Finals Are Approaching...

I'm terrible at studying. For me, most tests are challenging, and after an hour or so with 240 slips of paper, I'm more than a little burned out. However, I have found (or have had pointed out to me) some sites that really recreate studying so that it actually becomes more helpful than hurtful. My personal favorite is StudyBlue. If anyone has other sites then leave them in the comment box and I'll add them to the list!

www.studyblue.com.
quizlet.com
www.studystack.com
www.studygs.net
www.bucks.edu/~specpop/Actfrm.htm
www.how-to-study.com/

AP Term: Satire

Here's the link: http://prezi.com/0bnpgkzjlum1/satire/

Thinking Ouside the Box

Thinking about the boxes we lock our thinking in is kind of like thinking about the purpose of life. At first, the thoughts are shallow, unorganized, distracted, chained even. Since this initial spluttering of thought is unproductive, you realize that you have to move a little deeper...and think about yourself. Sometimes, us thinkers don't like what we see, and end up stuck in a rut, going around and around with the faces in the mirror, hoping that it really isn’t you peering back. Plato suggests that in order to prevent such horrible sameness is to break our chains by educating ourselves and learning how to think outside the box. Sartre's solution would be to confront the ugliest parts of ourselves and work with that to move past it. That is the main difference between the two works.

            In Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave, there are prisoners, but those prisoners are comfortable with their limitations, and hadn’t a clue about anything beyond their reach. The cave was their wonderland of false reality, and so it was not forced. The prisoners have no concept of entrapment, and so have no pressing need to escape. However, in Sartre’s No Exit, the occupants of the room know what else is possible; they know what they’re missing, because their entombment was a direct result of leading an unsatisfactory life and then dying. The three prisoners are being punished; therefore they try even harder to escape the mental torture of facing the reality of themselves in each other.

The Big Question: Brainstorm 2

So, I decided that question number two from the first list will encompass most of my other question. My new and revised question is as follows: Is compassion a trait people are born with, or is it something that has to be taught, and how does it influence 'good' and 'evil', cultural differences, and individual thinking?

Cold Mountain-Charles Frazier: Literature Analysis

1.         Cold Mountain begins by introducing the protagonist of the novel, who the reader only knows as 'Inman'. He is lying in a Virginia hospital ward recovering from a wound he obtained in war. Inman struggles with the violence he has witnessed while fighting for the Confederate Army, both physically and mentally. He wants to go home to a simpler life and reunite with Ada, a woman he had to leave behind due to the war.

   Inman begins his journey to North Carolina. Along the way he is accompanied by a preacher-turned-murderer, until his death somewhere east of where they started. During Inman’s travels, Ada is also introduced. She lives almost alone on an inherited farm, hoping and fearing Inman’s return.

  Inman is found in a shallow grave by a kind slave who points him back to the man who turned him in to the soldiers (the same that killed his first travel companion). After killing him, Inman travels on and comes across a couple of lonely women. Although he identifies with both, he concludes that isolation is not his forte and keeps going.

   Ada and her company continue to be content with their simple, domestic lifestyle. She and her band of misfits occasionally happen across some wayward soldiers, but generally continue on undisturbed.

   Inman eventually reaches Black Cove Farm, but is ambushed in the home stretch of his journey. Ada hears the shots, finds Inman, and holds him in her lap as he dies.

   The epilogue (set a good ten years later) depicts Ada and the family she has made herself from a Georgia farm boy, their three sons, and a daughter by Inman settling down for a night filled with stories and fiddle music.

2.         There are two themes for Cold Mountain: Isolation and Loneliness and Faith and Intuition versus Knowledge.

·        Isolation and Loneliness: The two protagonists experience a extended sense of isolation from their surroundings and culture, and loneliness in the absence of each other. Ada is generally content, but recalls her feelings upon her arrival at Black Cove Farm, directly following her father’s death and consistent separation from others in Charleston society. Likewise, Inman feels a profound isolation due to his war experiences, and feels he can no longer identify with the rest of humanity. Contrary to the identical isolation Inman has in comparison to Ada, his character is not alienated from society. He recognizes his isolated feelings are from missing Ada, because no one can replace her in his mind.

·         Faith and Intuition versus Knowledge: Again, both protagonists show similarity in their views. Inman sees the traditional Christian church as superficial and self-important in comparison to the cultural traditions of the ancient Cherokee Indians. Inman ends up shaping a personal faith taking the best of -in his mind- Christianity, Cherokee beliefs, and personal creed with consideration of gained wisdom and intuition. Similarly, Ada questions the concept of faith practiced through Christianity and her father’s rigid practice. She begins to center her ‘faith’ on nature and tries to mesh it with the concept of a higher power. Ultimately, she concludes that the tangible world around her is all that there is.

3.      The tone throughout the novel changes with the change of character, and with the characters themselves. For the most part, the tone for both perspectives are searching either for peace or belonging:

·        Inman: “Cold Mountain . . . soared in his mind as a place where all his scattered forces might gather. Inman did not consider himself to be a superstitious person, but he did believe that there is a world invisible to us. He no longer thought of that world as heaven, nor did he still think that we get to go there when we die. Those teachings had been burned away. But he could not abide by a universe composed only of what he could see, especially when it was so frequently foul.” Ch1

-“He had grown so used to seeing death . . . that it seemed no longer dark and mysterious. He feared his heart had been touched by the fire so often he might never make a civilian again.” Ch7

·        Ada: “[Ada] believed she would erect towers on the ridge marking the south and north points of the sun’s annual swing. . . . Keeping track of such a thing would place a person, would be a way of saying, You are here, in this one station, now. It would be an answer to the question, Where am I?”

The Big Question: Brainstorm 1

1-Are we(people) born with centuries of knowledge stored within our brains, simply in need of. a "reminder" about what is 'reality,' or are we born with a blank slate?
2-Where does compassion come from?
3-Is evil born or made?
4-Why do people have an inherent fear of the unknown?
5-Where does religion come from?
6-When our government decides to cut spending, why is education the first to go?
7-What allows people to unlock their secret for greater potential?
8-Why is there often a narrator to our thoughts?
9-Where does our conscience come from, and when does it develop? Is our conscience different from the above mentioned 'voice'?
10-Why is whatever is unattainable so desirable?
11-Why does there 'have to be something more' in life?

To Facebook or Not To Facebook?

            My initial reaction to Facebook was pretty indifferent. Ok, so someone took MySpace and streamlined it, made it more professional. Big whoop from my point of view.

            Although this article-and our in class discussion- stirred up some very important potential safety issues (such as the use of one's 'likes' to custom-make a menu of advertisements) there is one big point I don't understand. What part of this personalization is so blindingly terrifying? I feel like I'm missing something. If this is all done by a mathematical equation, who is using the information we have willingly provided against us? Where is the problem? If these advertisements are lingering in the margins of our screens, begging for attention, wouldn’t  it make more sense to put something there that applies directly to ourselves? Its not like I am going to go out and purchase a lifetime supply of pencils just because there is an ad on my page for supremely awesome writing utensils. That would be the same as jumping off a cliff just because some person you are acquainted with does too. All I’m saying is, it makes sense to advertise products in this manner, and it doesn’t harm anyone, so why not?

            I completely understand that the things posted on the internet by me or about me can be viewed by a large amount of other people (to be specific, ‘friends of friends’). But isn’t that the point of social networking? The very definition states that it is: “a collection of websites that allow people to join networks that allow them to socialize with people who have similar tastes.” I thought this meant that social networks -such as Facebook- were meant to be used in a way that reached hundreds of people while keeping you connected to those close to you. Maybe I was wrong…but I don’t think so.
            In other words, all I’m getting from this article and our in-class discussion is a better understanding of the ‘risks’ of being on Facebook (in particular, the distribution of personal factoids to an unknown audience) or on any internet site requiring personal information. I will still carefully filter what I post online.

This post is in response to Emily Bazelon's article in the NY Times, "Why Facebook is After Your Kids", published October 12, 2011

Reaccurring Theme in Jane Eyre

There are a couple of themes for Jane Eyre, but the main one is Love.

Throughout the novel, Jane is looking to be loved. After her parents die, she looks for it in her remaining (known) family members but doesn’t find it. “Who could want me?”-pg 19 When Jane moves to Lowood School, she seeks it in Helen Burns, another girl at the school, and speaks very plainly about what she wants, and that is “to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest” -Chapter 8. After she escapes the school, she begins to look for romantic love, and she finds it in Mr. Rochester. Up to the time that she finds out he’s married, she finds the sense of belonging and love; meaning she’s happy. Then she moves in with the Rivers siblings and finds familial love, which Mr. Rochester can’t give her, and again is happy, to a point. When St. John proposes, Jane realizes love needs to be mutual, and returns back to Mr. Rochester, and is happy. All of this shows that love needs to be a mutual feeling, and that with it, one can be happy.

Plot Summary for Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane’s Childhood at Gateshead

• Begins with ten year old Jane Eyre, an orphan living with her deceased uncle’s family, The Reeds, at Gateshead Hall
• Introduction of Jane’s aunt and cousins (abuse her physically and emotionally)
• Aunt Sara Reed treats Jane as a lowly servant
• One day Jane is locked in the Red Room as punishment

v     The Red Room is the room in which her uncle died

• While locked away, she sees and apparition she believes to be her uncle
• Jane’s aunt no longer wants to handle Jane’s ‘outlandish behavior’(seeing the apparition) and allows Jane to attend Lowood School for Girls (a charity school)

Jane’s Education at Lowood School

·        There are 80 pupils at Lowood

·        The rooms are cold, the food is poor, and the provided clothing threadbare

·        Upon her arrival at the school, she is accused of being deceitful by Mrs. Reed(see Red Room)

·        During an inspection, Jane accidentally breaks her slate

·        She is labeled as a liar by Mr. Brocklehurst (very self-righteous clergyman who runs the school) and publicly shamed in front

·        Jane’s new friend, Helen Burns, comforts her after this ordeal (Helen is the first person Jane has really bonded with since her parent’s death, so she’s pretty important)

·        Jane catches the eye of Miss Temple, a kind teacher, who helps facilitate Jane’s self defense (from Mrs. Reed’s accusations)

·        With the help of Miss Temple, Jane writes to Mr. Loyd (Mr. Lloyd is the Reeds’ apothecary) who agrees with Jane. Mr. Lloyd writes a letter to Miss Temple confirming Jane’s story about her childhood and clearing Jane of the above accusations.

·        A typhus epidemic sweeps through the school, and Jane’s friend Helen dies in her arms

·        Mr. Brocklehurst’s neglect and dishonesty are discovered

·        Serveral benefactors rebuild the school and conditions are dramatically improved

·        At 18, Jane decides to leave the school

Governess of Thornfield Hall

·        She advertises herself as a governess (recieves one reply)

·        The keeper of Thornfield Hall, Alice Fairfax, hires Jane to teach Adele Varens a young French girl (also Edward Rochester’s ward/potential daughter. See Rochester below.)

·        One night Jane was walking to town, and a man on horseback passes her. The horse slips on ice, and throws the rider

·        Jane helps the rider

·        Back at Thornfield Hall,  Jane learns that the fallen rider is Edward Rochester, master of the house

·        Rochester is suspicious of Jane, and wonders if she bewitched his horse to make him fall

·        Adele’s mother was caught with a rival of Mr. Rochester, making him disown Adele as his potential daughter

·        Jane and Mr. Rochester spend many hours together

·        Jane develops strong feelings for him

·        Jane takes note of strange occurrences in the house, such as strange laugh, a mysterious fire in Mr. Rochester's room, and an attack on Rochester's house guest, Mr. Mason

·        Through the grapevine, Jane hears that her aunt has been requesting her presence

·        Jane goes back to Gateshead to find her cousin has died and her aunt is in the process

·        Jane spends a month caring for Mrs. Reed

·        Mrs. Reed gives a letter to Jane from one of her other uncles, requesting that Jane lives with him

·        Jane’s aunt admits to telling this other uncle that Jane had died of fever

·        Mrs. Reed dies, and Jane returns to Thornfield

·        She returns to find that Mr. Rochester is in an impending marriage to Blanche Ingram

·        One midsummer’s evening, Mr. Rochester proclaims his love for Jane and proposes

·        Jane prepares for her wedding

·         Jane’s foreboding feelings arise when a ‘savage looking woman’ arrives in her rrom and tears her wedding veil in half

·        Mr. Rochester blames the incident on Grace Poole, an alcoholic servant of his

·        During the wedding ceremony, a lawyer and Mr. mason declare that Mr. Rochester can’t marry Jane because he is still married

·        Mr. Mason’s sister is Mr. Rochester’s wife

·        Mr. Rochester is quick to explain that he was tricked into marriage (by his father) to obtain Ms. Mason’s vast fortune

·        Once married, he discovered she was extremely mentally ill and descending into madness

·        He eventually locked her away in Thornfield, and hired Grace Poole to keep her (when Grace got drunk, Mrs. Rochester escapes and causes the strange happenings that Jane has witnessed

·        Rochester proposes that the two move to France and live as husband and wife without actually being married

·        Jane upholds her moral code, and refuses his offer, despite her strong love for him

·        Jane leave Thornfield in the middle of the night

Jane’s Time with the Rivers Family

·        Jane travels England using her meager savings

·        She leaves her stuff on a coach

·        She now has to sleep on the moor, and desperation has led her to trade her scarf and gloves for food

·        She makes her way to the home of Diana and Mary Rivers

·        Jane is turned away by the housekeeper

·        She faints on the doorstep, and feels her will to live desert her

·        St. John Rivers (brother to Diana and Mary) saves her

·        Once she regains her health, St. John finds her a teaching position at a nearby charity school (like Lowood, only better)

·        Jane bonds with the sisters but not with John

·        St. John and Jane get closer after the sisters leave for governess jobs

·        He realizes who she really is and surprises her with a letter stating that her uncle has left her a large inheritance (this is the uncle that requested she live with him)

·        Jane questions how St. John has the letter, and he reveals that they are cousins, but got nothing of the inheritance

·        Jane splits the inheritance with the Rivers siblings

·        Diana and Mary return, having no more need to work

·        St. John thinks that Jane would be a good missionary’s wife, and proposes to her, and that they go to India (proposal was out of duty, not love)

·        Jane accepts the trip to India, but not the marriage proposal because she still harbors feelings for Mr. Rochester

·        Jane questions her decision when she mysteriously hears Mr. Rochester’s voice calling her name

Jane Returns to Thornfield

• Jane returns to Thornfield to find blackened ruins
• She learns that Mrs. Rochester set fire to the house and committed suicide, and that in attempt to rescue her, Mr. Rochester lost a hand and his eyesight
• Jane meets up with him
• He fears she will no longer love him due to his physical deformities
• Jane reassures him of her love for him
• He proposes again, and they are married
• Mr. Rochester recovers enough eyesight to see their firstborn son