Journal 2/2

The American Dream *was* specific to the United States, mostly because of the principles that our country was founded off of- all men being created equal, each with the right to pursue their goals and prosper from their achievements. Immigrants coming to America had the idea planted in their heads that with enough hard work they could very well end up living a lavish lifestyle and generally do well for themselves. They had a clean slate and could escape from whatever motivated them to leave their former country in the first place, so this was quite the unique opportunity for them. Take, for example, the German immigrants of the 1848 revolution. They escaped the hierarchical society that had been brewing in Europe to find themselves in a place without class privileges or other things to unfairly tip the scales in a certain group of people’s favor. Now, unlike in those times, the American Dream can be completed in any developed country with laws similar to ours- even though examples of its completion are few in number. Instead of discriminatory systems of living, we have the problems of familial wealth and poverty being passed on, along with the two intricate life and career paths that respectively go with those two living conditions. So, no, it’s not specific to the United States- at least not now- but it’s harder to achieve than ever before.

Journal 12/8

What did you do this semester in ELA that was most meaningful to you, and why was it meaningful?

Probably annotating. I didn't see the point of it last semester, but this time around I decided to buckle down and attempt to do a good job at it. This helped tremendously, and has also allowed me to see the benefits of doing it- it's a legitimately good way to reflect on the book while you're reading, and even just consistently putting in questions allows you to remember more about the contents of the book.

 

What was the most challenging thing about ELA this semester, and why?

The paper I wrote in response to The Alchemist, hands down. Even while I was writing the rough draft, I had no idea how much information I'd need to put into it in order to fully prove my thesis. What resulted was a paper that I'd say is one of the best that I've ever written(not that there are many of them, but still). I'm proud of it.

What would you like to change about ELA, and why?

If you asked me this question at the start of the semester I would say annotating, but as I said above my opinion has changed pretty significantly. So, nothing. 

What would you like to stay the same in ELA, and why?

The flexibility of projects. I love how you're able to do so many things with them, but still learn a lot by not being able to do the same kind of project more than twice.

If you have any further comments about the class, please include them.

ELA is a great and well-organized class. 

Journal 12/1

Find three heroic epithets. Explain how you think these epithets were useful to the singer of poems in the Greek oral tradition.

The Earth-Shaker, Poseidon 

2. Odysseus, master of craft and battle

3. Calypso, the bewitching nymph

Epithets were useful descriptors of the many characters throughout The Odyssey. I'm sure they served as a way for the singer and the audience to keep track of the story and easily remember the characters in it. For example, if the singer resumes the story that had stopped the day before, some of the returning listeners might've forgotten a minor character or two (I know that I did while I was reading). The singer using one of that characters' defining traits as an introduction to his or her role in that part of the story could serve as a way for the audience to remember them. Plus, it's simply a cool way to introduce the characters. I mean, some of them don't have the most noble and elegant titles, but the ones that do really do. Poseidon's epithet "The Earth-Shaker", for example, is undoubtedly an awesome title and evokes a sense of power that fits a god well.

Journal 11/17

Find two passages in The Odyssey that are examples of xenia. Compare these two passages. Be sure to cite them as well. 

The two examples of xenia that I found were when Telemachus goes to seek the counsel of Nestor (pg. 28) and when Odysseus is taken to Alcinous' palace (pg. 106). In both passages the guests are welcomed without the hosts knowing their identities, which is a staple of xenia- immediate hospitality. When Telemachus and Athena arrive at Nestor's city, they are quickly invited to sit down after being seen. Nestor's son, Peisistratus, instructs the disguised Athena: "Pray now, stranger, for it is Poseidon's feast you have happened upon (pg. 29, lines 48-49)." In Odysseus' case, Athena gathers all the Phaeacian leaders and draws their attention towards him. Alcinous eventually acknowledges Odysseus' presence, saying: "This stranger has come to my house in his wanderings. I don't know if he has come from the east or the west"..."We have a feast to prepare, and I will provide for all(pg. 107, lines 27-40)!" In both, I found that after feasting the guests were told stories and allowed to rest and bathe, along with being given a means of continuing their respective journeys. This shows the generosity and hospitable attitude of the hosts, usually high-ranking officials who aim to establish a good relationship between the people of their city and the possible wealthy outsiders. Traveling was not an endeavor to be taken on by the poor back then.   

Journal 11/11

In class, Dr. Quillin discussed the historical context within which The Odyssey was written. Using your notes on this lecture, discuss how you think why it was necessary to develop an oral tradition during the Greek Dark Ages and what you think happens to that oral tradition once it is written down.

The Greek Dark Ages involved the collapse of many different civilizations all across the mediterranean, with major trade routes being disrupted and illiteracy becoming commonplace. With that being said, I think that oral traditions were developed to preserve the culture of the area as it went through these tough times. Since many couldn't read and write, oral traditions like songs would've been a more palatable way to introduce large group of people to various stories. This also leads to the stories being changed up quite a bit- when people hear interesting things, they naturally want to spread those ideas. Through that, the stories would've become disorganized and then devalued, as their forms were constantly shifting and most likely deviating further and further from the original tellings. Writing the stories down preserves them as they were at that time, putting a stop to the constant changes. People would've continued to change the stories orally, but this wouldn't really matter anymore as long as there were written-down versions of the stories. 

Journal 11/3

This is a free post. You may write about anything that you would like. It is important, however, that you consider your audience, which includes your teacher and also your peers. Please compose a post that is appropriate for your audience.

I'd like to briefly talk about Interstellar, a movie I saw just yesterday. It is directed by Christopher Nolan, who you may know as the director of critically acclaimed films like Memento (which I haven't actually seen), Inception, and the recently-concluded Batman trilogy. Set in a bleak, dust-laden, sufficient-food-lacking near future, Interstellar follows a former NASA test pilot who is asked to pilot a spacecraft to search for habitable planets outside of the Milky Way galaxy. They do this through the use of a mysterious wormhole orbiting Saturn, which some scientists believe to be the work of beings with control of the 4th and 5th dimensions. The astronauts use the wormhole to make in two years a journey that would normally take them thousands, traveling into another galaxy and validating the movie's title. I won't say anything else about the plot as I don't want to spoil it, but as an added note you're gonna need to seriously figure some stuff out while you're watching this movie. Temporal loops? Morse code messages manifesting themselves through gravitational anomalies? Whaaat?!  Anyways, moving on. Unlike with some sci-fi movies, science doesn't go completely out the window- with the exception of a few things, it follows the rules. This is probably because Nolan hired an astrophysicist to help with writing some of it, which also makes for some pretty sweet and not-out-of-the-question space visuals. I really liked Interstellar- it was thought provoking, well-acted and at 2 hours and 49 minutes it ought to be both of those things. Gravity can't even touch this movie. 

Journal 10/27

This is the last blog post on Maus.

In IHSS, you have been learning about postmodern sociological perspectives. These perspectives are also helpful when critiquing literature.

For your blog post this week, please analyze Maus using one of the following sociological perspectives:

Functionalist

Conflict

Symbolic Interactionist 

Postmodernist

I chose the conflict perspective for this blog post. The conflict perspective involves one group/social class that has an advantage over others due to the materials and power they possess. Social control is everything here, as certain amounts of power and materials aren't equally allotted to each individual. The privileged show their power and control through exerting it over those lower than them, creating inequality and encouraging the less fortunate to attempt to level the playing field or put themselves at an advantage. Race and religion both play a part in the conflict perspective, which leads right into the main topic of this blog post: how the theory relates to Maus. Well, it's simple. The Nazis are the advantaged group, having power and control of resources. The Jews are the disadvantaged group, and extremely so, as many of them have been treated as sub-humans and killed en masse. The Nazis forced order on the Jews (thus demonstrating their power) by forcing them into the ghettos and then into concentration camps.