1984 Post Reading

  The idea of government oppression is terrifying. As Americans, we like to at least feel as if we have some control in what goes on in our life, so any situation where we don't is one that we fear. This is why I think the most terrifying "Utopian" is one where people are falsely content and happy with their lives in government.
  The main reason I believe this is simple. In a world where you believe you are happy, you won't fight back against the oppression. In almost every dystopian I've read, the society is mostly happy, so they never resist, while the protagonist is unhappy, giving them the means to fight back. For instance, in 1984, the government relies on people like Winston to make themselves and their figure head Big Brother look perfect, thus making the society falsely happy, which is why there's little to no resistance. But in other dystopias where the society isn't happy, there is resistance, like the Hunger Games. In The Hunger Games, the society's unhappiness led to a full blown revolution, which is why I think its more dangerous when the society is unaware of how oppressed and unhappy they truly are. Any thoughts of resistance would be gone, as they would be content with what they had.
  Another example worth noting is Anthem. In Anthem, the society isn't necessarily happy with putting everyone else first, but they believe it to be for the better, and view anything else as selfish and wrong, which is why there's no rebelling. It's because the government played on the society's morals, in a "you don't really want to be that kind of person, do you?" kind of way. This shows when Equality breaks the rules. Notice that he's never afraid of his government punishing him, but rather, he feels as if he went against his morals. It's kind of similar to the Roman Catholic Church in the dark ages. They made people believe that it was wrong to disobey the clergy and the monarchy, and sinful to learn to read. In 1984, writing in books is illegal, and spending time alone is questionable. The government is trying to make a new language to replace the old, so that people could forget about the time where there was freedom. The society just allows itself to be oppressed. Any problem that they face from the government is swept under the rug, like people getting vaporized. It's kind of like the Matrix. People are slaves but either don't know it, or refuse to accept it, which is the way some society's are today. In fact, North Korea is basically the real world example of Oceanic London in 1984. They both brainwash the people into believing that their government is this perfect ruler, through propaganda, and cutting off communication with the rest of the world.
  I think at any rate, we should keep government's under close surveillance. They're supposed to be doing what is in the best interest for the people, and the second they stop is the second we should resist.
 

Utopian Society Pre-Reading

There is no such thing as a perfect world. To have a perfect world, everyone would have to be completely happy, which rules out compromises. Humanity's individuals all have their own morals, views, experiences, and standpoints. To obstruct, take away, or forbid any of those wouldn't make for a utopic world. It would be a dystopian. At any rate, to design my perfect world is hard for me, because nobody will agree fully. All the same, I'll try to design my utopian.

 

 

First, and foremost, equality. Now, in Harrison Bergeron, and in Anthem, they have equality by not allowing people to be better than their peers. Now I'd like a world where not everyone is necessarily equal, but everyone is given the same rights (except for criminals, maybe) and the same opportunities. This way, everyone has a chance, and it is their choice whether to pursue it or not. Today's society is similar but not everyone has equal rights or opportunities. Not everyone is paid the same for the same job. Those born rich have better opportunities than those born rich. I'd try to take that away. To institute equal pay. I'd try to end racism and sexism, and all other boundaries that separate us. I wouldn't force everyone to be the same, but I'd like everyone to be together with love in their hearts. Take away grudges from the past, and maybe we would come closer to being a utopic society. The only thing I'd have that's really personal is that rock music would be big again. But that's pretty much it (seriously I want my Led Zeppelin type bands). I hope you can agree somewhat when I say that grudges of the past are the instigators of a lot of the modern worlds problems. Take the grudges away, and maybe brother would no longer fight brother. Maybe peace would be achieved.

Earning and Loosing Trust (Spirit Bear Pre-Reading)

I may have trust issues. Well, there's no may to it. I have trust issues. While I do trust some people (Tanner, Erika, Erin, Lily), I struggle with establishing trustful connections with people. I try to be nice to everyone, but I keep my distance from most people in general. This is kind of like a defense, don't put your trust in those who would misuse it, and it's a way of playing it safe. But it has its drawbacks, like the feeling that I don't belong any where (in honors, in school, sometimes even with my friends), but if that feeling means safety, than isn't it worth it?

 

 

That bared in mind, I don't really know how people earn my trust. Tanner and Erin have been around longer than my trust issues, back when it was easy to gain. But Lily and Erika gained my trust through time and experience. I trust them because we've been through a lot, and they've yet to leave. So, I guess that's the way to earn my trust. But at the same time, I question it whenever people actively attempt to gain my trust. I don't know why, but it always made me question their intentions. Maybe that's why I trust Erika and Lily. Maybe it's because it didn't feel like they were trying to earn my trust, but rather it felt like they were just trying to be good friends. That's how you should gain trust, not by trying to earn it, but simply by being a good friend.

 

 

Nevertheless, trust is hard to gain from me, but after you break it, it's even harder. I don't really know how you earn it back, no one has really tried, but I guess with time and persistence, I may forgive you. Try being a good friend, express genuine regret, and with time it may mend. That said, I've had many people try to earn my trust, but no one's tried earning it back, so it's hard to say what people could do.

 

 

One more thing, that is more personal. I want to explain the reasons I have trust issues. Last year, there was a girl (this sounds like the start of a soap opera). She was my best friend, the person I always talked to, and my confidant. Looking back now, I see that she hurt me a lot. She played my emotions, my trust, to her benefit. But I didn't care at the time. I thought she was amazing. I let her walk all over me. Until she did something I won't speak of. That was when I was done. I was through and I pushed her out. But it still hurt a lot, and I found myself with everyone I trusted walking out. There was a girl named Trinity but, she wasn't around for long. Everyone left, except for Tanner and Erin. Tanner may be eccentric, but he's like a brother, and Erin, like a sister. There's Lily and Erika too, which I am always grateful for. I treasure my friends, because they actually, genuinely care. I said before that I constantly feel like I don't belong. Well, my friends give me a place where I do.

Little Brother Post-Reading #2

"We're in a lifeboat now, and once you're in a lifeboat, no one wants to hear about how mean the captain is being." 

 

 

In the event of an emergency, many people say that whomever is responsible for protecting the welfare of the common man must have an iron grip, and unquestionable strength, even if this means being viewed as a tyrant. And for the most part, I agree. In the event of a national emergency, martial law may very well take effect, and while the extent of this is very limited in the U.S. due to congress forbidding it in 1878, this can be changed with congressional approval, and when enough people are scared, they're not worried about their rights, they're worried about who's going to lead them out of the dark, no matter how malicious their means to doing so may seem. In the book, the DHS practically took over the country, which is in and of itself martial law, and rewrote the constitution, which is against the Bill of Rights, so in a real world scenario, this could very well start all kinds of protests, as this would be the government doing more than infringing on our rights, this would be them provoking our rights. But even amongst the protests, I think there would be a large number of people supporting the government, out of fear. "The ends justify the means" is a quote used by Machiavelli in the 16th century to say that no matter how nefarious or malign your methods may be, they're acceptable so long as you're accomplishing good deeds by doing so, but more often than not, these words are used as an excuse. Scientists who worked on Project Manhattan (the making of the first atomic weapon) were asked how they felt about the destruction their invention caused. While several of the scientists, such as Albert Einstein, admitted feeling sorrowful and guilty, others stated that it was simply a means to an end, and one that worked. Several countries use the "ends justifies the means" defense when using martial law, and at times they can appear reasonable, but the ends should never justify a pointless means. But back to the point. In the book, the DHS taking over involves mass invasion of privacy, much of it going against constitutional rights. Peaceful protests were being broken up and gassed unnecessarily, unprovoked searches, going against the 4th right, that were also conducted without a warrant. Government is limited by the people, and in the story, people are now limited by the government. But the common people don't much mind or care so long as they think they're safe, even though they're just becoming bigger targets. Also, Marcus points out that they don't allow trials or attorneys of law, as well as not telling the families of prisoners about their arrest, not having warrants for arrest (again), and threatening them if they told anyone. If this was to happen in real life, I pressure you to speak out against it, as in this case, the government is hurting you, rather than terrorists. You are their enemy.

The Face of Terror (Little Brother Prereading)

 Terrorism is horrific. The idea of causing terror for some ulterior motive has been around for years, and sadly, most forms of terrorist attacks involve an attack on innocent civilians. In the history of the United States alone, there have been several terrorist attacks, such as the Oklahoma City Bombing in the 1980's, and the one that will forever live in infamy; September 11th, 2001.The main purpose of these attacks was just to kill thousands of people and to cause as much terror as possible. See, that's what makes the idea of terrorists so genuinely terrifying. Their enemy is not your military, their enemy is you. The civilian, the innocent that just so happens to be in a country that has a lot of enemies. But we hear so much about terrorism, and the Middle East, we think we'd know what they look like. Right?

 Well go ahead and get rid of the idea I am sure you have. Don't picture a Middle Eastern man with a turban. While Islamic extremists are perhaps the most well known, there not all Middle Eastern. In fact, quite a few of them are British and French. There's also more than just Islamic

terrorists, as there is also plenty of other examples such as the Boston Bombing teenagers. Now that we have that down, what would they act like? I think they'd be of a more nervous, skitterey disposition. It makes sense, as the guilty tend to act as such. But that's not truly what I want to say.

 I believe terrorists are ruled by the same fears that we, the victims, are. Humans are subject to being inducted into orders that they may very well disagree with, such as a terrorist organization, out of fear of the same organization. So before you say that terrorists are all evil, remember the few that are ruled by terror.

The Help vs. To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird vs. The Help

 

Throughout over half of the twentieth century, racism was not only present in America, but encouraged. Many stood for it, several out of fear for their onlookers. Inhumanity was considered the norm. Many didn’t care what was happening in the country, rather, they sat back and watched, so long as it didn’t interfere with their little bubble. But then, there were the ones that cared. The ones that tried to put a stop to it. They fought hand and foot, in any way they could. Movies were made, comics were produced, and books were published. Two such books were “The Help” and “To Kill A Mockingbird”. These two books are both attributed with being relatively responsible in the change of hearts of men and women everywhere, for giving us a very human perspective on racism. The two books are clearly compatible to be compared. But just how alike are they? How different?

To begin with, both novels present the same basic point. Racism should not be continued or upheld any longer. They’re both from the perspective of a tomboyish girl who goes by a nickname (Scout and Skeeter) who were both raised by a black maid in place of a mother figure (Calpurnia and Constantine). Both novels have a character who is discriminated for no true reason (Arthur Radley and Miss Celia). Both novels have the setting of a small, southern town, during a period of time when racism was a big issue. They both feature a black character who, despite doing nothing wrong, is falsely accused, as well as an antagonist that takes matters into their own hands when they go awry. They both present the story from a very real, human perspective. Also, both stories say that everyone, regardless of any stereotype, has the potential to be kind.

So yes, the stories are quite similar in many ways, however, the stories are also strikingly different. First of all, the narration. “To Kill A Mockingbird” is from the view of a child who’s yet to mature, and still has an innocent world view, while “The Help” is from the perspectives of adults who’ve become mature. Also, the setting is somewhat different. “To Kill A Mockingbird” takes place in Maycomb, Alabama, a kind of town where everyone knows everyone, in the 1930's. "The Help" takes place in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960's around the time of the civil rights movements. And while there are accusations in both books "To Kill A Mockingbird" was for rape, but "The Help" was for theft. They are also centered around a different plot base. "To Kill A Mockingbird" is about a court trial and the time prior, as well as after, the trial of a black man accused, "The Help" on the other hand, is about black maids working for white families. In "To Kill A Mockingbird" there are several major children characters, but in "The Help", there are none. Finally, while they feature the same basic point, the presentation is very different. While many believe "The Help", is more lighthearted, I honestly disagree. I believe "The Help" is much more morbid, as well as dark, with themes of miscarriage, domestic abuse, estrangement from parents, and many more subjects. It is less innocent, possibly because it is narrated from adults that have seen the world for what it is. "To Kill A Mockingbird", is, by my belief, the more innocent version, while still being dark at times. This is mainly because it is narrated by a child.

In the end, both stories serve their point very well, and bring a very human perspective to racism, whether you want the morbid version, or the lighthearted one, both stories are amazing takes in the matter, ans should be read by all to better instill the belief that this country was founded upon, that all men are created equal.

Paige Rawl

Paige Rawl

 

        Paige is durable. She has the ability to live with a disease that could very well be lethal. Not only that, but she dealt with the pain of her friends leaving. She contemplated taking her own life. Now, I've been alone. I understand that pain, feeling as if the world would be a bit better if you weren't in it. But, I also understand not wanting to be pitied. All this bared in mind, I would treat her as the human she is. Not being overly pitiful. I'd try to show her that I understand, that she isn't alone. That she is both strong and durable. After all, strength is simply the ability to stop something before it can cause you pain, while tenacity is surviving through that which you can't stop. This girl has the ability to live through the pain of abandonment.

 

      I would, however, be afraid to speak to her. I'm not the best with words, and I have a bad knack for causing harm to those I vow to protect. There's a reason that I only have 3 real friends. Tanner, Erin, Kayla, I haven't messed up with them yet, but it would seem it's only a matter of time. So what if I said something wrong? It's very plausible that something such as this would happen. Paige is, indeed, a very strong person, but all the same, it doesn't help to have another person hurt you. But I've been told that I care too much about the wellbeing of those around me, and too little of my own. I would tell her that, even though I don't really know her, I would do my best to help her when she needs it. Cause we're all human, and we all stumble, we need friends there to help. And I may not be the best at demonstrating that I care, but I always do. I try to help people I don't know. Call it redeeming myself for mistakes I've made previously. But she needs to know that she's not alone. That she's cared for, and loved, unconditionally. And that we all are.