'1984' Section 1
The first section of 1984 left me with many questions and unfinished thoughts. My first question is about the dark haired girl. I was wondering who she was and what she wanted with Winston. Another character I want to know more about is Mr. Charrington. He is a very sketchy character. Why would he provoke Winston to write a diary? If he were a part of the inner party he would have told on Winston, but he didn’t. Also, I was left questioning about the three men who were captured, tortured, released back into society, and then captured again in the cafeteria. Why would they pick suck a public place to capture them. Why could the police just have gone to their homes and taken them. I think the police wanted too do it in a very public place so that they could show the public the consequences of breaking the laws. I have many unanswered question that hopefully will be answered when I keep reading the book.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Week 7
Machiavelli
Machiavelli wrote about qualities that he believe all princes should have in order to rule their kingdom properly. He based most of his methods on the emotions of the population. He mostly played on the emotion of fear. He believe that if you instilled fear into the people that they would be scared enough to listen to everything you say and scared enough not to challenge the thorn. One other main idea of his that I felt was important was the false reality that he tells the prince to create. This false reality includes things that he wants the general public to believe, yet that have no truth. An example would be that he said he wanted the public to believe that he cared for them, even though he didn’t. He used the word appear many times. He believes strongly in deception. I can relate his use of fear and deception to an episode of Dr. Phil I recently watched. There was a married man deceiving his wife by lying to her about the status of their relationship while this man was going off and having relation with a 17 year old female. He was also deceiving this 17 year old female by telling her that he loved her and was going to leave his wife for her once she turned 18, however had no intentions of doing so. He instilled the fear of him cheating and separation in his wife and also in the female. This was a sick man, but, in Machiavelli’s case it was very strategic and intelligent and I believe his qualities would make a great prince.
Machiavelli wrote about qualities that he believe all princes should have in order to rule their kingdom properly. He based most of his methods on the emotions of the population. He mostly played on the emotion of fear. He believe that if you instilled fear into the people that they would be scared enough to listen to everything you say and scared enough not to challenge the thorn. One other main idea of his that I felt was important was the false reality that he tells the prince to create. This false reality includes things that he wants the general public to believe, yet that have no truth. An example would be that he said he wanted the public to believe that he cared for them, even though he didn’t. He used the word appear many times. He believes strongly in deception. I can relate his use of fear and deception to an episode of Dr. Phil I recently watched. There was a married man deceiving his wife by lying to her about the status of their relationship while this man was going off and having relation with a 17 year old female. He was also deceiving this 17 year old female by telling her that he loved her and was going to leave his wife for her once she turned 18, however had no intentions of doing so. He instilled the fear of him cheating and separation in his wife and also in the female. This was a sick man, but, in Machiavelli’s case it was very strategic and intelligent and I believe his qualities would make a great prince.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Week 6
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions
When reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, I felt empowered. The drive and passion for equal right and for the right to vote was amazing. To organize such a convention in that decade, without the permission of men, was a very threatening move. When she stated at the end of paragraph 3 “Such has been the patient sufferance of women under this government, and such is now…to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.” (E. Cady Stanton) it was interesting that after many years of striving to become what her brother never was, she gave up that dream and started to live her own life as the women she was, to create the equality that she was never granted. When reading this essay, I felt a relation to Mrs. E. Cady Stanton because as a young girl, I played hockey. It wasn’t known as, your now typical, Girls Hockey league. This was a league for boys, only boys. I have been playing hockey since the age of 3 and a Girl’s hockey league did not exist. I practice as much as I could to be as good, if not better, then the boys. I was discriminated against for many years because I was the only girl on the team. I felt a sense of understanding when Mrs. E. Cady Stanton said that she wanted to be just like her brother, as did I. I have an older brother who also played Travel hockey and I wanted to be just like him. I stuck it out many years playing for a ‘boys’ team until Windsor for a ‘girls’ Hockey league. Even though I was an outsider while playing for that team, I stuck it out, because of my love for the game. Now, due to girls like me, who didn’t quit, there are designated “women’s” dressing rooms in most arenas (instead of dressing in women’s washrooms) and girls are now accepted on “boys” teams, base on skills, not on gender.
The declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions to this day are helping women in small ways make a big difference. I thought the final resolution summed them all up by stating “That the speedy success of our cause depends upon the zealous and untiring efforts of both men and women…and for securing to women an equal participation with men in various trades, professions, and commerce.” (E. Cady Stanton) but in my case, sports as well.
When reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, I felt empowered. The drive and passion for equal right and for the right to vote was amazing. To organize such a convention in that decade, without the permission of men, was a very threatening move. When she stated at the end of paragraph 3 “Such has been the patient sufferance of women under this government, and such is now…to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.” (E. Cady Stanton) it was interesting that after many years of striving to become what her brother never was, she gave up that dream and started to live her own life as the women she was, to create the equality that she was never granted. When reading this essay, I felt a relation to Mrs. E. Cady Stanton because as a young girl, I played hockey. It wasn’t known as, your now typical, Girls Hockey league. This was a league for boys, only boys. I have been playing hockey since the age of 3 and a Girl’s hockey league did not exist. I practice as much as I could to be as good, if not better, then the boys. I was discriminated against for many years because I was the only girl on the team. I felt a sense of understanding when Mrs. E. Cady Stanton said that she wanted to be just like her brother, as did I. I have an older brother who also played Travel hockey and I wanted to be just like him. I stuck it out many years playing for a ‘boys’ team until Windsor for a ‘girls’ Hockey league. Even though I was an outsider while playing for that team, I stuck it out, because of my love for the game. Now, due to girls like me, who didn’t quit, there are designated “women’s” dressing rooms in most arenas (instead of dressing in women’s washrooms) and girls are now accepted on “boys” teams, base on skills, not on gender.
The declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions to this day are helping women in small ways make a big difference. I thought the final resolution summed them all up by stating “That the speedy success of our cause depends upon the zealous and untiring efforts of both men and women…and for securing to women an equal participation with men in various trades, professions, and commerce.” (E. Cady Stanton) but in my case, sports as well.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Week 5
Martha C. Naussbaum: The Central Human Functional Capabilities
Nussbaum is writing on the capabilities of humans. I agree with most of what she is saying when it comes to what people should have to have lived a full life. However, she describes some limitations to this happiness. If you have a handicap, for instance you are physically challenged or mentally challenged, to me it seems that she says that if you cannot fulfil these requirements you are not a complete person and you won’t have lives a full life and you are less of a human for it. Her approach is called a "capabilities approach" to development, which views capabilities or "substantial freedoms", such as the ability to live to old age, engage in economic transactions, participate in political activities, or have a healthy sexual relationship, as the constitutive parts of development, and poverty as capability-deprivation. I believed her view of humanity is skewed. If she never grew up in poverty, how would she know these people did not live a complete life? Everyone finds happiness in different things, whether it be with family, through sexual relationships, through religious affiliations, or any unlimited source. I know this is her take on what a good human life should be, however, a good human life to an older white woman, growing up in the United State and a good human life to someone living in a different part of the world can be completely different.
Nussbaum is writing on the capabilities of humans. I agree with most of what she is saying when it comes to what people should have to have lived a full life. However, she describes some limitations to this happiness. If you have a handicap, for instance you are physically challenged or mentally challenged, to me it seems that she says that if you cannot fulfil these requirements you are not a complete person and you won’t have lives a full life and you are less of a human for it. Her approach is called a "capabilities approach" to development, which views capabilities or "substantial freedoms", such as the ability to live to old age, engage in economic transactions, participate in political activities, or have a healthy sexual relationship, as the constitutive parts of development, and poverty as capability-deprivation. I believed her view of humanity is skewed. If she never grew up in poverty, how would she know these people did not live a complete life? Everyone finds happiness in different things, whether it be with family, through sexual relationships, through religious affiliations, or any unlimited source. I know this is her take on what a good human life should be, however, a good human life to an older white woman, growing up in the United State and a good human life to someone living in a different part of the world can be completely different.
Week 4
Dalai Lama: The Ethic of Compassion
When reading the Dalai Lama, I felt as though he was speaking to me. It wasn’t a feeling that I was being preached to or talked at. He is genuine in his words which makes this an easy read. He is giving people advice of things they should already know, such as, kindness, compassion and love. However, many people in today’s society seemed to have lost these three things while aging. Many people I meet, including myself, do not practice these 3 values. Without these 3 values, people have become selfish and self centered. He also says;
"I believe our every-day experience confirms that a self-centred attitude towards problems can be destructive not only towards society, but to the individual as well. Selfishness does not solve problems for us, it multiplies them. Accepting responsibility and maintaining respect for other will leave all concerned at peace. This is the essence of Mahayana Buddhism." –Dalai Lama
I believe that this statement sums up today’s society and how far away from universal peace we have become. This statement was the point in his excerpt that I just stopped to think about the things that I have done recently and in the past that are very self-centered and I actually felt upset for my actions.
I enjoyed how the Ethics of Compassion can be applied to anyone, regardless of their culture, race or religion. His mission is for universal peace and if everyone practiced compassion, kindness and love for one another, the world might be a couple steps closer to universal peace.
When reading the Dalai Lama, I felt as though he was speaking to me. It wasn’t a feeling that I was being preached to or talked at. He is genuine in his words which makes this an easy read. He is giving people advice of things they should already know, such as, kindness, compassion and love. However, many people in today’s society seemed to have lost these three things while aging. Many people I meet, including myself, do not practice these 3 values. Without these 3 values, people have become selfish and self centered. He also says;
"I believe our every-day experience confirms that a self-centred attitude towards problems can be destructive not only towards society, but to the individual as well. Selfishness does not solve problems for us, it multiplies them. Accepting responsibility and maintaining respect for other will leave all concerned at peace. This is the essence of Mahayana Buddhism." –Dalai Lama
I believe that this statement sums up today’s society and how far away from universal peace we have become. This statement was the point in his excerpt that I just stopped to think about the things that I have done recently and in the past that are very self-centered and I actually felt upset for my actions.
I enjoyed how the Ethics of Compassion can be applied to anyone, regardless of their culture, race or religion. His mission is for universal peace and if everyone practiced compassion, kindness and love for one another, the world might be a couple steps closer to universal peace.
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