Final Suggestions

Apart from our take home portion/ project, I have a suggestion besides everyone's answer of Jeopardy. Perhaps we should take a look at several modes of media ranging anywhere from passages to YouTube videos. We would then have to use the "isms" we have learned/other theories we learned in the semester and apply them. This would get a discussion going and who knows where we would end up. It would be a good way of using everything we've learned while giving us a pleasurable intellectual experience that would most likely help us retain the knowledge years from now since it will be linked to something we can remember.

5 Things to Change the World by Omir

1) Set up some sort of law that would require all cars to be efficient, green, and low-mileage. Yes, it would suck not being able to drive my Jeep anymore, but if we don't want L.A., Pittsburg, NYC, etc to be uninhabitable in a few hundred years, it's only logical.

2) Determine a good health care system that helps citizens who have paid their taxes. If you have a condition, there's no reason you should be killing yourself just to pay for the medication that keeps you alive. Seems redundant right?

3) Fix the education system. We all know the US is falling behind rapidly. But globally,we need to make education much more accessible, and even mandatory up to a certain point. With the technology available today, there should be no excuse for any child to be left uneducated. Education kills ignorance and ignorance kills a lot of other negative things.

4)End Racism/ Stereotyping. We all do it. Usually we end up pleasantly surprised and befriend people we normally thought we couldn't. Don't forget everyone has things they are going through, but everyone also has inner beauty.

5) Declare Gang members terrorists/ make it illegal to be a gang member. This would wipe out about 25% of some cities' population, but crime would go down significantly and some neighborhoods would be restored. People live in fear around the world paying taxes to gangs. That is beyond heinous.

Ideology

Theory Toolbox suggests that ideology is a difficult to get at in addition to it being such a difficult concept to understand. Ideology: the study of ideas, just like Biology is the study of bios or life. Well, it's a lot more complicated than that. It can be described as the "material study of immaterial things" (83). We learn that the word's early meaning carried a negative, that it was someone trying to convince people of ideas as opposed to realities. I know there are a lot of different ideologies out there ranging from almost anything you can think of. There are obviously a number of ideologies that people agree with and disagree wit as well. There are certain ideologies that people tend to be scared of, a famous example would be Hitler's ideology that lead to the holocaust. Some people disagree with the current president's ideologies saying that we are getting to close to socialism or already there. I argue that everyone has ideologies that are shaped through their environment, life experiences, and personalities. We have already studies a few isms in class this semester, and we can use those to gain a deeper understanding of what ideologies consist of.

Snow White

Will be copied and pasted soon. (not like plagiarism).

Subjectivity

Subjectivity and Objectivity are clearly polar opposites. But my question is, when are they respectfully appropriate and under what conditions? In America, we clearly try ( at least many of us) to remain polite and politically correct. Often, we see people engage in heated and ferverous debate when politics are discussed. One may have a specific stance on an issue such as taxes or health care, whereas another person thinks the complete opposite, it is then we we see blatant subjective views. Can one ever be objective in such a personal issue as politics? Not likely. I find it is very hard to discuss an issue without expressing some sort of personal bias. This leads to my main question/point stemming from Theory Toolbox. How are we supposed to act in the academic world? As professors and students, how far should we express our subjective views? I believe that staying subjective in the classroom is extraordinarily difficult to do, and I rarely see i it happen in many of my discussion courses. But I find that to be a good thing. I want to know what other people's opinions are on different subject matters. It is good to hear when people agree with you, but it's also interesting to see the opposite or counter-argument. When it comes to politics, I have a hard time associating myself with either the GOP or the Democratic party. My beliefs are linked to both parties. Yet, I don't want to be known as an independent. I want to identify with a bigger group. Sure, people's opinions can sometimes enrage people to the point of anger and physical violence. However, I believe that the conversation and debate is stimulating. Nowhere in this world will you find a place where everyone agrees and isn't bored out of their minds. Many things shape our subjective mindsets: our parent and the way they raised us, our economic status, our race(s), our language, and our exposure to different things. I believe one needs a good balance of both objectivity and subjectivity in the classroom. For example, last night I went to Taco Bell with a friend. On our way back we were pulled over by the police because our car fit a description of a car they were looking for. I immediately wanted to yell at the cop because she was giving me the worst attitude and was clearly trying to make up for her insecurity of being a female officer. However, I stayed objective and called her ma'am. Subjectively, I haven't had the best experiences with the Fort Worth police as they seem to think every party deems 5 police cars. Subjectively, I was thinking, Aren't there worse neighborhood around here with drug addicts? I kept my cool and after 20 minutes we were off with cold tacos. My point is, like many things in life, one must find a reasonable balance.

What I Learned

Overall, I learned a lot in this course this semester. I was always interested in Twain both as an author and as a person. I knew he was revered and greatly respected. After reading a good amount of his works, I see that he was a compassionate man who stood up for his beliefs and he defended the less privileged. He wasn't one of these crazy transcendentalists who questioned everything, he was arguably the most influential author in American history. He was a family man as well who cared deeply for his family. His "angelfish" in his later years showed me he was a loving man till the end, even after all his personal tragedies. he stood up for slaves, women and stood against imperialism and racism. He was bold in his writing and was as influential as anyone could be.

The Mysterious Stranger

The Mysterious Stranger was quite the reading for me, and I understand why Dr. Williams chose it for the very end of the course. We developed our analytical skills and it was a good yet melancholy close to our readings. We all know what the piece is about, so the real question is, was the devil right?"It is true, that which I have revealed to you; there is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. It is all a dream - a grotesque and foolish dream. Nothing exists but you. And you are but a thought - a vagrant thought, a useless thought, a homeless thought, wandering forlorn among the empty eternities!"He vanished, and left me appalled; for I knew, and realized, that all he had said was true" ( Twain). The core of me wants to refute this and ignore it; it makes me want to say that through God or my religion, this does not apply to me. But as a scholar, I have to take this seriously. What if this world the devil speaks about with nothing but ourselves is true? Don't some people live just like this? I believe that there are some dark truths out there in the world, but through good company and good morals one can overcome the darkness.

A Dog's Tale

A Dog’s Tale is a rather touching yet melancholy story. As with previous short stories by Twain, we can expect to learn some moral lesson to go home with. In this story however, I get the feeling the satire here is more of a social commentary on the inhumanness of people along with their hypocrisy and disrespect towards life. The story follows a dog that has learned lessons of honor, respect, and purpose from her mother. When she is separated from her mother and joins a human family, she puts her lessons to work. When she drags the baby out of her crib, the mother of the family think she has gone crazy and beats her before she realizes that Aileen saved the baby from a fire that had ignited because of the fireplace. This goes to show how people are quick to inflict physical pain on an animal and assuming the worst- two sad traits of the human being. When Aileen gives birth to a puppy, it isn’t long before the husband of the family kills Aileen’s puppy because of a scientific experiment testing optics. The message at the end of the story is clear, like many of Twain’s stories. It gives abused animals a voice, shows how people are relentlessly cruel and hypocritical, and shows the loyalty of man’s best friend.

Huck Finn..again

After reading Tom Sawyer for the third time in my academic career, I realized a couple of things. Firstly, I have no idea why such a complex novel was assigned to me in middle school, and secondly I never realized Twain had so many commentaries on social issues within his books. While I had always known the book to be controversial, I never realized that he was strongly opposed to racism and slavery as a whole. I believe that Twain used these texts to try to enlighten people/ readers not only on his opinion but perhaps to sway their opinions. After all, Twain was a big supporter of imperialism before he realized what the truth was and then vehemently opposed it. Huck Finn seems like an innocent story when you read it young, but as an adult you realize there is a whole lot more going on than you originally thought. I think this is a great book to keep in the course and should be essential to TCU Core Curriculum.

A Scrap of Curious History

Of the three essays we read for today, the one that left me thinking the most was "A Scrap of Curious History" After we received that quote sheet from Dr. Williams in class, I was left to thinking about how society really does dictate what is acceptable during any given time period. For example, let's take the civil rights movement where only 45 years ago colored people were being sprayed with firehouses like rag-dolls for fighting for their God-given rights. At the time, in many parts of the country, racism was considered okay because that was how people were taught and raised, that whites were supreme to every other color. Similar to abolitionists, civil rights leaders weren't seen as heroes in every town. Some people despised MLK, Cesar Chavez, and Malcolm X. Now society has determined that being racist is politically incorrect, when in the Bible itself it says that all men are created equal. It is rather sad, even today, how many time the first thing we notice about someone is their race. But Dickinson is right, if you demur you are considered dangerous- and handled with a chain for your beliefs because you are going against the established social norms that have been laid before you. It amazes me how humans can treat others like animals, show no compassion, no love.

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg

After reading "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg", I realized that this was yet another one of Twain's "short" stories that leaves the reader with a sense of self-examination and it left me wondering about society's and my ethics. Clearly this story suggests that money can make people do crazy and ridiculous things and essentially brings out the worst in people: deception, greed, and lying. The Richards seem like a honest older couple who could really use the money for themselves and are clearly tempted many times to take the money. Eventually,they do the same as the other 18 and submit a letter with the words to the mystery man. In the end, when they receive the checks they feel so guilty that they burn them and eventually their health deteriorates and they die. When I put myself in their shoes, I wonder what I would have done. I surely would have been tempted to take the money for a new car, many shoes, or a new house, but in the end I think I would take the honest road and do what is right. The mystery man played the people in town like a bunch of puppets. Money really can make people do crazy things and there is no doubt that money can change a person. I remember my freshman year I had more cash than I ever had in my life and before I knew it I had unopened CD's and boxes of new Nike sneakers in my closet. I had new sunglasses and new polo shirts. Money is a dangerous tool that can overtake a person. This is why we see so many professional athletes who end up bankrupt with nothing after their careers. One must have a strong mind to not be manipulated. Unfortunately, it would seem that most people would easily succumb to it.

Was it Heaven or Hell?

After reading "Was it Heaven or Was it Hell?" I have found myself thinking about lies and how they can be beneficiary or malicious in one way or another. I took the story as another "parable" by Twain, whom I believe thinks that lying is a natural human action but some positive things can arise from such lies. When the doctor lies about Margaret being well, I originally thought he was trying to make the situation easier and give the girl some hope. However, the doctor seems blunt to me and explains that every person lies. Based on the exercise we did in class, I guess it sort of supports that. No one in the class denied doing the exercise saying they haven't told a lie recently. There were some doozies, but it just proves that people lie every day. As my mother told me, one lie leads to another and I am certainly guilty of that. Is it right to tell a lie that can help someone? I remember growing up having a blue parakeet named Joe. I really loved that bird. However, one morning I went to uncover him as I did every day, and I saw him on the floor. My mother told me he was just taking a nap and tired of being on the stick all day. When I returned from school, (kindergarden) "Joe" was back on the stick looking younger and revitalized. I guess sometimes the truth hurts too much.

A Ghost Story/ Back in 2010

I found Mark Twain's "A Ghost Story" to be rather entertaining and different from other short stories we have read in class. I felt like it was a generally fun story, although I admit, in the beginning I thought someone was going to die or something awful was going to happen. As the story went on, I sort of got the sense that there was nothing to be afraid of and the narrator seemed to become calmer as well. I had never heard of the Cardiff Giant before so I used trusty Wikipedia to gain some background knowledge on the situation and found that Twain is satirizing the hoax that occurred at that time. I found the ghost's diction to be rather comical and added some humor to the story because you would sort of expect the ghost of an enormous being to be rather angry and hateful towards the world. When he finds out the body nearby is just a replica, the reader gets the sense that Twain is having a good time with this and that he indeed is making fun of the situation. I felt like this short story was a page turner and a good read. I know I found my self laughing a couple of times. This is different in terms of narration compared to other of his stories but he is similarly satirizing a human condition: believing everything you hear and see.