Blog Reflection!

Over the course of my 8th grade year, this blog has served the purpose of a lot of stuff (and to save the trees!). It is an interesting way to reflect on books that I've read, and also helped me look at books in a certain way, wether it be philosophical or in a social action lens.

I think I learned a lot about how I think by creating and using this blog. It allowed, I think, more freedom in a targeted area. Instead of just making us write a short story or whatever in our notebook or as a story, we were allowed to write our own way about what we were reading (something we'd WANT to write about), but targeting a specific thinking style (Social action, philosophical, etc.), and I think that made me think about how I think normally as a person.

I think an advantage of writing on a blog is it's faster, for one. I also like the freedom of being able to write a bit more freely and loosely than more "traditional" styles like I think is typical of notebook writing or storywriting. The only real disadvantage that I could see is WHEN we could do it- in school in a notebook is better than at home, I feel. I also think another advantage is that people do try to show their good qualities online, but even some of the qualities they don't want to show also appear in their writing. A lot of a person can be discovered by their writing, and I think the experience of this blog helped me realize that.

Personally, I don't think that I write anything that I couldn't say to another person normally, but I don't always think that's a good thing. Sometimes I think that it's not always bad to express yourself more in writing then you would in front of a person- I think that writing is a way to get feelings across in a less confrontational way, a way that is less mean and harmful to others' feelings.

I think blogs are a cool, more modern, aspect of an ELA class in the 21st century. I feel like I had a lot of fun doing this, even if it was only because I had to do it for school. I don't think I would continue doing this if I didn't have to, because I don't think I need to do it for anything else- I can't think of anything anyways.

It was totally cool to be able to have this experience, and I'm sure it will help me at some point in the future (as most school experiences do, after all).

Philosophical Blog Post for "The Matrix" [EXTRA CREDIT]

The movie "The Matrix" is about humans in the future who believe they live in a real world, but it it actually a fake world,created by the Matrix. In the real world, which only a few people know about, there is a struggle for freedom between the humans, essentially rebels, and the AI, which controls machines. Throughout the movie, many things connected to the idea of freedom, some more obvious than others. These parts of the movie were expressed by many of the quotes we learned in class.

        There were many parts in the movie where the idea of freedom came into play. For example, most humans, who believe they live in the normal world, are actually trapped by the machines in order to use the humans as a source of energy. The humans outside of the Matrix want to free the humans from slavery and a fake life. These both connect to freedom because the humans are caught believing that they are free when they actually aren't, and the humans outside of the Matrix need to free them. This also relates to a quote we learned in class, "You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free" - Clarence Darrow. This relates to the situation in the film because even the people outside of the Matrix aren't really free- they're still in constant danger from machines looking to destroy them, and so they can't do all that much, but if they were able to free the other humans from the Matrix, they would be able to destroy the machines and be free from their rule.

        Another part of the Movie where freedom is very evident is inside the fake world of the Matrix. Even though it might seem normal and fair, it is still controlled by "Agents", which are "people" in the Matrix with exceptional abilities that are unnatural. For instance, close to the start of the movie, Thomas, the main character, is taken to prison by Agents for commiting numerous computer crimes, but the Agents restrict his freedom beyond legality- not allowing Thomas to use his phone call, which you are supposed to have to give according to the law. In this way, this part of the movie connects back to freedom because inside the Matrix, freedom still isn't a given, the Agents keep a tight hold on even the fake people inside the Matrix. A quote that we learned in class that relates to this is "None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free" - Goethe. This relates to this part in the movie because the humans inside the matrix, who usually think they're free only realize that they're controlled more than they had thought once something happens to them. They believe they're free inside the Matrix until something or other happens and they realize that they have less control over their life than they thought. This is exactly what happened to Thomas in the film. Thomas is thinking he's free when he's controlled even inside the Matrix.

Freedom in "The Matrix" is a very important idea. Wether it's believing that they are free, or trying to free others, or faking freedom for someone, freedom is very prevelent in the film. When watching the film, I was enticed to consider some freedom questions, because of the nature of the film, which I think makes people ask questions. One question I had was "Can fake freedom, freedom you think you have, be real freedom for you, as long as you believe your fake freedom is what freedom is?" I aksed this because in the film, most humans live a normal life in the 1990's, doing everyday things and getting on with their life. That is the freedom they've known for their entire life, but, of course, it isn't real freedom. This is just one of many interesting questions. For this one, I think fake freedom can be a real freedom, because even though it was a fake freedom, the normal people could still think they were doing everything on their own impulse, because nothing else showed otherwise- so as long as they believed their "freedom" was real freedom, it was essentially their belif of freedom, no matter how twisted and false it was in the real world. Overall, the idea of freedom and the nature of the film raised many questions about freedom.

Philosophical Blog Post for "Life of Pi"

In Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi, the main character who is stranded in the Pacific after his boat sank crossing to Canada from India, has many things in his life that limit these freedoms. In order to survive, he has to remove the limitations on his freedoms.

There are many things that limit Pi's freedom in a lifeboat. First of all, there was fear. Pi was fearful of many things at first. One was Richard Parker, the Bengal Tiger also on the boat. In the text, he says "Richard Parker had risen and emerged... the hyena's end had come, and mine." This shows to the reader that Pi was very scared of Richard Parker, because he thought Richard Parker would kill him. This limited his freedom because he didn't want to be near Richard Parker.Another thing that limited his freedom was worry. Pi was worried about a lot of things on the boat, and that limited what he thought abou because he was worrying instead of thinking. In the text, he worries that he will never be saved or reach land. For example, he says "I was certain I wasn't alone. It was inconceivable that the Tsimtsum should sink without eliciting a peep of concern. Right now in Tokyo, in Panama City, in Madras, in Honolulu, why, even in Winnipeg, red lights were blinking on consoles, alarm bells were ringing..." This shows his worry for not being saved because he fantasizes about being saved, but he doesn't know that he will, so he worries if it will happen or not, and restricts his freedom because he isn't thinking about things he needs to think about to survive, but instead thinking about things he worries about. Pi fears a lot and worries about a lot. These two things greatly limited Pi's freedom while he didn't do anything about them.

In order to survive, Pi had to rid himself of the limitations on his freedom. For example, he stopped being fearful of Richard Parker. To do this, he had to stop caring about what Richard Parker could do. In the text, he described his decision by saying "You might think I lost all hope at this part. I did. And as a result, I perked up and felt much better... With a tiger on board my life was over. That being settled, why not do something about my parched throat?" He overcomes his fear of Richard Parker by not caring that he's there, and trying to survive instead. He decides not to fear so that he doesn't have to be weak and dehydrated, because he thinks either way he will die. Pi also overcomes his worry about being saved. In the text, he says "I also spent hours observing him [Richard Parker] because it was a distraction. A tiger is a fascinating animal at any time, and all the more so when it is your sole companion. At first, looking out for a ship was something I did all the time, compulsively. But after a few weeks, five or six, I stopped doing it nearly entirely." Pi overcomes the worry that no one will save him and that no ships will come by distracting himself with other things, and this helps him not worry. Overall, Pi helps himself survive  by not being fearful and not worrying about a lot.

Life of Pi is a book that has a lot of philosophical ideas built into it. I noticed a few were very prevelent. A big part of Pi's character is his beliefs. He believes in three religions, and also is a vegetarian. A good philosophical question that I thought of is "Should you go against your beliefs in order to survive?" This question comes up a lot in Life of Pi, for example when he has to eat fish, something he wouldn't normally do as a vegetarian, so he is very conflicted- Should he stay with his beliefs or help himself survive? Another question is "What is reality?" This comes up a lot in the book when Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba talk to Pi about his first story, the book, and the second story, one he tells them without animals or "unbelievable" things. Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba both think that Reality is only what people have seen with their eyes, so they do not believe Pi was with a Bengal Tiger on the lifeboat for so long. These two questions are but a few of the many philosophical questions raised in the book.

Effect of Setting on Characters and Story for "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a fictional account of a boy, Pi Patel, and his travels throughout the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a tiger after the boat he was taking to Canada sunk. The setting, the Pacific Ocean, has a great effect on the characters and the storyline.

The setting greatly influences character by affecting his state of mind, and how he feels. For example, the author wrote that Pi thought "Sometimes my heart was sinking so fast with anger, desolation, and weariness..." This shows he was in a bad state of mind. The author shows the Setting's effect on his state of mind when he writes about Pi's hope for finding a ship to save him: "Always the bitter emotion of hope raised and dashed... What chance was there that a ship crossing the whole great big Pacific would cut into such a tiny circle [The horizon he could see]?... No, humanity and its unreliable ways could not be counted upon." This shows that he lost hope in finding any ships because of the sheer size of the ocean, one way the setting affected him. Another, more benificial, way the setting influenced him is when Pi says "I looked around at the horizon. Didn't I have here a perfect circus ring, inescapeably round, without a single corner for him [the tiger] to hide in? I looked down at the sea. Wasn't this an ideal source of treats with which to condition him to obey? ... My panic was gone. My fear was dominated. Survival was at hand." This shows how the setting made him more hopeful and makes him feel a lot better. The setting influences the character in both negative and positive ways, but always makes him feel a certain way.

The setting influences the plot of the story, by creating the overall plot and how the characters learn in the story. For instance, when the boat sank, the author has Pi think "We left Manila and entered the Pacific. On our fourth day out, midway to Midway, we sank. The ship vanished into a pinprick hole on my map." This shows the setting influencing the plot, because obviously, without the ship sinking, the whole middle of the story would be non-existant. The setting influences how characters learn, for example when Pi thinks "At first, looking out for a ship was somethig I did all the time... but after a few weeks, five or six, I stopped doing it nearly entirely. I did not count the days or the weeks or the months. Time is an illusion which only makes us pant. I survived because I forgot even the very notion of time. What I remember are events and encounters and routines... My memories come in a jumble". This shows that Pi learned a lesson, at least for himeslf and how he was going to survive, becuase of the setting and its effect. Overall, the setting made him learn things for himself and affected the plot of the story.

All in all, the setting had a huge effect on Pi, the lessons he learned, and the story itself. It greatly influences the character, which influences you. The Setting is more than just why Pi is trapped, it's also why he is saved. In this way, the setting is very important to the story.

Critical Analysis for "Crimes Against Humanity", Upfront article by Patricia Smith

"Crimes Against Humanity", an Upfront article by Patricia Smith, is about a new U.N. report showing that North Korean leader Jim Jong Un is responsible for many more horrible things than previously known in his country. The main idea of the article is that the world hasn't been looking deep enough into what North Korea has been doing, and North Korea was able to do many bad things to its people without anyone knowing.

One example in the text that supports this idea is when the author says "kinappings, public executions, starvation, thought-control, religious persecution... A new United Nation report reveals in grim detail how the North Korean government terrorizes its people". This quote shows some of the horrible things done by the North Korean government, and backs it up by explaining the source and what it means. Another example is when the author says many more examples, such as "Kim ordered the execution of his uncle... for allegedy plotting a coup.", "Ordinary citizens have no internet access and TVs and radios receive only government channels...". All of these examples show the horrible things done by the North Korean government, which supports the main idea of the text because it supports that North Korea has been doing terrible things.

When people read the article, I think the author wanted readers to think about the comparison between North Korea and other countries that are better off, and the author wants you to feel bad for the people who have to deal with this every day. To support this, the author uses several techniques. For example, the author uses a table to compare North Korea with its neighbor, but amazingly different country of South Korea. The table shows differences in things such as population, per capita GDP, and miles of paved roads. This table shows readers how underdeveloped and unfair North Korea is compared to its sister country. For example, the miles of paved roads in South Korea is 52,000, compared to North Korea's 453 miles. The amount of money per person (Per Capita GDP) is $33,200 in South Korea, compared to $1,800 in North Korea, a startaling difference. This table, which has bars to compare each thing, shows a reader how bad North Korea is, and makes the reader think about the comparisons between the two countries. Another technique used by the author is inserting a political cartoon. In said cartoon, people are depicted being served the "Pigeon Torture", in which the punished are hung by their hands, which are tied behind their back (imagine THAT position). The caption, which is in part a quote for a former prisoner who endured the punishment, and said it would be "better to die" rather than endure the punsihment. The caption also says the prisoners would be hung like that for days, so they could not sleep or sit at all. I think putting this political cartoon and caption really makes readers aware of how bad it could be in North Korea, and makes people feel bad for people who have to endure the terrible horrors inflicted upon them.

After I read this article, I felt that people have to do things to stop this from happening. The U.N. report said Kim was also guilty of crimes against humanity. Tens of millions of people have to endure this, but others who live in much better situations do nothing, and that seems unacceptable.

Critical Analysis for "Fields of Honor" by Edwin Bearss

Fields of Honor by Edwin C. Bearss is a book that shows in great detail many important battles of the U.S. Civil War. In the book, the main idea is that the battles shown influenced the outcome of the Civil War or were important to make the outcome what it was. One example in the text that shows this is when the author writes "perhaps as many as 28,000 of Lee's 75,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. For the moment, Lee's invasion of the North had been a costly failure." Here, the author is writing about the battle of Gettysburg. The author shows how Gettysburg helped make the outcome be what it was by showing how costly Gettysburg was to the Confederate cause, by showing that around a third of Lee's army was killed, wounded or captured. A second example is when the author says of the battle of Antietam: "Five days after Antietam, taking advantage of the Union victory, Abraham Lincoln issued his peliminary Emancipation Proclamation... The war to save the Union was now also the war to free the slaves." In this quote, the author shows the importance of the battle of Antietam by saying how it allowed Lincoln to deliver the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln being able to do so affected the outcome of the war because it changed the war from the goal of preserving the U.S. to that as well as emancipation of the slaves.

In the book, the author wants you to think about how important the battles were to the Civil War, and wants you to feel like you were there, in the battle. To accomplish these goals, the author uses several techniques. First of all, he uses a certain organization and uses information to make it more evident that these battles were the most important. For example, the author selected only certain battles, generally in which important things happened, to go into the book. As for organization, they are chronologically ordered so it makes more sense to the reader. To show the importance of battles, the author gives many facts and statistics. For example, in the text, the author writes "By sundown more than 23,000 Union and Confederate soldiers are casualities in what had become the bloodiest day in American history." Facts and statistics like these help the reader understand the importance of these battles. By saying the number of dead and the fact that it was the bloodiest day in American history alerts the reader to the importance of the battle (In this case Antietam). To make you feel like you're in the battle, the author uses a variety of methods. For example, he uses the present tense and future tense to explain what's happening in the battle. One example is when the author says "The Sunken Road is a natural trench for the Confederates, but if the Yanks can gain and hold the high ground overlooking the right flank here... the Rebs are going to be in deep trouble." Quotes like these make you feel in the battle more because it sounds like it's happening at that moment, or will happen in the future, not in the past. This makes the reader feel like it's actually happening to them, instead of making them feel like it's already done. Another way the author helps the reader feel like they're in the battle is by providing maps with captions. This shows the reader more accurate views of the battlefields and troop positioning and movement, so the reader better understands what's going on, if the text is harder to understand. The visual of the battlefield helps a reader know where everything is, so when a place or unit is talked about in the text, the reader understands what's going on with it and where it is. These examples help readers think about the importance of the chosen battles, and feel more like it's happening in the moment.

When I read the book, I felt like I was learning a lot, and was thinking about what I was learning. The book is very detailed, so it gave me a lot of information about some battles that I definitely didn't know before. I think the author did a good job of making me feel in the moment and thinking about the importance, too- I definitely saw those while I was reading.

Romeo and Juliet Literary Essay

In William Shakespeare's famous Romeo and Juliet, two themes, decision making and punishment, affect the characters both individually and both together.

Decision making is important in Romeo and Juliet because it affects the characters' futures. One example of this is when Romeo decides to go to the Capulet party. When Romeo agrees to finally enter the party, saying "Direct my sail. On, lusty gentlemen" (1.4.120), he changes his future, and the future of others, as well. The decisions each character makes is important because it affects them, and others. Another example of this is when Romeo decides to marry Juliet. When Frair Lawrence says "For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone/ Till Holy Church incorporate two into one" (2.6.36-37), and Romeo agrees to marry Juliet, their futures are drastically changed. Any decision made by the characters makes a change in that character and other characters' futures.

Punishment is an important theme in Romeo and Juliet because it serves as an important detterant that affects how characters act. One example of this is the warning of punishment made by Capulet when Juliet doesn't want to marry Paris. Capulet says "An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets"(3.5.204). This affects Juliet, becuase she knows if she doesn't please her parents, they will be extremely enraged. This threat of punishment leads Juliet to fake being obedient about the wedding, to please her parents, and therefore avoiding punishment. A second example of this is the warning the Prince gives to the Montagues and Capulets after their fight: "If you ever disturb our streets again,/ Your lives shall pay the forefiet of the peace"(1.1.98-99). This affects the actions of the characters later in the story, for example at the party, when Lord Capulet stops Tybalt from going after Romeo at the party. Becuase of this warning, the Montagues and Capulets are much less inclined to fight. Warnings, and punishments that lie inside them, act as detterants, which change how characters act later on.

In Romeo and Juliet, the themes of punishment and decision making combine because characters make decisions based on their knowledge of the consequences. For example, Romeo makes the decision to kill Tybalt, even though he knows that the Prince forbade Montagues and Capulets from fightng. Benvolio attemps to stop the fight, saying "The Prince expressly hath/ forbid this brandying in Verona steets" (3.1.89-90), but Romeo fights him anyways, killing him, so Benvolio says "Romeo, away, begone!/ The citizens are up, and Tyblat is slain"(3.1.138-139), telling Romeo that he should quickly go away before people catch him and discover that he killed Tybalt. In this part, Romeo has to make the decision of killing Tybalt to get revenge, and face the punishments (or try to avoid them), or not kill Tybalt. Even though he knows the punishment is supposed to be death, he still tries to kill Tybalt. Another example of characters making decisions with knowledge of possible consequences is when Romeo and Juliet decide to marry. They both know that their families are enemies, and that this would obviously be forbidden and would come with punishment if caught, but they still decide to marry anyways. In this way, the characters in Romeo and Juliet make decisions, which affect their future and others', and this effect is sometimes due to the punishments set.

Overall, in Romeo and Juliet, the characters' decisions are made usually based on a judgement call from the characters. They ask themselves if it would be better to do something they want to do and face the consequences or try to avoid them, or not do what they want to do. This is a choice that is very evident not only in Romeo and Juliet, but also in the everyday lives of normal people. And like the characters in the play, normal people have to do what they think is the best option for them in the moment. This can sometimes, like in the book, lead to worse-than-intended conflicts and problems, but this is not always true- the opposite is just as common and normal.