Monday, December 2, 2013
12-2-13 Post #13 Out of Order
At the end of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, the true savagery of human nature comes out in full form. In chapter ten, Piggy's ordered mindset pushes the boys to try and find a peaceful solution with the other group of boys to improve their chances of survival. This was a very good and mature idea, yet the boys cannot communicate with any sense of maturity. "The shivering, silvery, unreal laughter of the savages sprayed out and echoed away," (Golding 182). The boys who took Piggy's glasses are now not even referred to as boys, but as savages. Ralph and Piggy do their best to have a peaceful interaction, but cannot overcome the primal instincts of the boys that used to be. The interaction comes to a fatal end when Roger, one of the savages, pushes a rock of the cliff and onto Piggy. Crushing the only two objects left that symbolize any sense of order/civilization; Piggy and the Conch shell. In the next chapter, Ralph loses his small sense of order and decides to take revenge. He finds the Lord of the Flies, the real beast of the Island, and compares it to the conch, "...looked steadily at the skull that gleamed as white as ever the conch had done...," (Golding 190). The flies had eaten away all of the flesh of the sow head, revealing the shiny, pure underlying skull. Just like the boys grew a flesh of barbaric and flesh over their innocent skin. Yet, unlike the sow head, nothing was left to clean them; until the navy appeared. "The other little boys began to shake and sob too," (Golding 207). All it took was one adult to end a savage assault to cease instantly. Every boy on that island was involved in a violent assault just minutes earlier, yet now peace flooded the beach. The naval officer helped Ralph realize that the way they were acting was completely crazy according to their everyday lives, yet on the island, it seemed inevitable that the brutality would erupt. This goes to show how the smallest slip in order can lead to a total collapse, especially when immaturity flourishes among the culprits.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Journal 11-14-13
What symbols are emerging in the novel? How are they changing in meaning? Think of how much Piggy is changing, or the conch, island, etc.
In the beginning of the novel, Piggy was always very timid. He was afraid to speak his mind and never even considered standing out for himself. Now, through Chapter 5, he is beginning to grow a little confidence. He has no problem with giving his opinion, even if people turn him down instantly. At one point, Piggy even has an angry outburst towards Ralph. This shocks everyone, yet people still wont recognize that he is smart and should be listened to. People will not respect him yet he could be a very useful asset. One symbol emerging on the story is the beast, or snake-thing. This often-talked about object is a point of fear for the boys. Some say a monster lives on the island and is planning to attack, others don't believe it. The symbol is fear of the boys as well the distrust they have with each other. Only Simon seems to understand the atmosphere of the island.
In the beginning of the novel, Piggy was always very timid. He was afraid to speak his mind and never even considered standing out for himself. Now, through Chapter 5, he is beginning to grow a little confidence. He has no problem with giving his opinion, even if people turn him down instantly. At one point, Piggy even has an angry outburst towards Ralph. This shocks everyone, yet people still wont recognize that he is smart and should be listened to. People will not respect him yet he could be a very useful asset. One symbol emerging on the story is the beast, or snake-thing. This often-talked about object is a point of fear for the boys. Some say a monster lives on the island and is planning to attack, others don't believe it. The symbol is fear of the boys as well the distrust they have with each other. Only Simon seems to understand the atmosphere of the island.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Friday Free Write Part 1
Friday
free write.
A:
As a child, my family loved to camp. Each memorial day we
would travel to northern Michigan in our camper with some friends. I loved all
of it. The fresh air, the water, the campfires, everything. “Come on!” I yell
to my cousin as she gingerly tests the water with the built in thermometer that
everyone seems to have in their big toe. “Its too cold!” She replies. Finally
her brother comes up behind her and shoves her into the lake. She was too cold
to yell at him. At dinner each night we could laugh and joke about the events
of the day. We laughed about my mom’s phobia of frogs as we bragged about the size
of the frogs we had caught that day. One
Memorial Day, on our way home, something very unexpected happened. We were driving along the highway when the tire blew out on our very large and heavy camper...
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Jack Merridew (Ch. 1)
~ Select one characther from chapter one and write about him in detail. Use two citations in your discription. Write at least eight sentences...
In the first chapter of the book, Jack Merridew, the head of the Choir Boys, stands out as someone who wants attention and to be a leader. Jack thinks that he will automatically be the head of the children when they all gather for the first time; "I ought to be chief!" (Golding 20). His arrogance puts himself in front of others in all situations. This may be a symbol of how the children on the island will begin to fall from their simple innocent into a deeper evil that they are not accustomed to. Jack also seems to be the most mature in his selfish ideas, however not in his mindset of helping everyone. "Kids' names, why should I be Jack? I'm Merridew" (Golding 19). He is trying to think like an adult, but he cannot. Jack desperately wants to be treated like an adult because he feels he is the most important. It is these types of people who tear society apart. Selfishness, arrogance, pride, all these personality traits can bring down the strongest of systems. The first chapter is using Jack to foreshadow how the kids may begin to fall prey to these traits.
In the first chapter of the book, Jack Merridew, the head of the Choir Boys, stands out as someone who wants attention and to be a leader. Jack thinks that he will automatically be the head of the children when they all gather for the first time; "I ought to be chief!" (Golding 20). His arrogance puts himself in front of others in all situations. This may be a symbol of how the children on the island will begin to fall from their simple innocent into a deeper evil that they are not accustomed to. Jack also seems to be the most mature in his selfish ideas, however not in his mindset of helping everyone. "Kids' names, why should I be Jack? I'm Merridew" (Golding 19). He is trying to think like an adult, but he cannot. Jack desperately wants to be treated like an adult because he feels he is the most important. It is these types of people who tear society apart. Selfishness, arrogance, pride, all these personality traits can bring down the strongest of systems. The first chapter is using Jack to foreshadow how the kids may begin to fall prey to these traits.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Baker Quote Analysis
“’History,’ said Joyce’s Daedalus, ‘is a nightmare from
which I am trying to wake.’ But we do not awake. Though we constantly make a
heroic attempt to rise to a level ethnically superior to nature, our own
nature, again and again we suffer a fall- brought low by some outburst of
madness because of the limiting defects inherent in our species.” (Baker XV)
This quote
from Baker XV describes how humans are imperfect. However, he notes that we
choose not to believe this. Humans cannot outrun nature, because our own nature
brings us down. It summarizes the human thought process of how we are better
than nature and each other. The quote also says that outbursts of madness are a
defect in our species. This is probably getting at how humans think
irrationally and with emotion. We are always in a form of a nightmare, one we cannot escape. Imagine having a nightmare about a nightmare, you always wake up in a worse situation. This is how Baker describes human's natural flaws.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
A Modest Proposal Essay
Satire is a tool used by many to expose an ill in society. However, it is rarely effective. Sometimes, different ethical and political views make Satire very hard to be influential. Usually however, Satire is not influential because of the ignorance of its target audience. Ignorance, or the lack of knowledge, is very common in political, ethical, and social environments; this makes Satire ineffective. Certain Satire recognizes this, but still cannot get a point across because of it. Satire is ineffective because the targets of it are the same people who don't understand or don't care about the Satire.
Ignorance in the political world is a common target of Satire. In Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, Swift tries to explain to the people of Ireland how the British government is slowly destroying them. He does this by explaining how the British are causing more children to be in poverty, which is a major problem for the Irish's economy. Swift has no problem with children in real life, but he uses them to make a point about the British. "I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious number of children... is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom... someone must find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children...useful members of the kingdom" (Swift 1). This quote, however wrong in its ethical values, is really jabbing at the government in it's deeper meanings. Swift uses other examples to try and force the governments to react, however gets no response. At the end of the piece, he says, "... I have not the least personal interest in... the work...having no other motive than the public good of my company" (Swift 9). This is perhaps the most obvious Satirical jab at the government. He uses sarcasm to explain how he wants the country to improve, but is not willing to do much about it. Swift is trying to explain that this is how the governments acts realistically. Because of this ignorant mindset, the government truly isn't going to anything. That is why Satire is not effective against political ignorance.
Ethical ignorance is also used in Satire often. Swift introduces the concept of eating infants to help improve the economy. He explains how eating them will get them off the streets so no one will have to take care of them, and how this would solve the food crisis. In the piece, he makes this sound very plausible; as if people wouldn't think twice about following this awful plan. He is mocking the ethical ignorance of the people by suggesting that they would be ok with literally eating babies. Swift is aware of other ignorant ethical decisions society makes, so why can't they follow along with this one? In a YouTube video by Matthias, they mock the way that companies like Apple market their products. They try to expose how Apple can make very few changes to something, and still sell millions of them. "It is amazing how much we are able to get away with, and we push that, as far as we can" (Matthias Youtube). Matthias uses irony to describe this producer/consumer relationship as well as sarcasm to try and make the citizens feel dumb about buying Apple products. This video came out before the actual release of the new iPhone. People would expect that videos like these might have an effect on the sales of the Phone, however it was quite the opposite. Because of the ignorance of society, the new iPhone is the best selling yet. Selling over 200 Million iPhones in less than one month. 20 Million in the first weekend alone. This proves that people pretend to care, but really don't. These are all reasons of why people's ignorance towards ethics makes satire ineffective. (Youtube Video Link)
The social environments are another area where people show much ignorance. "Then as to the females...would soon become humble breeders themselves..."(Swift 5). Swift explains in part of A Modest Proposal how women could come and act as breeders to produce babies, the new "currency" of Ireland. He is almost implying that even in realistic Ireland, people often objectify women and people of poverty. Swift understands that people make awful social decisions, such as women being objectified or objectifying themselves, and pushes it over the edge. He also explains that the poor children can be bought and sold like livestock. Implying how people treat those who struggle with poverty. Another social ignorance Swift points out is how only the upper-class will eat the babies, because they have "refined taste." (Swift 6) In a deeper meaning, this means that the upper-class will care the least about this plan because it barely effetcs them. The satire here is that the upper-class do not care what is happening as long as they make more money; no matter what cruel things are happening below them. Because the upper-class don't care about what happens to others, the satire is ineffective to a large part of the population. People choose to be ignorant, or rather choose not to be informed. This can lead, once again, to satire that is not influential.
In conclusion, politics, ethics, and social ideas are all things that people lack knowledge about. These ideas make Satire, a tool that could be useful, ineffective. It is unfortunate, but people refuse to be told what to do. The Greek philosopher Socrates once said, "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing" (Socrates). If people took this to heart, and yearned to learn and do what's right, Satire may become useful. Most people cannot stand others trying to influence them. This ignorance among society ruined the fantastic idea that is Satire.
Ignorance in the political world is a common target of Satire. In Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, Swift tries to explain to the people of Ireland how the British government is slowly destroying them. He does this by explaining how the British are causing more children to be in poverty, which is a major problem for the Irish's economy. Swift has no problem with children in real life, but he uses them to make a point about the British. "I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious number of children... is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom... someone must find out a fair, cheap and easy method of making these children...useful members of the kingdom" (Swift 1). This quote, however wrong in its ethical values, is really jabbing at the government in it's deeper meanings. Swift uses other examples to try and force the governments to react, however gets no response. At the end of the piece, he says, "... I have not the least personal interest in... the work...having no other motive than the public good of my company" (Swift 9). This is perhaps the most obvious Satirical jab at the government. He uses sarcasm to explain how he wants the country to improve, but is not willing to do much about it. Swift is trying to explain that this is how the governments acts realistically. Because of this ignorant mindset, the government truly isn't going to anything. That is why Satire is not effective against political ignorance.
Ethical ignorance is also used in Satire often. Swift introduces the concept of eating infants to help improve the economy. He explains how eating them will get them off the streets so no one will have to take care of them, and how this would solve the food crisis. In the piece, he makes this sound very plausible; as if people wouldn't think twice about following this awful plan. He is mocking the ethical ignorance of the people by suggesting that they would be ok with literally eating babies. Swift is aware of other ignorant ethical decisions society makes, so why can't they follow along with this one? In a YouTube video by Matthias, they mock the way that companies like Apple market their products. They try to expose how Apple can make very few changes to something, and still sell millions of them. "It is amazing how much we are able to get away with, and we push that, as far as we can" (Matthias Youtube). Matthias uses irony to describe this producer/consumer relationship as well as sarcasm to try and make the citizens feel dumb about buying Apple products. This video came out before the actual release of the new iPhone. People would expect that videos like these might have an effect on the sales of the Phone, however it was quite the opposite. Because of the ignorance of society, the new iPhone is the best selling yet. Selling over 200 Million iPhones in less than one month. 20 Million in the first weekend alone. This proves that people pretend to care, but really don't. These are all reasons of why people's ignorance towards ethics makes satire ineffective. (Youtube Video Link)
The social environments are another area where people show much ignorance. "Then as to the females...would soon become humble breeders themselves..."(Swift 5). Swift explains in part of A Modest Proposal how women could come and act as breeders to produce babies, the new "currency" of Ireland. He is almost implying that even in realistic Ireland, people often objectify women and people of poverty. Swift understands that people make awful social decisions, such as women being objectified or objectifying themselves, and pushes it over the edge. He also explains that the poor children can be bought and sold like livestock. Implying how people treat those who struggle with poverty. Another social ignorance Swift points out is how only the upper-class will eat the babies, because they have "refined taste." (Swift 6) In a deeper meaning, this means that the upper-class will care the least about this plan because it barely effetcs them. The satire here is that the upper-class do not care what is happening as long as they make more money; no matter what cruel things are happening below them. Because the upper-class don't care about what happens to others, the satire is ineffective to a large part of the population. People choose to be ignorant, or rather choose not to be informed. This can lead, once again, to satire that is not influential.
In conclusion, politics, ethics, and social ideas are all things that people lack knowledge about. These ideas make Satire, a tool that could be useful, ineffective. It is unfortunate, but people refuse to be told what to do. The Greek philosopher Socrates once said, "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing" (Socrates). If people took this to heart, and yearned to learn and do what's right, Satire may become useful. Most people cannot stand others trying to influence them. This ignorance among society ruined the fantastic idea that is Satire.
 |
| "He (Swift) is mocking the ethical ignorance of the people by suggesting that they would be ok with literally eating babies." |
Monday, October 14, 2013
Well this is Uncomfortable...
In each Satire presentation, there were multiple common themes. One was how each video/article explained a flaw in humans. Specifically society and how we act in it. Many of the presentations explained how American's desire to fit in, or how we are lazy, or why we do so many ignorant things. Satire brings out the ignorance in many people. For example the Daily Show about gun control made one specific man look much dumber then he most likely is. Satire also can make people think about their own flaws. For example, there was a video where a little kid shows no imagination. This made me think about my own though process when it comes to imagining new things. Maybe this applies to me? I thought. I believe that all satire will do this in some way.
Another thing I noticed about all of the presentations is how satire can make people feel uncomfortable. In one video, an African American girl mocks a white man for committing "white-collar crimes." She explains how people may racial profile him because he is white. When really the satire is exposing the ill of more common racial profiling due to crime. The visiting ground zero video showed the ignorance some people have towards history of even our own country. These types of edgy jokes make people remember them, which is what makes satire so powerful. Making the audience feel uncomfortable is a great way get to them on a deeper level.
Another thing I noticed about all of the presentations is how satire can make people feel uncomfortable. In one video, an African American girl mocks a white man for committing "white-collar crimes." She explains how people may racial profile him because he is white. When really the satire is exposing the ill of more common racial profiling due to crime. The visiting ground zero video showed the ignorance some people have towards history of even our own country. These types of edgy jokes make people remember them, which is what makes satire so powerful. Making the audience feel uncomfortable is a great way get to them on a deeper level.
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