January 18, 2008
copychange journal
This was a copy change of a poem from class. I can’t think of another word for cowards because thats not really what I’m describing… I was thinking of someone who chokes when they are publically speaking.
Cowards die many times before their death
Cowards die many times before their death
they stand in terroristic silence
except in their mind
in here, they are yelling
telling themself to break the silence
nevermore- they step down
and wait for the next time.
descriptive journal entry
this was in response to a prompt about describing something. yup.
I spread myself out on the rough, holey hammock by a body of calm moving water. I carefully place a small white earphone in each ear and out of the little speakers came a light jazz. A subtle wind blew and the hammock gently swayed back and forth. The smell of the river mixed with old rope filled my nose with the great outdoors. It was there that I fell asleep.
The great pen
This was and entry in which we used personification. its kind of short.. it looked longer in my journal.
The pen which lays dully on the table suddenly jumps up and down on the paper. Sometimes it needs a little push but once it goes it twirls and sways up and down. Jumping and breaking; it holds all the ideas of your mind. It is the necessary connection between your thoughts and your masterpieces. The simple dance, all pens know, transfers ones thought to another.
The lowest form of life
I write in my journal every night. I write fast and I don’t stop until I’m done which ends in writing full of mistakes. I would like to go and revise them all but most are to personal to put on the web but I like this one. There are some awkward sentences. There is some crazy punctuation and I start rambling at the end. I learnt that, like most things in life, going to fast really can ruin things.
~Before
Some say that the lowest form of life is criminals but what about the people who sit at home and complains about little things without seeking a resolution. The mother who yells at her kid for spilling mustard on her new tablecloth; the teacher who yells at a student for asking a question she just answered; The best friends that get in a fight over a broken promise. Who could be lower then the priveledged who takes advantage of what they have? There is a rumor that says money is happyness. I don’t know about you but I think that money is the root of evil. It’s what makes women sell their bodies, teenagers sell drugs, and men kill. We are all well off in the since we have the greatest thing, life, and yet we all complain about the most mundane things. So doesn’t that make us all the lowest form of life? If we are all the lowest then why can’t we all just get along. We are one planet in a gallaxy of millions and yet we can’t get along because of social differences.
»After«
Some argue that the lowest form of life is that of heartless criminals but what about the mother who yells at her kid for spilling mustard on her new tablecloth; the teacher who yells at a student for asking a question she just answered; the best friends that stop talking after a breaking a promise. There are so many people out there who just complain without looking for a resolution. Who could be lower then the people who have everything but act like they have nothing? There is this rumor that says money is happiness. I don’t know about you but I think money is the root of evil. It’s what makes women sell their bodies, teenagers sell drugs, and men kill. We are all well off in the since we have the greatest thing; life. Yet we all complain about the most mundane things. It’s what I’m doing right now. So doesn’t that make us all the lowest form of life?
The road to success
I’m almost a 100% positive that I did not make my “inner truth” clear but I figured this, not everyone understood that poem we had to read in English and its published so why does mine have to make perfect sense to everyone. I understand it and you can interpret it the way you want to but it is suppose to be the cycle of success, the road to the top is full of struggles, once you’re there you wonder if it’s what you expected, something shows it that it is what you were wanting, and then it ends.
I walk down a gravel road, a road I have been down several times but nonetheless it leaves me with a feeling of adventure. The road opens up to a clearing; at the edge of the clearing there presides an amphitheater. It is settled on a small hill, with a long, rickety, uphill ramp leading to the entrance. The entrance stands on top of the ramp it’s alone, tall and wide it’s ugly yet appealing. It draws you in because you know behind it there is a whole different world, a world on top of everything. When you enter this world you leave all your cares behind. The difficult part is getting to it, and it is a journey I look forward to.
I reach the ramp, look down and there lies an old, worn rug; it looked as though several others had treaded on it before me. Every two feet there is a bump in the carpet giving support to the walker, and they keep you from falling. They’re there for you even if you don’t need them. Overgrown weeds and plants surround the incline’s perimeter creating a zigzag, obstacle course. The leaves on the plants sway back and forth getting in your way. Anticipation swells inside of me as I start to stride to the top. A slight wind hits the side of my face and my hair sways in front. It turns and flips in the air like ribbons tied to a fan. Though it seems I may never reach the top I look back and see how far I have come. I use the accomplishments to push forward.
The wind grows stronger, and my hair pokes my eye. I tie it behind my head and finish the last little bit. I now stand at the entrance of the amphitheater looking down at the stage; my worries drift away. Relief fills my body as I turn around and glance at where I have come from. I walk forward, leaving the struggle of how I got here behind, simply studying everything around. It all looks different now that it’s been closed for sometime. Age and teenage delinquents has changed it; nonetheless it’s exciting and enjoyable. Helpless weeds looking for sunlight jut through the nooks and crannies of a once solid, concrete aisle. While the walls are covered in tasteless spray paint, there are names of people who have come and left their mark. I continue exploring this world; I look in every crevice wondering how it looked back when it was open and why this is on top of everything.
I walk to the highest point and look over the White Oak River. The warm and welcomed sun beats down on my face. I stand there closing my eyes and taking everything in. I feel the wind in my face as it pushes all my hair behind my head. The smell of saltwater and fish fill the air; it’s a smell that sounds undesirable, but keeps you wanting to breath it in forever because you can only smell it in places where nature hasn’t been polluted. I turn around and walk back to the seats; I carefully set myself down on the sleek, silver metal. It burns my leg, but it I ignore the slight pain. I look down at the stage and I see people of all ages dancing around and conversing with one another. They smile at their achievements. At once I know why it’s on top, the skill of the characters and the detail of the stage makes everything worthwhile.
As sunset arrives I stand up. Stretch a little; the breeze died down. I begin to leave the world I so anticipated two hours before. I stop and turn around and give one last look at the beautiful abandonment; I return to where I came from and slowly walk around all of the plants that use to be in my way. The ramp seems to have shortened, because I have seen all the obstacles and know how to avoid them. Reaching the gravel road, I turn one last time and reflect. The graffiti and rust melt away; the torn awnings repaired themselves, and a man trims the plants evading the pathway for the next person who is looking for time away from everything.
January 15, 2008
Logic or emotion? What decides?
The prompt for this journal entry was “What do you value more logic or emotions? What does society value more? and What does schools value more?” This question had me split in two as to what I am/value more. In this entry I made generalizations or stereotypes, if you will, and I don’t fit in to them. I find that I am a very religious spiritual person but I analyze everything. Where as religious people, I think, are more emotional people, whereas scientologist are more logical. I enjoyed thinking about it though.
They both are something everyone is born with and everybody is different when it comes to them and which one they value more. Generally, I think more with my logic, I think things out and analyze everything from what people say to me to what I’m doing at the moment. But I have days where my emotions take over me and my decision making is weakened because I don’t think things through. Therefore you could say that I value logic. In society today what is valued depends on many factors: social level, job, location, and background. People who are from the streets tend to be emotional, though the emotions are on the “tough” side, whereas people from a rich city is going to grow up more with logic. More religous people tend to be more emotionally driven even though I could be a counter argument for that. Schools today value more logic, which is why we have a race to the top of our classes and class meetings about our test scores. If you think about it then that is pretty obvious considering school is designed to boast your knowledge and the way you problem solve. I think that the majority of the public value logic more then emotion.
January 10, 2008
Knowing the Unknown: An Explanation of Déjà Vu
I was sitting in class, like any other normal day in a teenager’s life, looking at a test that I had finished. I stared at it and I was suddenly and unexplainably overcome by this feeling that I had been in that exact room; taking that exact test before. The feeling lasted only brief seconds but left me puzzled for a couple minutes and left just as sudden as it came. Only one out of fifteen people have not experienced déjà vu. The act of remembering is a common thing–everyone does it– but not many people know how it happens. Everyone dreams and everybody forgets some of the dreams. This once considered paranormal brain behavior is now being researched with over forty varying theories, only one theory is plausible: the theory that déjà vu is a sudden remembrance of a precognitive, forgotten dream.
French scientist Emile Boirac’s word déjà vu literally translated means “already seen.”(the brain encyclopedia) It was first studied in the early 1800’s as a paranormal activity associated with frontal lobe epilepsy. People with frontal lobe epilepsy have said that they get strong déjà vu right before they have a seizure. Since the 1800’s there have been over forty different theories as to how and why déjà vu occurs. Some of which include reincarnation of a past life, information that is imprinted in your brain at birth, a delay of signal between your brain and your eyes, or something as a child you vividly saw. Alan S. Brown of Southern Methodist University has found that déjà vu is more frequent in those “who travel frequently, remember their dreams, and have liberal beliefs (political and religious).” (Brown, Alan) I know that when I traveled to Europe over the summer I saw lots of things in a short amount of time, and I can’t describe everyday perfectly but I have memories of the trip. This means that I could suddenly recall a memory of the trip and have a déjà vu experience. Younger people, who have better memories, also have a higher chance of experiencing déjà vu. Studies show both precognitive dreams and déjà vu is more evident in the 6-10 age groups. (Fukuda, Kazuhiko) Some argue that the kids of the studies may use their imaginations and there for void the study. Morton Leeds conducted a study in which he found that déjà vu occurs when you are stressed, overly tired, at the end of the week, later in the evening, or when daydreaming; all of those times are conditions when your short and long term memory are slowed down. (Joshua, Foer) Precognitive dreams are the origin of déjà vu.
Sometimes you can have a dream about the future; these dreams are called precognitive dreams. J. W. Dunne, an Oxford University professor, found that 12.7 percent of his subjects had dreams that had similarities with a future occurrence. Everyone dreams and because your brain moves your dream into a short term “area” you can’t remember them. Repression, the argued cause for the inability to recall dreams, is the unconscious exclusion of any memory that brings anxiety to one’s self. Normal dreams have connections to what is happening in their life; the dreams may cause anxiety so therefore are “forgotten.” But your brain still leaves a record of the dream in it; it’s just not in your temporal lobe.Thompson found that déjà vu occurs mainly in the hippocampus and amygdala brain areas.(Thompson, R.G) The hippocampus is what transfers memories from short term into long term, this process is done while you sleep. The amygdala is the part of your brain that develops strong emotions. It’s loosely tied to memories if the emotion is strong enough from the amygdala then the amygdala connects to the hippocampus and the memory in turn becomes long term (Thinkquest.org, see figure 1). If you have a record of a precognitive dream then you are most likely going to have déjà vu at least once and the remembrance can be induced by any of your senses.
When you see an arrangement or scene that is similar to a dream that you can’t remember vividly, it could trigger feelings of familiarity and confusion. The confusion is due to the sense that you shouldn’t remember being or seeing it because you haven’t been there in real life. This response is the sudden retrieval of the “forgotten” dream, and tricks you into thinking you lived it. Some people’s mind starts rushing and tries to figure out where they saw it before; others slow down and ponder. The feelings are different for everyone meaning that there is not set effect of déjà vu. The whole situation is known as Déjà vu, a term researched and originated by Emile Boirac.
There have been many scientists from all over the world who have studied déjà vu. Emile Boirac was a French psychological researcher of the 1850’s. He is remembered for naming déjà vu and defining ESP. He revealed and named déjà vu to the world in a book entitled L’Avenir des Sciences Psychiques. (howstuffworks.com) He believed in spiritualism, and was president of the University of Genoble and Dijon University. Arthur Funkhouser is a Swiss scholar, who came up with the theory of precognitive dreams being the cause of most déjà vu. Funkhouser also divided déjà vu up into the three variations in 1983. (Funkhouser, Arthur.) Vernon Neppe wrote a book entitled The Psychology of Déjà vu, it defined all words associated with déjà vu and went through and described in detail all the different theories of déjà vu (Neppe, Vernon).
Déjà vu is split up into three different variations, déjà vécu, déjà visté, and déjà senti. Which deals with having already seen, thought, or visited the scene where déjà vu occurred. Déjà vécu is the most common of the three types, which occurs through sight. Déjà visté is supported by the precognitive dream theory. Déjà vu doesn’t have to occur through seeing an image or arrangement; it can happen when you smell, feel, or taste something familiarly unknown. The source can be as small as a pin or as big as a street scene, and brings back a memory and all the feelings associated with the forgotten memory. Connotations of déjà vu are that it’s an unexplainable feeling that overcomes you when you see something familiar. In a survey, in which I polled about 15 people, I, shockingly, found that most people considered their déjà vu experience as a happy one and weren’t puzzled by the situation. Some people, who have experienced it more then the people I surveyed, say that they loose interest in watching in television or listening to the radio because they feel like they have seen it all before. Those people are normally the epileptics. (Joshua, Foer)
Some argue that the theory of precognitive dreams can not possibly be right. Because déjà vu is supposed to be a sudden unexplainable feeling, you shouldn’t be able to relate it to something happened in the past. In other words it’s called a precognitive occurrence and not déjà vu. Another argue as to why the precognitive dream theory isn’t a plausible theory of déjà vu is that you shouldn’t have any exterior confirmation as to where you saw the scene that gave you déjà vu before. According to these beliefs déjà vu is rarer then people think because it would deny most people’s interpretation of having déjà vu. (Johnson, C.) These doubts also make studying subjects difficult because it’s denouncing them as not having experienced it.
It is arguable that déjà vu occurs when you have a sudden remembrance of a dream you had in the past. Each theory comes from a different type of researchers: scientists, psychologists, paranormal psychologists, chemists, neurologists, and spiritualists. All the different explanations and personal beliefs behind the explanations makes the cause of déjà vu controversial. The randomness of the occurrence makes it hard to study; as they have not found a way to induce a déjà vu “attack.” Right now they stick with simple surveys: what happened, what did you see, describe the feelings you had, or describe the day you were having. Others attempted to induce déjà vu in a manner that the subject didn’t know it was happening. (Howstuffworks.com) Alan Brown is the most famous person investigating déjà vu today. Alan Brown and Elizabeth Marsh took a group of students and showed them photographs, on a screen, of a college they haven’t been to. Seconds before they showed the photographs they shot them in subliminal speeds and waited to see if they said they saw the places before, and if déjà vu came along with it. (Carey, Benedict) The results, the students didn’t experience déjà vu but they said that they saw those places in real life; thus helping the déjà vu studies none. Alan Brown might be the most famous déjà vu investigator, but déjà vu is also found in the entertainment world. There are many famous pop culture examples of people who try to make famous their feelings of déjà vu, some before their time. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a famous book of short stories; one depicted déjà vu entitled Our Old Home. In which he describes being overcome by an uncanny feeling when in a house. (Glenn, David) Déjà vu, at that time, had not been studied or even thought about. Sir Walter Scott began the theory of reincarnation as a reason for having déjà vu in his book Guy Mannering. (Funkhouser, Arthur) Many magazine articles also describe déjà vu: New York Times, Discover, Science, and Psychology. Songs have also taken a place in describing déjà vu. Lorentz Hart wrote Where and When, Crosby Stills and Nash’s, and Beyonce’s Déjà vu. The movie Déjà vu directly describes reincarnation and time travel.
The French originate, déjà vu phenomenon is a questionable one, and a popular one at that. Some don’t believe it happens and others swear they feel it everyday. Those who believe in déjà vu often find the dream theory the most realistic because everyone dreams and most of the time you can’t remember the dream you had last night, it doesn’t matter how vivid it was. Scientists today think that finding out exactly how déjà vu works will help explain the memory making process. (Joshua, Foer) The brain is a complex organ that we have not figured out completely yet, and no one knows for sure what theory is the correct one; one day they will find out exactly how déjà vu occurs and it could open up doors to other exploration of the brain.
I kind of beat around the bush with this essay and my organizament well…sucked. To be honest I should have seeked help with basically all my essays but well thats not me I don’t want help. So my papers will continue, well….sucking.
Declaration of Independence from the bus
During the course of my younger years, it was necessary for me to board the transportator of children, and to await the arrival of school.
We, the older children, hold that to be apart of our lives, that all kids are told to sit down and be quiet, that even though it is easier, cheaper its not more beneficial to the kid, depriving them or space and comfort or to pus the limits o the amount of people that can fit in on seat. We explain to the creators of such things that what does not affect them still exisits.
They refuse self mobiilty that is so desired for selfish reasons
they have forbidden thoughts of way so income of both parties, its not important in such youth, and so suspended for a year or two, and when such suspension ends she is not eligable for such horrid times on the bus anyway.
They have refused rules to pass other rules requiring submission and silence.
They deny freedom in and within it’s self. They force you to beg for a ride anywhere and everywhere you want to go. They put you in their mercy. boo.
They have showed example of other relatives, siblings, and themselves. As if it matters. Times change but not to them.
She , therefore, the daughter of my parents, state that I need a car and independence from the bus.
I am really tired of having to get up extra early every morning just to go and get on a bus. I am old enough to drive and can get my license whenever my parents take me to the DMV. They refuse to take me and so I wrote a declaration to the one thing that I need independence from.
sorry if it doesn’t make sense
December 5, 2007
A farewell to Arms Analytical essay
Honestly this is one of the worst essays I have ever written.
Procrastination kills.
An Analysis of the Characters Views of War in A Farewell to Arms
Passion is defined as any powerful feeling or drive. Is lack of passion the root of poor work? In A Farewell to Arms, each character shows signs of detachment from the war effort in his/her own way. Fredrick Henry, the protagonist, sees war as an opportunity to meet new people, find love, and run into an adventure which distances himself from the actual war in general. The common people have two different views of the war but neither of them actually deal with the cause or effect of the war. The soldiers are in the war for different reasons some of which have been drafted, had joined, or wanted to try something different, like Fredrick Henry. All three groups of people show apathy toward the war. Ernest Hemingway conveys his beliefs toward war through the common people, soldiers, and main character.
The common people were split in half: those who benefited from the war and those who didn’t. The ones who did were the bars/ “whorehouses”(9) they viewed the war as a positive thing for the wrong reason; they saw a money-making opportunity. They didn’t care about why they were fighting them just want the soldiers’ money. Hotels, such as the one Catherine and Henry stayed at the end of the book, lost customers because tourism declined during war periods. Also, when Henry goes somewhere the locals ask him what’s happening at the fronts, or the higher class is reading about it in a newspaper. The fact that the higher class is sitting back and reading about the war goes along with the saying “a rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight.”
Soldiers that are portrayed in A Farewell to Armsseem to lack strong opinions about the war efforts. Soldiers’ injuring themselves to get out of the battlefields was a reoccurring image; they were willing to do anything to get out of the efforts. The soldiers are also known to get drunk, which gives the idea that they think it’s all a party, and they aren’t taking it seriously. “The pope wants the Austrians to win the war;…”(7) the major is making a joke out of the sides, which adds to them not taking the war seriously. When soldiers meet up, war is not normally the conversation topic; they talk about their relationships or where they went during break. When the soldiers are ordered to go and fight they don’t know why they just go. For example “Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge,”(42) the soldiers did what they were told and didn’t ask questions. By saying “with great positiveness” Hemmingway is implying that the generals were optimistic about upcomming events and tried to raise confidence in the group.
World War I has little effect on Frederick Henry. He feels as though it is not his war to fight since his country has very little to do with it. Henry does not even realize the seriousness of the war until after it. Frederick Henry mentions, “Well, I knew I would not be killed. Not in this war. It did not have anything to do with me. It seemed no more dangerous to me than war in the books” (37). The war is simply an adventure to him; he’s there just because it’s something to do. Henry says, “One had so many friends in war;” (156) this says that he also is in the war for meeting new people. Catherine asks Henry about his reasons for being a solider, “‘Why did you join up with the Italians?’ ‘I was in Italy,’ I said, ‘and I spoke Italian'” (22). This suggests that he isn’t fighting for the cause of the war or who wins. When in the hospital, Henry was asked how many he had killed (94) and “I had not killed any but I was anxious to please- and I said I had killed plenty.”(95) Everyone wants to hear that their side is winning; although Henry was not contributing in death count, he wanted to be associated with the achievements. He wanted to make the doctor happy; he didn’t personally care about how many he killed, or not killed. The fact that Henry, like the soldiers, distances himself from the event through alcohol also adds to his detached spirit. Fredrick Henry walked right out of the war with only a few obsticles. The Swedish immagration officers stopped them and asked them questions about why they were in Switzerland; they answered the officer and they let them go. It gives the sense that war was easy to get out of and showed a naive view of war in general. Once in Switzerland, Henry put the whole war effort behind him as though it is just a smal part of his life. He also asks many other people “How you like this goddamn war?”(35) and he always gets the same answer, “I think it is stupid.” (262) He’s looking for reassurance to prove to himself that he’s not the only one who thinks it’s a waste of time.
Ernest Hemingway, who had many similar occurrences in real life as Fredrick Henry, had very little feelings toward the war. He showed his views through the characters in A Farewell to Arms. Everyone was distanced from the war, but they came together and still fought day-to-day. Apathetic people made the war last forever, because no one was willing to stand up for what they believed resulting in no one fighting passionately. The war drag on for four years due to the lack of opinions.
November 11, 2007
Stand up for what you believe in.
Unjust Justice Systems;
A comparison of the West Memphis Three and The Crucible
Imagine sitting at home one night and having police officers show up at your hose and arrest you for a crime you had no idea was committed. Three teenage boys in West Memphis, Arkansas and over thirty-nine characters in The Crucible went through exactly that. The West memphis three is the trial of three teenage boys who were charged with killing two eight-year-old oys in the woods and leading a hate group. The trial portrayed in The Crucible are based on the real life Salem Witch Trials, the accused in the play were charged with witchcraft. Evidence in both cases was insufficient and mostly eye witnessed. Both crimes committed were abstract and referred to as the devil’s work. All accused in both trials were doomed from the beginning. In The Crucible to save oneself if accused one must confess to something they didn’t do and then name people that did do it, basically if they wanted to live thy had to lie and accuse other innocent people. The West Memphis three had to go through the court system with corrupt people lying and no way to prove themselves innocent.
Arthur Miller portrayed the evidence in The Crucible as only eye witness accounts and petty reasoning, such as the ability to fake a faint. The characters that danced in the woods were considered reliable and what they said was all that was needed to convict the people of witchcraft. In the real life accounts of the West Memphis three, the evidence used against the teenagers were black Metallica shirts, the confession that didn’t match the incident, and peers that told the police that they overheard one of the teenagers say they were going to kill two boys. The peers’ story later changed when under oath but the judge reffered back to the first story to help convict the accused. In both cases the accusers could not counter argue the evidence because it was their word against the witnesses.
Before the West Memphis trials the police had a confession from all three teenage boys. t was used against them in court. The reason for the confession, some argue, is a condition called Satanic Panic. Someone who has Satanic Panic creates false memories that place themselves at the scene of the crime they were accused of. The crime normally is devil related, for example rape, magic, and voodoo are all known as the work of the devil. People who are diagnosed with Satanic Panic are normally also diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder. The “witches” in The Crucible were charged with harming others with magic. They had to confess themselves to keep themselves from being hanged. This is an example of how Satanic Panic is described. When Mary Warren says, “It’s not a trick! I-I used to faint because I-I thought I saw spirits.” (miller 47) she is describing Hysteria, or Satanic Panic; she created the spirits because the other girls saw the.
In The Crucible Hale, an expert in the area of witchcraft, played a large role in the courtroom. In the trial of the teenagers there was a doctor who was an expert in the area of stanic panic. Being experts in such areas are hard to prove, the doctor of satanic panic did not have a degree or any proof that he studied such a subject. He merely stated that he has worked with patients claiming to do things because the devil told them to. In the play Hale simply forces people to confess to save their lives, which is not the work of a doctor but more of a persuader. Both men later on reviewed the case, the accused, and the evidence and wanted to save the innocent people. Hale describes his change of opinion by saying, “Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own.” (miller 58) THey also were unsuccessful.
Both crimes are abstract, meaning that there is no evidence attainable for a just conviction, but both crimes have serious consequences. In The Crucible the people who denied being a witch were sentenced to be hanged. Two of the teenagers were sentenced to be hanged. Two of the teenagers were sentenced to life in prison and the last was sentenced to death by injection. Is that fair? The teenagers still had a full life in front of them but because they were used as scapegoats, it was cut short. Can you call a justice system that convicts people for such crimes just?
The 1994 case of the West Memphis three and the 1953 play The Crucible have similarities. Abstract convictions, false accusations, and unjust executions are all part of both trials. Neither account is something to be proud of, nor should such times be repeated. When you look at such similar occures, which are separated by four decades, you begin to wonder if humans really learn from their mistakes. Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, and Jason Baldwin, the West Memphis three, are sitting in jail; they have been there for 5220 days and awaiting their death. Spreading knowledge of this hideous case and raising support could help get them and appeal and save three innocent people.
We're making history. 