Brave New World Vs. Real World

Although I have not read either of the stories in the article, I do have to say this article made me want to read them more. I knew that Brave New World was a little “different” but I now am even more curious to actually read it. As for 1949, I am still debating on whether or not I want to read it.

I agree that things from the books are becoming true. The future is built on the past generations and its only natural that we would be influenced by Classic works such as Brave New World and 1949. While the people in Brave New World seem a little far fetched, I feel that they are almost overly exaggerated versions of people today. Like in Brave New World, or so I am speculating because I have not in fact read the book yet, people are addicted to drugs and sex and I feel that this habit is only increasing with time. Maybe someday the world will get to a point where we will be exactly that of Brave New World. As for 1949, our country has before shown signs of following that book but I feel other countries are more prone to repeat the ways of that book more than America. Countries like Korea and Russia are already in dictatorships and governments like dictatorships.

Other aspects of Brave New World are very similar to society today, although not quite as drastic. While I already mentioned drugs and sex, there is also the example of babies grown in hatcheries. While our babies are not grown and produced in mass to repopulate, we do have the technology to fertilize and female egg outside the body and in a sense grow a test tube baby. On a similar subject, the book seems to describe contraceptives in vast numbers because woman are not allowed to give birth in the society of Brave New World. “The others practice “malthusian drill” – a form of birth control – take “pregnancy surrogate” hormone treatments…” (Atwood.) In today’s society we have these things and in more abundance now than before. Not only do we have the pill, but we have the shot and the little bar they stick in your arm. (The name escapes me.)

Although our world is not near as outlandish as Brave New world there are similarities and I feel that they will only continue to increase.

 

Videogames and Violent kids? How about NO.

Often, I find it funny when older people spout off the line, “Back in my day we used to play outside.” Today’s children and teens are consumed by video games. Instead of kicking around a soccer ball, half of today’s children are sitting in front of an Xbox or computer screen completely absorbed in a fictional world. Within the confines of a video game American children and teenagers can be whomever they want whether it be a superhero, an animal, or a cold blooded killer. Yes, you heard me right. A cold blooded killer. Violence in today’s video games is a pretty big controversy in the United States. Not only do some parents want to shelter their children from violence, but they feel that violent video games will make their children violent themselves. Personally, I find the subject very funny. I guess its the dash of dark humor or the sadistic thoughts I have stored in my brain, but I feel that video games will not make your child violent.

Video games are for entertainment purposes, they are an outlet and an escape for some kids and teens. Way back when people like Charles Manson and Jeffy Dahmer were running around they were not even connected to video games. Do you think your child is going to become a cold blooded killer if he plays Grand Theft Auto? The answer is no. If you child does become a killer, it is definitely not because of a videogame but because you are a bad parent. “Video game players understand they are playing a game. Their ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality prevents them from emulating video game violence in real life” (“Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?”). I agree with this statement from Procon and I further that by saying if you teach your child from a young age what right and wrong they will know that killing people in video games is not something you should repeat in real life.

On the side that decrees that video games contribute to youth violence it is stated that, “Violent video games desensitize players to real-life violence.” While this may be true to some teens and children, it is not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. Call me crazy, but I would rather have my children not wig out if they saw someone get shot. My children would be the ones concentrating on the scene and remembering details that may catch the shooter. Although I am not saying that the situation I described would ever happen, I am summing up the fact that taking away a little sensitivity to these things would not necessarily be the end of the world. Video games do not make your child a violent person, but they can be a safe and stable substitute for violence. According to the article, “Playing violent video games allows adolescent boys to express aggression and establish status in the peer group without causing physical harm” (“Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?”). Statements like this make me wonder why people are so against video games. Just because your kid is killing a friend’s character does not mean they are going to kill their friend.

Violent video games are always going to be around and although they should not be played by young children, they will be played. By teaching your children what is wrong and right and monitoring their behavior and video game privileges you can assure yourself, as well as others, that video games will not make your child violent. If anything, videogames are going to make your child lazy and anti-social, not necessarily violent.. In the end, it is your choice whether you believe that violent video games make your child violent or they don’t, but I can personally say that there is a whole lot more going on if your child is going to be violent and maybe you shouldn’t blame a video game.

Hungry for Something More

The story “A Hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka is the story of a man who struggles with his need to be noticed and he does this by fasting for the entertainment of others. While reading the short anecdote you are confronted with a man that has a serious eating disorder. “The Artist” as the author refers to him in the story is a man addicted to fasting and starving himself. He sits in a cage laid with straw and denies himself food for weeks. The cage is put on display for spectators to gawk at. The Artist seems to feed off this attention – reaching his bony arms through the bars to let people feel and observe how skinny he is. When his “art” becomes less popular the Artist fasts longer and well into his old age, eventually dying because of his lack of nutrition and age. A panther is then placed in his cage and the audience is captivated, leaving the hunger artist a mere memory.

“A Hunger Artist” is excellent example of expressionism in literature and reflects the inner workings of not only the Artist’s mind, but of the author himself. Often you get the sense that the author not only wanted his readers to understand what was happening to the Hunger artist, but glimpse the truth about why the artist was literally “starving for attention”. Like the artist, Kafka was a troubled man searching for acceptance in society and in life. The hunger artist craved the attention of the spectators because of some long dwelling need to be adored. Kafka never had a close relationship with his father and his mother was not really understanding of his writing. Like the Hunger Artist, Kafka strived to gain the acceptance from his mother and father who never approved of his writing or his dream to be a writer and his life often felt incomplete because of this.

There appears to be a great number of symbols in the story that are reflected in the cage, the artist, the panther, the spectators and food. The cage seems to symbolize the artist’s addiction to fasting and his need to be exploited as a showpiece. It symbolizes his need to be accepted and adored by people and fasting is the way he tries to gain the attention of the people. The artist himself symbolizes the need that is in everyone. Everyone is craving something whether it be love, acceptance, or the ability to be something different. The artist embodies this need and displays it in a way that may seem grotesque and wrong, but everyone’s needs can seem this way if presented in a different way. Through his eyes the art of fasting is something necessary to gain the attention he craves. The panther symbolizes life over death and  change in time and change in what is popular. Before the hunger artist  was a broken shell of a man almost a living corpse, although he was popular and loved. When he died he was quickly replaced and  people became  interested in the panther’s liveliness and they forgot about their love for the Hunger Artist. The spectators symbolize society and how it is always changing and “loving” one thing one day and something new the next. This connects with the panther in how the people used to be interested in the hunger artist but are now interested in the panther. Food symbolizes the need we are all striving for. In the story the artist says, “because I couldn’t find the food I liked.” When he says this he is not meaning literal food he is meaning the attention. It is not possible for one man to not have any food he likes. There is food all over the world and he barely eats as it is. Food symbolizes the ultimate goal of the Hunger Artist – to be accepted and adored.

While “A Hunger Artist” is a story wriggling with dark humor, you can’t help but feel sorrow and remorse for the man who starved himself to death. From a physiological standpoint I couldn’t contain my curiosity in wondering what this man’s childhood was like and upon reading about the author I realized that the Hunger Artist was a reflection of Kafka’s need to be accepted by his family. With its many examples of symbolism and connections to the author, “A hunger Artist” by Franz Kafka is an excellent example of expressionism in literature and is overall a very interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Surrealism Swimmer

The main conflict in The Swimmer is Neddy’s inability to distinguish reality from illusion due to his alcoholism. In simple terms, the man is a drunk. In the story you get the sense that he has always been this way and people have learned to accept the fact that the man probably pours Jack Daniels on his Cheerios every morning. The swimmer is a great example of surrealism because throughout the entire story Neddy is under the influence of alcohol. When drunk, your body doesn’t function as well as it should and you often hallucinate or do things you wouldn’t normally do. When I first read the story I thought that he was actually visiting his neighbor’s homes and pools and the illusion was the changing of seasons and his age. While that was also an illusion, the main illusion was the fact that he was not actually visiting these places. The fact that everything was in his imagination is a great example of surrealism. In his drunk ramblings, Neddy reflects on his previous life and his present life in one day when in actuality everything probably happened over years.

Con conceal carry

In the United States, a number of laws have been enacted so that “specialized citizens” have the right to carry a handgun as long as it is concealed. These citizens are of the law enforcement background, but some feel your average Jo should be able to have this right as well. The big question is; is that what we want for our society? Most, including myself, at first think to themselves that we should have guns. More power to the people and so forth, but when it comes down to it, would you allow some of the people you know to carry a gun? Looking around my classroom, I can count a number of people I would not allow to have a gun.

When I think of the question, “Should Adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun?” I automatically ask; at what age do you consider someone an adult? Legally you are an adult at 18 years of age, but I know of some 18 year olds that are greatly lacking the maturity of adults and some that are even older that still lack the maturity. I don’t believe these people should have guns, maybe that’s just my opinion, but I would be afraid to walk outside if the kid down the street that kicks neighborhood cats got a hold of gun and it was allowed. Congratulations, you may have let a sociopath carry a gun to the super market. Anyone can study and pass a test to own a gun, that doesn’t always mean they should.

The article mentions that carrying a concealed handgun is an effective, non-lethal form of self defense. So are Karate or kickboxing and they tend to do less damage and tend to not scare the life out of people near as much. In the end, I think my main opinion is that I DON’T want to carry a handgun and there are some people I would not want legally caring a handgun. Call me crazy, but I don’t feel some people are responsible enough to carry a gun and they should leave the gun wielding to law enforcement. 

Minimum Wage Response

Minimum wage is an hourly wage rate that is set by law for workers in the United States. As of right now the minimum wage is $7.25. My opinion on minimum wage is short, sweet, and to the point: It’s good. Minimum wage gives everyone that is able-bodied and willing the fair amount of pay that they deserve for working. Sure it could go a little higher, but I’m not one to gripe and groan over the issue just yet. I feel that the Minimum wage fits the age-old saying, “Somethin’ is better than nothin’ ” To a “T”. As the article states, “People who earn minimum wage are usually young.” I agree with that. I know of many high school and college students who work for minimum wage and have no complaints; it’s as we get older that the minimum wage becomes an issue. The article brings to light the single parents across America, scraping by to get food on the table for their children as well as pay those pesky bills every month. I can see where minimum wage just might not be enough in their case. But there are ways they can get by and receive help if they truly need it. I do not feel that minimum wage is as much as a problem as people’s need to spend money on frivolous and unneeded items. Now that is an issue that Americans should complain about. All in all, I feel that as a teenager in America the minimum wage is A-okay and that maybe in the future I’ll have a different opinion on the subject.

Art Education Article

Art Education

While reading (skimming mostly) through the art education article I found it to be very repetitive. It seemed to me that she was not repeating for emphasis but to fill a word quota. I agree with her on the fact that art does help students learn and should be offered in schools, but the repetitiveness of the article made me lose complete interest in reading the entire piece. I did enjoy how she used examples of different schools and showed the numbers and graphs, they really helped me get the big picture. Subjects such as art, music appreciation, band, and theatre help open children’s minds to their creative side and give them an outlet as well teaching them something out of the normal school subjects. Schools shouldn’t be restricted to only teaching the core curriculum of Math, Science, Reading and Writing but should offer art courses as well. All schools should offer programs geared toward the arts and the state should fund these projects not the schools. Some schools cannot afford art courses and I do not think they should punish the student’s creativity by not having programs that give them the creative art outlet their subconscious desires.  Although I agree with purpose of the article, the image at the beginning is what really pulled me in and I think that was the point of it being there. Who doesn’t love Adam Sandler being a father and patron of the arts (or any celebrity for that matter)? All in all, I found the article’s purpose to be spot on and a reflection of my views, but the repetitive way it was written wasn’t exactly up to par and made the article dull and boring.