Thinking Outside The Box

1. Think about the place you have chosen as your hell. Does it look ordinary and bourgeois, like Sartre's drawing room, or is it equipped with literal instruments of torture like Dante's Inferno? Can the mind be in hell in a beautiful place? Is there a way to find peace in a hellish physical environment? Enter Sartre's space more fully and imagine how it would feel to live there endlessly, night and day?
2.Could hell be described as too much of anything without a break? Are variety, moderation and balance instruments we use to keep us from boiling in any inferno of excess,' whether it be cheesecake or ravenous sex?
3.How does Sartre create a sense of place through dialogue? Can you imagine what it feels like to stay awake all the time with the lights on with no hope of leaving a specific place? How does GARCIN react to this hell? How could you twist your daily activities around so that everyday habits become hell? Is there a pattern of circumstances that reinforces the experience of hell?

Edited Big Question

How has media coverage changed over time and how does the lack of privacy and value reflect 21st century America?
Resources:

http://www.humanismtoday.org/vol12/larue.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/lawyers-charity-at-heart-of-penn-state-scandal-should-stay-solvent-so-victims-can-file-suits/2011/11/25/gIQACZJJwN_story.html

http://www.cgdev.org/doc/2009/Clinton%20Press%20Clips3.pdf

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201111220024?frontpage

http://www.progressiveliving.org/mass_media_and_politics.htm

Big Question

Why is it that Joe Paterno and the Jerry Sandusky case at Penn State has escalated so much? Would it be a lot different if he hadn't been such a legend? Why is it that extremely well known people get so much more publicity on their cases when those types of cases are sadly, extremely common amongst people that aren't "famous"?

Hamlet Essay

             Performative utterance has a huge impact on Hamlet and the individual's sense of self. While reading the play; we gain a lot of knowledge about Hamlet the character and Hamlet the play. In DeBoer's work, "The Performative Utterance in William Shakespeare's Hamlet," he talks about how Austin divided the performative ability of language into three main forces.
             The three main forces that J.L. Austin talks about are: "the locutionary force, the abilityof language to delivera message, the force of mutual intelligibility; the illocutionary force, what is done in being said, such as denying a request, giving an order, etc.; and the perlocutionary force, what is achieved by being said, the consequences of one's utterance such as an order being followed (or refused.) Throughout deBoer's essay he compares those three forces to Hamlet and his different actions throughout the play.
             The way Hamlet speaks constitutes action in itself and it impacts the characters and the plot. When Hamlet speaks to others throughout the play, he doesn't explain his motives or feelings for anything whatsoever. We only find out what is in Hamlet's mind when he has those memorable soliloquies. By acting so unpredictable, crazy and mysterious, it intimidates the other characters because they have no idea what Hamlet is going to do next. Hamlet's extreme unpredictability affected the plot by causing so many people to act just as crazy as him-but by paranoia.(Like spying on him or wanting to duel.) All of that ended up in a blood bath.
             The way i reflect on Hamlet and my experience with the play and memorization of his "To be, or not to be..." soliloquy created a great sense of memory, expectation and real-world results. By Shakespeare's effective usage of universal themes and morals, the reader is able to walk away with a sense of self and a greater understanding of trust and its effectiveness.
             The consideration of performative utterances, deBoer's paper, Bloom/Austin's theoretical frameworks, and careful studies  on Hamlet has furthered my understanding on several aspects of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

What I've Learned

"I FEEL HAPPY OF MYSELF!" If there is anything in particular that I have really learned in this class so far is to just keep going. Just like this little boy in the video is talking about, "Everybody, I know you can believe in yourself. If you believe in yourself, you will know how to ride a bike. If you don't, you just keep practicing. You will get the hang of it, I know it. (Stutters) You can get better and better at it if you keep practicing!" You can relate that exact same inspirational message to our AP English course. No one ever said it was going to be easy, but with practice, it becomes more and more of a fluid action.

Roy Christopher Notes

• Roy didn't plan on getting involved in the computer culture, but now he owns four computers
• Worked for Frontwheeldrive.com for 10 years
• The more you know about how something works the better prepared you are. 
• Self-published his book because he couldn't find a publisher and interview books don't sell well
• Working on a new book called Medium Picture
• Hip Hop culture is the blueprint to 21 century culture
• He believes that the technology of today is inevitable to get into.
• "Trust the youth." Older generations have a difficult time trusting the younger generations, but they need to trust us because we will turn out just fine. 
• Self-published an interview book. 
• Older generations don't trust the youth with new technology
• Most people that use computers don't do programming 
• The internet can be both a time saver and a time waster
• "Program or be programed."

Tools That Change the Way We Think

             Internet/media/technology use changes the way we think by restricting us to only certain opinions. With the filter bubbles and the algorithms used to predict the outcomes we "want" to see, our resources are limited. No person is going to specify their Google search precisely to what they are looking for each and every time. Granted, the filter bubbles are an extreme help to me in most cases; but I am a very open minded person and it would be nice if sometimes I could choose whether or not I am able to get the same results as everyone else. With the use of all of this extremely convienient technology it seems as though technology is yet again making laziness an art. Everything is getting easier and easier these days, and it makes me feel as though i'm not exactly the one doing the work anymore. Sometimes it feels way too easy. I like it, but a lot of times I question whether or not i'm learning as effectively as I would without the technology and having to find it on my own.

In Search Of

1. I learned exactly what a filter bubble was and how exactly it restricts the amount of things I have access to according to my interests. I also didn't know that the filter bubble took into account where I was located as well.
2. This just makes me wonder what I am not seeing. By knowing that everyone gets different results, it makes me wonder how different my results are compared to others.
3. This raises a question to me about how many of these sites that I am directed to actually have legitimate facts.
4. I think that I can make my searches more effective by making my searches just a little bit more specific based on what I am searching for.

Who Was Shakespeare?

             When I typed into Google, "Who was Shakespeare?" my results varied; whether it was articles on de Vere with accusations of Shakespeare being a fraud, or Wikipedia (and other websites) talking about William Shakespeare's writing styles and life stories.The sites acting as biographies said  that Shakespeare's birth date was unknown, but we do know that he was baptised Apri 26, 1564. He lived and died in Warwickshire, England. Shakespeare was married to a woman named Anne Hathaway with three children. He died in 1616. His early plays were mostly comedies and histories. Throughout time they turned into tragedies and later, tragicomedies. He was a respected poet and playwright in his day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19th century. In all honesty, students really respect his work, but when we have to study a different work of Shakespeare each school  year, we begin to dread the work of someone with a very powerful message. We understand that he wrote several masterpieces; but as we continue to study each work, we do progress in our ability to perceive what he is saying... but, it is often said by our generation that this type of literature is irrelevant to our futures. I understand now that it might take me a few times reading a passage to understand Shakespeare's message but I do admit that I (among several others) still struggle with all of that old English that has completely different meanings for things than what we are used to.

To Facebook or Not to Facebook

             My initial impressions of Facebook were mostly positive. Facebook to me, seemed exciting because you can keep up with your friends' lives and pictures. Facebook made photo sharing and activities like that much easier and accessible. When I first started using Facebook, I was unaware of the risks associated with the website. After reading the article online, I became more aware of the privacy risks. I know that since I have read the article, I have changed the settings on my Facebook that are in control of your "current locations." (The function on Facebook that shows exactly where you are at when you upload a picture or write a post.) By doing so, you become vulnerable to the random strangers that could be viewing your profile. I  am now more informed and have the knowledge to protect my own privacy.

Notes On Hamlet

             Once Hamlet decided to get revenge on Claudius for killing is father, I became pretty interested in the plot of the story and sort of supported Hamlet's actions to do so. But as the scenes went on, Hamlet's emotions kind of went haywire and he became extremely unpredictable. Shakespeare is known for having tragic plays so it makes me wonder if there is going to be a massive death scene where basically everyone dies- that's my main prediction for the end of the story. I think Hamlet will go completely mad and that there will be a blood bath.

(Don't) Be Hamlet

Topic: Now that you have mastered the text of "To be, or not to be..." reflect on Hamlet's dilemma and help him make up his mind. Use the text of the play and your own logic to support your own opinion.


             In Hamlet's soliloquy he ponders the differences and consequences in suicide versus killing Claudius to get revenge. In my opinion, suicide should never be worth it. Every single person in the entire world has issues. And somehow, most of those people figure out how to overcome those issues. Whether it is related to relationships, mental problems, physical problems, social problems, etc... People need to actually have some self worth. Hamlet is only thinking of these two options because that is what he feels are his only options. Hamlet could have simply asked Claudius what his reason could have possibly been for killing his father, and quite possibly found it in his heart of stone to forgive him. As for Hamlet's option to kill himself- seriously, what is the point? If Hamlet were to kill himself, it would be the cowardly way out and he will have to go to Hell for something he could have easily tried to fix while still alive. Hamlet seems to be an extremely complicated man of many thoughts. If he were to want my advice on his entire situation, I'd tell him to ditch the girl who causes drama, call out the step-dad on his sins, fix his relationship with Claudius, and then get over it and move on.

The Kite Runner -Khaled Hosseini

1. Briefly describe the plot of the novel you read.
Amir is the main character and also the narrator of the story. Throughout the novel he is faced with several challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In order to save his sins against Hassaan, Amir has to help a young boy. This story is filled with tragedy but along with all of the tragedy, success followed suit.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
I'd say the biggest theme would be redemption. The entire novel is based on Amir trying to redeem himself to prove worthy enough to Baba. Amir thought that he had to win the kite tournament in order to prove his worthiness.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include 3 excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
The tone of The Kite Runner is tragic. There are several examples of tragedy but the three main tragedies include: when Amir's inspiration died; Rahim Khan, when Hassan was raped, and when Amir and Baba had to leave Afghanistan.
4. Describe 5 literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the theme and/or your sense of the tone. Include three excerpts that will help your reader understand each one.
Throughout the story, Khaled Hosseini used techniques such as diction, flashbacks, allusions, tone, and mood very effectively. When faced with Hosseini's use of allusions, it made the reader want to research the information in the story that we are expected to know. I cannot even count the amount of times I put the book down to Google something, that way I could understand the background information of the story. When the author wrote in first person as Amir, he often used "flashbacks" as a way of informing the reader the possible reasoning behind his actions and why he might have acted as he did. Like I said earlier, the tone of the story is extremely tragic, but the fact that the tragedies within the story are very realistic makes it all that more interesting for the common reader.