Speak

Who am I? Hah, I wish I knew. I’m still trying to find the answer to that question. Just as we discussed with “The Social Me” reading I think I act differently with other people. I don’t believe it’s because I want to be accepted by them I think it just happens. Some of my friends think I’m funny while others would say I’m more serious. Some think I’m innocent, others would disagree. I would say that none of them are right, but I don’t blame them for thinking that of me. I think I, like many people, have two lives. I have my social life, which is how everyone sees me, then I have a whole other life that I live when I’m alone. My social life includes everyone, family, friends, acquaintances, and teachers. My other life is just me. I don’t know why that’s how it is, but it is what it is. My closest friends know there is a whole other side of me, but they’ve come to accept they won’t see that. I suppose it’s just part of my wall. I tend to live with my guard up, to me that’s just the safest way to get by.
I’d say I was caring, but sometimes it’s best to act like you couldn’t care less. I’d like to say I’m smart, but sometimes I can be unmotivated. I act strong, but in reality I tend to let people get the best of me. When I’m alone I’m never full, but when I’m with people I’m never hungry. I guess I’m just not satisfied with who I am so I let people think I am the opposite of the person I am, a person who strives to be something so much more than I could ever be. I never cry, but that doesn’t mean I’m never upset. I always have a smile on my face, but that doesn’t mean I’m always happy. I can be a loud person, but I rarely speak up.
Melinda is very silent because she wants to blend in, but she’s got a secret that would make her stand out. Through out the novel she never got close to anyone because she was too scared to. Because she couldn’t speak up she lost all of her friends. Rachel had been her best friend for a long time and now they hated each other. Through out the book we see Rachel, or “Rachelle” try to define herself with the foreign students. Her clothes are different and she wears her make up different. She even acts different. Scenes like her mouthing “I hate you” to Melinda shows how their changes have allowed for both of them to go their own ways. One girl that tries to get closed to Melinda would be Heather, but that doesn’t work. Heather did anything and everything she could to fit in and changed everything about herself. She is a good example of how people try to define themselves by what they wear and do. For example, the group she wanted to join was the Marthas and they had to coordinate clothes and they volunteered for everything. Heather changed her whole appearance and her hobbies just to try to fit in. Laurie Halse Anderson does a good job at showing how each of Melinda’s old friends have changed in order to fit into a certain crowd.

Little Brother

At the beginning of the year we discussed how literature is something that makes you question your beliefs. This book does just that. It uses literature to make us question our beliefs on things like privacy and politics. It allows us to get deep in though of what really is freedom? We all of different definitions of freedom. In the book Marcus shows how dedicated he is to living a free life. Most of us think he is doing a great thing and then he brings up a good point... they have become the terrorists themselves. We are again forced to question how far is too far and how far is far enough. Marcus is trying, but maybe he has gone to far. However, in the end, if he does succeed, things COULD be better. I've never really been forced to think about all the concepts the book has gotten me to think about and that is what makes the book so good. In class we talked about China and how much better we have it, but at the same time we our rights are still limited. I didn't know that the governemnt had the rights to do a lot of things they do have the right to do. I didn't know it was so easy for them to invade our privacy like that. I don't think it's fair, then again we come to that point of if it is for our safety then why shouldn't they be able to do that? At one point the government goes to far, but as citizens we tend to cross the line as well.

The Dumbest Generation

In my opinion teens these days are not as full of knowledge as teens in previous generations. Most of us probably couldn’t tell you much about politics or world history. However, we have to be taught it in order to know it. I think the things we are taught are different than the things other generations of been taught. Things that seem like common knowledge to adults isn’t common knowledge to teens. Even if they did teach us, some information I don’t think we would learn. In Ortega’s article we read it said that students have to have a need to learn in order to learn something. I think that need has gone away in most kids. There are so many easier ways to find the information we need without having to learn anything. The internet is a big part of that. For an essay you have to do for a class you can simply type the question in on Google and you will have all you need to know without having to really learn it. This is how it is for most homework assignments. The internet really takes away our motivation, it takes away our need to learn, therefore we can’t learn. I still think that teachers don’t teach us certain thing that most adults find to be common knowledge. At the beginning of the article it talks a lot about ignorance. I think it’s because to some extent life has become too easy for us and teachers don’t try to teach us in the way Ortega y Gasset believes we should be taught. Children need to be taught how to learn.

Why Americans Are Often So Restless Interpretive Questions 2&5

2. Each person has their own limitations. In an equal world we would all be forced to share everyone's limitations. "the same equality which allows each man to entertain vast hopes makes each man by himself weak. His power is limited on every side, though his longing may wander where they will." (166) Here Tocqueville is explaining how equality may give some people a better chance of getting success than they would have in an unequal society, but others will be held back from reaching their full potential. It's like we discussed in class, if your whole life you are trying to get to the top of the mountain some people are born at the top while most have to start from the bottom. In an equal world, those who start at the top will have to be dragged down and start at the bottom with everyone else. This is bad news for those being dragged down, but better for those who had to originally start at the bottom anyway.
5. Tocqueville thinks Americans are restless because once they get what they want they don't want it anymore. Maybe it's because they don't know what they want so they keep trying to find it in new things. Everyone is searching for happiness, but they don't know what will bring them that happiness. I think it's attainable, but people don't want to work that hard to attain it. Like Tocqueville writes, we don't want the labor in trying to reach our goal take away from the enjoyment we should feel once we reach it. "For as their ultimate object is enjoyment, the means to it must be prompt and easy, for otherwise the trouble of getting the pleasure would be greater than the pleasure when won." (166) So maybe, they know what they want, but they are not willing to try hard enough for it which then makes it unattainable. "Every instant they think they will catch it, and each time it slips throught heir fingers. They see it close enough to know its charms, but they do not get newar enough to enjoy it, and they have fully relished its delights." (168) What he means is as Americans we get so close to what we want, but once we get so close we are almost scared and no longer want to fight for it anymore. Once we stop reaching for it it becomes unattainalbe, because Americans are often so restless.

Peasants vs. Ruling Class

The main difference between the peasants and ruling class would be the fact that the ruling class just doesn’t care. The peasants get upset and demand better treatment, but the ruling class couldn’t care less. Why should they? After all, they are the ruling class. A great example would be when the Marquis kills the man’s child and just throws him some money. Money can’t fix anything. The peasant knows that, so he throws the money back to the Marquis. Later, he gets revenge and kills the Marquis. Now, that may not be the best way to go about things, but in a sense the Marquis got what he deserved. Also, when Lucie tries to free her husband, Madame Defarge just sits there knitting like they aren’t discussing anything important, for all we know she is knitting Lucie’s name into the register. Madame Defarge doesn’t even care about the people whose names are on there where as Lucie begs for her husbands freedom. There are several instances throughout the book where the peasants show plenty of emotions while the ruling class seems to have no emotion at all.

A Tale of Two Cities Questions

1. Jarvis Lorry believes the man in his thoughts has been buried for nearly 18 years.
2. All we know is he works at Tellson's, which is a bank in London and he is on his way to Paris.
3. Dr. Manette is Lucie's father who is in prison, even though he is innocent. He has been in jail for 18 years, but he has now been released. Since he has been in prison for so long he is crazy.
4.Monsieur and madame Defarge are the proprietors of the wineshop.
5. Dr. Manette was just imprisoned by nobility and Defarge believes if Manette meets the Jacques he will be inspired want a revolution.
6. Dr. Manette is making shoes.
7. When asked his name Dr. Manette replies One hundred and Five, North Tower. This shows what has happened to him in the past 18 years. It shows how he is mentally ill.

The Way We Are Viewed

Often times the way others view us is the way we view ourselves. We are easily influenced by what others think because it is instinct to want to impress everyone. If you want someone to like you, obviously we are going to care what they think. Should we? Probably not, but we do. In order to be liked we take other people's criticism and what is "wrong" with us, or what they just don't like about us. Once someone says they don't like something about us, it sticks in our heads. Once it's there it's hard to forget. In return, we will subconsciously try to change their opinion. Whether it be changing something about us, or simply defending ourselves to make it sound better, even if it's a lie.
We all have different groups of friends we hang out with. When we are with some people we act one way, with others we act a different way. I know I do. That's because we are letting our peers determine our behavior. We let that happen because we don't want to be seen as an outcast or abnormal to our friends. The fear of not fitting in is more overpowering than many would like to believe. We just want to be good enough, but no one really knows who determines what good enough is, so, we let our friends decide what is good enough. Naturally, we try to fix what ever is supposedly wrong with us. At this point, the need to be perfect overcomes us.