One Flew pt. 2

I feel that in the beginning of McMurphy and the Nurse's battle, McMurphy is ahead. His hardy, excited attitude is something the Nurse was  not expecting and isn't used to. It takes her by suprise and she doesn't know how to deal with it. McMurphy "gets her goat" onn several occassions and she seems to start to crack, but just at the peak of her fury she calms herself down. McMurphy is still swinging hard. He takes every opportunity he can to disrupt the ward's order, but something about the nurse has changed. She is stronger. The way Chief dissapointedly describes the series of events after her near-crack shows that the Nurse has some terrifying steel core that she has set back into place. Her head hasn't jerked in awhile, she has full control again and she knows it, and even though McMurphy  might think he's doing everything she hates,the Chief realizes that she has fixed herself and is now unbreakable.

The entrance of McMurphy into the life of Chief has definitely made Chief more curious in the ongoings of the patients. He is usually exceptionally observant, but now he really has a reason to listen, a call to battle. McMurphy knows that chief is deaf from the beginning and this kind of forges an automatic silent tie between them, they understand the same things about the Big Nurse, the ward and the institution as a whole. McMurphy makes Chief stronger, bigger, he makes him brave.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest #1

So far, after reading the first 60 pages, I have come to the conclusion that Chief Bromden is the antihero, Mcmurphy is another antihero and Big nurse is the villain.
Chief Bromden is crazy. He's very quiet and doesn't fit in with anyone else at the ward. He is not what we would define as socially normal, or normal for an insane asylum at least. He does everything in a very strange way, but generally the reader is on his side. He see's the cruelty and hate in the ward, and will do something about it eventually, as the reader would feel morally obligated to do. The same goes for McMurphy. Is is rambunctious, causes a scene and does everything in a very crude, careless way, therefore he would not usually be depicted as the clean, polite hero everyone has been waiting for. But he is in the ward and he wants to fix what we can see needs to be fixed (the system, Big nurse, not the patients). He see's the inhumanity, the hatred contained in that building, as do most of the patients, but McMurphy is our antihero because he is going to take action. Big Nurse is most obviously the villain. Besides the swift cruelty and hatred that she carries, the way Chief describes her appearance is enough to let you know she is the villain. Chief says she is cold and her face is laced with hate. He describes her as being able to grow as huge as a room with her anger.

Final Great Gatsby

1. Why did the author not reveal Great Gatsby's past until later on in the book?
Fitzgerald delayed telling the reader about Jay's past because in the beginning, Jay was being developed as a wise, collected, mysterious character. Describing his sad, problematic and even in some ways pathetic past right off the bat would leave no veil of sexy mystery over Gatsby and would change his aura as percieved by the reader. He would be leass intrigueing, so the act of unveiling him had to be suspended until the climax.
2. Why did the author make Tom's character have his hulking physique?
It explains his past in football and that he already peaked and has been headed downhill since college. Lumbering, bulky bodies have long been associated with stupidity and slowness, which is mirrored in Tom's mind. Because Tom is cast as the villain of the story, the menacing "cruel" body he possesses helps the reader point him out as the villain from the beginning, or at least be intimidated by him
3. How was Jordan an important part of the book?
Jordan was a less important side character, but still played a role in the story. She was obviously Nick's love interest, and tied the group together with her relationships with all of them. She was an interesting woman to have to compare Daisy to. They are very different, and this comparison helps develop Daisy's character, who is more important to the story.

Jelly Roll Morton

The music is very smooth and flowing, while being upbeat and danceable. This would be conducive to a good 1920's artistocrat part atmosphere.

Gatsby #2

1. Mayor Wolfsheim represents a part of Gatsby's life that is hidden from the outside world. He develops the more misterious side of Jay's character.
2. The story of Gatsby and Daisy's past together allow us to see the void that he has in his soul, the place where Daisy used to be. There was always a sort of apparent undercurrent of longing in Gatsby's manner, and this new bit of history explains it.
3. Hearing the rest of Gatsby's past, we understand that he was not of outstandingly wealthy upbringing, and had been cheated out of money in the past. Gatsby has also stumbled on to a great bit of luck throughout his life, and although his life seems effortlessly successful, he has gone through a great deal of trouble getting there.
4. Knowing Gatsby's history changes the readers oopinion of him in many ways. First of all, the shroud of attractive mystery is almost completely lifted. With that hidden dangerous aspect of Gatsby present, he seems more in control of things. He seem to be less of a man and more of a perfectly omniscient creature. This is the case with all characters. Once we know their past and there is no longer a sexy mystery to them, they lose attractiveness, because their past is never as interesting as we might imagine. In this unfolding of history, Gatsby looses some of his fatherly charm and becomes more personable, more human. I'd hate to say I like him less, because there was nothing that I learned about his past that was particularly unnattractive, but I don't find as much interest in him.

Great Gatsby (hero, antihero, villain)

In reading the first three chapters I will make these (probably incorrect) predictions. I predict firstly that Tom will be the villain. Tom has a mistress and has made up an elaborate lie about his wife's religion as a reason why he cannot divorce her. He is courteous and all, but i get the feeling that his "hulking" physique might be a sort of reflection of his dominating and possibly malevolent personality. I feel that Gatsby is the hero. He seems like he runs the show. He throws these huge parties, yet, instead of getting frunk with the rest of his guests, he takes a almost fatherly stance and wattches thes crowd. He knows what he is doing and understands the social climate and how to manipulate it. Jordan Baker will become the antihero. She is dishonest and reckless "She was incurably dishonest. She wasn't able to be at a disadvantage...(pg. 58)." Jordan has all tthesse flaws that are unattractive in society, but she seems to have good intentions and Nick obviously likes her, and will probably end up loving her.

Bua

Bua's style depicts a lot of distorted, crooked, shadowy, angular, heavily dimensional figures. He consistently uses a lot of dimension and curves and sharp angles where they wouldn't naturally occur and a sort of distorted crookedness.

Sixteen Military Wives

This is about the military wives that lose their husbands, the celebrities that fall out of reality and America generally.
The theme is that America keeps presing on, ignoring that it's hurting it's own people, because it can't quit. America projects to the people an illusion that everything's alright and that it's better to focus on the little things to distract us while the government eats us alive.

Mencken vs. Kroll

I find Kroll's essay to be more persuasive because of his heavy use of ethos, and narrative structure, which leaves less room for him to supply false logic. Mencken used flashy examples and beautified his opinion, while blatantly discrediting the opposing argument, but without supplying any legitimate or even logical reasons for it's incredibility. Kroll reads to the audience his personal account of a hideous and disgusting experience, obviously showing his opinion on the matter through his depiction of the scenario, but decidedly leaving the audience to make their own judgements.

Race for the Prize- Flaming Lips

The theme, as I interpretted it, is that as humans, we have to take chances and make sacrifices to make forward steps for mankind. The lyrics suggest that we are all just infintesimal humans taking chances for the greater good. It is all just a competition of who can rise above the rest, who can do the most good for the species. The morbidity and sadness contained in the words is a strange mix with the upbeat, lively sound of the song. That odd combonation suggests that we are all caught in a sad perpetual struggle for success, and it is covered in aa blanket of good deeds and happiness and pride, but in the end we are all just small humans.

Destination Earth

Overt: Oil is a great, useful product that helps keep America running, and with the competition of the oil industry, Americans can be free of oppression.
 Covert: If Americans partake in the competition in the oil industry, we can help divert the country from the road to communism.
Propaganda- There is obviously a covert message hidden in the video, promoting oil and and competition in the market as patriotic and anti-communist.

WWII propaganda

-Overt message is that eating less bread will help America win the war.
-Covert message is that it is each and every American's patriotic duty to make sacrifices for our country, and for those of us not serving in the army, a way to do that is to consume less of the products that the soldiers need, and to buy war bonds.

Clampdown

1. Clampdown is about "the man" and the oppression, humiliation and conformity it imposes on the people.
2. The steady, simple  beat that the drums lay down and the excited, bouncy, yet simple guitar riffs add to the powerful, rebellious effect of the lyrics, which are sung with force and unwaivering solidity. The drums beat out the march of the rebellion while Joe chants with confidence and aggression that he is not "working for the clampdown".
3.The part where he says "We will teach our twisted speech to the young believers" refers to propaganda.

Propaganda quotes

824, 815, 801, 806, 807, 810. I couldn't decide. I only read through the P's!
812:
Doubt is an uneassy and dissatisfied state from which we struggle to free ourselves and pass into a state of belief; while the latter is a calm and satisfactory state, which we do not wish to avoid, or to change to a belief in anything else.
-Charles S Peirce
I have spent hours pondering this subject. Our need to create and maintain the illusion that its all under control, cause we "know what happens after death, we can explain the unknown. See? we have proof." is so prominent in our lives. the natural human craving for knowledge led us to this unquenchable thirst to discover it all, and we can't give it up. And thus religion takes center stage in humanity's focus. Of course there can be no concensus on what goes on, because there is no concensus on what we think "should" happen. But as long as there is unknown, we are covering up the black holes with movie screens and projecting what we "know" to be there waiting for us. Anyway, I know that that was a tangent and I am suppossed to be discussing propaganda, etc. Religion is full of propaganda. "Join ours and you'll go to heaven" etc. I'm sorry. I'm really tired. finishing this will have to wait.

Final Brave New World

1. Why did Huxley towards the end change Bernard's character from being individualistic, wise and interesting, to being a begging, terrified, cowardly person?
2. How could the controller make all this happen when he understood all the unjusts of the system and had the power to fix it?
3. Why did Huxley switch main characters mid-book?

How do both these "utopian" societies, being completely opposite (one based on fear and one on happiness) both end up creating near the same brainwashed effect on the citizenry?

Brave New World #2

1. Why, after so many years, did Linda never assimilate into the culture of the savages, and instead of maintaining her title as the man-stealing outsider and continuing to sleep with other women's men like was acceptable in the New World, why didn't she try to fit in to their culture?
I can only think of the fact that she was originally so disgusted with the way of life at the reservation (like people from the New World are suppossed to be) that she could never fully accept their absurd and "disgusting" ways. John tells stories of how mean the other women used to be to her, because she slept with their husbands, and how hateful the indians were to him. The refusal to accept Linda and John led to an ever-growing hatred in the indians for them, which was never resolved. I hypothesize that the reason Linda never succeeded, or even attempted really, to fit in, was the fault of both Linda and the Indians for their ignorance and hatred.  
2.Why, with all the technology they have, do they not try to find ways to prolong life, but rather, after a person stops looking young and beautiful they are considered useless?
When addressing John about Linda's quickly degrading health, the doctor says " If we could rejuvenate, of course, that would be different" as if she is of no importance, because she is no longer youthful and fit. Also, since humans are being artificially "bred" and conditioned into their designated spots in society so they can live and work happily, once they can no longer work, they are of no importance to the society as a whole, and "individuals don't matter, only the one society".
3.What do the "savages" think of the vacationing civilians?
I am confused on whether it is often that the reservation gets tourists, because they have a whole system of lodging and "guides" set up for vacationers and no one from the civilized world acted like it was anything too out of the ordinary for Bernard and Lenina to go to the reservation. However, Linda acted as though she hadn't seen a "civilized" woman since she arrived on the reservation and was beside herself with excitement and joy when she saw Lenina. Linda cried out while hugging and kissed the disgusted Lenina "Oh, my dear, my dear. If you knew how glad- after all these years, a civilized face!" John also was fascinated by Lenina and claimed he had never seen a white woman before, yet the rest of the indigenous people ignored the visitors completely, acting nonchalant as ever. I assume though, that they would be as fascinated and disgusted with the "New World" as the civilized were with them. John is a great example of the contrast of cultures and customs between the two worlds. He finds the New World cold and hateful and disturbing, and I would imagine that the other "savages" would agree.

Brave New World I

The society in Brave New World creates physical conformity by producing children using the Bostonovsky technique, where up to 96 children can be produced using one egg. These embryos are created to fit in with their caste, physically and mentally modified to be what society wants, and what their caste needs. Using Hypnopedia and conditioning, from "birth" the children are trained subconciously and conciously what they should believe, do and enjoy, thus creating mental conformity. To supress conflict and non-conformity, the government ensures that everyone remains in a illusional haze of happinness. They supply Soma, a drug that creates the feeling of contentment and keeps the population from thinking about any problems that there might be, but instead ignoring them. Erotic activity is a regular, and encouraged activity, even for children, and expensive games keep the economy thriving and the people occupied and happy. By keeping the population behind a veil of pleasure, nobody realizes what they lack in freedom. We might say that this is a dystopia, because of the extreme conformity and harsh caste system and general lack of basic freedoms, but to the people of that society, who only know that kind of life, would find it quite the opposite, because of their lack of knowledge of there being any other way to live.

Emic and etic perspectives

1) A benefit of the emic perspective is that the author can explain why the people do the things they do, whereas an outsider might not understand why. The etic perspective author would be able to better compare the culture of the studied group to other cultures.
2) The rule for objectivity is because there is no way to completely eliminate an author's bias.
You need to have an inside infoormant to really understand the culture from an inside perspective.
The people might be more honest and less hesitant if you tell them truthfully what your motives are in the study.

Current ways of recruitment

Promising working class youths a free education for enlisting in the military may seem like a good way to get more young, willing people to volunteer to be in the army. In reality, this means of acquiring volunteers is a sad form of unethical bribery. By offerring a free education to youths in exchange for working in the military, automatically the lower-middle class youth are being targeted. Those young kids who don't have enough money to go to college might enroll in the military as a last resort, not as something that they are passionate about. As a result, some of the recruits will be people there just for the money, but not interested in actually contributing to the military and fighting for our country. Sometimes students enroll, not actually expecting to be deployed and not mentally or physically ready to be put into a lot of the situations out there. Jessica Lynch, about enrolling in the military, naively said "Yeah, you know that would be cool if I could have a job plus go to school at the same time. Yeah, that would be cool" (Interview with Time) The army will become solely made up of kids looking for money, but not really willing to lay his life on the line for his country. This makes our forces weaker. Unfortunately, besides this sad bribery there seems to be very few ways to promote the army and recruit kids.
When the army promotes and comercializes the experience as being a strengthening opportunity to build leadership skills, mentioning the opportunities  for free education and world travel. The commercials make the army look so beautiful, glorifying it with pictures of recruits looking determined while crawling through a challenging ropes course. You can almost smell the satisfaction and pride that would wash over you as you pulled yourself over that last rope wall. You picture yourself earning a free education and free world travel while doing this duty for your country, and it seems like a perfect idea. All that's left to do is sign up. Unfortunately, the military has been grossely misportrayed to you, and it is not so much fun after all. "Lynch had enlisted hoping to be able to earn a college degree after serving her country. (She had hopes of becoming a kindergarten teacher.) Her truck was part of a supply column that was attacked after it missed a detour..."(Jessica Lynch: The Interview.)

part 2 1984

Winston is having trouble believing what the state is saying because he can remember some of how life used to be, and that obvious alterations are constantly made to the past. They are, because in this world, any act of defiance is considered illegal and carries the consequence of death. His small protests are very different from the wide scale occupy wall street protests. First of all, they take place in very different worlds, where there are different rules and consequences. His world is very strict, no show of unorthodoxy can be made that is  not punishible by death, compared to our modern world, where we have freedom and rights, and are free to non-violently protest anything. In comparison, they are both protesting their freedom and the oppression of the higher classes and the government. Of course, occupy Wall street is a public display of dissaprovement of the upper classes by the 99%, whereas Winson's protests are inner and do not have an obvious effect on the government and are not made public.