Blogging Around

Nirali: iMedia (Jaywalking)

I thought that this was a really interesting clip and the insight into it was very modern. I don't usually watch the show, and when I saw this clip I was horrified. The mere fact that people don't know blatantly obvious information that anyone who's attended school should know. I think that Nirali's comment about how people who watch TV should even know some of this information, and I think that it shows how people have stopped caring to retain important cultural information and ultimately that can become very damaging to our society.

Rachel: Connection (King Lear and King Triton)

I think that this connection was very astute. I would never have thought about it this way; not only are both kings alike but both princesses are too. I liked how at the end of the post, Rachel talked about how the characters gave the view of an abstracted reality. I think that this shows how extreme actions can be applied in different situations, and how they can have different outcomes. Also, since this connection was to a Disney film, I think that this connection shows how universal the characters and their situations are.

iMedia: Taking Chances (Glee)

Taking Chances

"Don't know much about your life,
Don't know much about your world."

Glee is a typical show about the misfits at an average high school, with musical numbers added to supplement the plots. When I hear this song, I think about the character who sings it-- Rachel Berry. Rachel is an extremely driven character: she is unafraid to express her opinions, and often gets beaten down for those opinions since they tend to stray from the norm.

The lyrics of this song represent the unknown future. To me, it represents my ability to try new things without knowing the repercussions. I think that this song would matter to all the people who don't try to stick with the "norm" just because everyone else is: it embodies what so many misfit high school kids feel. While the musical people here are not outcast, in many different situations I can see the singers and actors being labeled losers and misfits, and I think that this song symbolizes the risks that people take not only by showing their appreciation for the arts in high school but for attempting to express their love for the arts in life.

To me this song also represents hope. It exemplifies the possibilities in life that a person could have not considered: getting to know someone new, reexamining the ideals that you've judged a person on, and giving things have have failed you in the past another shot. I find Taking Chances a powerful song that shines a light on the causes for peoples actions and emotions.

Connections: Cordelia and Princess Leia

When I think about Cordelia, I find myself seeing her personality as a no-nonsense, very blunt sort of person, as described when Cordelia approaches Lear as he asks her to profess her love for him, and she replies

"Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave
My heart into my mouth. I love your majesty
According to my bond, no more nor less."

While Lear is outraged at how his favorite daughter is treating him, he doesn't realize that there is actually a truth to her words. He finds her disrespectful of his position as King. What he does not realize is that however blunt and straightforward she may be, Cordelia is also nothing but honest. She will tell her father what she thinks, and stand by that no matter what. Before she is disowned by Lear, Cordelia also holds hierarchical power: she is the (favored) daughter of the king.

In Star Wars, Princess Leia is one of the "rebellions" leaders and a very strong female character: her decisions impact the future of all those who disagree with the imperial rule and their Emperor. She is a respected authority, but there are others above her in the hierarchy who will not hesitate to use their authority to make demands of her and subject her to whatever they feel is necessary so that she is subject to their rule and orders (Darth Vader captures and attempts to torture her for information, and Obi-Wan Kenobi's actions).

These two characters really relate to each other because not only are both girls princesses, they are the strong female figures of their stories and they are virtually unafraid to speak their mind. While they both suffer the consequences of having powerful families whose connections and enemies consistently interfere with their business, they always do what is "right" by treating those around them with the respect they deserve and they are not afraid to take action in the name of what they believe.

To me, connecting these two characters shows just how universal Shakespeare's stories and characters are. Not only is the concept of a powerful female who is always plotted against, the characteristics of Cordelia have lasted "in a galaxy far, far away" to another princess, one with just as good intent, whose father has lost sight of the light path (as Lear had) where she uses her army and forces in another attempt to make the world a better place.

Dialectics: Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort

Harry Potter is a young boy that millions have watched grow up throughout seven books, thus far six movies, and 4110 pages. They have rooted for him facing unimaginable evils from a Dark Wizard looking to kill him to the abuse he suffered from his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin (being locked in his closet, not receiving enough food as a growing child, living in a cupboard under the stairs, etc). But nowhere in the story does Rowling point out how connected the two truly are.

On the outside, Harry is the "light" hero of the story-- the one who can do no wrong; Voldemort is strictly evil, focused on killing everyone that does not agree with his perfectionist ideals. However, when you actually stop to look at what we know about Voldemort and Harry, we see that there are a lot of parallels. While they end up growing differently, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry questions whether he belongs in Gryffindor (the house of the brave and strong) or Slytherin (the house of sly, cunning and typically evil) after facing the manipulative teenage Tom Riddle, who would grow up to become Voldemort.

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, we see that Tom Riddle grew up lonely, detached, friendless and with no family or anyone to care for him while he was constantly teased and mocked at an orphanage. From the very beginning, we know that Harry's parents were killed before he could really know them, and he was forced into his Aunt's unloving arms. As he grew up, his intimidating cousin kept him from ever having any friends, and his guardians forced him into isolation.

In my opinion, this dialectic shows how people in similar situations do not always turn out the same. People who grew up poor do not always wind up homeless or as drug dealers; those who live their childhood and adolescence privileged can end up in shelters and on the streets. I think that the main point of this dialectic is that ones life cannot be judged based on the experiences and opportunities they've had. Albert Einstein was a genius, but he also had several mental disorders. Those diseases could have seriously stunted his opportunities to work and get a job, but because individuals didn't condemn him to a future that paralleled his past he was able to accomplish great things with his mind.

I think that this dialectic is really important because Harry Potter and Tom Riddle/Voldemort grew up in similar, parent and love-less situations but managed to have two completely different futures; one which manifested into a machination that killed many and called for devoted followers who were disposable, and another which blossomed into love and caring friends and family.

Metacognition: The Kite Runner

My Kite Runner essay revolved around the basic plot of the book: Amir's search for redemption and desire to be absolved of guilt. Therefore, I have identified myself as a sort of "big thinker" trying to focus on what I feel is the most important portion of that "big idea". The main effectiveness of this way of thinking is that it enunciates a clear idea and a concept from within that idea, and provides a clear insight that peeks out from all ends of the book.

I was kind of surprised that I tend to choose bigger ideas to write about because I'm a very detailed person; my life revolves around small details that comprise the big picture. However, I do like the way (I feel) that I articulated exactly what my feelings on the idea of redemption specifically for Amir as well as how violence and death play roles in all redemption.

I feel that I could do better in relating my evidence back to my theme. While it was blatantly clear that the examples I chose were directly related to the roles death and violence play in redemption, they were also difficult to write fluently about when explaining how they support the claim, but after several editions I felt that they were adequate explanations.

Blogging Around

Anna: Connections between Assef and Harry Potter's Bellatrix Lestrange

I think that you are most certainly correct, Anna. However, in your last paragraph you alluded to the childhood's of Assef and Bellatrix, which slightly confused me. As an avid Harry Potter fan, I have read all the books thoroughly, yet only perhaps once or twice is Bellatrix's childhood very briefly mentioned. Therefore, I was wondering what you thought this "pureblood"-supremest's childhood was like.

I do agree that nature and nurture impact each other, and thus should not be counted separately. And I think that the conclusions you drew about Bellatrix from blurbs about the Black family are consistent.

But when comparing their childhoods, you know that Assef dominated over his parents and used their fear of him to control them, whereas Bellatrix (from what we can tell) had the racist remarks and attitude ingrained into her head since day one. So in my opinion, while the two of them grew up to be extremely similar in their love for killing those "below" them, that in this instance, the ways in which they were raised ultimately affected them the same way, but were not at all similar.


Darrell: How Facebook is causing an Identity Crisis

I think that all of these observations are very astute, and quite philosophic. Seeing as how we had not started Sophie's World by the time this blog was due, I feel like this idea of Facebook as a social glitch can fit easily into the heart of the book: trying to figure out who we are, and our purpose in life, which are things philosophers have debated about over the years time and again.

I think that this argument also adds to the one made about cell phones; how modern technology has made us lose our complete focus and make every possible attempt to divert our attention. I admit that as I write this, I have my Facebook page open in another window.

I definitely agree with Darrell's final point; eventually almost everything will be come so technologically advanced that we will rarely see our friends outside the online world. And ironically, this supports an idea I had about school via Internet; if everyone got video cameras and turned in homework online (as half of it already is), class could be conducted from the comfort of everyone's homes and beds (no need to get up in the morning, just grab your computer).

Connections: Amir and Angel

Redemption:

–noun

1.	an act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed.

2.	deliverance; rescue.

3.	Theology. deliverance from sin; salvation.

4.	atonement for guilt.

Amir and Angel are extremely similar in the sense of their desire for redemption. Both have dark occurrences in their past that they run from for many years in hope to escape the guilt that accompanies it. While the horrors they have done and caused are extremely different, both try to move on and forget what is inevitibly to be remembered in similar ways.

To understand this connection, you first must understand Angel, or Angelus. Named by his "face of an angel", this character was turned into a vampire by a woman named Darla in the mid-seventeen hundreds. Throughout his first two hundred and fifty years as a vampire, he became part of a group known as the Scourge of Europe, made up of Angelus, Darla, and two other vampires, the extremely insane Drusilla and Spike. In the early nineteen hundreds, Angelus was cursed with a soul, therefore forced to bear with the pain and guilt of killing, raping, and torturing thousands across Europe.

Throughout the entire Buffy and Angel series, we see the more human, ensouled counter-part of Angelus save and sacrifice many times in his strong desire for redemption. The turning point for Angel, where he truly begins to believe that he can redeem himself is early in Buffy season one when he kills Darla as she's about to kill Buffy. At this moment, we see Angel change from a vampire who's afraid and constantly brooding about his horrible past actions to someone who truly believes he can make a positive difference in the world, if only to counteract what he's done in the past.

Amir's interaction with Assef is much like Angel's with Darla. On page 289, as he is being attacked by Assef, Amir says, "What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace." To me, this symbolizes the turning point in the book where Amir stops running from what he didn't do for Hassan, and begins to believe that he has finally started redeeming himself for Hassan, Sohrab, and himself.

Between these two intricately detailed characters, it is obvious how the two suppplement each other. As Angel rips the innocence and purity from a young Drusilla, Amir watches his best friend get raped and stays in the shadows. Angel broods and tries to hide his fears and doubts away, at the point in the story where Amir tries to leave his sins in the past and not atone. As Angel begins to hope in his redemption, Amir saves Sohrab from Assef and starts to see that there is a chance for him to be helped, redeemed, and healed.

In essence, both Angel and Amir have very similar stories within different cultres and periods of time. They both experience a carefree beginning to life, with a disturbed middle and a guilty concience throughout. But by the end, their balance has been restored and both become heroes in their own ways.

Best of the Week: Amir's Life in Afghanistan

This week there were many discussion points that I thought were noteworthy, the point I thought was one of the most insightful was the one made when discussing Afghanistan's history in relation to Amir. I think that this extremely important point impacts not only Amir's point of view, but how his life plays out. As a child, Amir grows up in Soviet Afghanistan, and as he matures he ends up in Taliban Afghanistan.

This idea of Amir experiencing two entirely different versions of Afghanistan, almost two countries in the same place in one lifetime. I think that this impacts Amir's life in multiple ways throughout the book, living under two completely different regimes with opposite ideals. This concept makes me think about the impact on children who would have grown up at the same time as Amir, and lived through the exchange of power. It made me think about the other wars, genocides and horros that have befallen many parts of the world because of one person who has an idea and imposes it onto their inferiors and rallies support.

This idea of two different worlds within one lifetime connects to many stories I've read, and the things I believe about them. For example, in The Little Princess, Sara is forced from a life of privilige to one of poverty and suffering, much like Amir when he encounters the Russian soldiers. I believe that these ruptures in government and society can forever damage a child's mind, therefore directly affecting them for the rest of their lives, much like the child soldiers who were turned from innocent beings to gun-toting terrifying members of society.

I can see myself using this concept not very far in the future; this concept of regimes and lives not only changing but being turned around within one moment. I see this idea coming to play in my life in the international work I want to do, helping out children and families whose lives have been so terribly changed by these moments, whose lives are split between the good days before and the bad ones after. I hope that by the time I would come to do this work I would be able to fully understand this phenomena to work against it and prevent it from ruining the lives of millions because of one prejudiced being.

Carry It Forward: The Blue Sweater

When most people think of helping the poor, they immediately go to charities and donate their money. They envision a new pair of shoes, or a plate of food handed to a small African child. In their minds eye they see the frail form's face light up and be forever grateful to the generous benefactor who provided them with this short-term privilege, not a group of people working months on end with these poor Africans to end the poverty cycle and provide self-sufficient members of society.

For those days when we discussed The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz, the main anomaly of her mission was not to simply raise up the poor but to inspire the poor to raise themselves up. Millions of poor people are shunted to the side and taken for unable to pull themselves out of poverty every day. Many of those Jacqueline worked with exemplify this desolation, this lack of conviction and belief in what they can do. But Novogratz's mission was to provide those people with the chance to get themselves out of the never-ending cycle of poverty; to start businesses that could eventually prosper without outside help.

The Acumen Fund is one that takes the typical preconceived notions about the poor and throws it at the face of those who believe that throwing money at a problem will solve it. Acumen spends hours with the recipients of their money and services, ensuring that donations and grants are put to good use actually changing the lives of the poor. In lieu of donating through corrupt governments and societies where a small percentage (if any) of the money donated actually reaches the people, Acumen workers go to the people and and observe their daily lives and the things they could benefit from. The Acumen Fund, in my opinion, one that challenges people everywhere to not only give money but to act on their desires to help the poor and experience parts of their lives with them that will change them forever.