Review of the Flies

          In general I liked this book but if I was choosing to read a book for fun I would not choose this book. This book was very interesting and had many cool concepts in it but If I were to just read this book and not annotate or talk about it which I usually do, I would think of the book is about sick minded kids killing each other on the island. I would get some of the deeper concepts and meanings but not all would be present when reading this book. I am glad that I got to read this book in this class because it was like a book club for the book and I got more meaning from the reading when we came to class the next day and talked about the book. I really liked lot of the concepts in the book and how Golding was able to almost give the book different meanings. One of the concepts in the book I really liked was the body that represented history. I really liked this because when I read this chapter I didn't think of the body that way but when we came to class and talked about how the body represented history it was really clear that after taking another look at the text. "There was a sudden bright explosion and a corkscrew trail across the sky; then darkness again and stars." (Golding 96) This part is when the body first appears and reading this the first time I thought nothing of it but then I realized that it is like the big bang which is the beginning of history. I thought this was really cool but I also liked how there was basically a clock in the book telling you how long the boys have been on the island. "He would like to have a pair of scissors and cut his hair-he flung the mass back-cut his filthy hair right back to a half inch." (Golding 110) The way to tell how long the boys where on the island was small references to how long the boys hair is from the beginning. As the boys progress through the book Golding says things that reference that there hair is longer or there is a lot of hair now. I think this just shows how deep this book is that even for the time you have to look at the text and read it maybe twice to see what time it is.

Weekend Concept

Since I can't think of anything to write about I will just write about the weekend in this free write. Weekends are very fun but also very sad. One of the many reasons i love the weekend is because i technically count Friday as the weekend. Not to school part but the rest of the night. I do this because weekday is a day where when you get home you must get all your homework done and you can't hang out with your friends because you have school tomorrow. Friday is a day where you can hang with your friend and not worry about that assignment due on Monday because you have two days to do it.

Free Write as a Optimist

This is another Friday free write and this time I am going to talk about my weekend and the way a week is structured. First, I feel that when it comes to counting down the minutes till the weekend starts and i can just relax and hang out with my friends i am an optimist. I have told my Brother this theory i have about the week and he says he can't think that way. I have been using this for quite a long time and sometimes it has its down fall due to those days where you simply can function. The concept is simply saying (and you have to have a good schedule for the week.) that when it is Monday say to yourself tomorrow is Tuesday but after Tuesday if Wednesday and after Wednesday is Thursday and then Friday. You are probably thinking that that is dumb but to me it works.

Free Write Whats Up

This is my Friday free write an I am just going to talk about this week. This week was pretty boring and nothing super cool really happened. In chemistry we are learning about identifying molecular equations. Chemistry is a sort of hard class. I get most of the concepts but the tests still sometimes still sometimes surprise me with the questions. Luckily for my class my teacher offers a retake on the test. This helps me a lot because now that I know the way the questions are structured I can now have less surprises on the test and better grades. Spanish class is fine but I really don't like how the teacher calls on random people. I have thought about this a lot and come to the conclusion that this is necessary in a world language. Some student don't answer the question for fear of embarrassing themselves in front of the whole class but some simply don't know it. But for the kids who do not know it it is beneficial because it takes them through the process on learning the word.

Piggy as the Bigger Idea

One character that seems to be very odd and just wants to be liked is piggy. This character physically seems to be pretty fat and wears glasses. He seems like as a kid he did not have that many friends and seems to kinda be the loner. From the book it seems like he is really trying hard just to be loved by everyone but no matter how hard he tries he is always outcastes. I think this partly because of him growing up with no parents and living with his aunt where he can eat any amount of candy he want.

Swifts a Modest Proposal

           In this day and age satire is all around. When we turn on the TV we see shows like The Daily Show and The Simpsons that use satire to change try and change society. We also see many short clips from sites like YouTube that have various examples of satire. All this satirical comedy is from one man who set the stage for every one else, Jonathan Swift. The question is, is this form of mockery really a effective way to target people, make them aware, and then change the ills of society? In Swifts A Modest Proposal, it does just that.

          In this paragraph from Swift, it is talking about his proposal and the benefits of it and how it will help the people of Ireland greatly, "It is exactly at one year old that I propose to provide for them in such a manner as instead of being a charge upon their parents or the parish, or wanting food and raiment for the rest of their lives, they shall on the contrary contribute to the feeding, and partly to the clothing, of many thousands." (Swift 1). In this paragraph Swift is talking about a plan that will help Ireland become rich and wealthy. His plan is to take all the beggar babies after one year old and have the population of Ireland eat them and use their clothes. This is a very effective piece of satire because Swift is using irony and sarcasm to expose this idea that sound so gross to change society's ills. Also in this paragraph, "And maturely weighted the several schemes of other projects, I have always found this one grossly mistaken in the computation." (Swift 1). This part of the paragraph is making people aware that England has had many ideas to help Ireland but has taken no action so this is the greatest plan. This paragraph has successfully expose England the target for destroying the foundation of Ireland. It has also made England aware that this is what the argument has come too.Lastly, made it so gruesome that England will want to change. 

          In this next paragraph Swift is using irony sarcasm and stereotypes to sarcastically make fun of the Irish people, and to show England what they have done to them, "Men would become as fond of their wives during the time of their pregnancy as they are now of their mares in foal, their cows in calf Their sows when they are ready to farrow; nor offer to beat or kick them (as is too frequent a practice) for fear of a miscarriage."(Swift 7). In this Swift is talking about the benefits of this idea and is saying that Irish men would now instead of beating there wife's treat them like a cow with a calf because they can sell the child for money. "Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own." (Swift 7). In this Swift is again using stereotypes that the Irish are so poor that after this plan they will finally own something. Swift is again targeting England and using stereotypes on the Irish to expose what England has left them with. Swift is saying that because England has ruled out all other ideas of helping Ireland now they have to kill there babies and this will also help the men not beat their wives. Swift has again made a effective piece of satire because he has exposed England through stereotypes and sarcasm, made them aware that they are being stereotypical and childish in not helping Ireland, and made them want to change from being childish and help Ireland. 

          In this next paragraph Swift is using sarcasm to make fun of the English people and say that he is too old and will not be able to participate in killing and eating the children.  "I have no children by which I can propose that to get a single penny; my youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing." (Swift 9). In this Swift is proposing this gross idea that he can not take part in. This is making fun of how anything that the English propose because they can not help in and it will only benefit them. We see this a lot today like on The Daily Show. In this show they make fun of a lot of politicians that want to make changes to America but can not participate in the changes they want. In this next part Swift is talking about how nothing else worked so the Irish have to kill the beggars babies. "I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have nit the least personal interest in endeavoring to promote this necessary work, having no other motive that the goof of my country." (Swift 9). Swift is saying that all other plans proposed by the Irish were turned down and the English have no intention to help. Swift has again successfully used sarcasm and irony to target England, Make them aware that they have proposed other ideas to save Ireland but have been turned down, and how childish England is and how unfair they are. This makes England want to change the way they are because they feel childish and they feel exposed.
           Through many techniques like sarcasm, irony, and stereotypes. Swift has successfully used satire to change the way society is. This has also shaped the way for many comedians and writers to use these tool to expose whats wrong with the world and have the world change. Swift has also lade out the foundation on how Satire should be used. Satire can be really bad if people don't get it and feel like the party is agreeing with them. But if used correctly like in Swifts A Modest Proposal Satire can help shape a new and better world. 

The Swift Life of Jonathan Swift

1.       Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667 and died October 19, 1745.

2.       His father died two months before he was born so he was raised by his Uncle.

3.       As a child he suffered from Meniere’s disease, an infection of the inner ear that made him hard of hearing.

4.       Some of the schools he went to include Kilkenny School, Trinity College, and University of Oxford

5.       5. Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland and dies there too.

“A wise person should have money in their head, and not in their heart.”

-Jonathan Swift

“Trinity College was closed, and an ambitious Swift took the opportunity to go to England, where he hoped to gain preferment in the Anglican Church”

-David Cody 

The Satire of a Apple Store

             

                In this clip of The Simpsons it is making a lot of fun of apple. In the clip Lisa sees a "Mapple" store in the mall and the whole family goes to check it out. The Mapple store is representing an Apple store and all through this clip they are using satire to make fun of this company.  The store seems like all the products are really expensive and pretty confusing to use. At one point Lisa asks the store clerk if she can by a fake pair of headphones because she can’t afford any real products. The store clerk says yes and says they are called "Iphonies:" and cost 40 which is too much for Lisa. Another thing that happens is Homer is talking to a clerk and he asks what this product does. The clerk says "its not what the product can do for you its what you can do for the product."

                In this clip of The Simpsons we can see lots of funny satire. This satire is basically making fun of people who buy and use Apple products. The first example of satire is when Lisa asks the store clerk for a fake pair of Mapple head phones called "Iphonies". The clerk says they are 40 dollars and Lisa can’t afford them. This is making fun of how ridiculous the price of Apple products are and how much people spend on their products. Another example of satire is when Homer is learning about a product from Mapple. In the clip Homer is being helped by the store clerk so he can use the product. The clerk says what can you do for the product. this is making fun of how people get so wrapped up in their technology. It is also making fun of how Apple products are so cool and intelligent that you have to do things for them.  

The meaning of hero to me

                                  What does hero mean to you?  Do you have a hero real or fictional?
          I think that the word hero simply means someone you look up to. In comics and movies you can see that a hero is a person who saves lives and helps the world become a better place. I think that in the real world there are heroes that don’t really save lives or help the world become a better place. I think a hero is the idea of someone you wish to be. I have a lot of heroes because there are so many people in my life who I look up to. The people I look up to a lot are some of my family members like my Brother. I also look up to people who have developed and helped the world become a better place. Some of these people are world leaders that inspire me. Other people include great innovators like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. I think in a way all people want to be like Steve and Bill because they have founded this new technology that has not only made them famous but also helped the world greatly. I also have fictional heroes that I like. I don’t really want to be like them but want to have some of the same characteristics as they do. I really like the characters that have to be brave like Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins because these characters are very good about being brave when it is needed most.

Super Cool Project

             This project I though was really cool. One of the cool things was that we got to pick our own group. I think that this sometimes works better if you are with your friends because than you are comfortable sharing ideas and more comfortable talking with them about the project. This of course also has its flaws. Sometimes you will not get a lot of work done with your friends because you are distracted. I think this did happen with our group. Every day we worked on are paragraphs but didn’t really think about the design. When Thursday came we felt like we could just paste everything on the board but because we didn’t plan it out we were a little behind. Overall I really liked this project because we didn’t have to write as much and instead made the poster cool.

When people got up to share their posters I think it was really cool. Most of the movies these groups did I watched and it was cool to make that connection with the hero’s journey. A lot of the posters where really colorful and looked like it took a lot of time to make. I also liked seeing everyone’s theme and the thing in the middle of the poster. In the middle of the poster you are supposed to have a key element that was in the movie. A lot of the middle things on the poster were really cool and made well. Looking at the other groups it looked like they did plan theirs out a little better than my group. My favorite poster was probably the Hercules one because it was so well put together and colorful. 

Into the Abyss

I don’t really have a life changing abyss that I can think about right now but a sad thing that didn’t really seem sad when it happened was when my Grandma died. I was in kindergarten and we went out to visit my family in Rock Island for Christmas. It was really fun, but I don’t really remember how long we were out there but I thought it was a long time. The day of Christmas was so cool. My Brother and I got so many presents and it was awesome. Later that day they had to take my grandma to the hospital because she was very sick. I didn’t think anything of it because I was young and thought that she would just come home later that night. The next day though my mom told us that she died in her sleep. This would have been a way more traumatizing event if I was older but I was young at the time. 

Heroic Transformation

          “When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.” This is a really cool quote because it is taking about how one becomes heroic. The cool thing is if you apply this to heroic movies, you will see the hero give up his self-preservation. This quote is saying that you become a hero when you stop thinking about your wellness and start thinking about other people. You can see this in almost every Superhero movie. Super hero’s save people because they have started to not only think of themself but to think of other people. This quote is also saying that we become a new person consciously. When one stops thinking about them self and starts to think of others he is no longer in his mind think of himself but of others. I think this quote relates to what Campbell said in the beginning. He said to become a hero one must give him/herself up to something bigger. These quotes relates because it is both talking about how you must not think of yourself but of others. In a lot of movies the hero always has the option of sacrificing himself to save the life of one or many. He always does too because when he became a hero he stopped thinking about him and thought of the good of other.   

potatoes boil'em mash'em stick'em in a stew

One of my all time favorite movie trilogy is The Lord of The Rings. I like this trilogy because it always takes so long to watch. I like this because than you wont remember lots of parts of the movie and it will seem new every time. I also think that this trilogy has some of the best characters, one example is the hobbits. The hobbits are cool because they are so small but so sneaky and like in the movie travel far places with out getting noticed. Also they are some of the smallest characters in the book. Yet they have the biggest part of destroying all evil and carrying the the biggest burden, the ring. I also think that the race of elf's is really cool because of how mysterious they are and how powerful they are. Another reason I really like this movie is because it does a great job of having most of the parts of the book. Some movies are really bad because they are not like the book at all and basically ruin the book for people who read. One of the biggest reasons I like this movie is all the great quotes. There are so many quotes that are inspiring and when you watch the movie you feel good when you hear those.

The volcano in this scene represents heaven because it is where all evil goes to die and where Frodo goes to destroy the ring. I think Sam so strong and courageous because he does not wish to see every thing he loves die. I think that this quotes is taking about how we never have to do a quest alone there is always some one he loves you and will help you in any way they can even if it means carrying you. I also think that the ring represents the one thing that we want to let go but cant. This is the thing that keeps use from doing what we love because we are scared of losing it.

In this scene Frodo and Sam are making there way up the volcano but Eragon and 300 men have to fight all these orcs in order to distract the eye from Frodo. In this scene the black gate and orcs represent all the obsticals that you must face in completing a quest. Also the 300 men represent the one or many people who will always believe in you and put there faith in you when you most need it. Lastly, the eye represents the one thing that is keeping you from completing your quest.

Another one of my all time favorite movies is The Dark Knight Rises. One reason i liked this movie is all the Good actors who where in it. In the movie you saw actors like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, and lots more. I like this aspect of the movie because in The Dark Knight they had some really great actors so it is not like they are taking a step down from that movie to this one. I also really Liked this movie because of the villain Bane. Bane was a really cool character because Batman and him both came from the same place. this brings in the aspect that this villain is as strong maybe even stranger than Batman. in this movie at the beginning he was stronger than him which was also really cool because you never knew how the movie would end. One of the biggest reasons i like this movie so much is because you get to see batman go through all these different stages. at the beginning of the movie he is weak and is no longer the Batman. Then when he finally becomes the Batman again he gets beat up by the villain and sent to a prison where only one person has escaped. 

In this scene Batman has found Banes hide out and trying to fight him but losing. In this scene they are in a sewer drain. I think that this location represents the lowest/weakest Batman has ever been. The first part of this quote is taking about how being taking a break form something you are good at can make it hard to get back at it again. The second part of this quote is taking about how when you get cocky and think that you will always win a battle you will become weak and not know what to do the you get defeated.  

In this scene Bruce has fully recovered from his broken back and has to train to get out of this prison to save Gotham city. I think the training in this scene represent how you may think you are ready to face a challenge but there can always be a curve ball that makes you fail. I think that the climb that he must do represents the challenges we face to complete our goals and they might seem hard but anything is possible. Lastly, I think the rope that is used as a harness represents the one thing that keeps us safe that we must let go in order to complete out goal.