1. Marcellus: He wants to know why they are keeping watchful guard duty every night and why there is so much manufacturing of weapons, trading of arms, and building of ships.
2. Horatio: He said that King Hamlet was challenged by the King of Norway to a combat and whoever lost had to give their land to the winner. The King of Norway was killed by King Hamlet. The King of Norway’s son wanted his father’s land back, so they were preparing to defend themselves against the King of Norway’s son.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
feed
feed is a novel about people who have chips implanted into their brain. These chips send information to the people. This isn’t any ordinary information though. The information that is being fed to these people is about the simplest things in life. These people have lost the ability to think for themselves. These chips tell them what they should buy, what they should watch, places they should travel, and so on. So, if a person who didn’t have a chip walked into these people’s lives, then they wouldn’t understand that person. They wouldn’t understand the person because they come from a completely different world. They have to think for themselves and learn things through School™ and through life lessons.
In this novel, the two main characters Titus and Violet are boyfriend and girlfriend. Titus had a chip implanted into his brain when he was first born and violet had her implanted into her brain when she was seven. This makes Titus and Violet completely different. Titus is very submissive to the information the chip feeds him and he also very unengaged in conversations. In conversations he says things like “wow” and “oh.” On the other hand, Violet didn’t have the chip implanted into her brain until she was seven years old. This means that Violet went to actual school and learned things through life lessons. Violet is constantly questioning the world around her and using a large vocabulary when she speaks. She is the person she is because doesn’t submit to the feed and buy anything it tells her to. Most people in this world submit to what the feed tells them they should buy because they do not have the ability to think for themselves.
I did not enjoy this novel, but it really made me question the world, as we know it. Today, technology is rapidly advancing and constantly changing. If you think about it, it is possible that someday everyone in the United States could have a chip implanted into his or her brain. This is scary to think about because life as we know it would disintegrate. Why might this be alarming? People would stop thinking for themselves and their brains would eventually turn to mush. This is because they would constantly be being told what they should buy, do, and watch. Also, if you think about it, if chips were implanted into people’s brains, people could stop inventing and further advancing our technologies.
Although feed was a hard book to follow and I didn’t enjoy it, I though it was interesting the way the author wrote it. He put two types of people into this novel, ones who lost the ability to think for themselves and ones who could resist the feed. This could relate to many other things in life. It is like high school. High school is a period in some kids lives when they follow a trend and do what other kids say is cool. But, there are also those few stragglers who do not succumb to pier pressures. They are themselves even though others view them as weird or uncool because they are not doing what is cool.
In this novel, the two main characters Titus and Violet are boyfriend and girlfriend. Titus had a chip implanted into his brain when he was first born and violet had her implanted into her brain when she was seven. This makes Titus and Violet completely different. Titus is very submissive to the information the chip feeds him and he also very unengaged in conversations. In conversations he says things like “wow” and “oh.” On the other hand, Violet didn’t have the chip implanted into her brain until she was seven years old. This means that Violet went to actual school and learned things through life lessons. Violet is constantly questioning the world around her and using a large vocabulary when she speaks. She is the person she is because doesn’t submit to the feed and buy anything it tells her to. Most people in this world submit to what the feed tells them they should buy because they do not have the ability to think for themselves.
I did not enjoy this novel, but it really made me question the world, as we know it. Today, technology is rapidly advancing and constantly changing. If you think about it, it is possible that someday everyone in the United States could have a chip implanted into his or her brain. This is scary to think about because life as we know it would disintegrate. Why might this be alarming? People would stop thinking for themselves and their brains would eventually turn to mush. This is because they would constantly be being told what they should buy, do, and watch. Also, if you think about it, if chips were implanted into people’s brains, people could stop inventing and further advancing our technologies.
Although feed was a hard book to follow and I didn’t enjoy it, I though it was interesting the way the author wrote it. He put two types of people into this novel, ones who lost the ability to think for themselves and ones who could resist the feed. This could relate to many other things in life. It is like high school. High school is a period in some kids lives when they follow a trend and do what other kids say is cool. But, there are also those few stragglers who do not succumb to pier pressures. They are themselves even though others view them as weird or uncool because they are not doing what is cool.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Black in America
Did you know that 19.5% of African American males are unemployed? Did you know that 84.6% of African American men will commit death by homicide? Did you Did you know that 17% of African Americans in Indiana will not graduate high school and 58% of inmates in the U.S. jails are African Americans. This is shocking and you might ask yourself, “Why is this?” The following paragraphs might answer this question.
Black in America is a documentary about well, being black in America. Soledad O'Brien, from CNN, interviews many African Americans. All of the people she interviewed came from very different walks of life. Also while interviewing these people, O’Brien revealed shocking statistical facts about African Americans.
Some of the men she interviewed are ex cons that grew up in the “ghetto” and turned their lives around because they realized the effect it was having on their families and themselves. Also, she interviewed African Americans who grew up in the “ghetto” but didn’t want their families living like that so they got jobs and now they are working middle-class families, and African American men and women who grew up without father figures.
I gathered from this documentary that leading cause to African Americans doing drugs, participating in domestic violence, and going to jail is having an absence of a father figure. These young men do not have a role model, someone who they can look up to and follow after, so they become like their fathers. Doing what their fathers do is the only thing they know, so when these men have children, they will be like their fathers and this will carry on for generations unless someone breaks the mold and becomes a role model.
One of the most shocking, but empowering stories to me was about a comedian who lived in a very harsh area of L.A. He was a member of the ‘Blood Gang.’ He said the reason he joined this gang was because it made him feel safe. He didn’t feel safe for long. His cousin was in a gang too and the ‘Blood Gang’ murdered him. After his cousin was murdered he left the gang because he didn’t want to kill people and he didn’t feel safe anymore.
This comedian now has a son and he tells his son to respect the law-enforcement, but be careful what you say to them because what you say can and will be used against you, especially if you are an African American.
In today’s society you would think that people would be more accepting of different races, but in truth, they aren’t. Yes, there are some people who believe that everyone is entitled to equal rights, but there are some people who don’t. Think about it this way; it is like being a team. Like they say, “there is no ‘I’ in team.” “I” stands for individual and until that individual learns to be a teammate there will never be a team.
So, unless those people who can’t break out of there old ways, there will be no end to discrimination against African Americans and no start to helping them achieve better lives.
Black in America is a documentary about well, being black in America. Soledad O'Brien, from CNN, interviews many African Americans. All of the people she interviewed came from very different walks of life. Also while interviewing these people, O’Brien revealed shocking statistical facts about African Americans.
Some of the men she interviewed are ex cons that grew up in the “ghetto” and turned their lives around because they realized the effect it was having on their families and themselves. Also, she interviewed African Americans who grew up in the “ghetto” but didn’t want their families living like that so they got jobs and now they are working middle-class families, and African American men and women who grew up without father figures.
I gathered from this documentary that leading cause to African Americans doing drugs, participating in domestic violence, and going to jail is having an absence of a father figure. These young men do not have a role model, someone who they can look up to and follow after, so they become like their fathers. Doing what their fathers do is the only thing they know, so when these men have children, they will be like their fathers and this will carry on for generations unless someone breaks the mold and becomes a role model.
One of the most shocking, but empowering stories to me was about a comedian who lived in a very harsh area of L.A. He was a member of the ‘Blood Gang.’ He said the reason he joined this gang was because it made him feel safe. He didn’t feel safe for long. His cousin was in a gang too and the ‘Blood Gang’ murdered him. After his cousin was murdered he left the gang because he didn’t want to kill people and he didn’t feel safe anymore.
This comedian now has a son and he tells his son to respect the law-enforcement, but be careful what you say to them because what you say can and will be used against you, especially if you are an African American.
In today’s society you would think that people would be more accepting of different races, but in truth, they aren’t. Yes, there are some people who believe that everyone is entitled to equal rights, but there are some people who don’t. Think about it this way; it is like being a team. Like they say, “there is no ‘I’ in team.” “I” stands for individual and until that individual learns to be a teammate there will never be a team.
So, unless those people who can’t break out of there old ways, there will be no end to discrimination against African Americans and no start to helping them achieve better lives.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Last Days of Summer
Joey is a young, Jewish boy living in a Catholic neighborhood. When Joey was younger, his father left him and his mother for his secretary. Joey calls her Nana Bert and he is not very fond of her. After Joey’s absence of a father figure, he has been craving to have a dad. Joey swears his father is going to take him to the world fair, but this never happened. Joey is the type of kid who is constantly getting bullied. Joey wants the bullying to stop, so he writes the N.Y. Giants, 3rd baseman, Charlie Banks. Joey wants Charlie to hit a homerun for him and announce it on the radio. He believes if Charlie does this all of the boys will stop beating him up. Instead of telling the truth about being bullied, Joey makes up stories about his life and how he has all of these illnesses and diseases. Charlie soon realizes that these letters are fake and becomes furious with Joey. He writes letters back, calling him names and telling him never to write back again, but Joey keeps on persisting and Charlie keeps writing back. Later on in the book, it seemed as if Charlie took on the role of Joey’s father. He stood up for him in dangerous situations, took care of him when he was “drunk” and Charlie always had Joey’s best interest at mind.
Charlie Banks always had a perfect record in baseball until little Joey came into his life. It seemed as if Joey was playing a mind game with Charlie. He soon began dropping many baseballs and his team was on a losing streak. Charlie couldn’t’ understand why. Also, Charlie has always been a troublemaker. He was constantly getting into fights with other players and the umpire. Not only was Charlie a troublemaker, but also he was scared to be in a serious relationship. His brother Harlan passed away when he was younger. From reading this, it seemed like Charlie had a very close relationship with Harlan. We don’t know why or how Harlan died, but maybe Charlie is feeling the guilt of his brother’s death. In losing his brother, Charlie might have felt that he is not worth hiving his heart to someone. In my opinion though, Hazel, his girlfriend, is the love of his life and he is scared of commitment. Why is Charlie scared of commitment? He doesn’t want to lose the one person he truly loves.
The way this novel is written coveys the book really well. Last Days of Summer displays how Joey goes from a young boy who strives for attention to a young boy who can stand up for himself. Joey used to make up radical stories about his life and now he is becoming more emotional now that he has a “father figure” and someone he can relate to. Also, how Charlie goes from a rough, partying, “player” type of guy, to a mellow, caring person. Charlie used to be rowdy and now he is emotional because he realizes that love can change who you are. Overall, this books shows the emotional triumphs both Joey and Charlie accomplish together.
Charlie Banks always had a perfect record in baseball until little Joey came into his life. It seemed as if Joey was playing a mind game with Charlie. He soon began dropping many baseballs and his team was on a losing streak. Charlie couldn’t’ understand why. Also, Charlie has always been a troublemaker. He was constantly getting into fights with other players and the umpire. Not only was Charlie a troublemaker, but also he was scared to be in a serious relationship. His brother Harlan passed away when he was younger. From reading this, it seemed like Charlie had a very close relationship with Harlan. We don’t know why or how Harlan died, but maybe Charlie is feeling the guilt of his brother’s death. In losing his brother, Charlie might have felt that he is not worth hiving his heart to someone. In my opinion though, Hazel, his girlfriend, is the love of his life and he is scared of commitment. Why is Charlie scared of commitment? He doesn’t want to lose the one person he truly loves.
The way this novel is written coveys the book really well. Last Days of Summer displays how Joey goes from a young boy who strives for attention to a young boy who can stand up for himself. Joey used to make up radical stories about his life and now he is becoming more emotional now that he has a “father figure” and someone he can relate to. Also, how Charlie goes from a rough, partying, “player” type of guy, to a mellow, caring person. Charlie used to be rowdy and now he is emotional because he realizes that love can change who you are. Overall, this books shows the emotional triumphs both Joey and Charlie accomplish together.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Siddhartha
Siddhartha is a novel about a man’s search for spiritual enlightenment. Siddhartha goes suffering, rejection, peace, and wisdom. He becomes a Samana and along the way encounters lust and greed. On one of his journeys, a river stops him and it spoke to him. The speaking of the river forced Siddhartha to find wisdom within himself.
Siddhartha is the most captivating novel I have ever read. Every aspect to this novel is fascinating. The novel ends with, “No longer knowing whether time existed, whether this display had lasted a second or a hundred years, whether there was a Siddhartha, or a Gotama, a Self and others, wounded deeply by a divine arrow which gave him pleasure, deeply enchanted and exalted, Govinda stood yet a while bending over Siddhartha's peaceful face which he had just kissed, which had just been the stage of all present and future forms. His countenance was unchanged after the mirror of the thousand-fold forms had disappeared from the surface. He smiled peacefully and gently, perhaps very graciously, perhaps very mockingly, exactly as the Illustrious One had smiled.” This quote was a very good way to end the book.
This novel is very similar to one of the interpretive question readings we did called, On Studying by Ortega y Gasset. Ortega y Gasset says that the only way to obtain knowledge is to have a desire to search for it. Siddhartha is very similar. It talks about the “want” of knowledge to become wise and to love instead of the “need” to have wisdom and to love.
If you are into the idea of finding yourself through spiritual conquests, Siddhartha would be the novel to read. I love this book because it is very easy to read and also a fast read. Even though it is an easy and fast read, it gets a strong point across. The point that this novel makes is that having everything you want in life will not make you happy. You will only find happiness when you find love. When you find love, you have learned to be, “impartial to all, free from excessive attachment or false hope and expectation; accepting, tolerant, and forgiving. “ (Buddha)
To sum this whole novel up, Siddhartha is about, "We practice meditation in order to see ourselves as we truly are and life as it truly is. When we are suffering, we can look inside to find the cause - always some form of clinging. By noticing how quickly we attach to new ideas and perspectives, we can begin to unlearn the habit. One trick is to watch for moments when we feel the need to defend ourselves or our point of view. Defensiveness is always a red flag; it shows that we have once again become stuck in a point of view. We are pretending to be solid, and we want everyone else to go along with it. With a little honesty and effort, we can determine where we are stuck and then choose to let go. Gradually we become more flexible, finding it easier to let go of our perspectives. We take this 'me' less seriously, appreciating instead our dynamic and unfixed true nature.
With practice, we begin to see the world from the perspective of BIG MIND, which can see all perspectives but clings to none. We learn that it is possible to return to the view of BIG MIND whenever we've become stuck. It's easiest to assume that we're stuck somewhere; we only have to figure out where and then let go. Liberation from the self is living each day without a place to stand or ideas about who we are. That's when we can dance with life." (Genpo Roshi, The Path of the Human Being)
Siddhartha is the most captivating novel I have ever read. Every aspect to this novel is fascinating. The novel ends with, “No longer knowing whether time existed, whether this display had lasted a second or a hundred years, whether there was a Siddhartha, or a Gotama, a Self and others, wounded deeply by a divine arrow which gave him pleasure, deeply enchanted and exalted, Govinda stood yet a while bending over Siddhartha's peaceful face which he had just kissed, which had just been the stage of all present and future forms. His countenance was unchanged after the mirror of the thousand-fold forms had disappeared from the surface. He smiled peacefully and gently, perhaps very graciously, perhaps very mockingly, exactly as the Illustrious One had smiled.” This quote was a very good way to end the book.
This novel is very similar to one of the interpretive question readings we did called, On Studying by Ortega y Gasset. Ortega y Gasset says that the only way to obtain knowledge is to have a desire to search for it. Siddhartha is very similar. It talks about the “want” of knowledge to become wise and to love instead of the “need” to have wisdom and to love.
If you are into the idea of finding yourself through spiritual conquests, Siddhartha would be the novel to read. I love this book because it is very easy to read and also a fast read. Even though it is an easy and fast read, it gets a strong point across. The point that this novel makes is that having everything you want in life will not make you happy. You will only find happiness when you find love. When you find love, you have learned to be, “impartial to all, free from excessive attachment or false hope and expectation; accepting, tolerant, and forgiving. “ (Buddha)
To sum this whole novel up, Siddhartha is about, "We practice meditation in order to see ourselves as we truly are and life as it truly is. When we are suffering, we can look inside to find the cause - always some form of clinging. By noticing how quickly we attach to new ideas and perspectives, we can begin to unlearn the habit. One trick is to watch for moments when we feel the need to defend ourselves or our point of view. Defensiveness is always a red flag; it shows that we have once again become stuck in a point of view. We are pretending to be solid, and we want everyone else to go along with it. With a little honesty and effort, we can determine where we are stuck and then choose to let go. Gradually we become more flexible, finding it easier to let go of our perspectives. We take this 'me' less seriously, appreciating instead our dynamic and unfixed true nature.
With practice, we begin to see the world from the perspective of BIG MIND, which can see all perspectives but clings to none. We learn that it is possible to return to the view of BIG MIND whenever we've become stuck. It's easiest to assume that we're stuck somewhere; we only have to figure out where and then let go. Liberation from the self is living each day without a place to stand or ideas about who we are. That's when we can dance with life." (Genpo Roshi, The Path of the Human Being)
Monday, November 3, 2008
STUDYING
1. What are some ways schools encourage or discourage a person's desire to learn? What makes some objects in school exciting and stimulating and others boring.
I’m not going to lie, there are many other activities I would rather be doing than going to school five days a week. I could be playing volleyball, traveling the world, spending time with my family, hanging out with my friends, and doing many other fun things besides going to school, but this defeats the purpose of the question. What are some ways schools encourage or discourage a person’s desire to learn?
In my opinion children and teens think school is boring because it is school. There is nothing more to it, kids tend to be antsy and always want to be doing other things besides school. The way I look at schools encouraging or discouraging a person’s desire to learn is the little phrase, “yin and yang”; along with the good comes the bad.
Schools try to give children the option of what classes they want to take. These classes are called electives. The teachers want the kids to be excited about coming to school and they figure by giving kids the freedom and letting them chose what classes they want to take, it would hopefully make learning more fun and enjoyable for both the student and the teacher. This is the “yin” part to this question.
To the children the “required classes and the “yang.” I attend University High School and I am a sophomore. The classes that are required for all sophomores at UHS to take are math, a world language, chemistry, Ancient Greece, and great books. With these classes, teachers are not trying to make their students the world’s smartest person; they are trying to expose the students to real life. As society changes, so will some of the classes. These classes are not about fun; they are classes that teach you what you need to know for later on in life. After all, who knows, you might not like chemistry now, but mid-way through the semester, you might want to be a chemist and become the next Niels Bohr.
The next question is what makes some objects in school exciting and stimulating and others boring? There are many different ways to look at this question. Every child has different way of learning. When a child is taught in the way something makes sense to them, learning is fun. It is not fun because they were told it was, it is fun because it everything makes sense. Another way to look at this is why do students have fun when they are learning? When I have fun while learning it is because of the teacher. This means that they don’t sit in front of the class lecturing you in a monotone voice, they are outgoing, vivacious, and fun.
Going to school and studying for classes is not the most fun thing to do, but when you have the right teacher, things seem to fall into place.
I’m not going to lie, there are many other activities I would rather be doing than going to school five days a week. I could be playing volleyball, traveling the world, spending time with my family, hanging out with my friends, and doing many other fun things besides going to school, but this defeats the purpose of the question. What are some ways schools encourage or discourage a person’s desire to learn?
In my opinion children and teens think school is boring because it is school. There is nothing more to it, kids tend to be antsy and always want to be doing other things besides school. The way I look at schools encouraging or discouraging a person’s desire to learn is the little phrase, “yin and yang”; along with the good comes the bad.
Schools try to give children the option of what classes they want to take. These classes are called electives. The teachers want the kids to be excited about coming to school and they figure by giving kids the freedom and letting them chose what classes they want to take, it would hopefully make learning more fun and enjoyable for both the student and the teacher. This is the “yin” part to this question.
To the children the “required classes and the “yang.” I attend University High School and I am a sophomore. The classes that are required for all sophomores at UHS to take are math, a world language, chemistry, Ancient Greece, and great books. With these classes, teachers are not trying to make their students the world’s smartest person; they are trying to expose the students to real life. As society changes, so will some of the classes. These classes are not about fun; they are classes that teach you what you need to know for later on in life. After all, who knows, you might not like chemistry now, but mid-way through the semester, you might want to be a chemist and become the next Niels Bohr.
The next question is what makes some objects in school exciting and stimulating and others boring? There are many different ways to look at this question. Every child has different way of learning. When a child is taught in the way something makes sense to them, learning is fun. It is not fun because they were told it was, it is fun because it everything makes sense. Another way to look at this is why do students have fun when they are learning? When I have fun while learning it is because of the teacher. This means that they don’t sit in front of the class lecturing you in a monotone voice, they are outgoing, vivacious, and fun.
Going to school and studying for classes is not the most fun thing to do, but when you have the right teacher, things seem to fall into place.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
U.S. and State
Who is your state senator?
Jim Buck
Who is your state congressman/woman?
Cindy Noe
Who are your U.S. senators?
Evan Bayh
Richard Lugar
Who is your U.S. congressman/woman?
Steve Buyer
What positions are up for election?
Governor
Who is running for governor?
Mitch Daniels and Andy Horning
Jim Buck
Who is your state congressman/woman?
Cindy Noe
Who are your U.S. senators?
Evan Bayh
Richard Lugar
Who is your U.S. congressman/woman?
Steve Buyer
What positions are up for election?
Governor
Who is running for governor?
Mitch Daniels and Andy Horning
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