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.
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