Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Each day of the week....
I was awakened by the all to familiar sounds of Friday screaming and tripping over himself, he rarely slept. Glass shattered. Music blared. Saturday had awaken too. Now both were laughing and desperately holding each other up while stumbling around the mass of sleeping week days. Friday was covered in numerous tattoos with a tie around his forehead, and Saturday was covered in dirt and various alcohol stains from Friday. Friday and Saturday were drunk, sleep deprived and constantly looking for women. Monday was passed out cold, and would be in his coma for most of the day until it was his time to sleep where he would miraculously emerge and not be able to sleep during the night. Sunday, trying to not give in to the peer pressure of Friday and Saturday, was constantly trying to cram all the work that Friday and Saturday put off. Friday and Saturday now leaving Sunday alone to work, were sharing a bottle of Jack and reeling around and taunting Thursday. Thursday was a complete mess, tripping over Monday (who was still in a coma, and snoring loudly) and desperately trying catch up to Friday, who was always just out of her reach. Her hair and make-up was frightening, yet she went out like this often. She day dreamed about Friday constantly like a love-struck fool. She watched the most t.v shows out of all of them, trying to make up for the fact she will never feel as close to Friday as Saturday.They all annoyed Wednesday, who complained about the volume of the music while trying to work. Wednesday was working, always working. He looked over the frame of his dirty and smudged glasses and bitterly shouted at Thursday to ignore Friday and work too. She worked and studied with Wednesday till around mid-day until eventually giving up and sleeping. Tired and sluggish, I stretched and walked over to Wednesday to work too. He ignored me most of the time. I am Tuesday, if you hadn't guessed, one of the more quiet and productive days. I don't bother Wednesday as much as the others, even Monday when woken annoyed him. If you where ever able to wake Monday he was short tempered and tired. The bags under his eyes were darker and more prominent then permanent shadows. I sighed, knowing the same routine would repeat itself until the end of time.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
...Dissatisfaction...
The purpose of the article "Public Display of Dissatisfaction" by Anne Kingston with Alex Ballingall, is to persuade readers to be more considerate with their cell phones and to show the risks that they can potentially cause. The author uses three main points in the article to portray her message, firstly by showing how it can be rude, distracting, and dangerous.
I believe her points are valid, yet not entirely accurate. Though cell phones can be a distraction while driving and such, it is much more common among younger people who are more used to it and less likely to take offence.(As many modern things can offend older generations, eg. music, body modification, same sex couples ect.) And with driving, it merely states the crashes and fatalities as a result of "distractions" and not necessarily texting, as it could be any number of other things.( A drink, passenger, pet, or even billboards) Another point could be that this is article is angled toward the younger generations and putting the shame on them, yet the fact is that "the 30- to 39-year-old age group had the highest percentage of cell phone use in fatal crashes." Not the youngest generation.
I believe that cell phones are acceptable in many circumstances, but people have a right to not approve if it is interfering with important things or during social interactions when it can be deemed impolite. I do believe some places should have cell phone jammers, yet that could also be potentially dangerous in the case of an emergency when people cannot call for help. For example, "cell phones can help authorities find an owner’s location if he is ever lost or injured." Says Mrs.Finttons blog. "Of course, calling 911 is always best, if possible, but if one is unable to send out a call, his location can be tracked based on the towers that his cell phone is pinging." And in another fact for Mrs. Fintton's blog she states that "Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver's reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old." yet we don't take every 70 year old off the road, do we? Certainly not.
I believe her points are valid, yet not entirely accurate. Though cell phones can be a distraction while driving and such, it is much more common among younger people who are more used to it and less likely to take offence.(As many modern things can offend older generations, eg. music, body modification, same sex couples ect.) And with driving, it merely states the crashes and fatalities as a result of "distractions" and not necessarily texting, as it could be any number of other things.( A drink, passenger, pet, or even billboards) Another point could be that this is article is angled toward the younger generations and putting the shame on them, yet the fact is that "the 30- to 39-year-old age group had the highest percentage of cell phone use in fatal crashes." Not the youngest generation.
I believe that cell phones are acceptable in many circumstances, but people have a right to not approve if it is interfering with important things or during social interactions when it can be deemed impolite. I do believe some places should have cell phone jammers, yet that could also be potentially dangerous in the case of an emergency when people cannot call for help. For example, "cell phones can help authorities find an owner’s location if he is ever lost or injured." Says Mrs.Finttons blog. "Of course, calling 911 is always best, if possible, but if one is unable to send out a call, his location can be tracked based on the towers that his cell phone is pinging." And in another fact for Mrs. Fintton's blog she states that "Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver's reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old." yet we don't take every 70 year old off the road, do we? Certainly not.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
1984- George Orwell: Journal No.1
"To be killed was what you expected. But before death (nobody spoke of such things, yet everyone knew of them) there was the routine of confession that had to be gone through: the grovelling on the floor and screaming for mercy, the crack of broken bones, the smashed teeth and the bloody clots of hair. Why did you have to endure it, since the end was always the same? (...) Why then did that horror, which altered nothing, have to lie embedded in a future time?"-Orwell pg 107
This passage speaks to me personally because of a social justice course I took last semester in which we were given the honor to hear from a Rwandan genocide survivor. For me, this passage showed striking similarities to that of the survivor. It looked to me that both had learned the evident fate of most people in their positions, yet the last struggle as it seemed would prove to provide the will to live, for the love of each other. The fear of death was frightening for both, yet the fear of the unsaid things before death were much worse. In the Rwandan genocide, they would often rape, burn, and terrorize the people before actually killing them. In this passage of the story, Winston is debating suicide over being tortured. Yet without knowing the time of your eventual demise, or if you will even be killed or not, time is the one thing both people had to fight for.
This aids me in the understanding of my novel simply because I have been explained the emotion and fear both people were feeling. One by genocide, and one by an oppressive government. The author describes human nature perfectly. In what happens to people when they live in fear, or oppression, or genocide. The measures Winston takes to seem normal, and his thoughts about going against the party that rules over the remnants of London. The constant fear that lingers over everything Winston does, and the constant struggle to find a safe place where he and Julia can momentarily escape the oppression. Their brief encounters, give Winston the courage and will to go on. As did hope for the survivor of returning to his family. Winston's development throughout the story revolves around his love for Julia, and his slow rebellion against the party, as does the risks he takes by doing both. He changes with a new hope to no longer to be controlled, and fights much like the survivor did for his freedom.
This passage speaks to me personally because of a social justice course I took last semester in which we were given the honor to hear from a Rwandan genocide survivor. For me, this passage showed striking similarities to that of the survivor. It looked to me that both had learned the evident fate of most people in their positions, yet the last struggle as it seemed would prove to provide the will to live, for the love of each other. The fear of death was frightening for both, yet the fear of the unsaid things before death were much worse. In the Rwandan genocide, they would often rape, burn, and terrorize the people before actually killing them. In this passage of the story, Winston is debating suicide over being tortured. Yet without knowing the time of your eventual demise, or if you will even be killed or not, time is the one thing both people had to fight for.
This aids me in the understanding of my novel simply because I have been explained the emotion and fear both people were feeling. One by genocide, and one by an oppressive government. The author describes human nature perfectly. In what happens to people when they live in fear, or oppression, or genocide. The measures Winston takes to seem normal, and his thoughts about going against the party that rules over the remnants of London. The constant fear that lingers over everything Winston does, and the constant struggle to find a safe place where he and Julia can momentarily escape the oppression. Their brief encounters, give Winston the courage and will to go on. As did hope for the survivor of returning to his family. Winston's development throughout the story revolves around his love for Julia, and his slow rebellion against the party, as does the risks he takes by doing both. He changes with a new hope to no longer to be controlled, and fights much like the survivor did for his freedom.
Friday, February 3, 2012
So-so super
Imagine how great the world could be if one had the chance to make it correctly based on the standards of perfection. If everything was designed especially to someones own liking and it could be one's own escape from the everyday world. If I had one super-power, it would be the power to create my own world completely separate from this one, and have the power to freely skip between the two dimensions. By using this power, I could create a perfect world and use it to better myself and society by simply having more time and resources. In my created world, time would not change in this one, therefore giving the illusion of living far longer then regular people, and being able to study more without wasting any time. I could create orchards in my world so I could bring food to the hungry in third world countries. There would also be no pollution, war, or corrupt governments. Imagine living ten thousand years in one single place, not aging a day, and coming back to everyday life afterwards. Never having to sleep in this world, because you already did in the other one, or jumping into the created world in one place and coming out in an entirely different area. Thus eliminating the need for transportation as well. Not only could I bring food to the hungry, but I could also have technologies that people wouldn't otherwise have for years to come. All together, if a perfect world can be created we could also perfect our own world by knowing what to do.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Death of a Poet, in 'The Dead Poet Society'
There comes a point in every one's life where we feel trapped by conformity, some more than others, perhaps, and at one particular all-boys prep school the pressure, seems to dull the minds of these children, and in some cases push the over the edge. However one teacher, hell-bent on maintaining originality, takes his conformity-breed English class and turns them into a band of hopeless, free-thinking individuals. They later form the 'The Dead Poet Society' (thus being the name of the movie, and directed by Peter Weir), and sneak off late at night to read poems, discuss inner callings, and dream about what the future has yet to behold. Unfortunately, when one boy tries to confess his love of acting to his overbearing father, his dreams are rejected, and he later commits suicide. There are three major themes that can be discussed in this movie, the first, to seize the day. The next, to not live life like your expected to, and finally to stand up to conformity.
The concept of 'Seize the day' wasn't readily adopted by the students of Welton prep school. Yet their English teacher, Mr. Keating, persistently encouraged them to brake free of their narrow thinking, and do things they normally wouldn't even dream of doing. Knox, one of the member of the Dead Poet Society, falls head over heels for a young girl named Christine. With the help of his friends, and Mr. Keating's lessons, he eventually reads her a poem he wrote for her, much to the dismay of her boyfriend, and asks her to go to the play with him. Neil, another student, whose dreams of becoming an actor weren't readily approved of, decided that he would addition for 'A Mid-summers Night Dream', a play written by William Shakepear, and he undoubtedly receives the part. Had these students not seized the day, they still wouldn't known what it was like to chase their dreams, no matter what stood in there way.
The next theme is to not live life like you are expected to. This is probably one of the most interesting lessons Mr.Keating ever taught and it is also the one lesson that is mostly centered around Neil. In this lesson Mr. Keating instructed the students to rip out the entire introductory chapter in their poetry text, and by doing this he taught them to break free of their simple minded education. Meanwhile Niel, trying to be an actor convinces his emotionally, ignorant father to let him stay in the play. By breaking the first mould Neil felt brave enough to stand up to his principle, saying that God was on the phone with him, prompting him that they should have girls in Welton. But probibly the most important example of being unexpected in life was joining the Dead Poet Society, because by doing so they learned the tools that would define the very lives that they would learn to leave behind in their quests to break the mould.
The last theme is to stand up to conformity, and although it may seem alot like not living life like your expected to, I can assure you, it is very different. The first example of the conformity that the students had learned to stand up to, was the lesson in which Mr. Keating took the boys out into the courtyard and told them to march. At first they all walked differently, but eventually they all adjusted there strides to match each others, the rest of the students all clapped along. Once they became aware of what they were doing, they then all took to their own way of walking. The Dead Poet Society, although being a crucial part of standing up to conformity, was not the main example. The main part of the Dead Poet Society that really taught them to stand up to conformity was sneaking out at night, printing the article in the school paper, and uniting their thoughts, then allowing themselves to think uniquely. The last, and most crucial example is after Neil's suicide, when Tom finally understood the point of Mr.Keating lessons and erupted in fury during the middle of class, explaining how the members of the Dead Poet's Society, were pressured into blaming him. After being yelled at, and threatened to be expelled he sits back down, only to stand up on his desk and address Mr.Keating by ''O Captain my Captain.'' Along with the rest of the Dead Poet's Society, they ignore the new teacher they had been given, and all stand on their desks. Therefore, finally understanding how to stand up to conformity.
As you can plainly see, the seemingly petty tomfoolery of these conformity driven youth, taught by the adored Mr.Keating, showed them how to live life like many can only dream to. Although Neil could not escape the clutches of conformity, he too learned to seize the day, and was able to act at least one time before his untimely demise. The rest of the Dead Poet's Society leaned to follow there dreams, and to not live life like they were expected to. Although standing up to conformity is never easy it, for the most part, can change lives in ways you can never imagine. I can only that you in turn, will also watch this movie and learn to stand up to seize the day, not live life like your expected to, and stand up to the conformity that has it's hands grasped so tightly around all of us.
The concept of 'Seize the day' wasn't readily adopted by the students of Welton prep school. Yet their English teacher, Mr. Keating, persistently encouraged them to brake free of their narrow thinking, and do things they normally wouldn't even dream of doing. Knox, one of the member of the Dead Poet Society, falls head over heels for a young girl named Christine. With the help of his friends, and Mr. Keating's lessons, he eventually reads her a poem he wrote for her, much to the dismay of her boyfriend, and asks her to go to the play with him. Neil, another student, whose dreams of becoming an actor weren't readily approved of, decided that he would addition for 'A Mid-summers Night Dream', a play written by William Shakepear, and he undoubtedly receives the part. Had these students not seized the day, they still wouldn't known what it was like to chase their dreams, no matter what stood in there way.
The next theme is to not live life like you are expected to. This is probably one of the most interesting lessons Mr.Keating ever taught and it is also the one lesson that is mostly centered around Neil. In this lesson Mr. Keating instructed the students to rip out the entire introductory chapter in their poetry text, and by doing this he taught them to break free of their simple minded education. Meanwhile Niel, trying to be an actor convinces his emotionally, ignorant father to let him stay in the play. By breaking the first mould Neil felt brave enough to stand up to his principle, saying that God was on the phone with him, prompting him that they should have girls in Welton. But probibly the most important example of being unexpected in life was joining the Dead Poet Society, because by doing so they learned the tools that would define the very lives that they would learn to leave behind in their quests to break the mould.
The last theme is to stand up to conformity, and although it may seem alot like not living life like your expected to, I can assure you, it is very different. The first example of the conformity that the students had learned to stand up to, was the lesson in which Mr. Keating took the boys out into the courtyard and told them to march. At first they all walked differently, but eventually they all adjusted there strides to match each others, the rest of the students all clapped along. Once they became aware of what they were doing, they then all took to their own way of walking. The Dead Poet Society, although being a crucial part of standing up to conformity, was not the main example. The main part of the Dead Poet Society that really taught them to stand up to conformity was sneaking out at night, printing the article in the school paper, and uniting their thoughts, then allowing themselves to think uniquely. The last, and most crucial example is after Neil's suicide, when Tom finally understood the point of Mr.Keating lessons and erupted in fury during the middle of class, explaining how the members of the Dead Poet's Society, were pressured into blaming him. After being yelled at, and threatened to be expelled he sits back down, only to stand up on his desk and address Mr.Keating by ''O Captain my Captain.'' Along with the rest of the Dead Poet's Society, they ignore the new teacher they had been given, and all stand on their desks. Therefore, finally understanding how to stand up to conformity.
As you can plainly see, the seemingly petty tomfoolery of these conformity driven youth, taught by the adored Mr.Keating, showed them how to live life like many can only dream to. Although Neil could not escape the clutches of conformity, he too learned to seize the day, and was able to act at least one time before his untimely demise. The rest of the Dead Poet's Society leaned to follow there dreams, and to not live life like they were expected to. Although standing up to conformity is never easy it, for the most part, can change lives in ways you can never imagine. I can only that you in turn, will also watch this movie and learn to stand up to seize the day, not live life like your expected to, and stand up to the conformity that has it's hands grasped so tightly around all of us.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
"Well, let's hear your excuse. It better be good."
I shifted from one foot to the other, "Well," I began, "It's sort of a long story."
Mr. Van Camp seemed to be shooting invisible daggers from his eyes, " Dont bore me with the details," He snapped, " Just tell me what happened."
"Well sir, I went for a walk this morning and tripped." I replied.
"Your homework isn't done because you tripped?" asked Mr. Van Camp.
I hesitated, "Yes, well no, sir. You see, after I tripped my essay flew out of my hand. It landed in a very muddy puddle, sir. A very muddy puddle indeed."
"So where is your essay now?"
"Not here i'm afraid, sir. Afterwards when I went to pick it up a dog grabbed it, I suppose he liked it so much he didn't want to let it go. I had to chase him all the way around the block."
''Okay i've heard enough-''
''Wait theres more! After I chased the dog and got my essay, the wind snatched it and threw it down a storm drain. Then there was no point in trying to get it.'' I said.
''Well,'' Said Mr.VanCamp,''That is quite a story.''
I shifted from one foot to the other, "Well," I began, "It's sort of a long story."
Mr. Van Camp seemed to be shooting invisible daggers from his eyes, " Dont bore me with the details," He snapped, " Just tell me what happened."
"Well sir, I went for a walk this morning and tripped." I replied.
"Your homework isn't done because you tripped?" asked Mr. Van Camp.
I hesitated, "Yes, well no, sir. You see, after I tripped my essay flew out of my hand. It landed in a very muddy puddle, sir. A very muddy puddle indeed."
"So where is your essay now?"
"Not here i'm afraid, sir. Afterwards when I went to pick it up a dog grabbed it, I suppose he liked it so much he didn't want to let it go. I had to chase him all the way around the block."
''Okay i've heard enough-''
''Wait theres more! After I chased the dog and got my essay, the wind snatched it and threw it down a storm drain. Then there was no point in trying to get it.'' I said.
''Well,'' Said Mr.VanCamp,''That is quite a story.''
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