Write your reaction to the end of the novel. Why do you suppose Ralph cries at the end of the novel, when the danger is over? Which character in the novel do you think is the most despised and why? Would you recommend this novel to a friend? Why or why not?
I personally disliked the end of this novel because I felt that Roger and Jack should have died at the end. This is because I believe that they are the most despised characters at the end of the novel since they led the savage tribe and chose to break up the order (aka - the conch) among the boys. I think that Ralph cries at the end of the novel because he's glad to be rescued, which leads to his supposed "tears," but I also think that he cries over the grief of Simon and Piggy because the officer represented civilization, and Ralph now he realizes how destructive they've been acting on the island when the officer points it out. The shock never really hit him until someone came to rescue the boys because on the island, there was no "sense of humanity" or civilization. I think that I would recommend this to people who I know enjoy reading about human behavior because this book shares one aspect or philosophy on how man naturally thinks and reacts.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
LOTF Chapter 11 Questions
1. What does Ralph's group decide they must do?
Ralph's group decides that they must approach Jack's tribe of savages and try to get Piggy's specs back. They also decide that Ralph is still the chief, so he still has authority over Jack and his group.
2. In what ways are the twins "seeing Ralph for the first time" before going to Castle Rock?
SamnEric are seeing Ralph acting like a true leader for the first time before going to Castle Rock. Ralph says that he is still the chief and Piggy reinforces it by saying that he elected Ralph as chief and gave him the conch. Ralph allows the twins to carry spears, but says that he won't because he's the chief and that Jack should listen to him.
3. Why is the boy's attempt to get back Piggy's specs and get the other boys to maintain a signal fire bound to fail?
The boy's plan to get the specs back and maintain the signal fire will fail because Jack and his tribe threw out the idea of "order" and "civilization" a long time ago due to their instincts to become savages. Ralph and Piggy's idea of Ralph being chief won't reach Jack or any of his hunters at this point.
4. Why do you think Roger pushes the rock off the cliff?
Roger pushes the rock off of the cliff in order to intimidate and scare Ralph and his group. Because he feels that he is a "savage," he wants to show how terrifying and powerful he really is.
5. How is the destruction of the conch symbolically significant?
By Jack destroying the conch within Piggy's hand, it symbolically represents that the idea of order, structure, and civilization have been "completely shattered" within the island. Now, there will only be chaos among the boys.
6. For most of the boys, what re the reasons they want a chief? What does a chief do for them?
The boys want a chief be cause a chief is able to lead the boys, discipline them, and show them comfort. A chief is almost like a parent to the boys, hence why they elected Ralph. A parent show how they care for their children, but they also discipline them. A chief is supposed to set the guidelines and rules for the boys (aka- the conch), but now the conch is shattered.
7. Come up with two ORIGINAL questions you would ask Jack if you could.
- How do you plan to live out the rest of your life? Waiting to be rescued or dying out on this island with the rest of your hunters?
- What will happen to you and your hunters if chaos breaks out among the boys of YOUR tribe?
8. In a minimum of two solid paragraphs, write a diary entry on the state of the island and the boys at this point in the book.
Dear Diary,
The boys among Jack and his group have been nothing but violent and a bunch of bloody thieves. First they commit theft by stealing Piggy's glasses, leaving him practically blind. Sure, they have a fire, but it won't do them any good with such a minuscule size - only for cooking meals. Ralph's been trying to restore order, with Piggy's and SamnEric's help, but now that the conch was broken by Jack, there's almost no hope whatsoever in trying to reestablish a structure on the island. Simon and the kid with the birth mark have already died, some of the forest within the island has already been burnt to a crisp, and there's been nothing but fighting among the two groups and their leaders.
At first, the island seemed quite pleasant and refreshing because it was a new environment to the boys and the boys still had their sense of humanity with them. Yet now, the state of the island is in utter chaos because of disagreements and violence between the two chiefs - Jack and Ralph. Jack has no plans of changing his instinctual savage ways. Ralph on the other hand, is trying to get things back to the way things were before. At this rate, the whole entire island and sense of civilization among the boys will deteriorate because there is absolutely no structure.
Monday, May 25, 2015
LOTF Chapter 10 Core Questions
1. Summarize what Ralph, Piggy, and SamnEric say about what happened last night. Include 3 details from the chapter in your answer.
One difference between Ralph and Jack's explanations/feelings about Simon's death is that Ralph feels guilty about it and can't seem to drop the topic when he talks to Piggy about it. He felt scared as well (Golding 156,157). Jack on the other hand doesn't feel an ounce of guilt at all because Simon was "the beast" (Golding 160). Another difference is that Ralph knew that Simon was the one getting beaten and not the beast because he couldn't forget about Simon's death (Golding 157). Jack couldn't recognize Simon at all and therefore saw him as the beast in disguise (Golding 160).
3. What conclusion can you draw about Jack based on his order to have Wilfred beaten? Include 2 details from the chapter to support this conclusion.
One conclusion that I can draw about Jack based on his order to have Wilfred beaten is that he has basically lost his sense of humanity because he didn't have a reason to beat Wilfred, but still called for him to be tied up for hours. Another conclusion is that from hunting and being away from civilization, Jack has given in to his desires to kill and his bloodlust is so strong that he's desperate to beat up one of his own boys to satisfy himself.
- Ralph keeps repeating, "That was Simon," and said, "That was murder." (Golding 156). He remembered the hunters' dance and how they encircled Simon and beat him to death. He even said, "P'raps he was only pretending," but he truly felt guilty about Simon's death. (Golding 157)
- Piggy was unable to clearly see what was happening to Simon within the circle because he was outside of the circle. Not only that, but he can only see from one eye because of his glasses. (Golding 155). Piggy kept insisting that what happened to Simon was an accident and that they needed to move on and forget about the event. (Golding 157).
- SamnEric were tired last night, so they left the dance and the feast with the other boys early. They stated, "Yes. We were very tired, so we left early. Was it a good dance?" (Golding 158).
One difference between Ralph and Jack's explanations/feelings about Simon's death is that Ralph feels guilty about it and can't seem to drop the topic when he talks to Piggy about it. He felt scared as well (Golding 156,157). Jack on the other hand doesn't feel an ounce of guilt at all because Simon was "the beast" (Golding 160). Another difference is that Ralph knew that Simon was the one getting beaten and not the beast because he couldn't forget about Simon's death (Golding 157). Jack couldn't recognize Simon at all and therefore saw him as the beast in disguise (Golding 160).
3. What conclusion can you draw about Jack based on his order to have Wilfred beaten? Include 2 details from the chapter to support this conclusion.
One conclusion that I can draw about Jack based on his order to have Wilfred beaten is that he has basically lost his sense of humanity because he didn't have a reason to beat Wilfred, but still called for him to be tied up for hours. Another conclusion is that from hunting and being away from civilization, Jack has given in to his desires to kill and his bloodlust is so strong that he's desperate to beat up one of his own boys to satisfy himself.
- Who is the chief now and how do we know? The scene where Jack and his friends attack Ralph's camp is both violent and comical. Write a script that includes actions (very few words necessary) for each of the following characters: Piggy, Ralph, Sam, Eric, Jack, and Roger during the raid.
Jack is the chief, rather than Ralph, because Jack's hunters refer to him as "Chief," instead of calling him by his name (Golding 160, 161).
Script:
Ralph bit down aggressively on Jack and Roger's fingers until they bled profusely. Jack retaliated by punching Ralph in the cheek and sharply kneeing him in the groin until he started to whimper, gradually getting louder. Jack stayed on top of Ralph, breathing heavily, until Ralph fought back and violently pounded Jack sweaty face with clenched fists. Sam had escaped into the corner of the camp, apprehensively eyeing the bitter fight instigated by Jack and his hunters. Eric, on the other hand, managed to deliver immense pain to Roger's groin, after Roger pounced on top of him and strongly kicked Eric in the face. Eric felt his lukewarm blood slowly dripping down from his forehead to his chin. In the middle of all the clamor, Piggy was attacked by the other hunters. The hunters raided Piggy for his broken glasses; not the conch like Piggy thought.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Ebola Editorial Questions
1) What does Betsy McCaughey identify as a problem in her commentary?
She says that American virtually have no risk of getting Ebola, yet doctors and nurses treating an Ebola patient are at high risk, despite CDC assurances that its "protocols" work. CDC Director Thomas Frieden predicted that any hospital could handle Ebola, but that was proved false when Thomas Duncan died after going to the Texas Health Presbyterian last month.
2) What solutions does she offer?
She offers that it would be safer to transport any patient diagnosed with Ebola to one of the bio-containment centers in Georgia, Maryland, Montana, and Nebraska, but those 4 facilities can only treat 11 patients. She also says that these facilities should expand, rather than outfitting hundreds of hospitals to treat ebola. McCaughey clearly states that hospitals should be prepared to recognize possible cases, isolate them - and then call for help.
3) How does infection expert Sean Kaufman view the CDC's guidelines for protective gear in treating Ebola patients?
Kaufman stated that the guideline was "absolutely irresponsible and dead wrong."
4) What point did Rep. Michael Burgess make about CDC head Thomas Frieden?
Burgess pointed out a photo of Frieden in Africa wearing a protective suit that covered him head to toe and compared it to the flimsy guideline that the CDC had issued for nurses and doctors here in America. This shows how there was a double standard between the doctors and nurses in hospitals and the CDC.
5) a) I do agree with her recommendation to have extremely sick patients rely on the nation's bio-containment facilities, but hospitals are also medical facilities, so eventually hospitals should evolve into a place to treat most diseases, including Ebola. For now, going to a bio-containment center is the best way to deal with Ebola, but hospitals should learn how to properly treat the disease as well.
b) My mother also agrees that hospitals should evolve, but bio-containment centers are the only ways to treat Ebola is well.
She says that American virtually have no risk of getting Ebola, yet doctors and nurses treating an Ebola patient are at high risk, despite CDC assurances that its "protocols" work. CDC Director Thomas Frieden predicted that any hospital could handle Ebola, but that was proved false when Thomas Duncan died after going to the Texas Health Presbyterian last month.
2) What solutions does she offer?
She offers that it would be safer to transport any patient diagnosed with Ebola to one of the bio-containment centers in Georgia, Maryland, Montana, and Nebraska, but those 4 facilities can only treat 11 patients. She also says that these facilities should expand, rather than outfitting hundreds of hospitals to treat ebola. McCaughey clearly states that hospitals should be prepared to recognize possible cases, isolate them - and then call for help.
3) How does infection expert Sean Kaufman view the CDC's guidelines for protective gear in treating Ebola patients?
Kaufman stated that the guideline was "absolutely irresponsible and dead wrong."
4) What point did Rep. Michael Burgess make about CDC head Thomas Frieden?
Burgess pointed out a photo of Frieden in Africa wearing a protective suit that covered him head to toe and compared it to the flimsy guideline that the CDC had issued for nurses and doctors here in America. This shows how there was a double standard between the doctors and nurses in hospitals and the CDC.
5) a) I do agree with her recommendation to have extremely sick patients rely on the nation's bio-containment facilities, but hospitals are also medical facilities, so eventually hospitals should evolve into a place to treat most diseases, including Ebola. For now, going to a bio-containment center is the best way to deal with Ebola, but hospitals should learn how to properly treat the disease as well.
b) My mother also agrees that hospitals should evolve, but bio-containment centers are the only ways to treat Ebola is well.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Summary
In the news article from Santa Maria Times titled, "Hearing Continued for Teen Charged with Vehicular Manslaughter," the author, Kyle Harding, focuses on how the accident happened and what students at both Pioneer Valley and Righetti high schools did on Friday, February 6, 2015. First, Harding explains that the 17 year old who was arrested on January 31st was accused of street racing with Breanna Rodriguez, the Righetti high school student who died from the accident. Next, he states that the 17 year old male was charged, but released on home supervision to his parents and ordered not to drive. Also, he says reports that Breanna's vehicle wrapped around a pole , trapping her and the passenger. Two of the passengers were able to exit the vehicle. In addition, Kyle Harding mentioned that excessive speed and failure to stop at a stop sign were the main factors contributing to the accident. The minor is still currently under arrest and will appear in juvenile court on February 20th. Finally, Harding concludes by stating that peers and friends from both high schools gathered together in remembrance of Breanna. More than 2,000 people gathered at Righetti and the school's AVID program created banners in support of Breanna as well. The tone that was established from this article was fomal because the author did not seem to use any emotional words in the article. He also stated things simply and straight to the point, rather than stating his own opinon.
Link: http://santamariatimes.com/santamaria/hearing-continued-for-teen-charged-with-vehicular-manslaughter/article_d9f498e0-c812-5366-93bf-c9703985ad6a.html
Link: http://santamariatimes.com/santamaria/hearing-continued-for-teen-charged-with-vehicular-manslaughter/article_d9f498e0-c812-5366-93bf-c9703985ad6a.html
Monday, January 26, 2015
Knowledge
I interpret knowledge as facts or truth on a topic, used to clarify others' ignorance or misunderstandings on it. Whether it be about homosexuality, race, or a simple rumor, there are ignorant people who choose not to face facts and there are people who acknowledge the truth and accept it. I gain knowledge outside of school through researching on the internet, reading books, or simply talking with other people who are a primary source of a topic. Continuous acquisition of knowledge is important because if we let ignorance grasp onto us because of temptation, then we are more likely to misunderstand things and otherwise hurt others. The more knowledge we know on a subject, the easier it will be to face reality and understand real world topics.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Equality Between Mental and Physical Illnesses
I believe that mental illnesses should be treated as equally as physical illnesses. People tend to brush off or care less about mental illnesses, putting it off as if people have it by choice. However, at the other end of the spectrum, there will be people who will pretend to have a mental illness in order to receive attention from others. In the end, these were the results of people's ignorance on mental disorders. Several people stereotype others with mental disorders and this leads to misunderstandings. Physical and mental disorders can both affect people severely, so they should both be treated equally.
People with mental illnesses are typically treated with less respect than those with physical disorders. Millions of people with cancer, for example, get treated at the hospital and some go into chemotherapy to get rid of it. The patients even have the right to have their family with them for comfort. Yet, millions of people with schizophrenia, for example, don't always get the help that they deserve, even when they reach out for help. Sometimes their families aren't supportive of them and people don't believe them when they say that they "hear voices." Both illnesses are terrifying to the victim, so both should receive equal support and respect for treatment.
Many people tend to get the idea that a mental illness is a choice. They need to understand that it isn't a choice at all. Why would they believe that somebody, for example, would choose to have OCD? I definitely know for a fact that nobody chooses to have cancer. If anything, people wish for cancer to be non-existent. Both illnesses are not someone's choice to have. People don't have a choice in whether or not they suffer, but they do get a choice in how they handle their circumstances. They could choose to get help and receive treatment, or they could choose to refuse help and gradually get worse. People can't choose on whether or not they get a mental illness, but only on how they deal with it.
If people aren't treating mental illnesses or respect or ignorance, they're turning it into an attention center. In some parts of society, people believe that mental illnesses are "cool" or a "trend." For example, they romanticize self-harm, which is a way to cope with some of their illnesses. I know that people don't self-harm for attention. I know this because usually people that self-ham will wear long sleeves or find some way to cover up their self-inflicted injuries, whether it be a bruise, a cut, or a burn. Another example is when people believe that depression is beautiful. Depression is in no way "beautiful" or "cool." There have been movies made with people who have depression falling in love and living a great life for the rest of the movie. These types of movies are inaccurate because they don't actually happen in real life. The chances of that happening are slim to none because depression isn't easy to deal with and it shouldn't be a reason for love. The way depression is portrayed in these films lack logic on the actual illness. Symptoms such as not wanting to get up, not wanting to eat, always feeling tired or having insomnia, and generally feeling empty or sad most of the time are left out. Pain isn't beautiful. It's a struggle to take care of yourself when you're dealing with this.
Mental illnesses tend to get stereotyped. You don't have depression if you're sad about a test grade for a week. You don't have anxiety disorder if you are shy around your crush. You aren't bipolar if you have regular mood swings. People can't just "get over" their mental illnesses. The same goes for physical illnesses. They can receive treatment to ease the symptoms, but the person will still have to deal with it. When people try to bring up the topic of mental illness, others often treat it as a taboo. One stereotype would be that if you hang around someone with a mental disorder, you'll also get a mental disorder. That in itself is false. Mental illness is not a virus that goes around school. You can't always tell if somebody has a mental illness because of a person's appearances. Mental illness is not "soulful" or "artistic." Terms regarding mental illness like, "I'm so OCD about ..." to replace "I need to keep this neat and clean," are also general stereotypes. Mental disorders' terms shouldn't be used in everyday situations so casually.
In conclusion, mental illnesses should be treated with the same level of support and respect as physical illnesses because illnesses in general do not discriminate.
People with mental illnesses are typically treated with less respect than those with physical disorders. Millions of people with cancer, for example, get treated at the hospital and some go into chemotherapy to get rid of it. The patients even have the right to have their family with them for comfort. Yet, millions of people with schizophrenia, for example, don't always get the help that they deserve, even when they reach out for help. Sometimes their families aren't supportive of them and people don't believe them when they say that they "hear voices." Both illnesses are terrifying to the victim, so both should receive equal support and respect for treatment.
Many people tend to get the idea that a mental illness is a choice. They need to understand that it isn't a choice at all. Why would they believe that somebody, for example, would choose to have OCD? I definitely know for a fact that nobody chooses to have cancer. If anything, people wish for cancer to be non-existent. Both illnesses are not someone's choice to have. People don't have a choice in whether or not they suffer, but they do get a choice in how they handle their circumstances. They could choose to get help and receive treatment, or they could choose to refuse help and gradually get worse. People can't choose on whether or not they get a mental illness, but only on how they deal with it.
If people aren't treating mental illnesses or respect or ignorance, they're turning it into an attention center. In some parts of society, people believe that mental illnesses are "cool" or a "trend." For example, they romanticize self-harm, which is a way to cope with some of their illnesses. I know that people don't self-harm for attention. I know this because usually people that self-ham will wear long sleeves or find some way to cover up their self-inflicted injuries, whether it be a bruise, a cut, or a burn. Another example is when people believe that depression is beautiful. Depression is in no way "beautiful" or "cool." There have been movies made with people who have depression falling in love and living a great life for the rest of the movie. These types of movies are inaccurate because they don't actually happen in real life. The chances of that happening are slim to none because depression isn't easy to deal with and it shouldn't be a reason for love. The way depression is portrayed in these films lack logic on the actual illness. Symptoms such as not wanting to get up, not wanting to eat, always feeling tired or having insomnia, and generally feeling empty or sad most of the time are left out. Pain isn't beautiful. It's a struggle to take care of yourself when you're dealing with this.
Mental illnesses tend to get stereotyped. You don't have depression if you're sad about a test grade for a week. You don't have anxiety disorder if you are shy around your crush. You aren't bipolar if you have regular mood swings. People can't just "get over" their mental illnesses. The same goes for physical illnesses. They can receive treatment to ease the symptoms, but the person will still have to deal with it. When people try to bring up the topic of mental illness, others often treat it as a taboo. One stereotype would be that if you hang around someone with a mental disorder, you'll also get a mental disorder. That in itself is false. Mental illness is not a virus that goes around school. You can't always tell if somebody has a mental illness because of a person's appearances. Mental illness is not "soulful" or "artistic." Terms regarding mental illness like, "I'm so OCD about ..." to replace "I need to keep this neat and clean," are also general stereotypes. Mental disorders' terms shouldn't be used in everyday situations so casually.
In conclusion, mental illnesses should be treated with the same level of support and respect as physical illnesses because illnesses in general do not discriminate.
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