1. I chose to study the psychoanalysis because of its closeness to my own personal interests, I constantly analyze people's intentions based on facts of human action. I look at human behaviors and think of reasons these tendencies exist, be it evolutionary or learned. I don't think there are any baseless actions for a human being, everything someone does has, at least a small amount of reason behind it.
2. James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a very good story, the story wasn't as psychoanalyzing as I would have expected but I guess that is for the reader. I think Walter is a very good everyman character, he doesn't really seem to enjoy his life. He has a nagging wife, boring home life, and an average living experience overall. Most people can identify with this view of their lives as "average" by definition. most people wish they had a more exciting life but very few are willing to take the risk associated with having a life lived to such an extreme, thus comes the imagination. Walter Mitty is often struck by a daydream so real he starts to believe he becomes a part of it. for moments during his day he might imagine himself as a bomber pilot flying through a storm when he is really just driving the car to the store.
the representation of psychoanalysis is not to the degree I expected, but my idea of psychoanalysis is probably a different one than the author's. Walter Mitty's life is a boring one so he imagines himself in exciting scenarios. at first glance this is something that many people do, and fairly harmless but if you look a little deeper into the story there is a sort of dark tint to it. He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. often his nagging wife has to remind him of everyday things, perhaps a representation of Walter slowly losing his mind with his wife as a caretaker. the final scenario that plays out in Walter's mind is also a fairly dark one, "He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last." this story reminds me of fight club, but in that movie the main character doesn't realize that he has invented something in his own mind instead mistaking it for reality, with his companion Tyler. the difference between the two is that in Walter Mitty he is able to snap out of it and lead a relatively normal life, but his flights of fancy
do have some impact on his life. whereas in fight club his other persona completely changes how he lives his life; first blowing up his apartment, and later by convincing him to engage in many seemingly outrageous acts that do make sense in the context of their philosophy, Later in life Walter Mitty might also be completely consumed by his imagination- this is what we call senility, but in Mitty's his case this would probably be expected because of his age.
3. I really enjoyed the poem "Richard Corey" by Edwin Arlington Robinson. The poem speaks of a man of true class, a man who is held in high regard among everyone who knows him. This is a man of humanity and wealth. then one night this man shoots himself in the head. this poem rejects the notion that people held in high regard, people with money and class, are happy because of their status. I imagine that Richard Corey was a deeply troubled individual who had been taught over the years to hone his mannerisms and gestures to exude class and politeness. people don't naturally function in this manner, I think Richard Corey realized how utterly useless all of his manner and class was in the great scheme of things and decided to end himself.
The poem "The Mending Wall" by Robert Frost is a very interesting one, one can take many approaches as to the meaning behind it. it never specifically states where the author stands on the issue of good walls making good neighbors. It is obvious that his neighbor thinks no deeper than the words of the phrase, not thinking of why. the author states that the only reason a good wall could make good neighbors is when there is something to wall in or out, which is not the case here. the author could mean that the mending of the wall is what makes the neighbors close, for it is the only time of the year that they see each other. it could also be argued that clearly defined boundaries keep people from mistaking their neighbor's land for their own, thus keeping the neighbors from needing to fight or argue over land disputes. I think that the author doesn't truly have a stance on the matter, instead just being interested in the folly of the phrase, "good walls make good neighbors"
The poem A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes is a very odd one, at first it seems like a nonsensical poem, asking what happens to a dream that has been postponed. At first my scientific nature didn't much like this poem, dreams are intangible things, much like any idea, nothing physically happens to ideas because there is hardly any physical side to an idea. but upon a second reading it becomes more intriguing, mainly because it seems to me like most of the poem is filler but there are two lines that seem to really get to the true subject of this poem, "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load." the entire beginning seems almost nonsensical, except maybe the festering one. there isn't too much of a metaphorical idea I can get for a dream crusting over or drying up. it seems to me that when someone must get off the track to their dreams they would probably be burdened by this deferral. most people never realize they have been deferred though; most people get caught up in worrying about their place in our society and their wealth and they don't think of what would truly make themselves happy, these are the people whose dreams have been deferred and they don't even know it yet, but it still weighs on them when they realize that all the work they have been doing is getting them nowhere, Richard Corey is a good example. Did Richard Corey have aspirations? if he did they probably weren't to become wealthy and well liked, they were probably something that could help future generations.
The poem "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is a fantastic piece, and I can't truly place why I like it, which is rare. It is a simple poem, without very high concepts of human action or intention. I think it rings so true to me because these rivers are what provided life for their respective civilizations, and it was the Negro who tended these rivers. the poem speaks of the resources we take for granted, like water, and speaks of the Negro who has utilized these rivers since the dawn of man. Langston Hughes recognizes the importance of these rivers, something that takes more insight than the vast majority of people have, just as a gymnast is thankful for his muscles and bones and most other people take them for granted. it takes someone to truly know his needs and how to tend for them to truly appreciate the resources themselves.
I am not completely sure what to think of Countee Cullen's "Incident" it is a very blunt piece that seems to slap it's reader in the face with it's meaning. it is obvious that this trip to Baltimore truly affected her, but I can't completely agree with the idea of this being a big injustice. children call other children names all the time, while there was a lot of weight behind the child's statement it is still something that could happen even today. I think that people invest way too much in other peoples opinions of them, I think that Countee was being a bit oversensitive in this regard, I am sure that the children of racist white people still call black people names all the time, but does this mean that it is a huge social injustice? while it is something that should be addressed it seems like the author was so taken aback by this comment that she could focus on nothing else, which is a fault of her own. I can't truly appreciate this piece of writing because it seems like the author was whining, and without using interesting metaphors like most poets.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
My thoughts on public school and it's reformation
School is considered to be the place where children learn the basics of how to function in the adult world. If this is the case shouldn’t school teach how to lead a healthy and productive life by teaching skills instead of facts? The structure of school today is that of a book; you have different chapters, or classes, that expound facts for the student to memorize. While this structure might inadvertently teach skills like patience and hard work it does not focus on those skills- it focuses on the facts. Skills cannot be learned through a book, they must be learned by experience, and school almost never focuses on the skills that are most universally useful.
One skill that almost no one has, shown by the obesity epidemic, are proper exercise and diet habits. This could be attributed to lack of physical and dietary education in schools. Our schools have become so preoccupied with stuffing as many facts in children as possible that they have lost sight of the health of the students, if this is not a cause for alarm, what is? There should be mandatory physical fitness classes every semester of school, if a good attitude towards exercise is instilled in children at a very young age there is a good chance that we wouldn’t have to worry nearly as much about the rising cost of obesity in this country.
Proper diet is a huge issue in America today; almost no one eats a very good or healthy diet. Instead of eating natural food with minimal chemicals and preservatives we stuff ourselves with high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavors. Most people don’t realize how tasty naturally grown fruits, vegetables, and grains can be; look at the dietary example schools set for our children. Ask any public school student, school food is awful. There is no care taken in preparing the most essential nutrients for children, you could hardly call the food cooked, it is usually taken out of a can and put in a microwave. There is never fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread, or anything homemade in a public school lunch. It is a sad state when what is supposed to train people for life doesn’t even worry about keeping them healthy.
The required classes in school today are very useful at the basic level; general knowledge of math, language, science, and geography comes in very handy in everyday life. To know these things at an extremely advanced level should not be required of students, instead we should educate students in job skills, financial skills, patience, compassion, and health. There are no required classes to teach how to save money, or how to spend money wisely. Our society revolves around money and we aren’t teaching financial skills at a young age- this is a disservice to our children. We also aren’t focusing on any human interaction skills; school does unintentionally teach us how to interact socially, by immersing people in a school society, but it does not acknowledge that this is one of the most useful skills one can have. A person can go very far in life only by being able to interact with people in a way that is mutually pleasing to both parties, but it is not shown any importance in our school curricula.
Parents are usually assumed to teach their children all the skills necessary to lead a happy and healthy life. In this day and age where people are expected to work an inordinate amount, parents are given less time to teach these things. Often the teaching that parents should give is negated by the actions taken by the school, such as the poor nutrition that school lunches provide and the lack of emphasis on general health. There are many more skills that aren’t being properly taught by parents, such as how to file for taxes, and how to stay out of debt. If our parents will not teach these skills than school should. We must educate people to live a happy and healthy life. The preoccupation of learning facts in school is detrimental to children’s ability to adapt to new and varied situations. The structure of school never changes; someone lists facts for a few months and then there is a test on these facts. This is not how the real world operates, there is no give and take in school, there is no compassion, it is just a cold textbook and a test.
One skill that almost no one has, shown by the obesity epidemic, are proper exercise and diet habits. This could be attributed to lack of physical and dietary education in schools. Our schools have become so preoccupied with stuffing as many facts in children as possible that they have lost sight of the health of the students, if this is not a cause for alarm, what is? There should be mandatory physical fitness classes every semester of school, if a good attitude towards exercise is instilled in children at a very young age there is a good chance that we wouldn’t have to worry nearly as much about the rising cost of obesity in this country.
Proper diet is a huge issue in America today; almost no one eats a very good or healthy diet. Instead of eating natural food with minimal chemicals and preservatives we stuff ourselves with high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavors. Most people don’t realize how tasty naturally grown fruits, vegetables, and grains can be; look at the dietary example schools set for our children. Ask any public school student, school food is awful. There is no care taken in preparing the most essential nutrients for children, you could hardly call the food cooked, it is usually taken out of a can and put in a microwave. There is never fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread, or anything homemade in a public school lunch. It is a sad state when what is supposed to train people for life doesn’t even worry about keeping them healthy.
The required classes in school today are very useful at the basic level; general knowledge of math, language, science, and geography comes in very handy in everyday life. To know these things at an extremely advanced level should not be required of students, instead we should educate students in job skills, financial skills, patience, compassion, and health. There are no required classes to teach how to save money, or how to spend money wisely. Our society revolves around money and we aren’t teaching financial skills at a young age- this is a disservice to our children. We also aren’t focusing on any human interaction skills; school does unintentionally teach us how to interact socially, by immersing people in a school society, but it does not acknowledge that this is one of the most useful skills one can have. A person can go very far in life only by being able to interact with people in a way that is mutually pleasing to both parties, but it is not shown any importance in our school curricula.
Parents are usually assumed to teach their children all the skills necessary to lead a happy and healthy life. In this day and age where people are expected to work an inordinate amount, parents are given less time to teach these things. Often the teaching that parents should give is negated by the actions taken by the school, such as the poor nutrition that school lunches provide and the lack of emphasis on general health. There are many more skills that aren’t being properly taught by parents, such as how to file for taxes, and how to stay out of debt. If our parents will not teach these skills than school should. We must educate people to live a happy and healthy life. The preoccupation of learning facts in school is detrimental to children’s ability to adapt to new and varied situations. The structure of school never changes; someone lists facts for a few months and then there is a test on these facts. This is not how the real world operates, there is no give and take in school, there is no compassion, it is just a cold textbook and a test.
Realism
1) A story of an hour responses
a. This story is very descriptive of its character's feelings and surroundings, this is obviously a hallmark of realism. the story itself is very short and only spans a period of an hour, evidenced by the title. In a description of the scenery outside of a window, the author states, " There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window." while this is a short passage it still goes into great detail about the vista outside. there are many examples of this type of writing, it really gives you a sense of being there.
b. This story really deals with the feelings of women and their relationship to their husband in a time where women weren't allowed nearly as much independence as they are now. the story speaks of the sadness of loss but the happiness that can ensue with newfound independence. the woman in the story was wrought with grief for her deceased husband, for she did love him. later she realizes that she is now free from the influencing grip of a dominant husband, letting her be free to do what she pleases. she realizes that she can be happy without a male companion, even today many people think they cannot be happy without a romantically loving companion. People aren't comfortable with themselves and they think they need someone else to validate their interests and beliefs.
2) Battle with Mr. Covey responses
a. This story is an excellent example of realism, all of the details are described without any ambiguity or frills. Frederick Douglass was a truly amazing individual, he managed to escape slavery and educate himself sufficiently to earn enough money to buy his own freedom. This story deals with his early enslavement by a man named Mr. Covey. Mr. Covey was a well known slave breaker, he would break the slave's spirit so he could control the slaves. Douglass was still young, only 16 years old, and still had a sense of self esteem. in describing his trek through the woods in order to get to Mr. Covey's superior he states, "After lying there about three quarters of an hour, I nerved myself up again, and started on my way, through bogs and briers, barefooted and bareheaded, tearing my feet sometimes at nearly every step; and after a journey of about seven miles, occupying some five hours to perform it, I arrived at master's store." you can see in his writing a general description of events without a cloud of feelings surrounding the situation so the reader can make his own judgments about things instead of having the narrator describe everything for them.
b. Frederick Douglass does an excellent job at using unambiguous language in order to get his point across, he describes a situation and lets the reader interpret it without forcing a certain view on the reader. in this story he never outright states that slavery is an awful institution that should be abolished, instead just opting to tell a story about his own experiences. I really like this story if only because of this open ended morality. it also does an excellent job of showing you the wrong things about a certain situation with factual, anecdotal, evidence.
3) the show Planet Earth is a very good example of realism, it shows many of the different ecosystems on the earth in a fantastic documentarian style, with many time lapse photography shots and very clear imagery. the show truly embraces the realistic element, also airing in high definition for an amazing picture of our earth and its inhabitants. the narrator simply explains that which is happening on screen without letting political or other tertiary intrests get in the way.
a. This story is very descriptive of its character's feelings and surroundings, this is obviously a hallmark of realism. the story itself is very short and only spans a period of an hour, evidenced by the title. In a description of the scenery outside of a window, the author states, " There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window." while this is a short passage it still goes into great detail about the vista outside. there are many examples of this type of writing, it really gives you a sense of being there.
b. This story really deals with the feelings of women and their relationship to their husband in a time where women weren't allowed nearly as much independence as they are now. the story speaks of the sadness of loss but the happiness that can ensue with newfound independence. the woman in the story was wrought with grief for her deceased husband, for she did love him. later she realizes that she is now free from the influencing grip of a dominant husband, letting her be free to do what she pleases. she realizes that she can be happy without a male companion, even today many people think they cannot be happy without a romantically loving companion. People aren't comfortable with themselves and they think they need someone else to validate their interests and beliefs.
2) Battle with Mr. Covey responses
a. This story is an excellent example of realism, all of the details are described without any ambiguity or frills. Frederick Douglass was a truly amazing individual, he managed to escape slavery and educate himself sufficiently to earn enough money to buy his own freedom. This story deals with his early enslavement by a man named Mr. Covey. Mr. Covey was a well known slave breaker, he would break the slave's spirit so he could control the slaves. Douglass was still young, only 16 years old, and still had a sense of self esteem. in describing his trek through the woods in order to get to Mr. Covey's superior he states, "After lying there about three quarters of an hour, I nerved myself up again, and started on my way, through bogs and briers, barefooted and bareheaded, tearing my feet sometimes at nearly every step; and after a journey of about seven miles, occupying some five hours to perform it, I arrived at master's store." you can see in his writing a general description of events without a cloud of feelings surrounding the situation so the reader can make his own judgments about things instead of having the narrator describe everything for them.
b. Frederick Douglass does an excellent job at using unambiguous language in order to get his point across, he describes a situation and lets the reader interpret it without forcing a certain view on the reader. in this story he never outright states that slavery is an awful institution that should be abolished, instead just opting to tell a story about his own experiences. I really like this story if only because of this open ended morality. it also does an excellent job of showing you the wrong things about a certain situation with factual, anecdotal, evidence.
3) the show Planet Earth is a very good example of realism, it shows many of the different ecosystems on the earth in a fantastic documentarian style, with many time lapse photography shots and very clear imagery. the show truly embraces the realistic element, also airing in high definition for an amazing picture of our earth and its inhabitants. the narrator simply explains that which is happening on screen without letting political or other tertiary intrests get in the way.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Dark Romanticism
(1) Dark Romantics took issue with the inherent goodness found in the transcendental philosophy, whereas the transcendental idea worked with people who were fairly emotionally stable and strong of mind and spirit, it does not hold true to everyone. People who were raised in a emotionally or physically abusive situation are likely to have impulses that are not pure and true, I know there have been times when my head thought it was a good idea to do something but I knew that it wasn't. Some of the most famous Dark Romantics had extremely disturbed lives, in the case of Edgar Allen Poe his mother and father died when he was very young, and two of his wives died of tuberculosis. Nathanael Hawthorne's great grandfather sentenced people to death during the Salem which trials. the majority of the transcendentalists had fairly stable lives without seeing too much emotional abuse,k intended or not. one can imagine that people who were raised in a turbulent situation would have a less than pristine idea of human nature, as apposed to the transcendentalists who believed that everyone was good at heart, which was true with the situation they developed in.
(2)I would say I am closer to being a Transcendentalist except I realize there are messed up people in this world but I trust in my own intuition to be able to identify these people and not associate with them. I also trust in my intuition to be able to only get close to people who are good at heart and people I can trust.
(3) The story "The Black Cat" is a very interesting story, Edgar Allan Poe seems to have a reoccurring theme of animals causing utter terror to the narrator, the raven is another good example of that. in the beginning of the story the narrator expresses his humane demeanor towards animals of all sorts, stating "From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions" in his adulthood his favorite pet is that of a solid black cat, one which loves him immensely and always stays near him. our narrator speaks of his increasing use of alcohol and how it makes him begin to lose his humanity saying, "I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others... My pets, of course, were made to feel the change in my disposition. I not only neglected, but ill-used them. For Pluto [the cat] however, I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from maltreating him." until one day when Pluto scratched him and he snapped and stabbed his cat's eye out. one day he was annoyed at Pluto's dislike towards him, due to the eye incident, and hung him in a tree. eventually he gets a new cat and ends up killing it also, and soon after his wife. something went seriously wrong with this guy.
Poe has an obvious opinion of alcohol, suffering from it's addictive grip himself. this story is a prime example of dark romanticism. a person, usually fairly humane and timid, finds himself in the grip of evil, totally succumbs, and ends up killing two cats and one person. this isn't exactly a realistic story, it is extremely unlikely that a person given a decent upbringing, no history of violent behavior, and no history of mental illness would do something like this but it is still possible for those people who are violent and mentally ill. one problem I have with both the transcendentalists and the dark romantics is there is no gray area with them, either everyone is pure, or everyone has a bit of evil that can take them over and cause them to do horrendous things. there are people who are both, there is no one rule than can define all humans, some are absolutely evil, some are absolutely good, but most are somewhere in between.
the raven was probably Edgar Allan Poe's most famous work, speaking of the general depression of death and general sorrow. the bird in this story represents Poe's unwavering loneliness and depression and general inability to be contented. Maybe Poe's most famous works were only written while he was in the throes of depression and/or addiction but he seems unable to be happy. when his wife was alive he was probably sad about something or other, once his wife died he would be even more unhappy, and as soon as he got over his wife's death he would probably find something else to be sad about. this is a very vicious cycle, the more one things about bad things the sadder one gets and the more used to thinking about bad things he becomes. if someone is sad most of his childhood, such as if their parents died and they didn't have somewhere stable to stay, this person will only be used to thinking negatively for the formative years of his life, thus getting into an atrocious feedback loop of unhappiness.
in this story the raven represents his own depression. I think the raven represents Poe's own feelings about life, he only realizes that he has always been unhappy and always will be unhappy when his wife dies. while the raven only comes in a physical form when Lenore dies, it's spirit about life is Poe's own, that he will be forever unhappy, not only because of Lenore's death but because of his general outlook on life, and I think that is why the raven says "nevermore" even when he gets over his wife's death he still has a naturally depressed disposition, but he must blame this disposition on his wife's death.
the transcendentalists believed that people's nature was good and somehow beneficial at heart this poem shows with firsthand evidence that this is not true, if everyone was good and pure why would anyone ever be unhappy? the raven is the impurity in people, telling them they will fail, they will never be happy, and life will never get any better. this seems to be Poe's major disposition towards life, his unhappiness.
(2)I would say I am closer to being a Transcendentalist except I realize there are messed up people in this world but I trust in my own intuition to be able to identify these people and not associate with them. I also trust in my intuition to be able to only get close to people who are good at heart and people I can trust.
(3) The story "The Black Cat" is a very interesting story, Edgar Allan Poe seems to have a reoccurring theme of animals causing utter terror to the narrator, the raven is another good example of that. in the beginning of the story the narrator expresses his humane demeanor towards animals of all sorts, stating "From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions" in his adulthood his favorite pet is that of a solid black cat, one which loves him immensely and always stays near him. our narrator speaks of his increasing use of alcohol and how it makes him begin to lose his humanity saying, "I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others... My pets, of course, were made to feel the change in my disposition. I not only neglected, but ill-used them. For Pluto [the cat] however, I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from maltreating him." until one day when Pluto scratched him and he snapped and stabbed his cat's eye out. one day he was annoyed at Pluto's dislike towards him, due to the eye incident, and hung him in a tree. eventually he gets a new cat and ends up killing it also, and soon after his wife. something went seriously wrong with this guy.
Poe has an obvious opinion of alcohol, suffering from it's addictive grip himself. this story is a prime example of dark romanticism. a person, usually fairly humane and timid, finds himself in the grip of evil, totally succumbs, and ends up killing two cats and one person. this isn't exactly a realistic story, it is extremely unlikely that a person given a decent upbringing, no history of violent behavior, and no history of mental illness would do something like this but it is still possible for those people who are violent and mentally ill. one problem I have with both the transcendentalists and the dark romantics is there is no gray area with them, either everyone is pure, or everyone has a bit of evil that can take them over and cause them to do horrendous things. there are people who are both, there is no one rule than can define all humans, some are absolutely evil, some are absolutely good, but most are somewhere in between.
the raven was probably Edgar Allan Poe's most famous work, speaking of the general depression of death and general sorrow. the bird in this story represents Poe's unwavering loneliness and depression and general inability to be contented. Maybe Poe's most famous works were only written while he was in the throes of depression and/or addiction but he seems unable to be happy. when his wife was alive he was probably sad about something or other, once his wife died he would be even more unhappy, and as soon as he got over his wife's death he would probably find something else to be sad about. this is a very vicious cycle, the more one things about bad things the sadder one gets and the more used to thinking about bad things he becomes. if someone is sad most of his childhood, such as if their parents died and they didn't have somewhere stable to stay, this person will only be used to thinking negatively for the formative years of his life, thus getting into an atrocious feedback loop of unhappiness.
in this story the raven represents his own depression. I think the raven represents Poe's own feelings about life, he only realizes that he has always been unhappy and always will be unhappy when his wife dies. while the raven only comes in a physical form when Lenore dies, it's spirit about life is Poe's own, that he will be forever unhappy, not only because of Lenore's death but because of his general outlook on life, and I think that is why the raven says "nevermore" even when he gets over his wife's death he still has a naturally depressed disposition, but he must blame this disposition on his wife's death.
the transcendentalists believed that people's nature was good and somehow beneficial at heart this poem shows with firsthand evidence that this is not true, if everyone was good and pure why would anyone ever be unhappy? the raven is the impurity in people, telling them they will fail, they will never be happy, and life will never get any better. this seems to be Poe's major disposition towards life, his unhappiness.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
(1)"The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood" Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote this in Nature. this idea of reverting to childhood in some ways echos my thoughts on the subject, children naturally stay healthy by playing and enjoying the world around them, wheras jaded adults have accepted the world for what it is and stop being astounded by its wonders.
Emerson also talks about how nature can change depending on the type of mood you are in, "Nature is a setting that fits equally well a comic or mourning piece." says Emerson of the duality of nature.
this is a good example of transcendentalism because of the authors love of nature, but with a slightly more down to earth tone. Loving nature for it's natural beauty instead of the romantics love of it for it's amazing ability to inspire imagination. Emerson speaks of the importance of receding from society and the importance of being self sustainable, using your own energy to continue to make energy for yourself.
(2)Emerson's Self-Reliance is an interesting piece or writing. he speaks of the importance of hard work,"A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best." He also speaks of the importance of being able to survive alone, speaking of societies as "in the conspiracy against the manhood of every one of it's members." I like his idea that to be great is to be misunderstood, people ahead of their time are often looked down upon by general society just because of the sheer fact of a person being more advanced than another, the other people resent this man for his forward thinking attitude.
Emerson talks at great lengths of hard work and the importance of making your own life. emerson obviously values simplicity, his idea's of resistance to organized society and trusting yourself instead of over analyzing everything you do. there seems to be a common thread in transcendentalism of receding from society in order to understand yourself better.
(3)I enjoy Thoreau's writing style a fair bit more than Emerson's. Thoreau doesn't try to over complicate his writing, instead opting for clear words that are to the point and easily understandable. I agree with the statement, "the government is best which governs the least
", but we would need a utopia for anarchy to still be able to be peaceful. I think that Thoreau was jaded by his incarceration which led him to only think of the negatives about government. I wonder if Thoreau would want to sacrifice the protection of his human rights, or the protection from robbery or something of that sort. I strongly agree that we should not be governed by the majority vote and instead what is morally right but again, we do not live in a perfect world and in his own words,"[Government] is liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it."
Thoreau's Resistance to civil government is probably the penultimate description of transcendentalism's relation to government, people would need to interact with each other less in order for his theories of government to work, having all the individuals transcend the idea of an organized government and live righteously and morally to all other humans. we all know this can't happen but it is a nice idea.
1)) if I were in the situation of being engaged to my high school sweetheart and she wanted to go to a school a very far away, I would tell my fiancee to go to school and let us go our separate ways until she and I are ready to settle down, I do not think that directly after highschool is the time to get married, people need time to grow and experience life on their own before settling in.
I think that a transcendentalist would do something similar in this situation. Transcendentalists value self reliance and self awareness through knowing themselves and trusting themselves. Transcendentalists believed that the voice in your head was the voice of god, telling you to do what was good and true. "nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." says Emerson in Self Reliance."
Emerson also talks about how nature can change depending on the type of mood you are in, "Nature is a setting that fits equally well a comic or mourning piece." says Emerson of the duality of nature.
this is a good example of transcendentalism because of the authors love of nature, but with a slightly more down to earth tone. Loving nature for it's natural beauty instead of the romantics love of it for it's amazing ability to inspire imagination. Emerson speaks of the importance of receding from society and the importance of being self sustainable, using your own energy to continue to make energy for yourself.
(2)Emerson's Self-Reliance is an interesting piece or writing. he speaks of the importance of hard work,"A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best." He also speaks of the importance of being able to survive alone, speaking of societies as "in the conspiracy against the manhood of every one of it's members." I like his idea that to be great is to be misunderstood, people ahead of their time are often looked down upon by general society just because of the sheer fact of a person being more advanced than another, the other people resent this man for his forward thinking attitude.
Emerson talks at great lengths of hard work and the importance of making your own life. emerson obviously values simplicity, his idea's of resistance to organized society and trusting yourself instead of over analyzing everything you do. there seems to be a common thread in transcendentalism of receding from society in order to understand yourself better.
(3)I enjoy Thoreau's writing style a fair bit more than Emerson's. Thoreau doesn't try to over complicate his writing, instead opting for clear words that are to the point and easily understandable. I agree with the statement, "the government is best which governs the least
", but we would need a utopia for anarchy to still be able to be peaceful. I think that Thoreau was jaded by his incarceration which led him to only think of the negatives about government. I wonder if Thoreau would want to sacrifice the protection of his human rights, or the protection from robbery or something of that sort. I strongly agree that we should not be governed by the majority vote and instead what is morally right but again, we do not live in a perfect world and in his own words,"[Government] is liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it."
Thoreau's Resistance to civil government is probably the penultimate description of transcendentalism's relation to government, people would need to interact with each other less in order for his theories of government to work, having all the individuals transcend the idea of an organized government and live righteously and morally to all other humans. we all know this can't happen but it is a nice idea.
1)) if I were in the situation of being engaged to my high school sweetheart and she wanted to go to a school a very far away, I would tell my fiancee to go to school and let us go our separate ways until she and I are ready to settle down, I do not think that directly after highschool is the time to get married, people need time to grow and experience life on their own before settling in.
I think that a transcendentalist would do something similar in this situation. Transcendentalists value self reliance and self awareness through knowing themselves and trusting themselves. Transcendentalists believed that the voice in your head was the voice of god, telling you to do what was good and true. "nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." says Emerson in Self Reliance."
Papillon Response 1
Papillon is a true account of Henri Charriere, a man who was framed for the murder of a pimp and sentenced to hard labor for life an a 1930's French prison, and his subsequent escape. the writing style of this book is very refreshing, it is obvious that the author is not an experienced writer. this writing style really goes to convey his raw feelings about the situations he was in, instead of being heavily edited it feels like the writer just wrote exactly how he felt, without need of frilly writing.
the brutal treatment of the prisoners is fairly astonishing compared to today, Papillon was subjected to a hulking prisoner under the guards control, in order to defeat this foe he poured boiling water in his face. there are many examples of this type of treatment throughout the book.
the brutal treatment of the prisoners is fairly astonishing compared to today, Papillon was subjected to a hulking prisoner under the guards control, in order to defeat this foe he poured boiling water in his face. there are many examples of this type of treatment throughout the book.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
My plans directly after highschool
Since I can remember I have had wanderlust, the need to travel and see the world, but strangely enough I have only been out of the country once, to Amsterdam. I have seen the East and West Coast but not much in-between. This desire to move around might stem from my father, who has traveled the world in various Rock n’ Roll bands. I think a more likely reason for my need to move is to broaden my horizons, so to speak, to gain a greater understanding of the world and it’s inhabitants through personal experience. After high school, most people either go to college immediately, or settle into a career choice, but I aim to do neither of these things. After high school, while I am able to move, I plan to move as much as possible.
Coming from a middle-class family of at least decent intelligence, most of my relatives went to college, and most of these directly after high school. They all say one should have a larger worldview before attending a college that usually cements you in a certain career or field. I feel the more variation one experiences in life, the more versatile that person can be. If not for experiences, why do we live life? The majority of people who go to college directly after high school have their career decided by their major, and when they get out of college they get a job in their career of choice and just move up, taking vacations here and there to see new places. I would rather do it in one quick burst and have as much experience in different locales as possible as early as possible.
There is also the romantic idea of a nomad, one who just goes where the going is good, never staying in one place for too long. While having a home is nice, I do want to experience not having a solid comfortable place to stay. Due to my father’s touring of the world he has friends and connections in most major cities. who would probably oblige me to stay for one night here and there. I also train for a discipline called Parkour, an art of movement involving overcoming obstacles at speed, and the practitioners around the world are notoriously helpful to fellow practitioners. If all else fails there are always hostels and hotels.
There are many ways one would need to prepare for a journey of this magnitude: financially, physically, mentally, and materially. Right now I try to live as cheaply as possible to save money: I don’t have a car, I don’t have a cell phone, and I am able to live off of $25 a week; other than that I save all the money I get. Not only would I need money, I would need to be able to travel with minimum excess baggage. I would have to be able to carry all of my essentials in an average sized backpack. I would include a tent, for times when housing isn’t available, a small number of clothes, a GPS device with Internet capability, some sort of first aid kit, and many other necessities. I would also need to be extremely physically fit in order to endure the possible hardships that come with living without the many of the luxuries of modern life.
Many people travel, few people travel extensively. Before I die I would like to travel as far and wide as I possibly can, preferably visiting all seven continents, and if technology keeps progressing like it has, maybe someday going beyond our own atmosphere. The more varied experiences I have, the better I can comprehend the world as a whole, and what better way to experience varied culture and situations than by travelling? The vast majority of people are complacent in the small level of experience they have had, staying in their comfort zone without ever improving their ability to cope with experiences that make them uncomfortable--I am not this way. I seek to always improve, move forward, and adapt in ways that will fit my current environment. The world never stands still--everything is always changing--everything is always moving; should I not accept this and become comfortable with movement, both on a long and short-term basis?
Coming from a middle-class family of at least decent intelligence, most of my relatives went to college, and most of these directly after high school. They all say one should have a larger worldview before attending a college that usually cements you in a certain career or field. I feel the more variation one experiences in life, the more versatile that person can be. If not for experiences, why do we live life? The majority of people who go to college directly after high school have their career decided by their major, and when they get out of college they get a job in their career of choice and just move up, taking vacations here and there to see new places. I would rather do it in one quick burst and have as much experience in different locales as possible as early as possible.
There is also the romantic idea of a nomad, one who just goes where the going is good, never staying in one place for too long. While having a home is nice, I do want to experience not having a solid comfortable place to stay. Due to my father’s touring of the world he has friends and connections in most major cities. who would probably oblige me to stay for one night here and there. I also train for a discipline called Parkour, an art of movement involving overcoming obstacles at speed, and the practitioners around the world are notoriously helpful to fellow practitioners. If all else fails there are always hostels and hotels.
There are many ways one would need to prepare for a journey of this magnitude: financially, physically, mentally, and materially. Right now I try to live as cheaply as possible to save money: I don’t have a car, I don’t have a cell phone, and I am able to live off of $25 a week; other than that I save all the money I get. Not only would I need money, I would need to be able to travel with minimum excess baggage. I would have to be able to carry all of my essentials in an average sized backpack. I would include a tent, for times when housing isn’t available, a small number of clothes, a GPS device with Internet capability, some sort of first aid kit, and many other necessities. I would also need to be extremely physically fit in order to endure the possible hardships that come with living without the many of the luxuries of modern life.
Many people travel, few people travel extensively. Before I die I would like to travel as far and wide as I possibly can, preferably visiting all seven continents, and if technology keeps progressing like it has, maybe someday going beyond our own atmosphere. The more varied experiences I have, the better I can comprehend the world as a whole, and what better way to experience varied culture and situations than by travelling? The vast majority of people are complacent in the small level of experience they have had, staying in their comfort zone without ever improving their ability to cope with experiences that make them uncomfortable--I am not this way. I seek to always improve, move forward, and adapt in ways that will fit my current environment. The world never stands still--everything is always changing--everything is always moving; should I not accept this and become comfortable with movement, both on a long and short-term basis?
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