Sunday, May 6, 2007
Love Freewrite
Love is a conncetiong between two people that bring them together in unity with one another. It is difficult to determine exactly what it is between two people that bring them together, but when you are in love with someone you just know it and will do anything to keep that feeling going. It is such a great feeling that it is almost like a high, when you are with the person that you are in love with you feel like you are invincible and can handle anything because you have a special person to back you up with anything you do. Love is felt between both parties with out even having to say a thing and there is nothing that can break it apart, even after big fights the feelings are still the same even if they are kept farther apart. Love is also a very difficult thing to establish because it is such a strong feeling that it takes a long time to gain the trust and respect to make it possible. You must know pretty much everything about them in order to truly feel love, but once it is reached, it is an absolutly incredable feeling.
Smoke Signals
Smoke Signals is a story about two young men, Victor and Thomas on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in Idaho. Victor is a basketball player who blames his father for being an alcoholic killing Thomas parents in a fire that he set while he was drunk. Thomas on the other hand was saved by Victor’s father from the house fire and regards him as a hero. When word comes that Victor’s father has passed away in Phoenix Arizona Victor has to go pick up his ashes. Thomas finds out about this and wants to go with Victor to retrieve the ashes. Victor is hesitant because he finds Thomas to be a liar and doesn’t like him but decides to let him go because he needs a car to travel cross country. The trips turns out to be a life changing event where they see the world outside of the reservation and grow as people while never leaving sight of their Indian heritage. The two men grow much closer to each other by going though many situations on the road. When the two men finally return to the reservation days later they have a new found respect for one another and Victor even gives Thomas some of his father’s ashes.
This is a very good film that captures the identities of both men very well. You are truly able to see the two men grow and mature throughout the film as they encounter problems of racism, car accidents and meeting Victor’s father’s wife. I enjoyed watching this movie and would recommend it to anyone who wants to see a good life changing movie.
This is a very good film that captures the identities of both men very well. You are truly able to see the two men grow and mature throughout the film as they encounter problems of racism, car accidents and meeting Victor’s father’s wife. I enjoyed watching this movie and would recommend it to anyone who wants to see a good life changing movie.
Waking Life
Waking Life, a film directed by Richard Linklater, follows a young man through his lucid dream like state as he travels around the world without leaving his own head. He talks to many different people and learns about many different philosophical discussions about the appearance of reality, freewill and ultimately the meaning of life.
This is one of my favorite films and teaches me something new every time I see it. The film is packed from beginning to end with very interesting life lessons and views that really make you think about the world around you. After watching this film I can also control my dreaming much better and can almost go into a lucid state myself from time to time. This is a very cool thing to do because you can examine your own life issues in an almost subconscious way. Many of the students in our class didn’t like the movie and I think that this is because they didn’t understand it or didn’t give it a shot before giving up on it. It is a film that you must watch very carefully and truly listen to what they have to say.
This is one of my favorite films and teaches me something new every time I see it. The film is packed from beginning to end with very interesting life lessons and views that really make you think about the world around you. After watching this film I can also control my dreaming much better and can almost go into a lucid state myself from time to time. This is a very cool thing to do because you can examine your own life issues in an almost subconscious way. Many of the students in our class didn’t like the movie and I think that this is because they didn’t understand it or didn’t give it a shot before giving up on it. It is a film that you must watch very carefully and truly listen to what they have to say.
Religion
Religion
Religion has been around for as long as people have walked the earth and continues to thrive hundreds of thousands of years later. There have been thousands of religions throughout the years ranging from polytheistic to monotheistic and everything in between. These religions have shaped the lives of people all across the world and have literally formed the culture of almost every group of people.
Religion started thousands of years ago in an attempt to justify things that could not be explained at the time such as weather, the stars, death, destiny and countless others. When people were unable to explain something it made perfect sense to believe that the gods were praising or punishing the people on earth which explains why things would happen. Since then religion has transformed into explaining how you should live your life, books such as the Bible or Koran have distinguished a set of rules for all believers to follow in order to make it in to heaven or have an eternal life. These rules in turn have dictated how our society has developed and is run because they outline the only way a civilization or society can function together without turning into anarchy. The Ten Commandments say you must respect your peers by not stealing, murdering, cheating, and committing adultery to name a few. These of course are not only the standards everyone must obey to be a proper Christen, but the way everyone should live by if they want to live in a civilized society. It now seems that religion has turned into a backstage effort to be a good person because it is said to be the right thing to do instead of its original purpose of explaining the unexplainable and giving hope of an after life. People now follow religion because it has been ingrained in them since childhood and it is seen as the right thing to do instead of its original purpose of true faith.
Religion plays one of the biggest roles in where you live, how you live and who you associate with; a society is based off of the dominant religion in the region even if the population as a whole may not be overly religious. Here in America Christianity plays an incredibly large role in the way business is done as well as how people live their personal lives, even with religion being so dominant here in America, it is ten times that as you travel towards the eastern hemisphere. In the Middle East, Islamic and Muslim faiths literally determine the way that you live your daily life. Businesses shut down multiple times a day for prayer when almost the entire population plays facing Mecca, the holy city. This religion is so fixed in their daily lives that it is quite possible that many don’t believe in the religion at all, but take part purely because it is what the society dictates.
Religion has also been the largest cause of conflict since the beginning of time, almost every war ever fought has been linked to some kind of religion. Ever since people have joined together in religion there has been endless conflict, people feel it extremely important that they defend what they have been brought up to believe. There is thought that literally every war or battle ever fought has been because of some kind of religious conflict, even the war in Iraq has a lot of religious affiliation from the beginning. Since religion is so big in many parts of the world it is difficult for different cultures to understand and respect one another’s customs which usually leads to conflict.
Religion has also played a huge role in the literally works for thousands of years, many stories are derived from biblical tales and beliefs from thousands of years ago. Almost every story comes from some kind or religion, even if it is not one of the major religions that everyone knows. Smoke Signals tells the story of Thomas and Victor hitting the road in a quest not only to get Victors fathers remains, but a religious experience where Thomas is able to reinstate Victors love and respect for the reservation and the rest of the world by telling him mystical stories. Waking life also hits briefly on religion when a young man travels through his dreams meeting new people and discussing not only different aspects and beliefs of life but how we are to live our life. The film concentrates on dreaming and if we can control our dreams but as an underlying factor about different peoples beliefs. In the film you get to meet many different characters who give you their outlook on life and the things that make the world work. By watching these films and learning about everyday life I have realized that religion is not only the major six beliefs that control the world but the beliefs of individuals that control the way they live their life.
Religion has played a huge role in the way the world has been divided since the beginning of time. Different beliefs have led to segregation and conflict forever across the globe even though all religions are based primarily off of the same principles with a few changes in the way that they worship their gods. Basically every major religion runs off of the same principles of living your life the best you can by respecting your peers and yourself and attempting to reach a higher world. It is difficult to say if the beliefs of different religions are true or just there to comfort people into believing that there is a higher power looking out for them. Either way, religion, no matter how small, plays an intricate part of the world’s society as a whole and it is important to have some kind of belief to fall back on when things get difficult even if it’s as small as a dream.
Religion has been around for as long as people have walked the earth and continues to thrive hundreds of thousands of years later. There have been thousands of religions throughout the years ranging from polytheistic to monotheistic and everything in between. These religions have shaped the lives of people all across the world and have literally formed the culture of almost every group of people.
Religion started thousands of years ago in an attempt to justify things that could not be explained at the time such as weather, the stars, death, destiny and countless others. When people were unable to explain something it made perfect sense to believe that the gods were praising or punishing the people on earth which explains why things would happen. Since then religion has transformed into explaining how you should live your life, books such as the Bible or Koran have distinguished a set of rules for all believers to follow in order to make it in to heaven or have an eternal life. These rules in turn have dictated how our society has developed and is run because they outline the only way a civilization or society can function together without turning into anarchy. The Ten Commandments say you must respect your peers by not stealing, murdering, cheating, and committing adultery to name a few. These of course are not only the standards everyone must obey to be a proper Christen, but the way everyone should live by if they want to live in a civilized society. It now seems that religion has turned into a backstage effort to be a good person because it is said to be the right thing to do instead of its original purpose of explaining the unexplainable and giving hope of an after life. People now follow religion because it has been ingrained in them since childhood and it is seen as the right thing to do instead of its original purpose of true faith.
Religion plays one of the biggest roles in where you live, how you live and who you associate with; a society is based off of the dominant religion in the region even if the population as a whole may not be overly religious. Here in America Christianity plays an incredibly large role in the way business is done as well as how people live their personal lives, even with religion being so dominant here in America, it is ten times that as you travel towards the eastern hemisphere. In the Middle East, Islamic and Muslim faiths literally determine the way that you live your daily life. Businesses shut down multiple times a day for prayer when almost the entire population plays facing Mecca, the holy city. This religion is so fixed in their daily lives that it is quite possible that many don’t believe in the religion at all, but take part purely because it is what the society dictates.
Religion has also been the largest cause of conflict since the beginning of time, almost every war ever fought has been linked to some kind of religion. Ever since people have joined together in religion there has been endless conflict, people feel it extremely important that they defend what they have been brought up to believe. There is thought that literally every war or battle ever fought has been because of some kind of religious conflict, even the war in Iraq has a lot of religious affiliation from the beginning. Since religion is so big in many parts of the world it is difficult for different cultures to understand and respect one another’s customs which usually leads to conflict.
Religion has also played a huge role in the literally works for thousands of years, many stories are derived from biblical tales and beliefs from thousands of years ago. Almost every story comes from some kind or religion, even if it is not one of the major religions that everyone knows. Smoke Signals tells the story of Thomas and Victor hitting the road in a quest not only to get Victors fathers remains, but a religious experience where Thomas is able to reinstate Victors love and respect for the reservation and the rest of the world by telling him mystical stories. Waking life also hits briefly on religion when a young man travels through his dreams meeting new people and discussing not only different aspects and beliefs of life but how we are to live our life. The film concentrates on dreaming and if we can control our dreams but as an underlying factor about different peoples beliefs. In the film you get to meet many different characters who give you their outlook on life and the things that make the world work. By watching these films and learning about everyday life I have realized that religion is not only the major six beliefs that control the world but the beliefs of individuals that control the way they live their life.
Religion has played a huge role in the way the world has been divided since the beginning of time. Different beliefs have led to segregation and conflict forever across the globe even though all religions are based primarily off of the same principles with a few changes in the way that they worship their gods. Basically every major religion runs off of the same principles of living your life the best you can by respecting your peers and yourself and attempting to reach a higher world. It is difficult to say if the beliefs of different religions are true or just there to comfort people into believing that there is a higher power looking out for them. Either way, religion, no matter how small, plays an intricate part of the world’s society as a whole and it is important to have some kind of belief to fall back on when things get difficult even if it’s as small as a dream.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Death
There are times in everyone’s lives when they must make very difficult decisions regarding not only their own lives but the lives of people around them, these decisions are often very controversial and take rational reasoning to decided what is the best moral decision. With today’s modern medicine it is now possible to preserve life although it is usually done by making the person unconscious for extended periods of time, possibly until their death. By making someone unconscious you are taking their life into your hands and hopefully treating them in a way that you would wish to be treated if in their situation. This medicine can do wonders when preserving life, but do we want to make someone unable to make their own decisions when it is regarding their own life and death? Kant and Mill both believe that the choice of life is with the beholder of that life, meaning if someone is on their death bed, they ought to know what they are facing.
Kant believes that one must do what they ought to do which in this case is telling the person that they are terminally ill. He believes that we must treat ourselves as ends and never means, which means that we are in control of our own lives and should be able to make all of our own decisions, and make them rationally. This means that a person should not be given powerful opiates until they have been told their position and have given consent to live their life in that state. Kant also believes that every event has a cause and every cause is predictable in principle. If you are terminally ill there is a cause behind it, even if that cause if not clear at the present time, it will make sense in the long run and is part of your place here on earth.
Mill believes that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” By this Mill means that no one has power over someone else’s life unless they are going to harm someone else in the society. By becoming terminally ill and having only a few months to live, it is not harming anyone else’s well being and therefore they have to right to decided what they wish to do with the remainder of their life and that their life is going to end. By making someone unconscious you are taking away their free will and Mill believes that that is acting immorally and is wrong.
Death, even though one of the only certain things that we have in life, is a difficult subject to deal with. People are very afraid of death, both of their own and that of other people, this is why we chose to put terminally ill people on powerful opiates and life support even when we know that they are only going to last for a short time and will be in a complete vegetable like state until that time comes. There are several factors when considering what the right path to take is when dealing with a terminally ill individual. First, it is important to read their will and see what they wish for themselves in these types of situations, many people do not want to be kept on life support for extended amounts of time when they are left completely unconscious and it is important to follow through with their wishes. Second, family should be taken into consideration; if they have young children or other dependents then they should be taken off of opiates so that they are able to choose what they want for the remainder of their time still here on earth. From my own beliefs, a person is the only one that should be in control of their life. Actions to try and preserve life should always be taken, especially in a case of a very sudden illness, but it is not right to keep someone in an unconscious state until their death without notifying them of the inevitable. A person should be taken off of the opiates and told what the circumstances are, no matter how hard it might be to do. I believe this to be the right thing to do because not only do people have the right to know what is happening in their life and the medication that they are being given, but they have the right to live their life, even if only for the last couple of months in pain but still conscious if they so choose to do so. If I were in this situation and was going to lose my life, I would like to be aware of my condition and be able to make my own conscious decision regarding the rest of my life and say good bye to family and friends. If it were possible to inform the individual while still on the opiates I believe that it is a viable way to inform them, however, they must be able to completely comprehend the situation and give a clear cut answer to the diagnosis and their wishes which is probably not a realistic situation.
Life brings upon some very difficult decisions that often do not have clear cut and definitive answers, but these decisions should be made by the person having to experience that illness and not a doctor or family member without conscious consent. This idea is seen not only by myself, but by both Kant and Mill.
Kant believes that one must do what they ought to do which in this case is telling the person that they are terminally ill. He believes that we must treat ourselves as ends and never means, which means that we are in control of our own lives and should be able to make all of our own decisions, and make them rationally. This means that a person should not be given powerful opiates until they have been told their position and have given consent to live their life in that state. Kant also believes that every event has a cause and every cause is predictable in principle. If you are terminally ill there is a cause behind it, even if that cause if not clear at the present time, it will make sense in the long run and is part of your place here on earth.
Mill believes that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” By this Mill means that no one has power over someone else’s life unless they are going to harm someone else in the society. By becoming terminally ill and having only a few months to live, it is not harming anyone else’s well being and therefore they have to right to decided what they wish to do with the remainder of their life and that their life is going to end. By making someone unconscious you are taking away their free will and Mill believes that that is acting immorally and is wrong.
Death, even though one of the only certain things that we have in life, is a difficult subject to deal with. People are very afraid of death, both of their own and that of other people, this is why we chose to put terminally ill people on powerful opiates and life support even when we know that they are only going to last for a short time and will be in a complete vegetable like state until that time comes. There are several factors when considering what the right path to take is when dealing with a terminally ill individual. First, it is important to read their will and see what they wish for themselves in these types of situations, many people do not want to be kept on life support for extended amounts of time when they are left completely unconscious and it is important to follow through with their wishes. Second, family should be taken into consideration; if they have young children or other dependents then they should be taken off of opiates so that they are able to choose what they want for the remainder of their time still here on earth. From my own beliefs, a person is the only one that should be in control of their life. Actions to try and preserve life should always be taken, especially in a case of a very sudden illness, but it is not right to keep someone in an unconscious state until their death without notifying them of the inevitable. A person should be taken off of the opiates and told what the circumstances are, no matter how hard it might be to do. I believe this to be the right thing to do because not only do people have the right to know what is happening in their life and the medication that they are being given, but they have the right to live their life, even if only for the last couple of months in pain but still conscious if they so choose to do so. If I were in this situation and was going to lose my life, I would like to be aware of my condition and be able to make my own conscious decision regarding the rest of my life and say good bye to family and friends. If it were possible to inform the individual while still on the opiates I believe that it is a viable way to inform them, however, they must be able to completely comprehend the situation and give a clear cut answer to the diagnosis and their wishes which is probably not a realistic situation.
Life brings upon some very difficult decisions that often do not have clear cut and definitive answers, but these decisions should be made by the person having to experience that illness and not a doctor or family member without conscious consent. This idea is seen not only by myself, but by both Kant and Mill.
Foreign Exchange Student Interview
I chose to interview my next door neighbor Joey Chugani in the South Hedges Dorm; he is an exchange student from the United Arab of Emirates and has been in Montana for the last two years studying Accounting. I asked him five different questions about his home culture in a hope to get a better understanding of where he’s from and the way of life in the middle east. The first question I asked him was what the dominating religion was. He told me, unsurprisingly that almost the entire population is Muslim. There is somewhere around 80 to 85% Sunni with the remainder being Shi’s. He also told me that religion is a much stronger influence on the way of life there then it is here, people plan their days and lives around prayer and living within the confines of the religion. The Next question I asked was why he chose to come to school here, half way across the world instead of his own country. He replied that the schooling there is pretty good up through high school but there is no higher education available unless you are extremely wealthy. “You are expected to go straight to work after high school, college is hardly thought about”. He also has straight A’s here and probably works harder then anyone else on my floor. I asked him how they greet people and the general way they live, via “backstage” behavior. He told me that the men typically shake hands and behave generally like they do here, but the woman are not allowed to start conversations with men outside of the home and typically do not leave the home alone. When in the home they do not have to wear headdresses and can speak freely just as they would in an American home. I asked him what kind of sports they play and he almost laughed saying soccer, or football as it is called there. He also said that cricket is huge and played by almost all young men. I asked him if he was in close contract with his family still and he told me that he talks to them from time to time but is considered a man and is on his own which is a little different from the American culture. Talking to Joey has given me a new perspective on other cultures and I am glad that I got to know him over the year and had my eyes opened a bit more then they were before coming to school.
War in Iraq
The war in Iraq raises many moral issues, however, possibly the biggest of these moral dilemmas is whether of not it is our duty as Americans to interfere with the lives of the Iraqi people in a misconstrued search for terror. Black Elk and Dostoyevsky, although very difficult to compare, both would have the same general outlook on the moral dimensions of this war.
The United States is no doubt a super power in the world and has a responsibility to help out other nations in need, we have the resources and manpower to make things happen and many of the worlds conflicts in the past have been solved by United States intervention. Although we have the ability to change the world, especially smaller third world countries, the question arises whether or not it is our duty to intervene with the lives of people halfway across the world because we believe that their way of life is not right. The Iraqi people have been in conflict for hundreds of thousands of years over religion, their lifestyle revolves around religion and defending those beliefs. This defense comes with violence and death and will most likely never be settled no matter how much the United States or any other country for that matter tries to mediate. The biggest moral issue in this conflict arises when the United States sends thousands of troops halfway across the world to fight a war that can not be won. This is not to say the United States doesn’t have the power to change their lifestyle because this is undoutoubly not the case, the problem is what are we trying to change? The obvious answer is to end terrorism and violence and make them a civilized society, but this is no closer now then it was over five years ago when we began our crusade. We have also lost track of our initial intentions of finding and stopping terror. The search for Bin Laden and other terrorists’ organizations has been abandoned in a search for what appears to be power or in turn, oil. By changing our intentions in this war we have drastically changed the moral issues. When starting off trying to stop terror and save the lives of the innocent we were doing just that, trying to at least mildly disrupt the organized terror in the Middle East and save lives. This has now been lost in translation somewhere along the way and we have attempted to set up an entirely new government in a society that it appears we know nothing about.
Black Elk believes that it is morally wrong for us to try and change the culture of another civilization. He believes that we must fight for what we believe but not to attempt to conquer and control another’s lifestyle. Black Elk says that “there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.” This means that we will never be able to have peace in Iraq until we know and understand the culture in which they live, which at this point we do not so we will continue to fail until we can agree and understand.
Dostoyevsky believes that we must act with our hearts and that only irrational acts are free, because of this Dostoyevsky would decided that we morally should be in Iraq because we are acting irrationally and this in turn makes us free. He does not believe that acting irrationally means that you may act out of ignorance or that it is necessarily the right thing to do but does believe that it is acting freely. He also says that “a just cause is not ruined by a few mistakes” so just because we have gotten off track, does not mean we are not still fighting for a just cause of stopping terror.
It is very difficult to say how this issue is to be resolved; we are currently so deeply involved in the Iraqi society that pulling out completely could quite possibly crumble their entire civilization. Since we have arrested and killed Saddam and taken him completely out of the government they are currently in the process of designing an entirely new political system, this change is not going to be successful without the help of the United States. This does not mean that we should continue to intervene in the Iraqi everyday way of life, but does mean that we can not simply pull out our entire operation before we have completed the job. I believe that the best way for this situation to be resolved is to begin pulling soldiers out of Iraq slowly and stop making any attempts at causing any more battles with the Iraqi people. Our presence there is obviously going to upset many people and we are going to find ourselves in compromising situations, but we should not search for them. Instead we should use our power to build their government back up and teach them able to run it themselves, in their own way. This is the best way to go about it because they are not going to like the western influence running their lives but we can not simply just pull out or all of our work will crumble and we will be left in the same situation as we were before. Hopefully, we will be able to completely leave Iraq in the next few years, at least leave as much as we are present in any other country in the world. We do not need to focus on stopping the violence because we simply do not have the power and respect of the people to make that work.
The war in Iraq has brought about many moral dilemmas and it is difficult to come to a definite answer on what the right thing to do is, however, by studying the works of Black Elk and Dostoyevsky we can see peoples different views on the war and attempt to find common ground so we can make an effort to end this misguided war.
The United States is no doubt a super power in the world and has a responsibility to help out other nations in need, we have the resources and manpower to make things happen and many of the worlds conflicts in the past have been solved by United States intervention. Although we have the ability to change the world, especially smaller third world countries, the question arises whether or not it is our duty to intervene with the lives of people halfway across the world because we believe that their way of life is not right. The Iraqi people have been in conflict for hundreds of thousands of years over religion, their lifestyle revolves around religion and defending those beliefs. This defense comes with violence and death and will most likely never be settled no matter how much the United States or any other country for that matter tries to mediate. The biggest moral issue in this conflict arises when the United States sends thousands of troops halfway across the world to fight a war that can not be won. This is not to say the United States doesn’t have the power to change their lifestyle because this is undoutoubly not the case, the problem is what are we trying to change? The obvious answer is to end terrorism and violence and make them a civilized society, but this is no closer now then it was over five years ago when we began our crusade. We have also lost track of our initial intentions of finding and stopping terror. The search for Bin Laden and other terrorists’ organizations has been abandoned in a search for what appears to be power or in turn, oil. By changing our intentions in this war we have drastically changed the moral issues. When starting off trying to stop terror and save the lives of the innocent we were doing just that, trying to at least mildly disrupt the organized terror in the Middle East and save lives. This has now been lost in translation somewhere along the way and we have attempted to set up an entirely new government in a society that it appears we know nothing about.
Black Elk believes that it is morally wrong for us to try and change the culture of another civilization. He believes that we must fight for what we believe but not to attempt to conquer and control another’s lifestyle. Black Elk says that “there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.” This means that we will never be able to have peace in Iraq until we know and understand the culture in which they live, which at this point we do not so we will continue to fail until we can agree and understand.
Dostoyevsky believes that we must act with our hearts and that only irrational acts are free, because of this Dostoyevsky would decided that we morally should be in Iraq because we are acting irrationally and this in turn makes us free. He does not believe that acting irrationally means that you may act out of ignorance or that it is necessarily the right thing to do but does believe that it is acting freely. He also says that “a just cause is not ruined by a few mistakes” so just because we have gotten off track, does not mean we are not still fighting for a just cause of stopping terror.
It is very difficult to say how this issue is to be resolved; we are currently so deeply involved in the Iraqi society that pulling out completely could quite possibly crumble their entire civilization. Since we have arrested and killed Saddam and taken him completely out of the government they are currently in the process of designing an entirely new political system, this change is not going to be successful without the help of the United States. This does not mean that we should continue to intervene in the Iraqi everyday way of life, but does mean that we can not simply pull out our entire operation before we have completed the job. I believe that the best way for this situation to be resolved is to begin pulling soldiers out of Iraq slowly and stop making any attempts at causing any more battles with the Iraqi people. Our presence there is obviously going to upset many people and we are going to find ourselves in compromising situations, but we should not search for them. Instead we should use our power to build their government back up and teach them able to run it themselves, in their own way. This is the best way to go about it because they are not going to like the western influence running their lives but we can not simply just pull out or all of our work will crumble and we will be left in the same situation as we were before. Hopefully, we will be able to completely leave Iraq in the next few years, at least leave as much as we are present in any other country in the world. We do not need to focus on stopping the violence because we simply do not have the power and respect of the people to make that work.
The war in Iraq has brought about many moral dilemmas and it is difficult to come to a definite answer on what the right thing to do is, however, by studying the works of Black Elk and Dostoyevsky we can see peoples different views on the war and attempt to find common ground so we can make an effort to end this misguided war.
Love
Love Screenplay
Setting: A fancy Italian restaurant at a private booth, a male and a female are eating and talking
Brian: Sarah you know that you mean the world to me and that I would do anything for you
Sarah: of course Brian, I feel the same way
Brian: Well I have been thinking that we are so perfect for each other and I love you so much that we should make things more permanent
Sarah: what are you thinking?
Brian pulls a ring out of his pocket
Brian: Will you marry me?
Sarah looking extremely shocked
Sarah: Of course I will!
Brain: Oh Sarah I love you so much, we are going to be so happy together
Sarah: I love you too, I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her
Setting: A fancy Italian restaurant at a private booth, a male and a female are eating and talking
Brian: Sarah you know that you mean the world to me and that I would do anything for you
Sarah: of course Brian, I feel the same way
Brian: Well I have been thinking that we are so perfect for each other and I love you so much that we should make things more permanent
Sarah: what are you thinking?
Brian pulls a ring out of his pocket
Brian: Will you marry me?
Sarah looking extremely shocked
Sarah: Of course I will!
Brain: Oh Sarah I love you so much, we are going to be so happy together
Sarah: I love you too, I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her
Pans Labyrinth
Foreign Film review
I chose Pans Labyrinth by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro as my foreign film, its original Spanish title is El laberinto del fauno, which refers to the faun of Roman mythology and directly translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun". The story takes place post-Civil War in Spain in 1944, after Francisco Franco has come into power. Ofelia, a young girl, absorbed in fairy tales, travels with her pregnant mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new stepfather and father of Carmen's unborn child.
On the way, Ofelia discovers a large insect resembling a praying mantis and she believes it to be a fairy. The creature follows the family to their new home, where it leads Ofelia to an ancient labyrinth. Before Ofelia can enter the labyrinth, she is stopped by Mercedes, one of Vidal's maids and a spy for the rebels, who are led by her brother, Pedro. That night, the creature appears in Ofelia's bedroom, where it morphs into a fairy and leads Ofelia through the labyrinth into a small clearing. There, she meets the faun, who recognizes her as the long-lost Princess Moanna and assigns her three tasks to complete before the full moon to ensure that her "essence is intact". Meanwhile, Vidal becomes increasingly vicious in his methods, torturing a captured Republican and killing a doctor who puts the prisoner down because of his injuries at his request. Ophelia’s mother develops painful contractions and dies giving birth to a son. Vidal discovers Mercedes is a rebel spy, and he captures her and Ofelia as they attempt to escape. Ofelia is locked in her bedroom, and Mercedes is taken to be tortured; however, she frees herself, injures Vidal and flees into the woods, where Pedro and the rebels rescue her. Vidal finds Ofelia after she takes her brother and runs to the Labyrinth, he takes the baby and shoots Ofelia. As he staggers out of the labyrinth, he finds the rebels waiting for him and, after handing them his son, is killed by Pedro. As Mercedes enters the labyrinth and mourns over Ofelia's dead body, Ofelia is reunited with the king and queen of the underworld and is found to be the true Princess Monna. There were several points in this movie that truly intrigued me, the first was the ability of the movie to bring fairy tail and post war violence together in one film and make the two flow so well together. I also learned a lot about the Spanish culture while watching this film. The film takes place almost a hundred years ago but still is extremely rich in Spanish heritage. The culture is very well portrayed throughout the movie, from the Spanish speaking to the wardrobes of all the characters. The entire movie is in subtitles which was new to me, I have never had the patience to watch an entire movie in subtitles before but this was an extremely intriguing movie that kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. When comparing it to an American film there are several large differences, the biggest of these would have to be the way that they show violence. It appeared that the Spanish allow much more uncensored violence then might be accepted here in America. I truly enjoyed watching this movie and it has opened my eyes to foreign films and the different stories that they can tell.
I chose Pans Labyrinth by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro as my foreign film, its original Spanish title is El laberinto del fauno, which refers to the faun of Roman mythology and directly translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun". The story takes place post-Civil War in Spain in 1944, after Francisco Franco has come into power. Ofelia, a young girl, absorbed in fairy tales, travels with her pregnant mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new stepfather and father of Carmen's unborn child.
On the way, Ofelia discovers a large insect resembling a praying mantis and she believes it to be a fairy. The creature follows the family to their new home, where it leads Ofelia to an ancient labyrinth. Before Ofelia can enter the labyrinth, she is stopped by Mercedes, one of Vidal's maids and a spy for the rebels, who are led by her brother, Pedro. That night, the creature appears in Ofelia's bedroom, where it morphs into a fairy and leads Ofelia through the labyrinth into a small clearing. There, she meets the faun, who recognizes her as the long-lost Princess Moanna and assigns her three tasks to complete before the full moon to ensure that her "essence is intact". Meanwhile, Vidal becomes increasingly vicious in his methods, torturing a captured Republican and killing a doctor who puts the prisoner down because of his injuries at his request. Ophelia’s mother develops painful contractions and dies giving birth to a son. Vidal discovers Mercedes is a rebel spy, and he captures her and Ofelia as they attempt to escape. Ofelia is locked in her bedroom, and Mercedes is taken to be tortured; however, she frees herself, injures Vidal and flees into the woods, where Pedro and the rebels rescue her. Vidal finds Ofelia after she takes her brother and runs to the Labyrinth, he takes the baby and shoots Ofelia. As he staggers out of the labyrinth, he finds the rebels waiting for him and, after handing them his son, is killed by Pedro. As Mercedes enters the labyrinth and mourns over Ofelia's dead body, Ofelia is reunited with the king and queen of the underworld and is found to be the true Princess Monna. There were several points in this movie that truly intrigued me, the first was the ability of the movie to bring fairy tail and post war violence together in one film and make the two flow so well together. I also learned a lot about the Spanish culture while watching this film. The film takes place almost a hundred years ago but still is extremely rich in Spanish heritage. The culture is very well portrayed throughout the movie, from the Spanish speaking to the wardrobes of all the characters. The entire movie is in subtitles which was new to me, I have never had the patience to watch an entire movie in subtitles before but this was an extremely intriguing movie that kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. When comparing it to an American film there are several large differences, the biggest of these would have to be the way that they show violence. It appeared that the Spanish allow much more uncensored violence then might be accepted here in America. I truly enjoyed watching this movie and it has opened my eyes to foreign films and the different stories that they can tell.
Institutions in my Life
Everyone has driving factors or institutions in their lives that shape the way they grow as a person. These institutions can be anything from family, friends, school or life experiences. All of these things play very big roles in making someone who they are, especially when they are all put together.
Over the years there have been many institutions that have shaped the person I am today. The first and probably largest of these would have to be my parents; they have always been there for me, helping me out with what ever it is that I throw at them. Having parents that both work, it is hard to find time when all of us are able to be together, but somehow they were always able to do it, at least to the best they could. They have always helped me in school, even when I didn’t want them to, and helped me get to and from my practices after school, although they were supposed to be at work. My dad has especially been a big role model for me ever since I was a kid; he has helped me through countless incidents even if the family shouldn’t know. I always try to model him in almost anyway I can, and so far it hasn’t led me wrong. He has always helped me and supported me through some hard times and done everything in his power to help me. I also have a younger sister that I think a lot about and try to be a positive role model to whenever possible. She needs to have a positive role model to help her make the right decisions while she experiences all of these institutions. My family as a whole has shaped me from a child by teaching me the lessons of life while allowing me to figure things out myself and I am grateful for them.
My second institution would have to be high school; I attended a high school of over four thousand kids in the middle of south Denver. Needless to say it was a very different atmosphere then here in Bozeman. Going to a school of this size in a busy city shapes people in many ways that many, at least myself, are unaware of until they have graduated and left. A school like this prepares you so much for college that the transition doesn’t seem so huge. Because the school is basically a small college, classes, teachers, friends and almost every other aspect are far different then that of other people I have met from smaller schools. There were so many different groups of people at my high school that it was easy to make friends with a group that fit you. There was basically a group for everyone, which gives you a very wide perspective of people. Even though I have a very wide perspective of people, coming to Montana State has opened my eyes to a completely different atmosphere. A few of my classes were lecture classes, just like here at MSU, where one teacher would teach fifty or more students. This style of teaching was extremely important because it taught me how to listen to a lecture and realize what the teacher actually wanted us to get out of it. Each one of my classes was in a different building sprawled across a campus that is a half mile by half mile. We had an open campus meaning you could leave during the day at anytime and go basically anywhere you wanted. Although many abused this privilege and skipped class, it gave you a glimpse at real life and made you have control of your own education. I believe this has drastically improved my college experience because I know how important class is to success. We also had to register for all our own classes in almost the exact way we do here, and it was not unusual to go an entire day without seeing a good friend because of the amount of people wandering the halls.
During the summer after high school I tried to prepare myself as much as possible for college, but nothing could prepare me for the first day in the dorms. Even though my high school is very similar to a college campus, the transition from high school to college did come with some very big life changing differences. When I first came to college I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I have always heard of the big party and school in there somewhere, but after spending a semester I have matured and realized the true importance of college and why it is important to go. The biggest change so far has been moving away from home to a completely different lifestyle. The dorms are a very unique place and I have realized that they force people to mature, even if it is in a transitional way. I believe that this move for me means so much because I have never moved before period, let alone by myself. It is a very cool, but intimidating experience for me moving out of state. Moving from the city where I was surrounded by millions of people on a daily basis to a town like Bozeman is much different in almost every way I can imagine compared to where I used to live.
My first yeas here at MSU has changed who I am dramatically. I have grown up a lot just in the last few months and have a much better understanding of life, at least I think. Living on your own for the first time, even if it is just in the dorms, is a very big change from anything I have experienced. I now understand the work and money that goes into supporting yourself. I have met many other students who are much different from kids in my high school, and I have made better friends in the past few months then I have possibly ever made.
I also believe I have figured out what my major is going to be, after taking Intro to Global Markets with Mike Gold I have realized that Business Marketing should fit me very well. Gold’s class is fun and exciting as he teaches us business not only out to the book but from life experience. He is a retired marketing president for several big companies across the world, including M&M’s, Heineken, and Mars Bars. With these positions comes some very interesting everyday advice that he passes on to the class very well. I have also made this decision based on the strong interest survey that we took in class. On the survey all of the career suggestions were in some way related to a business degree, which is exactly what I was aiming for before taking the survey.
The overall experience of college so far makes you grow up quickly and realize the real world much more then I ever thought it would. I now know how to budget my time effectively and manage when I need to go out with friends, and when I need to do my work. This took me several weeks into the semester, but has basically clicked now as we reach the end of the semester. Classes are extremely important, and they teach you the basic knowledge of life, however leaving the house and living on your own teaches you far more then the class room. I have learned so many lessons, even in the last few months and I now hopefully know a little bit more how life works.
If I was going to give any advice to incoming freshman, there would be a few big issues I would try and make them understand. I first would tell them that going to class is absolutely essential to passing class. If you don’t go to class there is no way you are going to get the information out of the class, even if you do all of the reading. The second thing I would tell them is to learn how to manage their time. You don’t always have to go out with the boys and have a good time. It is a very big part of college, but also needs to be enjoyed in moderation. If you are out late every night you are not going to be able to pay attention in class the next day. Finally, I would let them know that there are countless resources around campus that offer help, resources I didn’t find until late in the semester. Using the writing center, library, and teacher’s office hours give a huge advantage and can literally help your grades by entire letters.
There have been many institutions that have helped me though my life so far and there will no doubt be many more. It you are able to use these advantages and put them towards your life, you will have a step up on everyone else and hopefully succeed.
Over the years there have been many institutions that have shaped the person I am today. The first and probably largest of these would have to be my parents; they have always been there for me, helping me out with what ever it is that I throw at them. Having parents that both work, it is hard to find time when all of us are able to be together, but somehow they were always able to do it, at least to the best they could. They have always helped me in school, even when I didn’t want them to, and helped me get to and from my practices after school, although they were supposed to be at work. My dad has especially been a big role model for me ever since I was a kid; he has helped me through countless incidents even if the family shouldn’t know. I always try to model him in almost anyway I can, and so far it hasn’t led me wrong. He has always helped me and supported me through some hard times and done everything in his power to help me. I also have a younger sister that I think a lot about and try to be a positive role model to whenever possible. She needs to have a positive role model to help her make the right decisions while she experiences all of these institutions. My family as a whole has shaped me from a child by teaching me the lessons of life while allowing me to figure things out myself and I am grateful for them.
My second institution would have to be high school; I attended a high school of over four thousand kids in the middle of south Denver. Needless to say it was a very different atmosphere then here in Bozeman. Going to a school of this size in a busy city shapes people in many ways that many, at least myself, are unaware of until they have graduated and left. A school like this prepares you so much for college that the transition doesn’t seem so huge. Because the school is basically a small college, classes, teachers, friends and almost every other aspect are far different then that of other people I have met from smaller schools. There were so many different groups of people at my high school that it was easy to make friends with a group that fit you. There was basically a group for everyone, which gives you a very wide perspective of people. Even though I have a very wide perspective of people, coming to Montana State has opened my eyes to a completely different atmosphere. A few of my classes were lecture classes, just like here at MSU, where one teacher would teach fifty or more students. This style of teaching was extremely important because it taught me how to listen to a lecture and realize what the teacher actually wanted us to get out of it. Each one of my classes was in a different building sprawled across a campus that is a half mile by half mile. We had an open campus meaning you could leave during the day at anytime and go basically anywhere you wanted. Although many abused this privilege and skipped class, it gave you a glimpse at real life and made you have control of your own education. I believe this has drastically improved my college experience because I know how important class is to success. We also had to register for all our own classes in almost the exact way we do here, and it was not unusual to go an entire day without seeing a good friend because of the amount of people wandering the halls.
During the summer after high school I tried to prepare myself as much as possible for college, but nothing could prepare me for the first day in the dorms. Even though my high school is very similar to a college campus, the transition from high school to college did come with some very big life changing differences. When I first came to college I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I have always heard of the big party and school in there somewhere, but after spending a semester I have matured and realized the true importance of college and why it is important to go. The biggest change so far has been moving away from home to a completely different lifestyle. The dorms are a very unique place and I have realized that they force people to mature, even if it is in a transitional way. I believe that this move for me means so much because I have never moved before period, let alone by myself. It is a very cool, but intimidating experience for me moving out of state. Moving from the city where I was surrounded by millions of people on a daily basis to a town like Bozeman is much different in almost every way I can imagine compared to where I used to live.
My first yeas here at MSU has changed who I am dramatically. I have grown up a lot just in the last few months and have a much better understanding of life, at least I think. Living on your own for the first time, even if it is just in the dorms, is a very big change from anything I have experienced. I now understand the work and money that goes into supporting yourself. I have met many other students who are much different from kids in my high school, and I have made better friends in the past few months then I have possibly ever made.
I also believe I have figured out what my major is going to be, after taking Intro to Global Markets with Mike Gold I have realized that Business Marketing should fit me very well. Gold’s class is fun and exciting as he teaches us business not only out to the book but from life experience. He is a retired marketing president for several big companies across the world, including M&M’s, Heineken, and Mars Bars. With these positions comes some very interesting everyday advice that he passes on to the class very well. I have also made this decision based on the strong interest survey that we took in class. On the survey all of the career suggestions were in some way related to a business degree, which is exactly what I was aiming for before taking the survey.
The overall experience of college so far makes you grow up quickly and realize the real world much more then I ever thought it would. I now know how to budget my time effectively and manage when I need to go out with friends, and when I need to do my work. This took me several weeks into the semester, but has basically clicked now as we reach the end of the semester. Classes are extremely important, and they teach you the basic knowledge of life, however leaving the house and living on your own teaches you far more then the class room. I have learned so many lessons, even in the last few months and I now hopefully know a little bit more how life works.
If I was going to give any advice to incoming freshman, there would be a few big issues I would try and make them understand. I first would tell them that going to class is absolutely essential to passing class. If you don’t go to class there is no way you are going to get the information out of the class, even if you do all of the reading. The second thing I would tell them is to learn how to manage their time. You don’t always have to go out with the boys and have a good time. It is a very big part of college, but also needs to be enjoyed in moderation. If you are out late every night you are not going to be able to pay attention in class the next day. Finally, I would let them know that there are countless resources around campus that offer help, resources I didn’t find until late in the semester. Using the writing center, library, and teacher’s office hours give a huge advantage and can literally help your grades by entire letters.
There have been many institutions that have helped me though my life so far and there will no doubt be many more. It you are able to use these advantages and put them towards your life, you will have a step up on everyone else and hopefully succeed.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was an English rock group that formed in 1968 and featured the members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. They were considered to be the first true heavy metal bands because of their heavy guitar driven sound. This sound shaped the new face of rock and roll, adding a new genera of music to an era desperate for a new sound. They were also very big in producing album orientated rock and not simply releasing singles like many other bands of the era.
The early days of Led Zeppelin was actually not Led Zeppelin at all, Jimmy Page played bass in “The Yardbirds” in 1966 with Paul Samwell Smith, McCarty, Relf and Jeff Beck until Smith left the band and Page took over second lead guitar with Beck. The Yardbirds began to break up over the next year or so and Page decided he wanted to start a “supergroup” with himself and Beck on guitar. After touring and playing shows for some time, Page and Chris Dreja got permission from the rest of the group to use the name “Yardbirds”; and to fulfill the bands previous obligations of a Scandinavian tour. From this point they began to build a new band and found Robert Plant, a singer from Birmingham and John Bonham from near by Redditch. After a short time Dreja left the group to become a photographer leaving an open space which was filled by the final piece of the band, John Paul Jones.
The band completed the Scandinavian tour as "The New Yardbirds" before changing their name to "Led Zeppelin" which was chosen as their new name after a newspaper review predicted they would go down like a lead zeppelin, a term used to describe a bad gig. After some discussion, the band decided to stick with it thinking that it fit their newly found style of music, but decided to drop the “a” to keep from “dumb Americans” calling them leed. Their manager Grant secured an advanced deal of $200,000 from Atlantic Records in November 1968, which at that time was the biggest deal of its kind for a new band, especially when they had never seen them. With their first album not yet released, Zeppelin made their live debut at the University of Surrey in Guildford on October 15, 1968. This was followed by a U.S. concert debut on December 26, 1968 before moving on to the west coast for dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities.
The success of Led Zeppelin's early years would be categorized by a five year period in which the band would release their best selling albums and ascend to musical success in the 1970s. The band's image also changed as members began to wear elaborate, colorful clothing and jewelry similar to other popular performers of the era. If the band's popularity on stage was impressive, so too was its reputation for off-stage wildness and excess partying. Led Zeppelin began traveling in a private jet airliner, rented out entire sections of hotels, and became the subject of many of rock's most famous stories of unrestrained, self indulgent behavior.
By 1976, Led Zeppelin was becoming increasingly popular, having outsold most bands of the time, including the Rolling Stones. Their live shows increased even further theatricality, featuring larger stage areas and complex lights shows. While there were still massive musical and commercial successes for the band during this period, problems such as the 1977 death of Robert Plant's son, Jimmy Page's heroin use, changing musical tastes, and John Bonham's 1980 death would finally bring an end to Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin changed the face of rock as we know it and they continue to be one of the most influential and known bands of all time. They currently have three songs on the top ten rock and roll list of all time, including “Stairway to Heaven” which sits at number one. Zeppelin changed the face of music and gave a new name to rock and roll, their talented guitar and incredible vocals alongside their notorious partying will forever hold a place in the world of rock and roll and bands in the future will have a hard time matching the social influence that Led Zeppelin gave not only the United States but the rest of the world as well.
Led Zeppelin was an English rock group that formed in 1968 and featured the members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones. They were considered to be the first true heavy metal bands because of their heavy guitar driven sound. This sound shaped the new face of rock and roll, adding a new genera of music to an era desperate for a new sound. They were also very big in producing album orientated rock and not simply releasing singles like many other bands of the era.
The early days of Led Zeppelin was actually not Led Zeppelin at all, Jimmy Page played bass in “The Yardbirds” in 1966 with Paul Samwell Smith, McCarty, Relf and Jeff Beck until Smith left the band and Page took over second lead guitar with Beck. The Yardbirds began to break up over the next year or so and Page decided he wanted to start a “supergroup” with himself and Beck on guitar. After touring and playing shows for some time, Page and Chris Dreja got permission from the rest of the group to use the name “Yardbirds”; and to fulfill the bands previous obligations of a Scandinavian tour. From this point they began to build a new band and found Robert Plant, a singer from Birmingham and John Bonham from near by Redditch. After a short time Dreja left the group to become a photographer leaving an open space which was filled by the final piece of the band, John Paul Jones.
The band completed the Scandinavian tour as "The New Yardbirds" before changing their name to "Led Zeppelin" which was chosen as their new name after a newspaper review predicted they would go down like a lead zeppelin, a term used to describe a bad gig. After some discussion, the band decided to stick with it thinking that it fit their newly found style of music, but decided to drop the “a” to keep from “dumb Americans” calling them leed. Their manager Grant secured an advanced deal of $200,000 from Atlantic Records in November 1968, which at that time was the biggest deal of its kind for a new band, especially when they had never seen them. With their first album not yet released, Zeppelin made their live debut at the University of Surrey in Guildford on October 15, 1968. This was followed by a U.S. concert debut on December 26, 1968 before moving on to the west coast for dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities.
The success of Led Zeppelin's early years would be categorized by a five year period in which the band would release their best selling albums and ascend to musical success in the 1970s. The band's image also changed as members began to wear elaborate, colorful clothing and jewelry similar to other popular performers of the era. If the band's popularity on stage was impressive, so too was its reputation for off-stage wildness and excess partying. Led Zeppelin began traveling in a private jet airliner, rented out entire sections of hotels, and became the subject of many of rock's most famous stories of unrestrained, self indulgent behavior.
By 1976, Led Zeppelin was becoming increasingly popular, having outsold most bands of the time, including the Rolling Stones. Their live shows increased even further theatricality, featuring larger stage areas and complex lights shows. While there were still massive musical and commercial successes for the band during this period, problems such as the 1977 death of Robert Plant's son, Jimmy Page's heroin use, changing musical tastes, and John Bonham's 1980 death would finally bring an end to Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin changed the face of rock as we know it and they continue to be one of the most influential and known bands of all time. They currently have three songs on the top ten rock and roll list of all time, including “Stairway to Heaven” which sits at number one. Zeppelin changed the face of music and gave a new name to rock and roll, their talented guitar and incredible vocals alongside their notorious partying will forever hold a place in the world of rock and roll and bands in the future will have a hard time matching the social influence that Led Zeppelin gave not only the United States but the rest of the world as well.
The Legend of the Band
The Legend of the Band
Music has always brought people together for celebration, and in Denver Colorado there is no exception. Music is a way of life for many people in Denver and is a way of meeting new people of all kinds. One night The Mad Caddies, a local rock band, were playing at the Lodo bar and dance club on Colfax Avenue; this was their favorite small venue to play because the audience was always stoked to have them there and packed the place with good energy. Because of this energy from the audience they played an incredible show that left the entire place screaming for more every time. During the second set, Tyler, the lead guitarist and vocalist locked eyes with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had long blond hair, light blue eyes and was jamming her heart out loving every riff, Tyler was instantly in love.
During a quick intermission between the second and third set Tyler searched the entire club trying to find this gorgeous girl, but he was unable to find her. He spent the next couple hours on stage trying to find her in the crowd but she was not to be found. He even asked around after the show in an attempt to get any information about her but no one had anything to tell him, it was like she didn’t even exist. He left that night wondering if he would ever be able to find her again, not believing he could let her get away without meeting her.
A few weeks later there was a battle of the bands at the Denver convention center and The Mad Caddies secured a spot in the competition. This was a huge competition for amateur bands because the winner was given free studio recording time with Virgin Records, the biggest recorder in the nation; if they could get a record with them then they could make it in the business. Mad Caddies was set to be the last band to perform that night so they watched the rest of the bands in the competition very intently.
The first two bands were pretty good but didn’t pose too much threat to Tyler and The Mad Caddies, but then Janie and the Monsters, a new band to the Denver area, took the stage and started to rock the entire event. Tyler was getting a drink at the bar at the time when they first began to play and he instantly made his way to the front of the stage as soon as he heard Janie and the Monsters start to play. Once he pushed his way to the front of the stage he made a discovery that left him absolutely speechless, Janie, the lead guitarist and vocalist was the girl he had tried so hard to find weeks ago at Lotto during his own show! He couldn’t believe it, she was incredible, she could make the most incredible riffs he had ever heard and had a voice of an angle. After her set he made his way backstage to try and find her, he was able to push through the crowds trying to talk to her and introduced himself at which point she pretty much dismissed him like he was just one of the crowd, since she obviously had no idea who he was. Tyler knew exactly what he had to do; he had to play the best show he had ever played to win her over.
He immediately went to his dressing room and started to practice before his time on stage. In this short time he was able to come up with what he thought was the perfect solo for one of their songs. After a short practice session he was told he was on in five minutes and to get backstage immediately. Right before he went onto stage Janie was standing next to the stage door, as he walked through she wished him good luck on his set, it was all the confidence he needed to put on an incredible show. Tyler and the rest of The Mad Caddies took the stage and played what they felt was their best few songs. During the third song Tyler let loose and started really jamming, the whole venue erupted in cheers and it appeared they just might win the battle. They continued to play their set and when they finished everyone was cheering, it was incredible.
After a short deliberation from the judges, all of the bands were called back onto stage where they named the top three bands in no particular order.
“Janie and the Monsters” one of the judges called out.
“The Exiled” another judge said.
And finally, “Mad Caddies” a third judge proclaimed. The three bands stood on three corners of the stage, all anxiously awaiting the judges’ decision.
“And now for the winner” the first judge says. After a long pause, “Janie and the Monsters are your 2007 battle of the bands champions!”
Tyler and the Mad Caddies hearts instantly sunk but they managed to keep a good smile and shook the winner’s hands. Tyler couldn’t believe he had lost the competition, now he was never going to be able to win over Janie or get the record deal he had worked so hard for over the past few years.
An hour or so after the competition all of the bands and their friends had a big after party at the Bluebird, a club a few blocks away from the convention center and wouldn’t you know it, Janie showed up. She made her rounds talking to people all around the club until she eventually made her way to the bar where Tyler was standing talking to some people from other bands about the night when he was tapped on the shoulder; he turned around slowly and once again locked eyes with the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Before he could say anything Janie said;
“You were incredible tonight, that solo you had blew me off of my feet”
Tyler, stunned managed to work out “thank you, you were incredible yourself, congratulations!”
“Well thanks” she said “but I need a new guitarist, would you be interested in playing with me next weekend at the Ogden? I think the two of us could really tear it up”.
“Are you serious? I would love too!” Tyler exclaimed.
“Well how about we go get a table and talk for awhile, I would love to get to know you and talk about what we need to do”.
“Sounds great, let me grab us a drink and we will find a table”
Tyler and Janie talked all night that night and started practicing the next day; they played the Ogden the following Saturday night and made Denver history. It was the first truly successful band with two lead guitarist and vocalist. Neither of them played backup, they were able to play with each other very naturally and knew exactly where the other was going all the time. They soon became the most sought after band in Denver and everyone kept talking about their shows. They even ended up recording an album together which is now on the top 100 in Rolling Stones. They have also been dating since that night and travel the country playing sold out shows at some of the largest venues in the country.
Music has always brought people together for celebration, and in Denver Colorado there is no exception. Music is a way of life for many people in Denver and is a way of meeting new people of all kinds. One night The Mad Caddies, a local rock band, were playing at the Lodo bar and dance club on Colfax Avenue; this was their favorite small venue to play because the audience was always stoked to have them there and packed the place with good energy. Because of this energy from the audience they played an incredible show that left the entire place screaming for more every time. During the second set, Tyler, the lead guitarist and vocalist locked eyes with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had long blond hair, light blue eyes and was jamming her heart out loving every riff, Tyler was instantly in love.
During a quick intermission between the second and third set Tyler searched the entire club trying to find this gorgeous girl, but he was unable to find her. He spent the next couple hours on stage trying to find her in the crowd but she was not to be found. He even asked around after the show in an attempt to get any information about her but no one had anything to tell him, it was like she didn’t even exist. He left that night wondering if he would ever be able to find her again, not believing he could let her get away without meeting her.
A few weeks later there was a battle of the bands at the Denver convention center and The Mad Caddies secured a spot in the competition. This was a huge competition for amateur bands because the winner was given free studio recording time with Virgin Records, the biggest recorder in the nation; if they could get a record with them then they could make it in the business. Mad Caddies was set to be the last band to perform that night so they watched the rest of the bands in the competition very intently.
The first two bands were pretty good but didn’t pose too much threat to Tyler and The Mad Caddies, but then Janie and the Monsters, a new band to the Denver area, took the stage and started to rock the entire event. Tyler was getting a drink at the bar at the time when they first began to play and he instantly made his way to the front of the stage as soon as he heard Janie and the Monsters start to play. Once he pushed his way to the front of the stage he made a discovery that left him absolutely speechless, Janie, the lead guitarist and vocalist was the girl he had tried so hard to find weeks ago at Lotto during his own show! He couldn’t believe it, she was incredible, she could make the most incredible riffs he had ever heard and had a voice of an angle. After her set he made his way backstage to try and find her, he was able to push through the crowds trying to talk to her and introduced himself at which point she pretty much dismissed him like he was just one of the crowd, since she obviously had no idea who he was. Tyler knew exactly what he had to do; he had to play the best show he had ever played to win her over.
He immediately went to his dressing room and started to practice before his time on stage. In this short time he was able to come up with what he thought was the perfect solo for one of their songs. After a short practice session he was told he was on in five minutes and to get backstage immediately. Right before he went onto stage Janie was standing next to the stage door, as he walked through she wished him good luck on his set, it was all the confidence he needed to put on an incredible show. Tyler and the rest of The Mad Caddies took the stage and played what they felt was their best few songs. During the third song Tyler let loose and started really jamming, the whole venue erupted in cheers and it appeared they just might win the battle. They continued to play their set and when they finished everyone was cheering, it was incredible.
After a short deliberation from the judges, all of the bands were called back onto stage where they named the top three bands in no particular order.
“Janie and the Monsters” one of the judges called out.
“The Exiled” another judge said.
And finally, “Mad Caddies” a third judge proclaimed. The three bands stood on three corners of the stage, all anxiously awaiting the judges’ decision.
“And now for the winner” the first judge says. After a long pause, “Janie and the Monsters are your 2007 battle of the bands champions!”
Tyler and the Mad Caddies hearts instantly sunk but they managed to keep a good smile and shook the winner’s hands. Tyler couldn’t believe he had lost the competition, now he was never going to be able to win over Janie or get the record deal he had worked so hard for over the past few years.
An hour or so after the competition all of the bands and their friends had a big after party at the Bluebird, a club a few blocks away from the convention center and wouldn’t you know it, Janie showed up. She made her rounds talking to people all around the club until she eventually made her way to the bar where Tyler was standing talking to some people from other bands about the night when he was tapped on the shoulder; he turned around slowly and once again locked eyes with the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen. Before he could say anything Janie said;
“You were incredible tonight, that solo you had blew me off of my feet”
Tyler, stunned managed to work out “thank you, you were incredible yourself, congratulations!”
“Well thanks” she said “but I need a new guitarist, would you be interested in playing with me next weekend at the Ogden? I think the two of us could really tear it up”.
“Are you serious? I would love too!” Tyler exclaimed.
“Well how about we go get a table and talk for awhile, I would love to get to know you and talk about what we need to do”.
“Sounds great, let me grab us a drink and we will find a table”
Tyler and Janie talked all night that night and started practicing the next day; they played the Ogden the following Saturday night and made Denver history. It was the first truly successful band with two lead guitarist and vocalist. Neither of them played backup, they were able to play with each other very naturally and knew exactly where the other was going all the time. They soon became the most sought after band in Denver and everyone kept talking about their shows. They even ended up recording an album together which is now on the top 100 in Rolling Stones. They have also been dating since that night and travel the country playing sold out shows at some of the largest venues in the country.
Epictetus
Epictetus’s The Handbook discusses the stoic belief about how you should live your life. According to the stoic view, you are responsible for your own life and your own actions. A stoic believes you should detach yourself from distracting emotions which in turn allows you to become a clear and level headed thinker. The Handbook explains how some things are up to us and others are not. We control our opinions, impulses and desires. Anything that is not our own doing is not up to us and should not be sweat over. You cannot let other people or other things dictate the way that you live your life, when something bad happens the only person you can blame is yourself. It is not the fault of others when something happens to you. You also cannot let things outside of your control get to you and control how you live. If someone dies it is important to remember them, but you should not let it change your life. When something or someone has left you, according to Epictetus, you should not say that you have lost it, but that you have given it back. This to me is an interesting point of view because stoics seem to believe that they are in control of their own lives but still believe in some type of higher power. The stoic belief to me seems to be putting your life into your own hands. If you want to be happy you must make that happiness yourself and the only way to do that is to not let anything get to you.
I enjoyed reading this book and talking about different schools of thought. It is interesting to me, especially listening during class discussions, how everyone’s views are so different on how you should live your life. There are such contrasting views between individuals about what is right and wrong and the way that they see the world. I think that I fit into the stoic school of thought in a few ways. I don’t let things get to me very easy, I almost always let things roll off of my back, which is good and bad in different situations. I think this is a good way to live life because you can’t change things that you’re not in control of so why make a big deal about them. I can however see that this would be a difficult way to live life everyday for many people because they are unable to let things go. If you can completely detach yourself from the world you would not do very well in today’s society because it is not possible to find a significant other or make money when you are detached from anything that might hurt you so I believe that although it is a good idea and good way to attempt to live your life, it is not possible in today’s society.
Epictetus’s The Handbook discusses the stoic belief about how you should live your life. According to the stoic view, you are responsible for your own life and your own actions. A stoic believes you should detach yourself from distracting emotions which in turn allows you to become a clear and level headed thinker. The Handbook explains how some things are up to us and others are not. We control our opinions, impulses and desires. Anything that is not our own doing is not up to us and should not be sweat over. You cannot let other people or other things dictate the way that you live your life, when something bad happens the only person you can blame is yourself. It is not the fault of others when something happens to you. You also cannot let things outside of your control get to you and control how you live. If someone dies it is important to remember them, but you should not let it change your life. When something or someone has left you, according to Epictetus, you should not say that you have lost it, but that you have given it back. This to me is an interesting point of view because stoics seem to believe that they are in control of their own lives but still believe in some type of higher power. The stoic belief to me seems to be putting your life into your own hands. If you want to be happy you must make that happiness yourself and the only way to do that is to not let anything get to you.
I enjoyed reading this book and talking about different schools of thought. It is interesting to me, especially listening during class discussions, how everyone’s views are so different on how you should live your life. There are such contrasting views between individuals about what is right and wrong and the way that they see the world. I think that I fit into the stoic school of thought in a few ways. I don’t let things get to me very easy, I almost always let things roll off of my back, which is good and bad in different situations. I think this is a good way to live life because you can’t change things that you’re not in control of so why make a big deal about them. I can however see that this would be a difficult way to live life everyday for many people because they are unable to let things go. If you can completely detach yourself from the world you would not do very well in today’s society because it is not possible to find a significant other or make money when you are detached from anything that might hurt you so I believe that although it is a good idea and good way to attempt to live your life, it is not possible in today’s society.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Metaphors
A metaphor is defined as a direct comparision between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects that typically uses "is a" to join the first subjects. A metaphor is commonly confused with a simile which compares two subjects using "like" or "as".
the world is a mental activity, a dream of souls..." -Break of Day
"He was as sly as a rabbit"
the world is a mental activity, a dream of souls..." -Break of Day
"He was as sly as a rabbit"
The Break of Day
I enjoyed this piece because it gives a very interesting and true outlook on life. Each day is a new one with countless opportunities and chances. With this outlook, you should never let things sit on your shoulders for too long because there is always a new experience awaiting you the next day and you will be able to right any of the wrongs that you have made.
The meaning of life has always been unknown and something that people spend a lot of time trying to figure out, many have dedicated their lives to this search. In each of the four readings that we have examined so far there is a connection in the general themes of the stories, this connection is a need to escape the everyday world and find a place of peace where they can examine the meaning of life in close detail. In each story the author is attempting to find this meaning by telling their story, where can a soul flight or escape from reality be found in each of the stories?
Each one of the readings have some very big similarities between one another, the author or character in each story is attempting to find themselves by escaping their everyday routine and searching for meaning in there lives. This seems to be very apparent in “Into the Wild” when Chris McCandless leaves his comfort zone and ventures out alone into the Alaskan wilderness with very few supplies. This adventure is a soul flight that was very needed in his life because he had always been sheltered growing up. Even though he lost his life on this adventure he needed to experience what it was like to live with nature and has made quite possibly the most famous soul flight story in history.
In Wallace Stevens “The poem that took the place of a mountain” he leaves the business world where everything is relatively straight forward and escapes into his writing by going to the top of a mountain. He decides to go to the top of the mountain because it is so far away from everything else and he is able to be by himself and ponder the meaning of life. At the top of the mountain nothing else matters, he can escape all his other problems and simply be alone with his thoughts. This is indeed his soul fight because he is able to leave everything else behind, if only for a short time, and figure out what really matters to him.
In Jorge Luis Borges “The Circular Ruins” and “Break of Day” he is trying to explain what it means to him to escape reality, or really what reality actually is. It seems apparent in these two writings that reality is nothing more then dreaming, we cover up reality with our dreams in an attempt to escape what reality truly is. We carry on with our lives in almost a daze not truly knowing what life actually is and have no idea how to escape it. This idea of life is an interesting but somewhat depressing way of looking at life. If we don’t know reality from dreams then there is no way of escaping reality and will therefore be stuck until death.
Everyone attempts to find out the true meaning of life and what it is they are actually meant to do while still here on earth, this search is carried out differently by everyone but has the same general goal in mind. Some escape from reality completely and go venturing off by themselves, some write about where they would like to be and others simply daze off, trying to forget about the everyday hassles of life. It is important to find out which soul flight works best for you and how you can clear your mind, even if only for a short time.
Each one of the readings have some very big similarities between one another, the author or character in each story is attempting to find themselves by escaping their everyday routine and searching for meaning in there lives. This seems to be very apparent in “Into the Wild” when Chris McCandless leaves his comfort zone and ventures out alone into the Alaskan wilderness with very few supplies. This adventure is a soul flight that was very needed in his life because he had always been sheltered growing up. Even though he lost his life on this adventure he needed to experience what it was like to live with nature and has made quite possibly the most famous soul flight story in history.
In Wallace Stevens “The poem that took the place of a mountain” he leaves the business world where everything is relatively straight forward and escapes into his writing by going to the top of a mountain. He decides to go to the top of the mountain because it is so far away from everything else and he is able to be by himself and ponder the meaning of life. At the top of the mountain nothing else matters, he can escape all his other problems and simply be alone with his thoughts. This is indeed his soul fight because he is able to leave everything else behind, if only for a short time, and figure out what really matters to him.
In Jorge Luis Borges “The Circular Ruins” and “Break of Day” he is trying to explain what it means to him to escape reality, or really what reality actually is. It seems apparent in these two writings that reality is nothing more then dreaming, we cover up reality with our dreams in an attempt to escape what reality truly is. We carry on with our lives in almost a daze not truly knowing what life actually is and have no idea how to escape it. This idea of life is an interesting but somewhat depressing way of looking at life. If we don’t know reality from dreams then there is no way of escaping reality and will therefore be stuck until death.
Everyone attempts to find out the true meaning of life and what it is they are actually meant to do while still here on earth, this search is carried out differently by everyone but has the same general goal in mind. Some escape from reality completely and go venturing off by themselves, some write about where they would like to be and others simply daze off, trying to forget about the everyday hassles of life. It is important to find out which soul flight works best for you and how you can clear your mind, even if only for a short time.
Into the Wild
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must leave their comfort zone and venture out not only to explore the world, but test themselves to see who they really are. This “soul flight” or journey to find your inner intelligence and wisdom is experienced by everyone, but is it possible that people with what is considered to be the “good life’ growing up must test these boundaries more then those who have supported themselves during adolescence?
There are a lot of people in this world, myself included, that have been raised in a relatively normal, loving home in a safe part of town. They have been given many tools to succeed in the world whether it is money, schooling or positive role models. In these situations it can be asked if these people are in more need to venture out on their own and truly find out for themselves who they are and what the world has to offer.
This theory seems to be considerably apparent in Chris McCandless when he ventures out into the Alaskan wilderness by himself almost immediately after graduation. He hitchhiked his way through Canada and into Alaska completely by himself carrying very little supplies. This expedition is looked at by many as a suicide mission, but Chris must have had a different view, he must have wanted to push himself to the extreme in an environment he had never encountered.
McCandless graduated with honors from Emory University after growing up in an upscale D.C. suburb with a loving family. It seems that he was a relatively normal person with very little outdoor experience, so what would make him choose to venture out by himself into the Alaskan wilderness with very little supplies directly after graduation? Was he just curious and stupid or did he have something to prove to himself? It is very possible that he was in desperate need of a soul flight, an adventure where he could see what he was truly capable of outside or suburbia and the classroom. Traveling and living in an old bus by himself gave him plenty of time of reflect upon himself and truly find who he was even though he would never have the chance to use this new found knowledge. This adventure is very common in almost everyone, even if it is not done to quite the extreme as McCandless’s.
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they must leave their comfort zone and venture out not only to explore the world, but test themselves to see who they really are. This “soul flight” or journey to find your inner intelligence and wisdom is experienced by everyone, but is it possible that people with what is considered to be the “good life’ growing up must test these boundaries more then those who have supported themselves during adolescence?
There are a lot of people in this world, myself included, that have been raised in a relatively normal, loving home in a safe part of town. They have been given many tools to succeed in the world whether it is money, schooling or positive role models. In these situations it can be asked if these people are in more need to venture out on their own and truly find out for themselves who they are and what the world has to offer.
This theory seems to be considerably apparent in Chris McCandless when he ventures out into the Alaskan wilderness by himself almost immediately after graduation. He hitchhiked his way through Canada and into Alaska completely by himself carrying very little supplies. This expedition is looked at by many as a suicide mission, but Chris must have had a different view, he must have wanted to push himself to the extreme in an environment he had never encountered.
McCandless graduated with honors from Emory University after growing up in an upscale D.C. suburb with a loving family. It seems that he was a relatively normal person with very little outdoor experience, so what would make him choose to venture out by himself into the Alaskan wilderness with very little supplies directly after graduation? Was he just curious and stupid or did he have something to prove to himself? It is very possible that he was in desperate need of a soul flight, an adventure where he could see what he was truly capable of outside or suburbia and the classroom. Traveling and living in an old bus by himself gave him plenty of time of reflect upon himself and truly find who he was even though he would never have the chance to use this new found knowledge. This adventure is very common in almost everyone, even if it is not done to quite the extreme as McCandless’s.
Monday, January 29, 2007
The Poem That Took The Place of a Mountain
By Wallace Stevens
There it was, word for word,
The poem that took the place of a mountain.
He breathed its oxygen,
Even when the book lay turned in the dust of his table.
It reminded him how he had needed
A place to go to in his own direction,
How he had recomposed the pines,
Shifted the rocks and picked his way among clouds,
For the outlook that would be right,
Where he would be complete in an unexplained completion:
The exact rock where his inexactness
Would discover, at last, the view toward which they had edged,
Where he could lie and, gazing down at the sea,
Recognize his unique and solitary home.
"It reminded him how he needed
A place to go in his own direction"
I believe that these two lines from Steven's poem mean that he loves to get out of the everyday hussel and bussel of city life and go somwhere where he is able to be by himself and relax. By going to the top of a mountain he is able to refect on his own life without the pressures of being an insurance salesman. I also believe that by writing poems such as this one he is able to escape even if it is only for a short time.
By Wallace Stevens
There it was, word for word,
The poem that took the place of a mountain.
He breathed its oxygen,
Even when the book lay turned in the dust of his table.
It reminded him how he had needed
A place to go to in his own direction,
How he had recomposed the pines,
Shifted the rocks and picked his way among clouds,
For the outlook that would be right,
Where he would be complete in an unexplained completion:
The exact rock where his inexactness
Would discover, at last, the view toward which they had edged,
Where he could lie and, gazing down at the sea,
Recognize his unique and solitary home.
"It reminded him how he needed
A place to go in his own direction"
I believe that these two lines from Steven's poem mean that he loves to get out of the everyday hussel and bussel of city life and go somwhere where he is able to be by himself and relax. By going to the top of a mountain he is able to refect on his own life without the pressures of being an insurance salesman. I also believe that by writing poems such as this one he is able to escape even if it is only for a short time.
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