"There, but for the grace of God, goes Sherlock Holmes" (114.)
Yes, Sherlock Holmes was merciful and nearly God-like for allowing Mr. Turner to get away with his crime, of murdering Mr. McCarthy. And although ethically speaking it was so incredibly wrong for Holmes to let Turner go, morally speaking, it may have just been the right thing to do. Let me explain the details to you, my good reader, and you may decide for yourself. :)
Mr. Turner had once upon a time robbed Mr. McCarthy's wagon along with a few of McCarthy's friends, of all their possessions and riches. It was all Mr. Turner and -his- gang of buddies could do to live and better their own lives, by taking away things from others who were very well off. Turner ater the robbing, had felt barraged with guilt and decided to never rob again, and started a business. His business was wildly successful, and he got married to a woman who he had loved and they produced a child named Alice. Old Turner's wife who was never named, ends up dying when Alice is very young, but many years later Turner is barely phased by it, because he still has Alice. McCarthy comes up out of the blue in town one day however, and uses his previous experiences with Turner as blackmail. "Give me anything I want, or I will turn you in to the police," is essentially what McCarthy had used to bond with Turner. McCarthy also had a wife, and they produced a child named James. What happened to Turner's wife, also happened to the wife of Mr. McCarthy and she died shortly after the child's birth. Mr. McCarthy's son James and Turner's daughter Alice had grown close when they were young, and James was madly in love with Alice, to the point of wanting to marry her. Mr. McCarthy had attempted to convince James to make the notion of a proposal so that the McCarthy family would have a bit of the Turner fortune. Turner had seen father McCarthy and his son discuss this plan with James not wishing to pursue Alice solely for money, and Turner had killed McCarthy when James was walking away after his argument with his father.
Was what Turner had done the right thing to do?
Well, I personally am still a bit split on the matter. Either way, it's payback for his thieving days.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #5
As the mystery behind finding the pictures which belonged to the King of Bohemia draws to a close, we discover why Sherlock Holmes had previously describe Irene Adler as "the love of his life" and as of "the woman." (Pg 40).
Holmes had returned to Mrs. Adler's household to fetch the photograph which he had located earlier in the week, by setting up a fake fire near her home and seeing what she would grab first, of her belongings before leaving her household. When Holmes left her household, he had hopped into a taxi cab and picked up Watson. As they drove, they discussed the entire situation of Holmes finding out where Adler had the scandalous photos stored. It turns out the taxi cab driver, was a person hired by Adler herself to spy on Holmes. Adler had gotten hints through a source that remains anonymous in this story, that Holmes would be spying and sneaking near her in hopes of taking the pictures. That is why she hired someone to spy right back.
Knowing that the woman had extreme curiosity to see what Holmes was up to, and having the wit to hire someone to spy right back on him, is what helps us understand Holmes so much more. Holmes loves to be near a witty person, regardless of whether or not they outsmart him. But if Holmes loves to be around these witty people, why does he constantly spend time with Watson who just isn't quite the sharpest crayon in the box? In fact, being outsmarted does not damage Holmes' ego. In this case, he simply stated to Watson, "I have a lot to learn."
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Holmes had returned to Mrs. Adler's household to fetch the photograph which he had located earlier in the week, by setting up a fake fire near her home and seeing what she would grab first, of her belongings before leaving her household. When Holmes left her household, he had hopped into a taxi cab and picked up Watson. As they drove, they discussed the entire situation of Holmes finding out where Adler had the scandalous photos stored. It turns out the taxi cab driver, was a person hired by Adler herself to spy on Holmes. Adler had gotten hints through a source that remains anonymous in this story, that Holmes would be spying and sneaking near her in hopes of taking the pictures. That is why she hired someone to spy right back.
Knowing that the woman had extreme curiosity to see what Holmes was up to, and having the wit to hire someone to spy right back on him, is what helps us understand Holmes so much more. Holmes loves to be near a witty person, regardless of whether or not they outsmart him. But if Holmes loves to be around these witty people, why does he constantly spend time with Watson who just isn't quite the sharpest crayon in the box? In fact, being outsmarted does not damage Holmes' ego. In this case, he simply stated to Watson, "I have a lot to learn."
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Anotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
Ostrom, Carol M. "Initiative 1000 would let patients get help ending their lives." The Seattle Times 21 Sept. 2008.
In this article, Mrs. Ostrom explores the different opinions that people held in regards to Initiative 1000, which was introduced to Washington state law for people to vote on, during the 2008 elections. Initiative 1000 was passed with 58% of Washington's citizens approving it. The reasons for why they did or did not approve it however, varied greatly. Duane French who spent 40 years of his live paralyzed, stated that Initiative 1000 is going to be used as a tool to kill off people who are terminally ill or disabled. However, Initiative 1000 is closely based off of the policies that Oregon uses for their citizens who would like to participate in assisted suicide. In Oregon, no more than 30 people per year have ever taken advantage of the freedom to commit assisted suicide, so French's fears are thought to not become an issue in Washington.
ProQuest Staff. "Assisted Sucide and Euthanasia Timeline." Sirs. 2008. Sirs. 7 Dec 2008
This database time line helps the reader get a rough estimate of when assisted suicide was first a common thing to be discussed not only in America, but worldwide. In Ancient Greece and Rome, it was already defined that suicide itself was a horrible not to mention illegal act to pursue. During the enlightenment in Europe from the 17th to 18th centuries, the general public was not very concerned with suicide, so it was not a widely discussed item. However, the year 1828 was the year when the American colonies first established laws saying it was illegal to give or aid in supplying drugs, weapons, or any other item that could help aid a person in taking their own life.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #4
Today, in the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, we are already on the brink of solving our first mystery in the book's first sixty pages. There's a few things to consider after realizing the book moves just -that- quickly.
How does Sir Conan Doyle manage to keep the novel engaging and not overwhelming the reader with information, when it moves to fast? It's like a long short-story, if that makes any sense at all. What ended up happening though, is that Holmes was never shot when he collapsed in the street. He had set off a fake pistol noise, collapsed on the ground, and brought his hand to his face. His hand was painted red so that when it made contact with his face, red paint would get all over his face and look like he had been bleeding. It just so happens that the Woman who has the King of Bohemia's photo, was the same woman that saw Holmes collapse in the street. The Woman ends up allowing Holmes to recover in her home. Holmes requests that she open the window, so she does, and Watson comes out of no where and throws a smoke-bomb into the home. Seeing the smoke, Sherlock shrieks "Fire!" and the Woman immediately runs off to grab her most important item- The photo which the King of Bohemia has wanted so long so badly.
If Sherlock can find a way to get back into the Woman's house to steal the photo, then that will be the end of his first case in this novel. The man truly does quick work- He only had about three days total to get the photo back.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
How does Sir Conan Doyle manage to keep the novel engaging and not overwhelming the reader with information, when it moves to fast? It's like a long short-story, if that makes any sense at all. What ended up happening though, is that Holmes was never shot when he collapsed in the street. He had set off a fake pistol noise, collapsed on the ground, and brought his hand to his face. His hand was painted red so that when it made contact with his face, red paint would get all over his face and look like he had been bleeding. It just so happens that the Woman who has the King of Bohemia's photo, was the same woman that saw Holmes collapse in the street. The Woman ends up allowing Holmes to recover in her home. Holmes requests that she open the window, so she does, and Watson comes out of no where and throws a smoke-bomb into the home. Seeing the smoke, Sherlock shrieks "Fire!" and the Woman immediately runs off to grab her most important item- The photo which the King of Bohemia has wanted so long so badly.
If Sherlock can find a way to get back into the Woman's house to steal the photo, then that will be the end of his first case in this novel. The man truly does quick work- He only had about three days total to get the photo back.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #3
Alrighty- Time for me to get super technical about this blog's due date. I was told it was due Sunday evening, but since I go to bed later than about 80% of people, evening for me is around midnight. It is 11:44 as I submit this blog, so ah well.
Back to my book- I've stated before that things such as blackmail, scandalous relationships, and treacherous happenings amongst adults are some of the only things that keep my attention to a book. Along with death and violence.
So my surprise with seeing some violence in this novel was HUGE and it felt abrupt, and yet it was just what I had been waiting and hoping for. This novel is already becoming one of my all-time favourites. The violence occurs when "Holmes dashed into the crowd to protect the lady; but just as he reached her, he gave a cry and dropped down to the ground, with the blood running freely down his face" (Pg 38) The book goes on to say that they do not know who hurt Holmes, but he is not dead. The only reason why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose to keep Holmes alive was... You simply can't kill the protagonist in a novel within the first fifty pages.
And yet- What if Holmes had been killed so quickly in the book? The narrative is from Watson's prespective after all, so would that mean Watson would step in and take Holmes' place as the protagonist? Doyle is a detailed orientated person who has a reason for everything, and he probably has grand plans for Holmes later on in the story. We'll see as we continue to read.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Back to my book- I've stated before that things such as blackmail, scandalous relationships, and treacherous happenings amongst adults are some of the only things that keep my attention to a book. Along with death and violence.
So my surprise with seeing some violence in this novel was HUGE and it felt abrupt, and yet it was just what I had been waiting and hoping for. This novel is already becoming one of my all-time favourites. The violence occurs when "Holmes dashed into the crowd to protect the lady; but just as he reached her, he gave a cry and dropped down to the ground, with the blood running freely down his face" (Pg 38) The book goes on to say that they do not know who hurt Holmes, but he is not dead. The only reason why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose to keep Holmes alive was... You simply can't kill the protagonist in a novel within the first fifty pages.
And yet- What if Holmes had been killed so quickly in the book? The narrative is from Watson's prespective after all, so would that mean Watson would step in and take Holmes' place as the protagonist? Doyle is a detailed orientated person who has a reason for everything, and he probably has grand plans for Holmes later on in the story. We'll see as we continue to read.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #2
The first adventure in "The Adventure(s) of Sherlock Holmes" is titled, 'A Scandal in Bohemia." The chapter was given this title because Bohemia's king traveled to England in order to meet with Sir Sherlock Holmes and ask for his assistance. A woman that the king had flirted with and exchanged suspicious pictures with in his youth, is now threatening to publish the pictures when the king publicly announces his marriage to a different Bohemian woman.
Call me a corrupt person, but thoughts of black mail and shattered relationships that are the foundation for conspiracy, are genuinely interesting. I'm already entranced by Sir Conan Doyle's writing style as well, because his sentences aren't too long, nor too short. Just right.
But it's time to get back to the plot! Sherlock Holmes just so happens to live near Madame Irene Adler, the woman who has these suspicious photos of the Bohemian king. So he disguised himself as a beggar so that he could explore Adler's neighborhood and try to dig up some dirt on the woman. It turns out Adler has a love interest that she is also getting married to, the very day Holmes ventures out to her neighborhood. So why does Adler still insist on blackmailing the Bohemian king? What are her motives? We, the readers, don't know quite yet.
Another funny thing about this novel, is that it is not narrated by Sherlock Holmes even though he is the main character. It isn't written in the third person perspective either; but first person from Watson's perspective.
"He disappeared into his bedroom, and returned in a few minutes in the character of an amiable and simple-minded Nonconformist clergyman. His broad black hat, his baggy trousers, his white tie, his sympathetic smile, and general look of peering and benevolent curiosity, were such as Mr John Hare alone could have equaled. It was not merely that Holmes changed his costume. His expression, his manner, his very soul seemed to vary with every fresh part that he assumed. The stage lost a fine actor, even as science lost an acute reasoner, when he became a specialist in crime." (Pg 32.)
From this quote alone, it's easy to understand that Watson highly respects and looks up to Sherlock, even though they have a best-friend type relationship where both people are of equal skill and equal footing. However, Watson is essentially saying with this quote, 'How can you NOT look up to Mr. Holmes?' because his disguises which he uses for his work are so believable. Sherlock puts so much effort into making these disguises his life, like Sir Conan Doyle puts so much effort into trying to make his characters come to life. Already we can tell, the author Mr. Doyle highly respects and values hard work, and Sherlock Holmes might be Doyle's idealistic representation of himself.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Call me a corrupt person, but thoughts of black mail and shattered relationships that are the foundation for conspiracy, are genuinely interesting. I'm already entranced by Sir Conan Doyle's writing style as well, because his sentences aren't too long, nor too short. Just right.
But it's time to get back to the plot! Sherlock Holmes just so happens to live near Madame Irene Adler, the woman who has these suspicious photos of the Bohemian king. So he disguised himself as a beggar so that he could explore Adler's neighborhood and try to dig up some dirt on the woman. It turns out Adler has a love interest that she is also getting married to, the very day Holmes ventures out to her neighborhood. So why does Adler still insist on blackmailing the Bohemian king? What are her motives? We, the readers, don't know quite yet.
Another funny thing about this novel, is that it is not narrated by Sherlock Holmes even though he is the main character. It isn't written in the third person perspective either; but first person from Watson's perspective.
"He disappeared into his bedroom, and returned in a few minutes in the character of an amiable and simple-minded Nonconformist clergyman. His broad black hat, his baggy trousers, his white tie, his sympathetic smile, and general look of peering and benevolent curiosity, were such as Mr John Hare alone could have equaled. It was not merely that Holmes changed his costume. His expression, his manner, his very soul seemed to vary with every fresh part that he assumed. The stage lost a fine actor, even as science lost an acute reasoner, when he became a specialist in crime." (Pg 32.)
From this quote alone, it's easy to understand that Watson highly respects and looks up to Sherlock, even though they have a best-friend type relationship where both people are of equal skill and equal footing. However, Watson is essentially saying with this quote, 'How can you NOT look up to Mr. Holmes?' because his disguises which he uses for his work are so believable. Sherlock puts so much effort into making these disguises his life, like Sir Conan Doyle puts so much effort into trying to make his characters come to life. Already we can tell, the author Mr. Doyle highly respects and values hard work, and Sherlock Holmes might be Doyle's idealistic representation of himself.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #1
For our outside reading project, I will be reading the novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The thought process that went through my head as I was selecting this book to read for the project was very simplistic, but made sense to me nonetheless.
'Hm, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Didn't they used to make you read that in school? ...Why haven't I read it yet? It's probably important if someone's been forced to read it. Okay, I'll read it.'
Agatha Christie has been cited before as looking to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for inspiration in her novels, and Agatha Christie is one of the few mystery / suspense authors that I truly enjoy. Her stories such as "Murder on The Orient Express" and "Curtain" leave you hooked and waiting for more, with each and every single word she has written. That simply must mean Mr. Doyle has written a good piece of literature!
From the introduction alone, written by a man by the name of Eric Ambler, we can tell Doyle is very attached to his profession of writing. "In that one year he abandoned medicine to become a full-time professional writer and suffered a bout of influenza that nearly killed him." (Pg 11.) By the sounds of what Ambler said, Doyle had his career path set and destined. Yet Doyle took the time and effort to completely destroy his plans for the future and go into writing. That, is true dedication. Reading something written by a man who is that immersed in his job, will be a true treat- Something I rarely say when reading books. After all, it's easy to tell when someone has put effort into their writing and enjoys it, versus someone who does not.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
'Hm, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Didn't they used to make you read that in school? ...Why haven't I read it yet? It's probably important if someone's been forced to read it. Okay, I'll read it.'
Agatha Christie has been cited before as looking to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for inspiration in her novels, and Agatha Christie is one of the few mystery / suspense authors that I truly enjoy. Her stories such as "Murder on The Orient Express" and "Curtain" leave you hooked and waiting for more, with each and every single word she has written. That simply must mean Mr. Doyle has written a good piece of literature!
From the introduction alone, written by a man by the name of Eric Ambler, we can tell Doyle is very attached to his profession of writing. "In that one year he abandoned medicine to become a full-time professional writer and suffered a bout of influenza that nearly killed him." (Pg 11.) By the sounds of what Ambler said, Doyle had his career path set and destined. Yet Doyle took the time and effort to completely destroy his plans for the future and go into writing. That, is true dedication. Reading something written by a man who is that immersed in his job, will be a true treat- Something I rarely say when reading books. After all, it's easy to tell when someone has put effort into their writing and enjoys it, versus someone who does not.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Monday, October 27, 2008
English Blog Entry #7
The topic of today's blog is Stephen Colbert's "I Am America: And So Can You!" While the book that covers different parts of life according to Stephen Colbert is in no way serious at all, many of his opinions he expresses are believed by many Americans. Consider the average American and how they feel, about the religion of Catholicism.
Most Americans sot of have a 'don't know, don't care.' type attitude, which allows for total religious tolerance like what we have in our country. However, according to Stephen Colbert in his book...
Catholicism is the only reason that should be allowed in America. Catholicism is the only 'good' and 'pure' religion that will help you be saved by God. Whether or not Stephen is being serious, no one knows, however. We NEVER know when Stephen Colbert is actually being 100% serious on his show either, however!
The ironic thing about Catholicism however, is that there's lots of extra traditions in that religion, which are not talked about or discussed in the Bible. So how is a religion pure for having all these extra features and traditions which might actually go against the actual Bible itself?
For example; Think of how the Pope is worshiped and adored around the world. Could you consider the way he's treated as worshiping an idol? Which is one of the strictest no-nos in the Ten Commandments? Just a little something something to ponder.
Please do not take any offense to this if you are Catholic Mrs. Burgess. I apologize. I myself am agnostic.
Most Americans sot of have a 'don't know, don't care.' type attitude, which allows for total religious tolerance like what we have in our country. However, according to Stephen Colbert in his book...
Catholicism is the only reason that should be allowed in America. Catholicism is the only 'good' and 'pure' religion that will help you be saved by God. Whether or not Stephen is being serious, no one knows, however. We NEVER know when Stephen Colbert is actually being 100% serious on his show either, however!
The ironic thing about Catholicism however, is that there's lots of extra traditions in that religion, which are not talked about or discussed in the Bible. So how is a religion pure for having all these extra features and traditions which might actually go against the actual Bible itself?
For example; Think of how the Pope is worshiped and adored around the world. Could you consider the way he's treated as worshiping an idol? Which is one of the strictest no-nos in the Ten Commandments? Just a little something something to ponder.
Please do not take any offense to this if you are Catholic Mrs. Burgess. I apologize. I myself am agnostic.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
English Blog Entry #6
Yes. Ladies and gentlemen; It is time for another song-lyrics related blog. Only because I was listening to this song, and I noticed literary terms in it that coincide with our poetry unit! Oh snap! Seriously speaking, I love the song "Angels" by Robbie Williams to bits and pieces because my boyfriend, Chris, told me it was 'our song.' It has deep meaning to me, especially because I've been lucky enough to hear him sing the song to me. He sung the song to me one evening was when I was severely depressed. An emotional wreck of sorts, and that was around last July.
[Music Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF8unwxhNho]
And because the two of us are especially dorky, he would replace every part of the song that said 'Angels' with 'Cindy.'
Some of the lines outshine the rest, and it's these lines that will make -any- person who chooses to sing/recite the lyrics to someone, the true romantic.
"and through it all she offers me protection
a lot of love and affection
whether I’m right or wrong"
Right there, we get to see a bit of Robbie Williams experimenting with rhyming his verses of lyrics. A part of me is caught off guard seeing a guy admit to the fact that his woman is protecting him in a sort of way. Not to be sexist or anything, but normally, guys will take pride in and brag about being the protector of someone, and the dominant one in a relationship. [Hetero-sexual relationship speaking.] The idea of someone loving you no matter what happens though, is something we just don't see in modern music all that much either, and its' refreshing to find a song that actually discusses that.
"and as the feeling grows
she breathes flesh to my bones"
This segment of figurative language is probably one of my favourite in the song; it's rare to find someone who really does 'bring you to life' like what Mr. Williams is talking about.
The man who sings this to me is my angel.
[Music Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF8unwxhNho]
And because the two of us are especially dorky, he would replace every part of the song that said 'Angels' with 'Cindy.'
Some of the lines outshine the rest, and it's these lines that will make -any- person who chooses to sing/recite the lyrics to someone, the true romantic.
"and through it all she offers me protection
a lot of love and affection
whether I’m right or wrong"
Right there, we get to see a bit of Robbie Williams experimenting with rhyming his verses of lyrics. A part of me is caught off guard seeing a guy admit to the fact that his woman is protecting him in a sort of way. Not to be sexist or anything, but normally, guys will take pride in and brag about being the protector of someone, and the dominant one in a relationship. [Hetero-sexual relationship speaking.] The idea of someone loving you no matter what happens though, is something we just don't see in modern music all that much either, and its' refreshing to find a song that actually discusses that.
"and as the feeling grows
she breathes flesh to my bones"
This segment of figurative language is probably one of my favourite in the song; it's rare to find someone who really does 'bring you to life' like what Mr. Williams is talking about.
The man who sings this to me is my angel.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
English Blog Entry #5
Tonight, my time was spent deciphering Kayla's poetry that she had written, and asked me to critique before Creative Writing class tomorrow. For Kayla's privacy, I wont be posting her stanzas on here, because she's very self concious of her writing. But anywho~
Her poem was supposed to show thirteen views of a gun, one viewpoint being of someone who enjoys video games such as myself.
"BOOM, HEAD SHOT! YOU'RE DEAD." All the studies that I've read in my time that relate kids to video games and the amount of violent things they did, would focus on African American children. All the studies would rant on and on about how them playing Grand Theft Auto meant they would grow up to be a gang member. They had no general assumption for all video game players including people caught in a Suburbia Utopia such as myself. No general conclusion to whether or not increased amounts of violence occured in children, because of video games games.
For me at least, the studies don't even hold true. When I'm angry with a person, I don't think of shooting them or even something much less severe, such as slapping them across the face. I don't look at guns and think that they're 'toys' or 'items to use to pwn my opponents,' yet there's this general conception that we people play video games, are like that. Violent, savage beasts. [The whole talk of savage reminds me of Lord of The Flies. Hated that book!]
Reading Kayla's poem was refreshing though, because she didn't show any of those general misconceptions in her writing, from the gamer's perspective. She simply wrote the 'BOOM, HEADSHOT!' bit to be funny.
Though, a small part of me felt scared and vulnerable, when she talked about a person with depression holding a gun. The emotions traveled through me in waves; I had no idea why reading it felt so awkward. She talked about how they wanted to shoot themselves; End it all in just a moment. How would that turn out? Would they have any regrets if they had an opportunity to think about it after they died?
Hmm.
Her poem was supposed to show thirteen views of a gun, one viewpoint being of someone who enjoys video games such as myself.
"BOOM, HEAD SHOT! YOU'RE DEAD." All the studies that I've read in my time that relate kids to video games and the amount of violent things they did, would focus on African American children. All the studies would rant on and on about how them playing Grand Theft Auto meant they would grow up to be a gang member. They had no general assumption for all video game players including people caught in a Suburbia Utopia such as myself. No general conclusion to whether or not increased amounts of violence occured in children, because of video games games.
For me at least, the studies don't even hold true. When I'm angry with a person, I don't think of shooting them or even something much less severe, such as slapping them across the face. I don't look at guns and think that they're 'toys' or 'items to use to pwn my opponents,' yet there's this general conception that we people play video games, are like that. Violent, savage beasts. [The whole talk of savage reminds me of Lord of The Flies. Hated that book!]
Reading Kayla's poem was refreshing though, because she didn't show any of those general misconceptions in her writing, from the gamer's perspective. She simply wrote the 'BOOM, HEADSHOT!' bit to be funny.
Though, a small part of me felt scared and vulnerable, when she talked about a person with depression holding a gun. The emotions traveled through me in waves; I had no idea why reading it felt so awkward. She talked about how they wanted to shoot themselves; End it all in just a moment. How would that turn out? Would they have any regrets if they had an opportunity to think about it after they died?
Hmm.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
English Blog Entry #4
As I devour more and more pages of the novel I'm currently indulging in,
"The No ***hole Rule"; I find myself wondering more and more about just one simple question. This question, the author tries to answer, and yet there is no general answer that applies to every single case.
What compels and causes people to be just plain old jerks? In the work force, at school, at home, anywhere and everywhere. No, I would not like a cliché answer of 'Because they have a low self esteem,' hahaha. The only reason why I say that, is not to be a smart alec, but because I know plenty of people who have low self esteems. These people with low self esteems never act out or take their emotions out on someone else, they take it out on themselves instead. No one else ever notices them doing this either. No, I'm not saying taking your anger//grief//negative emotions out on yourself is necessarily the best thing to do; the people that I know who could be jerks, choose to show dislike to themselves instead however. No one else ever gets a glimpse of this dislike and abuse. Do the jerks just not know how to cope with their emotions? And hey, maybe they were never even taught the 'Count to ten, and take deep breaths.' rule as a little kid, which actually works.
What are the other reasons that someone may be a big jerk? The only other reason why I’ve ever seen someone act out, was because of boredom. Whenever I was home alone with Rick before he left for college, and he picked on me, I’d angrily ask,
“What the **** have I done to you? Do I deserve this?”
And I’d get the simple nonchalant response of,
“Nothing! I’m just bored.”
In my brother’s case, being a big jerk is just his sign that he’s not fully mature yet. And if this is the same case for adults, so be it. There will always be immature people, and not immature in the good way. Not people who enjoy ‘their inner child.’
Either way, actions really do speak so much louder than words. That seems to be a prevailing theme in “The No ***hole Rule”. That's also the one thing that I've learned from Mrs. Buckley. Actually, I was taught that idea from a poster she has on her wall. Whatever works.
"The No ***hole Rule"; I find myself wondering more and more about just one simple question. This question, the author tries to answer, and yet there is no general answer that applies to every single case.
What compels and causes people to be just plain old jerks? In the work force, at school, at home, anywhere and everywhere. No, I would not like a cliché answer of 'Because they have a low self esteem,' hahaha. The only reason why I say that, is not to be a smart alec, but because I know plenty of people who have low self esteems. These people with low self esteems never act out or take their emotions out on someone else, they take it out on themselves instead. No one else ever notices them doing this either. No, I'm not saying taking your anger//grief//negative emotions out on yourself is necessarily the best thing to do; the people that I know who could be jerks, choose to show dislike to themselves instead however. No one else ever gets a glimpse of this dislike and abuse. Do the jerks just not know how to cope with their emotions? And hey, maybe they were never even taught the 'Count to ten, and take deep breaths.' rule as a little kid, which actually works.
What are the other reasons that someone may be a big jerk? The only other reason why I’ve ever seen someone act out, was because of boredom. Whenever I was home alone with Rick before he left for college, and he picked on me, I’d angrily ask,
“What the **** have I done to you? Do I deserve this?”
And I’d get the simple nonchalant response of,
“Nothing! I’m just bored.”
In my brother’s case, being a big jerk is just his sign that he’s not fully mature yet. And if this is the same case for adults, so be it. There will always be immature people, and not immature in the good way. Not people who enjoy ‘their inner child.’
Either way, actions really do speak so much louder than words. That seems to be a prevailing theme in “The No ***hole Rule”. That's also the one thing that I've learned from Mrs. Buckley. Actually, I was taught that idea from a poster she has on her wall. Whatever works.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
English Blog Entry #3:
I hate saying this... But the girl who asked Mrs. Burgess if we could write about song lyrics in these blogs, had a very good idea, and I don't even know her name to give her credit, for this blog.
Credit to anonymous for the idea, then.
Anywho, I've been listening to, and thinking about the lyrics of a certain song lately. I've been thinking very hard.
dir en grey [All the letters are supposed to be lowercase.] is a Japanese rock/heavy metal band, who wrote the song Undecided which is simply addicting. But Undecided's original lyrics are in Japanese; Who knows what happened to the actual content of the song as it was translated into English. Who knows if it lost or gained potency, and anger, in its translation process. Two words that are synonyms of each other can still mean way different things even when used in the same context though, if you look at the double meaning that some words have. That applies in both English AND the Japanese languages. Anyways, this is a link to the English translation:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/direngrey/undecided.html
This song, listening to it on a rainy day while you're alone, is one of the few things that actually makes me cry. It's one of the most sorrowful things I've listened to in a very long time. Supposedly, this song is about Kyo Niimura's [Lead vocalist of dir en grey] fiance, and the divorce he had with her. Kyo had a very close friend who was the lead guitarist in his band before dir en grey, and his fiance divorced him for the guitarist. Supposedly, that is the main reason why Kyo's band broke up in the first place, and why he moved on to make dir en grey. But I digress! My apologies, back to the song.
My favourite part of the song... Without a doubt, is this particular stanza of lyric:
"Turn me into a memory and go to the new ocean,
from my heart, I wish you happiness.
There is happiness beyond the tears,
but you aren't there beyond the tears."
Keep in mind the sentence structure is a bit wacky because this was translated from Japanese. 'From my heart, I wish you happiness.' seems like Mr. Niimura's way of saying, "I hate the fact that we got a divorce, but I still love you. Take care." That kind of maturity and strong devotion he still has for her, helps us see that he isn't a creepy jerk like some like to think. It makes me adore his personality as a whole even more; Especially because I found myself saying nearly the same thing when I had an ex break up with me, after we dated for a year and a half. Some people assume that dir en grey's members are angry axe-murderers [somewhat exaggeration] because of the band's eccentric costumes and make up that they wear, and well, they're pretty much wrong. I like to believe this song helps prove that they're loving, kind people. :)
Credit to anonymous for the idea, then.
Anywho, I've been listening to, and thinking about the lyrics of a certain song lately. I've been thinking very hard.
dir en grey [All the letters are supposed to be lowercase.] is a Japanese rock/heavy metal band, who wrote the song Undecided which is simply addicting. But Undecided's original lyrics are in Japanese; Who knows what happened to the actual content of the song as it was translated into English. Who knows if it lost or gained potency, and anger, in its translation process. Two words that are synonyms of each other can still mean way different things even when used in the same context though, if you look at the double meaning that some words have. That applies in both English AND the Japanese languages. Anyways, this is a link to the English translation:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/direngrey/undecided.html
This song, listening to it on a rainy day while you're alone, is one of the few things that actually makes me cry. It's one of the most sorrowful things I've listened to in a very long time. Supposedly, this song is about Kyo Niimura's [Lead vocalist of dir en grey] fiance, and the divorce he had with her. Kyo had a very close friend who was the lead guitarist in his band before dir en grey, and his fiance divorced him for the guitarist. Supposedly, that is the main reason why Kyo's band broke up in the first place, and why he moved on to make dir en grey. But I digress! My apologies, back to the song.
My favourite part of the song... Without a doubt, is this particular stanza of lyric:
"Turn me into a memory and go to the new ocean,
from my heart, I wish you happiness.
There is happiness beyond the tears,
but you aren't there beyond the tears."
Keep in mind the sentence structure is a bit wacky because this was translated from Japanese. 'From my heart, I wish you happiness.' seems like Mr. Niimura's way of saying, "I hate the fact that we got a divorce, but I still love you. Take care." That kind of maturity and strong devotion he still has for her, helps us see that he isn't a creepy jerk like some like to think. It makes me adore his personality as a whole even more; Especially because I found myself saying nearly the same thing when I had an ex break up with me, after we dated for a year and a half. Some people assume that dir en grey's members are angry axe-murderers [somewhat exaggeration] because of the band's eccentric costumes and make up that they wear, and well, they're pretty much wrong. I like to believe this song helps prove that they're loving, kind people. :)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
English Blog Entry #2
Paging through my People magazine or whatever I bought from Lunds this week, a question crossed my mind.
Why the huge fuss over these 90210 starlets being 'Too Skinny'? Since when did the media have the authority to decide who's too big, and who's small? The media gets it's authority because we -allow- it to have said authority. If noone like myself bought magazines or watched television, avoided the media altogether, it would have no authority.
Time to widen the scope on things; Why do Americans as a whole allow the media to affect their opinions so heavily on just about everything? Their opinions on politics, other people, issues happening around the world... Take Britney Spears as an example. Many people hate her guts because of the jokes that the show 'Family Guy' makes where she uses her son as an ash tray for her cigarettes. Or people don't like the fact that she 'isn't a very good parent' to her child for dropping him on a side walk.
The angering thing about these statements is that they are NOT backed up by facts or legitimate sources. Plenty of parents drop their kids on accident, and who takes Family Guy seriously?... Idiots mostly.
My distaste for Britney Spears comes from the fact that after she made millions off of 'Hit Me Baby One More Time,' her dressing became more provocative in hopes of attracting a larger male fan base. [Many males had no problem buying their daughters / girlfriends the first Britney CD because of her 'School Girl' type apparel that she wore in a lot of the CD artwork for Hit Me Baby One More Time. Source for that info, being a documentary I watched on B.S with interviews with male fans, a long time ago.] But I don't hate her to the point that I call her a 'Stupid slut with horrible voice' like you'd see people on Youtube say in video comments.
Really. Why are we people as a whole so fascinated with getting details on other peoples' lives?
Wouldn't so much more work get done if we focused on our own?
Why the huge fuss over these 90210 starlets being 'Too Skinny'? Since when did the media have the authority to decide who's too big, and who's small? The media gets it's authority because we -allow- it to have said authority. If noone like myself bought magazines or watched television, avoided the media altogether, it would have no authority.
Time to widen the scope on things; Why do Americans as a whole allow the media to affect their opinions so heavily on just about everything? Their opinions on politics, other people, issues happening around the world... Take Britney Spears as an example. Many people hate her guts because of the jokes that the show 'Family Guy' makes where she uses her son as an ash tray for her cigarettes. Or people don't like the fact that she 'isn't a very good parent' to her child for dropping him on a side walk.
The angering thing about these statements is that they are NOT backed up by facts or legitimate sources. Plenty of parents drop their kids on accident, and who takes Family Guy seriously?... Idiots mostly.
My distaste for Britney Spears comes from the fact that after she made millions off of 'Hit Me Baby One More Time,' her dressing became more provocative in hopes of attracting a larger male fan base. [Many males had no problem buying their daughters / girlfriends the first Britney CD because of her 'School Girl' type apparel that she wore in a lot of the CD artwork for Hit Me Baby One More Time. Source for that info, being a documentary I watched on B.S with interviews with male fans, a long time ago.] But I don't hate her to the point that I call her a 'Stupid slut with horrible voice' like you'd see people on Youtube say in video comments.
Really. Why are we people as a whole so fascinated with getting details on other peoples' lives?
Wouldn't so much more work get done if we focused on our own?
Thursday, September 18, 2008
English Blog Entry #1
Currently, my favourite thing in the entire world to read, is MSN relationship articles.
Why?
I don't know if they have perfected a method to hack into the average Hotmail user's brains or not, but they always answer questions that have the utmost importance to me.
For example, friends are some of the most valuable, incredible things you can have in your entire life. Especially the good ones that stay by your side no matter what. And lately, I felt like I've been a burden to my friends. What'dya know, MSN publishes a simple article on 'How to be a better friend.' The obvious tips like 'Be there for your friend in times of crisis.' were mentioned, but something else I found strange was there too. 'When she gets a new boyfriend, never look at him, ever, like they're your brother.' I've had my friends date our other friends ex boyfriends, and it never stirred up trouble. But maybe we're just an understanding group of people.
And there's the one question that is constantly crossing my mind with homecoming coming up; Is it possible to have male and females be -just- friends? Or will the deep down savage sexual attraction always be prevalent between the two? One of the many relationship articles that I read relating to the subject, said yes. [Reading those articles is now my favourite guilty pleasure.] However, the second things get intimate between the two of you, is when you have to say 'STOP.'
Doing things like sharing secrets. Traveling long distances together. There were neverany mentions of physical touching itself being a major no-no though, which is a bit odd.
I'm just hoping for all of the guys who have homecoming dates that they don't plan on making their date their girlfriend. Because few girls in the sophmore grade intend on making their homecoming date their boyfriend.
The end! :)
Why?
I don't know if they have perfected a method to hack into the average Hotmail user's brains or not, but they always answer questions that have the utmost importance to me.
For example, friends are some of the most valuable, incredible things you can have in your entire life. Especially the good ones that stay by your side no matter what. And lately, I felt like I've been a burden to my friends. What'dya know, MSN publishes a simple article on 'How to be a better friend.' The obvious tips like 'Be there for your friend in times of crisis.' were mentioned, but something else I found strange was there too. 'When she gets a new boyfriend, never look at him, ever, like they're your brother.' I've had my friends date our other friends ex boyfriends, and it never stirred up trouble. But maybe we're just an understanding group of people.
And there's the one question that is constantly crossing my mind with homecoming coming up; Is it possible to have male and females be -just- friends? Or will the deep down savage sexual attraction always be prevalent between the two? One of the many relationship articles that I read relating to the subject, said yes. [Reading those articles is now my favourite guilty pleasure.] However, the second things get intimate between the two of you, is when you have to say 'STOP.'
Doing things like sharing secrets. Traveling long distances together. There were neverany mentions of physical touching itself being a major no-no though, which is a bit odd.
I'm just hoping for all of the guys who have homecoming dates that they don't plan on making their date their girlfriend. Because few girls in the sophmore grade intend on making their homecoming date their boyfriend.
The end! :)
Monday, September 15, 2008
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