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The Impact of Media

In the day that we stand today, we are presented with far more conveniences than ever before; one of these conveniences being social media. Its taken us a time to get where we are currently at with technology and media, but I think we can all agree that it has its major advantages. Thanks to email and texting we can contact someone from almost anywhere in the world at an instant, and even have an almost real face to face conversation through video chat. Its a given that media is supposed to be a major venue we use to strengthen and build connections with one another.. But is that what really happens as a result? Studies show that social media often does the opposite in which what we intend to do with it- it disconnects us from our peers. On an article posted by CBC, they feature a study that was done on teens and social media, "In her own research, Greenfield has found that young people feel socially supported by having large networks of on-line friends, and these are not necessarily friends they ever see face-to-face."(http://www.cbc.ca). We often get so caught in the media aspect itself, that we strain the actual relationships we are involved in. Staying too plugged into these sites cause damage to how we opperate in the social realm. In an article posted by the NY Times, psychologist Sherry Turkle tells us that "In lacking conversations, we also have fewer opportunities to self-reflect. Children develop in the context of a relationship. Emotions drive behavior and are central in all relationships". In the picture we see something that we encounter everyday- less literal contact between to people and more disconnected "socialiazing". Like everything, media is great when used in appropriate proportions; but things have scaled out to way greater than anticipated, and its hurting how we live with one another.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/social-media-affecting-teens-concepts-of-friendship-intimacy-1.2543158

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/26/opinion/the-antisocial-effects-of-social-media.html

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Macbeth Essay Assignment

     The play Macbeth is a tale told by William Shakespeare that contains a plot both complex and trivial. With gripping characters such as Macbeth himself, his lady, Macduff, and many others; the play provides much more than just an entertaining reading, it gives us insight to one of the more larger themes we see in the occurrences of life. That is, when individuals take action of extreme self indulgence, it not only results in absolute self-destruction, but also causes cynical misfortunes to those surrounding.
     We see this throughout the entirety of the play. From the very beginning we know that Scotland is at war and that Macbeth appears to be a valiant and loyal soldier of the king. However, his loyalty is almost immediately compromised when he is told he may hold a higher place of power if only he killed the king, he questions himself in the first act "If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success, commending in a truth?" (1.3. 131-133.). Though he was intrigued by the prophesies of power told by the witches, it was his wife that had ultimately convinced him to betray- her actions were fueled by selfish desire to gain power by any means. She tells herself how ruthless she would be for power:

"Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;

Stop up th'access and passage to remorse,

That no compunctious visitings of nature

Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between

The effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts,

And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring ministers,

You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night,

And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,

That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,

Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark

To cry “Hold, hold!” (1.5.44-54.)

For her own self and status, she would be willing to murder cold-bloodedly. However, she fails to see the possible consequences these actions would have on her own self. 

     As you see actions take place, characters unfold. Duncan, the king of Scotland, is murdered by Macbeth- Macbeth's road to the corrupt pursuit of power has begun. At the moment following the king's death, you can see Macbeth begin to lose himself, 

"Methought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more!

Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep,

Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,

The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,

Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,

Chief nourisher in life’s feast.    

Still it cried, “Sleep no more!” to all the house.

“Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor

Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.”" (2.2.35-44.).

His hysteria comes with realizing the fact he had murdered the very man he served. It had caused him more pain than gain. Now Macbeth has a trail that he feels he has to continuously cover up, paranoia causes him to take the lives of several others in order to save his own skin. Banquo, his companion, would soon lose his life when Macbeth decides he is a threat to security, 

  "To be thus is nothing,

But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo

Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature

Reigns that which would be feared. Rather than so, come fate into the list,

And champion me to th' utterance."  (3.1.47-50, 70-71.).

Rather than ruling happily as king, Macbeth finds himself living in fear. His actions and power vigorously change his state of mind as well as his character. 

     After numerous murders were conducted by Macbeth and his hired killers, a force between Macduff (a soldier that previously fought by Macbeth's side), Duncan's son, and others planned to take back the throne by force. The whole kingdom was in despair. During this time, Lady Macbeth had lost her mind to the crimes she had taken part in, "she is troubled with thick-coming fancies, that keep her from her rest" (5.3.38-39). Lady Macbeth, who initially seems to be strong-willed and collected in ambition, has finally come to a place of doom. Earlier in act 5, Lady Macbeth was experiencing hallucinations, vividly going through murders while asleep. This goes to show her selfish actions weren't as rewarding as thought to be. The play ends with the death of Macbeth, at the stake of Macduff. The kingdom is given back to those by which Scotland was previously governed by, making all of the deaths in the journey of Macbeth pointless and without virtue. At the end of the play, you see Macbeth in a completely raw, desperate state, 

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing."(5.5.19-28.).

     In the play "Macbeth", you see transformation in the main characters. Macbeth goes from being a man of honest integrity, to a man that betrayed and murdered for power. Before he became the character of wickedness that only served himself, he was a good man that put his nation and his king at high priority. Selfishness and greed can be only the roots of poor circumstances. When you place yourself and your level of status above all else, you fall- and those effected by you fall to hardships as well.  

     

     

Macbeth Anticipation Reading

1.     Behind every great man is a great woman (every great man is supported, guided, helped and even pushed by a great woman).

I disagree. I believe that in many cases, a male is supported by a great woman. But definitely not in every circumstance. I don't believe that our actions should be and they aren't completely dependent on another individual, and for some, they'd in fact prefer to do it all on their own. So to say that every man has a women backing him up in all he does is false because not all men have that certain dependability or influential dependability on a women close to them. Just as females can do on their own. 

2.     Witches, demons, and evil spirits actually exist.

I agree. I'm religious, so I do believe that there is a world beyond this present one. There are beings and essences we won't and never will comprehend. I'm not the wisest, but I know there are evils that didn't originate within us, therefore they came from some place else. My grandpa was into some sketchy stuff so my family has experienced weird things that were unexplainable? Yeah, alright haha.

3.     Sometimes it is necessary to do something wrong to get what you want.

Mm, I disagree. You can't serve two masters. You're either doing wrong or right, and you should always keep check on what your intentions are. Kinda hypocritical that I'm saying this though because sometimes I do not so good things do get what I want.

4.     What goes around comes around (karma).

I agree. Whether or not its within our capabilities to be aware of the correlation between our actions and other happenings is questionable, but I believe justice gets taken care of in its own way. One time I slapped my sister on the shoulder and the next day I slipped and hit my shoulder... so obviously its real. 

5.     Human beings are easily tempted by things they want, even if it’s wrong.

Totally agree. Humans suck, and we are always committing actions out of greed. I'm not saying we do everything out of a selfish conscience, because many people can give away to their acts of greed, but I do think most humans are easily influenced by their own desires. 

6.     If someone feels that the ruler/s of his/her country is destroying the country, that person should try to overthrow the ruler/s.

I think that the government should serve its people, not the other way around. So if the people of a nation aren't happy with its leaders, something should be done. I don't think crazy stuff needs to go down though, like assassinations and ish like that. I don't have any experience with government.. But when my dad does something to destroy my happiness I let him know he sucks and we settle things out. 

7.     There are circumstances or events that justify murdering someone.

Dis a g r e e. We have no right to take someone else's life. Just as no one has the right to take ours. I've never killed someone and I don't think I would unless I had to defend myself.

8.     Success is worth any price you have to pay.

Don't think so. You take a fair and just road, then you'll get to fair and just places. I don't think extreme measures should be taken just for self gain. 

9.     Kings are appointed by God, and they rule as His representatives on Earth.
I don't if in this current day there are people that God appoints to hold offices around the world. I know he did in times of the Bible, but I don't know if things have changed. 

10.  Your astrological forecast (your horoscope) is a good indicator of how your day will go.

I disagree? I have no idea if the system of horoscope is credible or not so I don't wanna give an ignorant opinion. But I have to say my love horoscope is wrong 60% of the time.

11.  Traitors should be executed.

I think that if an individual makes an arrangement to which his life may be consequentially taken, and he breaks his promised deals, then things need to go according to the agreement. Again, I don't think we can decide who dies or not. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is evil inherent in human nature? That is, are some people just “born evil,” or is evil caused by circumstance or environment? 

I think the word evil is a relative term. Though I think everyone can see evil through different ways, I don't think it is inherited within us to be evil. It's kind of a controvesial thought, because some are indeed born with differences that may enable them to commit horrid action. Psychopaths and sociopaths are people that lack certain capabilities of emotion and terrible things can come out of this; but it doesn't make them "evil". Evil is presented and taken into us through experience and environment. 

 Are our lives determined by fate, or by the acts of our free will? 

I don't believe in fate. There are things we do that take us to the places we reach. We were given the gift of free will so that we would have the opportunity to take it upon ourselves to seek our own purpose and to walk our own path. I think that maybe certain things were predetermined to be, and some is out of our control; but ultimately our own acts carve our paths.

Is redemption truly possible? That is, is it possible to commit an act of genuine evil and truly recover from it? 

Redemption is always possible. The road to redemption is a tough one, but in a necessary sense. "Evil" acts are committed on the daily, and if redemption was impossible, this world would be stuck in a dismay we couldn't get out of. True redemption has to come from an intention as strong as the intention was when the crime that was committed. In other words, you can only find true redemption when you mean it with all your life and if you have sincerely come to terms with the evil you've done.

Is it possible to admire or respect a person whom you know has committed acts of genuine evil? 

You can admire whoever you want. One single act doesn't determine the whole essence of one's being. People are so much more than one account of their mistakes, and it'd be hypocritical if we were to stop looking up to someone because we realize they've done some wrong. However, past evil acts that someone has committed do need to be taken into account when evaluating one's character. We've all heard the phrase 'actions speak louder than words', and it's important to be aware of the things a person has done, but most importantly what the acts indicate and mean. 

Do “the ends justify the means”? That is, if one uses morally evil methods to acquire a goal, is that goal forever tainted or polluted by the actions one has taken to achieve it? 

Our final destination will always be of correlation to the walk we took part of. So no, the ends don't justify the means. Every action we commit has to be within the intentions of our true selves and if we do evil on the way to good, it means we haven't walked in the line of good for the journey to good. That's a lot of words to say that we have to stick to the path we are going, we can't skip around if it's not right.

LC Reader Response #3

a. Theme: In horrible times of unprecedented proportions, the act of trying to survive through inhumane conditions can leave many devastated in striving to continue on; but for some, faith and hope can be the means in which deliverance is found.

b. Character: During the horrifying events of the Holocaust, faith- along with the lives of millions- took a sharp decline as it was stripped from the many affected by the cruel acts of the Nazis. Ellie Wiesel, a boy during his time in Auschwitz, struggled greatly with not only the circumstances he'd gone through- but also his testament in faith.

Group Reader Response LC #2

Critical Stance: 
     a. Dehumanization: To take away all the positive qualities of a human being. 

     b. As the process of captivity progresses, you can see the ways of the Jewish people being affected.        Those that were strong willed in their faith were now going through things that broke them as                people and as participants of their faith. For example, Eliezer's father is said to have lost the certain        life he once had in his eyes and as time passed, his actions of faith (praying, worship, etc..) came to a      halt as well. Not all were hopeless, however. Other prisoners believed there was soon to be                    deliverance, and continuously practiced their religious customs (prayers, days of significance, etc..).
     c. Throughout this whole ordeal, a lot of confusion and doubt troubled Eliezer's mind. Not only did        he notice the difference in the people's stances in faith, but he also observed the sad, reoccurring            relationship between the fathers and sons that were in the camp together. He saw several instances in      which sons would put themselves above their fathers, taking their food and leaving them for dead.          He was appalled by what he saw, though all he could do was ignore it and act differently towards          his own father. He also was very doubtful in the justice of his God. The experiences he had gone          through had been enough to have him believe there was no reason to praise the God that allowed all      this misery.
Dialectical Journal Entry:
     a. ".. he dealt my father such a clout that he fell to the ground, crawling back to his place in all fours.      I did not move. What had happened to me? My fatherhad just been, before my very eyes, and I had        not flickered an eyelid... Had I changed so much, then?... Now remorse began to gnaw at me."
     b.  "Not far away, I noticed an old man dragging himself along on all fours... A shadow had just            loomed up near him. The shadow threw itself upon him. Felled to the ground, stunned with blows,        the old man cried: 'Meir. meir, my boy! Don't you recognize me? I'm your father... you're hurting          me... you're killing your father! I've got some bread... for you too... for you too...' The old man again      whispered something, let out a rattle, and died amid the general indifference. his son searched him,        took the bread, and began to devour it."
     c. "Some talked of God, of his mysterious way, of the sins of the Jewish people, and of their future          deliverance. But I ceased to pray. How I sympathized with Job! I did not deny God's existence, but        I doubted his absolute justice. " 

Group Reader Response LC#1

1. Critical Stance:
a. Throughout the beginning of the book, where the process of captivity begins, the manner in which the Jews confront the situation is rather alarming. As the invaders slowly come into their areas of living, they welcome them with beliefs that they are just being protected from the forefront of the war. Later, as they are being sent to the camps, and all of value is being stripped from them, they continue to act in faith. In a somewhat naive sense, they believe that whatever would have them happen to them would be in justice acts of God, and that they would be safe throughout all circumstances.

2. Dialectical Journal Entries

•     "I did not believe him myself. I would often sit with him in the evening after the service, listening to his stories and trying my hardest to understand his grief. I felt only pity for him." When Moshe the Beadle came to share his tale of great despair, no one believed him- they didn't think they were in danger of such atrocities. 
• "Was he going to wipe out a whole people? Could he exterminate a population scattered throughout so many countries? So many millions! What methods could he use? And in the middle of the twentieth century!" Another quote from the book that displays the naive perspective they had on the power and capability of the Nazis.
• "There were no longer any synagogues open. We gathered in private houses: the Germans were not to be provoked. Practically every rabbi's flat became a house of prayer." In this excerpt, you can begin to see the process in which their lives are being taken. Forced to have their religious establishments closed down, they had to rely on one another on their strength of faith. And that's just what they did. 
• "'If you ask me, the whole business of deportation is just a farce..' These optimistic speeches, which no one believed, helped to pass the time. The few days we lived here went by pleasantly enough, in peace. People were better disposed toward one another. There were no longer any questions of wealth, of socially distinction, and importance, only people all condemned to the same fate-still unknown." The people would outwardly express their proclamations of faith and optimism to get through the fears of the situation. 
• "Around us, everyone was weeping. Some began to recite the Kaddish, the prayer for the dead... 'Yitgadal veyitkadach shmé rabe . . May His Name be blessed and magnified' whispered my father." While people were finally coming to terms with what was happening, they desperately turned to their God for reassurance and comfort. 

Double Chunky Paragraph: The Nazis

     The Nazis, or the National Socialist German Workers’ Party was an organization that promoted the custom of an Aryan “master race” and blamed Jews and Marxists for Germany’s problems. They opposed the Treaty of Versailles; a rule that stated Germany couldn’t have an army and has to pay the people they attacked in WWI. The Nazis wanted to restore Germany to a greater power and nation. As they grew in popularity, the Nazis started winning elections. When the Nazis started taking over the government, they shut down other political parties and became very apparent in daily German life. With their power, they started opening concentration camps to eradicate every person who seemed unfit for the new Germany, such as artists, Gypsies, homosexuals, and Jews. The Nazis started to rebuild their army, and prepared to take over land and start wars with other nations. They plotted to take over Europe while having mass genocide of Jews. Nazis had a good motive, but evil and inhumane policies for others that aren’t in the German master race. 

     As for the reasoning and motivation behind the Nazis’ actions, it’s hard for us to even begin to justify the means for their actions. Though it may be unclear as to why they targeted certain ethnic groups, one thing is clear- they were ruthless. Its estimated that 11 million people were killed during the Holocaust, six million of these exterminated were Jews. With a number of death this large, it was a committed plan of evil that brought the success in the extermination of Jews. Beyond the whys and hows, the horrible incident of mass murder would last an eternity on history. And almost just as shocking as the event itself, was the effort behind this ordeal. For over 10 years, the Nazis had established concentration and death camps that had the sole purpose of eradicating those of “lower life value”. These camps were factories of death and pain, built to destroy a whole people. It took an unimaginable hate that ran threw their veins for the Nazis to go through so much work in trying to rid of the Jews, and we see this through the acts they committed. 

Allusion Poster Final

Allusion Poem Final

kept away, guarded

the impressions that linger in my mind ever hidden in fear of being bombarded

new faces, places

ignite foundational sparks of thought

   for what Oh Captain My Captain fought

words collected, crafted

they'd go on for what's longer than what we'd ever lasted

   but still we'd have the favorable time to tell of our encountered sensations

reservation, own sanctum 

my last resort to which i can report, these words written down- my salvation at last found 

summer wind, whim

how the fragments of our minds carry on, and i'd pray that the days be far less grim

   the day'd be ours with our declared Carpe Diem!

to live, thrive

does the language of passion allow us to pursue, allow us to everlastingly woo

   and so we'd use this as we'd suck all of we could out of great life

clarity, sincerity 

in my present time of flaw and confusion, these rhymes serve to repair my contusions

individual notion, thought

shouldn't be so easily bought, isn't just a mere smear of old tattered brain gear

   this was all shared as well as found in our cave underground

only ours, exclusively

in no other's could you find what's going through my own mind

   like Todd we'd all have our thoughts odd

opened doors, so much more

does the art of words provide

   this kind of freedom Neil would try to strive

"O me, O life of the questions of these recurring. Of the endless trains of the faithless. Of cities filled with the foolish. What good amid these, O me, O life? Answer: that you are here. That life exists and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."

allusion photoshop DRAFT

so what i was trying to get with this picture was a 'leave your own print onto the world' kinda thing, but uh ya no

Allusion Poem Draft

new faces, places
ignite foundational sparks of thought
   for what Oh Captain My Captain fought

words collected, crafted
they'd go on for what's longer than what we'd ever lasted
   but still we'd have the favorable time to tell of our encountered sensations

summer wind, whim
how the fragments of our minds carry on, and i'd pray that the days be far less grim
   the day'd be ours with our declared Carpe Diem!

to live, thrive
does the language of passion allow us to pursue, allow us to everlastingly woo
   and so we'd use this as we'd suck all of we could out of great life

individual notion, thought
shouldn't be so easily bought, isn't just a mere smear of old tattered brain gear
   this was all shared as well as found in our cave underground

only ours, exclusively
in no other's could you find what's going through my own mind
   like Todd we'd all have our thoughts odd

opened doors, so much more
does the art of words provide
   this kind of freedom Neil would try to strive

"O me, O life of the questions of these recurring. Of the endless trains of the faithless. Of cities filled with the foolish. What good amid these, O me, O life? Answer: that you are here. That life exists and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."