As we go through life we are all faced with numerous challenges and choices, and our decisions will shape who we are and how the rest of our life will turn out. The temptation to make a bad decision just because it will bring temporary pleasure is something that everyone faces during their lifetime. Its all about weighing your options: pleasure now and regret later, or persevere now and be better off in the long run. Some people decide on their actions based on if they think they could get away doing something wrong, it all just depends on who you are and how you've lived your life up to this point.
In the story of Doctor Faustus the protagonist, or at least the central character, sells his soul to the devil for 24 years of control over the powers of another demon. His motivation behind this is top gain complete knowledge over everything mankind does not already know, and from this power. Nearing the end of the novel Faustus seemingly regrets his decision to have sold his soul, but when he begins to revoke the contract and pray to God, he is forced to resign the with Lucifer. In the end Faustus's soul is claimed by Lucifer after he wasted his 24 years he had agreed to.
This book brings up the interesting topic of what you would sell your soul for, everyone has to have their price. Now, I'm not going to go into detail about what I would sell my soul for because i don't want to make my blog about my personal life *cough* Jake *cough* However recently in my AP Environmental Science class my friends and i missed a test for a tennis meet, and someone else from the class sent me a picture of the answers. Was i really going to sell out my integrity and self worth just for a cheap grade on a test? The answer was no, i deleted the picture and took the test on my own. (I ended up getting a 75% but at least it was an honest one haha)
So the point of this all is that going through life we will be faced with tough decisions, some will be more important than others, and some will seem insignificant when we look back at them in the future. But every decision we make, and every action we take shapes our character and personality. If we don't watch what we do, we may unknowingly sell ourselves to the devil for some cheap thrills.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
Finding Oneself
Every person is different from each every other one; no matter how similar we may seem. However, we may not be as different as seem to be. We're all human; we walk the same Earth, breath the same air, see the same sky. Different people want different things from this world; some want to be equal to everyone else, to just fit in, while others want to blaze their own trail in life and leave their mark as a person.
In Kate Chopin's The Awakening the main character, Edna, decided that she wanted to find more in her life. She went on a spiritual journey, breaking away from social norms to leave her mark and find herself. Edna began to break away from the men in her life, denouncing her marriage and refusing her lover. Edna "awakened" her inner self through a number of methods including her art, renouncing marriage, and eventual suicide. While it is not necessary to go through such great lengths to find oneself, many people do follow a similar path as Edna did in an attempt to find their own way through life.
However, there are some people who would do almost anything to just be able to fit into the crowd, to just be able to do what everyone else can do. For example Afghan women in the middle east last year were able to vote, many showing of the purple ink dabbed on their fingers as proof that they voted. Voting season is coming up again soon and is a reminder of how hard these women had to fight, just to be the same as everyone else. Suffrage is a basic right of all people, yet sadly is not a universal liberty for everyone.
As we move through life we all choose to live in our own personally way, adapting to the society around us and finding our ways through life. I personally choose to live my life trying to leave my own mark, I don't want to be just like everyone else. With the society we live in its becoming increasingly harder to stand out from the crowd; which is disheartening to many people. I personally would rather struggle through and attempt to be my own person, dealing with the conditions I'm giving, than attempt to join in the crowd even if its easier or more convenient.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Making Decisions
In today's advanced society we are confronted with a number of choices every day; what time will i get up at, what should i eat for breakfast, what cloths will i wear, what should i do today? Although to us these choices may seem trivial, they are a coveted freedom that we take for granted all too often now-a-days. Throughout history people have been being oppressed by other humans; their basic rights and liberties taken away and treated as if they were lesser beings than others. Just because we live in a more advanced society does not mean that this oppression has completely gone away; it is still present in Middle Eastern Countries of today, as portrayed in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
The first part of Khaled's novel tells about a young girl, Mariam, who lives along with her mother until she passed and her biological father, Jalil, takes her in. Now, Mariam was born out of wedlock and Jalil needed to get rid of her. Lucky for Jalil, It was not only acceptable but encouraged to arrange marriages; so Mariam was set up to marry Rasheed. Mariam of course, had no say in the matter, and was forced into a miserable marriage that was based off of lies and pain. Because of her lack of basic rights Mariam was forced to spend her life with a man whom she had no interest in, and created a marriage that was poorly built because of her lack of freedom.
One important and largely discussed topic going around the US today is that of the legality of abortion. This topic is a driving force behind many elections, and is not just another political question; but a question of freedom. Should it be allowed to make it so women cannot get an abortion? Is this not limiting their basic freedoms? However, if we allow women to get abortions aren't we taking away the baby's right to live? I personally believe that women should be allowed to choose whether or not to keep the child; simply because the kids birth will have the largest effect on them. Having children can be socially and economically demanding, and not all women choose to become pregnant. In conclusion i believe that it should be up to the woman to decide on the future of the child, as it will be a burden upon her the most in the future.
The first part of Khaled's novel tells about a young girl, Mariam, who lives along with her mother until she passed and her biological father, Jalil, takes her in. Now, Mariam was born out of wedlock and Jalil needed to get rid of her. Lucky for Jalil, It was not only acceptable but encouraged to arrange marriages; so Mariam was set up to marry Rasheed. Mariam of course, had no say in the matter, and was forced into a miserable marriage that was based off of lies and pain. Because of her lack of basic rights Mariam was forced to spend her life with a man whom she had no interest in, and created a marriage that was poorly built because of her lack of freedom.
One important and largely discussed topic going around the US today is that of the legality of abortion. This topic is a driving force behind many elections, and is not just another political question; but a question of freedom. Should it be allowed to make it so women cannot get an abortion? Is this not limiting their basic freedoms? However, if we allow women to get abortions aren't we taking away the baby's right to live? I personally believe that women should be allowed to choose whether or not to keep the child; simply because the kids birth will have the largest effect on them. Having children can be socially and economically demanding, and not all women choose to become pregnant. In conclusion i believe that it should be up to the woman to decide on the future of the child, as it will be a burden upon her the most in the future.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
December Monthly Blog
Post Traumatic Stress disorder is a fairly common problem among people who have gone through a traumatizing experience sometime in their past. A common misconception is that the trauma was a recent event, but this is not always how PTSD works. The cause of PTSD can have happened at any point in a persons life, from their childhood all the way up to their present day lives. It is not always an immediate effect, sometimes laying dormant in someone until it is triggered later in their lives. Many people are unaware of how this can affect a person's everyday routine, and change their very way of living.
In the book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are characterized for the first time. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, experiences a series of unlikely events and hallucinations after returning home from the second world war. Billy begins to believe in a number of insane theories like he has the ability to time travel, he was abducted by aliens, and that every moment ever is happening at the same exact time. In addition to these hallucinations, Billy is also shown several times being deeply affected by reminders of his time spent as a prisoner of war. One of these events was when he heard and saw the barbershop courtet, which reminded him of the guards that were near him during the bombing of Dresden. Kurt's representation of PTSD through Billy and the self narrated chapters where the first of their time. He used them to help strengthen his anti-war campaign as the Vietnam war raged on.
Ever since September Eleventh 2001 the United States has been involved in a "war against terrorism". This war involves send thousands of troops over into the middle east, deploying them into dangerous situations in order to keep the citizens of these other nations safe. There are many people who believe this is a noble cause, but also not one worth risking our soldiers' lives overs. Many soldiers come home with disabilities, both physical and mental, which hobble their ability to perform in everyday life. PTSD can leave these veterans out on the street, delusional and with no chance of forming a professional career. Creating a nationwide awareness of this disorder and creating plans and centers to help not only soldiers but anyone suffering from PTSD or a similar disorder.
My grandfather and his family from my mothers side all have been enlisted into many different branches f the military, from air force to navy to army. I have been lucky in the matte that none of them have personally experienced PTSD, but they do have friends who have gone through it. The thought of my family going through this without being able to receive or afford professional help terrifies me. I believe the nation should put more of an emphasis on PTSD and helping our veterans who risk their lives to keep our nations safe.
In the book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are characterized for the first time. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, experiences a series of unlikely events and hallucinations after returning home from the second world war. Billy begins to believe in a number of insane theories like he has the ability to time travel, he was abducted by aliens, and that every moment ever is happening at the same exact time. In addition to these hallucinations, Billy is also shown several times being deeply affected by reminders of his time spent as a prisoner of war. One of these events was when he heard and saw the barbershop courtet, which reminded him of the guards that were near him during the bombing of Dresden. Kurt's representation of PTSD through Billy and the self narrated chapters where the first of their time. He used them to help strengthen his anti-war campaign as the Vietnam war raged on.
Ever since September Eleventh 2001 the United States has been involved in a "war against terrorism". This war involves send thousands of troops over into the middle east, deploying them into dangerous situations in order to keep the citizens of these other nations safe. There are many people who believe this is a noble cause, but also not one worth risking our soldiers' lives overs. Many soldiers come home with disabilities, both physical and mental, which hobble their ability to perform in everyday life. PTSD can leave these veterans out on the street, delusional and with no chance of forming a professional career. Creating a nationwide awareness of this disorder and creating plans and centers to help not only soldiers but anyone suffering from PTSD or a similar disorder.
My grandfather and his family from my mothers side all have been enlisted into many different branches f the military, from air force to navy to army. I have been lucky in the matte that none of them have personally experienced PTSD, but they do have friends who have gone through it. The thought of my family going through this without being able to receive or afford professional help terrifies me. I believe the nation should put more of an emphasis on PTSD and helping our veterans who risk their lives to keep our nations safe.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
A Matter Of Opinion
Growing up as a child most people were taught basic morals from their parents; don't steal, always tell the truth, be kind to others, etc. We were also taught to respect peoples opinions and realize that not everyone felt the same about everything, and that was okay. But what they didn't teach us was that these two can overlap, that sometimes it is okay to lie or to kill, it all just depends on where you are and how you view it. The basis of many of our morals are all dependent on the society that we live in, and can change from place to place. This leads to a large confusion when two different moral codes confront each, neither one is right (or wrong) but each thinks that they are.
In his article The Challenge of Cultural Relativism James Rachels uses a number of examples to help to explain this to his readers. His first is the example of two different cultures of people, the Greeks and Callatians, who had two different rituals with deceased people, cremation and cannibalism. His point was basically that each of these cultures had reasons for how they treated the dead, and were appalled by how the other culture acted. Neither one is particularly correct in the manner, it is the tradition and moral code they were raised with that makes is correct for them. Rachels also shows this with Eskimos and their infanticide, how for their society it is necessary and acceptable to do what we have deemed to be terrible and immoral. However, just because people disagree does not mean they are both correct, Rachels states. The previous examples were opinionated subjects, but if someone say that a fruit is an apple and someone else says it is not, both cannot be correct. Often today people struggle to realize the difference between their societal morals and traditions, and what are actually facts.
In Things Fall Apart these cultural differences are shown in many ways because of the background from which the story comes. The first is the ultimatum given stating that a young man and a virgin must be given up or the two tribes will go to war. Today we look at this with disgust, trading people and forcibly taking them is cruel and inhuman. But in reality our culture does it just the same. We bargain for resources and land; materials we can use to fuel our economy and keep our nation going. These tribes are no different, men are useful as workers, farmers, warriors, and hunters; a valuable commodity. Women are the sole source of reproduction, you cant expand as a society without people in that society. Then in the end of the novel the kinsmen refuse to touch the body of a man who committed suicide. Although we may view this as disrespectful and silly, they are justified in their reasoning. Just as we would not dig up the body of anyone already buried they wont touch the body of someone who has shamed himself and his kin in such a profound way.
Personally I believe that there are many things that we view as a society as a fact or universal moral that in reality is just an influence of our past traditions. These rules and codes of conduct that we have are very malleable and should not be accepted as facts, because they are not. However, as we travel around the world we should take into consideration the society we are in and how their culture is different from our own. Just because we are from another culture does not give us the right to blatantly bash and spit upon another one we are not familiar with. As long as someone actions have a proper and valid motivation, they cannot be seen as evil or incorrect. After all, we have many laws and moral codes stating that murder is injust and wrong, but we have millions and millions of people trained and ready whose sole job is to fight and killed when they are called upon to do so.
In his article The Challenge of Cultural Relativism James Rachels uses a number of examples to help to explain this to his readers. His first is the example of two different cultures of people, the Greeks and Callatians, who had two different rituals with deceased people, cremation and cannibalism. His point was basically that each of these cultures had reasons for how they treated the dead, and were appalled by how the other culture acted. Neither one is particularly correct in the manner, it is the tradition and moral code they were raised with that makes is correct for them. Rachels also shows this with Eskimos and their infanticide, how for their society it is necessary and acceptable to do what we have deemed to be terrible and immoral. However, just because people disagree does not mean they are both correct, Rachels states. The previous examples were opinionated subjects, but if someone say that a fruit is an apple and someone else says it is not, both cannot be correct. Often today people struggle to realize the difference between their societal morals and traditions, and what are actually facts.
In Things Fall Apart these cultural differences are shown in many ways because of the background from which the story comes. The first is the ultimatum given stating that a young man and a virgin must be given up or the two tribes will go to war. Today we look at this with disgust, trading people and forcibly taking them is cruel and inhuman. But in reality our culture does it just the same. We bargain for resources and land; materials we can use to fuel our economy and keep our nation going. These tribes are no different, men are useful as workers, farmers, warriors, and hunters; a valuable commodity. Women are the sole source of reproduction, you cant expand as a society without people in that society. Then in the end of the novel the kinsmen refuse to touch the body of a man who committed suicide. Although we may view this as disrespectful and silly, they are justified in their reasoning. Just as we would not dig up the body of anyone already buried they wont touch the body of someone who has shamed himself and his kin in such a profound way.
Personally I believe that there are many things that we view as a society as a fact or universal moral that in reality is just an influence of our past traditions. These rules and codes of conduct that we have are very malleable and should not be accepted as facts, because they are not. However, as we travel around the world we should take into consideration the society we are in and how their culture is different from our own. Just because we are from another culture does not give us the right to blatantly bash and spit upon another one we are not familiar with. As long as someone actions have a proper and valid motivation, they cannot be seen as evil or incorrect. After all, we have many laws and moral codes stating that murder is injust and wrong, but we have millions and millions of people trained and ready whose sole job is to fight and killed when they are called upon to do so.
Friday, October 31, 2014
The Heros of Our Time
Often times when someone mentions a hero people today think of the Marvel superheros or the big brawny men who can lift cars and fight bad guys. But how did this perception come to be, when they were so different back in Greek and Roman times? The evolution of a hero comes with a changing society and the evolution of the technology of the day.
The definition of a hero and their heroic deeds has greatly changed, and is most easily seen through the different cultures of time periods. In Greek and Roman times a hero was someone who was of godly decent, they fought monsters and won prizes. People like Hercules and Achilles who performed great deeds and saved their nations from catastrophic events caused by jealous and angry Gods. Then as time went on the Renaissance came to be and the definition of a hero changed once again. Instead of demigods fighting monsters it turned to nobles, rising horses, acting as knights in shining armor. They would lead their individual armies on raids of enemy castles, they would win riches for their kings, and they would save damsels in distress. Every now and then they would go and fight dragons, which shows the influence of past cultures on the heroes of the time.
Now, in modern times we have our comic book and movie superheroes. Crime-fighting, building jumping, supernatural people with special powers. However, when we look to real life heroes we look at our teachers, military, doctors, and policemen. One woman who was considered a hero was Kaci Hickox, who went to Sierra Leone to treat Ebola patients. She was revered and idolized for her noble acts of risking her own safety and health to help these underprivileged people. In many people's minds she was a modern day Mother Theresa and a hero in our eyes. But when she returned home she was put into a quarantine by the state of New Jersey, for safety precautions. Our hero was outraged, trash talking the state in the news as she was forced to stay away from people for 21 days. Now the people could see the true insides of our hero, was she rightly outraged, or was she overreacting? After all it is a deadly disease that society should be protected from, but she was tested negative for the disease twice already.
Then there are the heroes of way before the Romans and Greeks, back in the time of the Celts and Geats. The story of Beowulf depicts a hero and is conquest over a number of monsters. The hero of his time was supposed to be superhuman strong and boast about all of his achievements, as Beowulf himself was very much so. This old English literature is commonly referred to as a base or beginning of heroic tales and the archetype of heroes. Beowulf went out, fighting monsters and dragons, which may have influenced the future generations in their need to have an unrealistic monster or Gillian that can only be defeated by these superhuman heroes. Then as the ages went on the heroes evolved and as did their foes. The hubris of the Geat hero turned into a fatal flaw for the future heroes, and is no longer a part of modern days culture.
After reading this book and the article I have decided that modern day heroes have evolved gradually and slowly with the times, going through phases to reach where we are from the old heroes like Beowulf. As culture changed and technology evolved, the stories and heroes adapted to change with them, keeping tales of old alive. I think that before the heroes were more a comforting tale to tell people to reassure them, but as times went on the tales became more realistic and some people were able to actually fulfill these deeds. And now in modern day we consider people heroes as many every day people who do these things we admire. They are more now idols than heroes, but maybe these idols are the heroes we truly need in today's society.
The definition of a hero and their heroic deeds has greatly changed, and is most easily seen through the different cultures of time periods. In Greek and Roman times a hero was someone who was of godly decent, they fought monsters and won prizes. People like Hercules and Achilles who performed great deeds and saved their nations from catastrophic events caused by jealous and angry Gods. Then as time went on the Renaissance came to be and the definition of a hero changed once again. Instead of demigods fighting monsters it turned to nobles, rising horses, acting as knights in shining armor. They would lead their individual armies on raids of enemy castles, they would win riches for their kings, and they would save damsels in distress. Every now and then they would go and fight dragons, which shows the influence of past cultures on the heroes of the time.
Now, in modern times we have our comic book and movie superheroes. Crime-fighting, building jumping, supernatural people with special powers. However, when we look to real life heroes we look at our teachers, military, doctors, and policemen. One woman who was considered a hero was Kaci Hickox, who went to Sierra Leone to treat Ebola patients. She was revered and idolized for her noble acts of risking her own safety and health to help these underprivileged people. In many people's minds she was a modern day Mother Theresa and a hero in our eyes. But when she returned home she was put into a quarantine by the state of New Jersey, for safety precautions. Our hero was outraged, trash talking the state in the news as she was forced to stay away from people for 21 days. Now the people could see the true insides of our hero, was she rightly outraged, or was she overreacting? After all it is a deadly disease that society should be protected from, but she was tested negative for the disease twice already.
Then there are the heroes of way before the Romans and Greeks, back in the time of the Celts and Geats. The story of Beowulf depicts a hero and is conquest over a number of monsters. The hero of his time was supposed to be superhuman strong and boast about all of his achievements, as Beowulf himself was very much so. This old English literature is commonly referred to as a base or beginning of heroic tales and the archetype of heroes. Beowulf went out, fighting monsters and dragons, which may have influenced the future generations in their need to have an unrealistic monster or Gillian that can only be defeated by these superhuman heroes. Then as the ages went on the heroes evolved and as did their foes. The hubris of the Geat hero turned into a fatal flaw for the future heroes, and is no longer a part of modern days culture.
After reading this book and the article I have decided that modern day heroes have evolved gradually and slowly with the times, going through phases to reach where we are from the old heroes like Beowulf. As culture changed and technology evolved, the stories and heroes adapted to change with them, keeping tales of old alive. I think that before the heroes were more a comforting tale to tell people to reassure them, but as times went on the tales became more realistic and some people were able to actually fulfill these deeds. And now in modern day we consider people heroes as many every day people who do these things we admire. They are more now idols than heroes, but maybe these idols are the heroes we truly need in today's society.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Prison Guard Brutality
Guard and police brutality has always been a touchy subject to discuss. There are many points and factors to take into account when trying to prove a point or make a discussion about this topic. It is in their job description as enforcers of the law to stop people from commuting crimes and to protect society as whole, even if it means using force to disable the criminal. However there comes a point where the officer is no longer protecting society, but is taking advantage of a helpless man or woman.
One insight on the reality of the situation in prisons was the interview done with Jelpi Picou, an inmate at Orleans Parish Prison. He stated that the prison was in no way up to the legal standards set by the sate for such containment facilities. The guards there ran a drug ring, they encouraged fights, and they took every opportunity they had to inflict harm the prisoners. While the first offense is completely illegal, and the second is the opposite of what they are there to do, the third is what brings up the most controversy. These guards treat the inmates as the scum of the earth, and take the little power they have and blow it out or proportion. They will beat down and inflict bodily harm upon the inmates our of the realm of reason, way beyond the person stopping resisting. Although they are permitted to use force to qualm quarrels, there becomes a point where they are no longer protecting themselves and society, but instead they have become the criminals themselves, beating on a helpless citizen.
This relates to the book the Power of One as to the multiple scenes in the jail where Peekay learns to box. The most obvious connection between this jail and a real life one is when Lieutenant Borman boxes with Geel Piet and kills him. Much like in real life this "incident" goes unnoticed and unreported. These kinds of crimes are, in my opinion, as bad as any crime that can get you into these prisons and jails. This obvious abuse of power is disgusting and should be punished with jail time itself.
Police brutality is another topic that is along the same line of guard brutality, which brings up the current topic of the Micheal Brown in Ferguson. When the police shot the unarmed boy in cold blood, people began to riot in the streets. The injustice of it all, the poor boy was unarmed, he didn't even do anything to offend the officer. But the officer says that the boy was resisting and he needed to use force to protect himself. Doesn't this situation sound just a little familiar? The problem is when it happens behind bars to already convicted criminals it doesn't matter, but if the exact same thing happens to a "free innocent man" then it is the end of the world.
The difference between these two acts is negligible, and they are both a serious crime that needs to be reprimanded. If the nation were to get together and stand behind fighting guard brutality and abuse like they do for cases like Micheal Brown's, this problem could be solved.
One insight on the reality of the situation in prisons was the interview done with Jelpi Picou, an inmate at Orleans Parish Prison. He stated that the prison was in no way up to the legal standards set by the sate for such containment facilities. The guards there ran a drug ring, they encouraged fights, and they took every opportunity they had to inflict harm the prisoners. While the first offense is completely illegal, and the second is the opposite of what they are there to do, the third is what brings up the most controversy. These guards treat the inmates as the scum of the earth, and take the little power they have and blow it out or proportion. They will beat down and inflict bodily harm upon the inmates our of the realm of reason, way beyond the person stopping resisting. Although they are permitted to use force to qualm quarrels, there becomes a point where they are no longer protecting themselves and society, but instead they have become the criminals themselves, beating on a helpless citizen.
This relates to the book the Power of One as to the multiple scenes in the jail where Peekay learns to box. The most obvious connection between this jail and a real life one is when Lieutenant Borman boxes with Geel Piet and kills him. Much like in real life this "incident" goes unnoticed and unreported. These kinds of crimes are, in my opinion, as bad as any crime that can get you into these prisons and jails. This obvious abuse of power is disgusting and should be punished with jail time itself.
Police brutality is another topic that is along the same line of guard brutality, which brings up the current topic of the Micheal Brown in Ferguson. When the police shot the unarmed boy in cold blood, people began to riot in the streets. The injustice of it all, the poor boy was unarmed, he didn't even do anything to offend the officer. But the officer says that the boy was resisting and he needed to use force to protect himself. Doesn't this situation sound just a little familiar? The problem is when it happens behind bars to already convicted criminals it doesn't matter, but if the exact same thing happens to a "free innocent man" then it is the end of the world.
The difference between these two acts is negligible, and they are both a serious crime that needs to be reprimanded. If the nation were to get together and stand behind fighting guard brutality and abuse like they do for cases like Micheal Brown's, this problem could be solved.
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