Religion Reflection

Our group had the most interesting discussion about the Euthyphro dilemma .. AKA does God command it because it is right, or is it right because God commands it? Even though we talked about it in class it was interesting to delve deeper and hear some more intelligent ideas from everyone.
Obviously there's a problem with this entire thing, hence the title dilemma. If God commands it because it is right, then there must be some perfect form of "rightness".  However, if it is right because God commands it then we are at the mercy of someone or something we can only believe in. This opens up the possibility for people to do some crazy things in the name of God. Our entire group talked about which theory we agreed with more, then we talked about what makes a prophet a prophet, and whether or not their teachings would have the same power if they were just coming from average men. As a group we came to the conclusion that God commanding it because it's right make's more sense. This allows for there to be some sort of higher power no matter what religion you ascribe to, and we liked that.

King Lear

"My poor fool is hanged..."

Cordelia and The Fool are never in the same scene, let alone in the same act. Which is interesting because The Fool and Cordelia are the only ones who really tell Lear how it is, holding nothing back when criticizing him. They also prove to be the two different sides of Lear's mind. Cordelia symbolizes the ideal Lear dreams about, his kids loving him, willing to wage war in his honor and fight for his freedom. She is what he wishes all of his kids were like. Once he banishes her though, the ideal goes away and turns into the awful reality of Goneril and Regan. This reality shows itself through The Fool.

The Fool tells Lear how it really is. His kids are trying to kill him, take his wealth and drive him mad, and the worst part is that it’s all Lear’s fault. It was his ignorance and selfishness that led to his current situation, and that’s exactly what The Fool tells him. The reality of Lear’s situation is almost completely opposite of his ideal life. Since the play ends with the reality and the ideal never colliding (a.k.a no happy ending), The Fool and Cordelia are never seen together. This emphasizes the idea of a tragedy, and is only magnified by the death of Cordelia, which symbolizes Lear’s hope for the future also dying. 

When he says, “My poor fool is hanged”, he creates the connection between The Fool and Cordelia. He calls Cordelia his fool, because both The Fool and Cordelia showed Lear the error of his ways, and made an attempt to guide him. 

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Another thing I'd like to point out is that Cordelia only appears in the beginning and the end of the play. Which are the only points that Lear feels content with his family/future. The middle is where the fool exercises his judgement, these also happen to be the acts where Lear has doubts, starts to see what's really going on around him, and goes insane.

Who do you relate to?

In Death of a Salesman, I relate most to Happy. It's because I have nothing in common with Ben, Linda or Willy. I am not married, I do not have kids, I do not have a career nor do I have my own house, I am not an adult. However I do have plenty of things in common with the children, Bernard, Happy, and Biff. Out of those three I just relate to Happy the most. We are both the youngest, and we both have an older brother, I even have two. I think that the fact that both of us are the younger sibling is what made me like Happy the most. I have never needed to set and example for anyone, and I have never been forced into anything by my parents. If I choose to do something it's because I want to make either myself or my parents happy, not because I need to. Unlike Biff I was never pressured to do anything by my parents, and unlike Bernard I am not super smart and I do not idolize my best friend...because she is an idiot. And that's why I relate most to Happy.

Why is it a Classic?

I believe that Catcher in the Rye is such a classic because of how relatable of character Holden Caulfield is. He is deals with what most teenagers deal with, loneliness, depression, and exclusion. Though he has the capacity to do great things, he chooses not to for a variety of reasons. I think that Holden is someone that most people understand. His snarky attitude and sardonic humor make the mundane activities in the book seem more exciting. 

Another thing that make's him seem more human is the way he speaks. He does the same thing that most people do, reuses statements again and again. For example: It kills me, phony, i'm a madman, no kidding, lousy, corny... and those are just some examples. It makes him seem like an actual person, and not a snob nosed author that has a better vocabulary than a high school english professor. This combined with his real life issues make for a compelling character. 

And that's why I say this book is a classic, because of the character Holden Caulfield. Certainly not for the compelling story, or lack thereof. 

Now if you excuse me I have to go kill John Lennon. 

Catcher in the Rye: Part 5

After weeks of reading I have done what most people would consider impossible... I have finished my summer reading assignments. In the final stretch of my journey...

• Holden got creeped out by Mr. Antolini and left their house
• He went to the bus station and dreamed about running away
• He told Phoebe he was running away
• Phoebe wanted to come
• They went on a carousel then went home

THE END

In the book Delirium the two main characters spend about half the book discussing running away, and in this section that's basically all Holden talks about. He even does the same thing they did in Delirium where he comes up with this ridiculous fantasy, one that could never really happen because it just seems too perfect. Holden wants a cabin in the woods where he could be a deaf mute, and they wanted to raise a family in like a nudist colony or something... it's been awhile since I read it.

I personally connected to the story between Phoebe and Holden. It reminded me of my brothers and I. The way he wanted to take care of her, but she was being a brat. Yeah. I was/am a brat. I feel like that's how it s in most families, so I don't really beat myself up about it. 

Anywho this is the 5th section. Expect my explanation as to why I think this book is a classic in just a short time....

Catcher in the Rye: Part 4

I'm running low on text to text connections. I can only pray that I have enough to last me these final few days. Very little has happened, and whatever has happened is inconsequential.

• Holden met with Sally and discussed running away
• He saw a "heart wrenching" story
• He met up with a guy named Luce and got smashed
• He snuck into his house and talked with his sister.

Alright so the thing that appeared as a common theme in this section and in many other books is sibling love. This was going to be the part where I listed a ton of books about sibling love, but when I googled it, half the articles were about twincest. So I'm just going to give one example, Hunger Games. Though most of that book is about either violence or teen love, it always relates back to how Katniss is doing this for her sister in the end. It's a theme that stays with each book in the series. The love Katniss feels for Prim is similar to the love Holden feels for Phoebe, or even Allie... 

In this section I didn't relate with Holden as much as I did with Sally. Mostly because I have a friend who has tried to convince me to run away as well, and in the situation I had to be the voice of reason, just like Sally. 

One more section to go and only a day to do it. I only hope I can make it to the end of this treacherous journey. 

Catcher in the Rye: Part 3

120 pages in... It is too far to turn back. I'm hoping I can survive the few days I have left in this barren wasteland of a novel. My only hope for survival is to ration my resources...

• Holden asked his third cabby if they knew where the ducks went.
• He went to a nightclub and met his brothers old girlfriend.
• Then he went to a hotel and almost slept with a prostitute, but got beaten up instead.
• He gave some nuns a few bucks.
• And now he is in the process of meeting up with a girl named Sally.

In this section it started to become apparent that Salinger has a very straightforward writing style that has little to no descriptive adjectives. You'll be reading it, and thinking that nothing has happened, then all of a sudden you have to give a brief summary to someone and you're like, "Whoa, s*** went down in this section yo!" But really nothing super important has happened yet and probably never will... Another author who has an extremely straightforward writing style is Hemingway.

I mostly connected with the part where Holden saw his brothers ex. I connected because I have definitely done that thing where if someone asks you to sit with them you pretend like you're leaving to avoid awkward conversation.

I'm hoping my last 94 pages won't kill me. If I don't post back soon, assume the worst. 

Catcher in the Rye: Part 2

Alright i'm pretty far in my journey and I don't feel the need to kill a famous pop culture icon... yet...

• Holden left Pencey Prep early.
• He took a cab to a sketchy hotel, and danced with a bunch of older women because he was bored and he didn't have anyone to call.
• He reminisced on the fun times he and Jane used to have. 

And parts about this section really reminded me of The Outsiders. Like when Holden was standing in a phone booth with no one to call, even though he really wanted to call Jane or his sister, but he couldn't... It was similiar to the feelings Ponyboy and Johnny had when they ran away. Both felt alone and outcasted, but neither could reach out to the people who loved them. Salinger also writes with the same casual demeanor as Hinton.

However, the part where I related most was probably when Holden met Ernie's mother on the bus. He just sat there and fed her total B.S. about Pencey, her son, and a bunch of other stuff. All I could think about was how many times I have fed parent crap about their kids in my high school life. Or how many lies I've told a complete stranger just because I could....

My journey so far has been uneventful. With less than a week to go I'm hoping things will heat up soon. l'll keep you updated...

Catcher in the Rye: Part 1

I decided to read Catcher in the Rye. It may be a long journey, about 10 days to be exact.

40 pages in and I have witnessed the following events:

• Holden got kicked out and visited one of his teachers.
• He went back to his room and got annoyed by "Ackley Kid"
• He watched Stradlater get ready for his date with Jane, a girl that Holden knows from his days before Pencey. 

But of course I'm leaving out all the bitter angst that Holden narrates with. In fact this book is so filled with angst I'm going to compare it to the only book I have ever read that has topped it, Twilight. Now let me just say that I much prefer Salingers story, but when it comes to narrators who are bitter at a world that hasn't really done anything to them, these two books are the first things that come to mind. Except Holden chooses to channel his into an angry and bitter form of sarcasm, whereas Bella chooses the route of rebellious lust.

Neither book really has much of a story (yet) most of the pages are filled with wandering minds and, in the case of Holden, crazy rants. Which is where I really connected with Holden. We both seem to have this nasty habit of tuning people out when we don't want to talk to them, and for both of us it turns into an inner monologue that denounces many random things that people say or do. My favorite example from the book (that I could definitely connect with) was when Ackley was in his room and Ackley would not take the hint to leave. 

I'm hoping to experience much more while I continue to read. For now I must rest, I will be back in the morning with the continuation of my experience.

Invisible Monsters REMIX.

Pretty great portrayals
if you ask me. 

When choosing what book I should write about this quarter I had the option between choosing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic, Sherlock Holmes, which has been retold so many times that it now has the Guinness Record for Most Portrayed Literary Character. Or I could choose the racy Chuck Palanhuik's book, Invisible Monsters Remix. I chose to write about the latter, mostly because of the large amount of Fight Club paraphernalia scattered around the classroom, but also because it's a far more interesting book in my opinion.

The greatest part about this book was that it was read out of order. Not just non-linearly though, but you literally had to read the book out of order because the chapters were out of order. You'd start at chapter 42, then skip to chapter 12, and I ended in the middle of the book. I'm almost positive that I skipped a few chapters, and I know I skipped 2 chapters that were written backwards.

The story itself though is simply amazing, it's both inspiring and makes you think. It starts with an unnamed narrator (a common theme in Palahnuik books), as she stands amongst the flames of her former best friends wedding. She continues to narrate, and explain how she got to that point. She explains how she met drag-queen-supreme, Brandy Alexander; how half of her face was blown off, leaving her beautiful, model face disfigured; and how her former fiance came to find himself. Our unnamed narrator has a unique view on the world because she had it all and it was taken away from her. Leaving her bitter and strangely philosophical (another theme common in his books).

This book is just one giant message to the reader that beauty is not important, and that society can go f*** itself (this is basically a blanket SOAPStone for all his books). My brother gave this book to me saying that all girls should read it, and I completely agree. Palahniuk changes what it means to be beautiful with this book.

Throughout the entire book he is very critical of society. Which is why his 3 main characters constantly break laws and make messes wherever they go. They all choose to do "The one thing that I would regret most." 

STIFF Review

STIFF
By: Morgan Keller

I would like to note that I read this book solely because it was recommended to me by a full 2 people. Before this, I read(or at least tried to read) a book about the mafia and all the cool things they do. It turned out to be quite boring, which led me to Stiff, by Mary Roach. I am not interested in being a doctor, a coroner, or a scientist of any kind, so I don't have much of an interest in cadavers. That being said... this book was pretty fascinating.

Narrated by the author herself, she does a fantastic job of drawing her audience into the disgusting world of human cadavers. And when I say disgusting, I mean disgusting. She doesn't fail to tell you all of the gory details about what she researched. Some people may think it's too much to talk about cadavers being crucified, but not Ms. Roach. That's what makes this book so interesting though, the fact that she doesn't dance around her subject and goes for the more straightforward approach.

Just because it's straightforward doesn't mean that it's not entertaining. She manages to work in her own humor and flair into every story she tells. Which is probably the strongest indicator of the audience she aimed towards. The fun tone she brings to the subject of cadavers is the perfect way to teach a younger audience about this strange world. Plus the way she describes the gore is another indicator that this book is for a teenage audience.

The thing I find most impressive about this author is that she isn't even a scientist. She simply researched the crap out of this subject so she could share it with the world. I mean cadavers aren't a very sought after subject, but Mary Roach does a great job of making this whole book interesting. If I had to rate it I would give it 4 severed fingers out of 5 because she dragged on in a few paragraphs.


Side note: I have decided to omit all music videos, gifs, and pictures. Why? Because it is third quarter now, and I am basically a mature adult now. So I refuse to add a sweet picture of Aladdin at the part where I mention the introduction of a strange new world. Or some cool picture of Jesus at the crucifix part. Even though it would be awesome. And super cool.

Catch Me If You Can

Awesome.

First of all let me state that I think Frank Abagnale Jr. is extremely awesome. First he conned the U.S. out of millions of dollars, then he proceeded to con other countries out of their money too. He then escaped the governments wrath multiple times, once even escaping from an airplane. And he did all of this before he was even 21. Then he managed to work out a deal with the FBI where he only got 4 years of prison time, as long as he helped them with fraud cases. Nowadays he is making millions of legitimate dollars in this business.

This book is mostly a book about his life, and how he did all of the cons. It is extremely interesting because many of the stories he has to tell are amazing. However the book is very different from the movie because it is much harsher. The movie depicts Abagnale's childhood as loving and sweet(at least in the beginning), when in reality he was conning ever since he was a kid and he got in trouble for it multiple times. In fact he was the reason that his Dad lost most of his money, but the movie doesn't tell you that. Instead they paint this picture of him being the greatest son ever. 

Can you blame them for making him
so lovable though? I mean look
at that face...

It also leaves out so many of the cons he pulled, and mainly focuses on the pilot thing. When in reality Abagnale pulled many more cons. He rerouted peoples deposits, posed as a pediatrician, an attorney, a sociology teacher(in utah!), a Pan-Am advertising agent, and a supervisor in a hospital in Georgia. It focuses less on his feelings throughout the experience, and more on the actual experience itself. So although the book may be less tearjerking than what the movie had prepared me for however it was also darker. It goes into more detail about his experience in the french prison, which was a 5 foot by 5 foot bow, with no light and nothing but a bucket. 

Overall I give this book a 5 out of 5 on how much it makes me want to drop out of high school and become a con artist. Minus the prison part of course. 

This is a 16 year old con artist who made millions of dollars (both legitimately and illegitimately), passed the BAR, escaped the FBI through a toilet, tricked dozens of models into following him around the world, and even got Leonardo Dicaprio to play him in a movie that was all about his life... and if you're still unimpressed with all that he also has a musical based off of his story. 

And yes, that is Aaron Tveit, the love of my life.