Bright School, Big Impact

Imagine: a world of cotton candy and clouds, one where responsibilities take a backseat to your front seat on a roller coaster (which also happens to be made out of cotton candy of course). You run through cloud after cloud, not particularly concerned about how you are actually in fact running on a cloud, but rather only concerned with meeting up with your imaginary friend from second grade. Just as you both meet and start approaching the metallic snake of a roller coaster appropriately named Goliath, you hear a sharp buzz. The noise is faint at first, but quickly picks up in pitch as it seems to travel from the back of your mind to the world around you. Suddenly, the cotton candy world around you begins to break down, the clouds begin to dissipate. You look over to find your friend and you are met with a blurred vision of your ceiling. 

As you rub your eyes, trying to figure out where the incessant noise is coming from, you dart up. In this same moment you arrive at the conclusion that you were just dreaming. At first, you are a little skeptical with your hypothesis, however all ideas of skepticism soon fade as you are reminded of the blaring alarm you had chosen on your phone. As your hand instinctively shoots to hit the snooze button, you come to wonder why exactly you chose the Lake Mary Prep Griffin Fight Song as your alarm. You also begin to wonder how original it is for a story to open with an alarm (It’s not). As you pick up your phone, the light from the screen hurting your eyes, you realize you’re almost for school!

How could you be late for school? How would you be able to make a big impact without the help of your small school? These questions rattle your brain almost as much as your hand that you helplessly try to pull from your tangled bird’s nest of bed-head. You start getting nervous, sweat beading from your forehead. You begin to remember the ending to 127 Hours, as you tug and tug but to no avail. I mean, if James Franco can cut his own hand off then you can too, right? You know that you cant go to school with just one hand, you’re not a barbarian after all (apologies to all those missing a hand, I’m sure you’re not a barbarian). With more tugging, determination, some luck, and a pair of scissors from OfficeMax, you are finally able to beat back the tangled mess of hair and save your hand. 

However, this victory is short-lived as you quickly dart to the restroom to get ready. Once inside you make an effort to perform a balancing act that would have made Cirque du Soleil jealous, as you struggle to put pants on while brushing your teeth. However you quickly end up falling flat on your face, with the paste from the toothbrush ending up all over your school pants. Well, that’s one way to do it. You get up, assessing the damage on to your pants as you try and clean off your toothbrush to the best of your ability. You start over, this time remembering to not trip up. You quickly make your way out of the bathroom, grabbing your book bag and keys and sprinting out to your car. You throw all of your belongings into the trunk and pop into the front seat. As you start up the car, you try and find some solace through the confusion by flipping through the radio. Finally settling on a station, you look down in surprise as you see that you don't have enough gas to make it to school. Now in the car, with cut up hair, stained pants, and no gas, you try and think of what Mr. Chapin would do. As you lay your head back against your seat, you let out thick groan. Maybe you shouldn't go to school today. 

So...many...people named..Charles...

            Jane Austen’s Persuasion presents a novel towards the end of the Elizabethan period of English history, where society was dominated by nobility and birthright. However, throughout the novel various characters are seen who don't follow the birthright tradition, but yet still find themselves in a position of nobility. Two notable characters who partake in the novel’s class structure would be Mr. Elliot Jr. and Mr. Wentworth. Cousin of the three Elliot sisters, Mr. Elliot joins the company of Anne in hopes of gaining, “…independence by uniting himself to a rich woman of inferior birth”(Austen 12). With Sir Walter having no immediate male heir to inherit his estate, the estate inheritance by law would pass down to Mr. Elliot. However, the possibility to have a male child was still prevalent, and to further solidify his own position, Mr. Elliot wished to marry Anne, his cousin. This would allow a definite inheritance given to Mr. Elliot along with companionship. However, Anne soon finds out of Mr. Elliot’s true intent in marrying her from Mrs. Smith along with more information about his involvement with Mr. Smith, leading to Anne giving up on Mr. Elliot. Ultimately, no other character in the story so profoundly portrays the power of the class system of rule and inheritance than Mr. Elliot. He goes as far as to deceptively marry his cousin in an attempt to play the system and gain more power. 

However, many people of this time came to defy the social norm, with new stories such as those from Mr. Fredrick Wentworth becoming more and more common. Wentworth, unlike many of the other noble gentry of the novel, was never born into power or high class. Wentworth made his fortune and name through rising the ranks of the navy, which as Sir Walter believes is a,“…means of bringing persons of obscure birth into undue distinction, and raising men to honours which their fathers and grandfathers never dreamt of”(Austen 35). Sir Walter, whom was born into the position he is in, begins to dislike Wentworth in the beginning due to this factor. It is also for this reason why Anne comes back around after their first love interest with years prior to the novel. Before Wentworth made a powerful name for himself, Lady Russel convinced Anne to call off the previous engagement with him due to his standing. However, all ideas of class difference are thrown aside towards the end of the novel and the climax of Anne marrying Wentworth. Wentworth exemplifies the new idea of merit being held higher than birth, as he earned his high standing and wealth, unlike many of the other nobles in the book.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 2011. IBooks.

Hey Arnold!

The short story, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” presents a mid-nineties teenage haven full of music, drive-in movies, and obvious religious undertones. However in everything amidst this era, religious undertones, like the story’s antagonist, Arnold Friend, do not fit in. The story describe a quickly changing relationship with Connie, a fifteen year old girl and Friend. Oates uses various religious messages through the popular culture, which Joyce M. Wegs describes as, “…gods of modern society,” that have, “…substituted for conventional religion”(Wegs 100). These gods consist of music, dance, and general teenage amusement which Connie has devoted herself to. Connie is seen to only really concern herself with these teenage amusements, which Wegs relates as worship to a religious god. Wegs goes on to further the idea of religious symbolism through the story by relating the diner Connie and her friend enters as church-like, and her journeys there as, “…grotesquely parodied religious pilgrimage “(Wegs 100). The diner is seen as a teenage social hub, and contains in abundance the many references to the previously mentioned gods (i.e. jukeboxes for music, flirting, etc.), almost like a regular church. Wegs even describes the building itself resembling a place of worship, with pointed structure and symbols. 

However, one big religious hint seen was with Arnold Friend himself. Friend, whose, “…slippery friendly smile,” that all, “…the boys used to get across ideas they didn't want to put into words,” acted as the Devil did in biblical terms (Oates 5). Friend is constantly portrayed as a nice character on the outside, however seeming slightly off. This is until Connie begins to see through Friend’s deception, and begin to believe that Friend is merely a disguise intended to fool Connie. Arnold Friend, just as the Devil did in biblical terms, tried to persuade and talk over Connie into doing a horrible deed. Although in Oates’ story, the apple of Eden is more realistically depicted as the golden car which Friend tries to persuade Connie to drive off with him in.  

As a reaction, I believed the short story was eye opening. From merely a reader’s standpoint I was very intrigued and amused by the twists that ensued as Friend began to change personas, going from a light-hearted ladies man to a devilish and sinister villain. I was also fascinated by Wegs’ religious interpretation by connecting now obvious links with the short story to religion. Overall, I believe the short story’s value and hidden meaning give more to the plot, making this short story anything but short. 

The show Criminal Minds Is a unique take on the structure of other “cop shows.” At first glance, the show appears to follow the same drawn out plot of every episode of every new crime series. The killer is introduced, the police conduct their investigation, and the killer is put away in some large dramatic fashion. In actuality, it relates greatly to the Present Shock book for this periodical following. In the novel, Rushkoff uses the terms, “scheduled world,” and, “programmed world,” to describe how the presentation of information has evolved. As Rushkoff describes, a scheduled world would give you, “…half an hour to peruse an exhibit at the museum,” while in a programmed world, “…you are strapped into the ride at Disneyland and conveyed through the experience at a predetermined pace”(Rushkoff 88). In the past, stories were told orally or through literature, where one was not confined visually to what was shown on the screen. In the scheduled society, these stories/information would have selectively more freedoms in their telling, contrasting drastically with the now present programmed world. The programmed society on the other hand, would alternatively set you visually on a strict path, which unlike the scheduled society, would allow you to only perceive what the programmer is showing. The concept of the programmed world is largely seen through modern television, specifically episodic series like Criminal Minds. Being a television show, Criminal Minds tells a story with each episode, however the story is seen through variables controlled by the programmer (i.e. the makers of the show), essentially, strapping you into a ride and letting you watch what unfolds like in Rushkoff’s example. The idea of programmed information being in such a way encompasses a good portion of all television out, so how does Criminal Minds stand 

out of the seemingly endless digital crowd of ones and zeros coming together to tell a story? Well, the way the show follows this structural path is quite different from those of it’s sub genre.

Other “cop shows,” look mostly into the chronology of finding the killer through the police and their point of view. However, Criminal Minds pushes these boundaries by telling the story partially from the investigators’ perspectives, but also the criminals (Hence the name-Criminal Minds!). The show seemingly places the point of view from intense and high pressure investigations with officers pulling together clues and evidence to the dark but intriguing view of the criminal. One scene may find the audience seeing the crew of investigators examining the scene of a crime to create a profile while the very next scene could show the antagonist of the episode going after sheepish victims. This idea of the story being told from two places at once is constantly seen throughout each episode of the series, and is shown, albeit in a different way in the novel. In Present Shock, Rushkoff describes what he calls “Digiphrenia,” or, “…the way our media and technologies encourage us to be in more than one place at the same time”(Rushkoff 12). Throughout the novel, Rushkoff describes how our online presence and our physical presence allow us to appear in multiple places. A person my text or tag or what have you in a certain location, but may physically appear to be in a whole different area. And because digital age technology has been so heavily engrained in society (even taking up our identities), the digital profile may in certain ways have more weight than its real life counterpart. Although this topic is touched on in a slightly different way in the book, Criminal Minds somewhat fits the definition of Digiphrenia. The show uses it’s digital being to give information from seemingly one source but at two different places at once. Not only is information being given from the point of view of the investigators, which could act as the real life person in this scenario, but also from the criminal, or in this case the digital identity. Although both entities make up the same being, in this circumstance the show itself, both project information to the audience from completely different areas. This point of view shift in simple terms is what drives the show to stand out be a long lasting hit show. Not only does it appeal to fans of the crime sub-genre, but it also portrays an important part of the sub-subgenre in a whole new light. 

Works Cited

Rushkoff, Douglas. Present Shock. N.p.: Penguin, 2013. 12-88. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

CBS, . CBS Shows: Criminal Minds. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. 27 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cbs.com/shows/criminal_minds/>.

In writing celebrity Ernest Hemingway’s biographical novel, A Moveable Feast, Hemingway uses his profound writing experience to tell previous stories throughout bits of his life through journals and separate writings. Hemingway has a very unusual writing style which tends to play around with the traits of descriptive writing. What most stood out to me was how Ernest used descriptive writing to portray or hint at an event while still writing in a way which didn't tell the full story. One instance is seen in the novel around when he is writing about his affair during the winter with another woman, while still holding emotional ties to his wife. Ernest describes the event as a, “…happy and innocent winter in childhood compared to the next year, a nightmare winter disguised as the greatest fun of all…”(Hemingway 179). Hemingway doesn't specifically tell about the events of the winter or address them directly, but rather compares his emotions he attaches to the winter before and the winter of the affair. Ernest continues on with this trend through portions of the novel, continually avoiding details of events which are quite emotionally impactful, such as with his last meeting with Stein. Choosing to write in such a way about these events could likely be from them being taken from excerpts and journals, where Ernest may not have emotionally been able to write about such events in detail, or they could simply be a part of his “signature style,” which Hemingway himself explains. Hemingway describes his writing style as writing a truthful story and taking out bits and various portions to add more meaning to the overall work, which he may have done in the above examples. Although writing with this meaningful mindset is unusual in autobiographical works, because of Ernest being the fantastical writer he is, it is not surprising that it would be the case.

Along with his writing style, Hemingway’s work flows through several different time periods of his life, making the novel slightly more difficult to read, but all the more interesting. Being taken from excerpts and journals from his life, the novel doesn't follow any linear or clear structure, rather opting to highlight points in Hemingway’s earl adulthood career. For most of the novel, Hemingway writes from his early days of writing in Paris, where he describes how little money he made, but how cheap it was to live there. While living in Paris with his wife, Hemingway takes the time to record a variety of experiences with other up and coming writers, some of which such as Fitzgerald become legends engrained in the literary community. The combined factors of highlighting important events rather than minuet details, and writing in a nonlinear style give each event more emphasis and meaning in my eyes. Although the work doesn't necessarily have a chronological following of events, it doesn't need to in order to present a biographical and meaningful story. 

The novel was likely chosen for the class reading because of this unique style of writing, as well as for the ability to study a work from a literary great such as Hemingway. Ernest Hemingway is widely seen as a highly influential and powerful figure in the literary world, which contributed much to the 20th-century fiction. Being able to study how he wrote and see actually what he did when he was writing could allow students to gain more knowledge and skills for their own works. Ernest as well wrote in a very unique style using descriptive language while being vague, which could expose students to more complex forms of writing, as well as allow them to think more about the work. 

A New Beginning

Throughout every year of a person’s career in school, they encounter a new atmosphere for the next one hundred eighty days. These days are spent in a variety of ways from person to person, however each undergoes the creation of a new environment, one that builds a family-like environment in some schools. In smaller, k-12 schools, each student is lumped with the same grade largely for their whole stay at the school. Day in and day out that the students arrive and spend the next eight hours of their life associating with one another. Spending this much time with someone can bring out a variety of both positive and negative views. 

By spending all this time with each student, one is exposed to a variety of culture and diversity from person to person. As stated by Postman in his novel, The End of Education, Postman supports a negative view of all of this time spent, saying how the study, “…of aspects of culture… in truth, are likely to make students uncomfortable”(Postman 158). Postman writes about how the constant subjection of diversity actually dissuades people from appreciating other cultures and promotes a superiority complex to their own culture. However, even in the past twenty years since the publication of Postman’s book, toleration/acceptance of diversity has changed. As seen with events such as the legalization of same-sex marriage among others, people accept diversity and difference more. In actuality, many students such as I have felt a strong sense of home and family  even when I am surrounded by students everyday who are quite different from me. Even though a student may not know everyone at his/her school, the school environment is a great place for bonds and friendship to occur above the negativity. School gives students almost an hour to meet and talk with others with lunch, and many schools such as Lake Mary Prep put great value into letting new people and cultures feel welcome. A variety of programs usually exist in different schools, such as student ambassadors, who can help new students or different students meet and learn about each other. Not only does this expose children to diversity, but it also promotes a friendly aspect to it. I myself have made many friends through student ambassadors with people who don't look, talk, or think anything like me. 

Ultimately, Postman continues to push an idea of a flawed educational system due to a problem with diversity, however the truth can't be any further off. Some schools do take little approach to the diversity in the students, however these schools only need adjustments to overcome this hurdle. Schools that take very little approach could quite possibly fix any issues of intolerance with ideas which push communication between different people, not just learning about different people. It’s one thing to hate a culture based off a story in a book, but it’s another to hate the same culture after talking with someone in the culture for a hour or so. Possibly, if more schools took this approach to make their public a more friendly atmosphere, one of the “ends” of education Postman proclaims about will merely be a beginning. 

Works cited

Postman, Neil. The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School. New York: Knopf, 1995. Print.

Arguing With Aristotle 

Within Gaardner’s novel, Aristotle is seen as one of the big three philosophers who arguably set in motion modern western thought. Aristotle was hugely ahead of his time in ancient Greece, depicting philosophical thought such his “final cause” which would be the basis for future ideas that we still ponder to this day. In Sophie’s World, Aristotle is mentioned for his empiricist outlook as well as for the creation of ideas such as formal logic, which couldn't be closer to the truth about his accomplishments.

Another work that gives insight into Aristotle would be Everything’s an Argument, by Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters.  The work goes to describe that, “…language is itself, inherently persuasive and hence that every text is also an argument that is designed to influence readers”(Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, Walters 4). As the authors go further into their claim (that everything is an argument), they discuss different ways in which people argue. Aristotle made claims on a number of various topics throughout his philosophical career, one of which being spoken word/debate. In the Classical era, public speech events were huge, ushering waves of people to watch two well-cultured individuals debate a particular topic. Ancient Rome and Greece had argumentative thinkers whom devoted their careers to debate, and these places can arguably be named one of the birthplaces of modern public speech. 

In Gaardner’s work, Aristotle is credited for his study of changes and his focus on evidence as an empiricist. This can also be attributed to Aristotle’s work on public speech, where he, “…identified three key ways that writers can appeal to their audiences in arguments…pathos, ethos, and logos”(Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, Walters 34). In Everything’s an Argument, Aristotle took notice of such changes to a person’s opinion on an argument based on how the argument appealed to them. As described in Gaardner’s work, Aristotle then uses evidence based upon this idea to devise emotional, ethical, and logical appeals. Emotional, or Pathos, consisted of argumentation which included generation of emotions for the reader, making the piece’s impact stronger, such as seeing a child in need on a commercial for a charity. Ethical, or Ethos arguments include the idea of self presentation. Aristotle believed that people would take an argument more seriously if it seemed credible, or sided with their beliefs. Lastly, Logical, or Logos appeals involve the use of facts or statistics to persuade people to your side.

Ultimately, both novels cross over the philosophical ideas which people hold up to Aristotle, containing his empiricist thought process as well as logical ideas.

Works Cited

Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, Walters. Andrea, John, Keith.  Everything’s an Argument. Bedford: St. Martin’s, 2006. Print.