LAST BLOG

Favorite Book: 1984/Brave New World - I liked these two books the most because it shows us what our world could be like someday because of the advancing technology. I thought it was very interesting learning through these books on what life could be like because of what we are donig now.

Least Favorite Book: Heart of Darkness - I really didn't like this book because it wasn't as beneficial learning like the other two listed above.

Three things I found valuable:

• I learned about what our world could become in the books we read: 1984 and Brave New World (which are my favorite).
• I thought reading the taking sides packets or any of the articles we had to read was valuable because it kept us up with the news (even though we didnt like reading them).
• Reading Three cups of Tea was very valuable because it helped us with our project. It made us think about helping out the community too.

What I would change: I think it helped a whole bunch when you had given me the worksheets that were questions about the overview of the book. It helped to understand the book so much easier and it was a lot more helpful in seminar discussions. So having questions about each chapter would be so

taking sides

I think we should at least attempt making ammends with North Korea if they are willing to do so as well. Our former president gave his Axis of Evil speech and directly pointed at them saying "they are our Axis of Evil." After that, they were offended and hated us. So really, Bush started the fire, giving us no option or choice to make friends with them. Both countries have broken their promises so I believe we both should negotiate.

Thin Gruel

In “1984” in terms of Newspeak and the destruction of words Syme says to Winston
“Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller”. After reading the “Thin Gruel” article, do you see the connection between the Newspeak of “1984” to the censorship of our language and vocabulary today? Make sure you use specific examples and information from the article to defend your view.


This article had a hugeeeee connection relating to 1984 and the present. I think that it's rediculous now-a-days that we censor everything because they don't want children to read about an ideal past. Both the political left and the political right agreed that "children will be shaped by what they read and will model their behavior on what they read." This is why so many things are censored because they think if we read something that shows rebellious behavior, then we are going to show the same behavior as we read. I think there should be some censorship--to a point, but I think it has gone overboard and is increasing as the years keep passing. In one of the articles that shows the words that are banned, the word doorman caught my attention. It is banned because it's sexist. I believe that is rediculous how they ban words because it's sexist and that the correct word would be door attendant. What I thought about was when they say "..all men are equal.." How isn't that sexist then?? I think that soon we will be in a Newspeak kind of world with the intense censoring that has already happened. There is a point where words can get out of hand, but if its not in a REAL offensive manner...where can we draw the line..

North Korea Articles

The first article, by Mitchell B. Reiss, is the article I agree with. He talks about the US should negotiate with North Korea (in the three steps). Reiss thinks we need to negotiate by simply telling them one thing then waiting for a resonse. While waiting, we would make ammends with our other allies that were "bruised in the past" and reconcile, showing North Korea we can be trusted and really want to help them.

The second article, by Philip Zelikow, shows a more violent way of MAKING North Korea negotiate with the US in any way we want. I don't agree with this article at all because he criticizes the gov't instead of fillling the readers in on actual facts that could pursuae the reasons for his method of negotiation:bombing. He makes a huge deal about "testing" their nuclear missels and for having them. But why are we aloud to have weapons, but no one else...?

I chose the first article because there were no bombings involved. I don't understand why we should jump to the method of bombing and going to war with yet, another country just because we can. That is how I see a lot of our problems we have been presently dealing with; that is everyone's first resolution...BOMBING.

1984

1. war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. the three slogans are antonyms to us.

2.Newspeak is the official language of Oceania. It's purpose was two things: one was to provide a medium of expression for the world-view and mental habits proper to the devotees of Ingsoc and two, make all other modes of thought impossible. A-everyday words B-political words (compound words) C-scientific and technical terms

3. They need to keep their vocabulary as little as possible, weeding out all of the antonyms and synonyms so they can't express themselves as much. The less they know is better. An example is from page 28: "The thing that now suddenly struck Winston was that his mother’s death, nearly thirty years ago, had been tragic and sorrowful in a way that was no longer possible. Tragedy, he perceived, belonged to the ancient time, to a time when there were still privacy, love, and friendship, and when the members of a family stood by one another without needing to know the reason. His mother’s memory tore at his heart because she had died loving him, when he was too young and selfish to lover her in return, and because somehow, he did not remember how, she had sacrificed herself to a conception of loyalty that was private and unalterable. Such things, he saw, could not happen today. Today there was fear, hatred, and pain, but no dignity of emotion, or deep or complex sorrows." This passage shows the comparison of what life used to be like to what it is now and how they used to be able to love and have friendships. Now family doesn't matter and people aren't there for eachother without reason or logic.

4. The Party is able to manipulate the past because they have control of the present. They do not let anyone keep records of their past such as documents or photos. This makes people believe whatever the Party wants them to believe because their memories become unreliable.

The Party not only controls the minds of people, but of every source of information there is.

5. Two minutes of hate.

cloning

After watching the cloning video, what is your view of cloning? Do you agree or disagree with cloning? Within your answer make sure you keep in mind questions like; should there be limits or restrictions to cloning? Are there benefits to cloning? What forms of cloning do you agree with (if any)? Therapeutic (organ), reproduction, food, and animal cloning?

I disagree with cloning. I don't believe there is any reason for cloning a person with the same features because really, what is the point?? I don't think cloning should be aloud, so I think it should be completely restricted. The benefits for cloning that I can think of is to have another one of the same person, but how could that be a benefit when we are all suppose to be 'unique.' Since I don't believe in any type of cloning--I look at food cloning and still ask the question WHY...?? So in all of the forms of cloning, there is absolutely no reason for it. It is also not morally right.

Ectasy and Soma

The movie dealing with ectasy had to do with people getting a feeling they wanted to get because it "felt good." The book BRAVE NEW WORLD had people injecting themselves with soma, so they could shut out the real world and feel happy. Both of these drugs are used for the same thing. They both give people a feeling that they "can't get" in the real world. The drugs are an escape from all bad things.