1. Is McMurphy the best representative of a do-good individual?
Not really due to the fact that his main motivation is to win over the tyranny of the Big Nurse. His judgement is also questionable at times.
2. Was McMurphy more focused on his battle with the Big Nurse or with the well-being of the other patients?
I think he was definitely more focused on battling Nurse Ratched. If he really wanted to help the patients, how come Cheswick and Billy both end up killing themselves? Had he spent less time fighting Ratched, he may have been able to save them.
3. Does McMurphy's heroics make Chief look like less of a hero?
Yes due to Chief's intentional inactivity. He has the opportunity to be a hero with the mental capacity he has, but chooses just to fade into the background for the majority of the story.
4. Could Chief had become a true hero if he hadnt killed McMurphy and ran away?
I would say no because of Chief's relative seclusion from the other patients. That would've made it difficult for him to unite with them.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Cuckoo's Nest 2
So far in the McMurphy vs Big Nurse rivalry, I have to give the edge to McMurphy. Even after the employees have tried to take control of him with their "questionable" ward policy, he still finds a way to rise above it. "Against ward policy?" (Keesy 135 iBooks). This simple acceptance allows the other patients to see the obvious strictness of the ward rule. In a way, he's winning by delayed submission: making enough hassle so that patients such as Bromden see, but then giving in to what the ward employees want. He also is able to keep his emotions in check, which doesn't give the ward anything to work with when planning their next move. "He's making sure none of the staff sees him bothered by anything; he knows that there's no better way in the world to aggrevate somebody who's trying to make it hard for you than by acting like you're not bothered" (Keeesy 154 iBooks). In essence, McMurphy's hanging tough trying to outlast the opposition, and so far, he's winning.
Chief Bromden has started to become extremely nosy at this point in the story. He's become even more observant, trying to come up with answers to certain mysteries like how the fog works. This is directly resultant of how McMurphy isn't backing down to Big Nurse and the ward employees. In a way, they feed off of each other. If one makes a move, the other reacts and changes their game plan.
I'm really rooting for McMurphy alone right now. I want to see if he can ride it out and rise victorious over the emotional shackles of the ward. He's off to a good start. Can he keep it up through the last half of the story though. He still has a ways to go, but so far, so good. As for Bromden, I'm still not sure if his head is in the right place. We have to see where his focus goes in the last half of the story.
Chief Bromden has started to become extremely nosy at this point in the story. He's become even more observant, trying to come up with answers to certain mysteries like how the fog works. This is directly resultant of how McMurphy isn't backing down to Big Nurse and the ward employees. In a way, they feed off of each other. If one makes a move, the other reacts and changes their game plan.
I'm really rooting for McMurphy alone right now. I want to see if he can ride it out and rise victorious over the emotional shackles of the ward. He's off to a good start. Can he keep it up through the last half of the story though. He still has a ways to go, but so far, so good. As for Bromden, I'm still not sure if his head is in the right place. We have to see where his focus goes in the last half of the story.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Cuckoo's Nest 1
Hero- McMurphy. As far as we know, he's the most sane person in the joint excluding the staff. He's obviously a smart individual who doesn't want to stay in the ward forever. For him, it's more of a temporary escape route from the labor camp. "After he checks the day room over a minute, he sees he meant for the Acute side and goes right for it, grinning and shaking hands with everybody" (Keesy 28 iBooks version). He generally seems like a nice guy, and we as the audience are compelled to root for him going forward.
Antihero-Bromden. Our narrator doesn't necessarily want to be a hero. He is more forced into that kind of role due to him being taken advantage of. "the black boys keep bringing me seconds of everything--supposed to be for me, but they eat it insetad--till all three of them get breakfast while I lie there on that pee-stinking matress" (Keesy 17 iBooks). He might have to be a silent hero even though he'd rather keep to himself.
Villain- Big Nurse. So far, the nurse is the most villainous character out there. In a way, she kind of represents the unforgiving nature of the ward. She's there to maintain order and please not the patients, but rather the high ranking people who represent the ward. "She blows up bigger and bigger, big as a tractor, so big I can smell the machinery inside they way you smell a motor pulling a load" (Keesy 12 iBooks). It's basically the patients vs The Machine, and so far, the Machine is well in control of things.
Antihero-Bromden. Our narrator doesn't necessarily want to be a hero. He is more forced into that kind of role due to him being taken advantage of. "the black boys keep bringing me seconds of everything--supposed to be for me, but they eat it insetad--till all three of them get breakfast while I lie there on that pee-stinking matress" (Keesy 17 iBooks). He might have to be a silent hero even though he'd rather keep to himself.
Villain- Big Nurse. So far, the nurse is the most villainous character out there. In a way, she kind of represents the unforgiving nature of the ward. She's there to maintain order and please not the patients, but rather the high ranking people who represent the ward. "She blows up bigger and bigger, big as a tractor, so big I can smell the machinery inside they way you smell a motor pulling a load" (Keesy 12 iBooks). It's basically the patients vs The Machine, and so far, the Machine is well in control of things.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Socratic Seminar Questions
1) Who does Daisy really love: Tom or Gatsby?
I think that Daisy really does love Gatsby. The problem is that Daisy got so used to living a luxurious life with Tom that she wasn't sure if wanted to risk losing that by living with Gatsby.
2) How is Gatsby "The Great Gatsby"?
I think Gatsby sees himself as great because of his actual aspirations to be great. I think he hopes that considering himself great will make it easier for him to become great.
3) Why does Fitzgerald let Tom and Daisy come out on top?
I think he does this to prove a major point. Sometimes money can't buy you success and happiness. It just comes down to fate and luck.
4) Where does the connection lie between Fitzgerald and Gatsby?
I think it lies in their personality around others. As we see, Gatsby is not the typical party host. He sort of remains aloof in the background. Fitzgerald may have been the same way with the troubles in his love life and his addictions to alcohol.
I think that Daisy really does love Gatsby. The problem is that Daisy got so used to living a luxurious life with Tom that she wasn't sure if wanted to risk losing that by living with Gatsby.
2) How is Gatsby "The Great Gatsby"?
I think Gatsby sees himself as great because of his actual aspirations to be great. I think he hopes that considering himself great will make it easier for him to become great.
3) Why does Fitzgerald let Tom and Daisy come out on top?
I think he does this to prove a major point. Sometimes money can't buy you success and happiness. It just comes down to fate and luck.
4) Where does the connection lie between Fitzgerald and Gatsby?
I think it lies in their personality around others. As we see, Gatsby is not the typical party host. He sort of remains aloof in the background. Fitzgerald may have been the same way with the troubles in his love life and his addictions to alcohol.
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Great Gatsby Blog #2
1) Wolfsheim is used to kind of expose Gatsby's unorthodox behavior in public. His actions and the responses by Gatsby are not typical and further alienate us from them.
2) We see Gatsby as a much more aloof character, who doesn't necessarily want to be in the spotlight. He'd rather be sunken in the background, but because of his wealthy status, that isn't really possible.
3) We consider Gatsby to be more of a man from the past as opposed to the future. It seems like his glory days have come and gone.
4) I am starting to like him less because he doesn't seem to have a clear purpose or focus. We still don't know what his true aspirations are, and the reasons behind those aspirations.
2) We see Gatsby as a much more aloof character, who doesn't necessarily want to be in the spotlight. He'd rather be sunken in the background, but because of his wealthy status, that isn't really possible.
3) We consider Gatsby to be more of a man from the past as opposed to the future. It seems like his glory days have come and gone.
4) I am starting to like him less because he doesn't seem to have a clear purpose or focus. We still don't know what his true aspirations are, and the reasons behind those aspirations.
Monday, February 20, 2012
The Great Gatsby Blog #1
Gatsby: Anti-hero
I classify Gatsby as an anti-hero because so far he seems like a very aloof type of character compared to other men in the story. "girls were swooning backward playfully into men's arms, even into groups, knowing that some one would arrest their falls-- but no one swooned backward on Gatsby" (Fitzgerald 50). Even though it's his party, he seems to act like a bystander. That gave me the impression that there is something more to Gatsby than what we currently know after three chapters. He may have a dark secret dating back to his days in the military
Tom Wilson: Villain
Tom seems to be the villain currently because he's looking to stir up trouble in his love life. He seems fearless in having a "mistress" even those his wife, Daisy, is very well known and wealthy. "I want to see you. Get on the next train" (Fitzgerald 26). This request by Tom to see his mistress, Myrtle, is something that many people with traditional moral values would not want to associate with. As a result, Tom Wilson could very easily be classified as the villain in a story that has not yet fully opened up. He might be involved in a much bigger scheme than just cheating on his wife.
Nick: Hero
So far, I think it's pretty obvious that the hero in the story is Nick. We as the audience want him to be successful on Long Island and not make a fool of himself. We see the other characters through his point of view and thus take similar attitudes towards them. Therefore, we become further associated with Nick more than any other character in the story. Whether he is able to stay at the current position he is in remains to be seen.
I classify Gatsby as an anti-hero because so far he seems like a very aloof type of character compared to other men in the story. "girls were swooning backward playfully into men's arms, even into groups, knowing that some one would arrest their falls-- but no one swooned backward on Gatsby" (Fitzgerald 50). Even though it's his party, he seems to act like a bystander. That gave me the impression that there is something more to Gatsby than what we currently know after three chapters. He may have a dark secret dating back to his days in the military
Tom Wilson: Villain
Tom seems to be the villain currently because he's looking to stir up trouble in his love life. He seems fearless in having a "mistress" even those his wife, Daisy, is very well known and wealthy. "I want to see you. Get on the next train" (Fitzgerald 26). This request by Tom to see his mistress, Myrtle, is something that many people with traditional moral values would not want to associate with. As a result, Tom Wilson could very easily be classified as the villain in a story that has not yet fully opened up. He might be involved in a much bigger scheme than just cheating on his wife.
Nick: Hero
So far, I think it's pretty obvious that the hero in the story is Nick. We as the audience want him to be successful on Long Island and not make a fool of himself. We see the other characters through his point of view and thus take similar attitudes towards them. Therefore, we become further associated with Nick more than any other character in the story. Whether he is able to stay at the current position he is in remains to be seen.
Justin Bua- Style
His style is very relaxed and loose. Most of the objects are very free flowing. While they may not be geometicral, they still have aa realistic sense to them.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
"Sixteen Military Wives" (2004) by the Decemberists
The song is about tradgic events that start from things in everyday life. In just a few minutes, the song has switched from 16 military wives to 14 cannibal kings. It is showing the gradual, yet not so gradual destruction of America. "Cause America can and America can't say no". The thesis is that America's desire to show strength and pride often has the potential to be its downfall. America can't say no, and that's what will cause it to come crashing down.
"Race for the Prize" by the Flaming Lips (1999)
The theme of this song is that personal ambition often makes us lose sight of what is important in life. "Theirs is to win. If it kills them. If it kills them. They're just humans. With wives and children". The two scientists in the song are so focused on finding "the cure that is their prize" that they are willing to risk the well being and happiness of their family for it. The soft vocals in the song help emphasize a sense of hopelessness. In a way, they've already sealed their fate since they have lost focus on the important things in life.
Mencken vs Kroll
Kroll's essay was more effective than Mencken's because it had a better use of pathos. In Mencken's essay, the closest we as the readers come to being emotionally attachted to the argument is when he associates the hangman with other unpleasant jobs. Given the fact that most of us aren't trashmen, plumbers, and the like, the pathos in the essay is very weak. In Kroll's essay, however, we're right in the middle of the story. We can basically create the picture of Robert Harris getting executed. This opens our thoughts up emotionally to Kroll's hidden argument against the nature of the death penalty. It is through this emotional connection that Kroll's essay is more effective than Mencken.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Example of Fallacy in Patrick Henry Speech
1) "Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies?"
2) This is an example of loaded questions because Henry is trying to get the audience to say no to this question in their heads. This way, he come right back and say that they were "meant for us". This allows him to feed his desirable answer into the mind of the audience.
3) Even though Patrick Henry's speech is full of fallacy, his ability to deliver it with passion gains him great emotional favor with the audience. In fact, a sizeable margin of the speech uses pathos to spark the patriotism inside the audience, thus making his speech highly popular as a turning point in American History.
2) This is an example of loaded questions because Henry is trying to get the audience to say no to this question in their heads. This way, he come right back and say that they were "meant for us". This allows him to feed his desirable answer into the mind of the audience.
3) Even though Patrick Henry's speech is full of fallacy, his ability to deliver it with passion gains him great emotional favor with the audience. In fact, a sizeable margin of the speech uses pathos to spark the patriotism inside the audience, thus making his speech highly popular as a turning point in American History.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Duck and Cover
Overt- The governent wants you to be safe (They are giving you safety precautions against a new danger: the atomic bomb)
Covert- The government can't really prevent the atomic bomb from striking, so they're trying to do their best to protect you, although you're not really safe. (They never mention any ways they can stop the atomic bomb from striking)
This is propaganda because they are trying to make you feel safe without telling you they have no way of stopping a nuclear attack.
Covert- The government can't really prevent the atomic bomb from striking, so they're trying to do their best to protect you, although you're not really safe. (They never mention any ways they can stop the atomic bomb from striking)
This is propaganda because they are trying to make you feel safe without telling you they have no way of stopping a nuclear attack.
Destination Earth
Overt- America is great because of oil (Cars, and all other inventions associated with oil)
Covert- Go buy more oil (Generates revenue for economy). Go into the oil industry (Martians starting their own oil wells)
This is propaganda because the American Petroleum Institute (the sponsors of the cartoon) doesn't want you to know that the goal is to sell more oil and recruit more quality workers for the oil industry.
Transfer- Oil is why America is great
Bandwagon- Everyone is buying oil or starting oil wells
Covert- Go buy more oil (Generates revenue for economy). Go into the oil industry (Martians starting their own oil wells)
This is propaganda because the American Petroleum Institute (the sponsors of the cartoon) doesn't want you to know that the goal is to sell more oil and recruit more quality workers for the oil industry.
Transfer- Oil is why America is great
Bandwagon- Everyone is buying oil or starting oil wells
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Propaganda (WW2 1941-1945)
Overt- Eat less bread
Covert- Sacrifice consuming wheat to send to troops overseas
This is propaganda because it doesn't really tell you the specific reason why you should eat less bread. It is holding something back.
Covert- Sacrifice consuming wheat to send to troops overseas
This is propaganda because it doesn't really tell you the specific reason why you should eat less bread. It is holding something back.
"Clampdown" by the Clash (1979)
The song is about the Nazi's reign over Europe and how the people are ushered into Nazi life. "We will train our blue-eyed men" refers to Hitler's preference to blue eyes. "We will teach our twisted speech" refers to the radical ideals of the Nazi's being covered by less radical themes.
The strong vocals give off an authoritative tone. They act like Nazi authorities barking orders in your face, almost in a threating manner.
This song relates to persuasion by showing the wear on the oppressed's resistance until they finally buy into Nazi demands. From stanza to stanza, the "clampdown" drags the subjects in little by little until they give up their original moral values for brutal ideologies.
The strong vocals give off an authoritative tone. They act like Nazi authorities barking orders in your face, almost in a threating manner.
This song relates to persuasion by showing the wear on the oppressed's resistance until they finally buy into Nazi demands. From stanza to stanza, the "clampdown" drags the subjects in little by little until they give up their original moral values for brutal ideologies.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Propoganda, Persuasion, Rhetotric, and Argument
The four quotes I liked the most were 13, 23, 137, and 151. They all deal with the forming and managing of political systems, and the advantages and drawbacks that can come with them.
Quote 151: I cannot tell what part of me deceives the other- George Buchner
This quote serves as the main theme nearly all fallen world civilizations in history. No matter what era, nations that crumble usually don't see destruction coming until it's too late. Whether it be political corruption, civilian rebellion or the like, these nations usually destroy themselves. They are too busy with other matters that they are caught out of position when the upmost strength is needed to keep the nation intact. By then, they've already sunk their own ship, or something more disastrous.
Quote 151: I cannot tell what part of me deceives the other- George Buchner
This quote serves as the main theme nearly all fallen world civilizations in history. No matter what era, nations that crumble usually don't see destruction coming until it's too late. Whether it be political corruption, civilian rebellion or the like, these nations usually destroy themselves. They are too busy with other matters that they are caught out of position when the upmost strength is needed to keep the nation intact. By then, they've already sunk their own ship, or something more disastrous.
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