Journal 9

Journal #9 - Free Will vs. Determinism

Free Will - The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.

Iago: “'tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our 

           gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners” (1.3 361-3).

Determinism - The philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents, such as genetic and environmental influences, that are independent of the human will.

Othello: “Yet ‘tis the plague of great ones … ‘tis destiny unshunnable, like 

               death” (3.3 313-16).

  

Using the above definitions, write a paragraph that argues in support of each of the terms.  In your paragraphs, use specific examples from Othello to support your ideas.

Othello had free will to choose who he wanted to believe, Iago or Desdemona. He chose to believe Iago, even though it was the wrong choice. He let Iago get to him, but in the end, Iago could not force him to do anything, it was his own choice. It was not fate that led him to do what he did; it was free will that had him do what he did. He was influenced by others, but it was not them making the decision for him.

Determinism was present in Othello’s life. His fate was inevitable because of the influences are him. He was unable to have free will because jealousy was able to go and over take him easily. It is obvious that determinism was present because everything worked out in a way that went against Othello. If this was not fate, these acts would not have happened. They were predetermined and Othello had no control over what happen in the story.

Journal 11

Journal 11 - Selections from Walden   

Write a summary of the following selections and identify a direct quote that you feel best expresses its main idea.

“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)

He talks about him spending time in the forest and his experiences. The technology has lead to a disconnect of people having face to face conversations. People think they are becoming more connected, but have 500 facebook friends doesn’t mean you have that many in real life. Techonology leads to not all good things because some people use it in more than moderation.

Quote: “We do not ride on the railroad, the railroad rides on us”

“Sounds” (234)

This talks about the sounds of nature. The narrator is watching nature from morning  to night time. He does not think that it is a waste of time because he is admiring the changes of the world around him. He is living in the present time, not thinking about the past or the future. He realizes how beautiful nature is and how important it is to the entire world as a whole. Nature’s sounds can be soothing and relaxing to those who actually take the time to listen.

Quote: “I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself was become my amusement and ceased to be a novel.”

“Brute Neighbors” (235)

This passage uses the symbolism of ants to show how people interact. People fight over stupid, miniscule things that lead to the death of people. The brutality of war is immense, and the author thinks that it is humerous to watch the red and black ants fight over a pile of wood. He realizes how similar it is to humans fighting over land, and uses the passage to relate human war to their war.

            Quote: “And the results of this battle will be as important and memorable to those whom it comcerns as those of the battle of Bunker Hill”

“The Pond in Winter” (237)

A pond in winter freezes over, with the beautiful life underneath it. Nature has beauty, and it is always going to be there. The pond looks like it is calm and at rest, but there is life teeming underneath of it. There is new beauty added to it because it is newly frozen.

Quote: “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our head”

“Spring” (238)

Every thing flourishes during the spring time. The sounds and smells begin to overwhelm all the senses. Spring gives people more energy and makes them feel renewed because of all of its beauty. Spring is the best time of year because of all the great life that it brings about.

Quote: “The coming in of sring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.”

Journal 10

Journal #10

Othello’s Insight

Write a one paragraph response to the following question:

Often at the end of a play, Shakespeare’s tragic heroes often have a moment of insight.  What is Othello’s insight?  Look closely at Othello’s last speech before answering this question.

Othello realizes that he believed the wrong person and made the wrong decision. He could not live with himself anymore after what he had done to the person he loved the most. He loved his wife, but believed another man over her. He realized that he should have trusted her and known that she would not have been unfaithful with his right hand man. He let Iago get the best of him, and was remorseful for letting that happen at the expense of not only himself, but those around him. He should have been more trusting of Cassio and of Desdemona, and he realizes this. He decided to stab himself and get away from the world that caused him so much pain.

Journal 8

2. Keep cool: it will all be one a hundred years hence.
This is saying that as bad as something may seem now, it will not always be that bad. Some things may seem like a huge deal at the time, but after 100 years, it will be forgotten about and mean nothing. It is important to live in the moment but not put too much weight on every little thing as they happen.


4. We boil at different degrees.
Everyone has different points where they can be pushed to. Not everyone is the same so not everyone will have the same boiling point. Everyone cannot be treated alike do to this because some people would get mad way more often than others would get mad. 



13. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
It is saying that it is better to live life to the fullest instead of just sitting back and being passive. Life is always changing and new things happen every day, so it is up to the person to go out and try new things. Life cannot be enjoyable when just going through the motion and not enjoying it to the highest degree that it can be. 

Journal 7

Journal Assignment #7

William Cullen Bryant’s “To a Waterfowl” (p.151) and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” (p.181)

Read the selections and write a detailed response to the following:

1. Compare/contrast the different views of nature that are being presented in the poems.  Refer to the list of classical and romantic characteristics and provide specific examples from the poems to support your analysis.       

“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe uses a more romantic sense of nature than “To a Waterfowl” does. Poe’s poem has spontaneity when there is a tapping on the door and a bird flies into the house. Bryant’s poem has more harmony between man and nature in his poem because the speaker is taking a positive message out of nature, unlike “The Raven” where the message taken is negative.  The poem by Bryant was driven by his mind because the speaker was thinking about how the waterfowl compared to him. The poem by Poe was driven by emotion because of the loss of his loved one. He thought that Raven was relating him to the despair from his loss. “The Raven” has a gloomy tone while the poem “To a Waterfowl” has a happy and optimistic tone. The speakers have different tones towards nature by the end of each poem. “The Raven” takes place at an eerie time of darkness while “To a Waterfowl” is a sunrise which is beautiful and peaceful. The speaker in Poe’s poem has a conflict because of his loss of his love. The conflict in Bryant’s poem is not his own, it is just a question of where the bird goes. He gets an answer that he wants by the end of the poem; the speaker in Poe’s poem does not get an answer that he wants. The imagery and symbolism in “The Raven” puts a dark, dreary image in the readers mind. The poem “To a Waterfowl” puts images of a loving God and success in the readers mind. 

Journal 6

Journal #6

From Ben Franklin’s The Autobiography (p. 80 – 83)

Write a well-developed paragraph in response to the following questions.

1. Explain what was involved in Franklin’s plan for self-perfection?   What conclusion did Franklin come to regarding the effectiveness of this plan?

Franklin’s plan for self-perfection was on that was made up of thirteen virtues. He thought that if he could achieve all thirteen then he would be perfect. He decided to take them one at a time because once one was mastered it would be easier to master the next. He created a book to mark down his faults when he did something wrong in a certain virtue. He was not able to achieve perfection because everyone makes mistakes in parts of life. He came to the conclusion that even though he did not become perfect, his attempt still made him a happier and better person. It was effective in a way that allowed him to be happy because he still attempted.

2. Do you feel that a plan such as Franklin’s would improve you as a person?  Why or why not?  What would be your top five virtues? 

I think that it could improve you as a person if you took it the right way. Nobody can achieve perfection so if you did this and did not get discouraged, it would make you a better person. If you try your best to be perfect it is better than if you did not try at all even if you failed. My top five virtues are order, silence, humility, justice, and sincerity.

Journal 5

Journal #5 – from Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” (p.95-6)

1. Identify the specific argument that Paine is making in each paragraph.  For each of the arguments, identify whether Paine is making an emotional, ethical, or logical appeal and suggest an effective counterargument.

          #1 Paine’s argument is that we need to stand up to Britain and they are being treated like slaves by being taxed so much. Paine is making an emotional appeal to the reader to support his argument. A counter argument is that Britain is sovereign over the colonies so they can tax them if they like. He uses non-sequiter by comparing taxation to slavery.

         

          #2 Paine is saying God is on their side and He will not let them lose. It is an ethical or moral argument. They are morally right so God will support them. The counter argument is that the British King is supposedly appointed by God so why would God help the Americans over the British if God chose who leads the British. Saying God is on your side is dogmatic. The logical fallacies are begging the question because they say God is on their side but it can’t be proved. He used argument from authority and begging the question.

          #3 America would not be happy and at its best if it did not separate from Britain. Paine says we should fight now because it is not right to let the children fight later on but for the people to fight right now. Logical part says it will happen sooner or later, emotional part and ethical part is about doing it for the children. There is always going to be problems with Britain so it is better to break away now. A counter argument is that the parents could die and that would have a negative effect on the children. Begging the question is used because it is not guaranteed that they are going to win the war.

          #4 He uses argument by analogy to call the King of Britain a thief. He says we are not supposed to just sit there and take it when the King does bad things like we wouldn’t sit there is a thief broke into our house. We should fight because the King has trampled on our rights and we must fight back after what he has done. Counter argument is that the King has the rights to do what he wants unlike a thief. He says that the King will be haunted by all the people that he has wronged in his doings.