Journal #15

         A person that I miss very much is my cousin, Lauren. She is like the big sister that I never had. She did not have her mother around when she was in high school, so my mom was kind of like her mom. Although she is almost ten years older than me, we have more in common than expected. She always tried to include me in things at family events, since I was an extremely shy kid, and did other things that big sisters do, minus the fighting. Lauren bragged about me to her friends, so when they saw me I felt like the coolest kid ever that high school kids liked me. She even gave me a nickname. Although I am not exactly fond of it, it is growing on me. She calls me Claire Bear Amadeus Mozart because I was a very artistic kid. When she graduated she moves to New Orleans to go to Tulane University. I obviously did not get to see her nearly as much as I used to. I missed her so much and felt like my best friend moved away. In order to stay in touch with her, we talk on the phone, text, email, and more recently we have become pen pals. By doing all of these things, it makes it easier to be closer to her. In our letters to each other we talk about everything, and it is fun because mail does not send as quickly as texts, so the anticipation makes it worth the wait. Every chance we get to visit her or she comes home, we make the most of. She always comes home for Christmas, and it just puts everyone in a good mood. We can share holiday traditions that we have with her, who never really got the Christmas experience that the majority of kids get to have.I cherish her visits home, and our rare visits there as much as I so that it will last until the next time we get to see each other.

Reflection Blog:The Pit and the Pendulum

“A fearful idea now suddenly drove the blood in torrents upon my heart, and for a brief period I once more relapsed into insensibility. Upon recovering, I at once started to my feet, trembling convulsively in every fiber” (Poe 265). This quote is not something that would typically be thought of as romantic, but this quote gives an example of what Romanticism is. The dark, mysterious, physiological thrill is exactly what Romanticism writing embodied, and exactly what “The Pit and the Pendulum” describes as we see the narrator go through intense struggle to save his life while trying to figure out what was going on around him. Poe’s short story exemplifies Romanticism, and more specifically Dark Romanticism in several ways.

To begin, one overall Romanticism trait the short story has is its very descriptive wording. The way Poe writes gives such specific details the reader can almost feel, smell, and sense what the character is feeling. When the narrator awakes to discover the pendulum swooshing closer and colder to his chest, Poe describes it in such a way the reader can almost feel every heart beat of the narrator getting faster and faster in anxiety and fear. This type of descriptive writing was a very common trait of the Romanticism time period.

Additionally, Dark Romanticism traits are also exemplified in “The Pit and the Pendulum”. A major emphasis in this kind of romanticism writing is physiological fear, emotions, and mystery. It is safe to say that all of these points are shown in Poe’s short story. The narrator is put through this prolonged torturous death, with this pit and pendulum used to force the man to fight for his life or face the painful death (Poe). The fear this puts on the man in addition to the fading from conscious to not make this even more of a challenge. He must wake himself from the befuddled haze of the drugged water enough in order to defend himself against the next strike thrown at him. In addition, emotions play a huge role in these fears as he must decide to fight, how to do it, or just give up. The fear itself is enough to make a person not able to function and make rational, quick decisions. Along with that he must deal with the death he faces. He does not even want to open his eyes because the emotions from the fear of what surrounds him are too great to handle (Poe 265). Overall, characteristic of mystery ties all of these elements into one great fearful situation of unknown circumstances faced by the narrator as he is thrown into this undiscovered chamber (Poe). This situation is so fearful for him; the way he deals with it is really a test of his character and nature.

Furthermore, this short story brings out an additional characteristic of Dark Romanticism. The human nature of the people being put though these physiological fears and mysteries are observed and described in this style of literature. Poe explains what is going through the narrator’s head as he is being nudged closer and closer to the put. This vivid description was something the people of the time had never really seen before, which made it all the more intriguing. The reader never knows what will happen next, how the man will handle it, and if he will still continue to fight (Poe).

Overall, the writing of Poe in “The Pit and the Pendulum” very much so exemplifies the Romanticism period, and Dark Romanticism characteristics. The way the story is so vividly detailed and mysteriously attention holding give the story an overall sense of human nature and fear, exactly the Romanticism style. Poe does a beautiful job of detailing each and every feeling the narrator has as he goes through this physiological fearful situation.   

  May, Charles E. "Alternate Realms of Reality." In Edgar Allan Poe: A Study of Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991, pp. 96–97. Quoted as "Dreams and Reality in the Story" in Harold Bloom, ed. Edgar Allan Poe, Bloom's Major Short Story Writers. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 1998. (Updated 2007.) Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BMSSEP39&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 4, 2012).

Poe, Edgar A. "The Pit and the Pedullum." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffery D. Wilhelm. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 263-73. Print.

Journal #14

I have been scared very bad only a couple of times before. I do not deal with scary things very well, so I try to avoid them at all costs. If I do end up in s scary situation, such as watching a scary movie, I usually try to hide my eves of do something else. When my friends made me watch Paranormal Activity, I avoided watching it by falling asleep. The time when I have been most scared was a long time ago. When my family and I went to Disney Land for the first time I was in first grade. We decided to go into the 3D theater for a showing of Bug's Life. I loved that movie as a kid, but I was not aware that the movie was going to actually make it feel like there bugs everywhere. I felt them running under and over my feet, flying in front of my face, and worst of all on the seat of my chair. I could not handle all of them and got so scared I ran out of the theater. My parents followed me and asked me what was wrong. Through my tears, I told them that the bugs scared me so much I could not be in there any longer. Ever since them I have had an extreme fear of all kinds of bugs. I never got over that fear even now, almost eight years later. The fear that that movie put in me made me never watch the Bug's Life since then. The only other time I have really been as terrified is when I went on my first and only haunted hay rack ride. My friend and I had gotten there late, so we had to sit on the very back on the trailer. I was already scared of the area we were in, so I pulled my sweatshirt over my eyes. As we went through, I could hear people chasing the car, and was terrified to look. All of a sudden I heard someone grad the end of the trailer, and my friend grabbed me and we jumped into the center. After that I was shaking until we got back. Since then I ave never gone on a haunted anything.

Journal #13

        I found the Franklin Virtues Project very frustrating. I sent at least a dozen and a half emails to my group and did not get one reply in return.It was also frustrating because there was no other way to contact the Farmington kids, because the email was blocked at school, and they probably do do not usually check their email at home frequently. I was not sure then how to go about doing the project because I was not getting any feedback. I just had to wait and hope people did what they were supposed to. When they finally did get things done, it was not what I asked for as the video editor. First of all I asked for the videos on Wednesday along with their citations. I did not receive any videos until Friday and never got citations. I guess what I learned from this project is that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. In order to improve this project, first of all it would be much easier if Farmington would unblock their email. This way we would be able to contact each other in class and get things done quicker. Being able to see more examples would also be very helpful for a guide.This project was interesting because we got to see different opinions from people that we were not used to and maybe saw a different perspective on things. Overall this project was not really my favorite, and could be better with some improvements. One thing that did make this easier was the Google site. The site allowed us to see what one another were posting and how far they were on things. I was able to get information off of other group members' pages that I needed to put into the video.  We just really needed to be able to contact each other in a more efficient way and be able to be on the same page as each other.

Reflection Blog: Franklin's Virtues

            As in inventor, philosopher, and politician, Benjamin Franklin was a man of many talents. His advanced mind was capable of many things, but he still realized that he was not perfect, and he had room for improvement. As he reflected on this, he came to the conclusion that he shared the faults he noticed in others, and decided to make set of virtues that would help better him and the people he had noticed these things in. Coming from a low class family, Franklin made his rise to the high class. This evolution can be traced back to the virtues. He was not trying to get rich and powerful, he was simply pursuing the goal of becoming someone that he pictured having these admirable qualities. With these thirteen virtues, Franklin succeeded in becoming a better person.

To begin, Franklin actualized that the values taught in church were not those in which could make a person become better (Franklin 81). He observed and considered what his peers and he needed to purify themselves. He concluded with thirteen virtues he would then follow, and record. To ensure that he would pursue these virtues, he kept a journal in which he recorded his blunders, and furthermore designed a calendar which focused on a certain virtue each week (Franklin 85). By following these virtues, he would make exemplify his idea of how a praiseworthy, righteous person behaves. He kept this up for a year, and from then continued on, without recording in his journal. If he saw that he was beginning to stumble on his processes, he would revisit his journal technique (Franklin). These procedures helped him keep up his goal of personal bettering.

            How did these virtues help make Franklin a better person? As said by Tuckerman, when related to other philosophers, Franklin was clearly the most advanced and humble one of them all. Throughout his essay, Tuckerman admires Franklin for this humble attitude. “No experiment was too insignificant for his philosophy, no task to humble for his patriotism,” Tuckerman said in regard to Franklin testing his virtues on himself, and the commitment he put into it. In the contents of his essay, Tuckerman proves over and over why Franklin’s life was a commendable one and his virtues can be linked directly to this. Describing him as “brave,” “patriotic,” and “dignified,” he supported this praise for Franklin’s character (Tuckerman). In Franklin’s life, he started out as a low class citizen, coming from “rags”. After his virtues, and more specifically his use of the virtues industry, justice, and frugality, he was able to rise to “riches”. This “rags to riches” concept is a major part of the American Dream. This theory of the American Dream is what people in American aspire to reach, the goals they wish to achieve, and the future they strive to have one day. Franklin can fit in very well in this description, proving that because of his virtues, he went from a low class citizen to an admirable person living the American Dream. Using those three emphasized virtues, he was able to save money, stay on task and get things done, and be an honest trustworthy person.

            Overall, Franklin became proved to be a better person in result of his virtues. The virtues not only helped Franklin, but also anyone who has read or reads them.  The virtues and Tuckerman’s support and praise helps prove how Franklin became the successful man he is now known as.  

           

           

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1895. Print.

Tuckerman, Henry T. "Franklin's Character." Comp. Harold Bloom. Benjamin Franklin, Classic Critical    Review. New York: Chelsea House, 2006. N. pag. Print.

Journal #12

        Today's American Dream can be different from person to person. I think that the American Dream is when you are at a point in your life when you are happy and feel as though you are at a point in your life you have dreamed of reaching. To reach this I think that first of all you must be happy with your family and friends. This means that you either have a family you have wanted, such as a spouse and kids, and friends that you enjoy being with and you feel as though they will be your lifelong friends.  Along with this, being successful in your life means being at a point or place in where you have been working towards. This could mean a number of things. This could be finally getting the house you wanted, or the dream job you have been working towards. Americans strive for success, and today success usually comes with money. Money drives many Americans today, and makes people feel as though they have made it.
        Over time I do not think that the American Dream has changed very much. I remember in twentieth century history class, we discussed the American Dream of the forties through the eighties. It was not to much different than what we have now. They dreamed of owning their own home, in the suburbs, and purchasing a car, which was a new thing at the time. They also wanted to be a successful working person. Unlike today however, It was typically just the men. Women working was much rarer that it is today. These along with others are very similar to what we have now, with the exception of owning a car, for the majority of people today.
        To me personally these things that are the modern American Dream are very similar to my own thought of the American Dream. I hope to one day be successful in my career, and have a family that I love, and surrounding myself with good friends.

Reflection Blog: Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography

                When we think of Benjamin Franklin, we think of electricity. Although this was obviously a major accomplishment, Franklin did and accomplished so much more in his life. As a scientist, politician, and writer, it is easy to say that Benjamin Franklin was an extremely intelligent man (Quick Biography). A person with such intelligence as Franklin most likely has a good reason for the things he does and says, which is why his virtues and how he demonstrated them exemplifies Rationalism.

            To begin, Franklin’s set of virtues, created by him, exemplify Rationalism in several ways. A quality of Rationalism that the virtues show is using reasoning to back up your points. In virtues five and six, Frugality and Industry, Franklin backs up why he will waste nothing and use all of his time wisely with the facts that he wants to avoid debt and make use of his work time (Holden 84, 85). He obviously put this virtue to his benefit, discovering electricity and inventions from it, such as the kite (Quick Biography). By backing this up with reasoning to make it a solid example, it shows Rationalism. Along with the virtues themselves, Franklin also backs them up by using a chart, marking his emphasis and act of doing the virtues (Holden 85, 86). By making and filling out these charts, Franklin gives evidence that his set of virtues work and that they are not just for show and tell.

            Additionally, the way Franklin carries out his virtues and the way he acts also exemplify Rationalism. In the piece, Franklin says that he did not like the minister; therefore he did not attended church regularly on Sundays (Holden 81). This is a major example of Rationalism. He can openly say this, and not be shunned or accused of anything. He also gives back up to why he does not like the minister, because he has very “uninteresting” and “dry” sermons (Holden 81). Franklin also has back up to why he made his own set of virtues instead of following the virtues of the church, as they did in the Puritan period. “And that all crime will be punished, and virtue rewarded, either here or hereafter” (Holden 80). In saying this, Franklin tells the reader that because God says those who are virtuous are in turn rewarded, he can be virtuous in any way that he wants and still be accepted and loved by God. The people of the Rationalism time still centered around God, but they did not do it nearly as harsh, and were not judgmental of those who did it more or less than them.

Overall, Rationalism can be found anywhere in Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. Franklin was obviously an intelligent man, and therefore his virtues can be backed up with evidence. Franklin uses facts and evidence to prove each of his virtues and actions he makes because of them true. This is the major aspect of the Rationalism period. Franklin’s virtues and actions can be used to prove that Rationalism was a very effective way of thinking, writing, and acting.

Holden, Liberty Emery, and Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography. N.p.: n.p., 1898. Print.

"Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin." Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm>.