Vocabulary

Julius Caesar

In the play Julius Cesar there are many different references to leadership and the qualities of a leader. Characters like Cesar, Brutus, and Cassius are compared to show good and bad qualities of leaders and how they can lead to the leader’s downfall. Some qualities I noticed in Cesar are that, like they said in the play, he is ambitious which can be good or bad depending on the circumstances. If he is ambitious for his people it could be good because he would focus on improving life for his people, but if he is ambitious for himself he could try to gain more power for himself and improve life for himself and the people around him, which would make him a tyrant like Cassius and Brutus predicted. One good quality Cesar had was that he was very good at persuading large groups of people, which can help convince a reluctant group of an idea.

One other character, who displayed qualities of good and bad leaders in the play, was Cassius. One negative quality about him is that he was very manipulative, which helped him convince Brutus and the other members of the group that assassinated Cesar to help him. A manipulative leader can convince people to do things that they otherwise would not, without them realizing that they are doing anything. One positive leadership trait that Cassius has is that he is very loyal, especially to Brutus.

The last main character in the play that showed leadership characteristics was Brutus. Brutus’s best leadership trait in the play was his selflessness and sympathy, which in a leader, help the leader focus on the need of his people and not himself. One bad leadership trait Brutus possessed was that he was very trusting, especially of Cassius. This made him very easy to manipulate in to assassinating Cesar. He was especially vulnerable to Cassius, who was very good at persuading stubborn people.

Animal Farm Readers Notebook

When we read animal farm by Gorge Orwell in class, it was actually the second time I've read the book and I already knew it was supposed to be a metaphor for the rise of the Soviet Union, so I think I was able to focus on what the characters and events represented instead of trying to follow the story line. For example, the battle of cowshed in the book when Jones tried to retake the farm represented the Russian revolution when after the czars had been overthrown, the White Army, who wanted to replace autocratic government ruled by the czar, fought the Red Army, who wanted to implement communism instead. In this war the White Army was defeated by the Red Army quickly, similar to the book where Orwell wrote "And so within five minutes of their invasion they were in ignominious retreat by the same way as they had come, with a flock of geese hissing after them and pecking at their calves all the way." I noticed similarities like these in many characters, events ,and ideas some of which were Napoleon who represented Stalin, Snowball who represented Lenin who contested Stalin for leadership over soviet Russia, Old Major who represented Marxist, the man who first conceived of communism, and animalism which represented Marxism. There is a metaphor for almost every important political figure, social class, event, and idea or figure from Soviet Russia in animal farm.
          In the book one of the only major characters I did not understand what they were a metaphor for was Boxer. Through most of the book I thought he represented the working class of Soviet Russia, until when in the text Benjamin said,"Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied. Do you not understand what that means? They are taking Boxer to the knacker's!" Later after this quote the pigs convince the animals that Boxer was only going hospital, but to the readers it is obvious that he was not. What confuses me about this part of the book is that if Boxer represented an entire social class, how could Napoleon have sold him? The scenario makes sense in the book, but I don't understand how entire social class could be "sold". One possibility could be that Boxer represented a political figure that organized labor in Soviet Russia that was executed by Stalin. Another thing that this event in the book could be a metaphor for is the Russian work camps, called gulags, that many Russian citizens who were believed to be rebellious were sent to. I think my second possible solution makes the most sense, except for the fact that the citizens sent to the gulags were either rebellious or believed to be rebellious, and that doesn't fit Boxers catch phrase "Napoleon is always right" and overall pro-Napoleon beliefs.

Gun Safety should be part of schools curriculum

          In today's society there are many people who are unaware of how to use or handle a firearm safely. This lack of knowledge has caused fear and mystery around the concept of guns, and in a situation where these people are handling a firearm it could be a danger to them and the people around them. By teaching basic gun safety in school we could lower the danger of handling firearms incorrectly and immensely reduce the danger for untrained individuals and those around them. "Proponents and foes of gun control say they want gun education and avoidance programs taught in public schools from kindergarten through middle school or even high school. “ Says Claire Moore of ABC News. "Spurred by the series of school shootings in recent years, school districts and state legislatures across the country are pushing for gun education in the classroom." In Moore's article she writes about how, after several school shootings, school districts and legislators everywhere are pushing to make gun safety training part of school curriculums to help students understand guns and how to be safe around them. There are two different strategies to how to teach gun safety in school referenced in this article, one is a NRA program called Eddie Eagle that uses the slogan “Stop, don’t touch, leave the area, tell an adult” to encourage kids to avoid guns. The second program, called STAR or straight talk about risks, teaches kids about how to manage anger, resolve conflicts non-violently, and the consequences of handling a gun or using a gun to resolve a conflict. If either of the referenced programs were implemented in schools, they could teach students about basic gun safety. Then, if the student wishes to continue learning about firearm safety for a hobby like trap shooting, target shooting, or hunting they could continue learning about firearm safety in a DNR gun safety class or other similar programs. The programs could have a tremendous effect how students handle and think of guns, which would help make schools safer from gun violence by educating children about the reality of firearm safety.

Logical Fallacies

Studying fallacies has taught me that during a debate or argument, you have to make sure that neither you nor your opponent is using opinions or fallacies. Many people use fallacies so they can avoid having to have any knowledge on the topic of an argument, and still sound credible. They are often used in political debates, news stories, and even arguments between typical people. They make it much easier to convince an audience about an idea, since some fallacies can be as convincing as actual evidence when they are used in the correct situation. Even though logical fallacies are usually used to present false information, they can still be used correctly to convey true information. For example, the fallacy ignoring a common cause is a fallacy in which you assume that because one event happened right before another, the first caused the second event though a third event could have caused them both. This fallacy could still be used to present correct information, if the second event actually did cause the third, and the first event was unrelated. Almost every fallacy has a situation where it actually true, but still are most often false.

Fallacy video

Happieness and the American Dream

Happiness is one of the most commonly contemplated subjects in the world. Everyone wants to be happy, but there is no set way of achieving it. Some people try to attain it through adventure and achievements, like climbing a mountain or completing a bucket list. Other people try to buy things that will make them happiness, which is the origin of the phrase money cannot buy happiness. Both of these strategies can work, but rarely create permanent happiness, which raises the question, what can?

The idea of happiness is closely related to an idea that is labeled the American dream. The first publicized mention of this idea was in the declaration of independence which said that all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I personally believe that what the authors of the declaration of independence meant by that was that every citizen of the United States could attempt to attain happiness in any way they see fit, even though it may not even be possible to fully attain it. In the United States we have the ability to gain what we need, and the opportunity to attain happiness.

Now back to my original question, what can provide permanent happiness? There are probably thousands of theories, each as likely as the last. In the Euphio Question by Kurt Vonnegut, he writes about one possible theory of attaining happiness through technology. Here is a passage from his short story, The gadget is, I think, what a lot of people vaguely foresaw as the crowning achievement of civilization: an electronic something-or-other, cheap, easily mass-produced, that can, at the flick of a switch, provide tranquility. In the Euphio Question Vonnegut also explains how perfect happiness, would necessarily create a utopia either as he says in this passage; The question is not whether euphio works. It does. The question is, rather, whether or not America is to enter a new and distressing phase of history where men no longer pursue happiness but buy it. I think what Vonnegut means by this is that since pursuing happiness is to a lot of people the meaning of life, what life would be without it.

One of the reasons I think perfect happiness is unachievable is in its name. In almost every single way imaginable, perfection cannot be fully attained. There is always some way to improve. You could make a more accurate measurement, run a lap faster, buy a better phone or gadget and you could still do better. As in Nathaniel Hawthornes, The Birthmark he writes, The momentary circumstance was too strong for him; he failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once for all in eternity, to find the perfect future in the present. What I think Hawthornes meant by this was that attempted to achieve full perfection, when he had what was already very near perfection, and paid the price for it.

Name: Alec

Topic: Darin

    The country is a great place to live if you enjoy the things Darin Krone does. Dirtbiking, Four-wheeling and airsoft fights are much more fun in the country than in a neighborhood. Living in the country is not without its drawbacks though. Overall though the country is a great place for a person like Darin.

    Darin Lives in the country, which is very beneficial for some of his hobbies, but makes hanging out with friends much harder because he can not walk or bike to his friends house like most people. He hangs out with his friends via Xbox instead.

    “I live in the country, so I can’t go to my friend’s house and hang out very often.”, Said Darin” instead of actually meeting up with them, we play on Xbox. It’s easier than getting my parents to drive me to there house.”

    When Darin is not playing Xbox with his friends he has several other hobbies. He likes playing airsoft and riding dirtbike and four-wheeler, especially at his cabin. This is one of his more memorable experiences while four-wheeling at his cabin.

    During fall break we went to our cabin up north by Park Rapids”, said Darin” On Sunday it snowed an inch or two and we hadn’t brought any winter clothes. Even though we were freezing we took our four- wheelers out. Every time we turned, we slid in the snow. I almost rolled it once. We could only ride for a half an hour at a time before we got too cold and had to go in.”

    Darin also likes playing basketball in organized teams. He has been playing for multiple years and it is his favorite sport. It is difficult to play in the country because there are no courts to practice on, but he play in organized leagues anyway. This is his favorite basketball game he can remember.

    It was the season of 2013, we were facing Anoka and they were a really short team,” Said Darin,” We won 40-10 and I had scored a lot of points because they didn’t have a good defense. I also had a lot of assists. Overall it was a really easy game.”

    Basketball continues to be Darin’s favorite sport today. He plays on both the Buffalo Community Middle School basketball team and the Buffalo traveling basketball team.

    “Basketball requires a huge amount of hand-eye coordination and effort,”said Darin.”It takes a long time to get really good.”

    As you can see Darin Krone is a very interesting person. He has a variety of hobbies and many other things he likes to do. He plays many sports, including basketball and football, which he greatly enjoys. So as you can see a country setting is perfect for a person like Darin.

Stranger final post

In the book the Stranger, one of the most pivotal points is when Meursault shoots the Arab. This is the main event causing Meursault's imprisonment and execution. It is also one of the moments that defines what kind of person Meursault is. If this event had not occurred in the book it would be a lot less exciting book, and we would not have understood Meursault as well because we probably never seen how he reacts in a crisis. For a human, in a crisis it is barely possible if not impossible to not show any emotion. You  could become panicked, concentrated, tense, or any of a long list of emotions, but Meursault remains emotionless and comments on how warm it is.  This was probably the second closest Meursault came to showing emotion in the book, the other time was before his execution when he finally found meaning in something which was his own death.

          If Meursault had not shot the Arab I think there could have been two different outcomes. One could have been a very short end to the book with the Arab stabbing Meursault and with him dying. The other outcome could have been Meursault escapes with none or minor injuries and eventually marrying Marie and continuing his life as it had been before his conflict with the Arabs. If Meursault after confronting the Arab had died the meaning to the story would have been similar in a way to how the story ended with the original outcome of the confrontation. If Meursault had been killed by the Arab it could have been interpreted to support Camus’s theory of absurdism. To most people Meursault’s life would have seemed to have no meaning if he died that early in the book. He never seemed to care about anything and no one seemed to care about him except a handful of people who seemed to care about him more as a tool than a friend, but if you looked deeper into Meursault’s personality even at that point in the story you could still find some meaning in Meursault’s life. The other possible outcome of if Meursault had not shot the Arab is a lot harder to predict because Camus could have come up with any number of possible outcomes and morals of the story but they probably would have all would have had something to do with absurdism, and Meursault finally finding meaning in something.

Me as a reader

Ever  since I was able to read to myself I have always like reading for recreation. I think the reason I like to read now was probably was because of my parent s reading to me when I was to young to read to my self. Sometimes I used to make my parents or younger brother sit down so I could go through a book and pretend I could read it, making up the story as I went. Eventually when I did know how to read, I would actually read to my little brothers sometimes. As they got older they became less interested in me reading so I would read to myself instead. I slowly worked my up through different types of books, from picture books, To simple chapter books, to more complicate novels.

truth blog

"The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty.", Tim O'Brien

            The truth is not always written in stone, but it is often mistaken to be. The truth in any event varies depending on what you experienced of an event. To fully understand the truth of an event you would have to witness the event from everyone there's perspective, and then figure out who saw what actually happened for. Even if you could do that you could not be sure if the perspective you chose was right, or if they were right, but missed some details. This is why jurors in a court do not make their decisions based on the word of one witness, because one witness could not see every detail of the whole event. That's why I believe that there is a truth in historical events, but it is not humanly possible to find. The only truth that we can find are the ones authors make up in fiction, because the view of their character or characters is the only view of that event, where as non-fiction writers have to try and find a set truth of an event instead of being able to make one up. So in some ways fiction is more truthful than non-fiction, but it is true to the authors truth instead of reality.  http://files.meetup.com/423109/How%20to%20Tell%20A%20True%20War%20Story_Tim%20O%27Brien.pdf

“Fiction is the lie that helps us understand the truth.”, Tim O,Brien

            So as you can see the truth, pertaining to real life events, is not simple at all. It can vary between any two people who witness an event, and it is impossible to find the perfect truth. Only in fiction or in extremely rare events can you find a perfect truth, or near perfect truth.