Skunks

This essay was both boring and weird. It seems as if the writer had to write about everything, literally, EVERYTHING!! Every agonizing detail, every weary feeling, and they loved to mention the odor of skunks. And they compared things that at times did not make sense. "I thought of a woman tossing, anchored in passion: calm one instant, full-throated the next,". Overall I really did think it was bland and quite boring.

Talk of the Town

These were quite interesting essays in my opinion. Adam makes a good point in saying "the point of law-making is to act as comprehensively as possible, in order to prevent the next one". Does this sound like something our government would do? Plan ahead? Adam quotes in his writing Virgina's governor talking about how people use these events as a political hobby horse, but then he continues to write on against the government using example much like the Virginia college tragedy. He writes almost hypocritically. In some ways he is just speaking mournfully and in others he is talking against everything our government does. Yes shootings are horrible, but we must think about the millions rather then just the 100's that die, that sounds horrid, and it is, but that's the truth.

Susan makes interesting points about the 9/11 attacks. She talks about how America is not ok and this was not pearl harbor. And I entirely agree with her. America today compared to Pearl Harbor had almost no response to the attacks on the twin towers and the Pentagon. When Pearl Harbor was attacked a Japanese general was quoted saying, "I fear we have awoken a sleeping giant". We were attacked and the world then saw one of the greatest showing of arms in history. We reacted in anger. The whole nation jumped at the chance to go overseas and fight for our country. Now people say, "I want war!!! send the troops not me". How do you fight a war with that?

Intro

Ahh senior year has arrived; yet, I know I am in for a year of lots of hard work and tears.

You see I have forgotten myself already. My name is Alex Olson, some of you know me as AO; whichever you prefer. I am 17 at the moment and am involved in cross country, track, drum corps, school, academic decathlon, breathing, living, and one day dying. At the moment I feel that's all some of you need to know. If you want to know more about me, ask me. I don't bite much.

Caucasia: a thought

So far into Caucasia, I have found the book is very slow and boring. It seems to be instead of letting the plot shape her characters, she is setting the characters as more important then the plot. She is creating almost no action, or twist, that makes me want to pick up the book and read. But I don't know if she is doing this for a specific reason. Maybe it's a style that she has chosen to write with or just being a pain to the readers. Since I can't ask her myself I will just have to stick with guessing that it's a style choice. But as I delve farther into Caucasia I hope to find more twists and action.

Killing Us Softly

In the video we saw Jean Kilbourne talk about how the media is portraying women. Her assesment in ways is correct, the subliminal messaging being put on young girls about how they should look can effect their lifestyle. However she completely misses the fact that women "supposed" to be skinny has been around since ancient times and has been a status in our culture forever. We cannot trace the origins of these effects in just this time period. She instantly assumes that the advertisement is causing the genetically honed NEED to be perfect. Of course the argument can be made of who decides what perfect really is. Is it the population that decides? Or one individual? But that is a different topic entirely.

She brings up the issue of abuse against women that has been brought on by advertisements. She states that showing men in more powerful positions and as more agressive. However, we all know younger men are pumped full of testosterone which increases violent activity. This is not advertisement which is causing people to become more violent, but a natural reaction of men. Once again this has been around for hundreds of years and she is trying to make an insignificant connection to advertisements. Most of these advertisements with women are portraying women's products. Why would a man want to read about a product he will never need?

Some of these connections made are far-reaching at best and can be counted out. This is only one person's opinion. Every scientifical discovery ever made has to be backed by numerous sources and repeated again and again.

I am the messenger.

I have been assigned to the book "I am the Messenger" by Mark Zusak. I have since finished the book but will attempt to not give anything away. This book is an extremely easy read with simple vocabulary and an easy linear plot to follow. The book follows a 19 year old boy named Ed Kennedy. It starts with him breaking up a robbery and then receiving a card with three adresses on it. He begins to find that these adresses are real places in which people need his help, and so he begins to help people all over his town. Ranging from getting some shoes to helping a women from her husband.

In our lit circle, we found that Ed reminds us quite a lot of Holden. Not so much that he hates everyone and complains about everything, but more the fact that he doesn't have very many outside connections with friends and family. He has only three friends and his dog the Doorman. He is a 19 year old who wrote his age as being 22 to be able to drive cabs for his job. He realizes in the book that he's probably never going to amount to anything and he lives with that. However we find as the book progresses that he has a purpose.

Choice novels

So we have been introduced to the idea that we will have a choice novel to read and think about. However, my classmates and I have been led astray by our leader, for the "choices" of books are among a predetermined list that must include our decision. Therefore in essence we are not really choosing which books we read but being told we have to read a specific book from the predestined books. I am not so much angry at the choice of books we get because they are fairly decent looking books, no, I am angry at the misleading that has been put onto us by giving us the "choice".