Recently we read and discussed Al Gore's 3rd Chapter of "The Assault for Reason." Many people agreed that those who have money are wealthy. I must admit that I, too concured with this statement. However, I found that the entire time I was reading his 3rd Chapter, I was primarily annoyed and slightly upset. The first few pages were really good and actually gave me some more insite to the world of politics from a veteran's point of view.
Then I found myself getting so frustrated because he stopped giving facts and started shooting out random accusations against President Bush, but backed it with no evidentiary support. That bothers me. It seemed as if it was just a big rant and pout fest for him not winning the election, what... 7 years ago?
My opinion is pretty easily twisted around if you do it right, but I was not impressed nor was I even close to agreeing with any of his statements, aside from that citizens need to get more involved in politics.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Paper 1 Revised
Rachel Williams
Micah Robbins
ENG1310.115
Revised: 1 September 2007
Word Count: 603
What is the Most Beautiful _______ in the World?
Personally, I believe that beauty is natural. It's not something I can control, nor would I want to. You can't force it or to come, and you can't keep it away. Many things in life are beautiful, you just have to have the energy and faith to approach them and absorb everything they have to offer. I have certainly found beauty in life among several things, but lately it has become evident that there is one thing that is secluded from all the rest of the beautiful "stuff" in life. It's something that has risen above all else and stuck out individually. It is love. Love is what makes my world go around, as well as many others. It's the thing that gets me up in the morning, and keeps me going throughout the day. It is what poets and songwriters base many writings on.
George Sand, a romantic 19th century French novelist and poet once stated his opinion that "there is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." Love is the root of all things happy and beautiful. They all intertwine and connect in some way or another. Love is much more than what is portrayed on the big movie screen. It's the way that teachers love what they do. It's the way a mother looks at her baby girl for the first time, right after labor. It's the way God lets a light drizzle fall on you when you're tired and thirsty. It's the way a little four year old brother will save up his nickels and dimes to buy his big sister a basketball for Christmas. It's the way that boy next door is so nervous, but still looks so sweetly at the girl he wants to marry right before he gets on his knee.
I have had the chance to experience all those things in my life. I don't consider it luck. Nay, I believe it to be love and beauty, which in my experience is one in the same. You can't see true beauty in someone without loving them, just like you can't neglect seeing how beautiful love is when you experience it first hand. The way it surrounds a person (or two) is unbelievable. Above all the types of love, I believe that it is the passion between a man and a woman to be the most personal, special, and intimate kind of love. John Mayer once said in his song "Wonderland" that the girl in it "put the color inside of [his] world." We all long to have that kind of love surround us and engulf us in it's power and immense beauty, because we are taken aback by its beauty and are awed by its charm. Some of us find this kind of love faster in life, and I am no exception of that statement. I've found what some people search years for this year, and I couldn't be happier or more excited about the beautiful thing I share with one other incredible man.
Love is by far the ultimate breath-taking experience, at least to me it is. It's something that I cannot even ponder living without, now that I have attained it and embraced it's beauty. When my fiance proposed to me, it was the happiest moment of my life, thus so far. Simply put, it was beautiful and perfect. The bond we share is not only exciting but it is alluring and charming as well. We have nothing to do with this love, it is natural. Ergo, its beauty shines through, portraying its appeal to all, no matter who you are.
The John Mayer quote is taken directly from the song "Daughters" from the CD "Heavier Things"
The George Sand quote is a direct quote from him, not from a novel or a poem he wrote. Said to an interviewer in the late 1800s. Found from lovepoemsandquotes.com.
Micah Robbins
ENG1310.115
Revised: 1 September 2007
Word Count: 603
What is the Most Beautiful _______ in the World?
Personally, I believe that beauty is natural. It's not something I can control, nor would I want to. You can't force it or to come, and you can't keep it away. Many things in life are beautiful, you just have to have the energy and faith to approach them and absorb everything they have to offer. I have certainly found beauty in life among several things, but lately it has become evident that there is one thing that is secluded from all the rest of the beautiful "stuff" in life. It's something that has risen above all else and stuck out individually. It is love. Love is what makes my world go around, as well as many others. It's the thing that gets me up in the morning, and keeps me going throughout the day. It is what poets and songwriters base many writings on.
George Sand, a romantic 19th century French novelist and poet once stated his opinion that "there is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." Love is the root of all things happy and beautiful. They all intertwine and connect in some way or another. Love is much more than what is portrayed on the big movie screen. It's the way that teachers love what they do. It's the way a mother looks at her baby girl for the first time, right after labor. It's the way God lets a light drizzle fall on you when you're tired and thirsty. It's the way a little four year old brother will save up his nickels and dimes to buy his big sister a basketball for Christmas. It's the way that boy next door is so nervous, but still looks so sweetly at the girl he wants to marry right before he gets on his knee.
I have had the chance to experience all those things in my life. I don't consider it luck. Nay, I believe it to be love and beauty, which in my experience is one in the same. You can't see true beauty in someone without loving them, just like you can't neglect seeing how beautiful love is when you experience it first hand. The way it surrounds a person (or two) is unbelievable. Above all the types of love, I believe that it is the passion between a man and a woman to be the most personal, special, and intimate kind of love. John Mayer once said in his song "Wonderland" that the girl in it "put the color inside of [his] world." We all long to have that kind of love surround us and engulf us in it's power and immense beauty, because we are taken aback by its beauty and are awed by its charm. Some of us find this kind of love faster in life, and I am no exception of that statement. I've found what some people search years for this year, and I couldn't be happier or more excited about the beautiful thing I share with one other incredible man.
Love is by far the ultimate breath-taking experience, at least to me it is. It's something that I cannot even ponder living without, now that I have attained it and embraced it's beauty. When my fiance proposed to me, it was the happiest moment of my life, thus so far. Simply put, it was beautiful and perfect. The bond we share is not only exciting but it is alluring and charming as well. We have nothing to do with this love, it is natural. Ergo, its beauty shines through, portraying its appeal to all, no matter who you are.
The John Mayer quote is taken directly from the song "Daughters" from the CD "Heavier Things"
The George Sand quote is a direct quote from him, not from a novel or a poem he wrote. Said to an interviewer in the late 1800s. Found from lovepoemsandquotes.com.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A Look at the Norman Rockwell Paintings Regarding Education
To me, all three pictures we observed (The Spirit of Education-1934, The Graduate-1959, and The Problem We All Live With-1964) by Norman Rockwell are all perfect examples of what we have been discussing in class. The first one really jumps out because of the crazy outfits the boy and his assumed mother or teacher are wearing while the second is just plain odd looking, and really makes you think.
I chose the painting The Problem We All Live With because I grew up around minorities, and I've seen how they are treated, even if it's just how they're observed and looked at. Question number 6 on page 193 asks to basically pick apart the picture, and define why it pinpoints the little girl. The men are all so uniformed, they all look the same. They are all wearing suits, walking the same, wearing dark shoes, even all wearing wedding bands! Their body language is all the same: clenched fists, small strides, shoulders back... it's as if they are marching or something. Then there is this little African-American girl, who appears to be about 8 or 9 to me, is very relaxed, and not following the crowd's movement, only their direction. She carries notebooks and a ruler. Her white dress compliments her dark skin and makes her look angelic among these men who's faces are unseen by us, the readers. She looks straight ahead, and no where else, because she's focused on her goal, no matter what the rest of society is doing.
To me, she represents the smallest percent of her "kind", as people have come to call the minority races. She is diligent, it seems, and she works hard at what she does, which isn't how most of the minority races do things, at least how I've grown up to see. She's going against the grain, and I have so much respect for the actual people that represent this little girl.
I chose the painting The Problem We All Live With because I grew up around minorities, and I've seen how they are treated, even if it's just how they're observed and looked at. Question number 6 on page 193 asks to basically pick apart the picture, and define why it pinpoints the little girl. The men are all so uniformed, they all look the same. They are all wearing suits, walking the same, wearing dark shoes, even all wearing wedding bands! Their body language is all the same: clenched fists, small strides, shoulders back... it's as if they are marching or something. Then there is this little African-American girl, who appears to be about 8 or 9 to me, is very relaxed, and not following the crowd's movement, only their direction. She carries notebooks and a ruler. Her white dress compliments her dark skin and makes her look angelic among these men who's faces are unseen by us, the readers. She looks straight ahead, and no where else, because she's focused on her goal, no matter what the rest of society is doing.
To me, she represents the smallest percent of her "kind", as people have come to call the minority races. She is diligent, it seems, and she works hard at what she does, which isn't how most of the minority races do things, at least how I've grown up to see. She's going against the grain, and I have so much respect for the actual people that represent this little girl.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Education Opinion
My perspective on the issue of the lack of education is that if children tried more, they could easily succeed. Perhaps not as much as those that are able to attend Harvard or Yale because Mommy and Daddy pay for it, granted, but they could definitely surpass what is expected of them by their peers simply by attempting.
I know many brilliant teens that I attended high school with that could have really gone somewhere but they chose not to even try. They either slept in class or didn't come at all. They talked back to the teachers and were constantly under adult supervision. It was a shame to me and made me sad to see that they had no motivation to do well.
Then there's those that have been gifted with natural intelligence. They only put it to waste by not trying to do something with their lives that could be fantastic and valuable. Not to mention a help to society. I dated a guy who literally had a genius IQ and who's Senator knew him by name. He wasted his life away on drugs and booze, all for a temporary high instead of preparing himself for a better, brighter future.
Not that I'm perfect, that is far from the truth. It's just that it's a disappointment for all involved, including me. Mostly because we are completely helpless... especially since you can't want success enough for these people.
I know many brilliant teens that I attended high school with that could have really gone somewhere but they chose not to even try. They either slept in class or didn't come at all. They talked back to the teachers and were constantly under adult supervision. It was a shame to me and made me sad to see that they had no motivation to do well.
Then there's those that have been gifted with natural intelligence. They only put it to waste by not trying to do something with their lives that could be fantastic and valuable. Not to mention a help to society. I dated a guy who literally had a genius IQ and who's Senator knew him by name. He wasted his life away on drugs and booze, all for a temporary high instead of preparing himself for a better, brighter future.
Not that I'm perfect, that is far from the truth. It's just that it's a disappointment for all involved, including me. Mostly because we are completely helpless... especially since you can't want success enough for these people.
Monday, September 3, 2007
1 Thing I Hated
On thinhg I hated about high school... My teachers used to assign homework over holidays. That bothered me. Why assign work over the holidays? I hate homework to begin with, then to force me to do it on my relaxing time... it's ludacris. Not just little things, either. They used to make them ridiculous, too. Huge research papers or projects. It would literally take the entire break to do this one insignificant assignment that we'd never do anything with.
I'm overjoyous those days are over. Now I pay to have people tell me what to do! Joking. College is yes, different and much harder than high school, but it is a different experience in general. Very positive, very uplifting. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year and what all it has in store.
I'm overjoyous those days are over. Now I pay to have people tell me what to do! Joking. College is yes, different and much harder than high school, but it is a different experience in general. Very positive, very uplifting. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year and what all it has in store.
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