In chapters 1 and 2 of Job;   We learn a few things about humanity for example, we learn that Job a man who is blameless and upright,but Job is ruined without reason, Job knows that God gives good, and God gives bad.  This says that sometimes bad things can happen to good people and we have to accept it. 

We also learn about God that maybe he isn’t as fair and just as he seems to be, Gods total control over everything is question.  In chapters 1 and 2 God is tricked into ruining this blameless and upright man for no reason. “he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason”. 

We learn about Job and his family; Job believes that he has to save his sons and daughters ” Job would send and have them purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”. We also hear about Job’s wife and how she encourages Job to give in and curse god, because he is cursing you, ” are you still holding on to your integrity? curse God and die!” but Job is faithful, and responds to his wife ” Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, but sometimes CONTROLLING KNOWLEDGE IS MORE POWERFUL

Something that i noticed and keep noticing now a days is that the old saying “knowledge is power” i don’t know were it comes from but i think this saying has so much meaning more than just about knowledge and power but i have come to understand it a different way; it is true knowledge is power but what is also true is that if you control knowledge you control how much power people can have i have come to understand this saying as “knowledge is power, but controlling knowledger is even more powerful” .  One of the things i see that people follow without question is education.  People think that what they learn at school is all there is to the world because they were “taught” everything important at school.  We do learn “information” at school, that’s all we learn “information “and we learn that “information” so we can just regurgitate the “information” back to them when ever they ask for it.  The reason why i repeated “information” so much was because like Mr. Amico has taught us when things keep showing up there important, i say “information” because words have meaning, and knowing information is ”good” but knowing were information comes from, why it comes from there, and how is even more essential.  Example in math class they tell us a math formula, but they never teach us who came up with it, or how, or why. They just simply tell us this it and use it. History there is so much history in the world recorded that i think it would be impossible to learn all of it; yet have you ever though who decides what to teach us, when or how. We all learn the history of countries, cities, people (“great” leaders, and “horrible” leaders). But like when they teach us about people they teach us one view and one view only, and its their view its never yours, you never get to decide were your gonna look it from because if you were to look at it from like Hitler’s point of view. you have only been taught to repeat and regurgitate information, what do you think is gonna happen if you look at it from Hitler’s point of view, The terms good and bad are so vague and so lost in meaning that those words (atleast to me) are no longer useful, people only see things good when its from their point of view and see someone else’s point of view as bad. How come we only learn about Hitler out of the “bad” leaders and dictators in the world there are so many other people out there.  The give us all this “information” but they never tell us the reason for knowing this “information” or where it came from or how, or why was the reason, i see people taking in this “information” but never questioning ” wow who possibly came up with this formula or how.”, and that’s what’s really important because if you don’t know were something came from how do you know were to go with it. I see kids saying ” Oh why do they teach us this when are we gonna use it, were just gonna forget it after the test.” and i think that’s just missing the whole point your not learning for teachers your learning to know how to view ideas and information, how to understand them, but because their just giving us information we just see it, and give it back to them when they ask for it. I hope when your done reading my blog you atleast start to question a little of where did this “information” come from, oh how did we get it, or atleast look at the saying “knowledge is power” in a different way.

Thoughs on the trial

My thoughs on the trial are that the trial was fun and for a whole week i did nothing, but the trial was about the american dream beign alive in LITERATURE not REAL LIFE.  Just because something didn’t seem real wasn’t an argument against the book.  I like the way people played the parts of the people in the book, and the passion some people showed when it was their turn to go up and interview/witness/lawer/or something else.  The trial was very fun, the way they gave the verdict was kinda weird but alive won, i did think it was WAY WAY WAY harder to argue that the american dream is dead because you would have to disprove a lot of books, while alive you would really only have to proof that the american dream is alive in one book to show that it is alive.  The dead team had a very tough goal even though they didn’t succed i though they did good.  and the alive team like the jury said we were more organized and prepared.

Due Feb. 15 Different species of Mockingbirds?

Tom and Mayella are two people that are very similar.  they are both victims of one of the mayer themes of the novels, prejudice,  Tom is a victim racial prejudice, and Mayella is a victim of social prejudice.  just like Tom can’t help to be black, Mayella can’t help that she is poor they can’t control their enviorments and hated because of it, but it’s ironic that because they share such close pain they end up together, and because people can’t see they are similar because one is black and one is white.  They can’t accept or believe that a white woman was actually atracted to a black slave man. 

 Tom and Mayella may be very similar in the prejudice and suffering they experience from others but they are very different, because in the courtroom black and white problems aren’t the only thing the author attempts to elaborate on, she elaborates on things like social status and class.  The Ewells are what are known as “white trash”, while they live in a shack which is dirty and smells and is full of desease, once Scout noticed that the black people’s houses were modest but neat and appeared to be clean with aromatic smells rising from their kitchens, which to the contrary of the Ewells surroundings which they have to go to the town dumpster which is located near their shack to scavenge for food and water. 

In reality even though they are seen so different, but people see them different because of their skin while in reality they are extremely different in the way they live, and in the conditions of their lifes. 

homework due Feb. 1st

Mockingbirds are a central metaphor of the book because it’s a metaphor describing how its a sin to kill something that doesn’t harm anyone, a mockingbird is a bird that sings, so people can enjoy its music, much like what Tom did he would only go by her house and stop; Tom would do some work for her, help her fix, move things and in return he would ask nothing but a kind thank you.

  I think the Mockingbird in that metaphor is a representation of Tom and of what he does for the white people in that community. 

In that quote the book refers to how Tom Robinson would only do chores and work for people around town, and he would do nothing wrong, he was a kind man with a kind heart.  he would work his heart out for the people in that town. and that it’s a sin to kill something that harms no one and is here only to make sweet music for us to hear. its a sin to kill someone that didnt’ do anything wrong but work his heart out for the people in that town. 

In chapter 9 Scout had a talk with uncle jack and its an important part in the book because its easy for a child to see both sides of an argument because their not as hard headed as the adults, or as hard headed as the adults the author seems to make them as.  she can see both sides and understand and when uncle jack someone that stubborn sees how Scout is able to see both sides he actually sees her point of view and i think in a way is ashamed he can’t do that. 

chapter 1-6 homework due thursday the 25th

The childhood world of Jem, Scout, and Dill is one that is very slow moving, very dull, there’s not that many things to do.  Everyone in that town knows each other and everyone knows the rumors about everyone in that town. 

Through their childhood Jem, Scout and Dill don’t really understand much about Boo Radley, they don’t understand why he doesn’t come out, or what exactly happened with his parents, because everyone is so mysterious and so hostile towards him that they don’t talk to him or about him they think well if Atticus doesn’t want to talk about him then he must be bad or strange.  Jem, Scout, and Dill have never seen Boo and are curious if he’s a monster or some sort of weird human and start a game to try to get him to come out.

  Im still not sure what the author was trying to show with this character, but when Jem lost his pants and went to go back for them he founded folded maybe thats foreshadowing that when maybe later on in the story Jem is going to need help and Boo is gonna be there to help. 

 Maybe Boo Radley represents that sometimes the people you think are bad can actually be the ones that are good

blog thursday february 08, 2007

In chapter 15 in how to kill a mockingbird Scout saves her dad from a mob, Harper Lee in this scene is very undeveloping and he doesn’t elaborate enough in this scene to the reader.  This is a very unlikely situation in real life, I felt that this scene is unfinished and that it kind of leaves you hanging on” What that’s it? They just stopped?”  I believe Harper Lee didn’t think this scene really mattered, or that it was him trying to show the power of her innocence. 

Scout may be innocent and not know what rape means, or what racism, is but no one does those are things that are taught to people.  Even though I believe scout would have known that her father was in trouble and that you can’t just walk up like she did, scout has gotten into fights and knows what a fight is, I’m pretty sure she would know about her father.  If not I don’t believe the men would have just stopped like they did, maybe not do anything in front of her because she’s a young girl, but definitely would not have been embarrassed.

 I strongly believe that Harper Lee should have finished this scene thoroughly because it’s very important in showing the power of her innocence.  but because it’s so undeveloped I didn’t think much of it, I just though” hmm well I guess she stopped the fight just like that”. Which is very unrealistic he didn’t elaborate in the feelings of any characters, not Atticus, not scout not the mob it was just an empty scene, that took up space and did not contribute to the story at all, maybe a little bit, but not enough?