Blog Post #13: LOTF Reflection

I enjoyed Lord of the Flies ver much. I thought it was very interesting and thought-provoking. For me, it was fun to tie the allegorical symbols back to the real world and understand the context Golding was writing in. The book was quite depressing in many ways, because the symbol of innocence in our world, children, were being corrupted by savagery and falling into such inhumane practices. This doesn't make the readers think very well of the characters, but it is very relevant to the world as Golding was trying to express. I thought the end of the book was very interesting, as well. The boys don't seem overly excited to be rescued, and this is probably because their lives have been forever marred by the truths of what humans are at heart and are capable of. There was irony here, too, because the kids are leaving their world of war and savagery and re-entering another one, where the death tolls are a lot higher and the suffering levels are off the charts. Overall, the book was a good thing to study in our class, and the darkness of the book matched the darkness of wintertime that we were reading it in. I enjoyed the unit and the messages and morals I took in while reading the novel.

Blog Post #14: Semester Reflection

I think this semester when fairly well in this class. I thought it was very challenging, but also very thought-provoking and thoroughly interesting. I enjoyed reading Swift and learning about satire. I found Golding's Lord of the Flies to be a very good read and discussion topic in class. And even though this may sound crazy, I enjoyed writing the Lord of the Flies paper at the end of the unit. I felt that I learned even more trying to put my thoughts down on paper than just discussing. There are so many levels and ideas that can float around during a discussion, it is very hard to keep track of them all. I liked organizing these ideas, metaphors, and symbols because I gained a greater understanding of the book overall.

I also look forward to next semester's challenges and topics. I hope, of course, it becomes an easy class, but I know that will not happen and I will have to work. But I prepared to do so and will hopefully have fun engaging in the deep and profound topics we delve into.

Blog Post #12

Nov. 18th 2013
Analyze the interaction between Simon and the Lord of the Flies at the end of chapter 8.

The Lord of the Flies is a reference, as we know, to the Devil. Also, Simon has been previously described as a religious figure, the keeper of faith and hope. So this interaction is therefore a conversation between good and evil, God and the Devil. And the Devil is winning. He targets Simon's vanity and self-consciousness by calling him a silly little boy and asking him if he wants Ralph to think him batty. He also targets his fear, as he is a pig's head on a stick covered in flies. The Lord of the Flies continues the one-sided conversation by saying that he is the Beast, and it has been in Simon, in humans.
The repetition in this section cannot be missed. The Lord of the Flies uses silly little boy, and poor misguided boy multiple times throughout, and is trying to make Simon feel subservient and helpless. Golding also repeats how the Lord of the Flies is expanding; it was expanding like a balloon; it was a darkness that spread. The darkness is taking over Simon, the person most faithful and hopeful boy on the island. this speaks to its power and its dangerousness to the boys on the island and thus humans in the world.

Blog Post #11

Journal #11: Nov. 8, 2013

Free Write

So far, I have enjoyed reading Lord of the Flies. It is interesting and deep, and it is a good example of allegory and symbolism. I especially like the in-class conversations about the chapters we read. For me, it helps me understand the book, and all its complexity. Recently, though, we have been doing only the written paragraphs. I don’t like this as much, because I don’t know if I will ever find out if what I write was actually relevant at all. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book, and am excited to see what happens to the kids on the island, because at this point, they are in political and social turmoil.

Post #10

Journal 9: Oct. 31, 2013

Select one character from chapter one and write about him in detail. Use two citations in your description. Write at least 8 sentences.

I choose Piggy. Piggy is a chubby kid with glasses. His age has yet to be directly stated, but it can be inferred that he is around the age of Ralph, which is 12. Piggy is a kind person, and he immediately tries to get to know Ralph and the other kids who show up later. This tells me that he is wise, as no one will survive the island alone, so he is trying to make ties and friends to increase his chances of survival. Piggy is also a cautious person. “Piggy took off his shoes and socks, arranged them carefully on the ledge, and tested the water with his toe” (Golding 11). I think Piggy is this way partly because both of his parents have dies, and Piggy is more aware than the others about how cruel the world is. He had to grow up earlier than most, and while Ralph is more reckless, Piggy has to stand back and measure the situation. Piggy is also a target for bullying on the island. “‘You’re talking too much,’ said Jack Merridew. ‘Shut up, Fatty’” (Golding 20). Even though Piggy is just trying to be friendly, the others are quite mean to him. Piggy knows he has to stay with this group, though, so he weathers the storm, and utilizes his tick of cleaning his glasses whenever he is embarrassed to hide his humiliation. 

Satire Presentation Reflection

The presentations in class were very advantageous to me in the attempt to understand he complexities of satire. I really enjoyed watching and laughing along with my class. I thought many of the examples were great, and watching them under the context of satire allowed me to analyze things through a different lens. For example, I had never thought of the "Undecided Voters" clip from "Family Guy" was satire, but now in the right context I see there are many examples in my daily life that are satire. Overall, the presentations were extremely beneficial to me not only in class, but out in the world as well.

I thought one of the best satire examples was, as previously mentioned, the "Undecided Voters"  clip. This was extremely funny and also was a great example of satire. It was a more obvious version of it, but it was still effective in getting its point across. I also liked John Oliver's three part series about gun control in the U.S. and Australia. It was funny because John Oliver is completely comfortable with insulting others and acting like an idiot.

In-Class Satire Essay

In human society, there are many errors, both with the individual, and with the larger institutions created by the minds of  humans. This, though, is apart of humans at the very core, and should be understandable and excused for most grievances. The real problem arises in society when certain people hide from this truth, or ignore it completely. For example, a corrupt politician working for his own benefit and not his/her constituents. This is why the satirist emerges, filling the niche to notify society when these affronts occur. The satirist writes in very specific ways; the problem is not directly spoken of, but instead hinted at in an attempt to reach the readers on a deeper level. This writing style, though, does not reach everyone, and in fact may reach a very few people, rendering satire ineffective. Because of this writing style, satire is ultimately a futile method in changing the folly in human society, because of the engrained nature of flawed systems in society, its bluntness, and  its insulting nature.

First, the theory that engrained societal institutions can't be altered is revealed in a satirical video entitled, "First World Problems." In this video, many American people are complaining about very insignificant and trivial problems. For example, one young person says, "The AC is set to 72, but I need it at 73" (First World Problems). The reaction of society to this, unfortunately, is most likely a laugh and then it is ignored henceforth. This is because Americans' way of life is too engrained into every citizen, and the satirical purpose of fixing society is a lost cause before it is even written or spoken. Americans can't be expected to change their lifestyles very drastically because of this video, especially when life in a First World country is so privileged and lazy. Another person in this video says, "I'm so hungry, but all we have is leftovers" (First World Problems). Many people in the world go without food for days, because they are very poor. Americans waste large amounts of foods, and have been doing so for many decades. This, as it is so natural to Americans, will not be changed by satire alone, and will most likely continue into the foreseeable future. Satire cannot take on problems too big to be fixed, because it will lose the battle and end up fruitless.

Another reason satire comes up short in its eventual goal to change society is because of its bluntness. This comes up in Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, as his topic is very barbaric in the literal sense.

Swift says,"...a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food..." (Swift 3). This statement alone deters many readers, as no one in their right mind would consider eating human babies. Back in Swift's time, and still today, this bluntness blinds the readers to the point where they are unable to see the deeper meaning of the text as a whole. There were many criticisms of Swift following this publication, and regrettably is the proof of his failure to expose society's folly to the public. He and his work were dismissed by many without a second glance. Another statement of Swift's on this subject is: "... twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof  only one-fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle or swine..."(Swift 4). In this sentence, Swift compares children to cattle and swine, a notion most humans would not care for whatsoever. This, again, puts a shield on Swift's message to society and blocks the readers from heeding his words. A satirist must always take into account the target group of readers, and in this case, Swift overlooked this possible outcome and thus failed to change society.

Finally, satire, no matter who is authoring a piece, will seem very insulting at some point or another. When authors go too far in this sense, satire becomes ineffective. As with John Oliver's investigation on gun control reform, he blatantly insults his guests about policies he seemingly knows nothing about. For example, he says, "...Gun control will never work" (Daily Show) This is very insulting to the people who have worked hard and risked themselves because Oliver is basically saying what they've done is useless. Many viewers in this instance will scoff and decide right away to ignore what Oliver says because he is just being mean and ignorant, when in fact, he is feigning this to give out his message. At another time, Oliver says in response to the statement that 'people are the problem,' "Do you know what? After spending this amount of time with you, Philip, I'm starting to believe that that's partially true."  (Daily Show) This an obvious insult to the person being interviewed, strongly implying he is a problem and stupid. This is unappealing to a lot of people, as Oliver is just being a mean and disrespectful person. So though this example does get through to some, the insults and disrespectfulness turn away many people who will never face the problem at the heart of the video.

In conclusion, satire is an ineffective tool in changing society because of intrinsic characteristics of the satirical writing style, including bluntness, insulting nature, and taking on large problems. This, though, may be considered the author's fault, as they need to write for their audience to change from apathy to empathy or sympathy. Satire can indeed be useful, and it has been effective, but it has usually  done so at a smaller level than society as a whole. But as it stands right now, with the common and preferred methods, including scathing humor and sarcasm, satire is not a productive and efficacious tool in use for the changing of society's flaws and folly.

Satire Video Example

In my video, the literal side explains a new security system for public safety from terrorists. It is very effective and efficient at eliminating any threat to national security. For example, if a person is taped eating a banana, the system will search for bananas related to terrorism. In this case, potassium has been used in bombs, so the agents eliminate the possible terrorist. Unfortunately, TrapWire isn't cheap, and costs $1.5 million to install in a given city. This is why TrapWire has set up a donation fund for people who want the system installed. Also, donors will receive rewards for their donations. Examples include a thank-you note, a CIA T-shirt, an appointment as mayor to any given town, and the ability to change the 'A' in CIA.

On the other side of this video, there is a more satirical aspect. It is using the satirical tool of parody to mock the government of the American people. The makers of this video want to primarily expose the stupidity of the government. They do this in part by making the agents in the clip seem very childish, and as if their programs are games to be made cool. The agents want "pre-cogs" like the fictional ones in the movie Minority Report. Another aspect of the government this video exposes is paranoia. The program TrapWire uses any distant and unrelated facts to link innocent people to terrorists, and then drastically and unreasonably kills them on the spot. Privacy is a big issue in the U.S. and this video takes it to the extreme.

Internet Search on Jonathan Swift

1. 
   
• He was born on November 30, 1667 in Dublin, Ireland
• He lived with and was supported by his uncle, because his father died 7 months prior to his birth, and his mother had no income and couldn't care for him.
• He received his Bachelor's Degree from Trinity College, and started to pursue a Master's. But the abandoned this after political unrest broke out in Ireland, and he moved to England to start anew.
• He wrote under many pseudonyms including Lemuel Gulliver and M.B. Drapier
• He died on October 19, 1745. He had been afflicted by both Alzheimer's and Meniere's disease.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

"Jonathan Swift." - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.

"Jonathan Swift Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.

"Jonathan Swift." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 July 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2013

2. "There is an almost complete absence of sustained scholarship of Swift's A Modest Proposal."
-- George Wittkowsky

3. "Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own."
--Jonathan Swift
4.

Presentation Post

This project on the Hero's journey was, for me, quite enjoyable. We got to apply an idea to a movie, which made the process go smoothly and without much stress. My group decided to do our project on The Life of Pi. The process of getting everything done was somewhat hectic, because two of the four in my group had sports, including myself. This meant we would miss work-time in class on multiple occasions. Because we could only work in class on our posters, this added some stress. But I think we handled it well. We came in during tutor time and we talked out of school to correlate our thoughts even though some of us wouldn't be present.

I thought a lot of posters in our 7th period class turned out wonderfully. I, having spent a lot of time with it, especially liked my group's poster. I was very proud of my group and how we quickly agreed on a layout and got to the decorating swiftly. We added tiger stripes in the background to represent Richard Parker, the tiger, and then in the middle added an iconic scene with the glowing algae. As I viewed other groups' presentations I noticed very good things about their posters, as well. For example, one group displayed significant artistic ability, depicting the cartoon characters as if I were watching the movie. Another had creativity, and added yarn to represent the flowing locks of Rapunzel. Overall, I thought the class did very well on this project and I enjoyed viewing the works of my classmates.

Week 4 Post: Hero's Journey Movie Suggestions

Journal 5: Sept. 19, 2013

Write about the film you think works the best for the hero’s journey.

I think most Pixar movies would work for the hero’s journey, and also this project. These movies are all pretty well-done and all (excluding recent films) have a good story with a hero that follows the hero’s journey. I think the best options, would be either Toy Story or A Bug’s Life. 

Toy Story follows Woody as the main, central hero, and his task is to get back to his owner when he and his family moves. The toys, obviously, have huge obstacles to face being so small, and they are tested often. There is also an abyss when it looks like Woody has given up his quest when Buzz Lightyear and he don;’t get along. But then, the transformation occurs, they get out of their abyss, and become great friends in the end and for the sequels.

A Bug’s Life also works fairly well, and follows Flick, a “loser” ant who no one believes in. He goes on his adventure all alone, which is a little more true to the hero’s journey than Toy Story, just because Woody has all his friends come with him. Flick also has to face challenges with  predators like the grasshoppers, and berating from his own colony. He also faces an abyss when it looks like there is no hope and he gives up altogether, deciding he would never return to his colony. This might not be his only abyss, though, because when the colony finds out that the circus bugs are not heroes, they give up on Flick and he again gives up. But he conquers this as well and comes up with the plan to dispel the grasshoppers.

Flood Post- Slaying the Dragon

Journal 4: Sept. 10, 2013

An abyss is the lowest part of a person/hero’s journey. It is the place of darkness and a place to face monsters (often metaphorical). Once the “dragon” is slain, transformation can occur. Explain an abyss in your life, small or big.

As a teenager, and therefore not far along my journey of life, I have never been plunged into a large, life-changing abyss, but I have experienced small ones. One of these dips occurred when I was playing little league football for the Superior Mustangs when I was 10. I started the season determined to win the championship at the end of the season, having come so close the last time I had played when I was 8. Midway through the season, though, I got a stomach virus and a knee injury directly following. The time I was out got me down into my abyss. For two weeks I couldn’t practice or play games, which, reasonably, made me feel useless, obsolete, and lost in total darkness. I was doing physical therapy and taking my medicine, but I never felt any better, and I felt like I would never get out of the abyss, or slay my monster. But I knew I had to get better sometime, as long as I kept taking medicine and, getting off my hurt knee. When I finally did get better, having faced and slain my monster, I came back to my team with an even greater ambition, and this passed to my team, as they also wanted to see me come back and succeed as a team. With our new-found drive, we got to and won the Championships of our league. Getting out of my abyss, conquering my monster, and gaining something great out of my hard work was so fulfilling and elating, and I am very glad I had the will to achieve my final goal.

Journal Post: Joseph Campbell Passage

Journal 3: Sept. 9, 2013

Analyze a passage from the reading

“The moral objective is that of saving a people, or saving a person, or supporting an idea. The hero sacrifices himself for something-- that’s the morality of it. Now, from another position, or course, you might say that the idea for which he sacrificed himself was something that should not have been respected. That’s a judgment from the other side, but it doesn’t destroy the intrinsic heroism of the deed performed. (Campbell, p.127) 

This passage describes how a hero can come about. Campbell says that the hero must sacrifice himself for something other than himself, therefore proving he is selfless, and that he has gone through a transformation of his mythology, a death and resurrection, if you will. He also says  that these transformations or sacrifices occur with a moral goal or objective in mind. The act has to be worthy of a hero, and not just some random everyday occurrence. He also says that the moral objective is relative. Someone outside the world of the hero might  look upon the act and disrespect it, but this still doesn’t discredit or disvalue what the hero did. He still sacrificed himself for a cause and proved himself as a hero. Campbell goes on to use examples of this, talking about how Napoleon ravaged Europe during his conquests, killing many people. Yet he was a hero in France; he was risking his life for the betterment of his country. The same can be said about Christopher Columbus traveling to the New World and both unintentionally and intentionally killing Native Americans. He was a hero for Portugal and Spain, conquering these savages somewhat unknowingly, as biological warfare transpired with great ignorance on the Europeans’ part. Now we can look back on this and say he committed genocide and mass murder, which is true by today’s standards, but back then he was a hero to his country and all of Europe.

First Post: Favorites

I have read many books throughout my scholastic career. Starting with children's books with pop-out pictures and crudely drawn characters, I have slowly but surely advanced to intricate novels with specialized character development and deeply inlaid themes and morals. Up to this point, my favorite of all the books I have immersed myself in is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne. I love this particular author, because of his writing style, his great stories, his delightful characters, and his unnerving plot twists and cliff-hangers. The mystery that comes with every one of his novels, and especially in this one, is intoxicating and addictive. I can't help but read one more page, and then one more. I have read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea multiple times now and frankly, it never gets old. Even though I know the plot line, i still thoroughly enjoy the prowess and literary mastery that Jules Verne puts into all his works.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2abtTgAPnsU

My favorite dinner has long been spaghetti and garlic bread. This has been a staple meal in my family for most of my life. It has become a part of my family's culture, and everyone gets excited when it is on the menu. The hot noodles with parmesan and spaghetti sauce explode in our mouths, and the soft, starchy supplement  of the bread makes it all the better. We love it with a burning passion and have preached its tastiness to most of the people we know. Through our recommendations, we have assimilated countless people to our way of food-religion.

Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rszu3-NsLc4