been a kind place for women. They also argue that these slasher films were able to show a glimpse of what it means to be a woman. A survey by nonprofit Stop Street Harassment found that 81% of women experienced sexual harassment in their lifetimes.

Recently, however, as Hollywood has become more inclusive and begun to portray women as strong, the tide has changed. Now, women are becoming the heroes of their own stories, such as in “Ready or Not,” a 2021 film that follows the story of a woman and her experiences playing a deadly game of hide and seek with her family-in-law. If any member of the family finds her, she will be killed. She takes it upon herself to find a way out of the game without anyone’s help. She demonstrates intelligence and skill, physically as well as mentally, which had not been major strong points of earlier female characters. Another movie, “Jennifer’s Body,” shows a woman who takes control of her life again after going through the traumatic experience of rape. These are only some of the movies that contain strong female leads with powerful stories.

As Halloween approaches, it’s important to note that the horror genre has prejudices about women and their capabilities. While these misogynistic tropes shouldn’t prevent a person from watching their favorite classics, they should be talked about in relation to the place of women not only in horror but in society. So as people enjoy the fall season, revisiting horror movies and hearing Wendy’s desperate cries for help, they should keep in mind that women are strong despite Hollywood’s portrayals.

Homecoming includes a lot more than just the dance—the whole week is a celebration. Even with all the upperclassmen hyping up Homecoming Week, I still wasn’t prepared for what was to come. There was an overwhelming abundance of spirit.
On the first day when each grade dressed up in their respective class color, students came decked out in tutus and body paint—something that I wasn’t expecting at all. I felt very much out of place with my green hoodie, but it was so much fun seeing everyone celebrating their class. The amount of dedication all the students put into the dress-up days was invigorating. Everyone was so happy to be at school and represent their class.

A tip for the underclassmen out there: don’t be afraid to go all out for dress-up days. Your class gets points for best dressed, and it’s the only week where you will be able to dress completely crazy and feel normal. It is a blast seeing the amount of effort and creativity everyone puts into their outfits.

All week, it felt like my destination wasn’t school but homecoming; school was just the setting where homecoming took place. Most of my teachers were kind enough not to assign large assignments during that week because they knew that most students would be focused on homecoming festivities rather than academics.

Sophomore year showed me just how much there is to do during Homecoming Week—especially in the last few days. I participated in the sophomore airbands and performed during the rally on Thursday night, which was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my life but also the most fun. Airbands demands a lot of time, but it is a great opportunity to represent your class and hang out with friends at the same time. Unfortunately, last year, my class didn’t have as many sign-ups as we would have liked, so I was much more nervous because only around 15 other people were performing. Thankfully, due to the weeks of rehearsal, dancing with friends felt organized and professional. After the rally, our whole class went to Happy Donuts to celebrate. It was great to see how excited everyone was about the Night Rally.

The day after the Night Rally is the homecoming football game. Last year, the student section was packed with people wearing black and red. These sorts of events make me proud to be a Gunn student. Normally, we have a reputation for focusing just on schoolwork, but during homecoming, everyone is able to join in the cheering and fun. To find the true spirit of Gunn, just take a look at our student section at the homecoming football game. After the football game came my favorite part about homecoming: the dance, which serves as the closing of the best week of school. All my friends and I met up in the afternoon and got ready for the dance together. We spent four hours waiting for everyone to change and get their hair and makeup done. When we got there, the dance was a chance to let go and have fun. Everyone was dancing, and I could just feel the happiness emanating from people. In that moment, I felt a true sense of connectedness to my fellow Gunn students. Homecoming was the best week of my sophomore year, and I know for a fact that it will be my favorite week again this year.