MAKE UP 4

Invisible Man wasn’t the first novel, or thing, to not exactly like machines. Take for example the band Rage against the Machine. “I'm a brother with a furious mind
Action must be taken
We don't need the key
We'll break in
Something must be done
About vengeance, a badge and a gun
so rip the mic, rip the stage, rip the system
I was born to rage against 'em “ (sound familiar? Rage against the Machine was the title Ellison had on the rough draft of Invisible Man). Take also for example the machine imagery, and similar therapy, that opposes the main character of A Clockwork Orange. Alex, after years of being only amused by sheer violence coupled with random spurts of committing sodomy, is thrown in prison. After about 2 years in prison, he is able to fake his way to treatment to get better of his violent tendencies, and to get out of prison. The treatment he gets selected for, however, is not something you would want to willingly sign up for – its called the Ludovico technique. Its quite similar to the lobotomy in Invisible Man, but almost a thousand times worse and atleast a thousand times more graphic. What it is is a disturbed form of aversion therapy, where Alex is given a nausea inducing drug while watching videos with extremely disturbing acts of violence. This continues for an entire two weeks. Alex then realizes that the musical soundtracks shown with the violence are making him become nauseous; distressing him greatly because the only thing he loved more than sodomizing was Beethoven. The doctor’s think this is a hoot, plus the aversion therapy is working, so they continue out the two weeks and completely destroy Alex’s love for violence and classical music. The crazy thing is though is that a literal machine was strapped to Alex’s head, but also he lived in a dystopian society that allowed for this gruesome treatment to a gruesome man. You know who also hates mechanized things? That’s right – our BFF Grendel! Grendel, if you recall, hates the mechanized process of animals and the nearly mechanized void the humans have in society. Grendel’s only role in society is to destroy their cycle, and to take away hope from the humans. Grendel is extremely reluctant to refer to himself as an animal, despite his mother’s condition of running around in circles frantically and lacking language. Grendel even kills, savagely, a ram that does not heed his warning – illustrating his frustration with the mechanization of life. The narrator in Invisible Man certainly suffers at the hand of machines – the liberty paint factory machine that injures him and the lobotomy machine – but there are certaintly other cases of people hating machines of all kings the exact same. But, without that machine imagery, the narrator never would have received his disturbed baptism and never would have reached the climax of character in the brotherhood. Or, Alex would have been a stagnant, flat character that remained unchallenged by the mundane life in prison. Grendel would not have been alive without his animal mother, although he may have been happy with that.

MAKE UP 3

A few weeks ago, Mrs. Clinch noted in class, quite regrettably later, that some kids decide to make up books for their AP exams to fake their way through the open question. Well, not only is that widely hysterical, its also very tempting to do. So, here’s my attempt at completely answering an AP Lit prompt – fake. 2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of the minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil to a main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.
In the novel Vikings at Midnight, the main character Sven of the Swedes was largely put on a pedestal by his adoring fans. Yet, the antagonist of the novel Horton acts as a Christ figure ironically, and thematically serves as a wake up call for Sven. The book opens with the chapter “The Nordic Nightingale”, and it describes the harrowing adventures of Sven as he crosses the Pacific Ocean. However, Horton reminds his Viking kind that Sven is a traitor, and not to be trusted. This illustrates the complexity of the culture at hand, and that Sven should perhaps not be easily trusted by his people. This also highlights the metaphorical weaknesses of the main character, Sven. Sven, obviously, has no physical limitations – yet his soul aches for the company of another, and this soft spot allows for him to get involved in treacherous adventures and his intentions are not revealed until the end of the novel. The FOIL here is significant, because the secondary character actually takes the spotlight from the beginning of the book, and at the Battle of Dragon both characters fight for glory and freedom. This also adds back to the entirety of the work, because both characters are fighting bravely for a sacrifice for their people. In another scene, where Sven was saving a Norsewoman in Need, Horton also appears to taunt him about his long blonde hair and his need for approval. This is an allusion to the archetypal story of Rapunzel, and this acts as a foil because Horton illustrates how Sven has feminine features despite him being a Viking prince. This also illustrates Sven’s weaknesses, and that he is not as strong on the inside as he conveys on the outside. Yet, at the conclusion of the novel, Horton sacrifices himself for Sven and his people and dies tragically. However, in a motion that only Joseph Campbell could predict, Horton travels to the underworld and back to reveal to his people that Sven is actually a Viking God and a decedent of Thor. Thus, Sven’s weaknesses that have been accumulating up until this point in the novel reveal his human side, whereas his strong personal persona illustrates his God like side.

And that is when the AP Lit reader gave this essay a negative 9.

MAKE UP 2

Let’s talk about Jazz and its impact on the black community because, hey, what did the invisible man do to be so black and blue? Have a deep seated history in jazz music! Jazz music was created by the impact of slave and their folklore. Basically, the musical traditions from west Africa brought together a strong tribal music coupled with American music found in the south. Lavish festivals in which slaves were able to participate occurred in places like New Orleans and Texas, where slavery existed but wasn’t the keystone of the economy. It functioned as music for work, ritual, relax, and expression and included work songs for field work and music when relaxing in cabins. The African tradition used many single line melodies and what is called “call response patterns”, but lacking strong music theory and stringent musical harmony. The rhythm was actually composed by the individual and their outward expression, and was easily controlled and swayed by the tempo of the person tapping their foot. What was strongly different about Jazz than other forms of music was that it was the everyday man’s music, and was relaxing and not heavily regulated by men in whigs and coats. In the early 19th century an increasing number of black musicians learned to play European instruments, particularly the violin, which they used to parody European dance music in their own cakewalk dances. In turn, European-American minstrel show performers in blackface popularized such music internationally, combining syncopation with European harmonic accompaniment. Louis Moreau Gottschalk adapted African-American cakewalk music, South American, Caribbean and other slave melodies as piano salon music. Another influence came from black slaves who had learned the harmonic style of hymns and incorporated it into their own music as spirituals. Following the civil war, blacks had new opportunities in careers never open to them before. Although Jim Crow Laws strictly regulated much of their work, many were still able to function in entertainment and music. Jazz really started its grass roots in local bars and saloons, allowing for a party like atmosphere for the everyday man, not just those of the upper class. Jazz was soon to be associated with negativity because of its placement in these types of saloons. In fact, vaudeville also stemmed from the jazz movement and was able to come to terms with the onslaught of the jazz movement. By the 20th century jazz had become a legitimate type of music, becoming popular around the country – especially in three specific cities. Louisiana was the world capital of jazz, where the movement originated. Other significant jazz cities included Memphis, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina. Still today, Louisiana is still widely known for its jazz heritage and its Creole culture. Many famous players in the early jazz movement include Ernest Hogan, who appeared first before the 20th century, Vess Ossman, who popularized the banjo within the movement, Tom Turpin, who brought jazz to Harlem, and Scott Joplin who brought into play “ragtime”.

MAKEUP 1

The first part of the stranger was pretty mundance and kind of pointless, in the most literary significant way possible. Mersault, which I later discovered did not sound like assault, pretty much finds life to be pointless and black, and hardly bats on eyelash at the passing of his mother. And although that may seem kind of cruel, the other morning I was listening to NPR and apparently Americans are now pretty similar to Mersault. Supposedly, American particaticiaptoin in volunteering and Pta’s have dropped over 60% in the last few decades – in the 1950s over 80% of mothers were involved in there children’s school functions whereas now it’s a low of 33% - and that’s not even all of it. Even voting has decreased exponentially. “By the 1950s, however, voter turnout was back to normal, and all signs in the United States pointed to ever higher rates. College-educated Americans were half again as likely to vote as those who had not finished high school. With college attendance on the rise, the trend appeared unmistakable. Moreover, women had been steadily closing the voting gap that had existed ever since they had gained the vote in 1920. Their turnout rate initially was not much more than half that of men; by the 1950s, the gap had narrowed to 10 percentage points. And signs of racial change were clearly evident. It would only be a matter of time before literacy tests, poll taxes, and other legal barriers to black participation were removed.” Volunteers for the military have also dropped 25-40%, and that’s a conservative estimate, form the 1950s, Some attribute many Americans apathy as a consequence of Vietnam, and nowadays Americans are just more jaded and less willing to get engaged. Others speculate the falloff the PTA participation with the substantial rise in the amount of households with 2 working parents, and then theres simply not enough time in the day. However there has been substantial rise in membership growth in organizations like the NARP, where membership is based on dues not an attendance. Whatever the reason, people have been growing more bored with society I feel like in the past few decades. In the 1950s it was okay to have national pride, whereas now you don’t typically see as much outgoing displays of Americanism. Perhaps people have grown more jaded with the wars and the deception of our government, I’m not really sure. I do think that our society has grown increasingly more busy, stressful, and everyone seems to be depressed nowadays – which all seem related.
P.S. – “A surprising number of Americans report high levels of stress, anxiety, and sadness, according to new survey results. Even though their symptoms don't meet the definition of clinical depression, they can have a significant negative impact on quality of life, according to Dr. Michael Seidman of the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.” Depression is hitting the nation really hard nowadays…I wonder why?

Why Women Aren't Important (According to IM)

According to Invisible Man, the real women question is this: Why do women want to use me as a sexual object, and why should they have rights? Not only is that largely offensive to myself and anyone else who has read Wikipedia articles on feminism on any given night, it’s not the right questions that should be posed about women. Some better questions could be posed from many archetypal women, especially many that Walt Disney decided to animate.
1. Why do women need to be saved by men riding a gleaming white horse? Well, that’s an easy and simple question. See, in the archetypal sense, women did not actually gain independence nor brain function until approximately the 16th century. Before then, women were burned at the stakes for such grievances, and just to make sure we got all the witches we still burned women later on for not being married by 20. Anyways, women have always been considered somewhat helpless, and that they need saving of some sorts. Take a look at nearly any Disney movie involving a princess. Cinderella, she needed saving by the prince to escape her ugly family who abused her mercilessly – women weren’t granted loans back then. Ariel the mermaid, see she needed to escape from her underwater playground to go marry a man she has never had a serious conversation with. These are the morals that need to be instilled in our children today, Invisible Man, not that we are all fighting white man’s oppression.
2. Why do women only appear at inappropriate moments to demand things from me, unless they’re acting as a Mary figure? Good question, IM, good question. See, the tricky thing about women is that they like to use men – oh wait, maybe the fact that you’re in a very open political movement about fighting oppression isn’t the greatest way to start out a dinner conversation. See, politics and religion are two things you do not need to bring up on a first date. Do you know what you’ve just talked about for the past 350 pages? The fact that the only woman you’ve ever liked was named Mary, and you are the member of an organization extremely dedicated to getting black rights. In fact, there’s so much serpent imagery around that I feel as if you’re intending to just relate characters in your past to religious figures in order to illustrate your race’s subjugation to white men and the religion forced on them generations ago. Maybe you should join a book club or something; that should help your relations with the ladies.
3. Why do women only wear red? Okay, Invisible Man, we all know most of the encounters you have with women involve them wearing either a red robe or having red nail polish. But, considering that you are so caught up on the religious imagery, we usually find that red means either lust or the devil – or both in your cases! I would find a nice girl that is wearing a nice green or blue dress, in fact go with the blue dress. She’ll match your innards, according to your relation to Louise Armstrong songs.

Ideologies

Why do ideologies so epically fail in Invisible Man? When he joins the Brotherhood, he later discovers that he doesn’t actually fit into their scientific mold and their black and white (pun intended) guidelines for speaking to the people. Yet, he hasn’t fit in with any other ideologies either – his Grandfather traumatized him for life, and Mr. Norton’s way of giving to people didn’t exactly appeal to him either. He wasn’t even a fan of the union at the factory hospital, so much so that Brockway threw him in a machine that in turn gave him a lobotomy. Yet, why is it so hard for people to find one ideology and stick to it? This applies to people across the board, in my opinion. The only people that can really stick hard core to certain ideologies are those heavily up in the ranks of said ideology, and those that envy said people. Take for example political parties. Most people are somewhat lenient on an issue within their given party. Although some people may claim to be democrats, they may fall conservative on the issue of gun control or taxation. Yet, there are a few radicals that claim that they are extremely aligned with the party – how does this happen? Well, the affirmation of one’s identity has to also be aligned with the party, no matter how direct. That doesn’t mean that you have to be the next nominee for the Democratic Presidential Ticket to be a staunch liberal. What that means is that some part of you has to be connected. In AP US GOV we learned that nearly 60-70% of all people show a direct relationship with how they vote and how their parents vote. Obviously, their parents instilled values in them that continued throughout their lives, and this continued to affect their identities under that party ticket. Yet, theres also a statistic that those who always rebelled from their parents on other issues like religion and clothing style usually directly rebelled from their parents politically. So, whatever your identity is connected to, whether it be for or against your parents - social scientists can accurately predict whether your were a McCain or Obama fan. How does this go back to Invisible Man? Well, because the narrator never really had a staunch identity to begin with, and if he did he certainly doesn’t remember after his lobotomy, he is a blank slate, a tabula rosa if you will. So, he doesn’t really have any basis to start off his identity with, and less likely to stick keenly to one ideology. That being said, he also could have gone in the complete opposite direction. He could have found his identity within the Brotherhood so much so that he embedded his entire identity into becoming the ideology of the party, and forgo any misgivings that the party is too scientific and cold blooded. Yet, the narrator opts to go a different route – one of disattatchment and hiding in a hole.

Invisibility in Literature

So, by now we all should have read Invisible Man front to back - which is a task I know all however many AP LIT students have accomplished. Invisible Man obviously is a book about a man isolated from society, and in a sense is a coming of age book. Yet, there are many other novels that also use a motif of invisibility to convey a loss of identity and a suppossed persona. Take for example the first book titled Invisible Man, but it was by a simple man - H.G. Wells. Ever hear of the Time Machine? Or War of the Worlds? Yeah, exactly. This novel is also pretty intense, (and I actually bought a copy of it before Mrs. Clinch clarified that is was the wrong book...and read most of it because it was really good) and its about, obviously, a literal invisible man. In this story an invisible man, wrapped in bandages, shows up at an Inn to stay for a few weeks. Yet, when the land lady discovers he's literally an invisible man he flees, leaving the towns people hanging. Yes, they were pretty freaked out - so the best option of course when you get scared is to beat him to death! Although he was invisible, the town's people anger acted as a sort of "Invisible-man-dar" and found Griffin (his name) and beat him until their arms got tired. Invisibility in this book acts as a deformity, and illustrates how people hate other people not exactly like them. Which is a commonality in most literature before 1900.
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a very indepth tale of a boy's magical quest from child abuse, invisibility is also used for a defensive move (an invisibility cloak). But invisibility can be benign. Harry's cloak of invisibility was given to him by Dumbledore in the first Potter novel (it belonged to his father) and is used in every subsequent volume to allow him to get up to his virtuous tricks without his schoolfellows noticing. I'm not really sure if there's a literary purpose here, other than maybe being invisible for the sake of defense shows futility of war? Yeah...that seems like a bit of a stretch. An additional story that makes use of invisibility is “The Headless Horseman”, where the horses remain either invisible or skeletons, and the rider has a pumpkin head. Most students read this at some point in American Lit, and I read it last year for AP LANG. This story seems a tad bit more archetypal than it is deep, but basically the point of invisibility in this story is that the horses are invisiblie to frighten people. See, people are scared of what they do not know. That’s basically why racism exists, and nearly every other fear imaginable. In fact, I do recall from a Doctor Phil show that all fears are based on the fact that you do not have control over the situation. The headless horseman inspired fear because he was indestructible, invisible, and a deathly force to be reckoned with – quite a good theme to convey when writing a horror story. Invisibility works on many frontiers, and not just to illustrate that a man can be completely cast out of society. That would take a volleyball named Wilson…I know bad reference.

Hamlet - Antichrist?

Good evening, Bloggers. Well, with the conclusion of Hamlet now out of the way there is something that has been pressing on everyone's mind - is Hamlet legitimately crazy, dutiful, or something else? Well, tonight I will be analyzing Hamlet's role as the antichrist, and the striking similarities between the two characters. My source comes from the book of revelations and Daniel, and my inspiration comes from a recent forwarded email from my nearly facist grandmother on the similarities between Obama and the antichrist (FYI: Reagan had more similarities than Obama). So, let us begin.
1. He comes from among ten kings in the restored Roman Empire; his authority will have similarities to the ancient Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks [Daniel 7:24; Rev 13:2 / Daniel 7:7] Alright, so young Hamlet doesn't come from one of the ten restored Roman kings - but his entire identity as an actor IS based from the classics - from the Greeks! If he were to actually have become king, he would've obviously reigned with those in mind. Sh-bam.
2. He will subdue three kings [Daniel 7:8, 24] Old Hamlet, Uncle Clauds, and Fortinbras - there's three for you.
3. He is different from the other kings [Daniel 7:24] Of course he is - he was SUPPOSED TO BE KING (never really got there) AND WAS MOST LIKELY THE MOST MENTALLY INSANE.
4. He will rise from obscurity…a “little horn” [Daniel 7:8] Hamlet's rise to destroy Claudius was pretty obscure, right out of left field for those Danish onlookers. Princes killing kings? Nonsense.
5. He will speak boastfully [Daniel 7:8; Rev 13:5] Give me that man That is not passion's slave, and I will wear him In my heart's core, ay, in my heart of heart, As I do thee. Enough said.
6. He will blaspheme God, [Daniel 7:25; 11:36; Rev 13:5] slandering His Name, dwelling place, and departed Christians and Old Testament saints [Rev 13:6] Hamlet gets very existentialist in the third soliloquy (To be or not to be), and many Elizabethians would have agreed good ol' Hamlet's pessimism could very well be associated with the devil. Also, him associating with ghost dad was in itself forsaking God.
7. He will try to change the calendar, perhaps to define a new era, related to himself [Daniel 7:25] Okay, so look at it this way. Hamlet did take out Claudius (and himself) and established Denmark in a new era with Fortinbras. That is definitely a new era. He gets a point for this one.
8. He will try to change the laws, perhaps to gain an advantage for his new kingdom and era
[Dan 7:25] He goes AGAINST laws to gain advantage for his kingdom, by planning for 5 acts to kill Claudius. I know, a far stretch. Also, Hamlet's political skills aren't as good as, per se, his being a witty jerk skills.
9. He will not be succeeded by another earthly ruler, but by Christ [Daniel 7:26-27] As you can clearly see, this is obviously Horatio's opinion at the end of the play. Not that Fortinbras is Christ, no no no - that the only person who can TRUMP Hamlet is Christ. Horatio was a big Hamlet fan, you see.
13. He will not answer to a higher earthly authority; “He will do as he pleases”[Daniel 11:36] DO I NEED EVEN A RESPONSE FOR THIS? REALLY?
The entire play, with such strikes as "A little less than kin" and "Get thee to a nunnery", Hamlet answers to HIMSELF - reminiscent of a Monique-esque persona. Hamlet still inspires many divas today.
I think I'll stop at the lucky number 13...I may continue this countdown next week. THE EVIDENCE IS OUT THERE PEOPLE.

Hamlet - A Pretentious Jerk?

Hamlet honestly just strikes me as one of those guys who really has an ego problem. You know, a complete narcissist. Well, this week I would like to examine what a narcissist is, the disorder associated with it, and other literary characters who would fit this example.
The following criteria characterizes a person with a Narcissistic personality disorder:
1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
- Well, this can definitely be attributed to Hamlet. Especially in regards to his stage presence and his intellectual persona.
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
- I would say he's obsessed with the fact that he has to kill Claudius...perhaps that fits in this category? Its hard to say how Hamlet was before all the drama.
3. believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
- Well, his soliloquys kind of imply this, don't you think? That he can't comminucate with the people within his world, so he has to talk to himself. Naturally.
4. requires excessive admiration
- If we look to our girl Ophelia on this one, this is a yes.
5. has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
- Um, he does get pretty angry about the whole his mom having an incestuous affair with Claudius. File this under sense of entitlement.
6. is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
- Oh very much so! Let's look back at Ophelia, to prove he's mad he basically goes crazy as crap on her just to better position himself in his "wit chessgame".
7. lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
- Well, depending on the interpretation, Hamlet is either concerned for the livelihood of Ophelia and his mother or he just uses them because they're women and that's what they're good for. I'm going with the latter intepretation.
8. is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
- I'm sure he belives that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are jealous of his awesome wit skills. What with all those references to fortune.
9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
- Basically every single time Hamlet speaks.
Well, what other literary characters also illustrate a narcissistic personality? Well, for the perfect example, I'd go with The Picture of Dorian Gray - if I remember correctly he even admitted he was a narcissist. If you want to get on the slightly more disturbing side, the narrator of American Psyche (the most disgusting book you will ever read - that's not even an opinion its a fact) is a cold blooded narcissist. Additional narcissists could be every single king in medieval europe, every single person on a TV reality show, and of course Lord Byron.

Character VS. Plot driven - is that the question?

So, recently I was listening to NPR, (NPR's major demographic consists of female, democratic cat owners between the ages of 50-80 I presume) and there was this article on how most stories nowadays are either truly plot driven, or character driven. Although you may not be able to tell from the finished product, in the rough draft stages, so far back even to the inspiration of the story, is typically either character or plot. Now, when I first heard this I couldn't really imagine how something could be truly character driven. I mean, when I personally think of award winning novel ideas what typically comes to mind is extreme settings with lengthy plots. Characters come secondary to the plot, in my mind at least. But then again, everyone is different. According to the article, most writers have a preference for one style of writing over another. Some writers are more adept at developing complex, interesting, and unique characters. Others excel at action packed, page turning adventures. Take for example, the adventures of Indiana Jones - clearly a character driven story all the way. Included in this category would be 007, even if Rodger Moore could out act Pierce Brosman any day of the week. However, think to stories more like The Giver, the dystopian future clearly impacts the behaviors of all of the characters involved in the story. I was thinking about this some more, and I ask you to question this as well: is Hamlet a character driven or plot driven story? Although some may think this is obviously a no brainer, just take some time to think about it.
The title of the play is Hamlet. Boom, right there, tells you that Shakespeare sat down with a witty prince in mind and formed an entire political empire's drama around him. The characters stand out so much in Hamlet, and in the rest of Shakespeare's works for that matter, because they're dramatic acts and you read the story completely invested in the character. The way I like to think about if its more so a plot driven or character driven plot is to ask yourself: describe in one sentence the story. However, the hard thing with Shakespeare is that he is such a master of language and writing that he blends both plot and character together simultaneously. Take for example, Romeo and Juliet. Guy falls in love with girl, is forced apart by their families, their inexpressible love for each other tears them apart and they die tragically? It sounds awkward. But, this was kind of bothering me as I was listening to NPR because I honestly could not categorize Hamlet as either character or plot driven. So I ventured to wikipedia to find a one sentence solution there, and it gave me nothing: "The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then taken the throne and married Gertrude, Hamlet's mother." So basically, Shakespeare defies all laws of literature.
In essence, I feel as if I should start listening to stations actual teenagers listen to so that I don't stay awake at night pondering Shakespeare. Its rather annoying.

Inivisible Man - Fight Club?

So I'm not even 100 pages into Invisible Man, and I can already tell this is going to be a book that confuses me until the very last page. Right now I just finished the part after the old white guy collapses in the bar, and the narrator is dodging people flying at him for his life. In the past chapters, there was a man who committed incest and a battle royale that put many Japanese talk shows to shame. And by the way, has anyone noticed that there's been a lot of incest in the books we're reading this semester? Anyways, this book is pretty weird. Before going into this book, one of my friends told me that it is reminenscent of The Wasteland and there's a large existentialist/futile theme in the novel, similar to Doestevsky's philosophy. Yet, call me stupid, I haven't really found too many thematic similarities up until this point. Yes, there was a lot of blood letting during the whole battle royale. No, when I read of black men being electrectuted for the entertainment of white men I do not think The Wasteland. What I do particularly like about the book, however, is its use of an unnamed narrator. And we all know one of the most influential books of all time followed a similar train of thought. That's right, I'm talking about Fight Club.
In the movie the narrator's name is Jack. In the novel, he has no name. This is supremely significant in the context of the novel, because as he moves through the coming abouts of this religion like organization the narrator rises to infamy without a name. The narrator, an insurance investigator prone to depression and insomnia, finds temporary joy and distraction by attending various support groups. But he keeps running into another support group fraud named Marla, which spoils his fun. Meanwhile, he also meets a free-lance projectionist named Tyler Durden, who splices frames from porn movies into mainstream features and suggests they undermine capitalist society with dangerous pranks and the Fight Club -- a group devoted to bare knuckles, all-out battles between similarly confused and frustrated young males. Its almost as if he's transcending God, yet God is not him its Tyler Durden. The importance of having an unnamed narrator is this: people fall through the cracks in society. There are people out there who won't have a say in important legislation, in the decisions for our generation, in the decisions for their very own life. Thus, they don't really have a name. In fight club, the narrator didn't even have an identity before Tyler Durden establishes the psuedo religion of Fight Club. As Fight Club grows and spreads across the country, Durden recruits the most loyal (and mindless) fighters and starts a new group, Project Mayhem. The group's ultimate goal is to eventually do away with consumerism and to initiate the downfall of civilization, a goal which the narrator is aghast at. The rise of the previous religion quickly turns into a pitfall of the religious mind set, and the narrator's identity is once again torn to shreds as he battles off the masses.
Yet, I wonder if the connection really exists in Invisible Man. Only time will tell.

Metaphysics in a nutshell

Inspired by chapter 5 in Grendel, I have decided to venture onto my own metaphysical quest. And, surprisingly, its not as easy as it seems. Metaphysics, in its whole, accounts for over ten subsects of philosophy. This ranges from metaphysical holism (similar to the beliefs of methodoligical holism) to metaphysical realism (there are real objects, they exist independant of other objects, and have independant properties). However, the belief system of just "metaphysics" is entirely different altogether. Metaphysics, is truly, the structure of reality along with the structure of nature and constitution of such. Although many believe that Metaphysics goes hand in hand with science, its essence actual presupposes science. Are there, for example, physical objects at all, does every event even have a cause?
Tuhs, the heart of metaphysics.
The dragon in chapter 5 only briefly touches on the realm of metaphysical philosophy - however try looking it up in the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. There are literally pages upon pages of information regarding metaphysics, each paragraph nearly contradicting the last. Some believe that metaphysics itself does not exist itself, because it is "cognitively meaningless" and not "emperically verifiable". By the next paragraph, however, the textbook asserts that metaphysics "is knowable only through the methods of the sciences, is itself a metaphysics, namely metaphysical naturalism. It is not a part of science itself." Wait...what? The only truth in metaphysics is that there is no truth, that maybe nothing in itself exists, that maybe our perception of objects reality is entirely wrong.
Metaphysics in itself applies to all of philosophies as a whole - think about it. Locke's social contract cannot exist if nothing in itself exists - anything philosophy investigates is assumed a part of reality. Knowledge, values, social constructs, reasoning all become lucid and insiginificant if nothing else within nature is true. Weird.
Dualism is the term coined for realms that are not real - what would be true if nothing truly existed. These worlds are known as spatiotemporal worlds, and this brings an entirely new debate of realism versus anti-realism. I took a philosophy class at Emory over the summer, and we talked extensively on Kant's philosophical assertions. And trust me, there are alot. But this reminds me of Kant's transcendentalist idealism - basically the world only exists because of what we see. Basically, every person's view of the world is adapted personally to their conceptions of the world - everything from the view of human kind to language. Metaphysics is truly a strange, engrossing concept. The aspect I love and hate about philosophy is that questions remain, despite all the extensive information on the topics. No matter what one philosophy asserts, theres always a contradictory opinion to destroy the previous opinion.
According to metaphysics, however, it doesn't matter because nothing really exists anything. Well it might exist. But its not actually a given. Is anything itself actually a given?
My brain just blew up.
P.s. – The pictures in the chapter are extremely amusing. I’ve been sketching Grendel faces for a few days now. I’m becoming quite extraordinary.

Why sh** happens

Today was a particularly bad day in my life. I felt that my intelligence was completely undermined, embarrassed myself, proceeded to get sick, and now I have to testify in court. However, we all have those memorable days. Perhaps you get mud splashed on you from a car, or perhaps every single radio station is playing a song from the Black Eyed Peas. So I decided to google the science of a really bad day, and this is what I found.
Why Sh*t Happens: The Science of a Really Bad Day by Dr. Peter J. Bentley is a new book that expands on the science of those horrid days. Dr. Bentley asserts that nearly all bad days, and the events that occur within those days, are somewhat in our control. Although we may not be able to occur what is thrown at us, we are able to manipulate our response that will in turn affect the rest of our day. "Those who have a negative attitude are more likely to endow normal little mishaps with some mystical significance. Some psychologists even suggest that it's a way of subconsciously avoiding responsibility for our actions. 'It was Friday 13th, so I was bound to stick my fingers with superglue" or 'Accidents happen in threes, so after the first mishap the next two were inevitable.'" So essentially, after the first bad event in your day its kind of up to you. This seems enlightening and, yet, also frustrating - its as if the blame is put entirely on, well, you.
Dr. Bentley also talks on the point that bad days are so blatantly memorable in our minds because they are distinct departure from the norm. "We'll remember the time we drove off in the car with our bag on the roof, but forget the hundreds of times we drove off with the bag in the car. We'll remember the time our mp3 player went through the washing machine, but forget all the other occasions we used it to play music. So a sh*t day is immediately relevant and memorable to everyone." This too also makes sense. I could, right now, name in the past few months all the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad days I've had. However, if hard pressed to recall events from a stereotypical, normal day - I would most likely have a more difficult time. This, to me, raises the question - what does this say about humanity?
Apparently, by knowing the mechanics of a bad day, we can also interpret how to fix these days. Going back to the classic mantra, Dr. Bentley states, "Knowledge is power." By acknowledging that yes, perhaps we are to hard on ourselves, we can consciously change our behaviors. And what does this say about human kind and society? Dr. Bentley doesn't have an answer for this, but I believe this to be a throwback to perhaps our more dramatic sides. Perhaps we have a naturalistic need to have a bad day - to contrast with our better ones. Think about it: if we can gab to our friends and family on the horrible grade we received on our math test, it will be that much more rewarding the next test when we get an A.
But I'm still going to mope over that test.

Campbell's Chick Noodle Soup. Mythology too.

Today, I really thought that the movie we watched on Joseph Campbell was extremely interesting. Apparently, he devised the entire field of comparative mythology and there is an extensive library on this subject from Campbell alone. In fact, there are many reoccurring themes in universal works that most of us would recognize from the stories we’ve grown up around. Take for example, the “flood” story. We all know about Noah, and if you need a reminder let me take some time to recite you the true story:
“The Lord said to Noah
Go build me an arky, arky
The Lord told Noah
Go build me an arky, arky
Make it out of hickery barky, barky
Children of the Lord…
It rained and it poured
For forty daysie, daysies
It rained and it poured
For forty daysie, daysies
Nearly drove those creatures crazy, crazy,
Children of the Lord.”
Credits go to whomever wrote Rise and Shine. Anyways, Gilgamesh also has a great flood in the epic work, as does Hindu mythology, Aztec mythology, and the Greek myth of Deucalion. That’s all great, but the most interesting thing to me is the reoccurring role of the hero. Essentially, there are seventeen common themes to all mythological hero stories and in that regard nearly all of our current hero stories as well. There are eight steps, which are:
1. The Call to Adventure
2. The Road of Trials
3. The Vision Quest
4. The Meeting with the Goddess
5. The Boon
6. The Magic Flight
7. The Return Threshold
8. The Master of Two Worlds
No, this really does work out. Whether it be Odysseus or The Lion King (an extremely deep film in my opinion!) there is essentially a formula that can be formatted to all of the hero archetypes. However, I don’t really think that you have to fit every one of the steps to be able to be categorized as a universal hero archetype. Take for example nearly any episode of the classic series “The Twilight Zone”, written by Rod Sterling. One of the episodes, entitled “Death Ship”, follows the lives of three American Astronauts as they find themselves in a parallel universe. The captain of the mission is the first to discover an exact, identical spaceship of their own – with their dead doppelgangers in the ship. From this alternate universe, they must find a way back to Earth, while also solving the mystery behind their alternate selves. In this example the call to adventure and even the road of trials would occur before the beginning of the story, but they are still implied by the nature of their careers. They are adventurers, heroes in the strictest sense of the word – and their quest eventually leads to their demise, in stead of revival. The magic flight they take is a literal magic flight, repairing their spacecraft from things found from the environment of the planet. And the Return Threshold would represent their supposed return to this parallel universe, however the twist ending occurs when they discover they have entered the reality in which they are dead. Rod Serling truly was a master of science fiction, but I still find it extremely interesting that even a hit U.S. T.V. series can be similar to that of my pal Odysseus.

The supreme degradation of the moral filter

This might just be me, but whenever I get tired my moral filter goes down the hole. No, I do not mean that the moments before I enter sleepdom that I rip open a cliffnotes book and find the cow's milk in Tess symbolizes abandonment. I am talking about a physical dreariness that allows humans to become more "real". Say for example, after a great night's rest, you come down stairs and your child is watching TV when they are suppossed to be doing homework. You are more likely to simply scold them, and just turn off the TV. However, reverse the setting to nightime, when you're exhausted from the day, you're more likely to curse at them and perhaps throw a chair (maybe they only do that on Jerry Springer). But, is the happy well rested side more real than the angry, annoyed, and tired side? Or vice versa?
Perhaps after supreme degradation from the day's work that you just turn off your moral filter. That, not to be offensive, you're more crude just because you don't really care. Isn't that the same thing as showing your "true colors?" I'm not exactly sure myself, but I've certaintly said regretful things when my moral filter has been shut down.
The end. Feel free to comment what your own personal belief is on the issue of a moral filter.
P.s. - I know from personal experience, although not truly a moral issue, my vocabulary goes from "splendiforous" to "great" to "awesome" to (positive sounding grunt) as the day goes on. Its interesting to watch the effect of dreariness on people.

Heeeeeelter Skeeeeelter

Okay, so right now I'm reading (for pleasure) Helter Skelter, the true account of the Manson murders. Essentially, Manson was able to interpret the lyrics of Helter Skelter so that he was Jesus, the Beatles were descendants of God, and a huge race riot was going to occur. Thus, a new world order would come about, leaving the whites dominant. According to former "family" members, Manson told the group around 1968, "Are you hep to what the Beatles are saying? Helter Skelter is coming down. The Beatles are telling it like it is," (Helter Skelter). Which is so silly, because anyone who's watched Doctor Oz on Oprah would know skin tone is extremely minute in relation to your DNA. And I'm also a huge Beatles fan, although not incredibly insane like Manson, so I wanted to really examine the lyrics of Helter Skelter.

When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and turn
and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah, yeah, yeah Do you don't you want me to love you
I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you
Tell me tell me come on tell me the answer
and you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer

Okay, so this part to me strikes me as a drug trip. "Miles above you" seems to be a nod at a high, and with this vivid imagery of coming down a slide, I bet its something along the lines of an acid trip. The shallow examination of this part leads me to believe that perhaps the girl won't practice drugs with them. But, of course, there has to be more. Helter Skelter is apparently a twisty slide in England, thus the reference of "when I get to the top of the slide." However, I've also heard that the song could also be referencing the fall of the roman empire. Which, we all know from AP World, is because of those darned barbarians.
-Carson

Should I stay or should I go?

Most of you probably have a Facebook, and if not you are soooo 2003. However, if you DO own a facebook then you may be aware of an "application" called Friend Cicle. What this facebook application does is illustrate the various networks and friends you have, and how diverse your friend base is. And if you take a look at mine, you will see that I have a vast array of friends from all over Georgia. From transitioning from public to private, from middle to high school, my contacts are all over the place. Which leads me to my point: isn't it strange how those who you used to be extraordinarily close to come and go so fast?
It's so strange to me how relationships are nearly recyclable. I mean, for your extremely close friends this doesn't typically apply, but I've certaintly had my fair share of friends go astray. This wasn't supposed to be a long, engaging rant on my past, or anything like that. I just find it strange. Perhaps it's just me?
-Carson

2346 Lilio

2346 Lilio is a pivotol asteroid belt discovered by french astronomer K. Reinmun, who subsquently discovered the apollo asteroids. However, I can guarentee anyone reading this blog entry has never heard of 2346 Lilio, nor probably would they care. However, as I have more frequent mental breakdowns due to the college process, I find myself being able to relate to Lilio. Just, here me out. Okay, so my GPA isn't stellar (pun intended) and I only have one extracurricular. I'm also a white kid who does not have an abusive, alcoholic father. I do not speak a foreign language fluently, nor do I have any direction for my life. All I know is that I enjoy being outside, and that I am extremely lost. And, to further exasorbate myself, on paper I am exactly the same as millions of other kids out there. There is no diversity. I am not a special little snowflake. I will probably blend in with everyone else. And yet, there is so much more. Even though they can't see that, truly, who I am, I am still an individual. I have read work from every author wikipedia characterizes as an influence in the transgressional literature movement.In tenth grade I wrote a term paper on the Lorković-Vokić coup, and it came 4th place in a term paper writing contest. Awards were given to first, second, and third place. I've been a strict vegetarian for 3 years, and have campaigned against slaughterhouses. I have every single album by the beatles, and have a signed album by the steve miller band. I would have been a member of the youth socialist organization of America for three years in a row, but I forgot to send in my dues the second year. I have been through turmoil, and I have had my own share of personal tragedy. And yet, I am the same as 2346 Lilio.
Although I think I may be great, I am not significant enough to be put into a text book. I'm not going to be the next harvard magna cum laude, and I probably won't be the next president (I don't meet age requirements). And I feel as if the message behind college is lost within the admission process. If you want to go to college to learn, and not party, you're in the minority. The key reasoning behind most student's choice to go to a university is their reputation - whether it be academic or socially inviting. So I'll just continue playing the politics of college, and hope that soon I'll be discovered and noted.
I hope that one day I shall not be judged on the basis of my accomplishments on a paper, but for the complexity of my character. I hope that other people in my situation can break from the constricting requirements of many institutions, and that I can still impact the world somehow.
P.s. - On an entirely different note, I find it extremely ironic that Fahrenheit 451 was banned in North Dakota for over 20 years. It's an entire novel about the future government banning (and burning) books because they could inspire critical thought. It's been banned because, in "Fahrenheit", one of the books that eventually gets burned is the Bible. But, I mean, the point of the book is to NOT BURN BOOKS AND THEREFORE THE BIBLE. Just sayin', it's common sense people. C'mon.
- Carson

Disenchantment

Sometimes there are defining moments in your life where you stand at a crossroads. The fork in the road is definitive of where you could be going, however neither path is nescessarily right or wrong. However, the road leading to the fork in the road is the past, the history, and cannot be changed. The crossroads, thus, become concrete, and you have to weigh your options for as they are right now, not on the basis of what you wish had happened.
Okay, so what I just typed means nothing without context. But, I find myself at a crossroads this very moment. Recently, I've been having "issues" with a friend of mine, one who has remained extremely close to me for a number of years. So, now, to let out frustration I'm going to address you personally.
Within the past few months, you have complained to me about how I don't try. I don't put effort into the relationship. How, essentially, its all my fault for our dwindeling relationship. But,you can't see it how I do try. I'm the one who always goes along with your friends. I'm the one who always goes along with your interests, even though you know I don't really care all that much. I'm the one who sits stagnant, writing college essays typically, while you go along with your plans.
I've never been under this much stress before in my life. Not to rant, but the work load for 18 college applications is extremely overwhelming. So I am not, particularly, in the best position to worry about our relationships. But, the times where I'm not at work are few and far between, so it meant alot to me that this time you would come visit MY friends. Come see MY interests, as oppossed to your own. That, maybe, you would see I do try, and that you could branch apart from your own social bubble, and come see my own. However, you didn't. You blew me off, even though it meant the world to me. And you chose your new friends over your old, just like you think I do time and time again. However, I've never chosen anyone over you, I've chosen working hard and pain over pleasure. However, you continually choose over me, even though you are not plaguaed by strenous work. You have chosen a crossroads in your life, whether you recognize that or not. You have chosen a path that does not require, perhaps, a moment of social silence, nor have you chosen a path to stress your work ethic. I, however, am choosing a different path. I am choosing a path that involves today being strenous so that tomorrow I can be happy. I believe you to be selfish in some circumstances, and jaded in others. So, just realize, you're on your own path with your own definitive friends. And I am on my own.
-Carson
P.s. - I'm thinking its going to be Noah's Ark version 2.0 soon. In order to save gas today, I believe I am just going to swim home. Might be more effective.

Senior Trip...to ENLIGHTENMENT

So, for the first time in my 17 years, I get to designate my very own vacation. Yes, that is correct, my own vacation. At the finally of my brother's senior year, our extremely rich uncle (which is also the name of a student loan company) sent him to Italy for two weeks with a meager FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. I know I go to Alpharetta High school, and I'm far from impoverished, however I'm relatively sure my parents would look into arraigned marriages if it guaranteed them four thousand dollars. So, as it is only fair, at the conclusion of my senior year I will also have a "dowry", if you will, of four thousand dollars to go wherever my heart desires. But, I would characterize myself as one of those people who can not decide what they want to eat for dinner. So, how am I supposed to know where I could go, if I had the choice of anywhere? Well, as always, I'm looking through my 1001 page philosophy book for answers. And I'm also googeling trips under 4,000$.
If I want a catalyst of change in my life, which would be nice before college, I should establish something to make that happen. Therefore, ruling out any trip in the continental U.S. I've never actually left the US, so I want to actually take some time to get to know myself. Additionally, I want to find myself by finding nature. This is because A. naturalism and transcendentalism tell me this is true B. I am a hippie.
I'm just going to put this out there. The greatest tragic character of ALL TIME was not the lead character in a drama, short story, novel or novella. No, Chris McCandless was a real "character", and besides Holden, is the most compelling person I have ever encountered in written word. So there's this sense of innate humanness that compels me to run to Alaska, and test my strength there. To find myself among one of the greatest natural environments the Earth still has left. But, the other part of me yearns to make my own adventure, and not to emulate Chris's. And, REI adventures also turned up a new destination that seems extremely compelling: Kathmandu.
For a mere 2700$, plus airfare, I can spend 19 days trekking mount Everest with Sherpas, but the elevation is low enough that I probably won't die! In fact, I have to get my physician's approval before going on the trip, have to be over 18, and have to sign a document that says my family won't sue REI if I mysteriously die. But with an elevation of over 18000', I'm fairly unsure if I have it in me. But I think I'm still going to go for the gold here and sign up for the trip, because how many people can say they've climbed mount Everest?
All in all, I'm looking for a sense of adventure before going off to _____ (insert college name there, hopefully not Devry). I think the largest, tallest mountain on Earth can guarentee this for me. Also, I hope I return from the trip without frost bite or just...return from the trip. Anyways, I'm going to email my Uncle tonight and see if he'll allow for me to "touch the heavens".
Carson
P.s. - Really hoping if I go on this trip nothing bad happens. Chris McCandless is my idol, but I'm sort of shooting for a different fate.