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[thouse1010-blog]

"You have to see that idiot Trump rant on TV about radical ideas of throwing all Muslims out of America!" I once told my father in law. That statement made me begin to think about all the Muslims who would be affected: Doctors, Truck drivers, city officials, gas station owners. I was still contemplating this while at Texaco buying a drink and skittles of this until I watched "that idiot" Hillary get knocked on for Benghazi on the TV behind the clerk. For thirty minutes I questioned why she would send private information through her personal email. Later, my father in law was calling dominos after just seeing their ad on TV and I was looking at an ad for Applebee's on Yahoo instead of looking for a better antivirus when it hit me. Pay close attention, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!

[kplace100-blog]

This novel, “1984″, is interesting to me because I am never sure what is going to happen next.  It always leaves me guessing.  I noticed this a few chapters in because I was trying to read the foreshadowing to piece together the plot, but it was difficult to do.  I think that the style of writing contributes to this because we only know as much about the world as Winston does.  I find it refreshing to read a book with a little bit of mystery about where it is going to end up.  Many books that are written now are easy to see through because they have all been written before.  Every movie that comes out now seems to just be another remake of another movie that has already been out because no one has any new ideas.  “1984″ is an old book but I see it as new in a sense because the idea of it is so radical and different and surprising compared to that of books and movies being released now. 

[trapdaddytrev-blog]

1984 was definitely different. I agree with you on the part of you never know what is going to happen next. There wasn’t a lot of irony in it because like you said we never knew more then the main character, Winston. I thought it was a okay book but it was such a struggle to get through some parts. I don’t read a lot of books I’m more of an magazine article person. With that being said I don’t really know the cliche of what will happen in the end. So all novels are interesting to me, beside this one it was just too hard to get in too 💁

[thouse1010-blog]

I tried to get into this book, yes I thought it was brilliant in the dystopian outlook and but the style of dialogue and the like earlier stated vague foreshadowing didn't give me much suspense. However the similarities between the two books and our society kept me turning the page. The idea of brain washing the majority by the elite by mass propaganda, alteration of history and break down of individualism by teaching that free thought is the enemy of the free will of the dystopian society is extremely radical, and yet totally justifiable. The idea that "mankind will be the destruction of mankind" helps reinforce that. The only way to change this statement is to control the individual thought and have one "majority" or a "supreme" thought. The main issue, like in 1984, is who is it that is doing the controlling and what are there ultimate goals: greed or peace. In 451 Beaty told Montag the reason to destroy history was to keep peace with the minority which is now majority, while the in 1984 the public is being told BB is protecting Oceania when instead the idea of BB is controlling the populations desires.

[christopherthewinsomer-blog]

From Alpha to Epsilon | A Brief Review of “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley

Let’s consider, just for a moment, that the societal construct witnessed in Brave New World is not as barbaric as it seems.  Thus far, we’ve witnessed a series of communities utilizing genetic recombination to benefit the greater good of their society. Through the bastardized process of meiosis, the community is able to replenish their numbers at will with the exponential growth and replication of embryos. However, to avoid encroaching upon the aggressive waters of eugenics, my fascination is aimed towards the classification of the genetically altered children.

As displayed above, a child is placed under one of the following categories: Epsilon, Delta, Gamma, Beta, or Alpha. Based on the child’s cognitive, physical, and intellectual abilities, they are herded and groomed into one of the five categories. As inhuman as this hierarchy is, we utilize a similar “system” today, although incredibly diluted. We cannot evade the fact that some individuals are simply better suited for different roles that, ideally, contribute to society. What separates our present day hierarchy from Brave New World, is the continuous development throughout life and the freedom to pursue whatever role it is that we want to play.

[jeffery-williams]

Very interesting to think about.  You mentioned, “The freedom to pursue whatever role we want to play,” but I think it is sad how a lot people do not utilize this freedom.  How many people are like Montag that are doing what their father did just simply based on that fact?  How many people are working at jobs like burger King with no future plan?  Most of these people do not hold the Hindu belief of the Caste system but still kind of live their lives as if they do.  For some reason some people tend to just accept what status they were born into and never try to become anything else.  It just interesting to think about where we would be if everyone reached for the stars and tried to change the world. However, like you said, it is their freedom to be whatever they want to be.  

[thouse1010-blog]

Yes this is very true. It reminds me of a quote I heard today, “Humans are free!”. What really intrigued me about these three words is the message behind it. You hit the obvious nail when you said we have the freedom to pursue what ever role we want to play. Yes, that is true, you could teach everyone to buckle down and push for the stars and be scientist and lawyers. The only issue is you better be ready to plow your fields, you better be ready to well your water, you better be ready to burn your own trash, you better be ready to do some hard labor. Society needs people to be as you quoted “at Burger King” to say “would you like fries for that?”. We need janitors, or dishwashers, or truck drivers to do the hard work. I’m sorry if it sounds mean, but the people who are not mentally capable need to be in positions they are comfortable in, while the people who pushed through the books, got the A’s and have the intelligence to lead masses of people to be the elite. You want to know why the caste system is almost hereditary? Its because if you are raised in the ghetto, you are most likely to look for a home in the ghetto. If you were raised by a leader, you are more likely to be a leader. The idea that the elites have started growing humans isn’t to far out of reach. Lets an individual makes 12 dollars an hour for flipping burgers. That equals 20 cents a minute which is equivalent to about one penny every 3 seconds. Yet that individual is cooking 6 burgers at once that take 3 minutes and each burger sells for 6 dollars. In three minutes the business just made 36 dollars and paid the cook $0.60. So in one hour at this rate 120 hamburgers are produced and sold for 720 yet the cook only got 12 out of those dollars. i¿HUMANS ARE FREE?!

[thouse1010-blog]

Police brutality and racism has gotten so bad in the United States that the United Nations is stepping in

http://countercurrentnews.com/2016/02/un-experts-extremely-concerned-about-police-and-mass-incarceration-in-the-us/

My idea of a “police state” would be soldiers with M-16s standing on the corner of every street or revolutionaries with ak-47s bound together with duct tape running for cover. However my description of “police state” is far worse than what one story by it’s self, but it was when those stories started to pile up that pushed me start doing a little research. Here are the cold hard facts

1. America has only 4.4% of the worlds total population but almost a quarter (23%) of the incarcerated population in the world

2. America spends more on the incarcerated than it does on the education of its own people.  

3. 68% of  American prisoners return to prison.

4. 1110 people were killed by cops and 1202 people were killed in 2015 by cops. That averages out to 1 killing every 8 hours.

5. Only 1% percent of police officers being tried for murder actually get indicted while 90% of citizens facing murder are indicted

6. An article titled “In Their Own Word” a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice stated that:

             A. 43% of police say, “Always following the rules is not compatible with getting the job done."

             B. 52% of police say, "It is not unusual for a police officer to turn a blind eye to improper conduct of other officers."

             C. 61% of police say, "They do not always report serious abuse by fellow officers."

             D. 84% of police say "They have witnessed fellow officers using more force than necessary."

Hello! WAKE UP! I’m not inciting a riot, but seriously considering slapping some sense into a few officials. Do some research and re-blog to me about how you feel about this “dystopia”.

[christopherthewinsomer-blog]

“Montag, you’re it!” | Fahrenheit 451

     The minute you crack open Fahrenheit 451, you’re introduced to Guy Montag. As a fireman of Station 451, Montag is responsible for burning books (which, is in clear opposition to today’s version of a fireman). Not only do these firemen have to burn these books, they are not allowed to read them. Montag appears to enjoy what he does, when we are first introduced to him. He revels in the art of setting literature aflame by saying, “It is a pleasure to burn.” However, what is most peculiar, is how Montag’s ideologies seem to melt away when meeting someone new.

     “Hello, Clarisse” (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself on this one.)

     Clarisse is a seventeen year old girl, who as noted by Montag and even Clarisse’s family, seems a bit “out of the ordinary”. However, it does not seem as though she’s necessarily demented, but rather incredibly imaginative and methodical. This is someone who spends most of her time thinking and pondering upon things that others within this dystopian environment simply do not.

     It appears, though, that it is with Clarisse’s free-spirited mind that begins to turn Montag’s narrow views of the world and turn them to ash. She even questions if he’s happy, something he never considered before. It was something he accepted as true, rather than being true. Although, with the combination of Clarisse’s introduction to Montag and the attempted suicide of his wife, something is stirring within Montag, and I’m incredibly interested to find out what it becomes.

[adammorales-posts-blog]

I understand what you mean about this story. I’m not much of a reader, but from the moment I open this book I could help but be engaged in the oppressive world of this novel. I also really liked how Clarisse describes things that happened in there past (our present). It gives a sense that this isn’t an alternate reality, but could very much be our future. The way this book is composed is almost effortless is design and poetic in nature. So far I can’t wait to see what happens.

[thouse1010-blog]

I enjoy reading through everyone’s idea of Montag and Clarisse. However, I find it puzzling that I haven’t seen a single mention of Mildred. I feel that Mildred is a very influential character that the Bradbury brilliantly uses “in the background”. All of her actions are very MAJOR actions, but they were not a climax, her actions were rising actions. Bradbury uses Mildred in certain ways to make the reader feel empathy for Montag and she even helps set the climax in one scene. For instance, when Montag hides the book under the pillow while talking to Beatty, Mildred tries to rip the pillow from Montag and even feels the book! Still it wasn’t the climax, Beatty telling Montag “If he hasnt burned it by then, we simply come burn it for him” I feel, was the climax of the scene. When Montag comes home from a long day of work, he find his wife dead from over dosing on sleeping tablets. This is another major action Mildred does, it makes the reader feel for Montag early in the story. Its also not a climax part of the scene. The description of the blood pump, and the men taking her blood, i feel, is the climax of this scene. She helps Bradbury keep the story a very interesting piece. 

[thouse1010-blog]

Celsius 232.778

After reading part of the story I was intrigued yet confused. Bradbury’s repeating and unusual use of structuring some paragraphs threw me off causing mes to become bored and lose interest. I couldn’t give up (because its sort of an assignment) so I found the audio-book on youtube. I started the story over and found a remarkable amount of information I missed by not seeing where the emphasis of some of the words like “It had an Eye” on page 44. This also aloud me to better understand what Bradbury was trying to portray. For example, the quote about the eye I would have just brushed over, however, I seen the resemblance of a gastrao-intestinal rectal exam cameras.

My favorite quote “A book is a loaded gun in the house next door”  pg. 88

[thouse1010-blog]

Fahrenheit 451 AudioBook Part 1 of 3 Ray Bradbury

This helped me clarify the reading. I was about halfway done with part one when i found this. I understand more from listening to how the narrator is saying and emphasizing words. I would recommend checking this out. 

[jeffery-williams]

My thoughts on “The Lottery”

I think a big part of this story has to do with blindly following traditions/orders without knowing why.  This to me is not a hard concept to grasp as we still do this today.  Studies show that if someone is born into a republican/democrat family then they are most likely to not change when they older, and the same is true in regards to religion.  In fact for me, when I took a world religions class it raised a lot of questions about my own religion and of the other religions.  When I sought out the answers to these questions I was looked down upon for having questions and not just accepting everything in faith.  I believe this is wrong but is why we as a society do not ask questions.  We are afraid of being “wrong” or the “odd ball” of society as we all seek acceptance of some sort, we seek to fit in. To me if one TRULY cares about “x” then they will ask questions to make sure they have it correct in their mind so that without a doubt they believe/know “x” is true even during hardships.  In the story we see that people support the lottery but when it affects them negatively then they have concerns/issues with what is going on.  I believe this is because they truly do not believe in what they are doing because they do not have all the answers, they do not know why they are doing it.  In short, I believe all of us should seek our own answers to everything in life because then it will become our own truth and will mean that much more to us.

P.S. Did anyone else think that the kids were just collecting rocks to play with because it was the 40’s and they didn’t have anything else to play with? Seriously did not see the end coming lol.

[gayliegirlfempower-blog]

I DID think the kids could have been collecting rocks for a game or contest of skimming stones.  I think there was a mentioning that someone liked the “flat” rocks.  

[artislifeslr261-blog]

The only way to really gain your own beliefs and ideas is to question others. I like that you think this way too. I cannot see how someone can blindly follow anything. I might be doing it without realizing it, who really knows. But I know I haven’t done anything wrong in my life that would make me question what I am doing. I have questioned religion. When I was in school I noticed my peers were discussing church and their denominations and I came home one day and asked my parents, “what are we? Are we Christians?” I visited church often with my family but I never knew we had an identifier and I didn’t understand the purpose of one. I believed in God and still do. When I asked my parents that they were taken back by it and simply asked me “what do you want to be?” And at the time I said “just me.” I love that I had an accepting family like that. Some people don’t have a choice. And some, blindly follow others due to their traditions. I know what’s going on in the world today about religion is wrong. No religion (I have learned about in my years of being taught world religions) have specified killing other people. Now old books have said an eye for an eye. But these days they don’t. And a lot of people believe everyone interprets the same within their religion but everyone is different. Some are just blindly following others. With the lottery I believe they were attempting to break their tradition but didn’t know exactly how. And they probably thought if they do break it then something worse would come into play.

[thouse1010-blog]

Artislifeslr261, I strongly agree with your earlier stated observation that we are afraid of being the oddball and that we follow along with society to “fit in” with the rest of the group. I believe we do this because we are hardwired to do so. The instinct to survive affects our conscious decisions we make everyday. The fact is that if you are in a group the chances of survival are extremely higher than if you were alone. All throughout our history we hear of how people were banished from towns or cities, almost guaranteeing certain death. This is built into our DNA and has been with us for years. I really agree with your mention toward how we are so blind to the truth of other religions, this again plays into the idea of being the odd ball, or the concept of “us and them”. Our generation will be the biggest push to end this “human norm” by realizing that by asking the questions that are so indifferent to a groups ideology that we will soon find similarity and overcome a world of barriers and join together as a single world civilization. (Not the NWO or Illuminati)

[thouse1010-blog]

The Tale of a Few Minutes

When re-reading the story of an hour after class, I started to notice more correlations between the relationship in the Mallard marriage and the house as it represents many different important characterizations. The story begins downstairs (Down=Death=Negative), Mrs. Mallard is informed of the news of her husband’s death were she then cries profusely and runs up stairs. When she reaches the upstairs room (Up=Life=Heaven=Positive), she is then elevated and sees the beauty of the situation. Then Louise, after her self-realization,  is dragged downstairs (Down=Death=Negative) where she is reunited with Mr. Mallard and dies. Another correlation I found was how the room was not described much, like there isn’t much to the room but a few major things every room should have (Marriage=Room). There isn’t much to the marriage. One more correlation I noticed was how Chopin described the sky outside the window, how new, clean blue sky is coming from the east and dark clouds are off in the distant west. Most weather patterns in the US move west to east.  Signifying of the up coming storm that is about to take place in the Mallard home.